Valentine’s evening on the iconic Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge

Enjoy a romantic evening with fine dining and pink champagne on the transformed walkways of London’s Tower Bridge.  For £30 a couple you can enjoy the great views of London in a romantic setting decorated with flowers, lights and live music in the background.  Suspended nearly 140 feet above the Thames River it is definitely one of the most romantic settings in the city.  It is also a hot spot for marriage proposals. Last year there was a record 15 marriage proposals.

Champagne atop the London Eye

London Eye Valentine's Day

The London Eye has some of the best panoramic views in London and offers a variety of great packages for couples looking for a memorable experience.  The most intimate but expensive package is Valentine’s Cupid’s Capsule.  Included is a private capsule (usually 25 people/capsule) a bottle of Champagne (served by a host), a rose and a box of pink champagne truffles.

There are also less expensive alternatives such as the Red Rose Experience that costs £25 a person and includes a 30 minute ride, a red rose, and a box of chocolates.

A dinner cruise on the timeless Thames River

Cruise along the Thames River while soaking in the romantic scenery of London and enjoying a world-class three-course meal. The three-hour cruise includes a live violinist playing romantic melodies, a rose and a bottle of wine.  The dinner cruise costs £135 per person.

Floating down the Thames River in London

Alternatively if you are looking for a cruise to accompany a dinner or other plans there is a 40 minute circular Champagne Cruise which travels along the Thames and offers a complimentary glass of champagne.  There is a 10% discount if you book online or if you choose to pay on the day it costs £20 per person.

A romantic screening at the cinema

Breakfast at Tiffany's

If you are looking to go out and enjoy a romantic yet relaxing evening visit a cinema for a romantic screening.  At Riverside Studios they are screening the romantic classic, Breakfast at Tiffany’s starring Audrey Hepburn. For £35 you can enjoy a three course meal along with the film or for £7.50-£8.50 for just the film.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is also screening at  while at BFI Southbank they will be screening the 1944 classic To Have and Have Not.

Valentine’s Masquerade Ball

Don't forget your mask

Dress up in your finest garb and grab a mask this Valentine’s Day to join in this Medieval Banquet.  Taking place at the historic banquet hall at St. Katharine Docks, the Valentine’s Masquerade Ball has everything you would want this Valentines day: a 4-course banquet, a bottle of sparkling wine, dancing, ballroom dance lessons and more. There is limited space and tickets cost £60 per person.

A Romantic Mini Cooper Tour of London

Tour the city in classic fashion

Enjoy the sights of London from what may be the most famous British automobile of all time: the original Mini Cooper. For £60 a couple you can bring your own bottle of bubbly and enjoy hand made chocolates while cozying up in the blankets provided.  The hour and a half long tour stops at the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral. It is the site of many marriage proposals and beautiful attractions such as The Globe Theatre.

Lastly, don’t forget to grab your mTrip London City Guide to help you get around London this Valentine’s Day!

Being the most tech-savvy of them all means going above and beyond. And so London hotel, Eccleston Square has done just that. Claiming to be the first hotel in Europe with an iPad2 in every room and offering what they call ’007-smart wizardry,’ Eccleston is allowing customers to easily manage every conceivable function, gadget and gizmo from one device. An app is available for guests’ mobile devices and includes tools like temperature, lights, curtain control, restaurant reservations, room service orders, spa reservations, housekeeping, along with helpful tips on the hotel and the city area.

The gadgetry doesn’t end there though. The rooms also come equipped with docking stations for iPhones & iPods, 46-inch 3D plasma televisions, Blu Ray DVD players, VoIP phones, HD television screens in the bathroom and ‘smart glass’ bathroom walls. WiFi is also free, which in many hotels can be an added expense.

Of course the hotel comes at a price and the price isn’t pretty. Rooms start at £250 a night. Even at this price, they should do a great job of enticing the tech-savvy bunch. And this could usher in a whole new crop of 21st Century high-tech boutique hotels.

Set to open August 1st

Do it the high-tech way & use mTrip’s London Travel Guide to get around!

Photos of Eccleston courtesy of Eccleston Square Hotel

Serving as both the office and London residence of The Queen, as well as admin headquarters for the Royal Household, Buckingham Palace is one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today. The State Rooms are used extensively by The Queen and members of the Royal Family to receive and entertain guests for ceremonial, state and official occasions. When the Queen takes her annual visit to Scotland, the Palace’s nineteen State Rooms are open to visitors. The visitor route also includes a nice walk along the west side of the palace garden with views of the garden, palace and nineteenth-century lake.

Forming the heart of the working palace, the State Rooms are exquisitely furnished with some of the Royal Collection’s greatest possessions. This includes paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin and Canaletto, as well as English and French furniture.

Special Exhibitions 2011

Royal Fabergé

Bringing together masterpieces by Carl Fabergé from Imperial Easter Eggs and jewel-encrusted boxes and even miniature carvings of royal pets, the exhibition at the annual Summer opening of Buckingham Palace is interesting to say the least.

Kate Middleton’s Wedding Dress

Designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, Kate Middleton’s wedding dress will go on display during Buckingham Palace’s annual Summer opening (July 23 to October 3, 2011). Middleton chose british brand, McQueen for its beautiful craftsmanship and technical construction. She worked closely with Sarah Burton in carefully constructing the dress. It will go on display alongside the shoes, earrings and Halo Tiara she wore on April 29.

Download mTrip’s London Travel Guide!

Image by: shining.darkness

There are, of course, plenty of reasons to visit London that have nothing to do with the monarchy – stunning collections in art galleries, spectacular cathedrals, top-notch theater offerings, countless pubs, and perhaps the world’s most famous clock, to name but a few – but a simple poll of Americans to find out how many of them got up pre-dawn to watch televised coverage of Prince William’s recent marriage (or, for that matter, his parents’ wedding) shows just how highly we still think of the British royal family.

When you’re planning a London itinerary, then, it’s likely to include plenty of royal attractions.

Travel Tip: No matter what your itinerary includes, don’t forget to plan your accommodation ahead of time – especially if you’re visiting during the summer high season. The hotels in London can book up well in advance during the city’s busiest months.

Buckingham Palace

There are the obvious ones that will probably be on your must-see list already. There’s Buckingham Palace, the royal residence, part of which you can visit when the royal family is on vacation. One of the Buckingham Palace attractions, however, is outside and year-round – the famous changing of the guard ceremony happens every day during the summer, and every other day during the rest of the year.

Tower of London

Then there’s the Tower of London, combining the monarchy with history. The Tower is an 11th century castle that’s most commonly known as a prison and the site of more than a few executions, but since many of the prisoners and those sentenced to death were members of the royal family it’s an historic site in London that’s impossible to visit without reflecting on royal history, too.

Beyond the obvious royal attractions, however, there are things like the Queen’s Walk – a lovely, tree-lined walking path along the South Bank of the Thames that was built for the Queen’s “Silver Jubilee” in 1977. Westminster Abbey has clear royal ties as the site of coronations as well as royal tombs, but don’t overlook St. Paul’s Cathedral’s royal relations – it’s the cathedral where Prince Charles married Lady Diana in 1981.

What’s your favorite royal attraction in London?

- by Jessica of BootsnAll

Download mTrip’s London Travel Guide!

photos by PhillipC, xeddix

Taking place throughout July, with a diverse program of exhibitions, events, talks and workshops, activities will take place in and around King’s Cross. Chosen for its rich heritage as an industrial hub of London, King’s Cross will serve as the perfect spot to host this festival. Venues include: National Portrait Gallery, V&A, St Pancras International, the German Gymnasium and British Library. Satellite activities & exhibitions take place across London.

© Walter Joseph Collection, courtesy the British Library

What is Street Photography?

As defined by the London Street Photography Festival…

“un-posed, un-staged photography which captures, explores or questions contemporary society and the relationships between individuals and their surroundings.”

With its first year of producing this event, the organizers of LSPF are dedicated to preserving street photography as an accessible art form, important tool for communication and method to document and reflect on society and human behavior.

“The newspaper lies, the radio lies, the TV lies, the streets, they howl with the truth.” Henry Miller

London Street Photography Festival runs 1st – 31st July at various venues, http://www.londonstreetphotographyfestival.org/

Watch the video:

Images: © Mimi Mollica, Bus Stories & © Walter Joseph Collection, courtesy the British Library

The full event menu includes cooking classes with some of the most renowned chefs, wines paired with delicious dishes, champaign sipped in VIP lounges and presentations by culinary experts.

What could be more exciting for a foodie lover?!

Setting a new benchmark for food and drinks worldwide, many Taste Festivals are being held around the world this year. Cities include: Amsterdam, Auckland, Birmingham, Cape Town, Dubai, Dublin, Edinburgh, Jo’burg, London, Melbourne, Milan and Sydney. Taste Festivals bring together the host city’s most acclaimed restaurants and chefs in stunning venues to present signature offerings to foodie visitors.

Bon appétit!

Images: Taste of London, adriangonsalves, griffithchris, robertpaulyoung

Each city has something unique to offer the world of technology. Whether it’s a vital tool or just a simple gadget, we’re impressed and have listed them below. So without further ado, here are the top five destinations for the tech tourist.

Beijing

We had to put Beijing at the top of this list for their approach to traffic jams. They’re currently experimenting with what they call the 3D Express Coach, also known as the ‘straddling bus’. It is effectively a bus on legs, whose body spans two lanes of a road but which lets cars travel beneath it. Supplementary power will come from solar panels on the roof, and it’ll be 90% cheaper to build than a comparable length of subway. Trials have yet to start, but they’re supposed to begin towards the end of 2011.

Tokyo

The government of Tokyo is extremely keen on near-field communications technology – the kind of gadgets that let you and your smartphone ‘check in’ when you arrive somewhere significant. They’ve taken it further in Tokyo though. The aim is to create a Minority Report style city where everything is referenced using NFC, accessible to locals and allowing tourists to ‘see the sites’.

Technology has already played a part in overcoming Tokyo’s navigation problems. The city has many unnamed streets, so in the eighties maps were sent by fax to prospective visitors. Tokyo was responsible (in part) for the proliferation of fax machines, and then later GPS for the same reason.

Dubai

While Dubai appears to be the epitome of sleek modernity, there have been some stumbling blocks. The internet is highly regulated and very expensive, with the average broadband package costing around $40 a month. What’s more, the government is anxious not to let companies use VPN connections to bypass their own cumbersome internet structure.

On the other hand, Dubai has built some incredible things. The Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building at 828 metres, built using the world’s tallest ever concrete pumping and serviced by the world’s fastest elevators (40mph).

Vienna

Vienna University is at the forefront of 3d printing technology. While the technology isn’t new, Vienna University has produced a small, cheap one – their version weighs about 1.5kg and will probably cost around €1200 ($1,700), making it a viable addition to the manufacturing and healthcare industries.

 

London

 

A simple app called Tube Status is a must if you’re going to be in London for any length of time. The ancient and idiosyncratic London Underground (aka the Tube) is prone to failure – this app will warn you before you descend the escalators.

Claire Tucker writes on behalf of Tripbase. When she isn’t travelling, she’s usually planning her next trip.

Images: Erman Akdogan, chusico

The choice of London was a no brainer. It’s a quick flight from Toronto, Jarre’s show was in mid-October, which meant cheaper fares, and easy-to-find accommodations. And it was also a Sunday night, 10.10.10 – the long-weekend of Canadian Thanksgiving. We have a day off on Monday, it was a sign from above to get those tickets, and strangely enough, we managed to get good seats, at a good price! It was no surprise to later find out that this concert at O2 Arena was eventually sold out (up to 23k capacity). Small venue indeed! But our seats were safe. Now came the fun part – planning the rest of the week in London. After all, we’re not just going to fly in for one or two evenings.

I usually plan my travels via websites (what’s a travel agency these days?) but this time I wanted to experiment with mobile apps. Sure, I’ve done my share of flight lookups and hotel reservations. The occasional ‘events-’ based application for a major city is always useful – but typically, it would be for the duration of your trip, without lasting value. So I tried multiple apps. I found out earlier in the year that StreetMuseum app allowed you to see London’s past, overlaying actual archival photos over today’s landscapes. Sort of like augmented reality combined with time-travel into the past. I also was concerned about London’s extensive transit system (underground, rail), and loaded up JourneyPro and Metro apps – for a quick look-up of which station is nearby. They both came in very handy – I only had to ask for directions twice during the entire week. And, of course, I loaded up mTrip London app – with its ‘itinerary builder’ – which does exactly what it says. It will give you a walking/sight-seeing itinerary for your trip, based on your duration of stay, location of accommodations, and even your interests.

Of course, building daily itineraries was the toughest part of trip-planning – so much to see, and only a week to do it. So it was decided to concentrate on a few popular areas of the city, and wing it, based on the recommendations from the apps. Turns out, this was the simplest, and most rewarding approach to the city-crawl. For example, one day my wife and I were planning to see Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe, Tower Bridge and The Tower of London. Not a busy itinerary, our estimates showed this can be comfortably done in 4-6 hours, with plenty of time for breaks and eats. But as we got off Waterloo station (wanted to walk up to Tate from West, as the sun was rising), the city just started opening up to us: the Waterloo Bridge and National Theatre (which can be so monolithic and peaceful in early morning); Gabriel’s Wharf (almost the exact opposite, at any time of day); Southwark Cathedral – which you cannot find easily, as it’s pretty much surrounded by taller, newer buildings. We passed by the Madhatter Hotel, and took some pics of its quirky facade. It only has 30 rooms, but man, do I want to stay in there one day.

The Millenium Bridge was just between Tate and Globe, so obviously, we strolled back and forth. And just before we arrived at Tower Bridge, we discovered a small (but effective) fright-fest called “The London Bridge Experience”. It’s actually located under the bridge, with all the original tombs and passages, so it’s more authentic than many other similar attractions around the city. Surprisingly, a lot of locals go to these places as well. After we had lunch at Potter’s Field park, next to the City Hall (a strange, grasshopper-looking building), we finally crossed the Tower Bridge and spent the rest of the afternoon crawling around in the Tower. So this was day one – a simple walk along the South Bank that turned into a full day of discoveries, and didn’t require us to hop on more trains, catch taxis or run to the next destinations. The apps told us about the little things on the way to big tourist magnets. We knew the working hours of every place, and train schedules for every station in the vicinity, it was just a matter of finding time to stray off the course before the next big stop.

Every day turned out to be a series of discoveries. The minute we’d come up from the metro (we stayed out of town and took trains into the city daily), we’d be a block away from to something worth seeing. Even on the day of the concert, instead of going directly to O2 Arena, we took a leisurely river tour to Greenwich, spent some time at the observatory, and the local market, stopped by Canary Wharf, and only then went to the Arena. I still can’t believe that a venue that large has enough eateries to accommodate any taste, and any group of people. Thai, Italian, a Tex-Mex steakhouse, Japanese teppanyaki – you can always find a table, and the crowds just dissipate in the vast hallways. Even the British Music Experience didn’t feel crowded, and the arena was full of music fans that night. By the way, if you’re ever at the BME, keep your interactive tickets, you can do so much more with them online after you get back home. Jarre didn’t disappoint that night – the famous green laser harp, the introspective video clips, and constantly re-inventing, rediscovering the mechanics of sound. As we were going home that night (the underground system ran both eastbound and westbound trains away from the Arena to dissipate the crowds faster – neat, effective practice) we realized that after a busy week in this city, we only scratched the surface, and would love to go back, even to the same sites and places we’ve already seen. And that’s not even mentioning the rest of London that we haven’t even seen yet.

So, in the end, my first (and rather brief) visit to London was localized, organized and very intimate. With the hundreds of things to see and take in, I was able to filter out the tourist traps, map my daily route, and stick to it, with all necessary adjustments for traffic, weather and business hours. All that – from a couple of really useful, intuitive apps. No stress, never feeling lost, and always on time. The various Tourism kiosks around the city also helped tremendously. With coupon books, show reservations, and early on, they talked us into getting a transit card. Best decision ever – paid for itself, no lineups at the metro entrances, no missed appointments. Definitely grab a transit card when you’re in London. Everything – and I do mean everything – becomes just a few stops away. This massive, ever-expanding city shrinks to the size that you can envision, the scope that you can reach, and it never overwhelms.

I’m looking forward to more trips to London, and I’m relying on a few proven apps that cam in handy during the planning and the visit itself. In case you’re wondering, no, we haven’t been to the London Eye, but have passed it probably a dozen times. Sorry, but it’s just not worth it. However, the tiny Persian restaurant around the block – that’s an exotic, memorable meal, to finish off a hectic day. Look for it on Belvedere Rd. and Chicheley St. And find my Foursquare check-in from October 2010.

About Dmitry

D.B. is a web producer / project manager based in Toronto, Canada. He has been involved with multiple Canadian magazine brands (Outdoor Canada, Canadian Gardening, Canadian Living, The Hockey News, Elle Canada, Homemakers, to name a few), and helped them migrate from print to web, grow online, and move beyond to other platforms. He’s active in many of Canada’s online publishing associations, with an eye for future, and for magazines’ possibilities beyond print. In his spare time Dmitry travels to other corners of the world, and gardens profusely in his yard on the weekends.

@beniaminov or http://pixelstudioz.com/

 

 

iTunes Festival London 2011 - July 1-31, London

Featuring 31 consecutive nights of brilliant live music, iTunes Festival will showcase both established and emerging artists. Each performance will be recorded and made available for download on iTunes. Tickets for the iTunes Festival are free but you have to apply for tickets! There will be about 60 artists performing, including Paul Simon, ADELE, Foo Fighters and Duran Duran.

 

 

Berlin Festival 2011 – September 9-10, Berlin

Berlin is a city like no other; especially known for its underground music scene, its definitely a city worth visiting just for its musical influence alone. Berlin Festival takes place just days after Berlin Music Week (September 7-11), making this week one of the best times to visit this vibrant city. Berlin Festival 2011 will feature a Boy George DJ Set, The Drums, Suede, Beirut, Mogwai, Battles, Hercules and Love Affair, Deus, Santigold, A-Trak, Yelle, Diplo and many other unique acts.

 

 

Fête de la Musique – June 21, Paris

Allowing for the expression of all types of music, Fête de la Musique is completely different from most music festivals. It is open to both emerging and professional musicians, and all musicians are asked to perform for free as the event itself is free to the public.

 

 

Make Music New York (MMNY) – June 21, New York

Now in its fifth year, Make Music New York is a unique festival filled to the brim with free concerts, taking place in public spaces throughout the five boroughs of New York City. All taking place on the first day of summer, June 21, MMNY takes place simultaneously with similar festivities in over 460 cities across the world. The lineup hasn’t been announced yet but it should be any day now. In past years, the lineup has ranged from hip hop to opera, Latin jazz to punk rock, all performed on the streets, sidewalks, stoops, plazas, parks and gardens of New York.

 

 

Pitchfork Music Festival – July 15,16,17, Chicago

This three-day event showcases over 40 of independent music’s best bands and artists. It is one of the few music festivals that keeps ticket prices reasonably low. Among the many artists you will see Animal Collective, DJ Shadow, Toro Y Moi, TV on the Radio. Activities include a Record Fair, presented by the Chicago Independent Radio Project, Coterie handmade goods, FLATSTOCK poster show series and Rock for kids.

 

 

Lollapalooza – August 5-7, Chicago

Whereas the Pitchfork festival focuses on independent music, Lollapalooza is a destination for music lovers all over the world. It just so happens that this year is the 20th Anniversary of the Festival and festival-goers can look forward to a full and exciting lineup. Artists include: Eminem, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Muse, Deadmau5, Cee Lo Green, Girl Talk, Kid Cudi and so many more. As always, the festival will take place in historic Grant Park, between the iconic Chicago skyline and the shores of Lake Michigan. FYI – if you have kids 10 and under, they get in free to Lolla when accompanied by a ticket holding adult.

 

 

Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival – August 12-14, San Francisco

Taking place in San Francisco’s historic Golden Gate Park, Outside Lands invites guests to celebrate not only the best in music, but also food, wine and art. From singer-songwriters to DJs, jazz acts and cutting edge rock bands, all major music movements are celebrated alongside a host of local musicians, food vendors and visual artists representing SF’s vibrant cultural community. This green-conscious event will feature artists like Arcade Fire, Black Keys, The Shins, MGMT, Girl Talk, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Major Lazer, OK GO. Other attractions will include tastes of the Bay Area, many wine offerings, festival market place, and the eco lands area, powered entirely by solar energy.

 

 

Osheaga – July 29th to 31st, Montreal

There’s no better city to enjoy an outdoor music festival than Montreal. The summer is when Montreal shines the most and the energy of the city is always outstanding, especially during the outdoor festivals. There are no shortage of them in Montreal and Osheaga is one stellar festival not to be missed. Last years addition with Arcade Fire performing during the fireworks was spectacular. Osheaga acts this year include The Tragically Hip, Cypress hill, Eminem, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, The Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, Kid Cudie, City & Colour, Broken Social Scene, Lupe Fiasco, Bright Eyes, Ratatat, Bran Van 3000, Crystal Castles, MSYRKRFT, The Joy Formidable, Sam Roberts Band, Jamie xx, Manchester Ochestra, Malajube and a host of other amazing bands. And don’t miss out on Osheaga in the City, which features acts outside the days of the festival. The lineup will be announced in the coming month.

 

 

Glastonbury Festival – June 22 to 26th, Glastonbury

The lineup is endless and Glastonbury’s following is so large that they are already sold out of tickets. If you were planning to attend, we hope you already grabbed your tickets. The festival began the day after Jimi Hendrix died in 1970 and so marked one of the best festivals. In 2011, this festival is still going strong and with so many stages, we couldn’t possibly list all the bands. Some stellar acts include U2, Coldplay, Paul Simon, Queens of the Stone Age, The Naked & Famous, The Streets, Lykke Li, Wu Tang Clan, Beyonce and so many more that my eyes are watering looking at the lineup.

 

 

Sonar – June 16-18, Barcelona

Taking place in Barcelona, Sonar will be showcasing famous artists and DJ’s like M.I.A., Underworld, Janelle Monae, Steve Aoki and many more. To add to the already full lineup, there will be some interesting showcases by Ninja Tune, BBC Radio and others.

 

And one extra…Piknic Electronik – WEEKLY, Montreal and soon Barcelona!

This unique weekly event helps you get the most out Montreal’s summer weather, while enjoying an incomparable view of the city and quality electronic music. They highlight the many talents of both the local and international electronic scenes, featuring classic acts as well as audacious newcomers. The Barcelona version appears to be next on their list of cities!

What music festivals will you be attending this summer? Add yours to the comments.

Download a city guide to get you around during festival season!

Image sources: Anirudh Koul, stevenboegborn, tom-jenkins, tkaravou, toombsday, jaywei80, Jason Bryant for Glastonbury Festival, SPACEBAR.ca [Simon], scannerfm_flickr, zenra, bumpershine, tammylo

New Orleans for Jazz & Heritage Festival

From April 29 until May 1 & from May 5 until May 8, the city will be music to your ears, literally! New Orleans just breathes culture and what better way to celebrate their city than with the Jazz & Heritage Festival. Whereas normally you can’t walk down the street in New Orleans without hearing live music, you will hear even more of it during the festivities (if that’s even possible). Artists booked include Bon Jovi, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Cyndi Lauper, and the Neville Brothers.

New York for the Easter Parade

On Easter Sunday (April 24, 2011) paraders, dressed to the extreme wander along the closed streets of Fifth Avenue from 49th to 57th Street. The ideal place to see the parade is the area around St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival runs from 10am to 4pm. While the parade doesn’t have any floats or marching bands, it is still a spectacle; from around the world people come to New York City to participate, with outfits ranging from elegant to outrageous.

New York travel guide

 

Istanbul for the Shopping Festival

Istanbul Shopping Festival (ISF) is an annual event that brings together people of all kinds, making Istanbul the shopping, cultural and entertainment centre of the world. Until April 26, visitors will enjoy the many activities taking place at the 90 indoor shopping malls and many stores, open till late hours. The glamorous spirit of ISF is not to be missed if you are planning on taking a trip there. Don’t forget the tax free shopping for visitors from overseas!

Istanbul travel guide

Munich for Strong Beer Season

Did you miss Oktoberfest? No worries because with spring in Munich also comes Strong Beer Season. This is the insiders alternative to Oktoberfest yet the beer is stronger and the crowds are thinner .The traditional serving of the spring strong beers begin during Lent and lasts about four weeks, this year until April 26th.

Munich travel guide

 

London for the Royal Wedding

The Royal Wedding takes place at Westminster Abbey on April 29 and the city will be abuzz. Locals might flee the city, while travelers might pay a visit for the cities unique buzz. If you want to be part of the celebrations and catch a glimpse of the royal couple, you can stand somewhere along the wedding procession route. The route will include The Mall, Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall and Parliament Square.

London travel guide

Amsterdam for Queen’s Day

On April 30, Amsterdam is home to the biggest collection of events and parties in celebration of Queen’s Day aka Koninginnedag. Aside from endless crowds and the colour orange, visitors can expect many outdoor parties with bands and DJs on several squares and parks throughout the city. The biggest outdoor concerts are held by Museumplein and Rembrandtplein. Queen’s Day is also the one day of the year that the streets and sidewalks become one big ‘free market’ (vrijmarkt). Don’t forget about Queen’s Night either – check out one of the many bars and clubs hosting events.

Amsterdam travel guide

Singapore for the International Film Festival (SIFF)

With its dynamic film programming and commitment to development of film culture and local cinema, SIFF has become Singapore’s largest international film festival. In its 23rd edition, SIFF will take place from April 15-24 and will showcase Asian film in various venues like The Singapore Art Museum and The Arts House.

Singapore travel guide

What interesting festivals and events will you be headed to this Spring? Or for Easter? Let us know in the comments!