Viator Travel Blog

At the heart of Moscow – geographically, politically and culturally – lies the Kremlin. If you lived through the Cold War or even just seen early Bond films, even a mention of the Soviet-era landmark suggests KGB plots and political intrigue. In fact many Russian cities have a kremlin, a fortress that has survived since the Middle Ages. Moscow’s has become THE Kremlin only because it was the place that Ivan the Terrible ruled from and created his nation.

An opportunity extended itself to travel to Poland and, of course, I was happy to follow through. Poland: a land of soft slow landscapes, with a pace that suits me well, with friendly people, and with a language that, although a little hard to get the tongue around, is very gentle on the ears. I visited Poland only a few months ago, yet my return to open skies and slow roads winding through rural landscapes was like breathing new life into old lungs.

It’s been just over two years since the Grand Canyon Skywalk opened. Since then the Skywalk has become one of the top attractions on the Grand Canyon’s West Rim (click here for a map of the Las Vegas & Grand Canyon areas or tips on visiting the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas). If you’ve been following the news about the Skywalk, you’ll know that it had a rough start (minimal facilities, long lines). We’ve remained enthusiastic supporters of the Skywalk and its caretakers, the Hualapai tribe. But we did have some concerns about the inevitable crowds the Skywalk would draw, and the ability of the organizers to cope with the rush of visitors.

It’s no secret that the Vatican is one of Rome’s (and the world’s) most famous – and most crowded – attractions. The art, the sculpture, the architecture, the history – a tour of the Vatican is basically a tour of western history (the good, the bad, and the sometimes ugly) over the past 1,000 years. The downside, of course, are the long lines to get into the Vatican. This is a story, though, with a happy ending. There are many ‘skip-the-line’ tours to the Vatican, where for a small fee you can (literally) skip the hours-long lines.

There are some films that make you just want to be there, even though you know rationally that it was only a movie, not real life (and even if it was real life, by the time the film comes out the original event is long-gone). There is something exciting about standing on a street corner that you have visited in film-inspired dreams. Films immortalise locations even as they mess with local geography; they give us a glimpse into an incredible range of places and possibilities.

Mein Deutsch ist nicht so gut. No, don’t panic. We are not writing this entire post in German. Though here at Viator HQ we’re very pleased to announce the birth of Viator’s German-language website. Head on over to Viatorcom.de and have a look. The tag line is ‘Ausflüge, Unternehmungen und Besichtigungstouren’, which is another way of saying, happy travels from Viator!

From Tomsk it’s an ass-numbing 50-plus hours to Moscow. We’re prepared, though, with plenty of supplies for in-carriage picnics. The dining car sounds like a good idea for a change of scenery but on the first night of the trip we get stung for over 1,000 roubles (including separate, extra charges for tomato and cucumber slices).

So, you’re thinking a little summertime in London might be nice. And you’re right. All those divine parks to walk in, gorgeous spring fashions to buy, and delicious pints of lager to drink outside on a warm evening. Not to mention the fish and chips, mushy peas and spotted dick to eat. (Settle down, it’s a pudding: chocolate sponge log with currants and/or raisins in it, served with custard.) But before these joys unfold, you have to get into the country. Even trickier, you then have to get out again.

Disneyland is many things to many people. It’s memories past and future. It’s magic. It’s expensive. It’s a good walk spoiled. Wait, that last one is golf, but still, there’s a lot of walking. Disneyland used to be one man’s dream – the original magic kingdom, but it has since morphed into something much bigger, and though purists may disagree, perhaps better. Remember that when you’re standing in line behind crying kids and screaming parents. It’s the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down, and quite frankly, it’s pretty magical.

England Rocks takes a simple concept – that London, England and the UK in general have spawned innumerable great bands and have rich musical legacies – and makes it accessible to music fans. Did you know that a young Jarvis Cocker once worked in a fish stall at the Castle Market in Sheffield? Or that Dublin Castle in Camden, London, was where Blur got an early start playing live gigs?