Author: Ashley Dew

1. Dublin has incredible museums that are completely free, 7 days a week. The National Gallery has works by Vermeer, Monet, Picasso and Ireland’s Richard Gorman; The National Museum has 3,000-year-old bodies found in Irish bogs, striking Celtic jewelry collections and it is also where you can visit Michael Collins’ barracks. Dublin Writers Museum has a first edition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Samuel Beckett’s phone among other intriguing items. The Chester Beatty Library is consistently rated as one of Europe’s best museums with its sacred texts and illuminated manuscripts from the world’s great religions and systems of belief. And you can see all of it without spending a dime.
2. Walking from museum to museum, it won’t take you long to notice Dublin’s vibrantly colored front doors, which stand as stunning examples of the city’s Georgian legacy. Georgian architecture was used during the 18^th and 19^th centuries by Ireland’s ruling Protestant class and as a result, carries with it quite a political weight due to Ireland’s complex history of English oppression. The city is home to hundreds of three-story Georgian townhouses, which are typically terraced, with a distinctive arched window frame above the heavy, paneled and brightly colored front door. Inside they have high ornate ceilings, elaborate, marble chimneys and lavishly adorned walls.
3. This architecture can be easily seen around St. Stephen’s Green, and Fitzwilliam and Merrion Squares. No. 29 Fitzwilliam Street offers a glimpse into what life was like for the middle and upper classes in Georgian Dublin. From 1794 Olivia Beatty, the widow of a prominent wine merchant lived there and it is fully decorated today as it would have been during that time.  They offer guided tours four times a day but you can visit anytime between 10am – 5pm if you are interested in just having a look at what Georgian Dublin was like.
4. The last of the great Georgian public buildings erected in Dublin was the General Post Office (GPO), which coincidentally was also the headquarters of the Easter Uprising in 1916, eventually leading to twenty-six counties’ independence from Britain. Except for the outer walls, the building was destroyed by fire during the rebellion and rebuilt in 1929. Today, you can still see the British Army’s bullet holes on the front of the building. The GPO remains a symbol of Irish nationalism and has an incredible museum that illustrates ‘The Uprising’ and how Ireland got its independence back.
5. Directly in front of the GPO, you’ll notice a huge silver spire named, ‘The Spire of Light’. What originally stood there was the city’s most prominent monument called, ‘Nelson’s Pillar’. It had been there since 1809 and nationalists couldn’t stand having a monument saluting a British hero as the center point of their city. There were a few failed bombing attempts throughout the years until a man by the name of Liam Sutcliffe, was ‘successful’. Sutcliffe planted a bomb on March 7, 1966 with a timer to go off in the middle of the night (morning of March 8⁾ so no one would get hurt. It all went as planned and the only hiccup was that a taxicab got a dent in it. The government officially denounced the attack, though it is said that the President at the time, Eamon De Valera, called the Irish newspaper owned by his family, to suggest the light-hearted headline: “British Admiral Leaves Dublin By Air”. The government quickly decided to demolish what was left of the pillar in a massive controlled explosion followed by a deafening roar from celebrating crowds. Nelson’s surviving head can be visited at the Dublin Civic Museum.
   
   Thirty-seven years later Nelson’s pillar was finally replaced with The Spire of Light by way of architectural competition in which, London architect, Ian Ritchie won. Subsequently, most Dubliners like it only slightly more than Nelson’s Pillar and have nicknamed it, ‘The Stiletto in the Ghetto’. In Dublin, public art often collides with cheeky street humor and ‘The Spire’ is definitely no exception.
6. Just on the other side of the Liffey from The Spire is one of Ireland’s academic treasures, Trinity College. Trinity College was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I and modeled after England’s Oxford and Cambridge universities. It is one of the seven ancient universities of Britain and Ireland and it is Ireland’s most prestigious and oldest surviving university. It is consistently ranked as one of the top universities in Europe and is notably strong in the fields of law, humanities and literature. Apart from its strong academics, Trinity College is also known for being home to the Book of Kells, which arrived at the college in 1661 after the Cromwellian raids on religious institutions. The Book of Kells is the world’s most famous medieval manuscript, which is written in Latin and contains the four gospels of the New Testament. It is considered a masterpiece of western calligraphy and is one of the finest examples of insular art. 
   
   The library at Trinity College also houses around seven million printed volumes and significant quantities of manuscripts, including a rare copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic and an iconic 15^th century wooden harp, which is the mascot for the emblem of Ireland (and Guinness).
7. Dublin is one of four UNESCO Cities of Literature in the world, including Edinburgh, Melbourne and Iowa City. It is a city where songwriting, playwriting, prose and poetry are valued and celebrated. The Nobel Prize for Literature has gone to four writers associated with Dublin, including Seamus Heaney, Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw and W.B. Yeats.  Other Dublin writers who are internationally renowned include: Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Jonathan Swift, Bram Stoker, George Bernard Shaw, Lady Gregory, Eugene O’Brien, Eavan Boland, Cardinal Newman, Flann O’Brien, Brendan Behan, and Maeve Binchy, to name but a few.
8. Because there are so many writers from Dublin, almost every street and pub has been featured in a story, novel, or song. The Dublin Literary Pub Crawl is a fun way to experience some of these places by taking you directly to the places the authors have written about. The guides are actors offering literary history during the tour, which lasts roughly two hours. Online tickets are always the safest bet that you’ll get a spot on the tour and they cost €14 per adult.
9. Dublin also has literary festivals where the city’s writers converge to give readings and interviews. Try the Mountains to the Sea Festival (March), the Dublin Writers Festival (June), the International Literature Festival (May), and the Dublin Book Festival (November).
10. Dublin Castle was originally built in 1204 on a site previously settled by the Vikings. After the Norman invasion of Ireland, King John of England commanded that a castle be built with strong walls and good ditches for the defense of the city, the administration of justice and the protection of the King’s treasures. Over the years it has served as a military fortress, a prison, treasury, courts of law and it was the seat of the English and then British Administration in Ireland for 700 years. They offer tours daily with experienced guides that take you from the excavation site of Viking and medieval Dublin to the former State Apartments.
11. If historic jails are your thing, you can put Kilmainham Gaol (jail) on your Dublin to-do list. It opened in 1796 and was involved in some of the most heroic and tragic events in Ireland’s history. It is most widely known for the many Irish revolutionaries and leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising that were imprisoned and executed there on orders of the UK government. Thousands of ordinary men, women and children were also held there for crimes ranging from stealing food to murder. This is also where many of the convicts in Ireland waited to be transported to Australia. They offer guided tours but it is best to book online in advance to guarantee a spot. After learning about all that imprisonment, you might need a cold beer to lift your spirits, so….
12. You already know this but I am going to tell you anyway; you can’t come to Dublin without visiting the Guinness Brewery. You just can’t. Even if you don’t drink beer, the Guinness story is an interesting one and the brewery is housed in an old fermentation plant in downtown Dublin. It is a dramatic story that begins over 250 years ago and the tour takes you through it, starting on the bottom floor of the world’s largest pint glass and it ends seven stories up at the Gravity Bar with panoramic views of Dublin and a complimentary pint. My Southern Baptist grandparents even took a tour and drank a pint with me at the top! It is a lot of fun and definitely worth your time!
13. Ok, after that beer it is time for a little fresh air. The good news is that you’ve got a lot of options. From the brewery you can easily walk to Dublin’s famous shopping street, Grafton Street. Did you ever see the movie, ‘Once’? The picture on the cover was taken on Grafton Street and parts of the movie were also filmed there. It is a pedestrian only street busting at the seams with vitality. The architecture is mostly Victorian in style, dating from the late 19^th/early 20^th century, thought the origins of the street date back to the early 17^th century. And if you’ve got a thing for shoes, Grafton (and Wicklow) Street is where to go! I would start on the southern end of the street next to Trinity College and work your way towards St. Stephen’s Green.
14. St. Stephen’s Green is a little oasis in the middle of the city. This Victorian park is spread out over 22 acres and includes ornamental lakes and beautiful flowers. It was actually Sir A.E. Guinness who initiated the plan to open up the park to the people of Dublin after it served as a private community for the wealthier residents of Dublin for more than a century. Today it is a popular lunchtime spot for locals and children who go to visit their favorite ducks.
15. The other famous swath of green in Dublin is called Phoenix Park and it just happens to be one of the largest urban parks in Europe. Originally formed as a royal hunting park in the 1660s, a large herd of fallow deer still remain to this day. It is open to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and with its many walking and cycling trails, it is a great spot for a plethora of outdoor activities.
16. Dublin has so many great parks, but I would argue that the absolute best one is Croke Park. But unless you are a Gaelic sportsman, you’ll just be a spectator here.  Croke Park is the stadium ‘headquarters’ for Gaelic sports and it has the prodigious capacity of 82,000. The stadium itself is mammoth and the atmosphere there is just as big! Gaelic sports are Ireland’s pride and passion and have the same emphatic fan base as European soccer and American football. The main two Gaelic sports are called hurling and Gaelic football and they are both played on a field twice the size of a typical soccer field.  The season runs from February to September but tours of the stadium run year round. It is an awesome way to spend an afternoon in Dublin because I can tell ya’ – it won’t get more Irish than this!
17. Dublin’s north/south train is called the DART, which consists of one line from Howth and Malahide in northern Dublin all the way to Greystones in County Wicklow. It primarily runs along the coastline of Dublin Bay, which makes for an absolutely stunning ride. It’s a lucky thing that it takes such a scenic path because it moves slower than Christmas, so at least you have plenty of time to take some Instagram-worthy money shots! There are a lot of great stops along the Dart line but two in particular that I would put on your ‘must see list’; Dun Laoghaire and Dalkey.
18. Dun Laoghaire is a port town where all of the ferry boats from England dock. You can stroll along its mile-long pier and watch as the fishing boats and yachts sail quietly in and out of the harbor. If you pay attention to where the fishing boats dock when they come into the harbor, you can walk over and see all the seals in the water waiting to catch some escaping fish. They will actually let you buy fish they’ve brought in for a euro or two so you can feed the seals yourself.
19. Right on the edge of Dun Laoghaire, which you can see from the pier, is the infamous James Joyce Tower, where he spent six nights in 1904 and from which the opening scenes of Ulysses take place. The tower is now a museum (about James Joyce) and like all Dublin museums, admission is free. It is also right here that the infamous 40-Foot is located where Dubliners ‘flush their organs’ by jumping into the bloody cold Irish Sea.
20. Three stops away from Dun Laoghaire is the beautiful seaside town of Dalkey. It’s not a wonder that it is the Beverly Hills of Dublin with its jaw-dropping landscapes and picturesque castles perched on the hillsides. The main street, befittingly called Castle Street, has some great restaurants and local spots, such as Finnegan’s Pub, but the best thing in Dalkey to do is to stop into Select Stores and have Oliver whip you up an incredible smoothie before setting off on foot up to Vico Road. You’ll pass Bono, The Edge and Enya’s house along the way! It is hard to compare scenery in Ireland but the view from the top of Vico Road is definitely at the top of the list.
21. Ok, now that you’ve gotten out of Dublin’s city center, I’d say to just keep on going. This might seem like a strange tip, but there are so many day trips around Dublin that are worth making. You can arrive to all of the following destinations I’ve suggested by bus, but if you are feeling brave I’d advise renting a car (or ‘hiring’ a car as the Irish say). It’s much more fun than taking a bus and gives you so much more freedom. But when I say “brave”, what I really mean is BRAVE because (a) you’ll most likely be driving on a side of the car that is all wrong, and (b) Irish roads are like nothing you’ve ever in your life seen before. 
    
    For starters, their roads were laid out in medieval times and were not designed for vehicles. Still today they are barely wide enough for one car but somehow you’ve got to make room for two cars, one going each direction. You might think there would be a small shoulder on the side of the road to pull off on to allow an oncoming car room to pass, but no. Irish roads don’t have shoulders. They have hedgerows. Hedgerows that are so thick they’re comparable to a brick wall. So should you decide to rent a car, you’ll want to point out to the car rental guy at the beginning that all those scratches down the right side of the car were already there, so the new ones you’ll add to them won’t be noticed. And you should go ahead and sign up for that extra insurance option…
22. Ok, so where to first? Glendalough. It is an enchanted valley south of Dublin in County Wicklow, which makes for an easy day trip. It is also home to one of the most important early medieval monastic settlements in the world, founded in the 6^th century. It was one of Ireland’s great ecclesiastical foundations until the Normans destroyed the monastery and the diocese became united with Dublin. The extensive ruins that remain include several churches, a cemetery and a 30-meter high round tower. They have an incredible visitor center that offers audiovisual shows and guided tours of the site. 
    
    Glendalough’s scenery is so breathtaking that that is where they filmed Braveheart and there are walks through the area where it was filmed. The grounds are covered in an illuminated green moss and the forests are thick with conifers and deciduous oaks. It was actually oak timber from Glendalough that was used to build the second-longest Viking longship ever recorded. Simply put, the area is just stunning and if you are a hiker, it also serves as an ideal base for hikes through the valley and around the glacial lakes. 
    
    Though Glendalough has amazing wildlife and nature, you don’t have to worry about bringing your bear spray or snakebite kit because Ireland has neither bears nor snakes. A somewhat bizarre but total positive is the lack of dangerous animals there altogether. There is nothing that stings, poisons or attacks, apart from nettles. As the legend goes, St. Patrick ran all the snakes out of Ireland, so yet another reason to dye a river green and get sloppy drunk in his honor.
23. After leaving the monastery, I would spend the second half of my day driving through the Wicklow Mountains, which are part of a national park and are completely surreal.   There is one scenic drive in particular that is my favorite: from the Monastery, drive a few minutes to Laragh and take the Military Road (R115) across the mountains through Glencree, the Liffey Head Bog (source of Dublin’s river Liffey), the Sally Gap, and over to the Glenmacnass waterfall.
24. Alternatively you could also take the R759 from near Roundwood to near Blessington and cross the Military Road at the Sally Gap. You’ll have views over Lough Tay and the privately owned Guiness Estate. But to be honest, you can take a right or left from any point in the Wicklow Mountains and your mind will be blown.
25. A perfect way to finish out your day is by stopping at Johnnie Fox’s on your way home. It was established in 1798 and is one of Ireland’s oldest and most famous traditional Irish pubs. The furniture hasn’t changed much since 1798 and dining or drinking there is as if you are hanging out in the living room of a 19^th century rural Irish home. The food is outstanding and the ‘craic’ is even better. No need to worry, Johnnie Fox’s is not a little drug depot in the mountains. Craic is a Gaelic word that basically means ‘fun’ and the Irish certainly know a thing or two about that.
26. Another really cool spot in that neck of the woods is Powerscourt Estate. There is a manor house that sits on 47 acres of formal gardens, complete with secret hollows and magical walks. The Gardens have been continually designed from 1731 onwards and National Geographic has recently voted them the No. 3 garden in the world. About 6 kms away from the estate is Powerscourt Waterfall, which is an ideal location for picnics and nature walks. Both Powerscourt Estate and Powerscourt Waterfall are great for children due to the vast amount of space both offer.
27. On the other side of Dublin, in the Boyne Valley, is one of Ireland’s most treasured gems; the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Newgrange. Built about 3,200 B.C., making it older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza, Newgrange is a passage tomb and ancient temple that is of astrological, spiritual, religious and ceremonial importance. It is a large mound covering over one acre and retained at the base by 97 kerbstones, which are decorated with megalithic art. It has a 62-foot long inner passage that leads to a cruciform chamber and is aligned with the rising sun on the winter solstice. At sunrise from December 19^th -23^rd, a narrow beam of light penetrates a mystifying orifice in the roof at the entrance of the passageway and reaches the floor of the chamber, gradually extending all the way to the other end. On December 21^st, as the sun rises higher, the beam widens within the chamber so that the whole room becomes dramatically illuminated for 17 minutes. It is believed that the purpose of the Stone Age farmers who built Newgrange was to mark the beginning of the New Year and to serve as a powerful symbol of the victory of life over death. It is a mystical place and extremely deserving of your time.
28. I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that you can’t leave Ireland without having some of their mouth watering Irish ‘Brown Bread’. The Irish know how to bake a mean loaf of bread. But let’s be clear, you don’t go to Ireland for the food, you go for the craic. I could talk all day about Irish dairy and Irish brown bread, but the food conversation stops there. With that said, when Irish brown bread and Irish butter meet, time sort of stops for a moment.
29. Having lived in Dublin for three years, the before mentioned attractions would be my focus when visiting the city. With that said, there is a great new app called, ‘Dublin Discovery Trails app’ which takes you on two-hour themed walks and helps you independently explore the city. This is another great way to check Dublin out.

But no matter where you go or what you see, the ‘craic’ will be legendary and you’ll have the time of your life!

1. Go to Marais, Montmartre or the 6^th Arrondissement and get absolutely lost.
2. If you end up in Marais, walk down Rue de Bretagne to the Marché couvert des Enfants Rouges (amazing market) and pick up a bottle of wine and some cheese on your way to the enchanting park of Place des Vosges. This is one of Paris’s hidden gems!
3. If you end up in Montmartre, I’d suggest either taking a 2CV tour of the area, or as I said above, getting intentionally lost. But regardless of which one you choose, afterwards, you have to go find Rue des Abbesses, sit at one of their cafes and soak up the magnificence that surrounds you. I think this is one of the best streets in Paris.
4. The 6^th Arrondissement is on the ‘Left Bank’, which is on the other side of the river from Montmartre and Marais. It is completely charming and known for its café culture, art galleries and revolutionary intellectualism. It was also the hood of Voltaire and Napoleon. Per the advice of one of my Parisian friends when I asked her what I should do while in ‘the Sixth’, she responded, “You should go to the Pantheon and from there, walk to the Jardin Du Luxembourg. Afterwards, take Rue de Vaugirard and turn right on Boulevard Raspail. At the corner of Raspail / Rue de Sèvres, turn right on Rue de Sèvres and you’ll catch a sight of the incredible boutique Hermes. From there you will see the Square Boucicaut behind you and behind that is the Bon Marché. If you continue to take Rue de Sèvres to Rue de Rennes, it will take you to Saint Germain des Prés.” I took her advice and undoubtedly saw some of the best of Paris.
5. On a smaller scale, but worth seeing for its stain glass alone, Saint Germain des Pres is the oldest church in Paris and nestled in one of it’s most iconic neighborhoods. It is also here where the great philosopher René Descartes is buried.    
6. Buy a bottle of wine and walk down the Seine River at night under the sparkling Parisian sky.
7. Père Lachaise is one of the world’s most fascinating cemeteries. It is home to the tombs of Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Molière, Chopin, Oscar Wilde and a host of other famous names. Aside from this, the landscape and architecture of the cemetery makes it an art piece unto itself.
8. Paris is known for its fashion, among other things, which makes shopping at its second-hand shops and vintage markets a total thrill, for women and men alike. Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen and Marché aux puces de la Porte de Vanves are Paris’s best vintage markets and where you can pick up beautiful antiques, name brand fashion, or oil paintings that may have been composed by some old French Master. Also on Sundays in Marais on Boulevard Beaumarchais, you’ll find an incredible street market with charming antiques and vintage clothing. Last time I was there, I bought a beautiful antique brass vase for $10 and it is still my favorite piece at home.
9. I might also suggest a stroll through the gardens of the Palace of Fontainebleau, which is just outside the city.
10. You can also see a show at the Palais Garnier, better known as the Opera of Paris and the setting for The Phantom of the Opera.
11. If you are visiting Paris with someone you enjoy kissing, you can go recreate Robert Doisneau’s Le Baiser de l’Hôtel de Ville (Kiss by the Town Hall) in front of the Hôtel-de-Ville in the 4th arrondissement.

For the more mainstream ventures: 

12. If you want to stay on ‘the beaten path’ while in the city, consider buying The Paris Pass, which allows you free access to the most famous Paris museums and monuments, with a hop on, hop off bus tour included in the price.
13. For incredible views of the city, you can either go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, the Sacré Coeur in Montmartre or Belleville, the hilltop district where Edith Piaf was born. The latter is a great place to have a sundowner.
14. If you’ve eaten one too many baguettes with cheese, you can quickly burn it off by climbing 674 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower. For the not-so-sporty types, you can opt to take the elevator to the top for under €12.50. I would recommend seeing it both during the day and at night when it sparkles!
15. Rent a car or take a 2CV car tour on the Champs Elysees and brave the famous Arc de Triomphe roundabout!
16. Ok, Ok, Ok… let’s talk about the Louvre. I am going to say something that will be deemed sacrilegious, however, noteworthy. The Louvre is considered the world’s greatest museum… but that all depends on what you consider ‘great’. If it is 18^th century paintings of dogs on the hunt, war scenes, or straight-faced portraits of people you’ve never heard of, then the Louvre is for you. You’ll find 783,000 square feet of exactly that. For the rest of you, I’d go take your money shot in front of its famous pyramid by I.M. Pei, and then either hit the pavement and go see PARIS or visit the impressionists (Picasso, Renoir, Monet) at Musee D’Orsay. Yes, I know Mona is inside the Louvre but she is small and surrounded by thick glass and 300 people with flashing cameras, so I am of the opinion that studying a print of her is much more interesting than going to see her at the Louvre. If you are visiting Paris for longer than an extended weekend, going to the Louvre might make sense, but if you only have two or three days, there are so many other things to spend your time doing. If you do decide to go, buy your tickets in advance! The ticket line at the Louvre is something of an anomaly. It may be one of the longest lines I’ve ever seen. If you buy your tickets in advance online, you get to skip the queue and walk right in.
17. Versailles is one of the most well known palaces in the world and the poster child for opulence. It was home to the royal family, political center of France during Louis XIV’s reign and remains to this day completely intact. For these reasons, it has important historical significance in French history. If you enjoy history and are ok with crowds, it is certainly worth seeing. They have an awesome website which contains everything you need to know about its history, opening times, tours, and prices. It would be smart to visit this site and purchase your tickets in advance. Like the Louvre, this will help you avoid lengthy lines.
18. Having lived in Europe for a total of seven years, cathedrals and churches have all started to look the same, so when my husband said he wanted to see Notre Dame I was a bit hesitant. I thought if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. I could not have been more wrong. Notre Dame is mind-blowing. It is the most awe-inspiring, dignified and glorious cathedral I have ever seen. Don’t let the line scare you. It moves fast and worth every minute of the wait.
19. The Sacré-Cœur Basilica is a relatively new (1914), yet popular, landmark in Paris and located at the top of Montmartre, the highest point in the city. This stately church was designed by Paul Abadie and built between 1875 and 1914. What I find more interesting than the church itself is the neighborhood it rests in. Montmartre nurtured the great Parisian artists and writers of the 20^th century, such as Picasso, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Matisse to name a few and today it still gives way to an incredible Bohemian lifestyle. This is also where my favorite street (Rue des Abbesses) is.
20. After breaking one of my heels between two disagreeable cobblestones in Germany a few years back, I quickly realized why no one there wears them. Then I went to Paris, where I walked blindly into the birthplace of Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel, Hermes and Versace wearing my practical German walking boots only to be passed by women in stilettos. This is a city of fashion, so if you are in to discovering the newest wrinkle, you’ve landed in the perfect place. Cutting edge trends and chic Parisian boutiques surround you no matter where in the city you go. With that said, the Louis Vuitton ‘mothership’, called ‘Louis Vuitton Maison Vendôme’, recently redesigned by master architectural auteur Peter Marino, is located in the first arrondissement and whether you have money to spend there or not, you should at least go see this incredible space.
21. After all of this walking around your feet probably need a rest, so it is finally time to nestle into the café culture of Paris. And I do mean ‘nestle’. As it is in Vienna, the Parisian café is a place to sit and stay awhile. You may at first think that Parisian waiters are rude, but unlike the Viennese waiters, they actually aren’t. They are simply professional men (most often men) in a hurry, waiting on tourists that are speaking a cocktail of languages. Unlike many of the waiters in English speaking countries who are waiting tables until they get a ‘real job’, for most French waiters this is their career. So go easy on them. They will be around to help you shortly. My favorite Parisian cafés are on the Rue des Abbesses in Montmartre but you can honestly go anywhere in Paris and find the ‘perfect spot’.
22. The oldest restaurant in France is in ‘the 6^th’ on Rue de l’Ancienne Comédie and is called Procope. It was established in 1686 but still has incredible food, is reasonably priced, and still has the hat that Napoleon left as an IOU, and the table at which Voltaire frequented and drank many of his forty daily cups of coffee.

The region of Hannover is home to fairy tale castles such as, Marienburg Castle, Bückeburg Castle, Hämelschenburg Castle, Bad Pyrmont Castle, Bevern Castle, Fürstenberg Castle and Corvey Castle. Visitors find themselves transported back in time while discovering a wealth of fascinating treasures. They are all home to year-round opulent festivities and markets, which can be found on the websites of each respective castle. All of the castles have belonged to the infamous Guelph family for seven hundred years and still do even today. All these castles bear testimony in stone to courtly intrigue, to the rise and fall of mighty dynasties, to the lives of princesses, rulers, kings and their lovers at the royal courts – and they tell fascinating stories in which great joy and sorrow are closely intertwined in tales that have eternal appeal. In several castles the authentic furnishings have also survived the ravages of the years and they make history come alive more vibrantly than any book could ever do.

The Red Thread is a ‘DIY’ tour that takes you 4,200 meters through the city center to see important architectural, historical and entertaining attractions. You can pick up an informative brochure, which describes all the monuments you pass on your tour from the Tourist Information Office.

A wonderful way to get off the beaten path in Hannover is to take an Eat The World tour in one of Hannover’s four popular neighborhoods. Eat The World was founded in Berlin, but has expanded to many other German cities with the aim of giving people local insight into the life behind the scenes of a city which includes history, architecture, and cuisine. Along the way you stop in three to five different restaurants and sample what the locals eat. Its an amazing concept and totally worth your time!

Sit on the right side of tram 4 or 5 heading north-east from Hannover’s city center for the best view of the mansions along Nienburger Strasse. This will take you through the elegant heart of the university and reveal why Hannover was once said to be “schönste Stadt der Welt” – the most beautiful city in the world.

If you are not tired from walking through castles and fairy tale towns, you can keep going in Europe’s largest urban forest, called the Eilenriede, where you can walk from one edge of Hannover to the other without seeing a building. If that still isn’t enough fresh air for you, you can visit another one of the city’s leafy oases at the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen. It is here that the International Fireworks Competition takes place every year, decorously acquiring an international reputation and drawing visitors from all over the world.

You can also visit Hannover’s maritime wonderland called the Maschsee while you are in town. It is a 190-acre recreational area with a beautiful lake in the middle. You can walk its 6.5 km path around the lake, or opt for yachting, canoeing or pedal boating instead. It hosts one of northern Germany’s biggest events every year called the Maschsee Lake Festival. It is usually in August and has over two million visitors every year that come for its open-air concerts, dances, theatrical performances, as well as its myriad of culinary treats.

Hannover’s castle-like Neues Rathaus or New City Hall was opened in 1913 and sits in the Maschpark on the southern tip of the city center. It is famous for a number of things, one being its diagonal shaped elevator that slopes at an angle of seventeen degrees as it follows the dome to the top. It is here that you can also find four scale models of the city in the Middle Ages, before World War II, after the destruction of The War, and as it stands today.  

Despite WWII bombings, Hannover’s Altstadt (old city) is a charming place to stroll through. It is here that you will find the gothic Marktkirche, the Old City Hall, the Ballhof and the home of Germany’s famous mathematician and philosopher, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.

The Marktkirche, or Market Church, was built in the 14^th century and is considered the southernmost example of North German brick gothic architectural style. It is the main Lutheran church in Hannover and has through its years provoked much interest due to its architectural style, as well as the ancient symbolism it portrays. It has a giant pentagram built on its western tower and a hexagram surrounds the clock tower. Five and six pointed stars were first used by Teutonic pagans and it is no secret that many of the pagan traditions, such as Lower Saxony’s Easter fires are still very much alive in this area today.

The List / Oststadt is a chic neighborhood that has been a residential area in Hannover since the 14^th century. It borders the Eilenriede, Hannover’s urban forest, on one side and the city center on the other, making it a premier location. The buildings in this area were built during ‘Gründerzeit’, an age of industrialization and economic boom in the 19^th century before the stock market crash of 1873. They were built with richly decorated facades in the form of Gothic Revivial, Renaissance Revival, German Renaissance and Baroque Revival. It is a beautiful area of the city to walk through and it gives you a feeling of what they city was like before WWII.

Hannover’s Berggarten is Germany’s oldest botanical garden, dating back to the 17^th century and today houses a world famous orchid collection. It is located on the infamous Herrenhausen property and can be visited along with two other gardens on the magnificent grounds.