Costa Rica is the most beautiful of all Central American countries. Day 1 - San José Like most Latin American capitals. San José is a bit of a dump. Further, it rains a lot in San José. I would recommend leaving immediately for Jaco. Day 2 - Jaco I took a 2-hour bus from San José to Jaco. Unlike San José, Jaco is a beach town with a significant expat population. ...
After an overnight bus journey from Vilnius, Lithuania, I reached Warsaw, Poland. Warsaw isn’t a typical eastern european capital. It is huge. Compared to Budapest or Tallinn, it is a huge metropolitan city. However, they have spent decades recreating the old town which was completely destroyed in the World War II. I would recommend staying in the old town and starting your trip with a walking tour. You will visit the town square ...
Continuing from Riga, Lativa, in a 4-hour bus ride, I ended up at Vilnius, Lithuania. The town feels quiet and small. There isn’t a lot to do here. Day 1 Start your day with a walking tour which gives you a nice overview of this city. Medeina/Medeine is a famous forest goddess of the baltics before conversion to Christianity. Afterward, visit the Money Museum of the bank of Lithuania. Just like the Bank of England Museum, you can hold a gold bar here. And there’s no entry fee. ...
Compared to Tallinn or Budapest, Riga is unassuming. Most people end up in Riga while doing an Eastern Europe tour. The bus ride from Tallinn to Riga is only 4 hours and ~ €20 one-way. I would highly recommend the comfortable buses of Lux Express for this journey. Day 1 I started my day with a walking tour. If, like me, you are coming from Tallinn, then don’t have high hopes, as there isn’t a lot to see in the walking tour. ...
I started from trip on an evening ferry from Helsinki, Finland. Tallinn, like Budapest, is a charming Eastern European castle town. Day 1 Starting with a walking tour, Tales of Reval is amazing. After the Danish Christian king established his control over this region, he invited German traders to set up trading outposts. The original name of the city, “Reval” comes from German Reh-fall, or a deer that fell off the cliff during the hunt. ...
Finnish are considered the happiest people in the world. In less than two days, I learned the secret of that. I spent about two days in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, where roughly 30% of the country’s ~6 million people reside. Day 1 - sauna and walking tour Compared to Oslo, Helsinki seemed more lively. Still below Copenhagen in my ranking, though. One thing stood out, and that’s Sauna. The Finnish sauna goes up to 100ºC! And that is the lovely enjoyment in the city of Helsinki. There are two Saunas that I tried, one of them in a public sauna called Sompasauna, a free, 24-hour sauna run fully by volunteers. If you are planning to go here, then go at 9 or 10 PM during summer to see the full crowd. ...
Oslo is one of the weirdest Nordic cities that I visited. It is dull compared to Copenhagen or even Stockholm. The Baumol effect of the oil-funded economy makes it a really expensive place to visit as well. Infact, it is one of the few cities which feel more expensive than San Francisco. To get from the airport to Oslo city, just take a 124NOK train ride. There is a faster 240NOK train ride as well which isn’t worth it. ...
Dublin is a small city. Despite its high per-capita GDP, unlike Singapore or Tokyo, the city feels fairly low-key and more of a middle-affluent country. The official languages are Gaelic and English. To preserve Gaelic, all laws are officially passed in Gaelic! Day 1 The city of Dublin is not huge. You can walk everywhere and even skip public transport. I would recommend starting with a walking tour that gives you a great idea of the city. Rick Steve has great guides as well. ...
Day 1 - West Minster Start the day with a walking tour that gives you a nice history & geography of the city of London. Many of the royal palaces and crown-related buildings are in the city of “Westminster” which is next door to the City of London. Then head to the British Museum. Like most government-owned museums, it is free to access. However, I would recommend booking a reservation in advance. Rick Steves has a nice audio guide on touring the British Museum that I would recommend. ...
Miami is hot and humid. I would recommend visiting during winters (Nov-Feb). You can fly directly or use it as a stop-over for visiting the Caribbean or doing a Caribbean cruise Unlike Chicago or Boston, Miami does not have good public transport, so, I would recommend renting a car. Day 1 Start the day with a visit to Seaquarium for a Dolphin show. Follow this with a visit to Everglades National Park, do watch the show here, and get a chance to hold an alligator or a snake in your hand. ...