Thursday 18 June 2015

Poklonnaya Hill, Moscow (Russia)

Worshipful Submission Hill, Покло́нная гора́, moscow, russia
Victory Park
Poklonnaya Hill (meaning bow down hill in English) is among the list of highest spots in Moscow, standing at around 170 meters located west from the center of city. Russia is officially known as Russian Federation. It is the world’s biggest country in terms of its area but not the largest (in terms of population). It gives a panoramic view of the capital. This is the spot where Napoleon Bonaparte, after reaching Moscow, waited for Russian Emperor of that time (Alexander I) to bow in front of him and to handle him the key of the city. However, this never happened and later Napoleon lost the war.

This memorial complex includes :

–> A victory Park
–> A church
–> Central Museum of great patriotic war
–> Mosque

Victory park is one of the most preferable places in the premises and tourist came up here to take rest, to stroll, admiring the fountains, skate riding and to watch performances. Central Museum consist of the pictures of the ancient times and the weapons used in the war.


Best Time to visit :

In Summer (April – August)

Entry Fee :

Not sure about the entrance fees.


10 other places you wouldn’t like to miss :

1. Red Square
2. Ostankino Tower
3. Moscow zoo
4. Ivan The Great Bell Tower
5. Moscow Hermitage Garden
6.Epiphany Monastery
7. State Historical Museum
8. Gorky Park
9. Moscow Kremlin
10. Saint Basil’s Catherdral
You can book cheap flights to Moscow by Clicking here

Wednesday 11 February 2015

Charminar, Telangana (India)

viewing Charminar in Night, telangana tourist place, indian tourist place
Charminar, Telangana (India)
Charminar is a monument and mosque located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Previously Telangana was a part of Andhra Pradesh (Indian state) but on 2nd June, 2014 Telangana got seperated from Andhra Pradesh and became the new 29th state of India with Hyderabad as its capital. Charminar is situated at the bank of Musi River. Its name itself describes about its structure i.e Char means Four and Minar means Tower. It is among one of the most famous historical places in Hyderabad and among the list of top 10 tourist attractions in India.

It was built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shahi to celebrate the end of a deadly plague in 1591 CE.  He vowed that he will build a mosque in the city of Hyderabad after the eradication of this deadly plague. There is a fountain near to the entrance gate, in the middle of Charminar. It is been said that, there used be a tunnel/ secret way upto Golconda fort to escape from enemies. You have to climb around 150 spiral staircase to reach to the top. Most of the fabled bazaars of Hyderabad are located around the Charminar.
  • Best Time to visit :
Winter Season i.e October- March is always the best time to visit anywhere in India.
  • Entry Fee :
Rs. 25 for Indians
Rs. 150 for Foreigners
Rs. 10 for children
Rs. 50 extra for cameras and Rs 100 extra for video cameras.
  • Entry Timings :
10:30 am to 5 pm (Monday Closed)
  • 10 other places you wouldn't like to miss :
1. Golkonda
2. Nehru zoological park
3. Paigah Tombs
4. Birla Mandir
5. Chowmahalla Palace
6. Shamirpet Lake
7. Birla Science Museum
8. Taramati Baradari
9. Osman Sagar
10. Qutb Shahi Tombs

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Nalanda Gedige, Matale (Sri Lanka)

tourist attraction in sri lanka, tourist attraction in asia, ancient hindu temple in sri lanka
Nalanda Gedige, Matale (Sri Lanka)
Nalanda Gedige is an ancient times Hindu Temple located at about 1 km east of the A9 route 20 km north of Aluvihare near Kandy (Matale, Sri Lanka). It is one of the remarkable  archaeological sites in Sri Lanka. It is a site that has been shifted about 35 years ago from its original place. The new place is just few kilometers away from the previous one. The reason of shifting the site is that the area went under water with the construction of a Reservoir nearby. It was constructed in between 8th to 10th century and was a Hindu Temple but later on it is been used by Buddhists. It is one of the earliest stone buildings.

Nalanda Gedige is designed like a Hindu temple with a Mandapa, an entrance hall, a short passage to a bare cello, and an ambulatory round the holy center though there is no existence of the Hindu Gods today in the temple. It is not much big in size as you can see in image above but worth visiting because of its history, its design, cleanliness. Granite walls are in the surrounding of main entrance and faces are carved on it.
  • Few Facts about Sri Lanka :
1. Sri Lanka is all famous for tea so it is also known as tea capital of the world.
2. The very first female prime minister in the world is Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka.
3. Until 1972, Sri Lanka was known as "Ceylon".
4. Some organizations there still use that name "Ceylon".
5. Sri Lanka's national flag is said to be the oldest flag of the world.
6. Literacy rate is around 92% which is highest in the south Asia.
7. The official languages been spoken in Sri Lanka are Sinhala and Tamil however English is also been spoken widely.
8. The 'Na Tree' is the national tree of Sri Lanka.
  • Best Time to visit :
January to July
  • Entry Fee :
Free of cost.
  • 10 other places you wouldn't like to miss :
1. Old village spice and herbal garden
2. Sembuwaththa Lake
3. Sri Muthumariamman Temple
4. Colombo
5. Yala national park
6. Trincomalee
7. Kalutara
8. Mannar
9. Kandalama
10. Sinharaja Forest Reserve

Monday 19 January 2015

Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Vienna (Austria)

oldest zoo of the world zoo having pandas
Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Vienna (Austria)
Tiergarten Schönbrunn, also known as Vienna Zoo is located in Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria. It is the world's oldest zoo and was established in the year 1752. It took one year to get its construction done. It has also been awarded as the Europe's best zoo thrice before and around 2-3 million visitors go there every year to see the new-born panda, elephants, tigers, hippos etc. There are only 1500-1700 pandas left in the world so there are not much zoos who keep pandas. So this is in the list of rarer zoos who keep giant panda. The size of the zoo is manageable and it contains more than combined 600 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, fish etc.

The names of the zoo Vienna's pandas are : Yang Yang (Female), Long Hui (Male), Fu Long (Male), and Fu Hu (Male). On July 14, 1906, the zoo saw the birth of the first elephant in captivity. It is a good sight-seeing for both adults and minors. There are only two places in the whole Europe where you can see panda i.e Vienna zoo & in Berlin (Germany). Some of the other attractions of zoo are an aquarium and the recently opened display of animals in unnatural habitats, like the ones found in the Arctic region.
  • Best Time to visit :
September to November, not much crowded these days and during off season you will get hotel rooms on reasonable rates.
  • Opening Hours :
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Entry Fee :
Per PersonGroup of 10 or more
Adults16.50 €14.50 €
Children and youth*8.00 €7.00 €
Handicapped8.00 €7.00 €
Children under 5freefree
** You can save upto 1 Euro by booking online.
  • Other places you wouldn't like to miss :
1. Prater
2. Millennium Tower
3. Ephesos Museum
4. Donaukanal
5. Donauturm
6. Schönbrunn Palace
7. Spanish riding school
8. Weiner Reisenrad
9. Stadtpark
10. St. Peter's Church

Monday 12 January 2015

Mandela House, South Africa

mandela house first black south african president house
Mandela House, South Africa
The " Nelson Mandela National Museum" also known as Mandela House was the house of the first President of South Africa Mr. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.  It is located on Vilakazi Street, Orlando West, Soweto, South Africa. He lived in there from the year 1946 to 1962. Mandela was the leader who stood up against the racism, apartheid between black and white people when there was a rule of White people over South Africa. He donated the house to the Soweto Heritage Trust on 1st September, 1997 to be run as a museum. On February, 1999 it was declared as a National Heritage site/ National Monument.

You will get to know about how Mandela fought for their Independence and how he reduced the gap between racism/ discrimination. Mandela was also the founder of Soweto Trust. The house was built in the year 1945 and is a single storey red-brick building. Mandela returned to the house after he got released from the prison in year 1990 for short 11 days before he moved to Houghton and in year 1999 he handed over the place to Soweto Trust. He served 27 years of his life in Prison.

Soweto is also a place having most black inhabitant. Unfortunately he died on December 5, 2013 in Houghton Estate, Johannesburg, South Africa.
  • Few Facts about Nelson Mandela :
1. He was the first man to go school in his family.
2. He had given a chance by the President to get out from the Prison but he denied.
3. When he finally got out, he stood up against the discrimination and apartheid.
4. He has won the most number of Awards (more than 250), which is more than anyone else.
5. He was on the U.S terror watch list.
  • Best Time to visit :
September- December
  • Entry Fee : Currency is South African Rand
Adults (African Union)R 40.00
Adults (International)R 60.00
Pensioners (African Union)R 20.00
Children over 6 yearsR 20.00
Students (Subject to proof of a valid student card)R 20.00
School Groups (Learners and Educators) and Children under 6 yearsR 5.00
  • 10 other things you wouldn't like to miss :
1. Hector Pieterson Museum
2. Regina Mundi
3. Apartheid Museum
4. Johannesburg Botanical Garden
5. Lion Park
6. Johannesburg Art Gallery
7. Oppenheimer Gardens
8. Cradle of Humankind
9. Monte casino
10. Johannesburg Zoo

Friday 9 January 2015

Lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt

light house of alexandria places to visit in egypt
Lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt
Lighthouse of Alexandria, sometimes called as Pharos of Alexandria (Pharos is an Island) was the first light house built in the world. Alexandria is the second largest city of Egypt and its name is been given after the name of Alexander The Great. It is among the ancient seven wonders of world. The construction was made under the rule of Ptolemy Soter who was a Greek Macedonian general under Alexander the Great and after his death, he became the ruler of Egypt. The construction began in 290 B.C and the project was so daunting that it further completed by Ptolemy Philadelphus (s/o Ptolemy Soter). The architect behind its construction was Sostratus.

The lighthouse is a three level building. The lowest level is square with around 183 feet height, the middle or second level is Octagonal in shape and is 90 feet high and the top most level is Cylindrical and is 60 feet high. On the top there is a statue situated, so the height of the lighthouse from the bottom to the top of statues is near around 425 feet. There are stairs inside the lighthouse through which people can climb up to the top. It costs around 750 talents to built the structure. It is the second tallest man-made structure of that time and is among the list of most surviving monument. It was made up of stones & marble.
  • Best Time to visit :
Spring : March - June
Autumn : September - November
  • 10 other places you wouldn't like to miss :
1. Montaza Palace
2. Stanley Bridge
3. Pompey's Pillar
4. Alexandria Zoo
5. Maamoura Beach
6. Library of Alexandria
7. Alexandria National Museum
8. Fort Qaitbey
9. Antoniades Garden
10. Chatby & Anfushi Tombs

Friday 2 January 2015

Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago

Port of Spain
Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
Port of Spain is the capital of Republic of Trinidad & Tobago since 1757. It has tall buildings, crowded streets and a multicultural Caribbean character. It is the main hub of Trinidad carnival and heaps of people from different cities as well get together to celebrate this such festivals. It is not the largest town though. You can go to Independence square which gets very much crowded in the evening time. Peoples wandering around, having street food as supper meal, talking to each other. Trinidad & Tobago are the most southern islands in the Caribbean.

Port of Spain has a population of around 49,000 inhabitants and the official language been spoken is English. It is the industrial & commercial center of the country. Trinidad is just 7 miles away from the South American coast that is why their language and culture are closely linked to North America, Britain. Trinidad is an oil producing nation and it is the fifth largest natural gas producer in the world. It supplies two third of all LNG imported to the USA.
  • Some Points you should know :
-> Wearing camouflage clothing is against the law in Trinidad and Tobago.
-> Getting nude or topless in public beaches is strictly prohibited.
-> Apart from being on beach or during carnivals, you can not wear swim suit or bathing suit in the public places.
-> It is the fifth largest natural gas producer in the world.
  • Best Time to visit :
January to April
  • 10 other places you wouldn't like to miss :
1. Maracas Bay, Trinidad
2. Royal Botanical Garden
3. Caroni Bird Sanctuary, Trinidad
4. Wildfowl trust, Trinidad
5. Main Ridge Forest reserve, Tobago
6. Tobago Museum
7. Queen's Hall
8. Brian Lara Promenade
9. The Red House
10. Fort George

Saturday 27 December 2014

Hawa Mahal, Jaipur (India)

hawa mahal jaipur, palace to visit in jaipur
Hawa Mahal, Jaipur (India)
Jaipur is all known for its rich culture and history. Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds/ Breeze) is a well known five storey landmark in the city of Jaipur, India. It is considered to be as one of the most ravishing monument in the city of Jaipur made by Rajput rulers. It was made by the Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, the King of a royal family of Jaipur of that time built in the year 1799 and the architect was Mr. Lal Chand Usta. The structure of this monument is similar to the crown of Lord Krishna (the Hindu God). To reach to the top floor of building from its ground floor there are no stairs, you have to go through the ramps. It has more than 950 small sized windows carved beautifully to let the air goes in.

The reason behind its construction was Rajputs were strictly traditional so they didn't want their women to go outside and meet ordinary people. Even their women didn't wish to meet strangers outside. However this didn't didn't deter them by taking interest from the outside world that is why they made this, from where women can take a look of the outside world whenever they want through window and special chambers made for them. Cool breeze comes inside through the window and makes the inner environment pleasant and cool for the visitors.
  • Best Time to visit :
During Winter season : October - February
  • Entry Fee :
Rs. 10 for Indians
Rs. 50 for foreigners
  • Opening Hours :
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
  • 10 other things you wouldn't like to miss :
1. Amer Fort
2. Jaigarh Fort
3. Birla Mandir
4. Jal Mahal
5. City Palace
6. Jantar Mantar
7. Nahargarh Fort
8. Albert Hall
9. Vidyadhar Garden
10. Ramgarh Lake, 32 km north east of Jaipur is a good picnic spot.

Wednesday 24 December 2014

Tower Bridge, London

tower bridge london
Tower Bridge, London
London's Tower Bridge is a most popular landmark near to the Tower of London after which its name is derived as Tower Bridge. This bridge is made over River Thames. It took 8 years, 5 contractors and more than 425 workers to get it complete and on 30th June, 1894 it was opened by King Edward VII. The bridge was designed by Horace Jones and Wolfe Barry. It is built 42 meters above the Thames River. 11,000 tons of steel is been used in creating the framework and its walkways. Before it was the only bridge over the Thames river but as time passed many more bridges were made.

Two enormous piers are linked by two walkways. The central can of the bridge can be raised up to allow ships to pass. It is 244 meters long along with each pier 65 m high.Over 50,000 people visit it everyday. people also enjoy the Tower bridge exhibition there where you can learnt about the design, construction of the bridge. Initially there were more than 50 designs of the bridge offered  to the UK government and after many discussions they chose the design of Horace Jones and Wolfe Berry. Since 1994 , the bridge is available on hire for parties. It was painted red, white and blue in the year 1977 in the celebration of Queen's Silver Jubilee.
  • Best Time to visit :
May- September as the temperature goes up during these days. But if you are planning to save your money then you have to bear some real cold days during November- February as this is the off-season and you might get some discount on hotel prices and other things.
  • Opening Hours :
April - September : 10:00 - 17:30 (last admission)
October - March : 09:30 - 17:00 (last admission)
  • Entry Fee :
Adults£9.00
Children (aged 5-15)£3.90
Students (with identification)£6.30  
Seniors (aged 60 +)£6.30
1 Adult & 2 Children£14.10
2 Adults & 1 Child£18.00
2 Adults & 2 Children£20.30
2 Adults & 4 Children£22.50
Under 5Free
Disabled/CarerFree
  • 10 other places you wouldn't like to miss :
1. London Eye
2. Buckingham Palace
3. Big Ben
4. National Gallery
5. Regent's Park
6. London county hall
7. Monument to the Great Fire of London
8. London Bridge
9. St. Paul's Cathedral
10. London zoo

Tuesday 16 December 2014

Statue of Liberty, New York

statue of liberty new york heart
Statue of Liberty, New York
The "Statue of Liberty" was a gift given by French peoples to the Americans on 28th October, 1886 and is a symbol of freedom & democracy. It is located in the Liberty Island, Manhattan, New York (United States). The statue is a colossal sculpture of a female representing Libertas (the Roman Goddess). The statue was designed by a famous French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi. On the left hand, the statue has captured a book representing about the American Independence and on the right hand she holds a torch representing Enlightenment.

The construction was started in the year 1875 and it took nine years to get it complete. After its completion, Bartholdi himself visited United states to discuss about the location of statue (where to put up) with the president of America. The statue is around 150 ft. tall (46 meters) but together with the pedestal its height becomes around 305 ft. (93 meters). To go to the top of statue you have to climb 354 stairs from where you can have a look of entire New York city. It was designated as a national museum in the year 1924.
  • Some Facts :
1. There are 25 windows are in the crown.
2. Over 4 million people visits the statue every year.
3. The seven spikes on the crown represents the seven oceans and seven continents of the world.
4. In year 1984, the statue was declared as a UNESCO world heritage site.
5. Two people have committed suicide from there by jumping off the statue. Many others have tried but survived.
  • Best Time to visit :
From April - June and September - November
But NYC is a bit costly during their peak seasons so bargain hunters would like to go on winters when there is a off-season time. Although you will have to bear some cold days but you will pay less in hotels.
  • Entry Fee :
Entry fee may vary from US$ 28 to US$ 39.95 according to the type of services you want.
  • 10 other places you wouldn't like to miss :
1. Empire state building
2. Brooklyn bridge
3. World Trade Center site
4. Little Italy
5. Flatiron building
6. New York harbor
7. Central park zoo
8. Ellis Island
9. Rockefeller Center
10. Battery Park