Stopover Day Tours in Delhi

If you have a few hours to spare between flights at Delhi and you already have an Indian visa, you can make a quick sortie to enjoy your own Delhi city tour instead of hanging around the airport. And the shopping is better too!

It costs around 300 rupees to leave your suitcase for 24 hours at the Left Luggage Office at Indira Gandhi Airport. Take the Metro Airport Express Link, the orange line, to New Delhi Station, it costs around 80 rupees and takes around 20 minutes to cover the 12 miles. There are both machines and counters to buy tickets. When you get out of New Delhi station you can either turn north into Old Delhi or south into New Delhi, either way you will embark on a tour that takes in some of the city’s finest monuments and fascinating markets. If you have lots of time, a full day, you can combine the north and south tours. Take motor-rickshaws (tuk-tuks) often instead of walking as the heat and crowds will sap your strength. For fares, have a look at this website which will give you an idea of how cheap they are;http://delhigovt.nic.in/autofares/Transport.asp

Half – Day Tour: North into Old Delhi, 3-4 hours

From New Delhi metro station head north through one of the ancient city gates, Ajmere Gate, and onto the street called Chawri Bazar, lined with small shops specialising in brass, copper and paper souvenirs (you would bargain hard here). Navigate to the Jama Masjidmosque by looking up for its minarets which you can see from everywhere. Jama Masjid is one of largest mosques in Asia and you can climb one of the minaret towers for great views of Old Delhi (note that women have to put on one of the long garments handed out at the entrance).

From here head north east past the Lahore Gate to Red Fort – a huge, sprawling red fortress, once the residence and headquarters of the Mughal Emperors, now home to a bazaar and the Indian War Memorial with exhibitions of guns, swords and armour. The rest of the complex is a military barracks now, and much of it is off-limits – Agra Fort is much more interesting to visit if you are heading to the Taj Mahal.

Leading west from Red Fort is Chandni Chowk street, lined with small shops and crisscrossed by lanes that specialise in particular goods such as silver jewellery such as along Dariba Kalan, paper and books at Nai Sarak and so on. As you walk along Chandni Chowk there isDigambar Jain temple with its bird hospital, the Sikh Shauri Gankarand Sisganj temples, and at the end is Fatehpur Mosque. Beyond here you arrive at Khari Baoli spice market which is the largest wholesale spice market in Asia. If you’re tired by now, hop in a tuk-tuk and head to the historic Oberoi Maidens Hotel for refreshment in stylish surroundings. The concierge there will help you hire a taxi or a tuk-tuk to return to New Delhi metro station to get back to the airport.

Half Day: South into New Delhi, 3-4 hours

From New Delhi metro station head south into New Delhi, first toConnaught Place which was built by the British as the central business district of Delhi in the 1920s and is still one of the city’s major hubs. Built as a huge circle divided by 8 radial roads and 3 ring roads into blocks numbered A-N, it’s filled with shops, restaurants and offices, and there are several great shops for fixed price goods. 

FabIndia andAnokhi both sell stylish, good quality and very affordable east-meets-west clothes and homewares, whilst Central Cottage Industries Emporium in block N has 6 floors of all sorts of goods that make excellent presents and souvenirs.

If you go round Connaught Place and exit to the south you will come toJantar Mantar, the first open-air observatory built in 1724 by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur who later built the much better one in Jaipur, and you can admire the large stone instruments placed to observe the heavens and make astronomical calculations. Call at the legendaryImperial Hotel for refreshments if you have time on the way down to Rajpath, the road running east to west that connects India Gate, the symbol of New Delhi, with Rashtrapati Bhavan, once home of the Viceroy, now the largest Presidential Palace in the world. India Gate is a 42m high stone arch inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It bears the name of the 85,000 Indian Army soldiers who died in the campaigns of WW1, the North-West Frontiers operations and the 1919 Afghan war, and below the arch is the memorial to the unknown soldier. You may prefer just to pass by the palace and India Gate, or get your taxi or tuk-tuk to do a circle so you can take pictures.

From here you can continue further south by tuk-tuk to upmarket Khan Market where you can find bookshops, tailors, good food, silver jewellery, shops such as FabIndia and Anokhi as well as the big western brands, or to Lodhi Gardens. These shady gardens surround the crumbling tombs of the 15th century rulers of India and make for a pleasant respite from the city.  From Lodhi or Khan market you can then continue to Humayun’s Tomb built in the mid 16th century of red sandstone in the traditional Mughal architectural style, set amidst peaceful gardens.

From here, you really should be heading back to the airport unless you have loads more time for shopping and sightseeing and a car to travel in, in which case, there are a couple more great markets stretching south from Lodhi gardens, the first being Lodhi colony main marketlocated in a former war infirmary in an upmarket suburb, where Indian designers offer luxury fashion in distinctive surroundings. Further south again is Dilli Haat, an open air arts and crafts market where you can buy direct from the artisans who rent one of the stalls for a fortnight at a time. And further again is Haus Khaz Village, an arty, upmarket suburb with boutiques, galleries and restaurants, very pleasant to explore on foot and with some old monuments scattered around. Continuing south you will arrive at Qutab Minar, the Afgan victory tower, the highest stone tower in India at 238ft high dating from the 12^th century. From here, your car can take you back to Indira Gandhi Airport.

The best way to enjoy a carefree sightseeing or day tour of Delhi is to hire a private guide, car and driver to meet you at the airport, take you and your luggage and shopping around and return you safely and on time for your onward flight. ReadyClickAndGo can arrange city or shopping tours in Delhi to suit your interests, budget and timetable.

Kovačica, centre of Naive Art in Serbia

We crossed the only bridge in Belgrade over the Danube River – the old metal, heavy thing built in 1935.  Once on the other side of Belgrade we continued towards Pancevo city, well known for its accident-prone factories which sometimes pollute the whole of Belgrade. As it was Sunday, the day for the local antiques market, we couldn’t resist stopping for a quick browse for a “good deal”. We didn’t get anything except an old CD for 50p which worked until song number four. Regardless, we considered it a good deal.

Crossing the Danube River means entering the flat Pannonia Plain where you orientate yourself only by the next tree or lonely house.  Considering that the official alphabet in Serbia is Cyrillic and that road signs are rare then that tree or house takes on more importance during your journey. Nature at this time of year (May 2012) generously painted everything in a lush green cloaking the trees and houses from sight. Everything looked the same especially for four city girls.

Confused and tired by the oppressive heat we decided to stop along the way at Salas, called Sekin Salas which means Sisters Ranch. If you want to experience the real Serbia you should try to stay at one of the many ranches which offer a combination of rural Serbia with good food, clean air and lots of activities – horse riding, fishing, cooking classes…embroidery classes…During our hour stop we managed to meet the loveable Rasha, a ginger corgi who we considered stealing away, but after realising that Rasha has friends on the Ranch – three cats, two goats, a pheasant, an over-protective chicken with eight yellow chicks and two more dogs lazily asleep in the front garden – we decided that Rasha had a better life than we did, so we left him in his natural surroundings.

After refreshments and taking photos of everything that represented the old, disappearing Serbia that was so generously on display in the house, we continued driving towards Kovacica, a place well known for its Slovak naive art.

The Museum of Naive Folk Art is situatedcentrally on the main street. The Museum itself is very small but very rich in the numbers of paintings they own so the exhibition keeps changing all the time. The first one to strike you is a huge, colourful and lively painting by Jan Glozik illustrating the 200 years since the Slovak people moved from what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the eastern border, nowadays Serbia, by order of the Emperor. The painting consists of 200 people representing each year since they moved to this part of the world. If you have a very good eye you can see a self-portrait of the painter incorporated into the maze of colours.

The left side of the museum has an exhibition of another famous naïve art painter, Martin Janos, whose paintings emphasise the hands and feet and thereby the hard manual work on the farms of the region. The third room is dedicated to the Queen of naïve art, Zuzana Halupova. There are 31 paintings exhibited here, most of them oil on canvas. She, as with Martin Janos, has a leitmotifwhich is that each painting has a girl in a pink skirt somewhere in it. Zuzana never had kids of her own and so she put one in every one of her paintings. She was member of the children’s charity UNICEF and in 1974 she painted the UNICEF Christmas Card which was sold worldwide.  She left more than 1000 paintings to the museum but due to the lack of the space only a certain number can be shown. There are talks about a new, bigger Museum to be opened in a different location.

Outside the Museum there is a courtyard with three galleries, in one of them you can have your own portrait painted. All the galleries are run by local painters who can tell you about local life and how they have preserved their culture and traditions for over 200 years. Mr Pavel Babka, a successful painter who exhibits all around the world and is the owner of the largest gallery, pointed out that even when a painter becomes worldwide successful, he still stays in Kovacica, within very strong Slovak Community.

To create your own perfect day tour of  Kovačica email Tara at Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com for ideas and we can customise a tour to suit you with a private guide to show you around. See our website www.ReadyClickAndGo.com for sample sightseeing tours of Serbia.

How to see Japan’s Snow Monkeys on a day trip from Tokyo

You’ve seen the photos of these cute, pink-faced hairy monkeys with frosted whiskers bathing in steaming hot springs in the middle of the snow? You can visit them all-year-round at ‘Hell’s Valley’ near Nagano on a day trip from Tokyo – it’s a bit of an expedition, but here’s how;

The Snow Monkeys, Japanese Macaques, live at Jigokudani Yaen-Koen Park near Nagano which is easily reachable from Tokyo by Shinkansen train, from JR Tokyo Station. There are around 25 trains throughout the day, and the journey takes around 90-100 minutes each way, you can use a JR Rail Pass on most of the Shinkansen trains except for the super-fast Nozumi ones. If you do not have a pass, the ride is around 8,000 yen.

From Nagano Station, look for the Zenkoji exit from the station and the subway for the Nagano Dentetsu train (Nagano Electric Railway, a private railway so you cannot use a JR Rail Pass) to Yudanaka, this takes approx 50 minutes and costs 1,230 yen each way, and there are 7 express trains per day, at 0908, 1046, 1208, 1338, 1457, 1714 and 1941. The return Nagano Dentetsu trains back from Yudanaka to Nagano are at 0934, 1011, 1138, 1327, 1446, 1556, 1818 and 2049. In addition to these express trains there are slower ones in between that take about 20 minutes longer.

From Yudanaka, take a bus or taxi to Kanbayashi Onsen. From there, it’s about a 30 min walk to the Jigokudani Yaen-koen entrance, entrance 500 yen adults, 250 yen children, open 9-4 November to March, and 8.30-5 April to October. There’s no snow obviously in the summer, but the scenery of Hell’s Valley is still spectacular.

When you get to the park, there are pathways through the forest and to the special hot bath that was built for the monkeys, you’ll see them lazing in there and in the trees and as you walk around. There are about 200 monkeys living here and roaming free through the park, they are perfectly friendly and you’ll be able to get very close to them, although you should not try to feed them. You should allow a couple of hours to explore the park, you will need footwear that can cope with lots of snow in the winter, mud and monkey poo the rest of the year!

If you would like help planning a private day tripin Japan from Tokyo or Kyoto, please see our website www.ReadyClickAndGo.com or email us at Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com ReadyClickAndGo arranges private day tourswith your own English-speaking guide in Japan and throughout Asia.

Build it Bigger in Belgrade, Serbia

In our post “The Newest Attraction in Belgrade“ dated 30th December 2010 we mention one of Belgrade’s most eye-catching landmarks taking shape, a new bridge across the Sava River that will be the largest asymetric single-pylon cable-stayed bridge in the world.

The main span of 376m has no supports actually in the Sava so as not to restrict shipping even during construction, and the deck is anchored by 80 stay cables as thick as a man's arm and a single pylon 200 metres high – one of the highest points in the city. The whole bridge including the main span will be nearly a kilometre long and 45 metres wide with 6 road traffic lanes, 2 railway lines and 2 cycle and pedestrian paths, and it is due for completion in September 2011. See more at http://www.savabridge.com/project.htm

You can watch program about Construction of the Serbia's Largest Bridge on the Discovery Channel on the 6th May at 10pm.
 

For more information about traveling in Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

 

Chinese New Year in London




  We went through Christmas here, then New Year here and there with a time difference of one hour, then Christmas there, the one called Orthodox, and now to round the celebrations off we will finish it with Chinese New Year, here in the UK. If you can’t celebrate it in China the best place to experience Chinese New Year is in London and I do apologise to all people in Singapore, Toronto, Sydney who claim their celebration of Chinese New Year is the best. It is not!

My friend, Jenny Chen, a girl from Beijing, is excited as she is flying home on Friday to spend the holidays with her elderly parents who she hasn’t seen for the last two years. She is in a shopping mood and austerity measures brought on by Mr Osborne don’t apply during Chinese New Year. And why should they? I never thought about spending less on my parents when I was getting them a present for Christmas. And with my background they get two presents for the two Christmasses as well! Jenny’s credit card is redder then the lantern in our office that she put up to mark her contribution to the celebration of the Chinese New Year in London. She is sorry that she is not going to be here but also happy at the prospect of seeing her parents.

This year celebrations in London are the biggest since they began in London. Apart from celebrations at Trafalgar and Leicester Squares, where colorful Chinese dragons, lions and acrobats will dance followed by loud music, you can mark the Chinese New Year at different establishments around London.

The Victoria and Albert Museum set the exhibition of Imperial Chinese Robes to coincide with Chinese New Year in London. Among the many garments on show are gowns designed for everyday life as well as rituals, banquets, travelling, hunting and official royal visits. The Imperial Chinese Robes exhibition takes place from 10am – 6pm, Tuesday 7th December 2010 – Sunday 27th February 2011 at Victoria and Albert Museum. Tickets are £5.00 or £3.00 concessions. For more information please click here.

You can celebrate Chinese New Year at the National Maritime Museum with a spectacular evening of stargazing which takes place from 5.25pm, on Saturday 12th February 2011. Tickets cost £16.00 per person. For more information and to book tickets, click on the link below. For more information please click here.

The Wallace Collection contributed to the celebration of the Chinese New Year by arranging a special silk painting workshop hosted by artist Caroline Dorset.

The silk painting workshop for Chinese New Year at the Wallace Collection runs from 11am – 4pm, Saturday 5th February 2011. Tickets cost £25.00. For more information and to book tickets, call the gallery on 0207 563 9500 0207 563 9500. Fo rmore information please click here.

Find out more about Chinese culture through arts and craft activities as part of the Chinese New Year at the Museum in Docklands celebrations which will take place on the 5th and 6th February 2011. For daily activities please click here. The Grand finale to end the Chinese New Year London celebrations will take place at Leicester Square with a huge (and free!) fireworks display.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

恭禧發財

For Private Day Trips to China email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com  or check our website at http://www.ReadyClickAndGo.com/

Belgrade’s newest attractions

ReadyClickAndGo, a travel company specialising in private day trips, spent a few days in Belgrade last week to discover more about this fast-changing city’s latest highlights:

1. Virtual Tourist has recently declared Belgrade’s Ada Ciganlija Island to be the 3rd best island within a city, behind Paris and Prague. Perfect for picnics and watersports, the island is covered by trees that muffle the sounds of the city, and it is also the site of Serbia’s first golf course. The beautifully clean waters of Sava Lake that lap its gravel beaches are home to many varieties of carp, and can reach 24 degrees C in the summer, thanks to the warm microclimate here http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B229Z20101203

2. At the tip of the island you can watch one of Belgrade’s most eye-catching landmarks taking shape, a new bridge across the Sava River that will be the largest asymetric single-pylon cable-stayed bridge in the world. The main span of 376m has no supports actually in the Sava so as not to restrict shipping even during construction, and the deck is anchored by 80 stay cables as thick as a man’s arm and a single pylon 200 metres high – one of the highest points in the city. The whole bridge including the main span will be nearly a kilometre long and 45 metres wide with 6 road traffic lanes, 2 railway lines and 2 cycle and pedestrian paths, and it is due for completion in September 2011. http://www.savabridge.com/project.htm

3. Just a few metres higher than Sava Bridge is Mount Avala’s TV transmitter tower, reopened earlier this year and a popular out-of-town picnic spot for locals. This new tower is almost identical to the original that was bombed by NATO in 1999, and money for its reconstruction was raised by donations from over a million people. It is slightly taller and much better built however, and is one of few built as a tripod anywhere in the world. http://serbiatraveller.blogspot.com/2010/11/avala-mountain-and-national-park-near.html

4. Another tower in Belgrade has been restored and will re-open any day now, and that is the medieval Nebojsa Tower at the foot of Kalemegdan Fortress. Renovations were partly funded by Greece as one of their revolutionary heroes was executed in the tower when it was a prison, and one of the exhibitions will feature his life. Other exhibitions will be on the shared history of Serbia and Greece under Turkish occupation.

5. The Museum of Yugoslav History is hosting an exhibition of modern art until the 15th February 2011 in the Museum of 25th May, called Beyond the Iron Curtain. Painting and sculpture by Soviet and Polish artists from 1945 to 1989, both official and dissident, is on display, and you can also visit Tito’s tomb, ironically with a great view of the vast new St Sava Church.

Whilst travelling around Belgrade can be straightforward on public transport or on foot if you can master some Cyrillic script first, getting out of the city is often a little more challenging. ReadyClickAndGo offers private day trips and sightseeing excursions throughout Serbia, with your own English-speaking local guide, car and driver. A private day trip from Belgrade city centre to Avala Mountain and the nearby Vinca archaeological site with a private car, driver and English-speaking local guide is £75 per person.

For more information about Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

Sagano Romantic Train, Kyoto, Japan

The narrow-gauge steam train Sagano Torroko Ressha or Romantic Train is one of Japan's most scenic journeys, and can be combined with an exciting boat trip back on the Hozu River to make a wonderful day trip from Kyoto. The scenery is beautiful all year-round, with cherry blossom in spring, maple leaves in autumn, and bamboo groves. However, it is tricky to piece together with the trains and buses and boats all going from different places - these directions will take the stress out of trying to find your way!

The Sagano train goes from Arashiyama to Kameoka on a 25-minute ride costing around 600 Yen, and the boat trip back on the Hozu River takes around 2 hours and costs around 4000 Yen.

1. Take the JR train on the Sagano Line from Kyoto Station to Saga-Arashiyama Station. This takes around 15 minutes and costs around 230 Yen.

2. In the same building as the Saga-Arashiyama Station is the Torroko Saga Station. From here, take the Sagano Romantic Train to Torroko Kameoka Station, it runs every hour between 9am and 5pm every day except most Wednesdays from March to the end of December (but check the departure times beforehand – you should pre-book tickets a day or two ahead anyway at the JR ticket desk at Kyoto Station). Car number 5 is usually the open-sided carriage – great in summer, a bit chilly perhaps at other times!

3. When you get off the Sagano Romantic train at Kameoka, you need to either take a bus to the Hozu River to get on the boat, and this takes around 15 minutes, look for the Hozugawa-kudari bus, or get another train from Torroko Kameoka Station to JR Kameoka Station and then walk about 10 minutes to the boat.

4. The boats down the river are small, for around 20 people and you sit on the floor on carpet with a vinyl see-through top in cooler weather. The boats are rowed by 3 oarsmen who are very skilled at negotiating the rapids and pools. They depart every hour from 9am to 3.30pm for Togetsukyo Bridge at Arashiyama, a famous beauty spot, and worth lingering at.

5. Once you are back in Arashiyama, the nearest station to the disembarkation point to get to central Kyoto is the Keifuku Arashiyama tram, about 10 minutes’ walk away, and which takes you to Shijo-Omiya Station in about 20 minutes and costs 200 Yen.

If you just want to do the Sagano Romantic train, you can return to Arashiyama from Kameoka, and perhaps take a gentle hike through the bamboo groves and past some beautiful little Zen temples, or break your journey at the intermediate station, Hozukyo. The train runs in both directions. http://www.sagano-kanko.co.jp/eng/index.htm
If you just want to do the boat trip, you should take the JR Sagano Line train from Kyoto Station to JR Kameoka Station which is about 10 minutes’ walk from the embarkation pier. Note that the boat trip only goes one way, downstream, from Kameoka to Arashiyama. http://www.hozugawakudari.jp/en

For more information about Sagano Romantic Train and another Private Day trips in Japan please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com  or check our website at http://www.readyclickandgo.com/

Train from Sarajevo ( Bosnia) to Belgrade ( Serbia)

According to the Bosnian winter train timetable the first direct train between Sarajevo and Belgrade since the 1992-95 war will start running on the 13th December 2009 at 1135. True to typical Balkan confusion the train will consist of three carriages : one from Bosnia, one from Republika Srpska and one from Serbia. The price of the ticket is the same for all three carriages and one way in 2nd class is Euro 25 or GBP23 The train will run daily leaving Belgrade at 0815 and arriving in Sarajevo at 1735 according to the spokesman of Bosnian trains.

Japan for free – fun and free things to do in Tokyo

Free things to do in Tokyo


1. Free entrance to the observation decks of Tokyo’s tallest towers!

See Mount Fuji on a clear day from the 45th floors of the Tokyo Metropolitain Government Towers, 799 ft above the city streets! Toei Subway Oedo Line, Tochomae Station, Tokyo Subway Tocho Station, exit 4, or Shinjuku Station
http://www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/TMG/observat.htm

2. Free walking tour of the East Garden of the Imperial Palace every Saturday afternoon, 1-3pm, with a local volunteer English-speaking guide. Book your place by emailing info.freewalkingtour@gmail.com Meet at the stand saying Free Walking Tour at Tokyo Station, Marunouchi Central Exit. http://www.freewalkingtour.org/

3. Free bicycle hire at the East Garden of the Imperial Palace every Sunday between 10am and 3pm, to ride a car-free route 2 miles long between the Iwaida-bashi Bridge and the Hirakawa-mon Gate of the gardens. Cycle past pine trees, the palace moat, guard towers and fountains and choose from mountain bikes, tandems, racing bikes and even children’s models. Available from the Information Center next to the Babasakimon Imperial Security Police Station (bring ID). Nijubashi-mae Station, Tokyo Station, Marunouchi exit or Nijubashi Station, exit 2 Chiyoda line http://www.tokyobybike.com/2009/08/imperial-palace-cycling-route.html

4. Geek heaven - Sony Showroom

Located on the lower floors of the landmark Sony Building in the Ginza district of Tokyo, the Sony Showroom displays cutting edge audio visual and computer gadgets and trend-setting prototypes for you to play around with. Ginza Station, Tokyo Metro Marunouchi, Ginza and Hibiya lines exit B9 or Yurakucho Station, JR Yamanote line http://www.sonybuilding.jp/e/index.html

5. Mad about cars? Toyota Auto Salon Amlux

One of the world’s largest car showrooms. If you have brought your international driving licence, you can test drive any of the 70 cars on display here for a nominal fee. Ikebukuro Station Yamanote line, East Exit, or Marunouchi, Yurakucho lines, exit 35. http://www.amlux.jp/english/floorguide/index.html

6. Car theme park for petrolheads - Toyota City Showroom at Mega Web

In the futuristic Odaiba district over the Rainbow Bridge and near the giant Ferris Wheel is the Toyota City Showroom that features hybrid models as well as vintage and racing cars, and offers visitors the opportunity to test drive any of the vehicles in the Toyota range for a nominal fee if you have your international driving licence to hand. Tokyo Teleport Station, Rinkai Line, or Aomi Station, New Transit Yurikamome line (sit at the very front of the train for great views!). http://www.megaweb.gr.jp/English

7. Fabulous Flea Market - Oedo Antiques Market

On the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month at the Tokyo International Forum in the Marunouchi district, 9am-4pm. This is Japan’s largest outdoor market with over 250 sellers and thousands of visitors. Yurakucho Station, JR Yamanote line or Yurakucho line, exit D5
http://antique-market.jp/eng/index.shtml

8. Beer Tasting – Suntory Musashino Brewery

On Sundays and Mondays in March, and Saturdays and Sundays November – February you can join a tour of the Musashino Brewery to watch how Suntory make their award-winning beer, and then taste some. Tours last 1 hour and are in English. Bubaigawara Station, Keio, JR Nanbu line
http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/sit/tokyo/t009.html

For more information please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

or check our website at http://www.readyclickandgo.com/

The World Heritage Sites, China

The World Heritage List includes 38 properties in China from which are following featured with ReadyClickAndGo:

Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

Mogao Caves

Mount Taishan

Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian

The Great Wall

Mount Huangshan

Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains

Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa

Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde

Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu

Lushan National Park

Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area

Ancient City of Ping Yao

Classical Gardens of Suzhou

Old Town of Lijiang

Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing

Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing

Dazu Rock Carvings

Mount Wuyi

Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun

Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Longmen Grottoes

Mount Qingcheng

Yungang Grottoes

Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas

Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom

Historic Centre of Macao

Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries – Wolong, Mt Siguniang and Jiajin Mountains

Yin Xu

Kaiping Diaolou and Villages

South China Karst

Fujian Tulou

Mount Sanqingshan National Park

Mount Wutai

For more information please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

Religious Tour of Belgrade ( Walking tour of Belgrade)

Walk to the lower part of Kalamegdan Fortress passing the Nebojsa Tower which used to be a prison during the Turkish occupation and which today is a museum dedicated to the Greek revolutionary Rigas Feraio, strangled by the Turks here and thrown into the Danube. Not far from the tower is St Petka’s Church, well known for its spring which according to locals has healing powers. The church has lovely mosaics and also relics (bones) of the saint herself which are displayed every Friday.

A few yards away is St Ruzica Church, the oldest Orthodox Church in Belgrade, which was badly damaged during WWI and rebuilt in 1925 when two statues of soldiers were added at the entrance.

On the famous Knez Mihailova Street is Bajrakli Mosque, built around 1575 by the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent. During the Austrian occupation (1717 -1739) the mosque was converted to a Catholic Church only to be changed back again in 1741 during the Turkish invasion. Today it is the only active mosque in Belgrade.

Not far from the mosque is Belgrade’s Synagogue, opened in 1926. This synagogue is the only active synagogue in Serbia and its rituals are held by Serfadi Jews who came to Serbia during the 1490s from Spain and Portugal.
Crossing Knez Mihailova Street see the most prominent Orthodox Christian place of worship, the Saborna Crkva, also known as the Cathedral Church of St. Michael the Archangel. The cathedral was built in 1840 by Prince Miloš Obrenović, one of Serbia’s early kings. The church was built in the neo-classical style with late baroque elements, and the interior is richly decorated with a carved golden iconostasis. At the entrance in a small garden are two graves, one of them of the Serbian linguist, Vuk Karadzic, who is best known for his book on Serbian spelling, Write as you speak and Read as it is written. The second grave belongs to Dositej Obradovic, the Serbian author, philosopher and linguist who tirelessly advocated ideas of European Enlightenment and Rationalism.

Opposite the Cathedral Church there is the Serbian Orthodox Patriarchate which was built in 1935. On the main façade an impressive portico has low columns and an arched portal above which is a sculpted coat of arms of the Patriarchate of Serbia. On the top of this facade, in a niche, is a mosaic representing St. John the Baptist.

Closer to Tasmajdan Park there is St Mark’s Church built from 1931 to 1940 in the Serbo- Byzantine style. At the south end of this church is a sarcophagus with the remains of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Dusan, and at the north end is a crypt of white marble containing the body of Patriarch German Doric. St Mark’s has a highly valuable collection of 18th and 19th century Serbian icons, and next door is a small Russian Orthodox church.

In the centre of Belgrade there is a new addition to the city’s religious architecture, the Cathedral of Saint Sava which, once finished, will be the largest active Orthodox Church in the world. The church is dedicated to Saint Sava, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church and it is located where Saint Sava is thought to have been burned in 1595 by the Ottoman Empire’s Sinan Pasha. Work on the cathedral started in 1935 only to be stopped during WWII. In 1985 the Patriarch reapplied for permission to continue building only to be refused 88 times, and permission to finish the building was finally granted in 1984.
The topmost point of the cathedral is some 134 m (439.6 ft) above sea level and is visible from everywhere in the city. The interior of the church is not yet finished but standing inside even now is impressive and awe-inspiring.


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