The Best Attractions in Athens, Greece

Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning around 3,400 years. It features some of the greatest tourist attractions in the world, including ancient temples and fabulous museums. In this article I will present some of them.

Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon

A great afternoon trip from Athens, this is one of those spots that is as much a favorite with the locals as it is with the tourists. It's a favorite sunset-viewing spot for everyone, and will give you a classically Greek moment against the ruined monument along with a terrific sea view. While it is possible to visit Sounion by public bus from Athens, most visitors prefer to drive or to take an organized tour. You can book one directly ahead of your trip, through your hotel or by visiting any travel agency in Athens.

Piraeus

Can't get away to the Greek islands? Or already missing the one you just left? Slip away to Piraeus, easily reachable by the Metro, and have dinner at one of the pricy but charming seaside taverns of Microlimano. Piraeus, the port city of Athens, is not quite a Greek island, but it will do. Allow yourself some extra time and stop by the excellent Piraeus Archaeological Museum or the equally-fascinating Nautical Museum first. You can also take an Open-Topped Bus Tour (find prices) between both Athens and Piraeus, making it an easy and interesting way to get back and forth between the two cities.

The Agora

This is one attraction that gets skipped, partly because it is readily confused with the Roman Agora and while you'd be falling over yourself to visit a Roman agora in Italy, well, this is Greece. (For the same reason, the very nice Egyptian antiquities collection at the National Archaeological Museum gets overlooked, too - except by Greeks.) But this spot offers an easy hour's wandering, with the almost-perfect temple of Hephaestus, a rebuilt colonnade housing the museum, and many minor monuments. A multiple-site combo ticket makes it a particularly good bargain to combine a visit here with the Acropolis and other nearby sites.

Lycabettus Hill

Want to rise above it all, especially on a hot day when the thought of the stony outcrop of the Acropolis seems too warm and bright? Take the easy way up to the wooded top of Lycabettus Hill by using the tubular funicular rail car and escape the heat and, if you're lucky, some of the tourist crowds.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The war memorial known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded by the city's famous statuesque evzones, the presidential guards whose uniform of short kilts and pom-pom shoes is based on the attire worn by the klephts (the mountain fighters of the War of Independence). The changing of the guard takes place every hour, while every Sunday at 11:00 the evzones perform an extended changing of the guard ceremony in full ceremonial dress, accompanied by a military band.

Recommended hotels in Athens, Greece by Booking.com Royal Olympic Hotel     St George Lycabettus     Melia Athens     Hotel Fresh     Electra Palace Hotel Athens

National Art Gallery

Greece’s premiere art gallery showcases its permanent collection of modern Greek art and hosts major international exhibitions. Exploring the country’s art movements, the exhibits include post-Byzantine art and works from the Eptanesian School of secular painters; portraits and historical scenes from the War of Independence and the early years of the Greek state; and leading 20th-century painters. Prize exhibits include three masterpieces by El Greco.

Temple of Olympian Zeus

The colossal Temple of Olympian Zeus (or Olympeion) is the largest in Greece and took more than 700 years to build. Fifteen of the original 104 massive (17m-high) Corinthian columns survive, along with the one that toppled over in a gale in 1852. Peisistratos began building the temple in the 6th century BC on the western bank of the Ilissos River, at the site of a smaller temple (590–560 BC) dedicated to the cult of Olympian Zeus (its foundations can be seen on the site), but construction stalled due to lack of funds. A succession of leaders tried to finish the job, making adjustments along the way, which explains inconsistencies in the temple. Hadrian finally finished the task in AD 131. The temple housed a giant gold and ivory statue of Zeus and one of Hadrian.

Panathenaic Stadium

The first modern Olympic Games, in 1896, were held in the imposing Panathenaic (or Panathenian) marble stadium, on the site of the original 4th-century BC stadium built for Panathenaic athletic contests. The Romans held gladiatorial contests where thousands of wild animals were slaughtered and it was later rebuilt by Herodes Atticus for the Panathenaic Festival in AD 144. The stadium was completely restored for the 1896 Olympics and for the 2004 Games. The stadium, which is known as the Kalimarmaron (meaning ‘beautiful marble’), made a stunning backdrop to the archery competition and the marathon finish. Public access is limited, but it is a site to behold.

Planning a trip to Athens? Visit Hotels-Seeker.com and Booking.com to get the best accommodation prices in real time, straight from the 100 best reservation websites in the world!

The Amazing History of Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. In this article you can learn about the city's amazing mythology and history from its' foundation until today.

The Mythology

The legend of the foundation of Istanbul is derived from classical mythology: Zeus fell in love with Io, the daughter of Inachus, King of the City of Argos and God of the River of Argos. The King of the Gods temporarily transformed the girl into a heifer in order to protect her from the wrath of his wife, Hera, Queen of the Gods. In her wanderings Io crossed the Bosphorus, giving the strait its name (''boos-foros'',''cow-ford''). After reassuming her original form, she gave birth to a girl, Keroessa. Later, Keroessa bore the son of Poseidon, sovereign deity of all waters from the Pillars of Hercules to the Hellespont. Keroessa's son, Byzas the Magerian, in time became the founder of Byzantium and named the Golden Horn (Chrysokeras) after his mother.

Istanbul's Foundation

According to the archeological discoveries, Asian side of Istanbul was probably inhabited by people as early as 3000 BC. Eventually, in the 7th century BC, Greek colonists led by Byzas established the colony of Byzantium on the European side at the peninsula, today known as the Seraglio Point, where the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn meet and flow into the Marmara (667 B.C.). Another legend has it that, Byzas chose the spot after consulting Oracle of Apollo at Delphi who told him to settle across from the "land of the blind ones." Indeed, Byzas concluded, earlier settlers must have been deprived of their sight to have overlooked this superb location at the mouth of the Bosphorus strait. This proved an auspicious decision by Byzas, as history has shown Istanbul's location important far beyond what these early Greek settlers might possibly have conceived.

In the early 100's BC, it became part of the Roman Empire and in 306 AD, Emperor Constantine the Great made Byzantium capital of the entire Roman Empire. From that point on, the city was known as Constantinople.

The mid 400's AD was a time of enormous upheaval in the empire. Barbarians conquered the western Roman Empire while the Eastern, also called the Byzantine Empire, kept Constantinople as its capital. In 532 during the reign of Justinian I, antigovernment riots destroyed the city. It was rebuilt, and outstanding structures such as Hagia Sophia stand as monuments to the heights Byzantine culture reached.

The attribute that made the city so desirable, its incomparable location for trade and transport between three continents, was also its nemesis. For the next several hundred years Persians, Arabs, nomadic peoples, and members of the Fourth Crusade (who for a time governed the city) attacked Constantinople.

Recommended hotels in Istanbul, Turkey by Booking.com CVK Hotels & Resorts Park Bosphorus Istanbul      InterContinental Istanbul     Shangri-La Bosphorus, Istanbul     The Marmara Taksim     Radisson Blu Hotel Istanbul Pera

In the Ottoman Era

Finally, weakened by almost constant battle, the Ottoman Turks successfully conquered Constantinople in 1453. Renamed Istanbul, it became the third and last capital of the Ottoman Empire. It was the nerve center for military campaigns that were to enlarge the Ottoman Empire dramatically. By the mid 1500's, Istanbul, with a population of almost half a million, was a major cultural, political, and commercial center. Ottoman rule continued until it was defeated in world war one and Istanbul was occupied by the allies.

In the year 1453, the army of Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II (Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror) conquered the city. The seventh and final Ottoman siege of Istanbul was carried out under the command of Mehmet II, the Ottoman Sultan historically known as Mehmet the Conqueror. Mehmet the Conqueror had the Rumeli Fortress ( Rumeli Hisari ) constructed on the European shore of the Bosphorus, directly across from the Anatolia Fortress, thus cutting off all Black Sea traffic in and out of the city. Nevertheless, Cardinal Isidore of Kiev, the Pope's envoy, arrived in Istanbul to seal the union between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. This union, proclaimed by Constantinus in Hagia Sophia ( the Church of Holy Wisdom ), caused unrest among the devoutly Orthodox Byzantines, and popular opinion swayed strongly against the Emperor. Meanwhile, Mehmet the Conqueror moved his galleons over the land by means of specially constructed sleds and pulleys and the Byzantines woke up one morning to find the Golden Horn invaded by the Ottoman navy. Enormous shell-holes were torn in the ramparts through which the Sultan's soldiers entered the city and, by means of a temporary bridge built across the Golden Horn, they crossed into the heart of Genoese Galata. The entire battle took place between April 6 and May 29, and on this final day, Istanbul, once the capital of the Byzantine Empire, fell to the Turks. Mehmet the Conqueror, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, was 21 years old and the city was 2120 years old (1453 A.D.) first of all, the oldest buildings and the formerly magnificent but dilapidated city walls were restored. On the ruins of the Byzantine foundations, the buildings of the basic institutions of the Ottomans were built. The great water system with its huge cisterns was repaired and returned to use. The city had developed its Ottoman identity, resembling its present character.

With the addition of the buildings of the famous architect Sinan, the city had again become the capital of a great empire. Together with the remaining population after the conquest, people coming from all over the empire, from all kinds of ethnic origins and religions, created a colorful mixture. In Istanbul - the new Constantinople - the cultural variety brought in by the immigrants enriched the cultural texture of the city. The bedesten where the merchants were settled and the many han where the craftsmen were to be found turned into centers that enabled this harbor city to develop trade with the outside world. Huge markets were built, further supporting trade. During the period of the height of Ottoman imperial power, the city was covered all over with tulips, in what is known as the" Tulip Era." In the 19th century, efforts modernization were undertaken. Istanbul entered the 20th century worn out and burdened by its history as the capital city of three great empires. At that time, the Ottomans were just about to end their imperial period of 630 years.

In the Modern Era

After World War I, resistance movements became active during the Allied occupation of Istanbul, an occupation that lasted for nearly five years. When the resistance movement in Anatolia finally gained success, the last of the foreign soldiers left the city on October 5, 1923. On October 6, the Turkish army entered the city heralding the message of a new government led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the leader of the Turkish independence war, and his colleagues had made a decision in the new National Assembly that Istanbul would turn over its function as capital of the new nation to Ankara. Under republican rule, much new construction activity took place in Istanbul, starting with the building of family houses in the 1930s. In 1950s, more than 7300 buildings were torn down and the road system reorganized. This caused historic changes in the fabric of the city.

Famous Istanbul historian Jak Deleon writes about Istanbul in his book named 'The Bosphorus: A Historical Guide': ''From Byzantium to Constantinople and from then to Istanbul, this fabled city, divided by the Bosphorus strait, lies in both Europe and Asia. The European side is separated into two by a scimitar-shaped gulf called the Golden Horn: the old town sprawls along one side, with its Byzantine ramparts and Ottoman palaces facing the Marmara Sea, the Propontis of antiquity; on the other side, one can see the ancient Genoese port of Galata and the more modern quarters beyond, with the legendary Bosphorus winding its way up to the Black Sea, the Pontus Euxinus of antiquity. It is this garland of waters which makes Istanbul, whose seven hills are crowned with imperial monuments, a unique city.

Planning a trip to Istanbul? Visit Hotels-Seeker.com and Booking.com to get the best accommodation prices in real time, straight from the 100 best reservation websites in the world!

Canada's Best Natural Attractions

Canada's natural attractions are absolutely extraordinary! Now, as it gets a little warmer in Canada, it's a great time to visit it's wonderful natural attractions. We brought you five of the best ones, here they are:

Bay of Fundy, the Maritimes

The Bay of Fundy extends from the northern coast of Maine into Canada between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Twice daily, the Bay fills and empties its 100 billion tons of water, creating the highest tides in the world - in some areas of the bay; tides reach more than 16 meters. The energy created by the force of these tides drudges up nutrients from the ocean floor that attract an interesting and wide range of animal life to the bay. The effect of the tides has also carved out a dramatic surrounding landscape of steep cliffs and sea stacks. In addition, water has worn away the shore's red sandstone and volcanic rock to reveal a plethora of fossils and signs of life from millions of years ago.

Niagara Falls, Ontario

With more than 168,000 cubic meters of water falling over its brink per minute, Niagara Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America and maybe the most famous in the world. The town of Niagara Falls is best known as a honeymoon spot, attracting millions of romancing couples every year; it's akin to a smaller, shabbier Las Vegas in that it has a reputation as an adult playground. Nevertheless, Niagara Falls has become more sophisticated, seeing the launch of a large, modern casino resort in 2004, which draws big name acts. The casino's success has had a trickle-down effect, with finer dining and other hotels opening up.

Northern Lights

The Northern Lights is a phenomenon seen in northern skies where solar particles collide with atmospheric gases and create a light show in the sky. Depending on how north the locations, the color of these lights are green, white, red, blue and/or violet. The aurora oval - the area where the northern lights occur most often and with greatest intensity - covers a huge part of Canada.

Rocky Mountains, British Columbia

The Canadian portion of this magnificent North American mountain range stretches along the British Columbia border and includes five national parks that attract millions of visitors each year for hiking, skiing, biking, fishing or just relaxing. Kananaskis Country is another popular year-round Rocky Mountain destination and featured prominently in the film Brokeback Mountain. Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise, Fernie, Kimberley, Waterton, Canmore, Invermere, Revelstoke, Golden, Cranbrook, Valemount and Kananaskis, of course, are all alpine towns that boast world-class skiing.

Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta

Two hours east of Calgary is one of Canada's most unique National Parks where dinosaur history meets stunning scenery. Pinnacles, serpentine spires and other sculptural land formations jut up from these Alberta badlands, creating an eerie environment unlike any other in Canada. This awesome landscape is home to some of the most extensive dinosaur fossil fields in the world boasting the remnants of more than 35 species of dinosaur that lived here 75 million years ago when the area was a lush, sub-tropical forest. Visitors can choose from bus tours, hikes, expeditions and other educational programs. In 1979, Dinosaur Provincial Park was designated a United Nations World Heritage Site.

Planning a trip to Canada? Visit Hotels-Seeker.com and get the best accommodation prices in real time, straight from the 100 best reservation websites in the world!

 

 

Hotels-Seeker.com Introduces New Features and Services

The review and accommodation prices comparison website, Hotels-Seeker.com scans the world's leading websites on-line and gets the cheapest prices in real time - to give users the proper tools necessary for making correct decisions regarding the selection of accommodations, all their types and wherever they are.

Recently, the website launched three new services to improve the user experience and assist in making informed decisions:

1. "Give and Take" Market Service for Hotel Booking - buying and selling of available hotel orders that cannot be refunded.

There's a new, revolutionary tool in the world of tourism -- Cancelon. Every day there are about 200,000 available rooms due to unexpected cancellations, and as a result the customers lose about 10 billion dollars a year, since their money can't be returned. This service allows users to buy and sell canceled reservations that can't be refunded, and save hundreds to thousands of dollars.

This service provides significantly lower prices than the prices offered by the hotels or reservation websites. Travelers who need to cancel their vacations due to unexpected events and made a booking without a refund option reduce the financial damage and also allow casual customers earn money. The seller gives an offer and the buyer has the option to agree or offer a lower price.

This service has been tested in the past and received warm recommendations of professional websites: BBC Travel and Tnooz.

Israeli Channel Two examined the service and recommended it as well.

2. Visual Service - Hotel Virtual Tours.

Full-screen high-definition 360 degree virtual tours (panoramic imaging), images, information and e-books of hotels, created by ICE Portal, that allow the user to experience the hotel online, in a level that hasn't been seen to this day.

3. Smart Video Service - Attractions and Tours around the Hotel.

In each and every hotel page there is an icon on the left side. Clicking the icon allows any user to view about ten video clips associated with the hotel and its surroundings. The information is collected from 47 different video sources.

We constantly work to improve the website and browsing experience to better serve the users, so expect more surprises!

Find the Best Hotel in Croatia With Hotels-Seeker.com

Croatia is a beautiful country situated in the southern part of Europe. Croatia has a rich history and a culture. The tourist industry in Croatia is blooming and many people visit there to experience the historical monuments. Medvedinica is a well-kept fortress and a major tourist attraction in Croatia. The majestic sights and views of the fortress impress the visitors and it clearly shows the rich culture that existed in ancient Croatia. The Muzej museum is another tourist attraction in Croatia and it contains some prehistorically valuable items. If you need to experience the history of Europe, Croatia can be recommended as a good place to visit.

It is important for you to have food and accommodation facilities in Croatia to spend your vacation in a convenient way. Therefore you need to select a good hotel in the country and your first choice will be to look on a hotel booking website. Plenty of hotel booking websites can be seen in the present world and many people visit them to look for a hotel. Hotel booking websites are meant only for booking purposes and you won’t be able to find much information and compare hotels on those websites. Therefore it is important for you to visit a hotel comparison website to find the perfect hotel for you in Croatia. The hotel charges differ from hotel to hotel and you will be able to find a good hotel that will cater all your requirements from a hotel comparison website.

Hotels-Seeker.com can be considered as the leading hotel comparison websites in the present world. It has plenty of unique features to offer a flexible service to their visitors. The available search engine will assist you to find all the leading hotels in Croatia with just a single search. You have to enter some basic details in the search engine including city, country, check-in date, check-out date and the number of guests. All the available hotels will be displayed in the result page and you will be able to compare them on the first hand. The ratings, charges and all the other important information can be seen in the search results for the convenience of visitors. Hotels-Seeker.com even has a currency converter and you will be able to compare the hotel charges in a convenient currency.

Hotels-Seeker.com differs from the other hotel comparison websites because of its unique features. It has a unique video-on-context service that can show videos related to attractions and virtual tours all around the hotels. You can even share them with your friends in the leading social media networks. Hotels-Seeker.com compares results from leading accommodation websites at once. They have a big database than the other websites for the convenience of customers. All the information about hotels is updated on a real time basis and people can select their holiday destination within few seconds. Therefore visit Hotels-Seeker.com to find a good hotel in Croatia and have an unforgettable holiday.

The best hotel accommodations in the popular cities in Australia:

Zagreb
Opatija
Pag
Rovinj
Seget Donji
Trogir
Umag

Bolivia: The Perfect Dream Vacation

If you are looking for the best vacation spot that you can consider for your family, Bolivia is the right place for you. Bolivia is known for being a successful country and it has a lot of beautiful and amazing places where you can spend your vacation. You will surely find a lot of great hotels, hostels, vacation houses, apartments, lodgings and other accommodations that will suit your needs. You will find Bolivia is one of the more attractive countries in South America. There are lots of beautiful and amazing views and landscapes that you will surely enjoy and will make your stay more comfortable and satisfying.

If you are planning to spend your vacation or holidays in Bolivia, you need to make your reservations earlier so that you can have more choices to pick from for your accommodations. Cochabamba, Copacabana, La Paz and Sucre are just some of the famous places here in Bolivia that you can choose as your destinations. Tourism has become the main source of income here in Bolivia and because of this they improved their places and made it more attractive and pleasing for all the vacationers and tourists that go in this country.

You will surely find a lot of amazing places in Bolivia and one of these places is Sucre. This is a good place to spend your 4 or 5 days' vacation in Bolivia. It is the most colonial city in Bolivia and it also has tall, cobble stone streets and white buildings. Just walking in the streets of Sucre will surely make you feel comfortable and pleased. There are also high class hotels, cheap hotels and restaurants in this city that can give the best accommodations that will suit your taste and needs. You can also go out shopping and strolling around the city without thinking of danger. Bolivia is the right place for all those who want to unwind and relax from their stressful every-day jobs.

La Paz is also a perfect destination for you and your whole family. You can surely find so many beautiful places that you will enjoy in this place. It is worth your 5 or 6 days of vacation to go around La Paz in Bolivia. If you compare hotels side by side in other places and countries where you can spend your vacation, Bolivia is really one of the best places to be in. When it comes to their hotels and other accommodations they can assure that you will have the best accommodation that you need. You don’t need to take care of anything because the travel agencies will take care of all your accommodations from your flights to your hotel accommodations.

La Paz is worth five or six days of your holidays in Bolivia, it is a fantastic City, not so much for the look of it, but more for what it has to offer: fantastic markets and shopping, great restaurants, and the main attraction being the night life. You can even spend a couple of hours of your holidays in Bolivia on an intense bike ride on the most dangerous road in the World.

In order to find the best accommodation deals you will need a cheap and easy way to compare hotels, apartments, lodgings and other accommodation possibilities. We highly recommend using Hotels-Seeker.com as your price comparison website. With this website you will definitely find the best deals!

The Best Hotel Accommodations in the popular cities in Bolivia:

Achacachi	Uyuni
Tupiza	Sucre
Urmiri	Chulumani
La Paz	Tahua
Cochabamba	Yanacachi

Get the Best Hotel Deals in Canada and Save Money

One good thing to do when you have the time to be with your loved ones is to take them somewhere. Spending your vacation period in another country like Canada is really great for you and your whole family. Are you going to visit Canada soon? If you are, you need to find the best available hotels before travelling.

Canada is a great destination for holidays and vacation trips because it offers different attractions and tourist spots that you should not miss once you arrive. Meanwhile, going to another country requires every traveler to make a preparation for some important factors. One of is the place where you and your loved ones will spend the night with each other. There are several hotels in Canada and choosing one is difficult since plenty of options are offered to you. So what should you do in order to find the best hotel deals and know whether there are discount hotel rates? Well, finding these will be easier for you to do if you use a website that offers hotel comparison services.

This site will aid you to get the cheapest hotel prices by letting you know where you can find this offer. By means of obtaining the best hotel prices, you can save money as well while getting discounts at the same time. However, you are required to choose a particular city in Canada wherein you would like to take your family before you start on searching for the great hotel deals. You may ask your loved ones and get their opinions to make sure that the city you have chosen will be alright for them as well.

Also, hot deal websites for hotel accommodations would help you find the hotel cost that matches with your budget. It is a very important thing to know all hotels in Canada have different accommodation costs and finding the cheapest one will be easier if you search for it through online. Since various options are available, preferring one might be too confusing. This is the reason why a website that offers hotel price comparison service is created to help people who are interested to explore Canada.

What about if you have few days left before the schedule date of your travel to Canada? Well, if you are in this kind of situations, then you need to find a hotel that accepts last minute hotel accommodations. Also, you should look for last minute hot deals so that you can still have a chance to save money. There are lots of hotels in Canada wherein you can avail these special offers. All you need to do is to search for them using a hotel price comparison website. With these advises, you can be sure that you will find a hotel with cheap accommodation costs.

Finding a hotel before you go to Canada is a very important task to do. So if you have decided to visit this country during your vacation period, then you have to prepare everything including your hotel reservation. Look for the best hotel deals online using Hotels-Seeker.com, and get the best deals!

The Best Hotel Accommodations in the popular cities in Canada:

Ottawa	Yorkton
Maple Ridge	Winnipeg
Cranbrook	Vernon
Brantford	Toronto
Astorville	Sussex