Category Archives: Transportation

July 10, 2012

Three Easy Day-trips from Florence

by Jessica Infantino Trumble

If you’re staying in Florence, chances are you won’t run out of things to do.  But if you want to make Florence your home base and venture out to see the surrounding area, here are three easy day-trip ideas.

Siena
Probably one of the most popular side-trips from Florence, Siena is a medieval city built upon three hills that converge at its main square, Il Campo.  Twice a year in July and August, the square fills with thousands of spectators for the Palio horse races, a tradition that dates back to the 17th century.

Regardless of what time of year you visit, there is no shortage of things to see, from the city’s Duomo to the Pinacoteca filled with medieval art.  A must-see is Palazzo Pubblico, the city hall at the focal point of Il Campo, which houses the fresco-adorned civic museum.  If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also climb the 330-foot city tower for a stunning view of Siena’s signature brown rooftops.

While many travelers may be content with taking up a seat at a café on Il Campo, others may enjoy exploring the city’s maze of hilly streets.  Keep an eye out for the colorful flags that correspond with each of the 17 contrade or neighborhoods of Siena and their equally as colorful mascots, like a goose, unicorn and other medieval creatures.

How to get there: The easiest and fastest way to get to Siena is by bus.  The SITA bus station is just west of Florence’s Santa Maria Novella train station on Via Santa Caterina da Siena. Buses run twice an hour and you can buy tickets at the station.  Try to catch one of the buses labeled corse rapide (they’re faster, a little over an hour versus nearly 2 hours), and get off at the Piazza Gramsci stop along Via Tozzi in Siena.  When you’re ready to go back to Florence, there’s an underground stairwell across the street from the bus hub, in front of the NH Excelsior Hotel, where you can buy tickets.  Go to www.sienamobilita.it to view bus timetables.

Pisa and Lucca
This is an easy two-for-one day-trip from Florence, especially for travelers who want to make a quick stop in Pisa to check the Leaning Tower off their bucket list.

Pisa – photo by Natalie Armijo

If you decide to climb the tower, reservations are required so be sure to book your time slot in advance.  If not, you can still see the tower from the outside, along with the Duomo, Baptistery and other sights on the Field of Miracles.  Walk down the Borgo Stretto, the most elegant and expensive shopping street in Pisa (and the location where Galileo was born), or escape the crowds of tourists with a quiet walk along the Arno River.

Nearby Lucca is a well-preserved medieval city, most famous for its ramparts.  Atop the wall, which is paved and landscaped, you can rent a bike or walk the 3-mile loop for a scenic overview of the city.  Within the walls, Lucca is also a great place to wander since there is very little traffic.  Like other Tuscan towns, Lucca was once dotted with defensive towers, and the last of which remains is the Guinigi Tower near the city’s center.  Climb to the top, where several oak trees grow, for an incredible view of the city.  Similarly, the Torre delle Ore clock tower also offer great views, or you can pass your time shopping and strolling along Via Fillungo.

How to get there: Trains run several times an hour from Florence to both Pisa (about an hour away) and Lucca (about an hour and a half), so you can start with either one of these cities.  Check out the schedules at www.trenitalia.com.  The best way to get between Pisa and Lucca is an easy 30-minute bus ride that connects the two cities, with convenient stops at the Field of Miracles in Pisa and Piazzale Verdi in the western part of Lucca.  Then just hop back on the train when you’re ready to return to Florence.

Cinque Terre
Look one direction and see hills dotted with colorful buildings and vineyards, and the other direction to see the crystal-blue waters of the Mediterranean.  This day-trip requires a little more planning than the others, but the extra effort is well worth it.  Each of the five villages that make up the Cinque Terre boast their own unique charm – be prepared for sensory overload!

Walk the Via dell’Amore that connects Riomaggiore and Manarola, eat a delicious lunch of fresh seafood or pesto pasta in Corniglia, kick back with gelato from Gelateria Il Porticciolo along the water’s edge in Vernazza or take a dip in the Mediterranean in Monterosso al Mare.

While there are many companies that offer organized day-trips to Cinque Terre where you’re guaranteed to see all five villages, you may also want to consider packing an overnight bag and stay for an evening in one of the towns before heading back to Florence.  You can read more about my recent trip to Cinque Terre here.

How to get there: If you want to forego an organized tour, take the train from Florence to La Spezia, which takes about 2 hours, usually with a train change in Pisa.  From La Spezia Centrale, pick up another train to the southernmost town, Riomaggiore.  The five towns are only a few minutes apart by local train, and you can buy individual tickets at the stations.  Just be sure to check the timetables so you don’t miss the last train back to Florence.  If you decide to hike between the towns, you just need to pay the Cinque Terre National Park entrance fee of 5 euros.  More information can be found at www.cinqueterre.it.

June 29, 2012

Sea, Sun & Sunsets – a guide to Lisbon’s beaches

By Mandy de Azevedo Coutinho

If you are visiting in the summer, or even spring or autumn, you may be tempted to have a city-and-beach holiday – Lisbon coast beaches are blessed with fine golden sand swept clean by Atlantic tides even if a little colder than the Mediterranean!

Cascais

The easiest and most picturesque way to get to the beaches near the Portuguese capital, is to get a train from Cais do Sodré Station in the city centre to Cascais on the west coast (26 kms away). This stretch of riverside ending where the river Tagus means the ocean is also known as the LINHA DE CASCAIS – the convenient starting point of Cais do Sodré is also linked by Metro, a number of bus routes and it’s only five minutes’ walk from the Praça do Comércio. Trains run daily, depart on a regular basis and take no more than ½ hour to reach their final destination, but there are quite a few rather charming beaches worth stopping at along the way, including:

Praia de Carcavelos

A very popular beach, CARCAVELOS has a huge fortification called Forte de São Julião da Barra to the east side of beach, used to protect the Tagus’ entrance from enemy ships once upon a time. As well as being  swim friendly,  it features several beginner surf schools, beach soccer and several surfer style bars and hangouts, making it especially popular with teens and twenty-something’s.  Carcavelos beach is located approximately 600 meters south of the train station.

Estoril Praia do Tamariz

PRAIA DO TAMARIZ is situated at ESTORIL just before you get to Cascais along the “paredão” – a scenic pedestrian walkway that runs along the seaside and is lined with cafes, restaurants and bars, as well as featuring public benches and exercise stations, showers and public wc’s. Walkers exercise along this seaside walkway at all times of the year and it is also illuminated at night, so a day at the beach day can easily stretch into an evening out. The beach here is very cosmopolitan and popular with tourists and locals alike in the summer, overlooked by palatial homes and high-end hotels as well as being located near the Casino do Estoril – the Linha de Cascais was colonised by Europe’s exiled royalty during the first half of the 20th Century and elegant Estoril, became one of the world’s chicest addresses during the inter-war years!

Estoril Sea Rock Pool

There is also an ancient and still used, tidal rock and sea water swimming pool at Estoril.

At the end of the rail line is CASCAIS, an old fishing village turned into holiday resort with an international marina well worth exploring by foot (or bicycle or Segway as per previous post). Tucked between the main square and the Atlantic Ocean, the tiny PRAIA DO PESCADOR or RIBEIRA is not considered good for swimming as it is still actively used by fishermen. But continue walking through the central square heading southeast through Cascais and you will pass PRAIA DA RAINHA, a minuscule pocket of sand sitting between rocky cliffs and multi-million dollar mansions. Then walking on a little further east,  you will come to PRAIA DA CONCEIÇÃO – this  much wider strip of golden sand is the most popular of Cascais beaches and where the “paredão” walkway also starts. The beach has good facilities including some beach wear shops and restaurants, making it the perfect place to spend a day lying in the sun, eating, and people watching.

All of the above mentioned can also be reached by driving along the “Marginal” road that links Lisbon to Cascais but if you have hired a car, you can avoid these smaller and therefore more crowded Linha de Cascais beaches, and go a little further out of the city:

Praia do Guincho Sunset

At times somewhat windswept but nevertheless stunning, GUINCHO (between Cascais   and Sintra) also has strong waves, making it perfect for surfing sports but not so great for swimming. Windsurfing, kite surfing and surfing types will love it however, and the sunsets from this wild coast are spectacular! There are few friendly beach bars serving food and beverages.

Praia do Guincho – getting there

GETTING THERE: Guincho is located 5 km away from Cascais station by bus.  Alternatively drive there from Lisbon along the A5 motorway, exiting at Cascais, following directions to Birre and then Guincho. After passing the village of Areia and a campsite on your left, you will see the coast in front of you. Turn left onto the coast road and park near Muxacho hotel and restaurant; or turn right and continue uphill for another 500 metres or so, turning left onto a dirt road signed posted Praia do Abano, which will take you to the Praia do Guincho car park and the main access to the more sheltered area of Guincho and a great beach restaurant.  Car parks in this area are charged.

Praia da Adraga

Considered among the most beautiful beaches in Europe, PRAIA DA ADRAGA, close to Sintra and 15kms north of Guincho is truly a nature lover’s beach – it is far from the maddening crowd and its secluded behind tall cliffs, with strong breaking waves and very clear blue water!

GETTING THERE: A car is essential and a map desirable! Drive there from Lisbon along the A5 motorway, exiting at Malveira da Serra, then follow the N9 road north passing Aldeia do Juso; and then the N247 passing Azoia, Ulgueira and Almoçagene. The beach is sign posted from here onwards.

COSTA DA CAPARICA immediately south of the river Tagus , is essentially a 30 km long stretch of sand but some patches can get crowded at weekends, with traffic jams to and from Lisbon making access  difficult. My trick is to leave Lisbon before noon (the Portuguese are late risers) and to return after watching the sunset!

Caparica Train

Caparica Fishermen

Although a continuous beach, Caparica is subdivided into different areas, offering something for everyone, from family restaurants and small cafes, to more club like beach bars with live music and summer parties galore hosted late into the night. At the end of the afternoon local fishermen sell the excess fish catch on the beach. Surrounded by dunes, my favourite spots in Caparica are surrounded by dunes and offer a little extra – PRAIA DO CASTELO has a small beach hut and blaring music more popular with the young-at-heart and surfers type; whilst PRAIA DA MORENA is more popular with families, with sun loungers/shade for hire and quite a sophisticated restaurant specializing in fresh fish and a delicious white wine sangria!

GETTING THERE: Buses depart from Lisbon’s Praça de Espanha bus terminal to Caparica town, only a  5-minute walk from the start of this long stretch of beach. In the summer season, a little open-air train connects Caparica to the various beach spots along the coast – ring the bell to stop at the beach of your choice (stops are numbered). If you are driving there yourself, cross the river Tagus on the Ponte 25 Abril and take the first exit to Costa da Caparica. As you approach Caparica town, turn left at the traffic lights and follow the signs to Praias and Fonte da Telha. Keep driving on along this road (similar to an African country with its shambolic urban planning) and you will soon see various beach signs to the right hand side including Praia do Castelo and then Praia da Morena, a bit further along.

Praia do Meco

PRAIA DO MECO, the nudist beach, is located 40 km south of Lisbon, adjacent to the Serra da Arrabida Natural park – it is secluded and one of Lisbon’s cleanest beaches, with high cliffs and lovely bay views.  It became popular in the 1970s as one of the first nudist beaches but this reputation continues today with evermore European nudists flocking to it, but there are also some traditional family beach sections. The beach is located by a traditional fishing village of the same name which is very popular with artists and media personalities, so it offers a good range of restaurants and bars, well worth hanging out at after the beach – plan a whole day way!

GETTING THERE:  A car is essential and a map desirable! Departing from Lisbon cross the river Tagus on the Ponte 25 Abril heading south towards Setubal, but exit the motorway where sign posted Sesimbra. Follow the N378 to Alfarim rather than Sesimbra; and from the village of Alfarim, follow directions to Praia do Meco.

Most beaches offer facilities such as beach bars, some water sports, shade and chairs for hire and a bathing attendant/life guard. Watch out for the flag system indicating bathing conditions:

RED for danger – do not bathe; YELLOW for be very careful; GREEN for safe, BLACK & WHITE for beach unattended.

Keep in mind too that all beaches in Portugal, however remote, get crowded in July & August!

June 25, 2012

Getting in and out of Barcelona

by Amy Knauff

EL PRAT AIRPORT:  This is Barcelona’s main airport, located very close to the city. Most flights come into here. It’s very well-connected and easy to get to and from town by here by public transport or taxi:

Taxi
The quickest and most convenient way to get to or from El Prat is, of course, via taxi. They don’t have ‘flat rates’ but run by meter; however, taxis in Barcelona are not too expensive and, depending on where you’re going, it may cost you around €20-30. You should note that in addition to the price you see on the meter, there is a surcharge for luggage (€1 per piece) and weekend nights (€2.10). It takes about 20-30 minutes to get into town via taxi.

Train
This is by far the cheapest way to get into town, and it’s actually very easy! It’s the cost of a regular public transport journey, so if you buy, for instance, the T-10 ticket that you’ll use around Barcelona in the machine at the airport, just stamp it in the turnstile and then get onto the train into town. The train stops at major points in Barcelona like Clot, Passeig de Gràcia, or Sants Estació. From these points, there is a metro station connected and you can take the metro to wherever you need to go; otherwise, you can exit the station and grab a taxi for the rest of your journey. The train runs from 6 am to 11 pm every 30 minutes. The trip is about 30 minutes or so. If you’re leaving Barcelona to go to the airport, the stop on the train you want is “aeropuerto”.

Bus
You can take the aerobús A1 to/from Terminal 1 or A2 to/from Terminal 2. The stops are: Plaça de Catalunya, Sepúlveda-Urgell, and Plaça d’Espanya. The bus runs from 5:30 am to 1 am daily, about every 20 minutes. This is also takes about 20-30 minutes, depending on traffic. A one-way ticket costs €5.30.


GIRONA AIRPORT:  This is quite far outside of Barcelona, farther up the coast. Many low-cost flights (Ryanair etc) fly into this airport.Barcelona Bus
This is the best and most convenient way to get into Barcelona city from Girona-Costa Brava airport. It takes about 75 – 90 minutes. Buses leave according to flight schedules, so you’ll always be able to get to/from the airport in time for your flight. The drop-off / pick-up point in Barcelona is the Estació d’Autobusos (bus station) at Estació del Nord. From there, you can connect to the metro to get to where you’re going, or take a taxi from outside the station. Tickets cost €15 one-way or €25 round trip. You can check out the exact schedule on http://www.sagales.com

Train
You can take a train from the Barcelona Sants train station to Girona city center. It takes about 70 minutes. The train tickets can cost from anywhere to about €7.50-€20.00 depending on what train you take. From Girona city center, you’ll need to take either a bus or a taxi to the airport. The bus takes about 25 minutes, leaves every hour, and costs €2.15 one-way or €4.10 round trip. A taxi from Girona city to Girona airport would be about €20.00. This is more expensive and complicated than the Barcelona Bus, so this would ONLY be worthwhile if you wanted to make a visit to Girona city.

Rental car
You can hire a car at the airport and drive down the coast to Barcelona. This is more expensive and will take you longer (especially if you’ve never driven in Spain before!) but this could be a good option if you want to stop at some different beaches along the way and make a day of it. Otherwise, if you just want to get directly to Barcelona, this is not a good option. At Girona airport, you’ll find a Hertz, Avis, and Europcar rental offices. We recommend calling ahead of time to check prices and also to make sure you can drop off your car in a different place than you picked it up.


BY TRAIN OR BUS:
The two main train stations in Barcelona are the Estació de Sants and Estació de França. From both of these, you can connect to the metro easily to get to other places in the city. There are also bus stops close by, and you can catch a taxi from outside the station if you wish.  If you come into Barcelona by bus, you’ll probably be dropped off at one of these train station as well.

June 8, 2012

Getting around Barcelona – a guide to public transportation

by Amy Knauff

 

Before starting out:

1. Check out http://www.tmb.cat/en/home. There’s a handy feature where you can put in a starting address and destination and they’ll calculate for you the best way to get where you need to go. For mobile users, the “where am I” feature is useful if you’re lost: just enter the address where you find yourself, and a map will come up showing exactly where you are and what the closest public transport is.

2. Pick up a metro map. They’re free in every metro station. If you don’t see one, ask the staff. It clearly shows all the metro lines and how they connect to each other.

3. If you think you’ll be using the bus, pick up a free bus map at any tourism office. It shows all the bus lines and timetables, and it also has a separate map for night buses.

 

Tickets:

There are loads of different options, but below I’ll outline the ones that are most useful for tourists. Keep in mind that the tickets are valid for all public transport types in Barcelona, with a few exceptions.

You can buy tickets in the machines in any metro station, at the airport train station, or at any Punt TMB (the public transport system’s info point). Individual bus tickets are bought directly on the bus.

There are different fares for each type, depending on the number of “zones” you want to be able to travel to. “1 zone” is all you will need for getting around Barcelona. The prices quoted below are the adult “1 zone” price.

Single metro ticket – €2.00
Valid for one metro journey only.

Single bus ticket – €2.00
Valid for one bus journey only.

T-Día – €6.95
This is a personal card (meaning you can’t share it with anybody else) and is valid from the time you first stamp it to the end of the service that day. Useful if you are in Barcelona for one full day and will be taking the public transport a lot.

2-day travel card – €12.80
3-day travel card – €18.50
4-day travel card – €23.50
5-day travel card – €28.00
This is a personal ticket valid for an unlimited number of journeys for the number of days indicated. Useful if you’re staying exactly 2, 3, 4, or 5 days.

T-10 – €9.25
This is a non-personal ticket (meaning if you are traveling with other people you can share it: just go through the metro entry and then pass it back to your friend) and is good for 10 journeys. Great option for two or more people traveling together for a few days.

T-50 – €37.00
This is a personal ticket valid for 50 journeys in a period of 30 days or less. Good for one person spending a few weeks in the city. This is what I got when I spent 2 weeks in Barcelona recently looking for new Cross-pollinate properties; I never thought I would use it up, but I actually did use the entire thing in 2 weeks of running around town.

There are monthly tickets, youth tickets, senior tickets, etc, as well — all the options are on the TMB website.

Using the metro:

It couldn’t be simpler. You just stamp your card, pass through the turnstile, then follow the signs in the correct direction. If you need to change lines, that is included in the price of ONE journey — just make sure you don’t exit and come back in. Everything is well-marked. On the platform, an electronic screen tells you how many minutes and seconds until the next metro comes (accurately!). They run pretty frequently during the day; at night they are less frequent but you’ll probably never have to wait longer than 10 minutes.

The metro runs Mon-Thurs and public holidays from 5 am to midnight. Fridays and eves of public holidays from 5 am to 2 am. On Saturdays and eves of 1 Jan, 24 June, 15 Aug, and 24 Sept, from 5am then continuous service (through the night). Sundays continuous service until midnight. 24 Dec:  from 5 am to 11 pm.

 

Using the bus:

This one is a little trickier. The bus stops are generally easy to spot — a pole with a sign indicating the bus number, and often a covered bench with glass sides for those who are waiting. However, the bus stops don’t have a list of every stop the bus makes — just the route number, the stop name, and destination. That means it’s not immediately clear to Barcelona newbies where the bus is going to take you, and the exact route it’s going to take. Either consult your bus map, or ask a fellow passenger waiting (preferably not another tourist!) or the driver. Most buses run from 6 am to about midnight. After midnight, the night buses take over (with more limited stops).

Using the funicular de Montjuïc:

If you are going to Montjuïc park, you can take the metro to the Paral·lel station and then follow the signs for the funicular, a sort of cable car that goes up the very steep incline of the park. If you’re coming from inside the Paral·lel station, you don’t need to stamp your ticket again to go onto the funicular, so it’s included in the price of one journey. The funicular runs from Mon-Fri 7:30 am to 8 pm and weekends and holidays 9 am to 8 pm (autumn and winter), and Mon-Fri 7:30 am to 10 pm and weekends and holidays 9 am to 10 pm (spring and summer).

There are other forms of public transport in Barcelona (the tourist bus, the tramvia blau, etc), but they require a different, more expensive ticket and are considered ‘leisure transport’, so they’ll be addressed in a different post.

*Note: For those with reduced mobility, Barcelona is considered one of the most wheelchair-friendly cities in Europe. Since the 1992 Olympics, many metro stations have been refurbished to provide reliable elevator access for those in wheelchairs. The buses have all been adapted to allow for wheelchair access. You can see a map of wheelchair-accessible metro stations here.

May 29, 2012

Location, Location, Location – where to stay in Paris

by Laura Bauerlein

Does it matter how central you are in Paris? Of course it does. But perhaps less so than in many other cites, thanks to such an amazing metro system. Having just returned from a recent trip, I’m able to compare what it’s like staying in the center vs. staying farther afield.

Paris has an Amazing metro system, with a capital A. You can literally get from one end of the city to the other in 40 minutes, and that is, from ANY end of the city to any other end. In Rome, for example, a similar endeavor would take you between 1.5 to 5 hours, at least (with a possibility of never rather than 5 hours). In Paris, it’s: hop on the metro (and not one place that I have visited was farther than 10 minutes – absolute maximum – by foot from a metro stop), switch trains, maybe switch again (a switch-switch can easily be done in less than 5 minutes) and get out.

The best thing about metro-hopping is that you won’t miss out on some of Paris’ biggest and maybe most neglected attractions: metro musicians! There are also all kinds of buses, tramways, etc that I didn’t even really consider as I could never get enough of the metro (a great place to study people, too, of course!).  If you want to stop and smell the roses, the metro at Châtelet, with the Symphonie Metropolitain, is a great way to experience something of beauty in stark contrast to the hordes of people busily rushing by.

The best thing to do is to buy a 10 ticket carnet at any one of the automatic vending machines – 10 tickets are 12.70 Euro as opposed to 1.70 Euro for a single ticket (hint: the machines are operated by a ‘rolling’ thing to move change your selection). The tickets are still good when you change trains as long as you don’t EXIT the metro system. The same kind of ticket is good for the tram, too.

Check this to see how greatly organized it all is.

On top of that, there’s the Vélib bike-sharing stations throughout the city, even in the most remote areas.

During my recent stay of more than 2 weeks, I changed neighborhood three times: I stayed in one very central apartment in the 5th arrondissement, and two less central ones – one in the 18th and one in the 20th.  Naturally there are advantages of staying in the center. Being able to walk to many sights and feel the center’s vibe, stumbling upon the Eiffel tower or the Arch du Triomphe when you least expect it – are all pretty cool.

But to be honest, I almost liked it better to ‘come home’ to a more remote, residential area – just like thousands of Parisians coming home from work or school every day. Living in a neighborhood somewhat removed from the center, you get to live more closely with the local masses, cue in the less known but just as amazing boulangeries, sit in a park in the evenings, away from tourists and the busy center. And just because you live in a more remote ‘quarter’ doesn’t mean you won’t get Haussman buildings, rooftop views or other sorts of Parisian-ness! Living in neighborhoods where the majority of Parisian everyday life takes place (as opposed to the areas where everyday Parisian tourism takes place) just made me feel more at home, and knowing that everything is really just a metro ride away should put that part of you that wants to see the famous sights at ease.