Category: Eastern Europe
Art Nouveau splendor and a soothing soak at the Hotel Gellert.
With wonderful architecture, vibrant culture, and rich history, Budapest is a wonderful destination. Since joining the European Union in 2004, it has many of the advantages of Western Europe. But it’s managed to maintain most of its Eastern European mystique.
Straddling the Danube, the cities of Buda and Pest offer lots to see and do. And you’ll likely be worn out after a full day of seeing the sights. But there’s a great way to unwind in Budapest when it’s time to kick back. Visit one of the city’s 118 natural thermal springs for a soak.
Image Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oansari/
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Finding the best deals on hotelscombined.com.
As a rule, we don't like paying for hotels in advance. Plans change, and though -- given enough notice -- most reservations are refundable, the last thing we want to do is track down refunds.That's why we like www.booking.com. It represents more than 60,000 hotels worldwide, charges no booking fees, and doesn't require prepayment. You use a credit card to guarantee your reservation and pay at the hotel. It's especially good for Europe, and the user reviews and rating system are helpful.
In the past, we used the check prices feature on www.tripadvisor.com to make sure the price was comparable, or better, than Expedia, Hotels.com, etc. But these days, more players are entering the market, and trip advisor doesn't track them all.
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Hertz short-term rentals make exploring Europe more affordable.
Every time we go to Rome, we hope to get to Tivoli. We've always wanted to see Hadrian's Villa and the Villa d'Este. But every time we look at the logistics of getting there, it's less appealing than just spending another day in Rome. We either have to take public transportation, which is fine but involves some waiting, or we have to sign up for a tour, which means adhering to someone else's schedule.
But now, there's another option which seems vastly preferable. Hertz has introduced a new program that lets you rent cars for three, six, or nine hours. Unimaginatively called the 369 Program, it makes day trips from city centers or major airports easier and more affordable.
Photo: Flickr ZioDave
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