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The E111 form has been replaced by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
Remember that UK citizens are entitled only to emergency treatment in cooperating countries, but if you don’t have an EHIC (or health insurance) you’re not entitled to anything. Insurance is still essential to cover you for non-emergency treatment.
The EHIC is available free of charge through most UK post offices or through the Department of Health via their website. |
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| BOOK REVIEW |
Albania: The Bradt Travel Guide
by Gillian Gloyer |
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Gillian Gloyer’s book represents a startling contrast to the current style of travel guide, and it’s not just the profound insight and sympathy the author displays for her subject.
For one thing, there’s little colour. This might be enough by itself to drive buyers away if the subject matter were less heavyweight. But you don’t go to Albania to stare dumbly at baroque stucco, and the few colour photos provided here serve well to whet the appetite without grossing out. The line-art maps are clear and do the job. But this book relies on the writing, and the news here is almost entirely good.
The author’s attention to detail and thoroughness with practical advice are exemplary, to say the least. None of it is throwaway stuff. There are sound words about the wobbly electricity supply and how to preserve your laptop with a voltage regulator; about corruption, health and the lack of ATMs; and even substantial information about the natural history of the country. It’s here that things get a little silly — but then, I’m not a geologist or a bird-watcher.
If there are criticisms of the Bradt Albania, they are slight. For instance, in her advice about getting to Albania, the author focuses almost entirely on travel from neighbouring countries, sometimes by rather odd routes. This information is undoubtedly reliable, but do remember that flights from London to Tirana are easy to find, and start at around £250 return. Also, Ms Gloyer’s decision to offer recommendations for restaurants and cafés in Tirana is daring, as eateries are notoriously dangerous things to recommend: they change hands — good ones become bad, best-avoided become the new best discovery.
But these are niggles. If you remember to check the currency of important things like visa and other entry requirements before you travel (as you always should), Gloyer’s book will be an invaluable companion. Even if you are not a birdwatcher.
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| NEWS |
| Polo’s Bastards go everywhere |
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Our travel resources page has just acquired a very interesting new link. Polo’s Bastards (I’m not making this up) is a site covering travel to inhospitable places, and it’s essential reading if you’re jaded with Bucharest and Warsaw. For instance, as I write this, the site is carrying a contributor’s holiday snaps from Afghanistan and a feature about food in Kazakhstan, as well as plenty of other colourful stuff. There’s a link to the site here. |
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| ALERT | | Flooding in southern Bavaria |
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As with Bulgaria and Romania (below), check out the current situation before you travel. There is some serious disruption to travel infrastructure. |
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| ALERT | | Flooding in Bulgaria & Romania |
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Following serious flooding in parts of Bulgaria and Romania, many communication routes have been seriously disrupted. If you’re planning to travel to these countries, first read the relevant article, then contact your travel operator to confirm how your visit will be affected. The top link is for Bulgaria, the bottom one for Romania. |
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| ALERT | | Motor-racing in Turkey |
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Turkey’s inaugural Formula 1 Grand Prix is happening in Istanbul on 19-21 August. Airports, travel routes, hotels and hostels in and around Istanbul are likely to be particularly busy. |
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Be aware that serious terrorist incidents in Turkey are currently occurring on a weekly basis. Scan the Foreign Office advice before you consider making a journey to Turkey. |
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| FEATURE | | Visa-free travel to the US for British visitors extended |
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‘VWP countries, including the UK, are required to have a biometric passport issuing system in place by 26 October, 2006, in order to continue as members of the Programme and to benefit from visa-free travel to the US after that date.’ |
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| FEATURE | | Hué, Vietnam: City of silver linings |
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‘Gentle at first, the rain quickly built up into the heavy drencher I’d last seen in Apocalypse Now. I decided to take refuge in a handily placed café and sit it out. After all, I reassured myself, these tropical storms don’t last long. After spinning out breakfast for an hour or so, I eventually made a run for it.’ |
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Lonely Planet: Vietnam
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Unquiet Vietnam: New Dispatches from Across the Plain of Jars
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Vietnam: Portraits and Landscapes
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Earth and Water: Encounters in Viet Nam
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Culture & Customs of Vietnam
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Vietnam: Spirits of the Earth
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Vietnam Tourism
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Globetrotter: Vietnam
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| FEATURE | | St Petersburg to Moscow (by boat) |
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‘You don’t meet a lot of Russians, but unless you speak their language you’re going to be cut off from them anyway, because they don’t speak yours.’ |
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| FEATURE | | The Complete Guide To Bavaria |
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‘Some local beers originated in monastic brewhouses, and there are 629 breweries in the state.’ |
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| NEWS | | Lufthansa to fight discounters |
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CNN: Lufthansa plans to station five aircraft at Hamburg airport from June, offering fares under €100 to European cities, and it may add three more planes from August if the strategy pays off. |
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| FEATURE | | London-Amsterdam (by train) |
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‘It was refreshing out there, but such was the speed we were moving over the dark waters that it was also quite difficult to breathe, and I had the uneasy feeling that everything was about to fly out of my pockets.’ |
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| NEWS | | Lastminute.com sold for £577m |
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CNN: An icon of the Internet boom, online travel and leisure retailer Lastminute.com was hit hard by the bursting of the technology bubble and the ensuing economic downturn as customers cut back on travel. |
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| NEWS | | Beware Turkey (more than usual) |
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Turkey might soon be the first Moslem country in the EU, with the suggestion of bon homie that brings, but Turkey is not a very safe place at present. As pressure is applied to the country’s government to straighten up its attitude to human rights, so a much larger threat from outside has appeared in the form of terrorist attacks. And on 25 May the UEFA Champions League Final will be held in Istanbul. This presents a manifold danger: aggressive supporters, aggressive police, and the unknown intentions of terrorists. Save Istanbul for another month. |
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| NEWS | | Bush goes to Latvia (we don’t) |
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President Bush will be visiting Riga on 6-7 May. During his visit there will be limited access to the Old Town between 1200 Friday 6 May and the early evening of Saturday 7 May (these timings may be subject to change). Although not confirmed, it is believed that visitors staying in hotels will need to provide identification and confirmation of their hotel booking to Security to gain access to this area. You should expect delays at the airport. It is also likely that businesses may close for this period. |
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Movement in and around the centre of Moscow will be severely restricted on 9 May because of the large-scale events commemorating the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. There may also be some disruption on the few days before and after the main event. Disruption will include tighter security in the capital and other large cities. |
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| BOOKS | | Guiding the way to Prague |
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Prague is now in the mainstream of European tourism, with cheap flights from the UK every day. Sometimes in the summer it seems that the whole of Europe is there.
But it’s not always an easy city to deal with. A good guide is invaluable. The best guides are human beings who live there, but for most travellers a book has to do.
The latest (fourth) edition of the Lonely Planet guide to Prague is now on sale, and it has quickly picked up some good reviews. Lonely Planet is having something of an Indian summer at present, rather eclipsing its old rival Rough Guides in both currency and quality. Don’t expect that situation to last long, though: Rob Humphreys’ acclaimed Rough Guide to Prague is now three years old, and must surely be replaced soom.
And then there’s DK’s colourful Eyewitness guides. They’re not popular with everyone, but at their best they give a different kind of insight than the Big Two — as well as, but perhaps not instead of. The latest DK appeared in December, and we haven’t reviewed it yet, but the last one wasn’t bad.
You couldn’t quite say the same of the Time Out guides. They’re rather upmarket for most backpackers, aiming at mainstream nightlife, but well worth a look to get the feel of a place. The Prague guide is researched and written by Prague residents, so you could do a lot worse, but don’t expect advice on where to eat for a dollar a day.
The various compact, pocket, top-ten and best-of editions are probably best avoided, unless you’re making a very brief sortie at short notice. Even then, we would recommend you get a full-size guide and read more selectively.
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| NEWS | | Don’t go to Rome for a while |
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You’ve probably worked this out for yourself, but Rome is a place to avoid just now. The Pope’s funeral is Friday morning, 8 April. There is already major disruption to air and land traffic, and there are no beds to be had unless you have already booked. These comments apply not just to Rome itself, but also to its environs. |
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| NEWS | | Russian federation: travel warnings |
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The Foreign Office has issued a warning against all travel to certain areas of the Russian federation, and a more general warning about safety in Russia. |
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| FEATURE | | Skiing in central & eastern Europe |
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‘Skiing in the former communist bloc is akin to being in a James Bond film without the technology. The alcohol is hard and straight, the surroundings are seductive, adventure and mayhem are on the agenda and while the sales delivery is smooth, the modus operandi can sometimes be unorthodox’. |
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| FEATURE | | The lakes and the wolf’s lair |
‘As a backdrop to a holiday of swimming in the tepid, clear waters, boating and more boating and eating in remarkably cheap restaurants — everywhere there are constant but neglected, unwanted reminders of a vanished people’.
Plus Hostels in Poland |
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| NEWS | | UK foreign minister meets Cypriot leaders |
Decisions about visiting Cyprus have long been overshadowed by the tension between the island’s legitimate government in the south and the self-declared Turkish Cypriot republic in the north. Here are the UK foreign minister’s latest comments.
Plus Cyprus Weekly and Visit Cyprus, the official tourist site.
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| NEWS | | UK visa services & the tsunami |
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The tsunami in Asia has caused widespread disruption, but services are being restored. Read the FCO’s article if you think you might be affected.
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| FEATURE | | Istanbul (don’t mention human rights) |
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Most of the obvious things have been said already, but it’s likely that Istanbul is different from anywhere you’ve pointed your camera at before. Plus Three Turkish cities; Foreign Office advice about Turkey.
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| FEATURE | | St. Petersburg comes in from the cold |
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‘I’m expecting dancing Cossacks, costumed babushkas, stuffed bears and samovars. So when I arrive at the “Russian-themed” restaurant, I am shocked. Could this really be the right place? A series of simple, vaulted dining-rooms with rendered walls, antique mirrors, bare floorboards, pine tables and chairs clothed in modest hessian. Even the name is minimal: the restaurant, it turns out, is called “Restaurant”. Nothing naff. Nothing tacky.’
Plus St. Petersburg Hostels, St. Petersburg International Hostel.
Note that the last time we put up a story about St. Petersburg, there was one hostel in the city to point you to — at least, one that was visible on the internet. Now there is a splendid choice, and most look like good value. Scroll through them and see what you think. All we need now is Ryanair...
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Anyone going to Italy should be aware that there is currently a risk of unannounced wildcat strikes by municipal transport workers in cities across the country. Also, according to the latest FCO advice, ‘there continues to be non-violent volcanic activity on the island of Stromboli’ and ‘Italy is in an earthquake zone’. Apart from that, everything’s fine. Check out the latest advice. Plus Travelplan Italy guide, BBC Italy guide, hostels in Italy.
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| FEATURE | | A holiday in Kosovo? |
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In November, the Foreign Office revised its advice about travel to Serbia and Montenegro. That’s one country now, and it includes the enclave of Kosovo. Not so long ago, Kosovo was one of the most dangerous places on earth. Well, no longer is it branded ‘essential travel only’ — though we’re warned to look out for unexploded mines. Take a look at the latest advice page. Plus Kosovo guide, Kosovo PM interview.
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| FEATURE | | Maligned hero woos ex-Yugoslavia once more |
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It could be symbolic that a train is coming to symbolise the former Yugoslavia’s renewed affection for Josip Broz Tito. The train is Tito’s own, used by the Yugoslav leader for entertaining foreign dignitaries and now a rolling tourist attraction. But it’s the train’s long-dead first owner, maligned in the West along with all communists, who is winning the hearts and minds of Yugoslavs as their little nation states feel the bite of economic decline and uncertainty about the future.
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The medieval towns of Weimar and Erfurt are attracting British visitors thanks to a new low-cost route.
Plus Ryanair.
Plus Hostels (only one at the time of writing, and that’s in Weimar).
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‘Budapest has a multi-layered history, from the mysteries of its tribal Magyar beginnings through imperial grandeur, then those years under communism.’
Plus Hostels.
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| FEATURE | | Opening up Romania |
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Romania’s reputation as a tourist destination has been ambivalent to say the least. The locals, we are told, are embittered by Ceausescu and the communist years. The welcome will not be warm. The infrastructure is lousy and getting worse. Well, everything changes. Razvan Lerescu, a Bucharestian (?), has put his thoughts and photos of his home town on the web, and they are both a must for anyone thinking of visiting Romania.
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| NEWS | | Colombia: don’t go there |
The odeal that Matthew Scott endured — and which others from his party are still enduring — is avoidable by sticking to one basic rule: Colombia is not a tourist destination.
Plus Colombia: special report in the Guardian.
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‘Poland is on the cusp of change: Western capital has poured in since the fall of Communism in 1989 and the country voted in a referendum this June to join the EU. Prices are bound to rise, and soon.’
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| NEWS | | Cheap flights feel the pinch |
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The financial deals that underpin cheap flights from the UK to mainland Europe are coming under scrutiny from EU commissioners, and some routes may be lost.
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| FEATURE | | Prague in the autumn |
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‘Wander away from the main tourist drags, get lost in the cobbled winding streets, and you’ll find the melancholy that accompanied seven years of Nazism and 40 years of Communism.’
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| FEATURE | | Venice in the autumn |
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‘In the back streets, the light falls more softly on the patched and faded pastel walls, the crumbling marble cornices, the roundels and the slumping balconies. And the first mists of autumn hang over the silent backwaters where the green water slaps against the old brickwork and washes over the weed-covered stone steps.’
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| FEATURE | | Macedonia: out of Skopje |
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‘In early September, the hot Balkan summer gives way to orange-tinted autumn, and the main lakeside resort has the out-of-season calm that promises peaceful exploration.’
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| FEATURE | | Munich: city of vices. Start with chocolate |
‘Marienplatz is the St Mark’s Square of Munich. Blue and white flags flutter in the breeze, people surge up from the S-bahn and pile into the Neues Rathaus, with its substantial cellar working like a production line to slake the thirst of Bavaria’s beer drinkers.’
Plus Hostels in Germany (Munich is not cheap).
Plus Germany links.
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‘The fat man in the leather jacket and extrovert bow tie sitting at the café table next to mine turned and said in a loud voice, “Hey now!”’
Plus Hostels in Poland.
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| FEATURE | | TransBalkan Express |
‘If you are the sort of person who turns first to the “dangers and annoyances” section of travel guides, you might pause before considering a journey on the TransBalkan Express, Budapest to Sofia.’
Plus Hostels.
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| FEATURE | | Berlin is a work in progress |
‘No city in the world rivals Berlin for 20th century history. Images that once flashed around the world remain burned in our memories: a sultry cabaret singer named Marlene Dietrich; swastikas hanging from the Brandenburg Gate; airplanes dropping food bundles during the Berlin airlift; the Wall and, just 14 years ago, its jubilant destruction.’
Plus Hostels in Germany.
Plus Germany links.
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‘You don’t so much career up and down Lisbon’s plentiful slopes as rattle and grind at a sedate pace. But at least that gives you time to savour the city’s views and atmosphere.’
Plus Hostels in Portugal (none in Lisbon at the time of writing).
Plus Hostel reviews for Portugal.
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| FEATURE | | Bosnia & Herzegovina |
‘One of the most striking, beautiful and haunting countries in Europe.’
Plus Hostels in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Plus Hostel reviews.
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‘Granada itself is much like any other Spanish city, with its cathedral, tapas bars and tree-covered squares. The Albaicín is much harder to define and far harder to navigate. Maps exist but serve no purpose; directions can be solicited, but will lead only to head-spinning confusion.’
Plus Hostels in Spain.
Plus Hostel reviews.
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‘Hiring a scooter in Rome removes you from the crowds and gets your feet off the ground, and you can fly up the Janiculum like Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday (as every tenth postcard will remind you).’
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| FEATURE | | Lisbon: Big night out |
‘Where Europe meets Africa and Brazil in a heady, sophisticated cultural mix.’
Plus Hostels in Portugal.
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| FEATURE | | Poland: Be an engine-driver |
‘Enthusiasts can fulfil their ambitions by driving one of the last mainline steam engines in Europe.’
Plus Kraków cream.
Plus Polish hostels.
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| FEATURE | | Netherlands: De Hoge Veluwe National Park |
‘In the middle of Holland, an empty picture frame stands alone on a dune. Drifting sands, pine trees and a vast sky provide the canvas, until passing cyclists stop to pose inside its giant borders.’
Plus Nether Netherlands [note: there is no hovercraft service to Holland and there never was one].
Plus Hostels in the Netherlands.
Plus Hostels.com: more hostels in the Netherlands.
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| FEATURE | | Ryanair’s Easter sale lays an egg |
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‘The travelling public turned its nose up at an outbreak of Easter generosity from Ryanair, taking up only 520,000 of a million free seats on offer from the Irish airline over the weekend.’
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| FEATURE | | Liège and Inspector Maigret |
‘If you’re a fan of Inspector Maigret, Simenon’s fictional sleuth, investigate this Belgian city now before the crowds descend.’ [Only air fares are given; the Eurolines return from London to Liège direct is £60]
Plus Liège travel journals.
Plus Hostel Georges Simenon, Liège.
Plus Hostels in Belgium.
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| FEATURE | | Valencia: Las Fallas de San José |
‘The people of Valencia celebrate their patron saint’s day and the passing of winter with a fiery five-day party of ferocious proportions.’
Plus Valencia: Spain by Click.
Plus Valencia: Virgin.net Travel.
Plus Hostels in Spain.
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‘A week of art, beauty and tranquility at a former monastery in the mountains to the north of Seville.’
Plus Barcelona: what the tourist board doesn’t tell you.
Plus Thumbnail guides to the major destinations.
Plus Cádiz.
Plus Hostels in Spain.
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| FEATURE | | Schindler’s Kraków |
‘A small stretch of ghetto wall, built by the Nazis and ironically resembling Jewish gravestones, is still standing nearby along ulica Lwowska.’
Plus BUG Europe: Hostels in Kraków.
Plus Hostels.com: Hostels in Poland.
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| FEATURE | | 48 hours in the Hague |
It’s not all courts and treaties; the city is also a cultural and historic treasure house.
Plus BUG Europe: Hostels in The Hague (one at the time of writing).
Plus Hostels.com: Hostels in the Netherlands.
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A brutal and bloody history has left its mark on the Breton port of St Malo.
Plus St Malo Tourisme official web-site (in English).
Plus Hostels.com: Hostels in France.
Plus Amazon: Brittany.
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Katie Wood, author of Cheap Sleeps Europe, selects her favourite low-cost hotels and hostels for the Guardian.
Plus Amazon: Hostelling.
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| FEATURE | | Autumn in Tuscany |
‘A mix of medieval hill towns, rolling countryside and beaches, this Italian region is crawling with tourists in summer. But in autumn the crowds thin out and the sun continues to shine.’
Plus Amazon: Tuscany.
Plus hostels in Italy (three links).
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| FEATURE | | Sweden: Power of Gotland |
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‘Made up of a haphazard network of narrow, cobbled streets, Visby is an extremely well-preserved medieval city.’ Plus Amazon: Sweden. Plus hostels in Sweden (two links).
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| FEATURE | | Lisbon: Sweeping Views and Smoldering Nightlife |
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‘For a bargain I usually head for the Residencial Nova Silva which has clean, humble rooms with the best river views you could hope for.’ Plus Amazon: Lisbon. Plus hostels in Portugal (two links).
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| FEATURE | | Scandinavia: Warm chopped eggs and fish galore |
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‘Several months trekking through Finnish forests researching for Rough Guides had me yearning for just a bit of litter – some comforting graffiti perhaps or a smashed-in bus shelter to bring on thoughts of home.’ Plus Amazon: Scandinavia. Plus hostels in Scandinavia.
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| FEATURE | | Samos: Island Life |
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‘As I write, the tenth anniversary of my residence on the Greek island of Samos approaches.’ Plus Amazon: Greece. Plus hostels in Greece.
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| FEATURE | | The wooden heart of Gothenburg |
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‘The largest port in Scandinavia, it has a harbour of course, broad avenues, canals and elegant buildings.’ Plus Amazon: Sweden.
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‘I drove past crystalline brooks lined with fuchsia hedges and finger-shaped fjords in champagne-hued waters, their cling-film smooth surface occasionally rippled by a school of dolphins or a brightly painted fishing smack.’ Plus Amazon: Chile.
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| FEATURE | | The cost of ecotourism in Costa Rica |
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‘“I’m going to Tortuguero to see the turtles,” says Amy from New Hampshire, and everyone around the table coos.’ Plus Amazon: Costa Rica. Plus Amazon: Ecotourism.
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‘After the initial greyness, my first impression was of a multitude of cafés, spilling on to pavements, pedestrianised areas and the squares. And lots of green spaces.’ Plus Amazon: Lonely Planet: After Yugoslavia by Zoe Bran.
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| FEATURE | | Venice: handbags and buildings |
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‘Venice is so extraordinary, so beautiful and such an improbable achievement of human civilisation that its survival has always seemed a miracle.’ Plus Amazon: Venice.
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| FEATURE | | India: surviving malaria |
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‘The controversy and arguments surrounding the use of malaria prophylaxis essentially boil down to a simple assessment of risk versus benefit.’ Plus Amazon: Lonely Planet: Healthy Travel: Asia & India. Plus Amazon: Rough Guide to India.
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| FEATURE | | Save the planet – stay on the ground |
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‘Air travel is choking our world faster than any other form of transport.’ Plus Eurolines. Plus Railconnection.
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‘This Italian city’s cornered the market in the macabre.’
Plus Hostels in Italy.
Plus Venice on Amazon.
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