cities
7 best things to do in Bergen, Norway | Atlas & Boots
Seven fjords, seven hills and an old-world fishing wharf help make Bergen in Norway the perfect destination for a weekend getaway. We take a look at the best things to do in Bergen. The city may be one of the rainiest in Europe but it is also a vibrant cultural center with superb access to the western fjords. Bergen is an excellent blend of nature, culture and exciting city living and – despite the damp – we loved it. We visited Bergen for a long weekend city break, here’s what we suggest. The post 7 best things to do in Bergen, Norway appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
How to visit Jerusalem’s Old City | Atlas & Boots
Our guide on how to visit Jerusalem’s Old City covers everything you need to explore the spiritual home of three major religions Jerusalem’s Old City has been repeatedly besieged, razed and rebuilt over thousands of years and remains one of the world’s most divisive destinations. Sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, and claimed as the capital of both The post How to visit Jerusalem’s Old City appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
Ranking the greenest countries in the world
The greenest country in the world is Switzerland according to the latest data analysis from the 2018 Environmental Performance Index (EPI). The 2018 Environmental Performance Index evaluates and ranks 180 countries on 24 performance indicators across ten categories covering environmental health and ecosystem vitality. The aim is to gauge, at a national scale, how close countries are to meeting the environmental policy goals outlined in the United Nations 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. The EPI builds on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), formally adopted in September 2015. The two main objectives of the report are to assess how 180 countries protect their ecosystems and human health. The post Ranked: most sustainable countrie...
What is Europe’s most walkable capital city?
Helsinki in Finland has been named Europe's most walkable capital city by leading British footwear retailer Schuh. The Nordic capital topped the rankings based on several metrics including air quality, cleanliness, street lighting, green spaces, noise pollution and elevation. The study also considered how safe a city was to walk alone in during the day and at night. The post What is Europe’s most walkable capital city? appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
8 best day trips from Panama City, Panama
Situated on a small peninsula on the Pacific Coast, Panama City is Central America's most attractive and cosmopolitan capital. The city has an impressive skyline replete with sleek skyscrapers and glitzy shopping malls, a charming old town in the UNESCO-listed Casco Viejo and best of all, the city is a superb gateway to the country's top attractions. The post 8 best day trips from Panama City, Panama appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
10 tips for visiting Ephesus, Turkey (Türkiye)
Visiting Ephesus should be on every traveller’s Turkey itinerary. After more than 150 years of excavation, the city's reclaimed and restored structures have made Ephesus Europe's most complete ancient city. The post 10 tips for visiting Ephesus, Turkey (Türkiye) appeared first on Atlas & Boots.
11 best things to do in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
From the world’s longest zipline to desert bedouin camps, these are the best things to do in Ras Al Khaimah Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE, is an intriguing blend of the modern world and old Arabia. Unlike its neighbouring emirates, overdevelopment is yet to engulf Ras Al Khaimah, more commonly known as RAK. This, along with its sandy coast and craggy interior, makes it a beguiling Middle East destination. Meaning ‘headland of the tent’, Ras Al Khaimah is located in the northeastern part of the UAE, bordering Musandam, an exclave of Oman. Its position between the Persian Gulf and the Hajar Mountains reveals a range of landscapes from dramatic hilltop forts and dusty rose-red ridges to wind-hewn deserts and a glittering coastline of sandy beaches and mangrove...
10 best day trips from Yerevan, Armenia
From the world’s oldest winery to medieval monasteries, we share the best day trips from Yerevan, Armenia’s Pink City After trekking the Highlander Svaneti and exploring Kazbegi in Georgia, I had a few days before my flight home so I hopped across the border to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Known as the Pink City for the volcanic rock used in its state buildings, Yerevan is a city with many faces. With evidence of settlement dating back to the 8th century BC, Yerevan is one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities. While most of its ancient structures have now been removed, built over by Soviet-era tower blocks and monuments, the city still retains several alluring features – not least its position in the shadow of the fabled Mount Ararat. Today, following Armenian independenc...
The travel that changed me: Mark Vanhoenacker
As a commercial pilot and best-selling author, Mark Vanhoenacker has seen the world from a rare perspective. Here, he tells us about life in cockpit Growing up in the small town of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Mark Vanhoenacker spun the illuminated globe in his bedroom and dreamt of distant cities. Streets unspooled, towers shone and anonymous crowds bustled in cities where Mark could be anyone – perhaps even himself. Now, as a commercial airline pilot, Mark has spent nearly two decades criss-crossing the planet, touching down in the cities he imagined as a child. Mark revisits these cities month after month and year after year, and has seen them grow and change in a way few of us ever will. Mark first wrote about his experiences in the best-selling Skyfaring, followed by How to Land a...
Longyearbyen: a walking tour of the world’s northernmost town
Longyearbyen, the world’s northernmost town, is easily seen on foot. We share our tried-and-tested route for exploring this remote outpost It’s okay. You didn’t come all the way to Svalbard, anchored in the Arctic Ocean roughly midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole, to linger in Longyearbyen. You don’t need to “eat like a local” here or “get under the skin” of the destination. It’s just not that type of town. There has never been an indigenous population in Svalbard. The first humans arrived on the archipelago just over 400 years ago to hunt and whale. As a result, local populations of wildlife were decimated with several species brought to the brink of extinction. Fortunately, decades of conservation work have seen vast tracts of land protected and wildlife number...
Kraków Old Town: a DIY walking tour
Kraków Old Town is best explored on a DIY walking tour. Here we share our tried-and-tested route for exploring Poland’s glorious former capital Kraków was Poland’s only major city to escape World War II virtually undamaged. Since then, the assembly of monuments and architecture that makes up its Old Town was quite rightly celebrated by UNESCO as one of the 12 original World Heritage sites first listed in 1978. The Old Town effortlessly fuses European architectural styles – including Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, baroque and art nouveau – with a jumble of narrow cobbled streets, elaborate churches and palaces, and grand medieval sights. Add in delicious food, heavenly gelato and endless cocktails in Europe’s largest medieval town square and the result is simply exquisite. We spent three ...
Best parks in Buenos Aires
We explore the best parks in Buenos Aires to help you find a spot of calm in Argentina’s whirlwind capital Buenos Aires whizzes past. While its cafés, bars and restaurants spill out onto the sidewalks, honking throngs of traffic hurtle by just inches away. Porteños (residents of Buenos Aires) barely raise an eyebrow over their espressos, but for those of us uninitiated, Buenos Aires can be overwhelming. For all its tree-lined avenues, the ‘Paris of South America’ is among the world’s least green cities with only around 1.8m2 of green space per capita – well below the World Health Organisation’s minimum recommendation of 10m2. Fortunately, respite can be found. In the feverish metropolis nearly 13 million call home, there is a slew of leafy plazas and public areas where the city’s residents...
