Belfast Travel Guide & Tourist Information

The city of Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. Originally a market town, Belfast quickly developed into an industrial and vibrant city in the nineteenth century. The city remains divided by walls of separation barriers, creating a strong division between Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods. The walls have been placed there in order to reduce violence levels between Protestants and Catholics.Belfast has many attractions to offer visitors to the city and the level of tourism has increased significantly since 2001. A landmark in the area is the Albert Memorial Clock Tower which was built in the early 1960’s following the death of Prince Albert. The tower appears slanted and leans over to one side however; construction work is being carried out to correct this occurrence in order for it to stand vertically.Another historic building that a tourist must visit is Belfast Castle! Built in 1870, the castle is open to the general public and you will find two stylish restaurants within the castle alongside a heritage centre, providing local and historic information. In addition to this, there is also a children’s play area. From the castle you will encounter magnificent views of the entire city and visitors can take long walks that lead to the cliff, formally known as Napoleon’s Nose.If you would like to embark upon beautiful garden landscapes then Botanic Garden is the place to be, situated near Queen’s University. Made in 1827, Botanic Garden is widely known for its Palm House where the iron and glass hothouse is kept which is in direct partnership with the London Kew Garden and the Dublin Botanic Garden as they all share the same designer, Charles Lanyon. Here you will find a range of tropical plants and rose beds and every year there are brass band’s which perform in the summer.Family fun can be enjoyed at Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory, where visitors get the chance to see and understand how candy was originally made. Once you have entered the sweet shop you will be surrounded by candy scents, sights and sounds as the chocolates are all hand made, using recipes that go back hundreds of years. The sweet shop itself, remains in the same condition as it did when it opened over 50 years ago. Visitors can participate in guided tours and are able to sample test the various varieties of candy, making it an enjoyable experience for both adults and children, especially if you have a sweet tooth.For shopping, you can visit Westfield (Castle Court) Shopping Centre located in the heart of the city. The indoor shopping centre houses many popular retail stores including Wallis, Debenhams, Tk Maxx, Quicksilver, Dorothy Perkins, Argos, Bay Trading, Gap, New Look, Miss Selfridge, Vero Moda and many more exciting high street brands. To accompany this are also restaurants such as Subway, Bagel Factory, Starbucks, Juiced, Ben & Jerry’s, BB’s Caf

Belfast Travel Guide & Tourist Information

The city of Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. Originally a market town, Belfast quickly developed into an industrial and vibrant city in the nineteenth century. The city remains divided by walls of separation barriers, creating a strong division between Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods. The walls have been placed there in order to reduce violence levels between Protestants and Catholics.Belfast has many attractions to offer visitors to the city and the level of tourism has increased significantly since 2001. A landmark in the area is the Albert Memorial Clock Tower which was built in the early 1960’s following the death of Prince Albert. The tower appears slanted and leans over to one side however; construction work is being carried out to correct this occurrence in order for it to stand vertically.Another historic building that a tourist must visit is Belfast Castle! Built in 1870, the castle is open to the general public and you will find two stylish restaurants within the castle alongside a heritage centre, providing local and historic information. In addition to this, there is also a children’s play area. From the castle you will encounter magnificent views of the entire city and visitors can take long walks that lead to the cliff, formally known as Napoleon’s Nose.If you would like to embark upon beautiful garden landscapes then Botanic Garden is the place to be, situated near Queen’s University. Made in 1827, Botanic Garden is widely known for its Palm House where the iron and glass hothouse is kept which is in direct partnership with the London Kew Garden and the Dublin Botanic Garden as they all share the same designer, Charles Lanyon. Here you will find a range of tropical plants and rose beds and every year there are brass band’s which perform in the summer.Family fun can be enjoyed at Aunt Sandra’s Candy Factory, where visitors get the chance to see and understand how candy was originally made. Once you have entered the sweet shop you will be surrounded by candy scents, sights and sounds as the chocolates are all hand made, using recipes that go back hundreds of years. The sweet shop itself, remains in the same condition as it did when it opened over 50 years ago. Visitors can participate in guided tours and are able to sample test the various varieties of candy, making it an enjoyable experience for both adults and children, especially if you have a sweet tooth.For shopping, you can visit Westfield (Castle Court) Shopping Centre located in the heart of the city. The indoor shopping centre houses many popular retail stores including Wallis, Debenhams, Tk Maxx, Quicksilver, Dorothy Perkins, Argos, Bay Trading, Gap, New Look, Miss Selfridge, Vero Moda and many more exciting high street brands. To accompany this are also restaurants such as Subway, Bagel Factory, Starbucks, Juiced, Ben & Jerry’s, BB’s Caf

Tourist Guide to Rajasthan, India

Rajasthan is the most sought after travel destination in India, both for Indian travellers as well as those arriving from overseas. The reason for that lies in its unique cultural identity which has been reasonably preserved, and its monuments, the forts, palaces and temples, which are as grand as they ever existed anywhere in the world, and as unique as they would if they belonged to an ancient civilisation.

Rajasthan is also the largest province in India. It has many attractions. To cover them all may take many weeks, so depending upon the time available you need to make your choice. The capital city is Jaipur, a booming city which holds in its heart an old township. As most structures of the old town are pink, so it is also called the ‘Pink city’. The old township is a marvel in town planning. Built in seventeenth century, its roads and sewerage systems are still claimed as better than modern time constructions. Its famous jewels include the ‘Amber Fort’, a twelfth century structure, with a palace inside, and a newly constructed ‘Jaigarh Fort’ with the first indigenous gun factory. Then there is ‘Hawa Mahal’, many palatial hotels and a sprawling market for those looking to indulge in exotic shopping.

The next most famous place in Rajasthan is Jaiselmer, the only Indian city with a desert and sand dunes. It is very popular with foreigners, not the least because of its colourful folk dances which are one of the biggest attractions. The most famous dance is ‘Kaldera’ – a treat to watch even for those with no interest in folk culture.

Other places include Jodhpur, Bikaner, Chiitorgarh, Kota, Ajmer,Bharatpur, Sariska and Sawai Madhopur. All of them have some unique attractions in addition to their monuments and rich history. Rajasthan which was called ‘Rajputana’ was the abode of Rajput princes, famous for their chivalry, and their attachment with honour, in some ways very similar to the Japanese Samurai class. For them, it is said, death was like a game as was life. They ruled large parts of India and their period of glory was between seventh and twelfth century A.D. Unfortunately they were not the greatest strategists, and so in their focus on chivalry and valor, they sometimes could not built great empires.

The best time to visit Rajasthan is between November to March. December and January are cold with temperatures often falling to zero degree Celsius, but days are pleasant and one can have campfires in the night.For those travelling to Rajasthan, a guide is a must as there is so more than meets the eye. To have a feel of the place you need to hear about it.