Month: February 2014

All you need to know about Capri

By Shobita Louis 

The Island of Capri has long been a popular day trip for travellers visiting Naples or the Amalfi Coast (Sorrento, Positano  & Ravello). The island can also be considered an excellent alternative to stay on as well.

Location:

Capri is a pretty island in the Bay of Naples and has two towns – Capri and Ana Capri. The historical city centre (Piazzetta) is located in Capri.

How do I get there:

Ferries or speedboats, if however, you want, a helicopter transfer can be arranged

Getting around the Island:

The city centre of Capri and other parts are car free. However, public transport is very efficient and taxis are available 24 hours. The easiest ways of travelling whilst on the islands are,

  1. Buses (they are actually minibuses)
  2. Taxis
  3. The Funicular railway
  4. Walking – for those inclined, you can actually walk from Capri to Anacapri (It is about an hour uphill)

 

When to go or not to go:

PEAK SEASON (July & August) – It is crowded and expensive and is better to avoid

HIGH SEASON (June – September) – Rates are lower than the peak season, however, can be a bit crowded

LOW SEASON (April, May & October) – This is a good time to visit as the rates are better and crowds less

REMEMBER – Most hotels are closed from November to about mid or end March. Many shops and restaurants are also shut. There are about two restaurants open during this time, mainly for day trippers. Ferries will have less service and the funicular is also closed usually in November and December for maintenance.

The Wanderers’ Take

  • Hire a ‘Gozzo’, a traditional Sorrentine wooden boat to take you around the island for the day. This allows you to swim at various locations and explore the rugged coastline, hidden caves and secluded beaches.
  • The island is a ‘walker’s hikers paradise’ and there are several amazing walks and hikes around the island. Even if you are not an enthusiastic walkers, this would be a unique and once in a life time experience because of the views!
  • A visit to the iconic Blue Grotto is a bonus for those staying on the island. Once the day trippers with their boats are gone, you may be allowed actually swim around the Blue Grotto cave!
  • If you are more adventurous, you could explore the coast on a canoeing trip
  • In the evening, once the day trippers are gone, the island is less manic and becomes a different place. Add a touch of pizazz to your holiday; dress up and relax in the glamorous and charming main square, in one of several cafes and bars, listening to the live bands that sometimes play there while you sip on a glass of wine.

 Who should go there:

– Someone looking for something different!
– Excellent for couples, honeymooners or someone celebrating an anniversary
– Families with teens – there’s history and also some fun outdoorsy things to do!

Check out our latest package in Italy. 

Tatras National Park – Slovakia

By Alifiya Calcuttawala

Alifiya Calcuttawala, Regional Director, The Wanderers Kolkata writes about her experience at the High Tatras National Park which she visited in December 2013.

The way Tatras are today is a remnant  from the last glacial period. The first travellers who visited High Tatras came only about 200 years ago and believed that the Tatras were full of gold, silver and other gemstones.
The Tatra is the oldest and the most visited national park in Slovakia and is in the list of UNESCO biosphere reserve. Every year the park is visited by approximately 5 million people and it offers 600 kilometers of hiking trails. The High Tatras are spread over 341 sq kms, 260 sq kms of which are on the Slovak side and is rich with mountain lakes (approx. 190).

We drove from Krakow to The High Tatras National park and stayed in a ski village of ‘Stary Smokovec’ for two nights. This was a good break between seeing cities. In the 2-3 days that we were there we rode snow mobiles, did dog sledging and also took a horse carriage ride. The weather was kind, it was -7 degrees, but the two hours of bright sunshine in the morning gave us the courage to go all out and experience the outdoors.

By 03.30 pm it starts getting dark and obviously very cold. The Grand hotel where we stayed, was a delight since it had an indoor  pool, sauna and jacuzzi,  giving an ample opportunity in the evenings to thaw out. 🙂

Interestingly, it was their peak season – after 2-3 days almost all the hotels were sold out for the New Year; and apparently Russians have their New Year after a week, so this is place is almost booked out till January 15!

This region is a playground for the affluent Russians who like to spend and have a luxurious stay complete with skiing activities, spa etc. (there aren’t many  luxurious and high end accommodation  option available in their country hence most of them come to the Tatra National Park and stay in Zakopane, Smokovec and Pleso etc.
High Tatras offer 22kms of well kept downhill courses – the skiing centres are among the top winter centres in Europe.

 

Winter activities..
Dog sledging, skiing, hikes with snowshoes, snow mobile excursions,  climbing the icefalls, avalanche courses, snow rafting, sledding and skating.

There is a winter fun park situated in Pleso where one can do snow tubing, air boarding, snow bags and zorbing.
And of course, you can also do sky adventures (sky diving, scenic flights, balloon flights and paragliding). These can be done throughout the year!

In December 2013, Alifiya Calcuttawala travelled on a 12 days journey to Eastern Europe with a small group who wanted to see the Christmas markets. Her itinerary started in Munich, ended with Budapest and included Salzburg, Český Krumlov, Prague, Krakow and the high Tatras!