An Amsterdam canal with boats and historic waterfront buildings — Photo: Airam Dato-on / Pexels

TRAVEL NOTES

The details make the difference.

Planning a city break or a day at a famous sight? Find advice on getting around, what to bring and the details worth checking before you go.

Start planning

Before you go

Guides for every destination →

Earthen bastions and crenellated walls of Itchan Kala in Khiva against a blue sky

Walking route · Khiva

Itchan Kala’s walls and gates: a shorter Khiva walk

See Khiva’s earthen walls from the west-gate approach, choose a northern public-street segment and return towards Kunya Ark. Keep rampart access optional and let heat, wind and paving decide the length.

Turquoise tile bands of Kalta Minor beside the entrance portal of Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasah in Khiva

Architecture · Khiva

Kalta Minor and Khiva’s west gate: a closer look at the tiles

Start at Ota Darvoza, compare the tile bands of Kalta Minor with Muhammad Amin Khan Madrasah, then make Kunya Ark or Juma Mosque an optional extension. Leave time for a meal with a view.

Bennettsbridge and the River Nore in County Kilkenny

Day trip · Kilkenny

Bennettsbridge from Kilkenny: pottery, river views and lunch

Visit Bennettsbridge for its River Nore bridge, working pottery and a café in an old mill. Treat it as a village outing south of Kilkenny, with an optional local walk rather than a compulsory long hike.

Bridges over the River Nore in central Kilkenny

First visit · Kilkenny

A first weekend in Kilkenny: castle, Medieval Mile and merchant house

Keep Kilkenny’s castle and park for day one, then follow the Medieval Mile towards Rothe House and St Canice’s on day two. Choosing one main interior each day leaves room for the narrow streets, a castle-yard lunch and a short River Nore pause.

Kells Priory’s enclosed ruins in County Kilkenny

Day trip · Kilkenny

Kells Priory from Kilkenny: towers, ruins and current access

Kells Priory is a separate countryside outing south of Kilkenny, with enclosed ruins and tower houses. Its current access notice matters: the on-site guide service has ended for 2026, so plan a self-guided visit.

A visitor walking towards Kilkenny Castle

Attraction visit · Kilkenny

Kilkenny Castle: rooms, park and the ticket to choose

Kilkenny Castle offers a furnished interior, guided and self-guided visits, and parkland that can form a shorter outing of its own. Choose which part matters to you before booking, then leave time for the Castle Yard rather than rushing straight to the next historical site.

Kilkenny Castle, its gardens and the surrounding city

Walking route · Kilkenny

Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile: castle to Rothe House and St Canice’s

Use Kilkenny’s Medieval Mile as a route through the city rather than an instruction to enter every building. Begin at the castle, follow the central streets to Parliament Street and finish at St Canice’s, choosing one interior stop that matches your interests.

Wawel hill’s Castle and Cathedral above Kraków’s surrounding rooftops

First visit · Kraków

A first Kraków weekend: market streets, Wawel and room to pause

Give the Main Market Square and Old Town one day, then choose a Castle or Cathedral visit on Wawel hill. Leave room for a researched meal, seasonal restrictions and shorter weather alternatives.

St Mary’s Basilica towers seen along a Kraków Old Town street behind a historic lamp

Neighbourhood walks · Kraków

Kraków’s Main Market Square: Cloth Hall, towers and a useful meal stop

Use the Cloth Hall, St Mary’s towers and the Town Hall Tower to shape a focused market-square outing. Keep optional interiors separate and allow a researched meal near the western Old Town edge.

St Florian’s Gate at the end of Floriańska Street in Kraków at night

Neighbourhood walks · Kraków

Kraków’s Royal Road: St Florian’s Gate, the market and Grodzka

Follow actual Royal Road anchors through the Old Town, with a shorter version and an optional Wawel finish. Allow time for the square and a researched meal rather than treating the route as a race.