Helpful Tips Before Traveling to Cuba

The exotic and beautiful country of Cuba, full of historical places and rich in diverse cultures, has gained back its title of being a tourism hotspot that it was pre-1959. In case American travelers, they have to be creative enough to revel in the wonders of Cuba. The gorgeous beaches and eye-pleasing landmarks are waiting all year round for people from other countries.

Cuba has a considerable potential in developing eco-tourism, which is the reason that Cuba has become one of the hottest destinations dedicated to learning nature and eco-systems. Anyone who wishes to have an educational and fun vacation, definitely, should visit Cuba for its amazing rainforests that cover much of the country.  However, before traveling to any country, in this case before traveling to Cuba, you will need essential tips before visiting Cuba.

Cuba is one of the hottest eco-tourism destinations. 

Planning to visit Cuba?

As far as the sun is prevailing in Cuba, the best and essential items to have in your suitcase are the quality sunscreen, sunglasses, light fiber clothes. These items are important when traveling to a sunny and beach destination.

As the best way to discover cities in Cuba is on foot, it is important to have a pair or two comfortable shoes for walking long distances. They speak Spanish in Cuba, so that a pocket dictionary will be of great help one at hand.

What is needed when arriving and departing Cuba?

When arriving in Cuba you are asked to have a tourist visa card. The tourist visa card for traveling to Cuba should have 6 months of validation beyond the time you are to return  home. It’s possible to have the tourist visa card for no longer than 30 days, and it can be renewed for additional 30 days for once. The Canadians are lucky enough to have the possibility of getting the tourist visa card for 90 days. Upon the arrival in Cuba you will be asked to present the legal housing that you have already booked.

For departing from Cuba you will need to pay a tax of CUC 25, the lack of which will result in problems. Accordingly, in order to be safe be sure have saved the 25 CUC to stay away from problems in a foreign country.

Getting Around Cuba

The Viazul bus line is a good choice for moving around Cuba, as Cuba’s public transportation is quite adequate. You will get your desired destination in a timely fashion. As anywhere in the world, taxis are more expensive than regular busses. However, for a quick rush in across the town taxi is a good choice as well. To make your ride even funnier you should take little motorcycle-type coco-taxis.

Traveling to Puerto Rico

History

Puerto Rico was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492.The first name of the island was San Juan, which is the same with the nowadays capital city of San Juan. After the discovery of the island by Christopher Columbus, it was settled by explorer Ponce Leon (the island was a Spanish possession for four centuries). The Spanish-American War ended in the Treaty of Paris, due to which the island became the possession of the USA. According to the passed law Puerto Rico is authorized by the USA to have its own constitution.

Climate

If you think about the best time to visit Puerto Rico, you should take into consideration that Puerto Rico enjoys round summer temperature of average 26C, and it has a maritime exotic climate (there are little seasonal changes throughout the year). The climate has a lot with the climate in the USA. The high season is between December and April. The second peak season is July and August. If you want to avoid crowds of tourists then you should plan your trip from May to November. It is important to know that during the low season from May to December, it’s the hurricane season from June 1 to November 30. Puerto Rico has become a famous Spring Break Destination.

Getting to and around Puerto Rico

There are many flights and cruises to Puerto Rico year round. As far as Puerto Rico is a US territory, for the US citizens there are no passport controls to the island, and vice versa. Accordingly, the flights between Puerto Rico and the USA domestic and state issued driver’s license and identification card are sufficient for boarding a flight from or to Puerto Rico. The requirements are the same with flights to Hawaii.

What Places to Visit in Puerto Rico?

There is a variety of activities and opportunities for the tourists visiting Puerto Rico, starting from the picturesque landscape, spectacular surfing sights to challenging golf course and the perfect sunbathing beach. What to visit the best sights in Puerto Rico?

Bioluminescent bays. There are microscopic organisms living in the waters of Bioluminescent bays that dart away from the movement. A kayak tour is what you need to do during the new moon as it is this time when these microscopic organisms can be noticed in the water.

Blue Flag in Puerto Rico.The Blue Flag is a voluntary program that has proven to provide a high quality serviced for bathers in Puerto Rico, as well as throughout the world.

Casino. Most of the luxurious hotels and casinos are situated in the capital city of San Juan. San Juan is the perfect place to stop for the lovers of gambling and to travel through the island.

El Yunque. One of the must-sees in Puerto Rico is the El Yunque rain forest that spreads over the mountain. Walking uphill you will appear in an amazing rain forest. Flora and fauna are rich in varieties.

Golf. Driving a short distance away from the San Juan Metropolitan area, you will find over 15 championship golf courses.

Outdoor activities. The adventures are not limited with the San Juan, as many small tour companies provide guided tours of the Central Mountains in Utuado, Repelling in Arecibo, kayak tours of Lake Guajataka, and horseback riding on the beach in Aguadilla. Some tour operators also offer low cost or free lodging.

7 Musts to See in Barcelona

When you travel to a certain destination, you try to get best of it by visiting all the notable sights, especially when you are short of time. The best thing is to have the planning of the places you want to see and things you want to do in advance, which will help you to avoid disappointment of an unfulfilled trip. In case of Barcelona, there will always some place you didn't manage to visit, or things that you couldn't do for the lack of time.

Park Guell is a small piece of land from a fairy tale.

1. Barcelona is a city to be discovered on foot. It's a perfect time to get away from tourist bus and metro and to head to the city's most impressive buildings, streets and parks. Buildings and architectural works by Antoni Gaudi will inspire you with their original and modern architectural solutions. The most famous works by him, which in a must list are the Sagrada Familia, one of the impressive buildings ever; Park Guell, which is a small piece of land from a fairy tale. Different buildings and colorful stone structures lead you up to the top of the park, to enjoy the view of the city. You shouldn't skip La Pedrera, a classic building of modernism, which is now listed in the UNESCO Heritage List.

2. Barcelona is home to many artists and architects. Picasso is among those artists who spent his youth on this graceful landmark. To go back to the traces of history and his artwork you may visit the Museu Picasso, which houses dozens of well-know works by the artist.

3. To enjoy spectacular views of nature and architectural works, one needs to climb the magical mountain of Montjuic. You will find the place tourist-free to some extent, though you need to gear up the hill. Palau Sant Jordi, considered to be the jewel of Montjuic, is well-known as the 'Olympic Ring' of the mountain. The building was inaugurated in 1990, with a design by  Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. Over 17,000 people may follow sports games in Palau Sant Jordi.

4. Even if you are not fanatic about art works, you shouldn't miss one of the world's largest museums dedicated to Spanish surrealist artist Joan Miro. The museum houses a collection of over 220 paintings and 150 sculptures by the artist. Another museum you shouldn't miss is a Catalan art museum, MNAC (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalanya), which is a nice corner representing Catalan art from the Roman period to the 20th century.

5. To get to know the city, one should go back to its history; it's always good to find out some piece of history when you visit a new city. Each street and neighborhood in Barcelona are a piece of history. To find out its historical heritage, you may visit Museu de Historia de Barcelona (MUHBA), which has different sections related to various historical events of the city, which are located in different shelters, in the central Barcelona.

6. Barcelona is home to many magnificent churches going back to Roman times. Even if you are not a religious person, you will find the architecture of those  churches as one of the amazing and inspiring one. Among them is the Gothic Cathedral, the construction of which started in 1298. The Cathedral is famous for its  cloister with 13 geese dedicated to the saint patron. 

7. In Barcelona, there are small beaches along the Mediterranean. To take a deep breath of fresh air one should take a towel, sun cream, as well as your umbrella, and head to one of those beaches. To have a break from every day move, it's a perfect choice to take your favorite book and lay on the beach.

(The places to visit in Barcelona are not limited to this list. The upcoming articles will illustrate other places of interest  that are worthy to be visited).

What to Do in Barcelona?

In the previous article, I was highlighting the seven musts one should do while in Barcelona. As any other city, the mission of a traveler is not fulfilled with only visiting places of interest, but checking out the possible activities to participate in such as festivals, parties, visiting popular restaurants and cafes. Here below I am going to point out some key things to do to get most of Barcelona.

Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in the world, where a number of
 international festivals - the Festival Internacional de Jazz de Barcelona,
Primavera Sound, Sonar and Cruillia are oranized. 

Sweeten Ears with Music

Barcelona is home to many concert halls, each of them having a unique architectural solution outside, and a splendid inner design. The Grand Teatre del Liceu is among them, decorated with red carpets, spectacular carvings and gold leaf. Places like Razzmatazz and Apolo are famous for live music venues. Do not be afraid to check tickets, as the entrance is not always that expensive. Barcelona is one the most visited cities in the world, and it’s not by chance that several international festivals – the Festival Internacional de Jazz de Barcelona, Primavera Sound, Sonar and Cruilla – are organized in the city.

Delicious Food

Once you are in Barcelona it’s a good opportunity to try seafood products in some of the best restaurants and cafes of the city. The kitchen trend goes with tapas, pintxos and vermouth. Pintxos are a bite-sized food; they are served with small pieces of bread on the top. It derives from the initial Basque Tapas. To eat the food, you need to use dozens of toothpicks, and most of the bill will cover the toothpicks payment. Eskual Etxea is a perfect place to enjoy pintxos.

For trying tapas, you may go either to a place where patatas  bravas are served with tapas, or you have got the option of visiting tapas bars, to try the local beer as well.

Vermouth hours are a tradition with Barcelona. To keep the tradition on, weekends are a perfect time to meet with local people in search of vermouth places.

Get the Barcelona Style

Streets in Barcelona boost in fashionable shops with fancy products. As any other big city, it is full of world-famous fashion brands. But once in Barcelona, it is preferable to check for some local brands like Zara and Mango. But those who are a real ‘fashion fan’ you shouldn’t miss Zazo&Brull, where you can find beautiful textures at an affordable price.

Party For a Week

If you can party non-stop, September is the very time to arrive in Barcelona. Festes de la Merce is the city’s biggest festival, which started as a religious parade. The nowadays’ Festes d la Merce is celebrated in the form of weeklong parties, dedicated to Catalan culture. Nearly each neighborhood in Barcelona its festival to celebrate; one of the most attended is in Gracia neighborhood, organized in the middle of August.

Get into the Barcelona Night Life

If clubbing and night life is another spectrum of your interest while travelling, then Barcelona clubs are there to host you with parties and different DJ sessions. Sala Apolo and Razzmatazz have different themed parties like Nasty Monday, Midnight Calles, and many more. To attend the party of your mood, you should first check out the party theme for the day to avoid unexpected surprises. 

When Is The Perfect Time To Visit Corsica?

The island of Corsica is washed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. It is located in the south of France, to the south west of Italy. From the Italian island of Sardinia, it is possible to see the Corsican town of Bonifaccio which is in the extreme southeastern part of the island.

The island of Corsica is one of the twenty seventh regions of France. Before the French conquest of 1769, the island maintained freedom with its independent Republic of Corsica starting from 1755. Prior to the Corsica Republic, the island belonged to the Republic of Genoa -Italian Republic that had numerous lands in the Mediterranean from the early 11^th century to 1797.

Nowadays the island is divided into two administrative parts – Haute Corse, that is Upper Corsica, and Corse-du-Sud, that is Southern Corsica. The island is a mountainous heaven with its preserved green forests. The Corsican capital Ajaccio is situated in the Southern Corsica, which has the biggest number of inhabitants. The second largest city after the capital is Bastia, located in the Upper Corsica. Most of the cities have preserved their medieval architecture and represent to their visitor the architectural wonder of their glorious times.

Although the island of Corsica is closer to Italy than France, and the Ligurian Sea separates it from the mainland, Corsica is officially one of the regions of France. One you visit Corsica you will find more of the Italian culture and habits than that of the French one.

People in Corsica have their own Corsican language, though, in everyday life, only the elderly speak it. They teach Corsican language at schools; young people can read and understand, but the common language used is French with a strong Corsican accent and dialect. The accent is much more of an Italian coloring than of a French one. People in Corsica are shy, yet very welcoming and helpful.

The best time to visit Corsica is the middle of May and September, when the island gets relieved from thousands of tourists. One thing you should keep in mind is that, during the off-season, which is from October to May, there is no regular public transportation. The best option for you is to take your car with you, or rent one for heading your desired destinations.

In case you need to use the public transportation as from the main city of Ajaccio, you should go to the Maritime of Ajaccio, where you will find the schedules and the buses just nearby the port.