Advantages: Beautiful
Disadvantages: Can't think of any

...Yes, another Venice review...Probably my last one though... Okay...Saint Mark's Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) was built in 1071, and is in Venice, at St Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco). The square can be hard to find, or very easy, depending on how good you are at navigating the streets (needless to say, we had a bit of a struggle!) Even though the basilica is enormous, I couldn't see it at all until we stumbled straight onto St Mark's Square, where it suddenly leaps out on you, dominating the place. If ever you go to Venice I would strongly recommend a trip to St Marks Square, as this building is probably one of the most amazing you will ever see. The thing that struck me first of all was the sheer colossal size of it. It is toweringly tall, and extemely wide, I have never seen anything like it. I was expecting to see... Read review

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Advantages: beautiful, seren, and what a view!
Disadvantages: string men

...Paris on a budget - The basilica of sacre coeur. On our recent holiday to Paris, we set out to take in the capital, but without spending a fortune. We were on a strict budget and tried to take in as much of the culture of one of Europes most beautiful cities. Our Little hotel was in the montmatre region of the capital. Montmartre literally means hill of martyrs and therefore was the only real choice for one of the most striking religous buildings in the world.The Basilica of Sacre Coeur is Montmartre's leading tourist attraction, and it's probably the most-visited church in Paris after the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. Unfortunately, the steps leading up to the basilica are also a prime target for the scam artists known as "string men," who prey on tourists and those who are not aware of such goings on. Here's how the scam works: A tourist... Read review

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Advantages: Art, Sculptures
Disadvantages: Queue

...in the metroline on the day of our visit and Metroline A was closed. We had to look for an alternative. We anyway had enough details about bus routes. We then took Bus Route No.64 from Termini(main railstation) and got down near St.Peter's Basilica (worlds' largest Basilica). St.Peter's Basilica and Vatican Museum are not too far. It is easy to locate. It was 10 A.M by the time we reached St.Peters Basilica. There is an information centre just outside the basilica and on the way to Vatican Museums. QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQUEUE ------------------------------------------------- We proceeded further in just 10 steps we joined the Queue. Oh God !!! I have never seen such a Queue. It ran for miles. It was a sunny day and we had a tough time standing in the queue. You will have to Queue up on the pavement of main road and no place to rest you feet. We... Read review

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Advantages: everything....beautiful scenery, gorgeous food + lovely people!
Disadvantages: not much...Assisi can get very busy especially during Easter and mid-july

...Umbria is the most beautiful and varied region of Italy and each town is crammed with treasures and historical backgrounds (eg. St Benedict and St. Francis). Hill-towns feature quite prominently in Umbria- pinky-stoned, fascinating Assisi, the dark medieval streets of Perugia and the steep, delightful towns of Gubbio, Spello and Urbino. The unspoilt, gentle, lush countryside of Umbria is part of its charm. For example, the Piano Grande - a vast upland plain stretching for 40sqkm! My review will be focused on the lovely medieval town of Assisi as this is my favourite Umbrian town and im constantly drawn back to it! Assisi: A series of earthquakes over the last few decades have severely damaged this medieval town and Assisi had to cope without its premiere sight - the Basilica di San Francesco! The Basilica's walls are covered... Read review

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Advantages: Free entry, Interesting, highlt ornate.
Disadvantages: Not central

...Montreal was the first city my wife and I visited on our tour of Eastern Canada. Our impression was of a large city with many very high rise office buildings, many, many shops and quite a lot of things to do. The evenings in Montreal can be spent looking around the hundreds of shops in the underground areas. There are many many miles of these shopping areas which can be explored. Another place to go is the Olympic Stadium which held the games of 1976. One of the most impressive buildings is the Notre Dame Basilica (a large church). From the outside it does not look as good. Once you step inside you become overwhelmed by its aura. There are plenty of gold artefacts. The stain-glass windows on one side of the building depict the history of Canada. Part of the building is known as the Wedding Chapel. This is reached by walking through... Read review

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Advantages: interesting more modern-styled church, less tourists so it feels a little more 'discovered'
Disadvantages: not in the central area of Rome, a bit underwhelming after St Peters and San Giovanni

...St Paolo fuori le Mura, means literally, St Pauls outside the walls, the walls in question being the city walls of Rome. That might imply it is a bit out of the way, and to be honest, it probably doesn't feature on the standard 'doing Rome in a long weekend' itinerary, but there is a handy Metro stop nearby, and it is one of the four 'basilicas' in Rome, much visited by pilgrims. My guidebook told me it would be the least impressive of the four, but I quite liked it. Probably because it was the least busy, and the most awkward to get to (although it is by no means hard to find.. the handy metro stop in question, being called 'St Paolo'!) It is certainly the least old of the Basilicas, at least in its present form, having been built in the 18th/19th century after a fire in the previous church. The courtyard which you enter through... Read review

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Advantages: A spiritual and uplifting place
Disadvantages: shops sell loads of plastic icons

...each year.. ~~o0o~~ Having settled in I was invited to join a group of English folk who were also visiting Lourdes with their Roman Catholic Priest, I gladly accepted and followed them in the evening to the Basilica for the torch light procession..... This is one of the sadest sights and yet at the same time one of the most uplifting sights I have ever witnessed, thousands of terminally ill and disabled folk from all over the World lined up in rows in front of the Basilica waiting for the Bishops blessing of the sick, hundreds of more people singing Ave Maria, carrying special candles processing around a pathway , which comes into the Basilica Square and eventually they stop in front of the Basilica but behind the lines of the sick and wait to be addressed by the Bishop before he gave a blessing, it was truly a beautiul and awe inspiring... Read review

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Advantages: incredible history, perspective, free
Disadvantages: whopping great four-lane road built in the middle!

...of their lives.. 10 to train to do it, 10 to perform the tasks involved and then 10 years to train the new girls.. and the Temple where Julius Caesar was stabbed to death on the Ides of March. It is also possible to see the old Basilicas where the commerce was based in the old Roman days, and where the trade and transactions would have been undertaken. In the Basilica Julia and the Basilica Emilia on the other side. At each end of the Forum there is a triumphal Arch. At the 'Colosseum' end, there is Titus' Arch, which looks out onto the Forum and is close to the entrance to the Palatine Hill (which is great too, incidently!), and the other Arch is Septimus Severus' Arch which is the Capitoline Hill end. There are so many wonderful things to see, discover and explore in the Forum, and many water fountains, still using the Roman water systems from... Read review

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Advantages: One of the most beautiful and romantic places and cities in the world!
Disadvantages: The square can sometimes flood, back alley's with poor drainage can smell slightly but this does not affect main aress at all

...Basilica. On this from right to left, the story of St Mark is told in picture paintings. To your left is the main square (trapezoid) and is an impressive site! Surround on 3 sides by columns and the fourth being the front of the basilica, this is breathtaking no matter time of day, year or how busy. By night this is a magical place where live orchestra's play and couples of all ages dance in the low light. A real tear jerking moment in you are deeply in love! If you visit this square, don't miss the opportunity to go inside the Basilica. You may have to queue a little and you cannot take in rucksacks or large bags, but it is all well worth it! I have been in some impressive churches and cathedrals in my time but this takes your breath away. The architecture and art is the finest I have ever witnessed! Take a walk upstairs (they are quite... Read review

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Advantages: History at your fingertips
Disadvantages: Transport isnt great/lack of amenity at site

...by another earthquake in 331 AD), the Christians set up new columns which they dragged from the Roman theatre. The theatre at the site has acapacity of 15,000 and is an amazing specticle on its own, you can sit where a Roman would have sat centuries before. The highlights of Salamis are (tick them off as you walk around) 1. Gymnasium and Baths 2. Theatre 3. Roman Villa 4. Kampanopetra Basilica 5. Ayios Epiphanios Basilica 6. Agora (stone Forum) - meeting and market place 7. Temple of Zeus - Roman period temple 8. Water Resevoir - roman water system inc 50km aqueduct!! It was not till about 674 AD when another Arab invasion brought about the destruction of the entire city that the inhabitants fled to build the medieval town of Famagusta (Magusa) to the south. The archeological site is one of the gems of Cyprus as they are both vast... Read review

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