The Polish city of Krakow is a wonderful holiday destination and it features many landmarks, historical sites and cultural monuments, which make it among the top places to be visited in the country. Most probably you will book a serviced apartment in Krakow and use it as a base wherefrom to start your trip in Krakow and in the areas around it. In case you plan a longer holiday or if this is not your first time here, then this is a great option to get to know the area.

This photo of Lake Morskie Oko

There are various places to be seen near Krakow, suitable for one day trips. These include the site of the notorious death camp Auschwitz of the Nazi regime. This place is just one hour drive from Krakow. The sad story is that almost one million people including women and children have disappeared here in the short period between June 1941 and January 1945.

Another place for a one day trip near Krakow are the town of Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains. Zakopane is the biggest mountain resort on the continent north of the Alps. Every year it welcomes more than three million visitors, as it has central location. The place features many hotels and a great choice of restaurants, pubs and cafes, as well as night clubs. The town is famous for its wooden architecture and is a center of the winter sports like skiing but is also popular among those who love rock climbing, cycling, hiking and paragliding. The Tatra Mountains are similar to the Alps in their character and they are the highest range of the Carpathian Mountains. The place is set two hours’ drive from the town of Krakow. The places that should be seen here include the Morskie Oko Lake, the lake Czarny Staw, peakthe Kasprowy with its cable car and the Koscieliska valley. Of course, there are many others as well.

Some 24 km outside the city of Krakow is located the Ojcow National Park, which is the smallest of the twenty national parks in Poland. Here are set lovely recreation places and even a castle nearby. The landscape is very picturesque with many limestone rocks, caves and a river valley. Quite interesting to be visited are also the eagle-nest castles, is an area of medieval strongholds that are beautiful located on a limestone rocks. Today the once glorious castles have turned into beautiful ruins over the long centuries.

Of course, we should also mention the holiest place in the country – the Jasna Gora Sanctuary Czestochowa, which is also among the most important pilgrims destinations in the world. The site is visited by millions of pilgrims each year, but also by celebrities, who all come here and pray in front of the miraculous picture of Our Lady of Czestochowa.

Also ideal for a one day trip from Krakow is the Calvary Sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, which is pronounced a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The complex is more than four centuries old and it features 42 churches and chapels that come in different sizes and shapes.

A post by K.Baginski who writes about Warsaw apartments and apartment in London.

The city of Milan is known as the business and the shopping city of Italy. It is also famous for the local production of wine, as it is part of the Lombardy region. Those who plan to come to this northern part of the country should make some arrangements in advance and should go through the holiday apartments in Milan and Rome apartments and pick one that best answers their needs, expectations and budget. Then, among all other things that could be done in Milan, one could book up for a wine tour in Milan and thus spend great time while relaxing and learning more about the wine that is locally produced and offered.

The wines that come from the region of Lombardy, where Milan is placed, are famous from the ancient Roman times. The wines produced today in this region and especially in the area of Oltreo pavese are renowned for their high quality and the travelers have choice from many budgets and tastes. There are white and red wines for the different meals. While here, the visitor should try some of the local specialties, which include Pinot, Sangue di Giuda, Bonarda, Buttafuoco and Barbera. The other famous wines produced in the Lombardy region include Moscato di Scanzo, Sforzato di Valtellinese, as well as the sparkling wine Franciacorta.

There are several companies that offer guided wine tasting tours. The wine tours are usually done in the center of Milan city, in several of the wine bars and the participants taste some wines that have been especially selected for them and are accompanied by some local production of cheeses and cuts. Usually the wines that are tasted differ according to the season, but normally the selection includes one glass of white wine, usually Riesling Italico or Chardonnay or Renano; plus one glass of sparkling white wine and one class of red wine Pinot Noir. The city of Milan is also famous for the great selection of cheeses and cold cuts, so a plate of these usually accompanies the wine tasting. The wine tastings in Milan last for almost two hours and they are done by a professional sommelier, who offers one’s knowledge on the grape varieties and the local wines, as well as the wine production process.

There are also wine tours that are done outside Milan, for example the Franciacorta Wine Tour. It is placed south of Lake Iseo, where are set many vineyards and small villages, as well as beautiful castles and medieval towers. The cellars here are wonderful and they will present the winemaking techniques and the different wine styles. These guided wine tasting tours that are lasting for more hours, since they are made outside the city of Milan. They include a visit to one or two wineries, a professional guide, sampling of several local wines along with some food tastings, and sometimes also a lunch at one of the local restaurants.

A post by L.Costa who writes about Lisbon apartments.