Dubai is a very dynamic city, with 365 days a year of sunshine and warmth, luxurious hotels and Caribbean-like beaches. The city is full of Bedouin traditions and futuristic skyscrapers.

Surrounded by the Garden of Allah, a desert in which people are said to ‘find themselves’, is a city full of contrasts. Arab tradition on one side, with its souks, belly dancing, mosques, falcon hunting and western modernity, and the other side with ski slopes inside shopping malls, horse races and artificial lighting.

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Here are 10 tips to keep in mind when visiting Dubai:

• In case of emergency you can go to the hospital for free, but in all other cases (eg. Toothache, minor illness) you have to pay in cash or by credit card. Remember to take the prescription with you if you regularly use medicines.
• In a restaurant or a bar, even if there are free tables you have to wait to be seated.
• Christian holidays are recognized only from a business point of view (window displays, gadget sales, special menus, etc.), so even at Christmas everything will be open as normal.
• Smoking is allowed in outdoor areas, and is prohibited in restaurants, hotels and shopping centers.
• Nudity or being shirtless is absolutely forbidden everywhere – if you want to get fully tanned, you can do this comfortably at home.
• Criminality does not exist.
• Women should avoid transparent, tight-fitting clothes or revealing necklines, and short pants are better avoided. Men may not walk around without a t-shirt. In public, bare legs should be avoided by both men and women.
• Children are loved and respected. Wherever you go you will be treated with the utmost respect and you will have all the services you need.
• Dubai cannot be navigated by foot – you will beed to drive or use public transport. Bus stops are enclosed and air conditioned.

If you decide to visit Bogotà with your children, it is very important that you read this article.

Bogotá is a very special city and going there needs preparation; not just physical but also psychological. Unlike other South American cities, it has some small hidden secrets that you need to know. Here is the official website of the city.

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1 Bogotá is divided into districts

This city is divided into districts, so it is essential when choosing a hotel to choose the right one, especially if you visit Bogotá with your children. The districts are nothing but a clear and linear social classification expressed by neighborhoods. Understanding how the city’s citizens think will help you to get around. I have written an article explaining in detail how these regions are organized: you can find it here. Make sure you read it, it’s important!

2 Bogotà with your children: bars

Children can’t get in any kind of bar or club after sunset. Resisting is pointless because they do not make exceptions. If you want to have a nice evening and have a drink after dinner, make sure you choose a place where you can stay with your child, otherwise you will be invited to leave.

3 Geography of Bogotà

Bogotà is a city which lies 2700 meters above sea level – this already shows how thin the air is. Moreover, it is very polluted so if you or your child suffer from asthma, make sure you always have medication on hand. This altitude also makes it different from other Colombian cities, so always take a jacket with you. The temperature is generally between 16 ° and 20 °. If the sun is out, the temperature rises but the evening is always cool. If you visit Bogotá with children keep this in mind.

4 Do the grocery shop

If you need to buy food at the Bogota supermarket, make sure you are in section 3 or 4. The prices are much lower. For more details read here.Be careful, you will be attracted by the wonderful colors of the fruit. There are some to be consumed with caution, like the Pitaya. This beautiful and very tasty fruit, also known as dragon fruit, has powerful laxative powers (and when I say powerful, I am not exaggerating). In Colombia the dragon fruit is yellow and not red like its Asian relative, and the taste is sweet. Never eat more than half.

5 Bogotà whith children: where to play

Most shopping centers have a floor dedicated to children with skating rinks, sports areas and mini-cities where children can have fun doing all the jobs of adults. You have to pay to enter these playgrounds, but it is absolutely worth it. Places are taken care of in every detail and the activities are fantastic. If it happens to be a rainy day, then you know what to do.

Now you are ready to discover this wonderful city … I hope you have a great trip!

Frecciarossa Executive or Italotreno Executive Club: Which One to Choose and Why While they both have the same name, both companies offer different services.

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 Italotreno has a younger, more dynamic and less business-based market, but in my opinion it is less luxurious, and more standard.

I think the best thing I can do is to present the facts, and then you can decide for yourself. I have my mind made up, but I will let you be the judge of what is best for you.

Italotreno Executive Club

This is presented to us as  “the best travel experience in Italo’s most exclusive environment”.  I think this is exactly the point – in comparison to the other services it is by far the best, but in terms of overall luxury, there is a lot to be desired.

The websites advertise different services such as Wi-Fi, catering, Fast Track, lounge, and personal screens. A service for underage customers travelling alone called Italo Junior is available for a small fee.

The seats are comfortable, with about 18 eats in each carriage, some in closed cabins. When the train disembarks there is a welcome service in which you are offered water, fruit juice or prosecco in a paper glass.

The catering is provided by a small box containing a cold puffy pastry and a vegetable snack pastry. You can choose a sweet or a salty snack or two. The cleaning service is not impeccable; they don’t take the rubbish until they have finished in First Class, which is about an hour. The bathroom is not just for the executive but shared with First Class, and unfortunately for me, the smell of the bathroom was very unpleasant.

Would I travel with Italo’s Executive Club again? Absolutely, because First Class is like traveling in economy class by plane; people shouting on the phone, taking off their shoes and eating tuna cans intoxicating the whole wagon. I know what you’re thinking, you are wondering what route was – it was Rome- Milan.

Executive Frecciarossa

This travel is on a different level of quality. I’ll begin by telling you that the executive carriage accommodates only 8 seats, and each armchair is 1.5 meters from the other.

This service was created to meet the needs of the top managers of big companies but I can tell you that it also caters to mine.

The carriages have the luxuries of all the national newspapers, unlimited drinks, snacks and coffee espresso Illy. Furthermore, if you need to work, there is a meeting room with 6 seats and high-definition monitors, which can be used for a small fee.If you are hungry, you can enjoy the exclusive restaurant with gourmet dishes by chef Carlo Cracco. I ate a delicious duck in orange on real dishes with real cutlery and glasses – no plastic or paper.Buying the Frecciarossa executive ticket gives you the access to the lounge, so no more waiting in a crowded bar.

I have given you a brief overview of my experience, and it is clear to see which service I preferred – I believe that luxury is important and if you are willing to pay more than economy class, you expect different services. It must be said, however, that Italo has a younger clientele and less showy, so the differences are there.

Which do you prefer? Let me knon the comments.

What to do on Lake Garda with children when you only have two days?

The lake is big, there are so many places to visit, the hotels pop up like mushrooms – so how can we get around? In this article you will find a complete guide on what to do, where to stay and where to eat.

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How to Choose the Area

 Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy and covers three regions: Lombardy, Trentino and Veneto. It’s beautiful from any viewpoint, but if you’re wondering what area to choose when you have a child, the answer is clear. 

The Venetian part (in the province of Verona) is more or less the perfect place for a child, because it hosts the largest amusement park in Italy: Gardaland. Over the years, many other attractions have appeared near the park, so if you only have two days you should focus on this area. Peschiera del Garda, Castelnuovo del Garda, Lazise, ​​Bardolino, Garda, Torri del Benaco, Brenzone and Malcesine are the areas in the province of Verona which are hosts to the lake.

What to Do on Lake Garda

Gardaland and Gardaland Sealife

 There are so many things to do here, but what could be better than the biggest amusement park in Italy? Gardaland is exactly what every child dreams of. In this park, every cartoon becomes reality. Colors, scents, music and games all come together in one place.

 If you buy the Gardaland Express pass (a magnetic bracelet which allows you to skip the queue) you can easily get around the park in one day. The attractions are divided into three categories: Fantasy (blue), Adventure (green) and Adrenaline (red) and each is a breathtaking adventure.

Next to Gardaland Park there is Sealife, the interactive aquarium of Gardaland where more than 5000 species of sealife are hosted. Here you can find fish from all over the world, from Lake Garda of course, to the oceans.

 The aquarium visit takes about an hour. The entry fee for this is not included in the ticket for the park.What will impress you the most is the proximity of the fish; in some cases you can almost touch the water (but don’t!).

Caneva World

 This park is composed of 3 areas independent of each other – The Aquapark is the largest water park in Italy. If, like us, you decide to visit Lake Garda in August, this park is an excellent idea. Movieland Park is a theme park dedicated to the world of cinema. Medieval Times is a medieval arena where there are tournaments every day.

Jungle Adventure Park

 Avoid this place if you suffer from vertigo, because you will find paths suspended on ropes, and many other adrenaline-type activities. Depending on the age range of your children you will be able to access the adventure trails, but if you do not like these kinds of activities there is also a botanical trail and a fitness trail.

Where to Stay on Lake Garda

There are two Gardaland hotels, but if you prefer to stay elsewhere the area is full of other luxury facilities. But if, like us, you are looking for something really special, I suggest you to book an apartment in a castle from the 1400s. There is a park of forty thousand meters surrounding the castle, a swimming pool and a lake view.

 If you love amusement parks, discover the Rome Rainbow Magicland Park

 You can watch Rainbow Magicland’s video 

 Soon the article on Gardaland and the video will be ready.

See you soon

Miriam

The Riviera Golf Resort, a few kilometers from Cattolica, was our salvation for three days. Also this year, we went to Rimini for the TTG, the most important international tourism fair.

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We spent three intense days here with a rigid itinerary and no time to take a breath, but as you know, the opportunity to meet tourism agencies from all over the world only happens once a year.

That is why this year, we decided not to get a hotel in Rimini, or in Riccione, but to move to a more peaceful area, and this time we really did our best.

Less than 30km from Rimini is San Giovanni in Marignano, by all means a small town where you can eat typical local produce and take walks on rock bridges.

I know, it looks like a fairy tale right out of the Brothers Grimm.

Valentino Rossi

My husband and I drove by car, tired from the day we had had (what was I thinking, deciding to leave on the day of the fair and not the day before?) until we finally arrived in Tavullia.

You all know this place, right? It’s where our Valentino Rossi was born.

Well, this village is like a thousand others, but covered with flags. Just when our eyes were getting used to the country here we came to San Giovanni in M. where time stops and catapults you to the Middle Ages.

Everywhere you turn, you see stone houses, flowers and bridges. The contrast is strong, I have to admit. Flavio would have loved this place, but making him skip school to spend 8 hours at the fair would have been unfair, don’t you think? In short, we immediately understood that this place would give us peace after the storm of Rimini, and indeed it was.

Riviera Golf Resort and Golf Club

The Riviera Golf Club is in a fantastic location. Surrounded by greenery and, of course, by the golf pitch, it is an oasis of peace after the chaos of the fair.

Thinking about it now, this location is a clear contrast with this whole part of the coast.

The structure is elegant and extremely refined, and the suites are wonderful. There is no single structure, but green areas where the rooms were built.

Huge tubs in wonderful bathrooms, spacious walk-in closets and stunning views (of course if you like to watch people play golf and watching the pool light up at night). The room service is very fast and, if I may say so, the piadina to accompany the wine for an appetizer was very much appreciated.

SPA

For me, the spa has always been the needle of the scale to see if a hotel deserves the stars it sells.

I am not a professional, but like everybody else, I have my standards and let’s be honest, who likes to go to a spa that smells like mold. Would you agree?

Well, the spa of this hotel is phenomenal! Very nice dressing rooms, well-kept bathrooms, clean showers and bathtubs, what else can I say? It’s beautiful.

It also offers submerged sun beds with an exterior view, and a glass roof that opens. The only flaw is that there is nowhere to sit and have a herbal tea in all of the rooms, to have a herbal tea you have to go to the beauty center, which is not very comfortable.

Breakfast in Riviera Golf Resort

The buffet is very vast, but you may have to wait a little while before the staff refill the empty trays (too bad a structure like this gets lost in small details).

I’m not sure why, but inexorably, when I’m at the hotel, I want to have a savory breakfast. Then of course, I skip lunch and end up as hungry as a wolf at dinner time. Maybe one day I’ll learn.

Where to Dine

The hotel offers a restaurant that seems eye-catching, but we preferred to take a walk in the beautiful village.

We used Tripadvisor to choose the restaurant (you will find our Trip account here) but this time we were not particularly satisfied.

We had dinner at Osteria Spacciodivino. A characteristic place with very kind staff. But the dishes, what can I say… it might be better to just have an appetizer and avoid the first course, which we didn’t like at all! But that of course, was only our opinion..

Who doesn’t love Harry Potter?
And above all, who wouldn’t want to live just one day in his fantastic world? Well, it is possible! Just by visiting the Warner Bros Studio‘s Tour of London! The fans of the little wizard will love it and I’m not just talking about little fans – this destination is fun for adults too.

When you first enter the Studios you are taken to a room where you are shown an interesting video about how the idea of making a film inspired by Rowling’s books came about.

Then the real tour in the magical world of Harry Potter begins, leading you to the wonderful Great Hall.

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The Great Hall

Built in 2000 especially for the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the set was then used for the next 6 films in the saga.

The spectacular hall contains, the costumes of the students in each of the four houses of Hogwarts,  plus two very long tables set elegantly for dinner.

At the end of the room you can admire the teachers’ table and their costumes. An amazing start to the tour, which is then followed by a journey through various scenes which are familiar to fans of the films.

Here you will explore scenes such as the dormitories and sitting room of the students of Hogwarts; Professor Dumbledore’s study, Hagrid’s hut, and the hall of Malfoy Manor the Forbidden Forest inhabited by huge spiders, and so much more!

The sets and props are the original ones used for filming.

Seeing everything that created the scenes of the films and how much work there is behind every detail does not take away the magic behind Rowling’s stories; but rather gives further value to the wonderful films.

What You’ll See on the Tour

Platform 9 ¾

Most of the scenes in the film were shot in Kings Cross Station in London, however for the final episode a part of the station was recreated in the studios.

The Hogwarts Express provided the backdrop for one of the first ever scenes in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and then, ten years later, for the last shot of the entire series in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

The real locomotive and passenger carriages have been used throughout the UK to create external train views; while a special set of internal carriages has been used for all scenes taking place inside the train.

Dolores Umbridge’s Study

Great attention was paid to the creation of the all-pink office of the Ministry of Magic official, including the collection of plates with various moving kittens.

Over 130 plates were created for the office and they photographed and filmed real kittens with crystal balls, witch hats and balls of wool.

No small task!

Diagon Alley

This is probably my favorite set, although it’s hard to choose. The original design of the street combines the rich details of the Harry Potter books, with the inspiration of the streets described in the works of Charles Dickens.

Diagon Alley hosts not only the Gringotts Bank, Flourish and Blotts and Mulpepper’s Pharmacy, but also the dusty Ollivanders shop, where, you may remember, Harry’s wand chose him.

During the shoot, the store housed over 17,000 individually labeled wand boxes.

The Art Department

This section of the tour ends spectacularly with small-scale reconstruction of Hogwarts castle.

The shots of this meticulously constructed model have been combined with digital effects to create unforgettable realistic views of the exterior of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

A team of 86 artists and staff members built the first version of the Hogwarts castle for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

If you are in need of refreshment by the end of the tour, you can always give the Butterbeer a try at the Studios coffee shop.

I didn’t actually taste it myself, but I was told that it was very sweet, and obviously non-alcoholic!

Ticket costs and useful information for Harry Potter

It has to be said that the visit is not cheap  and there are also family packages, but it really is worth the money.

The Studios are located about 1 hour from London, so it would be worth your while to compare agencies and to get a package which includes the bus journey from central London plus the entrance ticket.

Alternatively, you can take the train.

The whole tour lasts about 3 and a half hours.

The Studios are usually quite crowded, but it is very well managed and the flow of people will not bother you.  I would also recommend to book in advance.

Keep in mind that the shops inside the studios are full of temptation, but the prices are very expensive!

Also read our article on what to see in London in one day

London in one day really is a wonderful challenge; the city is huge, and there are so many things to see!

So I suggest focusing on the truly unmissable attractions, wearing comfortable shoes, and getting yourself ready for a great walk!

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MORNING: London in One Day

For starters, in order to pay our respects to the Queen, we should start our tour from the square in front of Buckingham Palace (nearest metro stations: Victoria Station or Green Park Station).
In actuality, Elizabeth II rarely lives here, as most of the year she lives in Windsor, her favorite residence.
To find out if Her Majesty is present at the palace, we just need to observe the flags hoisted at the top of the building: if there are two (the Union Jack and the Royal Banner) it means that the Queen is at Buckingham Palace.
From here, you can take the path that goes through St. James Park, and with a pleasant walk of only a few minutes, you will arrive at Trafalgar Square.
This is one of the most famous squares in London with its fountain, the famous lions and the Column of Nelson. The square is dominated by the monumental facade of the National Gallery.

National Gallery

For art lovers this museum is a paradise, so for this visit I suggest you focus on only a few rooms, as it is impossible to see it all at once. The room of the Italian Renaissance impressionists is unmissable.
The Museum is free, but you can contribute to its maintenance through a donation or having coffee in one of its cafes, or shopping in the gift shop.

Afternoon: London in one day

If all this art leaves you hungry, you can pop into the crypt of St Martin in the Fields.
Yes, that’s right, I’m suggesting you go and have lunch in a crypt of a church! I haven’t gone crazy, a large self-service restaurant has been set up here offering simple and delicious dishes of English cuisine.

The atmosphere is very lively and usually quite crowded. From Trafalgar Square, take a walk down Whitehall / Parliament Street along which it will be possible to see to your right the famous no.10 Downing Street (home of the English Prime Minister). You will recognize it by the armed guards who are always stationed in front of them. But don’t expect too much, as for security reasons you will have to stay away from the building, so the view of the house is rather limited.

Around the city center

Within a few minutes, we will reach Parliament Square, where you can admire in all its majesty Westminster Abbey (where many royal weddings take place), the English Parliament and Big Ben.

The latter is currently being restored and will be for the next two years or so, so expect a souvenir photo with scaffolding! Crossing the Westminster Bridge you reach Southbank, an area of London that in recent years has become extremely lively. This is where is the London Eye (the Ferris wheel) is found, from which you can enjoy a splendid view of London.

If you wish to take a trip on it (a complete tour lasts about half an hour and the cost is about 25 pounds) I recommend booking the tickets in advance to avoid, at least in part, the inevitable and often endless queue.

Tate Gallery

Continuing the walk along the south bank of the Thames, you will find the Tate Gallery to your right, one of the most famous museums in the world of Contemporary Art. If you have some time go on in, just to see the structure.
This former industrial building (it was a Power Station) deserves a visit, being the result of an intelligent and interesting renovation. Climb to the top floor to admire a beautiful view of London.

Leaving the Museum, right in front of the Tate, take the pedestrian bridge called Millennium Bridge, which will take you to another London icon: St Paul’s Cathedral.

Last stop on the tour

Take a break to take a few photos before heading off on the final leg of the tour. From St. Paul’s, I suggest you take a bus which will take you along a few stops through the city district until you reach the fabulous Tower of London. London Bridge, which are probably the most famous symbols of London.
At sunset, the view from here is amazing and you can finally rest while enjoying a beer at one of the many pubs along the Thames, possibly thinking about when to organize the next trip to London!

Read our article on Rome and the tour we created to discover it in one day.