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Discover medieval Trakai

It is as if a princess could throw open the shutters at any moment and let down her long golden locks outside the window – Trakai Castle would not be out of place in a book of fairy tales. The rest of the medieval town also appeals to the imagination. Trakai is only an hour-and-a-half by car from Vilnius and therefore an excellent destination for a day trip.

Arts & Culture

Thick castle walls surround the fort

Castle on the island

The town of Trakai is surrounded by water on 3 sides: Lake Totoriškių in the west, Lake Luka in the east and Lake Galvė with its 21 islands in the north. The strategic location of the peninsula has attracted numerous groups of people throughout the centuries, but the most memorable inhabitants were the grand dukes, who ran the show in the Middle Ages. The 14th-century grand duke Gediminas made Trakai Lithuania’s capital and his successors built the famous gothic castle as their seat of power. The castle is by far the most popular attraction in Trakai. You can also visit the museum on Lithuanian history and culture within the thick fortress walls. The castle’s inner garden serves as a venue for concerts and national festivals, like the Trakai Medieval Festival each June. The impressive structure with its red towers can be reached from the mainland via 2 footbridges, as well as by sailboat or canoe.

The Karaites

Not only the architecture, but also the people of Trakai have a long and colourful history. Trakai is famous for the Karaites, who originated from Turkish-speaking Jews that made their way to the Crimea from Mesopotamia hundreds of years ago. In the 14th century, they ended up in Trakai at the invitation of grand duke Vytautas, who choose his bodyguards from this ethnic minority. A number of Karaitic families still live in Trakai and traces of their unique culture can still be found, such as the Kenesa, the traditional place of worship of the Karaites. There is also the Kybynlar restaurant, where you can order traditional Karaitic delicacies.

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Arts & Culture

Nightlife

Beach

Water sports

Nature

Active & Outdoor

Culinary

Arts & Culture

Houston and Dallas may be bigger and more famous, but Austin is in fact the capital of Texas. It’s also the least Texan city in Texas. And the weirdest city in the country. This is something its residents take pride in, as evidenced by the Austin motto of Keep Austin Weird! Have a peek inside weird houses or admire a cathedral of junk in a city where there is even a museum devoted entirely to the weird and strange.

Nightlife

When it comes to music, you might be inclined to think New Orleans (jazz), Memphis (rock ‘n’ roll), Chicago (blues) or Nashville (country), but Austin is actually the music capital of the US. The city boasts over 250 music venues, more than any other American city. You can choose from countless live performances and a fantastic music festival every month, such as SXSW. Austin lives and breathes music.

Beach, Water sports, Nature

The airport in Liberia is the gateway to the Province of Guanacaste, the sunniest part of Costa Rica. Thanks to its large number of snow-white buildings and tree-lined streets made of white gravel, the city itself is also referred to as ‘la ciudad blanca’. But, let’s be honest, most visitors who arrive here are primarily interested in white sand. Only a half hour by car from the airport is the fantastic Pacific coast with beaches that are postcard perfect.

Nature

In the Rincón de la Vieja National Park, you can hike, swim in natural hot springs, picnic and camp. The park features a variety of ecosystems around nine craters and 32 rivers with spectacular waterfalls during the rainy season. The diversity of flora and fauna is amazing: look up and chances are you’ll see toucans, sloths and monkeys in the treetops.

Active & Outdoor

Old towns, stunning constructions and wonderful nature: admire all of this and more in THIS IS HOLLAND, a brand-new 5D movie attraction by the producers of De Nieuwe Wildernis (The New Wilderness). It is the perfect introduction to Holland for first-time visitors, but also an interesting surprise for Dutchies who think they know their country inside out. This is a magical 5D experience with smells, colours, images, sounds, rain and shine.

Culinary

Everyone in Sweden knows Småland as the nation’s culinary centre. The region’s cuisine goes above and beyond the famous meatballs: a Michelin-star restaurant serves innovative Swedish haute cuisine, coffee is elevated to an art, and you can visit a lovely castle and pretend to be Lord or Lady of the manor. Here are three suggestions for typically Swedish restaurants in the city of Växjö.

Arts & Culture

Älmhult is the birthplace of renowned botanist Carl Linnaeus and children’s books author Astrid Lindgren, however its most famous ‘offspring’ is IKEA. Life in this southern Swedish town evolves around the blue-and-yellow furniture giant: from the IKEA Hotel and IKEA Museum to the IKEA Bar and IKEA Spa. Welcome to the one and only IKEA Småland – meatballs and ball pit included.