Medieval fairs and historic hotels

History Buffs

Traditions such as kissing beneath the mistletoe and singing carols have their origins in medieval times, so those who love history enjoy celebrating the festive season in castles and museums where festivities come complete with knights, jousters, minstrels and maidens.

Each year, the Tower of London's Medieval Palace is transformed into a 13th-century carnival with jesters and musicians who entertain visitors at the court of King Edward I.



Although the traditional British Christmas lunch is frequently prepared at home, some historic hotels are enticing revellers with accommodation packages where the family can sit back and be served, soak in the ambience and enjoy mulled wine and mince pies in front of an open fireplace. Some hotels also arrange Christmas Day visits from Santa.

Shop-A-Holics

Europe's markets

From Brussels to Bucharest, cities have at least one market. Fairy lights, decorations and backdrops of old cobblestone town centres seem to be straight out of a story book.

Markets are packed with shoppers hunting for unique gifts: clog-clad elves in Copenhagen; dainty music boxes in Vienna; or hand-knitted socks in Tallinn.



Budapest's market in Vorosmarty Square is the spot for handmade dolls, crafts and pottery. The warren of cobbled streets in Germany's Regensburg bustles with boutiques specialising in expertly crafted decorations such as reindeer carousels and Santa dolls.

Bavaria's second largest city, Nuremberg, has one of Germany's largest markets, the Hauptmarkt, and is famous for gingerbread, toys such as the Nutcracker soldier and angel-figures.

Around Munich, more than 70 markets satisfy the most demanding shoppers.

In Prague, the largest market is in the picturesque Old Town Square, where shoppers hunt for Babushka dolls (they do come in a Santa version), Bohemian crystal and puppets.

Cruise from Prague to Budapest.

Orthodox New Year in Serbia

Restaurants, clubs, cafe's and hotels are usually full-booked and organize New Years celebrations with food and live music. However, Serbian New Year's celebrations are most known for the outdoors festivities in Belgrade, and several other major cities such as Novi Sad, Niš and Jagodina.



As of mid-December, cities are extensively decorated and lit. The decorations remain until way into January due to the persistent influence of the old, Julian calendar.

Throughout the region, especially amongst former Yugoslav republics, Belgrade is known as the place to be for major parties, concerts and happenings.

It has become common for large groups of Slovene's to visit their former capital and celebrate the beginning of a new year. Especially since the mid-nineties, street celebrations grew into mass gatherings with hundreds of thousands of people, celebrating New Year on one of several locations throughout Belgrade.

Prague: Czech this out

Prague is one of Europe's most charming and beautiful cities. Its medieval centre remains a wonderful mixture of cobbled lanes, walled courtyards, cathedrals and countless church spires. All this is dominated by the majestic castle with its cathedral.



Prague Castle

This large castle rises above the city and offers beautiful vistas of the areas below. Czech kings, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices here. Also on site is St. Vitus Cathedral where Charles IV was buried in 1378 - along with his four wives. The cathedral's foundation stone was laid by him in 1344. Small but beautiful, Golden Lane is very atmospheric: eleven tiny, coloured houses with low ceilings crouch along the wall of the castle. The buildings were originally designed as accommodation for the castle guards.

Charles Bridge

The Charles Bridge is one of the most beautiful places in Prague. It was built around the 14th century and is the oldest bridge in the city. Charles Bridge is lined with statues and together with the Gothic bridge towers on both ends makes it a breathtaking historical monument. There is no better place in Prague for a walk in the evening or, even better, early morning.

Old Town Square

The 10th century old town square is Prague's historic centre. It is surrounded by numerous historical buildings and monuments, most notably the famed Astronomical Clock which is part of the Old Town City Hall. Originally installed in 1410, the clock was rebuilt in 1490. It consists of three parts - the procession of Apostles, the astronomical clock and the calendar. The main attraction is the hourly procession of the 12 Apostles.

Danube: Petrovaradin Fortress

The Petrovaradin Fortress is sitting on a hill on the Danube river in Novi Sad (Нови Сад). Recent discoveries have shown that a continuous settlement has existed at this site for the last 15,000 to 20,000 years. After some Paleolithic settlers and some first fortification in the Bronze age, the Romans built a fortress (Cusum) here which has existed until the Middle Age.



Since 1235, the site has been alternatively occupied by Hungarian, Turkish and Austrian forces and a new fortress was built on top of the remains of the Roman Cusum. The base of the current fortress was laid in 1692 by the Austrians after the previous one was destroyed in 1687 during the war against Turkey. The new fortress has not only survived several more wars, but also the time after World War I when many other nearby fortresses were razed, and is still intact today. There's also a system of 16km of tunnels under the fortress, originally built as countermine system in the 18th century.

Nowadays, the EXIT music festival is held in the fortress every year in July.

Visit Dracula's Castle in Bran

Transylvania might be known amongst travellers as the place where Dracula comes from, in reality it is a very large part of central and northern Romania. It includes medieval castles and towns, forests and even snowy peaks in the Transylvanian Alps in the north.



The Transylvanian villages with their fortified churches in southern Transylvania are on the Unesco World Heritage list, while cities like Cluj-Napoca, Brasov, Sibiu, Sighisoara and Timisoara form the biggest cities, some of which have excellent preserved historical centres (see Sighisoara above). One way to get around this huge piece of land is to do the Transylvania Triangle Train Tour, a fantastic journey along many of the natural and cultural highlights in this region.

Northern Moldavia Churches

The churches from Northern Moldavia (region called Bucovina – in German Buchenland meaning the Beech Country) are among the best-known tourist attractions in Romania and they definitely deserve their fame. Whether you are a believer or not, there are few other places where one can collect their thoughts, meditate and relax away from the maddening world without going to the middle of nowhere.



All the churches have a long history, many of them being built by great rulers of Moldavia, which was an independent state at the time, struggling to keep its autonomy from the Ottoman Empire. Religion was highly important at the time, churches usually being built to celebrate a won fight or to serve as a burial place for the ruling family.

Most churches are 500-years old or even more, and one of their most amazing features is their exterior paintings, which are just as amazing today. As a reward for these unique religious edifices the churches received the prize called Pomme d’Or ( the Golden Apple) from FIJET, later becoming part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. The apple is now being kept at Moldovita.

Enjoy Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mostar Bridge

Old Bridge (Stari Most) is the key attraction in Mostar. Built in 1566 while the area was under Ottoman rule, Stari Most was considered a symbol of the friendship between the diverse nations and ethnicities inhabiting the area. Understood in this context, it's not hard to see why its restoration after the Bosnian War was considered an important task. The bridge that is there today was built according to the original design. Mostar and its bridge are placed on the Unesco World Heritage List.



Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge

Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge is a historic bridge in Višegrad that crosses the Drina River in the eastern part of the country. The bridge was built by the Ottoman court in 1577 by the architect Sinan. It is considered one of the highest examples of Ottoman architecture and civil engineering. The bridge is 179.5 m long with 11 arches that are 11 m to 15 m each. The bridge was damaged during both World Wars but was quickly restored afterwards. Sadly in 1992 the bridge was the location of the brutal Višegrad massacre when 1661 Bosniaks were killed by Serbian forces. Today the bridge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bjelašnica Mountain

Bjelašnica Mountain is in the central part of the country and is directly southwest of Sarajevo. During the summer this mountain is a popular place to go hiking while in the winter it is a popular downhill skiing mountain. The Bjelašnica Ski Area has several nice runs and a large area above the tree line, which is ideal for fans of bald peak skiing. The mountain is 2067 m (6782 ft) high and is a day trip from Sarajevo. There is a accommodation on the mountain for people thinking of spending the night.

UNESCO: Albania Sights

Butrint

Butrint is one of the cultural highlights of Albania and on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is located in the south of the country and can be visited from Sarandë as a day trip. It used to be a city throughout Greek, Roman, bishopric and Byzantine periods and was abandoned during the Middle Ages perhaps due to the marsh surrounding and subsequently malaria epidemic. It had been inhabited since prehistoric times. The present archaeological site is a repository of ruins representing each period in the city’s development. Butrint can even be visited as a day trip from the Greek Island of Corfu, meaning extra crowds during the summer months.



Gjirokäster

Another UNESCO site, the Museum-City of Gjirokästerin is located the Drinos River valley in southern Albania. It is a fine, but rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estate. The 13th-century citadel is the main feature in the town with its typical tower houses, which have a tall basement, a first floor for use in the cold season, and a second floor for the warm season. The castle has an exhibit of Enver Hoxha's army's cannons and other features include the Ethnographic Museum, the Old Bazaar and the nearby old city of Antigonea.

Durrës

Durrës is one of the oldest cities in Albania and is the major port city of the country. The city has been flooded three times and the current one is built on top of the previous two. There are some fantastic sites as well including the largest amphitheater in the Balkans. Although there are some beaches and new hotels are being built all the time, hoping to see some tourists mainly from Italy, it is not a dream destination to spend your holiday. That said, it is a nice and convenient place to travel on your way from Italy to the Balkan region and vice versa. Boats leave for Bari daily.