History of the tower

The design of the Tokyo Sky Tree was published back in 2006 while construction started in 2008. The tower was is set to replace Tokyo Tower as Greater Tokyo’s broad casting needs. Over the years several sky scrapers were built and now tower over the 333m tall Tokyo Tower.

A comparison of the world's tallest towers

The original proposed height of the Tokyo Sky Tree was 2001ft (610m) but in a drive to build the world’s tallest tower and symbolize the region the tower was built on they increased the height to 2080ft (634m).

The Tokyo area (where Tokyo Sky Tree is built) as well as much of Saitama Prefecture and Kanagawa prefecture were originally part of “Musashi” Province. In Japanese the height of the tower 634m or 6-3-4 can be read as mu-sa-shi.

Things to do at the tower

Tokyo Sky Tree ready to open

The Tokyo Sky Tree features two observation levels, the Tembo Deck at 1148ft and the Tembo Galleria at 1476ft. The Tembo Deck is host to a gourmet restaurant, café, observatories, and a shop while on the Tembo Galleria visitors can enjoy the world’s highest skywalk overseeing the Greater Tokyo Area.

Hours and rates

Although the doors open to the public on May 22, 2012 advance reservations on the official website are required until July 11, 2012. From July 11 onwards you will be able to purchase tickets at the tower itself.

Prices range anywhere from 1000 yen to 2500 yen for adults and from 300 to 1000 yen for children. For a full list of prices please visit this page.

If your headed to Tokyo this summer, Tokyo Sky Tree should definitely be on your list and don’t forget to grab you mTrip Tokyo Travel Guide.

Haggling at the Grand Bazaar

Holidays in Turkey will never be complete without a visit to the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar comprises of some 4000 shops and is surrounded by even more shops in the immediate area. Lamp shades, carpets, ceramics, fashion and jewellery are all just a few examples of the types of merchandise available at the Grand Bazaar. Haggling in Istanbul is a fun and great adventure; particularly when you realize just how low traders can go under enough pressure. Ask the trader for their best price and then drop it by more than half.

An amazing array of lamps for sale at the Grand Bazaar

Always offer much lower than you are prepared to pay and never look too pleased with anything you see even if you like it as that will give them the upper hand in any negotiation. Once you have got as low as you can tell them it is not low enough and they should give you a better price or you’ll go elsewhere as there are many shops selling the same thing. You’ll leave the shop having a better idea of the lowest selling price to use at other shops. You may even decide to go back to the first shop if it turns out that you did do a good job. Never dress too smartly or wear flashy designer clothes to go shopping or go on a Turkish holiday, as you will be sending out the wrong message if it’s a bargain that you are looking for.

Bargain Hunting at the Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar

Saffron and other spices

The Egyptian Spice Bazaar was built in 1664, the same year that Kronenbourg lager first started commercial brewing. Exotic eastern fragrances tease your senses as spices, fruit, nuts and Turkish Delight (lokum), linger in the air. One of the best bargains to be found at the Spice Bazaar is saffron. Saffron sells at a fraction of the cost usually found in the West but remember to never take off your haggling hat. Scarves and necklaces can also be found for very reasonable prices so long as you put in the work and walk around to compare prices.

Special Gifts from the Copper Smith Bazaar

A shop filled with brass and copper

The Copper Smith Bazaar has a wide range of wonderful gift ideas for you to return home with from your Turkish holiday. Copper smiths can beat out a variety of shapes to make you saucepans, candle sticks, cauldrons or bespoke items. The Copper Smith’s Bazaar is not just famous for copper products but also sells a wide range of embroidered goods, jewellery and clothing.

This post was written by  Martin who has travelled through Turkey extensively and has picked up great bargains in Istanbul over the years. His site Low Cost Airline Guide has some helpful information for finding a low cost flight to Turkey for your next holiday.

images by: maistora, laszlo-photo, marfis75 and Curious Expeditions

Take a cooking class

There’s so much incredible food to be had in Barcelona. From fresh seafood paella to traditional tapas dishes to rich desserts, and you don’t have to say goodbye to it once you leave the country’s borders. Take a cooking class at Cook and Taste and you can recreate the flavors of Spain at home. During half-day classes, students learn all about the cuisine of Spain while helping to prepare several traditional dishes like paella, crema Catalana, and gazpacho, all while sipping Spanish wines.

Join the locals for drinks

Skip sipping the overpriced sangria sold at tourist spots and instead join the crowds of locals, students and travelers pushing their way into Can Paixana, a tiny bar that serves glasses of cava (Spanish sparkling wine) for one Euro each. If you come before 5pm, you can score an entire bottle for 3 euros, so long as you “splurge” on a few cheap and tasty sandwiches to go with it.

Picnic in Parc Guell

Like Gaudi’s other Barcelona landmarks, Parc Guell is a whimsical work of Modernisme art and architecture. Unlike the other landmarks, you can visit it for free. The park is quite big, and though it’s a very popular place for tourists, there are lots of quiet spots where you can escape the crowds. So pack a lunch and spend an afternoon exploring, people-watching, and taking in beautiful views of Barcelona.

See the view from Montjuic

For another great view of the city, head to Montjuic. This large hill overlooking the city previously hosted the summer Olympics. Now visitors come to see the National Palace, several museums including the excellent Fundacio Joan Miro, the Olympic stadium, the Montjuïc Cemetery, botanic gardens, and more. Come early and expect to spend at least a few hours in this beautiful city-within-a-city.

By Katie Hammel of BootsnAll

Check out mTrip’s Barcelona Travel Guide

Images by: derekb, teachandlearn, tgrauros, chenines

With fewer locals out and about and most tourists sticking to the well-beaten path, those who avoid the most popular spots will be surprised with the relaxed pace of life in Paris at this time. While many shops and restaurants do shut down in August, there are still plentiful options; Parisians still have to eat and you will still find hundreds of charming cafes and quiet bistros for dining, as well as markets and grocers where you can pick up supplies for a peaceful picnic along the Seine. Stroll through the many parks of Paris, or watch children sail boats on the lake in the Tuileries gardens. Pick a less-visited museum, like the Musée Rodin or the Musée National du Moyen Age and you may find you have the place nearly to yourself. Even at the most touristy places, like Père Lachaise cemetery, it’s fairly easy to escape the masses – just skip Jim Morrison’s grave in favor of the resting places of people like Honoré de Balzac, Frédéric Chopin, or Sarah Bernhardt.

Fashionistas will be glad to know that Paris’ twice a year sales, or soldes, are still going on in early August, though if you come later in the month you can also find great deals at one of the city’s many flea markets, like the Porte de Clignancourt. Other highlights of August include free open air movie screenings in Parc de la Vilette and outdoor theatre at the Jardin Shakespeare. From checking out the beautiful metro stations in Paris to laying on a man-made beach, there are quite a few free activities to explore during August in Paris.

If you’re the type of traveler who looks for the best party hostels in Paris when booking accommodation, or who prefers to stick to the well-traveled tourist trail, you may find the shuttered businesses more a turn off than an enticement. But if you’ve been there, done that when it comes to a whirlwind tour of Paris’s major attractions and would rather visit the city at a less hectic and stressful time, consider making your next trip in August. Depending on your travel style, you might even find that this month, with it’s slower pace and fewer crowds, is your ideal time of summer to enjoy a visit to Paris.

By Katie Hammel of BootsnAll

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Image by: drdcuddy

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.

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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

Hit the shops on the Magnificent Mile

An epic strip of tarmac that dissects the heart of the city, Michigan Avenue is Chicago’s key artery, spearing far north and south of the centre on both sides of the Chicago River.

But its most revered section is the stretch that forges directly north of the river – an area generally referred to as the Magnificent Mile (a title it has worn since the 1940s). Here is one of the planet’s most wallet-troubling retail zones, home to some 460 stores, 275 restaurants and 50 hotels – as well as several grand malls. Just about every major commercial player is here, including the likes of Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales.
It is a place where you could easily blow the budget – although if you look up from your spending, you should also notice a couple of the city’s icons. The Chicago Water Tower is a pointed pile, dating back to 1869, now used as a tourist information office. And the John Hancock Center, 1127ft tall, is the perfect place to relax over a cocktail once you’ve visited every shop on the Mile – its 94th floor Observatory bar offers tremendous views.

Feast on fine food

Chicago comes equipped with near-endless possibilities for eating and drinking – and not just on the Magnificent Mile. True, you can find myriad culinary options in The Loop (the core of Chicago, just below the river). And if pizza is your thing, you will never starve, but the hunt for dinner is also a chance to venture into more peripheral areas. Chinatown, south of the centre is, unsurprisingly, an enclave of authentic Chinese cuisine. You can find excellent Indian fare on Devon Avenue in the Rogers Park District, to the north. And Pilsen, on the lower west side of the city, has a marked Mexican influence and restaurants to match. Those seeking to go gourmet should dash to Lincoln Park, north of the centre, where an outstanding (if rarely cheap) array of high-end outlets compete for your custom – among them Alinea and the legendary Charlie Trotter’s. Wicker Park, to the west, is also a mix of the cool and the cosmopolitan, where you can sate your appetite in everything from Ukrainian bakeries to the sushi paradise of Mirai.

Absorb a spot of culture and nature

Chicago is also bursting with culture and beauty – museums and galleries, soft beaches and leafy parks. Chief of these is the Art Institute Of Chicago, a temple of paintbrush genius, where A-list European masters (Van Gogh, Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec) share space with the looks-like-the-future works of 20th century American luminaries (including Grant Wood and Edward Hopper). And all of it held in a glorious quasi-palace just south of the river.

Elsewhere, you can indulge your Sunday-supplement side in the heritage of the Chicago History Museum in Lincoln Park, or at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen.

And then there are the must-see parts of Chicago that do not hang on a wall. The city is one large film set, and movie buffs can point their cameras at any number of cinematic locations – such as Union Station, which stars so spectacularly in Brian De Palma’s 1987 Prohibition classic The Untouchables, or the Downtown seen in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

And don’t forget the city’s sandy playgrounds. Chicago may not have seafront, but it still has beaches – long curves of sand pinned to the edge of Lake Michigan, such as North Avenue Beach and Oak Street Beach. Find an empty spot here and sit down to wonder at the magic of it all – or do the same in the green lungs of Grant Park and Millennium Park.

Planning to visit the Windy City? Visit the Virgin Atlantic website for the latest deals on flights to Chicago

Download mTrip’s Chicago Travel Guide to get around!

Images by: Tmdean, Mediocre Chocolate, HarshLight, torres21

Even a brief perusal of a good Rome guide – including the mTrip app – is enough to make your eyes start to glaze over at the sheer magnitude of attraction options. The list seems never-ending, and just when you think you’ve got it narrowed down, you hear about some church or museum or gelateria “only the locals know about” that you just have to include. Pretty soon, you’re tallying up both the amount of time and the amount of cash you’ll need to see and do everything. Luckily, there are several things to do in Rome for free.

We expect to pay a sometimes-hefty entry fee to get into famous museums like the Vatican Museums or iconic sights like the Colosseum, but one of the coolest buildings anywhere – the Pantheon – is free to enter. It’s a snapshot of Roman life from 2,000 years ago, and although you can’t buy that kind of time capsule it won’t cost you a euro to get in. The “Mouth of Truth,” which many of us recall from the delightful film “Roman Holiday,” is also free – although there’s usually a line in the summer. And did you know that one of the biggest attractions in Italy – St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican – is completely free to get into? Time your Vatican Museum visit right, and even that’s free (on the last Sunday of every month).

A list of free stuff to do in Rome won’t help with the fact that you’ll still feel like you need several months to work through your to-do list, but it will help you save a few euro. And given how much flying to Rome is costing us these days, every little bit helps.

What’s your favorite free thing to do in Rome? Let us know in the comments.

- by Jessica of BootsnAll

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photo by jimmyharris

Hit the beach

Chicago’s beaches – particularly Oak Street Beach and North Avenue Beach – become the center of the social universe on hot summer days. Families come to play in the sand and surf, while young singles come to work on their tans and mix and mingle under the sun. Admission to most of Chicago’s 15 swimming beaches is free, as is access to the Lakefront Path, a route that winds its way north from downtown and is packed with bikers, walkers, roller-bladers and runners in the summer.

Visit the Lincoln Park Zoo
The Lincoln Park Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the country. It’s also the country’s largest free zoo, home to over 1,200 animals. Come early to avoid the crowds (and the midday heat) and see giraffes, hippos, lions, tigers, seals, zebras, penguins, polar bears, and many more. If you come on a Wednesday or Saturday, be sure to swing by the Green City Market, also located in Lincoln Park. You can shop for artisanal breads, cheeses, pastries and treats, or just wander the stalls and snack on free samples.

Party at a neighborhood festival
Chicago’s neighborhood festivals are one of the greatest joys of summer. It seems every weekend you can find another fest with live music, food and drink vendors, artists displays and crafts for sale. From food festivals and art shows to book fairs and cultural festivals, there’s something for everyone. And though you’ll need to spend money if you want to eat, drink or shop in the festival, the admission is often free or on a donation basis.

Schedule museum visits on free days
Throughout the year, many of Chicago’s museums schedule free admission days. The Art Museum is free every Thursday after 5pm, the Museum of Modern Art is free each Tuesday, The Field Museum is free the second Tuesday of every month and the Chicago History Museum is free every Monday. Many other, lesser-know museums offer free admission every day, so when you still want to satisfy your desire for culture but don’t want to bust your budget on admission fees, check out the free options.

Enjoy Chicago’s best view for free
When it comes to sweeping vistas in Chicago, the two most famous options are the John Hancock Building and the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower. The latter has vertigo-inducing glass-bottomed ledges you can look down from, for a hefty fee. But at the former, you can skip the observation deck and head up to the Signature Lounge on the 96th floor. Drinks are pricey and you’ll need to order one to sit down, but for the same price you’d pay just for the view, you get to enjoy a drink too.

By Katie Hammel of BootsnAll

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Photos by: bryce_edwards, cincooldesigns, pelican, DoNotLick, DanJBailey, Bernt Rostad

City of Sport

Before delving into the rich cultural history that the city has to offer one ought to begin with the sporting nature of the region. For starters their football team, and its stadium, is among the best in the world, and it boasts of several world reckoned super stars that are a tourist attraction on their own. Aside from the soccer fever that has held the nation in its grip for years the other sport that some of the locals have taken a liking to is bull fighting, that can be viewed at different bull fighting rings within Barcelona.

Architecture

The one thing that remains true to Barcelona is that even the hotels will leave the guest in awe, long before the service provision can begin. This is simply because the structural design of the hotels is truly one of a kind, and is something that many individuals will never tire of no matter how many times they have been to the city. Speaking of architecture, there is the Hospital de Sant Pau. This is one of the most fascinating constructions any guest will be sure to come across as they icon many of the sights within Barcelona, and the beauty is that it lies right next to the Sagrada Familia. The latter building is a sight to behold, because unlike most of the modern buildings in construction around the city this one has its original starting date listed as 1883 with the completion date scheduled for 2026. However, if possible, this monument should have its own day set aside for it, because the facades and numerous sculptures on it will keep your eyes glued to the walls for hours.

The Verve

Once the diverse construction styles have been taken in to the maximum, then the only other thing to do is experience life a la Barcelona, and one of the best places to do this is Las Ramblas. This is where both locals and guests alike will have the opportunity to absorb the lively atmosphere and wonderful food all rolled into one street. This is also the perfect place to enjoy a drink or two of their favorite brew or, in keeping with the merry making that this region is known for, take part in a flamenco dance session.

Shopping

Lastly, the tour of Barcelona can not be over until one has climbed up Montjuic and down Monsterrat, and indulged in some serious shopping, whether at some of the high end stores in the region or at the more pocket friendly stores at the mall.

In short, there are numerous things to do while one is visiting Barcelona, and because the city can be overwhelming the first time around, the guest can always make numerous return trips if nothing else to take part in a street party, after stopping by the Gothic part of the city.

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Natasha is a travel writer covering world wide travel destinations. Her speciality is budget travel, she can help you find cheap cruises and cheap flights for Barcelona and many other destinations.