Bangkok, home to 6 million people, is a huge city on the Chao Phraya River. The Chao Phraya is a major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial river plain marking the mainland of the country. In Bangkok, the Chao Phraya is a major transportation artery for a vast network of ferries and water taxis, also known as longtails.

One of the best ways to explore the river, old city and the canals is by river ferry. More than 15 boat lines operate on the riverways and canals of the city. The Chao Phraya Express Boat Company serves both local commuters and tourists. It also offers special tourists boats and a weekend river tour boat, as well as making boats available for charter.

From the boat you can see many tourist attractions, like temples, the Grand Palace and the famous floating markets. Among the temples are Wat Kaeo Fa, Wat Hong-rattanaram, Wat Bang Oi Chang and Wat Suwannaram.

There are numerous tours during the day. A dinner tour in the evening gives you the opportunity to dine while watching the lit-up buildings of Bangkok.

Chao Phraya Express Boat
78/24-29 Maharaj Rd.,
Phranakorn, Bangkok 10200
Tel: +66(0) 2623-6001-3, +66(0) 2225-3003, +66(0) 2222-5330
Fax: +66(0) 2225-3002

Although it covers less than 1 sq km in Rome, Vatican City (The Holy See) is a sovereign state Governed by the Pope. Vatican City is the center of Catholicism and this small slice of the city is packed with more history and artwork than most cities in the world. The churches and palaces stand on a foundation that is steeped in history. The center is the St. Peter’s Basilica, with double colonnade and a roundabout at the front and further surrounded by palaces and gardens.

St. Peter’s Basilica is enormous and can hold 60.000 people. The dome is 119m (390 ft) high, designed by Michelangelo. Make the effort to go up to the top, a long climb up 323 steps to the top of the dome, for a spectacular view. Note: A strict dress code is enforced, so have shoulders covered, wear trousers or a not-too-short dress, and take your hats off, women must wear scarves or some thing to cover their heads.

The two main entrances to Vatican City for tourists are the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica. While St. Peter’s Basilica is open all day long, the Vatican Museum entrance does close at 3:30PM on weekdays and 12:20PM on Saturdays, so it is a good idea to first visit the museums and then the church.

Guided tours are provided by the Vatican itself for the cost of 30.00 Euro. These may be requested in advance by fax from one month to one week before the requested tour date, or online from two months before the requested tour date.

The Vatican also launched its own YouTube channel. This channel offers news coverage of the main activities of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI and of relevant Vatican events. The site offers translations in Italian, English, Spanish and German.

Vatican Museums
Full Price: € 14,00
Getting there: Metro: Line A, Direction Anagnina, Station San Giovanni
Open Monday to Saturday (except feast days). Guided Tours leave at the following hours: (9-10-11-12 am).

Take in the atmosphere and architectural gems as you stroll around this beautiful city. Rome is famous for its Historic Center and stands today as the capital of Italy and a major tourist destination, its historic centre is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Palaces, beautiful buildings, churches and temples are the setting for dolce vita, the unmistakable feeling of “The Sweet Life”.

Churches, monasteries, houses, squares, museums, even to visit only the main attractions of the city a few months are necessary. Thats why we have made a Top 10 list of things to do in Rome.

As the centre of the Christian world, rome has has more than 900 churches and basilicas. The city also has notable galleries like the Galleria Borghese, the Palazzo Doria Pamphili and Palazzo Barberini (National Gallery of Antique Art).

The Roman ruins range from the remains of the imperial palaces on Palatine Hill and the temples in the forum to the Pantheon, the Baths of Diocletian and the Colosseum.

A visit to the Van Gogh Museum is a unique experience. The museum contains the largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh in the world. It provides the opportunity to keep track of the artist’s developments, or compare his paintings to works by other artists from the 19th century in the collection. The museum also holds an extensive offer of exhibitions on various subjects from 19th century art history. The van Gogh Museum is listed at our Top 10 things to do in Amsterdam.

The museum consists of two buildings, the main building designed by Gerrit Rietveld and the Exibition Wing designed by Kisho Kurokawa. The museum exhibits more than 200 paintings, 437 drawings and 31 prints including The Yellow House, Sunflowers and the White Orchard.

If you would like to book a guided tour, you can contact the cultural organisation bureau ARTTRA (T +31 (0)20 625 93 03 or www.arttra.nl). Arttra provides guided tours by art historians as well as by contemporary artists.
Anyone can show people round the Van Gogh Museum. Making reservations is not required, but the groups are not to consist of more than 15 people. The permanent collection in the Rietveld building is open to groups from September up to the end of May, with the exception of the busy weekends during Easter, Whitsuntide, Ascension, and Christmas. During June, July, and August guided tours of the Van Gogh collection are not permitted.

The exhibition wing is open to guides the entire year round.

The audio tour for the permanent collection is available for € 5 in the following languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Mandarin. Group reservations should be be made in advance, as of 15 persons (T +31 (0)20 673 68 24). Group price is € 4,50 p.p. for groups of more than 20 persons.

Van Gogh Museum
Address: The Van Gogh Museum is on Museumplein in Amsterdam, between the Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk Museum. The museum entrance is at Paulus Potterstraat 7 (see the map below for exact location).
Opening hours: Museum – daily 10.00 to 18.00, Friday 10.00 to 22.00. Ticket office – daily 10.00 to 17.30, Friday to 21.30
Admission fees:
Adults: € 12.50
13-17 years: € 2.50
0-12 years: free admission
Members of ICOM: free admission
I amsterdam Card holders: free admission

Notre Dame is a Gothic masterpiece on the Ile de la Cité in the Seine. The Île de la Cité is formed by two meanders of the Seine, it was the centre of ancient Lutetium, medieval Paris and the contemporary capital.The building itself was founded in 1160 by the bishop of Paris, Maurice de sully, and it took almost 200 years to complete.

The glory of the Cathedral is its facade. There are three entrances: to the right is the Portal of St.Anne which features the Virgin and Child, the central portal depicts the last judgement and to the left is the portal of the Virgin. The Notre-Dame tower visit is a trip through all of the upper parts of the western façade, dating from the 13th century, where you can contemplate the gargoyles and chimera built by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century and the 17th century Emmanuel Bell. 387 Steps (there isn’t an elevator) to the top of the South Tower. It’s best to be in good shape !

Notre Dame
Opening hours: Open every day of the year from 8:00 am to 6:45 pm (7:15 pm on Saturdays and Sundays).
Admission: Free of charge ever day of the year, during the opening hours.
Get there by Metro: Ligne 4 Station Cité or Saint-Michel, Ligne 1, 11 Station Hôtel de Ville, Ligne 10 Station Maubert-Mutualité or Cluny – La Sorbonne, Lignes 7, 11 et 14 Station Châtelet

Downstream from the Pont Neuf is the Louvre, a former royal palace. At one time the world’s largest palace, currently the world’s largest museum. It’s a classical grand building that stretches for about 1 km between the Seine and the rue de rivoli.

The Louvre is home to the Mona Lisa, you can find it in the Denon wing. The work is owned by the Government of France and is perhaps the most famous and iconic painting in the world. The painting is a half-length portrait and depicts a woman whose expression is often described as enigmatic.

The Museum houses some 400.000 items. The collections are divided into eight sections: Greek, Egyptian antiquities, Oriental antiquities, Islamic art, Etruscan and Roman antiquities, paintings, sculptures, graphic arts and objects d’art.

The Louvre
Opening hours: Open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (rooms begin closing at 5:30) every day except Tuesday and the following holidays: January 1st, May 1st and December 25, 2009.
Admission fee:
Tickets for the Permanent Collections: between EUR 6,- and EUR 9,-
Tickets for Exhibitions in the Hall Napoléon: EUR 11,-
Combined Ticket: between EUR 11,- and EUR 14,-
Getting to the Louvre:
Métro: Palais-Royal–Musée du Louvre station.
Bus: The following bus lines stop in front of the Pyramid: 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95, and the Paris Open Tour bus.
Car: An underground parking garage is available for those coming by car. The entrance is located on avenue du Général Lemonnier. It is open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Plan of the Louvre (PDF)

The Statue of Liberty is a creative masterpiece. This monument welcomed immigrants to the entrance of the port of New York. This statue, also a UNESCO World Heritage site, for freedom was a gift from France for the centenary commemoration of American independence. We also listed this site at our Top 10 things to do in New York city.

The construction of this masterpiece is seen as one of the greatest technical achievements of the 19th century. The statue was unveiled on October 28, 1886 and represents a woman holding a book and a torch. The monument stands on Liberty Island and is about 46 meter high.

Access to the crown is limited and reservations are the only way to obtain crown tickets.

Crown reservations: may be made through the Statue Cruises Web site at www.statuecruises.com or by phone at 877- LADY-TIX (877-523-9849). Crown tickets may be reserved up to 1 year in advance.

Visitor Advisory: The elevator at Liberty Island will be out of service for an extended period of time. The only way to reach the Statue’s Crown is to climb 354 steps.

Admission: Crown tickets cost $3 each. That cost will be combined with and in addition to reserved ferry tickets, which are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for children.

Phone (info): (212) 363-3200

The Grand Place in Brussels is a square with a remarkable wall of public and public buildings. Most of the buildings dating from the late 17th century, in the evening, surrounded by bright lumination, it is simply ravishing. Some evenings a music and light show is provided with the buildings serving as a canvas. This square is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of our top 10 things to see in Brussels.

The rectangular base of the current Grand Place is a result from modifications over the centuries.

Brussels Town Hall is located in the middle of the Grand Place. Both the inside and the outside of this magnificent construction from 1402 are worthwhile. The facade shows off Gothic intricacy at its best. This building is decorated with sculptures, like the drunken monks, a sleeping Moor and his harem, and St. Michael slaying a female devil.

The Town Hall
Location:
Grand-Place – Grote Markt
1000 Brussels
tel: 32(0)22794365

Admission:
2,48 € (Euro) per person
1,98 € (Euro) per person for groups of minimum 12 persons

Victor, Baron Horta was a Belgian architect and designer. Horta is one of the most important names in Art Nouveau architecture. His town houses in Brussels have been designated as World Heritage sites. It’s also one of our top 10 things to do in Brussels.

Horta’s buildings brilliantly display the transition from the 19th to the 20th century in art, society and thinking. Of the four houses, Hotel Solvay is best preserved, the interior is still intact and it’s facilities are still functioning.

Its 4 town houses and his studio are among the most remarkable architectural pioneering works from the late 19th century. The stylistic revolution represented by these works, characterized by their open design, the use of light and brilliant unity of curved lines of decoration and structure of the building.

Horta Museum
25, rue Américaine
1060 Bruxelles (Saint-Gilles)

Tel.: + 32 2 543 04 90
Fax: +32 2 538 76 31

Entrance fee:
Standard: 7.00 euros
Students and seniors: 3.50 euros
Primary and secondary schools: 2.50 euros

Public transportation:
trams : 81, 91, 92, 97 (place Janson), bus 54.