About Italy
Italy is located in Southern Europe and it borders Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland and France. In addition to the main Italian territory, it also includes the two largest Mediterranean Islands – Sardinia and Sicily. The islands of Pantelleria are also part of Italy. Rome is the largest city in Italy and is also the capital city. Italy’s climate ranges from oceanic to humid continental to humid sub-tropical.
Italy is offers its inhabitants free education that is mandatory from age 6 to 16. It also runs a mixed public-private healthcare system. Italy’s economy is characterized by low unemployment and high per capita GDP. Italy is known for its history. Throughout the country, one can find some of the oldest sites in the world, making it a perfect place for history buffs to visit.
Historical Activities in Italy
For the history buffs, there is an amazing selection of historic sites to see in Italy:
Pompeii is one of the most well-known ancient sites in the world as it was founded in the 6th or 7th century BC. It was destroyed by a volcano in 79 AD, causing it to be one of the most famous archeological sites of the world. The attraction to this site is that its artifacts, homes and buildings have remained intact as they have been preserved by the cinders and ash from the volcano.
The Vatican Museums host some of the most important and impressive artifacts of the world. The Vatican Museums was the original site of the papal palaces, making it a very popular site to visit.
For many people, the Colosseum is not like any other site. This Roman Empire represents magnificence and power, making it a stunning object in ancient architecture. This amphitheatre was built in the first century AD for the Romans to enjoy; it is now visited and enjoyed by thousands each year.
Historical Vacation Packages in Italy
There are countless tours and vacation packages that history buffs can choose from for Italy. They range from half day tours to a few weeks vacations. The day tours can be self-guided or include a tour guide and are usually of the most known historical sites across Italy. From day tours, you can go up to vacation packages that start at a few days in length – again covering the most popular sites. The vacation packages that are a week or longer are much more in-depth and covers a far larger area. For instance, Globus tour vacations have tours that include sites such as: the Colosseum, St. Peter’s, the Sistine Chapel St. Francis’ Basilica and St. Clare’s Church.
Trafalgar Tours vary from 8 days to 19 days and depending on the length, the historical sites included does vary. The main historical sites are covered on most of the tours however, on the longer tours some of the sites might be less popular but are diamonds in the rough with lots of historical value.
How much will Italy cost?
Vacation tours in Italy vary greatly in price. Tours start at about $1300-1500 and can go higher than $5000, depending on the length of the tour, the sites that are visited, whether or not accommodations and meals are included and the quality of accommodations. Most tours do not include airfare but some do so it is important when choosing a tour to take that into consideration. Also, look into what meals and accommodations are included, possible upgrades to better rooms and so on. If you choose to forgo a pre-planned guided tour, there are many cheaper options to consider such as renting a car and touring around the country – seeing all the historical sites you are interested in!
About Scotland
Scotland is an historical haven for those history buffs out there! Scotland is famous for its traditional Highland games, historic castles as well as beautiful lochs. Scotland is part of the United Kingdom and has a very interesting history leading up to the modern day Scotland. It occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shares a border with England towards the south. Its head of state is currently Queen Elizabeth II, the monarch of the United Kingdom.
The climate in Scotland tends towards temperate and oceanic, and can change fairly suddenly. Not surprisingly considering all the tourism, there are 5 main airports that serves about 150 international destinations. This makes traveling to and around Scotland very accessible.
Historical Activities in Scotland
There are plenty of historical sites to check out in Scotland. The history behind the buildings, castles, churches and other buildings will astound any history buff.
Edinburgh is chock full of impressive attractions for history buffs. The city is quite compact in nature, making it easy to fit in an itinerary of activities in a day in Scotland’s capital city. A visit to Ediburgh Castle is a must do for anyone, much less a history buff. This castle is home to the world-famous Stone of Destiny. Other places to see in Ediburgh include the National Museum of Scotland that has been fully refurbished and a tour of the Scotch Whisky Experience. Pick up some souvenirs at the end of the day on the Royal Mile.
Aberdeen is another must-see historical location in Scotland. The Balmoral Castle has been the Scottish Home of the Royal Family for years and is worth a visit. St. Machar’s is a beautiful Church of Scotland church that dates back to the 12th century. It boasts an unique heraldic ceiling as well as a fortified west front. This ancient church is still a living place of worship.
The Highlands is an inspiring and gorgeous region that has a fascinating history and ancient landscapes. In Inverness in the Highlands, there is one of the most well-preserved Bronze Age burial sites in all of Scotland.
Historical Vacation Packages in Scotland
There is an abundance of places and historic vacation packages in Scotland to choose from. There are self-drive tours, guided tour vacations, stays in castles and cottages and even brochs.
The Brochs Of Coigach offers an unusual and unique vacation package. What better way to experience historic Scotland than staying in a broch? A broch is a roundhouse from the Iron Age and are thousands of years old. The modern day brochs are spacious and warm, equipped with high-efficiency kitchens, wood-burning stoves and under-floor heating.
Clans and Castles is a vacation company who offers many different kinds of packages that are perfect for history buffs. They can arrange self-drive tours for those who would like to tour around themselves, seeing the sights they have chosen or guided tours that offer the most popular historic destinations in Scotland. Their specialty packages however, are Scottish castle holidays where travelers can stay at different castles for their holiday or even rent out an entire castle for their entire stay.
How much will Scotland cost?
Scotland is a travel destination that can be priced towards any budget. It is easy to take self-guided tours of the country, stay at hostels, and visit free historic attractions if you are budget-conscious. These vacations will still cost a few hundred dollars plus the airfare. For a mid-range vacation, expect to pay about $100-150 a day per person for food, drink and accommodations. Of course if you are interested in renting out a castle or even staying at a castle for part of your trip, expect to pay quite a bit more. Renting a castle for a week will typically cost over $5000; keep in mind though that the castles usually accommodate at least 10 people so if you have a group of people sharing the cost, it becomes much more reasonably priced.
About Russia
Russia is known as the largest country in the world, comprised of 6,592,800 square miles. Russia is so large that it spans 9 time zones. It has 101 nature reserves, 41 national parks and thousands of inland bodies of water and rivers. Russia provides one of the largest resources of surface water in the world and contains almost a quarter of the liquid fresh water in all of the world.
The agriculture in Russia has been steadily growing over past years. Once it was a grain importer and today it is the 3rd largest grain exporter, just behind EU and the US. Also the production of meat in Russia has increased significantly over the last 5 or 6 years. These increase has contributed to Russia’s expanding economy. Another interesting fact is that, based on per capita basis, Russia has more hospitals, healthcare workers and physicians than anywhere else in the world.
Historical Activities in Russia
Russia offers some of the world’s most historical sights for history buffs looking to experience some of the heritage sights of the world.
Moscow houses some of the most important historical events in the country since the thirteenth century. The Kremlin is one of those sites. The Kremlin was built between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries and was the home of the Great Prince. At this site, on the Red Square, lies St. Basil’s Basilica – one of the most gorgeous Russian monuments. Another site is the Novodevichy Convent which is linked to the Kremlin and was used by the women of family of the Tsar and aristocracy. It is rich with artefacts and paintings as well of Russian architecture.
Saint Petersburg has been called the “Venice of the North” as it has a plethora of bridges and canals, which were built around the early 1700s under Peter the Great. The Russian architecture shows its heritage in the sites such as the Winter Palace, the Hermitage, the Marble Palace and the Admiralty.
Novgorod was Russia’s first capital in the nineth century. It was a center for Orthodox spirituality as it is surrounded by monasteries and churches. Novgorod houses medieval monuments that demonstrates cultural creativity and remarkable architecture throughout the city.
Historical Vacation Packages in Russia
All Russia Tours offers short sightseeing tours, spend a day in the top historical cities in Russia such as Saint Petersburg and Moscow, among other tours that you can customize to suit your wants. Rivers and canals tours through major cities and even nighttime tours as the cities will be very different at night as opposed to during the day. “Be Our Guest” tour is a fantastic 9 day tour that will hit all highlights in 3 of Russia’s major historical cities.
Hop on-hop off tours such as City Sightseeing Hop-on Hop-off are a great alternative to arrange, tour-guided tours. You can pick and choose which sights you would like to see.
Another option for seeing Russia is on a cruise and you can sail through all the highlights of the country. Do some research on the cruise line you are going on as some cruise lines offer a different kind of excursion that allows visitors to become “cosmonauts” for a day. This unique experience takes place in Moscow at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. This is a great excursion for history buffs as the base was a secret training base during the cold war.
How much will Russia cost?
Russia’s major cities, such as Moscow and Saint Petersburg are not cheap places to visit. Like many countries, once you get away from the major tourist sights, it can start to get more reasonably-priced. Russia isn’t as expensive as some international destinations such as the UK but prices are comparable to that of New York.
For food and drink, be sure to check the prices on the menu before choosing a restaurant to eat at. There are nice restaurants that cater more to the locals than tourists and if you find one of these, the prices will be much cheaper. For accommodations, consider renting an apartment by the day instead of staying at expensive hotels. Transportation is fairly reasonable, especially if you can haggle in Russian. But keep in mind there is also the metro that is quite affordable.
About Greece
Greece is a country that can be found in South-Eastern Europe, on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula. It is the meeting spot of 3 continents: Africa, Asia and Europe. It consists of 3 main geographical areas: a mainland that is the biggest geographical part of the country, a peninsula (Peloponnese) that is off the mainland with the canal of the Corinth Isthmus, and about 6,000 islands and islets that can be found scattered in clusters in the Ionian and Aegean Seas. Among these islands are Cyclade, Corfu, Rhodes, Crete and Dodecanese that are some of the most popular destinations in Greece.
Greece is one of Europe’s most mountainous countries with 80% of the country being hills or mountains. There is also about 10,000 miles of coastline, with almost 5,000 of those miles surrounding the islands of the Greek archipelago. This is truly unparalleled in all of the continent of Europe.
Historical Activities in Greece
It is no wonder that Greece is one of the top places to see for history buffs considering the great world heritage monuments, vibrant traditional culture and wonderful landscapes. There are certain places within Greece that are a must see for those seeking history.
Athens itself is filled with historical sites but one of its main attractions is the Acropolis. This enthralling monument demonstrates the achievements of the ancient Greek civilization and is a collection of perfectly balanced and massive in size of architectural masterpieces. These masterpieces were finished by the 5th century BC and are some of the most influential expressions of Greek architecture and Classical Greek aesthetics. The Parthenon is just one of ancient structures.
Corinth was of major importance to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It has some of the most well-preserved historical sites in all of Greece. The city has grown significantly in population over recent years. In Corinth you can find the ancient ruins of Corinth, which has a base of rock called the Rock of Acrocorinth. On the Acrocorinth itself is the Temple of Aphrodite. It also hosts the Temple of Apollo and Temple of Octavia. It was a very important city of ancient Greece and had a large role in Apostle Paul’s missionary work.
On the Island of Corfu, the Old Town of Corfu is a must see for history buffs as it has roots dating back to the 8th century BC. It houses forts the island used to defend against the Ottoman Empire and these forts have been repaired since and some are open to tourists.
Historical Vacation Packages in Greece
Traveling in Greece is fairly relaxed, safe and can be very reasonably priced. Roads are extensive, allowing for easy travel across the country. Rail, ships and ferries are other common modes of transportation when traveling in Greece. This makes vacationing in Greece easy to plan yourself or you can choose to book a package with a travel company. If a visitor would like to create a package themselves, Greece is quite accessible as flights to the islands and mainland are frequent, as are ferries.
If you prefer to select a package from a travel company, there are plenty to choose from. True Greece offers private, customized trips among the mainland and the islands. With this company, you choose where you want to go and they will make it into a vacation package of a lifetime. This is a great experience for history buffs as the company will provide you with specific information on the places you have chosen to visit and indulge you in tidbits of any family history you might have there.
The National Hellenic Society offers a program called Heritage Greece 2014. This program offers students who have a Greek heritage to experience an unforgettable journey that is tailored to their roots. This once-in-a-lifetime allows students to explore archaelogical locations, learn language skills and strongly connect to their heritage.
Your Trip to Greece is tailor made travel. The company’s website lists the UNESCO Heritage Sites in Greece that travelers can choose from to customize your ideal historical vacation to Greece.
How much will Greece cost?
Since the adoption of the euro back in 2002, Greece is not quite as cheap of a country as it used to be. You might find some tiny restaurants that still offer hearty meals for decent prices however for the most part, eating out has become much more pricey. Accommodation costs have also increased significantly, with the budget options really not worth it and making mid-range options more worthwhile.
For very basic travel with absolutely no extras, it will cost about $75 a day for a single traveler. If you are planning on eating out, staying in your own room and traveling around to see some sights, expect to pay at least $140 a day. For more comfortable accommodations and better restaurants, this will cost you over $200 a day. These estimated budgets are for solo travelers traveling during the high season. For couples who share a room, the costs will go down quite a bit. Also, consider traveling during off-season if cost is an issue.
About India
India is considered to be the 7th largest country by area in the world. It is also the world’s 2nd most populous country with more than 1.2 billion people. India is separated into 29 states. There is a mix of geographical areas along the mainland with 46% marshy shores, 43% sandy beaches and 11% rocky shores.
Four of the world’s religions originated in India – Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism. India has the second largest work force in the world with 486.6 million workers. The modern India is quickly changing but also combines ancient tradition. Overcrowding, globalization and western influence has resulted in a paradox of crippling poverty and overwhelming prosperity.
Historical Activities in India
There is no lack of history across India. There are so many places to visit that demonstrates India’s history – here are a few.
The main attraction in Agra is the Taj Mahal. This monument is a tomb that has houses the body of Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of the Mughal emperor named Shah Jahan. He had the tomb built as an ode to his awesome love for his wife. the Taj Mahal dates back to 1630AD and took over 22 years to build using 20,000 workers. This marble attraction is captivating as the color of it appears to alter as the light during the day changes.
Hampi was once the final capital of Vijayanagar who is one of India’s greatest empires but is now a laid-back village. The village offers some extremely impressive ruins from the 14th century that are intermingled with large boulders that are all over the beautiful landscape. These ruins stretch for almost ten miles and boasts more than 500 monuments.
Both of the Ajanta and Ellora caves can be found in the middle of nowhere. The Ellora caves consist of 34 caves and date between 6th and 11th centuries AD. The Ajanta caves consists of 29 caves and are older than the Ellora caves as they are from between the 2nd century BC and the 6th century AD. The Ajanta caves are incredibly rich in sculpture and paitnings whereas the Ellora caves are more renowned for the impressive architecture. Both sets of caves were amazingly crafted by hand, using only a chisel and hammer.
Historical Vacation Packages in India
Vacation packages to see India’s historical and heritage sights are plentiful.
Enchanting India allows you to create your ideal vacation package to India with a few steps: first you choose your interests (one of them being heritage and culture); secondly, choose the region(s) you wish to see and; thirdly, choose your accommodation of choice; then select your budget. After submitting your contact information, the company will get in contact with you about what options would suit you. The alternative is to select from one of the world heritage trips within India, discovering some of the most ancient sights in India.
India Luxury Trains offers about 40 historical and heritage packages that you can select from and they range considerably between the number of days, from just a few to 25 days. They also offer heritage train packages, ranging from 2 to 6 day excursions. These heritage trains offer luxurious amenities and will stop in fantastic stations across India.
How much will India cost?
India has been considered a cheap vacation destination for years. Of course, there are the more expensive sights and these are usually the more popular tourist hot spots. If you are looking to keep your costs down, consider seeing other parts of India such as climbing in Ladakh which is in the northern part of India. You can stay and travel in India for up to $15 a day however, this is very basic travel. For $20 a day, you can travel more comfortably and for $50 a day, you can be sure that you will be more than comfortable. On the other side of the coin, there are palaces you can stay at close to Jaipur which are considered “7-star” luxury accommodations. These palaces are the most expensive lodging in the world.
