France - Halfords

5 weird and wonderful
things to do in ...
1/5
France
See f
o
miles r
!
Climb up Mont
Saint Michel
Normandy
A French stronghold since the
ed
8th century, this fascinating fortifi
t is
island town off the Normandy coas
check
well worth a visit. Make sure you
ey of
out the Norman Benedictine Abb
d, from
islan
the
of
peak
the
at
el
Mich
St
which you can see much of the
mud
surrounding countryside and the
flats for miles around.
acwww.ot-montsaintmichel.com/en/
cueil.htm
+33 2 33 60 20 65
Did you know?
The United Nations
Organisation considers
preserving the Mont to be
vital, from the perspective
of both nature and culture.
The look of Minas Tirith in
the movie The Lord of the
Rings: The Return of
the King was based on
Mont-Saint-Michel.
The waters in the bay
are thought to be some
of the fastest in Europe.
It’s said they’re as fast as
a galloping horse.
Take
it
easy
Watch water
jousting
Visit the Agincourt
Museum
See wild horses
and flamingos
Stroll along the
Promenade Plantée
Two boats. A team of six per
boat. The boats row towards
each other and the participants
take turns to try and knock
their opponents into the water.
Bonkers stuff! But a great reason
to visit this charming Provençal
seaside town.
Kids will have loads of fun
exploring the interactive exhibits
of this brilliant museum, which
commemorates the famous 15th
century battle. You can visit the
battlefield itself too.
The beautiful wetlands of the
Rhône delta in southern France
are home to the ancient breed
of wild Carmargue horses. The
area is also one of the few natural
habitats of flamingos in Europe.
Perfect for a walk and a picnic.
Take in the boutiques and
scenery as you stroll along this
narrow park, built on old railway
line. Visit the Viaduc des Arts
along the way and enjoy the
area’s wealth of craftshops.
Sète
www.opisline.com/sete_english.
html
Pas de Calais
24 Rue Charles VI, 62310
Azincourt
www.azincourt-medieval.fr/
+33 03 21 47 27 53
Carmargue
www.equinetourism.co.uk/
equinetourismfrance/camarguehorses.asp
Paris
Avenue Daumesnils,
Paris (Metro: Bastille)
france-for-visitors.com/paris/
promenade-plantee.html
Images:iStock, Fotolia,Rex Features
Bonk
ers !
5 weird and wonderful
things to do in ...
2/5
Spain
Watc
h
out !
Semana Santa
Seville
Semana Santa is the Spanish Easter
celebrations, so expect costumes and floats
galore in this vibrant fiesta, over March and
April. It takes place all over Spain, but Seville’s
is one of the more impressive spectacles.
www.sevillaonline.es
La Tomatina
Buñol
Join in – or just watch – this craz
y
festival in August. Locals and visito
rs
celebrate the tomato harvest by
staging an almighty tomato-fight
in
the streets of the Valencian town
. It
gets pretty messy!
www.latomatinatours.com
Basque cider houses
San Sebastian
Barrio Osinaga 7, 20128 Hernani; +34 943
551502;
www.altzuetasagardotegia.com
But it’s not just tomato fights!
One of the must-sees
in Buñol is the castle.
In the 16th century it
was used to imprison
King Francis I.
Ge
inspirt
ed
San Miguel Market
Madrid
Pick up some tapas and take a leisurely stroll
around this gourmet food market in the
Spanish capital.
Plaza San Miguel s/n 28005 Madrid
www.mercadodesanmiguel.es
You can explore the
famous Turche Cave,
where there is a 60metre waterfall at rainy
times of year.
Also check out El
Salvador Church,
which also houses the
town’s Archaeological
Museum.
Salvador Dali’s
house
Cadaqués
Visit the house of the famous surrealist
painter in this beautiful remote fishing
village. It doesn’t get weirder than this!
Portlligat, E-17488 Cadaqués
www.salvador-dali.org/museus/portlligat
+34 972 251 015
Images:iStock, Fotolia,Rex Features
Wash down some Spanish tortilla or cuts of
ham with the local Basque cider, straight from
the cask.
5 weird and wonderful
things to do in ...
3/5
Italy
Visit a Roman market
Ghost walking tour
Naples
Visit the Church of San Lorenzo
Maggiore, built over the ruins of
Roman shop fronts, which you
can actually walk through. It’s the
result of 25 years of painstaking
Venice
excavation and well worth a visit.
Learn loads of little-known facts
about Venice as well as hearing
some super-spooky tales! You’ll
expore the narrow alleyways and
secret passageways of hidden
Via Tuscolana 1055, 00173 Roma
www.cinecittastudios.it
+39 06 722 931
Venice and see some wonderful
rarely-seen architecture. Great fun
for all the family.
bit.ly/M3KNJR
The Palio
Ama
spect zing
acle!
Siena
Take in gripping bareback horse racing
and baroque pageantry in this striking
Medieval city. After the horses are
paraded around the town, the race –
contested by representatives of Siena’s
ten contrade (districts), each of which is
decorated in colourful flags and
pennants – takes place around the
central square, the Campo. The winning
district gets to display the Palio
(pennant) in their local church until the
next year.
Did you know?
There’s a magnificent
palace literally called
Palazzo del Magnifico! It’s
Renaissance architecture
is definitely worth seeing.
Numerous scenes in the
Bond movie Quantum of
Solace take place in Siena
– both in the streets and on
the rooftops!
www.ilpalio.org/index_english.htm
Siena’s cathedral, the
Duomo, begun in the
12th century, is one of the
best examples of Italian
romanesque architecture.
Visit Cinecittà
Go wine tasting
Rome
Stroll around the film studios,
where Ben-Hur, La Dolce Vita and
Gangs of New York were shot.
The TV series Rome was filmed
at Cinecittà, as was an episode of
Montepulciano
Dr Who set in ancient Pompeii.
Via Tuscolana 1055, 00173 Roma
www.cinecittastudios.it
+39 06 722 931
Try the region’s excellent wines
on the slopes of this
mountainside town in Tuscany
– and if you’re there in August,
watch the locals take part in the
yearly barrel-rolling festival.
www.enjoyingitaly.com/tour/
montepulciano-wine-tasting
020 3239 7010
Images:iStock, Fotolia,Rex Features
Fami
friendly
ly
5 weird and wonderful
things to do in ...
Germany
4/5
It’s
Sleep
Beau ing
t
palac y’s
e!
Visit Neuschwanstein
Castle
Bavaria
Built by Mad King Ludwig II in 1869
, this elegant
fairytale castle in southern Germ
any was the
blueprint for Sleeping Beauty’s icon
ic palace in
Disneyland. Only 15 of its 200 room
s were ever
finished, but the ones that are are
fascinatingly
ornate. Well worth visiting for its
incredible
romanticised architecture and spec
tacular location
in the Alpine foothills.
Take in a national park
Alpseestrasse 12, 87645 Hohensc
hwangau
www.neuschwanstein.de
+49 83 62 93 08 30
Berechtesgaden
Take in the stunning lakes, forests, mountains
and glaciers of this natural conservation area.
The Kehlstein mountain in particular offers
amazing views to visitors.
www.berchtesgaden.de
Spend an evening at the
Freiluftkino
Berlin
A little bit of history..
The palace was
designed as a homa
ge
to the German
composer Richard
Wagner – Ludwig
II
was a huge fan of
Wagner’s operas.
The palace was
opened to the publi
c
in 1886 after Ludw
ig’s
death. Over the
following years mo
re
than 60 million pe
ople
have visited!
.
Neuschwanstein
Palace has featur
ed
in many movies ov
er
the years including
Around the World
in 80
Days and Chitty Ch
itty
Bang Bang!
Enjoy a film screening in the fresh air of this
outdoor cinema – whatever the weather!
Mariannenplatz 2 10997 Berlin
www.freiluftkino-kreuzberg.de
+49 3 0293 6160
Bonk
ers !
nr Berlin
A massive airship hangar converted into an
indoor tropical island, this resort is worth
a visit. You can even stay overnight and
enjoy the great restaurants and shows.
Tropical-Islands-Allee 1 D, 15910
Krausnick
www.tropical-islands.de
+49 3 54 77 60 50 50
See the Miniatur Wunderland
Hamburg
Revisit your childhood by whiling away an
afternoon playing with this huge automated
model railway.
Kehrwieder 2-4, Block D, 20457 Hamburg–
Speicherstadt
www.miniatur-wunderland.com
Images:iStock, Fotolia,Rex Features
Stay at the Tropical Islands
5 weird and wonderful
things to do in ...
5/5
Elsewhere in Europe
Could
t
be yo his
u
parad r
ise?
Relax in Fiscardo
Kefalonia
This lovely town on the rugged Gree
k
island of Kefalonia contains the only
examples of Kefalonia’s Italianate
architecture after the island was
devastated by an earthquake in
1953.
Buy freshly caught fish in the morn
ing,
hire a boat in the afternoon, and
head to
one of the idyllic harbourside bars
in the
evening to watch the sun go dow
n over
the pretty harbour.
www.fiscardo.com
During World War II, the
island was occupied by
Axis powers. Mostly
Italians, but there were
also about 2,000 troops
from Nazi Germany.
Did you know?
Most indigenous people
of Kefalonia have
surnames ending in
“-atos” and many island
communities have names
ending in “-ata”.
The production of olive
oil is a significant part
of the island’s economy.
Olive oil has a rich, greasy
touch, a green tone and
low acidity.
Watc
h
your
step!
Climb the
Žižkov TV Tower
Visit the monasteries
of Meteroa
Hike on the
Wadden Sea
Go kayaking
Enjoy great views over the Czech
capital from this eccentric piece
of architecture. About halfway up
you can dine in the restaurant.
You don’t have to walk though,
there are lifts, with speedometers!
These stunning Byzantine
monasteries built on the summits
of giant rock towers are truly
breathtaking. There are six
monasteries in total, all built on
natural sandstone. Interestingly,
the exact date they were erected
remains unknown.
This area is located on the North
Sea coast and includes national
parks and conservation areas.
Go mudflat hiking at low tide
and walk to the many islands
off Holland’s Zuider Zee. There
are 1000s of plants, animals and
birds to discover.
Rent kayaks and paddle between
the hundreds of islands of the
Swedish capital. Enjoy a deserted
beach or camp out under the
stars. Great for kids too.
www.kalampaka.com
bit.ly/LBoNVa
Mahlerovy sady 1, 130 00
Prague 3
+420 267 005 778
Greece
Stockholm
Netherlands
Erstagatan 5,
116 28 Stockholm
www.paddlingstockholm.se
+46 707 992527
Images:iStock
Prague