For over a decade, entry to the Roman Forum has been free to everyone, and in March of this year, the archaeological officials have decided to start charging everyone for entry to this ancient central area. 

Access to the Forum will be included in the $16 ticket that visitors already pay in order to enter into the nearby Colosseum and Palatine Hill.  The proceeds from the tickets will go towards increasing security, and the restoration of sites such as the Forum and other sites of Rome.

The Forum allows you access to the remains of several key buildings from Roman times, such as the Senate, the basilica which was built by the Emperor Maxentius, temples and many others.  And though the resources and budget is small for the archaeological office, they are working to open up long-closed sites and new exhibitions.  Most of their budget at the time goes towards new discoveries, digs and conservation projects.

Also, March signaled the reopening of the Emperor Augustus’ frescoed palace to the public after decades of restoration.  This palace atop the Palatine will allow you to walk through decorative marvels in the studio, and to view the hall where Augustus received guests, and the rooms in the nearby palace that was built for his wife, Livia.

 The Loire Valley is home to a countless amount of chateaus.  Choosing between the many castles may be quite the task, but it is worth it.  It is recommended to only plan two or three castles in a day, and not to try to cram too many stops within one excursion.  These beautiful fields are crossed by rivers and covered in castles, ranging from the Medieval to the Renaissance.  In Medieval times, many castles were important during the hundred years’ war, when France and England battled throughout the 14th and 15th centuries.  In Renaissance times, palaces were built rather than castles, and were fashionable among the rich and royal.  This area is also home to many good wines.  You will spot many “Degustation” (or “tasting”) signs that will lead you to many wineries.  Many tourist centers will give you information on winery tours and tasting details, and the towns of Vouvray and Chinon have many hospitable family wineries.  It would take forever to name and describe all the chateaus in the Valley, so here is an outline of the 3 most interesting.

 The first is Chenonceau.  This 15-century Renaissance palace arches over the Cher River, and was home to Henry II.  It was femininely designed by Diane de Poiters, mistress of Henry II, and Catherine de Medici, the wife of Henry II.  Diane added the arched bridge that stretched across the river, but after Henry’s death, she was kicked out by Catherine, into the nearby chateau of Chaumont.  Catherine later added a three-story structure atop the bridge, and turned this palace into the popular meeting place to be seen.

 Second is the large Chambord.  This castle is surrounded by a lush park, which is filled with wild deer and bore.  Originally built as a hunting lodge, after Francois I brought in 1,800 workmen over 15 years, it became his weekend retreat.  Many highlights include the second-floor vaulted ceilings, enormous towers on all the corners, 100-foot-tall lantern, 365 fireplaces, and 440 rooms (though only 80 are open to the public), also, if you look, you will see Francois’s signature salamander integrated throughout the castle.  And one of the most noted attractions here is the Leonardo da Vinci designed huge double-spiral staircase.  He spent his last years as part of the king’s court and lived nearby (a museum can be toured in his home in nearby Loire in Amboise).

 And last is the palace of Cheverny.  This hunting palace was built in 1634, and has been in the same family for nearly seven centuries.  The family shows their pride in the palace through its flawless preservation and intimate feel.  The family still lives on the third floor, and it is apparent that hunting is still a large part of their life.  It is easy to see their dedication to hunting by simply visiting their kennel of 70 hounds, or the trophy room, which houses 2,000 stag antlers.

 Portugal, near the end of Europe on its southwestern tip, is a place of beauty and history.  This area is prone to sudden fogs and blustery sea breezes, which just add to the beauty of the plateau, and make this area a top destination for striking beaches in Europe. 

 The 60-mile coastline of Algarve offers beaches that range from calm shallows to thunderous surf.  And mass tourism has just grown yearly since the 1970’s, and the region’s strip shows it with a large group of towering hotels, pizzerias and Irish pubs.

 The Ria de Alvor offers shallows in its blue lagoon.  On the edge of the Ria de Alvor you will find the town of Alvor, where what was once a quaint fishing village, is now a bustling tourist center, full of great restaurants serving the best freshly caught fish, such as bream, bass and cuttlefish.  Her you will see a ride array of people ranging from bathers of the sea to yachtsmen, and old men hunting shellfish at low tide.

 The four-mile crescent of Meia Praia is where you will find a beautiful stretch of white sand curving toward the city of Lagos.  As the port where the Portuguese explorers set out for their first voyages down the coast of Africa, Lagos is full of locals and tourists alike, and where you will find narrow streets filled with youthful, bar-hopping crowds in the summer nights, partly due to the fact it plays host as a base camp for surfing trips in the summer.  But Lagos is not only for the young partying crowd, but is also rich with culture, with a wide spectrum of art galleries and open air concerts, along with beautiful architecture.  The food here is also something to experience, as the Portuguese are known for eating more fish than any other Europeans.  The resorted market hall offers freshly caught seafood from tiny sardines and baby squid to the great silver scabbard fish or large tuna.  Some of the more popular of hotels in Lagos are MarinaClub, The Tivoli, and The Casa da Moura.

 South from Lagos is where you will find Costa d’Oiro, also known as the golden coast.  This string of sandy coves is an ideal spot for romantic sunsets and walks amongst the saltwater caves and unusual rock formations.

 Farther west is the beach at Martinhal, just before Sagres.  Here the coast gets progressively wider, and you will come across this beach, which rises to a mountainous sand dune.  This spot is popular for windsurfers looking for a challenge with the powerful southwesterlies of the area.  And from here you can climb down the steps that are cut into the cliffs to the Praia do Beliche, a wide triangle of pale sand that is sheltered from the wind by the twin capes of Sagres and Saint Vincent.  In Sagres, some of the more popular lodging is Pousada do Infante, or the more rural Monte Velhho Nature Resort or Muxima.

 If you are looking for the more remote and undeveloped beaches of Portugal, travel to the North of Sagres to the coast, where you will also find some of Europe’s Best beaches for surfing.

 The famously beautiful Prague in the Czech Republic has been growing in popularity day by day.  And as a reaction to this growth, many are weary of visiting Prague, worried they won’t be able to grasp the romanticism of the city.  But you need not worry anymore.  There may be large crowds of tourists throughout the city streets in the summer, but you will find Prague is much less crowded in the winter season.  The popular season in Prague is the summer months, mainly March, and the off-season is winter, mainly February.  If you travel here in February you will experience a crowd and tour-free, much more budget-friendly stay.  In the off-season you can avoid the crowds, and the high prices, as hotels are around 60 Euros less in February than in March.  Also, the weather in these months is very similar to the weather in places like New York, with daytime highs in February averaging 36 degrees, and lows averaging 27 degrees.

 In winter you can discover some of the city’s newest attractions before word gets out.  Such as the Meet Factory, which is an industrial building that is currently being turned into artist’ studios by Czech sculptor, David Cerny.  This public gallery, bar and performance space is opening in several stages this winter.  Also, the more historic and classic tourist spots in the town wont be congested as they are in the high seasons.  You can take a walk down historic Nerudova street in Mala Strana without running into tourist groups, or visit Prague Castle and it’s photogenic Novy Svel lane.  Also among popular spots are the Basilica of St. George and Archbishop’s Palace.

You can also go to the popular Gordon Ramsay’s Maze.  This restaurant, which opened in November, is growing very popular since its opening, but is fairly low-key in the off-season with many tables available.  Once here you can delight in their Central European menu that features dishes such as glazed pork belly and spiced lentils.  Also popular is the pan-Asian restaurant, Angel which is just a few steps from the Spanish Synagogue.  Or the pub U Kocoura, found at the bottom of Nerudova.  And a familiar sight for New Yorkers will be the Bars and Book’s Corner Bar and Bistro, which offers cocktails, single malts, fine cigars, snacks, sandwiches and salads.  This bar is found in the Vinohrady neighborhood, east of the city center.

Also throughout winter you can view many operas, ballets and orchestra programs that run in the winter time.  Some of which are:  Prague Winter, which features regular performances almost nightly throughout the season; State Opera, which celebrates its 120th anniversary with a gala concert of Camille Saint-Saens’s “Nuit Persane”; and many others at Prague’s National Theater.

 The hotels will also be less crowded, and will therefore have lower prices.  The new Icon Hotel features 31 stylish rooms and suites with high-tech touches such as Skype phones, iPod docks, and biometric safes that open with a fingerprint.  Also popular is the Mandarin Oriental, which has deals in the off-season such as getting a 3rd night free with a 2 night stay.

 The Czech Republic holds at least 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, even the center of the capital City, Prague, was declared a UNESCO site due to the architectural diversity among its buildings.  Prague’s beauty and history have been drawing visitors to this city for years, and the hotels are growing and advancing to accommodate you even better.

 The Hotel President is located in the heart of the city on the Vltava River.  This hotel is ideal for groups and offers 130 guest rooms along with plenty of meeting space, the hotel can accommodate up to 200 people for meetings.  Though this hotel is perfect for business travelers, it tends to feel more warm and leisurely rather than like your standard business hotel.  High end travelers can splurge and stay in one of the three senior suites.  These suites include a spacious separate living room, beautiful views of Prague Castle, and a large terrace.  Also they offer the presidential suite, which consists of a big bedroom with a king bed, a parlor, kitchenette, three bathrooms and a large terrace, and a Jacuzzi bathtub in the master bathroom.  This room also offers panoramic views of Prague Castle on the Vltava River from the bedroom, the parlor and the terrace.
 
 The Four Seasons Hotel Prague is known for its extensive art collection, which ranges form old lithographs of Prague to extreme Czech modernism.  You will be treated to castle views right from your window when staying in the one-bedroom suites, as most of them have floor-to-ceiling windows that face the west and south.  The living room is separate from the bedroom and consists of a sofa, coffee table, chairs and a writing desk equipped with high speed internet access.  Also included is two TVs and a CD and DVD player, a luxury marble bathroom in the master room.  Found in the master bathroom you will find deep soaking tub, separate glass-enclosed shower and built –in plasma TV, also a guest powder room is located off the living area.  Their one-bedroom superior suite has breathtaking views of the Vltava River, Prague Castle, the Charles Bridge and the Mala Strana neighborhood.  Another perk of the Four Seasons Hotel Prague is their twice named best restaurant in the Czech Republic by Zagat, Allegro Restaurant.  This restaurant offers great views of the river and Prague Castle, and they serve lunch and dinner menus which offer Italian, Mediterranean and Continental Cuisine alongside Bohemian specialties.

 The InterContinental Prague is located in walking distance from the Old Town, the Charles Bridge, the Jewish Quarter and Prague Castle, putting you right in the thick of it.  Through the hotel you can also arrange an “in the know” package, which includes plans such as a private tour of Prague Castle, or a private architectural tour of the city’s most beautiful and famous buildings and monuments.  When it comes to choosing a room, consider the presidential suite on the eighth floor.  This suite offers views of the river and Old Town, and consists of a large living room with a bar, a fully equipped office, a bedroom, kitchenette, private sauna and a Jacuzzi.  They also offer five family suites which offer two king-sized beds, and the Golden Prague Residence, which is a group of 27 apartments adjacent to the hotel.

 If you are looking to spend the day in the city and retire to your room, you can stay at the Centralni Lazne Spa Hotel.  This hotel is located outside Prague on the western part of the Czech Republic, near the German border, and right in the center of the beautiful countryside.  Near here you will also find a large concentration of natural mineral springs.  Centralni Lazne consists of 108 standard rooms, and their spa.  The spa is less like an American spa, and more like a medicinal retreat.  The spa experience includes a visit with an on-premise doctor, who will prescribe treatments besed on a patient’s condition.  Treatments range from healing skin conditions and helping to recuperate after a surgery.

 With the dollar to Euro difference getting worse everyday – nearly two dollars to one euro – traveling to Europe has become more costly than ever.  Here are a few tips for saving money when in England.

 One way is to get around on the Tube (London’s Underground).  You can save time and money when traveling by way of the tube, and can expand your dollar even more by purchasing an Oyster Card.  This is a plastic transit card that costs a small fee and gives you access to discounted rides.  You can store up to 90 euros on the card, and you can reload it as necessary. It can be used on the Tube, trams, buses, DLR, London Overground and some National Rail services in London.  The credit on the card never expires, and you can reload on the internet easily.

 Also, many historic and beautiful museums are free to the public, such as the British Museum, the British Library, the Victoria & Albert, the Science and Natural History museums, the Theatre Museum in Covent Garden.  Also, in many of the art galleries, such as Tate Modern, Tate Britain, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery.  Historic sights, such as Stonehenge are as free as can be to visit, and they are currently making plans to divert the busy road by Stonehenge further from the sight, and they plan to build a new, low-profile visitors center near the attraction.

 And last to save money, is to invest in an English phone card or mobile phone, especially if you plan on making local England calls.  These phones are inexpensive and can be as low as 20 pounds for a phone, which comes complete with a SIM card and minutes. You can also rent a phone, there are many locations where you can rent cell phones, and many airports in Europe have kiosks where you can rent one

 The Netherlands are one of the most broad-minded countries in the world, and Amsterdam is the center where tourists flock for drugs, drinking, and the historic red-light district.  Prostitution, abortion, euthanasia, same-sex marriage, magic mushrooms and soft drugs, like marijuana, have long been legal here.  Though marijuana is technically illegal here, it is sold with official sanction in small amounts in “coffee houses.” 

 But parliament it rallying to clean up this region, feeling that people are fed up with the lazy attitude of the government.  In 2006, parliament stopped coffeehouses from selling alcohol if they sell marijuana, making them choose between the two, and they are now negotiating to have them located at least 250 yards from schools.  And this year a ban on the sale of hallucinogenic mushrooms goes into effect.  Also, in December of last year, Amsterdam’s mayor and City Council announced a plan to weed out brothels and escort services by forcing their owners to apply for permits and by raising the minimum age of prostitutes from 18 to 21.  They don’t want to get rid of the prostitution, but want to cut it significantly.  And if the City Council gets it way, the historic buildings will be resorted to attract hotels and restaurants, and leaving the remaining brothels clustered on just a few streets.

 Lyon, France, lies between two hills, the Fourviere (the “hill of prayer”) and the CroixRousses (the “hill of work”), that are divided by rivers and a peninsula.  This town is second to Paris as a French city when it comes to size and significance.  Though some may forget Lyon when traveling to Europe, the city began pushing for tourism in 1998, when its city center earned UNESCO World Heritage status.  This city is not only popular for its recent standing as a Heritage site, but it offers beautiful architecture, with unknown pasts, museums with rich with history, and fine dining. 

 The largest Roman amphitheater in Gaul still hosts live music and theater on summer nights, and the history comes alive when you walk through the city, among the European architecture that ranges from the Classical to the Renaissance.  You can visit the antique chateaux and the adjoining cinema on the Tue du Premier-Film, where the first film was shot.  And you can go to the Lumiere Museum, which is the previous 1902 home to the Lumiere Brothers who invented the Cinematograph, which was used to shoot that first film.  This museum has much to admire, such as the Art elements and an airy winter garden.  This is where the moving picture was developed.  Or you can visit the Museum of the French Resistance, which is located in the former Gestapo headquarters of Klaus Barbi, and which tells the story of how many ordinary people became the front that sabotages the Nazi occupation.  You can hear the story of silk in Lyon at La Maison des Canuts, or the City Hall, which was built in 1646 and has played host to the G7 Meeting.  Or see the fountain on the Place des Terreaux, located behind the City Hall, and was designed by Frederic Bartholdi only a few years after he built the Statue of Liberty.

 The dining in Lyon is something to be jealous of as well, as local farms produce fresh vegetables and meat and most food prepared by the chefs and cooks in the local kitchens is fresh.  Also, Lyon is just outside the two major wine regions:  the Beaujolais and the Cotes du Rhone.  The nearby Rhone-Alpes are known for their cheeses.  The city houses more than 4,000 eateries, four of which – the Nord, the Sud, the Est and the Ouest - are owned by Chef Paul Bocouse, who prides himself in having reasonable prices for his delicious food.  Also among Lyon’s proudest culinary stops are the Atelier d’Yvonne, the Bistro de Lyon, and Le Cazenove.  Wine tours and walking tours are very popular for this destination.

 Among the many popular honeymoon destinations, Greece offers popular attractions that a couple can embark upon alone, allowing them the privacy and romance their looking for in a honeymoon.  Last year, the country attracted more than a half million American visitors.

 Most who travel to Greece follow the more popular basic itinerary, which consists of two nights in Athens with a tour of the Acropolis, a visit to the great acheaological museum, and another day with a tour of the archaeological sites on the mainland, including Delphi, Corinth, Olympia, Epidaurus and Mycenar, and then they move on to the islands, getting there either by cruise or air or ferry.  And here comes an essential part of staying in Greece; sea travel.  Whether by ferry, cruises, or yachts, traveling by sea is a vital part of fully appreciating Greece.  Cruising is comfortable and ferries bring you close to the local inhabitants, but yachts offer the most intimate exploration of the islands.  Yachts can get into tiny coves and harbors that are so beautiful.  Yachts usually scheduale one meal per day at a port, and most yachts feature kitchens and most crew’s include cooks.

 Almost all travel to Greece begins and ends in Athens, which has went through a complete cleanup and upgrade since the 2004 Olympics, including a new airport, improved roads, a new subway and renovated hotels.  Also, certain downtown streets have been closed off to auto traffic so that people walking can walk from Syntagma Swuare all the way to the Plaka, the Agora and the Acropolis easily.

 We all know that high-end travelers and back-packing college students are all flocking to Europe in the high seasons in summer.  Although this time is so popular because its beauty and convenience with the weather and length of the days, you may want to consider Europe’s off-season.

 When traveling during Europe’s off-season you get to enjoy the beautiful sights and destinations, while avoiding the large numbers of tourists, this results in lower costs (hotels are often hundreds of dollars less during this time) and less waiting.  During this time you can, in confidence, arrive at a European Hotel with no reservation, and get a room, and probably for less than usual.  First you arrive late, and without a reservation, and look to see how many available rooms they have by glancing at how many room keys they have hanging up.  Then you can explain to the receptionist about how you’re a hosteler, student, or artist, and have a budgeted price limit, and you can bargain with them from there.

 Yes it is true there are some drawbacks when traveling to Europe in the off-season.  First, due to the time of year the weather is worse and often cold, windy and drizzly, and the days are shorter with it usually getting dark by 5 p.m.  Also, many sights, while still open in the winter, have shorter hours during this time as they due during the peak-months, so a sight’s hours may go from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the peak season to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the off season, with the falling of dark usually discerning the closing time.  But you can work around these drawbacks, and get the most out of the time you have.  First, try to wake up early and start your day fast.  And second, eat quick meals for breakfast and lunch, you will have time for a large dinner once night falls and your no longer in a rush.  But, as noted earlier, these sights will be less crowded due to the fact its winter, allowing you to really get Europe all to yourself.