1 . Walled Cities Of The World

There are numerous historical walled cities across the world, whose walls date back several centuries. These walls were fortification (碉堡), a necessity throughout medieval eras for defense. They have been preserved as historical monuments and popular tourist attractions in the modern time.

York, England

The city of York is a medieval city situated in the north of England. Historically, the city was ruled by the Romans, Angles, and the Vikings before being incorporated as part of the Kingdom of England in 954. Located in the city are walls built in 71 AD which have been restored and extended with time.

Xi’an, China

The city of Xian is one of the oldest cities in China. It prospered economically as the eastern last station of the Silk Road. The existing walls were originally built in 770 BC and reconstructed in the 14th century under the Ming Dynasty. The walls are well preserved and are a major tourist attraction in the city.

Quebec City, Canada

Quebec City was a colonial (殖民地的) town which was fortified by the settling Europeans. The walls began to be built in 1608 under both British and French regimes (政权). A fort was constructed by the British as an additional defensive measure and remains undamaged to date. The city’s fortifications were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

Mexico City, Mexico

Historically, the City of Mexico gained importance as the Aztec Capital. The Spanish then drove out the Aztecs and rebuilt it as the Spanish Capital. The walls protecting the city were built in 1521. Mexico City is also home to numerous colonial-era buildings which together with the walls are major tourist attractions in the city.

3 . While attractions like the Shard and the London Eye offer excellent perspectives, they’re always busy and ticket prices are steep. But with a little insider knowledge, you can save your pounds and bag your skyline photos without the crowds through accessing the following viewpoints.

London is mostly flat, but if you know where to look there are a few hills that provide natural (and free) high points offering city views with a side order of fresh air.

One of the most central is Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath — at 98m, one of London’s highest natural viewpoints. From here, on a clear day, you can sit on the park bench that featured in movies like Run Fatboy Run and Notes on a Scandal.

Entry fee: free

If you exit left out of Westminster station, battle your way over the bridge and then turn right, past the view of Big Ben and walk along the south side of the Thames, you’ll come to a medieval (中 世纪的) church.

While you might be interested in British garden design, it’s the 14th-Century tower that’s the main attraction for photographers. Climb the 131 steps of the narrow spiral staircase and you’ll emerge onto one of the finest riverside viewpoints in the city — with views across to the Palace of Westminster on the right.

Entry fee: Adult f16, or Tower only 4

If you want to soar over London in a glass pod, the obvious place to go is the London Eye. But a cheaper and crowd-free alternative is to ride the IFS Cloud Cable Car.

The views are impressive at any time, but the Cable Car stays open late, so you can even enjoy magnificent sunsets from the west — facing side or admire the twinkling city lights after dark.

Entry fee: E6 one-way

London has no shortage of rooftop venues (场所) offering knockout cityscape views, so it can be hard to pick just one or two. But for location, angles and a great experience, it doesn’t get much better than Seabird, on the 14th floor of the Hoxton hotel in Southwark with nothing to block views on three sides.

Entry fee: Buy a drink: draught beer costs ₤6.50 or small glass of wine is ₤9; a portion of olives costs ₤5.

4 . The world is full of cheap vacation spots. Here are my favorite cheap places to travel to help you plan your next affordable adventure:

Thailand

Thailand is incredible. It’s also super. affordable. With a tourist trail going back decades, Thailand is the heart of backpacking in Southeast Asia, and you can get by on between $30-35 per day thanks to cheap guesthouses, budget street food (which can be found for as little as $1 !), local buses, and the many cheap and free attractions. However, even at the price, Thailand is still one of the most bargain-friendly destinations in the world and should not be skipped!

Cambodia

It’s affordable and beautiful, and the locals are incredibly hospitable. You can get a private, air-conditioned room for $25, street food for S2-5 and transportation across the entire country for $20-25. If you are spending close to $50 per day, you are living large. Cambodia is cheaper than popular Thailand but just as beautiful and filled with some of the nicest people in the world. Plus, it’s home to the incredible Angkor Wat .

Portugal

It is a country with beautiful beaches, stunning seaside cliffs, delicious food, friendly locals, and historic cities all at bargain prices. Portugal has become a lot more popular and crowded in recent years and Lisbon has become especially expensive as people move there and drive up prices. It’s a great place after all! However, once you get outside of Lisbon, prices are still relatively cheap compared to the rest of Western Europe. Expect to get by on S45-60 per day if you’re a budget backpacker.

Georgia

Georgia has everything 1 need in a destination: it’s cheap, has delicious food and wine, offers incredible hikes and mountain scenery without huge numbers of tourists. You can get by on next to nothing here too, with budget travelers spending as little as $25 per day. Beer is around $2, a week’s worth of groceries costs around $25-30, and most museums and historic sites cost just $2-3.

The giant panda Hua Hua attracted 264,000 visitors to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding,     1     was the second most popular tourist destination in China during the May Day holidays, according to local media reports.

He Hua (nicknamed Hua Hua)     2     (be) three years old soon and has won the hearts of Chinese people due     3     her gentle temperament(性格) and her rare inability to climb trees. She is also     4     (difference) from other giant pandas because of her white fur, rather than the more common beige(米色的) color, and her slightly fat and cute appearance,     5     (make) her highly recognizable.

Hua Hua increased ticket sales, with all 180,000 tickets     6     (sell) out for the first three days of this year’s May Day holidays. There were so many fans     7     the park had to set Hua Hua’s viewing time limit to only three minutes. “We made this trip     8    (special) for Hua Hua,” said a tourist. “We plan to stay at the base all day just to see     9     giant pandas and we plan to continue coming here even tomorrow,” he added.

Panda-related souvenirs such as headbands, dolls, school bags and decorative rings in     10     (store) at the base and in other parts of Chengdu have become popular.

8 . Bike Rental & Guided Tours

Welcome to Amsterdam, welcome to MacBike. You see much more from the seat of a bike! Cycling is the most economical, sustainable and fun way to explore the city, with its beautiful canals, parks, squares and countless lights. You can also bike along lovely landscapes outside of Amsterdam.

Why MacBike

MacBike has been around for almost 30 years and is the biggest bicycle rental company in Amsterdam. With over 2,500 bikes stored in our five rental shops at strategic locations, we make sure there is always a bike available for you. We offer the newest bicycles in a wide variety, including basic bikes with foot brake (刹车), bikes with hand brake and gears (排挡), bikes with child seats, and children’s bikes.

Prices

Guided City Tours

The 2.5-hour tour covers the Gooyer Windmill, the Skinny Bridge, the Rijksmuseum, Heineken Brewery and much more. The tour departs from Dam Square every hour on the hour, starting at 1:00 pm every day. You can buy your ticket in a MacBike shop or book online.

10 . Blue Grotto, Italy

Despite its name, it is actually not a grotto(洞穴)but a sea cave, about 60m long. What makes it one of the most beautiful caves in the world is the blue color, as its name suggests. When you enter inside, you can see it is filled with weird blue light. This color is formed by the unique combination of the rocks, the entrance, the clear water and the whole shape. In fact, you can’t identify where the source of the blue light is.

Son Doong Cave, Vietnam

This is known as the largest cave in the world, not because of its length—in fact, it is just about 5km long. But its size comes from its enormous passages and caves, reaching 200m in height. In addition, there is an underground river, making the cave even more impressive.

Marble Caves, Chile

Located far from any road, the caves are accessible only by boat. This is the most beautiful cave structure in the world, in which crystal clear water is literally lightened by dazzling(使目眩)blue ice walls. A magical, fabulous, unreal and almost unearthly sight! The caves are best seen from September to February and earlier in the morning when the sunlight streams inside.

Reed Flute Cave, China

Its name comes from the reeds beside its entrance that have been used for making flutes(长笛). It is not too long and not too deep-only about 500m in length. What makes this cave more special is the history. It has been known since ancient times. And when you enter inside, you can see a lot of inscriptions(碑文)dating back to medieval times, starting from the times of the Tang Dynasty (around 792 AD).