Places to Enjoy Your Trip When Visiting Birmingham

Today, it has emerged as a great shopping and popular tourist destination. Here's a list of attractions that will make your stay in this British city the best vacation ever. Take a look and make your reservations in time.

1. The National Sea Life Centre - For Lovers of Nature

The National Sea Life Centre at Brindleyplace promises a glorious undersea voyage. The one-million liter ocean tank with a transparent tunnel accommodates a multitude of aquatic animals such as giant green sea turtles, sea horses, piranhas, black tip reef sharks, sea horses, tropical reef fish, rays and many others.

2. Cadbury World - For Chocoholics

Cadbury World reminds you of Willy Wonka. It is located in the village of Bournville. While it is structured like a museum explaining the history and stages of making chocolate, the place will make all chocoholics drool with delight. There are displays of chocolate-making machines, chocolate themed-rides and a few free bars to take home.

3. Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery - For Connoisseurs of Art

There are numerous arts galleries and museums in Birmingham however; Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery stands out in the crowd. It is known for its Pre-Raphaelite paintings. It also has a fine collection of metalwork, jewellery, ceramics, ethnography and archaeology, local and industrial history.

4. The Custard Factory - For Shopaholics And Night Owls

Located on Gibbs Street, the colorful Custard Factory catches the eye immediately. The building was constructed by custard mogul Sir Alfred Bird. Custard factory houses restaurants and independent shops run by locals. Here you can shop for clothes, baubles, shoes, leather items and a lot more. The Vintage flea market organized on Saturday attracts large crowds.

Birmingham nightlife offers endless entertainment options. You can get a taste at Custard factory itself. It organizes club nights on weekends and selected weekdays. Other places that promise you a good time to party animals include Broad Street, the Mail Box, the Arcadian and the Star City.

5. Grand Prix Karting - For Adrenaline Junkies
Lovers of sport and action should make a trip to Grand Prix Karting motor sport center. It is only a mile from Birmingham City Centre. The necessary equipment is provided to you.

Although our list seems to be complete, offering something for every type of tourist, it is in reality incomplete. The city of Birmingham has so much to offer its locals and tourists that it is difficult to put it down in the article restricted by words. A few more suggestions we could not include in the list above but believe deserve a place in your itinerary are the Warwick Castle, Back to Back Housing, Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum, Museum of Jewellery Quarter, Pen Room Museum, Winterbourne House and Garden, Stoneleigh Abbey, Twycross Zoo, Solihull and St. Paul's Gallery.

Quality Time Dive the Great Barrier Reef and Bask on Its Tropical Islands

Great Barrier Reef diving trips are world renowned and with this recognition are extremely popular, attracting a whole abundance of divers, from the inexperienced to professionals, who want to witness the beauty of the reef for themselves. The pristine waters create the perfect diving conditions and provide optimum visibility for both divers and snorkeller's on the reef. Great Barrier Reef diving trips and Great barrier reef snorkeling excursions are truly unforgettable experiences.

 

The vivid underwater landscapes of the Great Barrier Reef are truly awe-inspiring. The large coral fans, soft coral gardens and hard corralled walls will take your breath away with their bright colours and marine inhabitants. Green turtles, Stingrays, dolphins, giant clams, vibrant starfish and anemone clown fish, of Finding Nemo fame, all call the reef home. The abundance of tropical marine life is truly staggering and diving in this underwater world is a somewhat surreal but truly magical experience.

 

Diving trips down under can cater to both beginners and those who are already experienced divers and range from day catamaran trips to live aboard cruises. Live aboard cruises combine diving in the famous natural landmark with stop offs at some of the Great Barrier Reefs tropical islands, the most famous being the collection of Whitsunday Islands and Green Island. Day trips also schedule time to stop off at these paradisal locations. Whitehaven beach found in the Whitsunday's has been hailed as the world's most beautiful beach and its soft white sands are so refined they feel more like icing sugar than they do sand.

 

There are perfect view points which overlook Whitehaven Beach and from them you can see the spectacular views out over the ocean. The turquoise waters merging with the white sandy shores create truly spectacular patterns which never fail to strike visitors with their beauty. Green Island is famously unique because it is the only island on the Reef with an inland rainforest. Exploring the rainforest, lying on the pure white beach or snorkeling in the sea is a perfect way to spend the afternoon on this secluded island in Great Barrier Reef.

Tips for a Longer Holiday Trip to Rome for The Best Vacation

For a city as vast as Rome, touring around with unplanned itinerary can be a bit tricky. With so many things to see and do, you can easily get overwhelmed with what the Eternal City can offer. To avoid travel glitches and to make sure you don't miss anything wonderful, you must be able to plot a properly planned travel route.

 

Plan and schedule your trip itinerary ahead of time. You can start by doing some at home research of the highlights of Rome and prioritizing them according to your personal preference. You can list them in ascending order, from less interesting and important to most important and interesting, or in descending order. Taking note of the sightseeing spots that are located nearby each other can also help you in making planning a bit easier and faster.

 

For example, if you want to visit the famous Spanish Steps, you may likewise consider visiting Piazza del Popolo, Piazza di Spagna and Villa Borghese, which are all situated nearby one another. If you want to include the Vatican City in your must-visit list, you can also consider including Castel Sant'Angelo, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums in your list. Additionally, in the historic center you can find the main attractions situated just a stone's throw away from each other. For instance, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the monument of Victor Emmanuel II, the Palatine Hill and the Capitoline Museums are all close together.

 

If you will be spending a longer time in Rome, say more than 1 week, you may add to your must-visit list some other interesting outskirt areas of the city proper. Among the interesting areas you can visit outside the historic center are Florence, Ostia Antica, Pompeii and Tivoli. All of these places can easily be reached by train, however, you should book a day trip ahead of time to ensure that everything is already ironed out before your trip.

 

Sightseeing and transportation

If you are travelling with tight budget, you can enjoy the most beautiful spots in Rome without having to overdo your budget. You can avoid spending a great amount of money on admission fees by simply picking just a few monuments or museums.

For instance, pick two or three among the array of great tourist spots that you really want to visit and then for the rest of your stay in Rome, you can spend time roaming around the city. There are so many magnificent things to see in the city that you can access for free. If you are planning to visit several sites by using a public transportation utility, take into consideration purchasing a ticket with a discount pass.

You may not be able to access the monuments or museums free, but you can find a discounted price. When visiting churches, be sure to observe proper dress code - no shorts or sleeveless shirts for men, no garments shorter than knee length or sleeveless shirt for women, and no wearing slippers for either gender. However, if you were left unprepared for a church visit, be sure to always bring with you a shawl or a scarf. This is especially useful in covering revealing parts of the body like the knees, midsection and shoulders.

And of course you can use the scarf as your protection from the sun's heat. If you will need to ride in a taxi, choose one that is painted white and with an official label. Also, choose a metered taxi over the ones offering a fixed rate. Generally, taxi cabs asking for a fixed rate will charge you twice or thrice the price you are likely to pay with metered taxis.