Saturday, July 18, 2015

CombatCritic Q&A: Florence 1-Day Itinerary Feedback Please?

CombatCritic Q&A
One-Day Itinerary Feedback

Fairywren61 from Perth, Australia wrote:

Jul 18, 2015, 3:36 AM
We are staying in a villa between Florence and sienna and are travelling into Florence for the day. We want to enjoy the day and not be rushed, we enjoy walking and looking but also taking in some main areas. Here is my initial itinerary: 
San Lorenzo Market 
Piazza del Duomo (Climb to the top… possibly do the bell tower and baptistery 
Vivoli Gelato - Gelato 
Piazza Santa Croce – Eat Gelato here on stone benches, free entertainment and buskers 
Uffizi Gallery - undecided on this, not sure if we will be to rushed to really enjoy it 
Ponte Vecchio 
Any feed back would be appreciated.
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Well, Fairywren, here are my two cents worth:

San Lorenzo Market 

- The actual Mercato di San Lorenzo (the building) has dozens of food stalls, butchers, and other vendors, so you should at least see it, but the main reason to go there is to buy food. The streets around the nearby Basilica di San Lorenzo are filled with outdoor stalls selling Chinese (leather goods, "Murano" glass, etc) knock-offs if that's what you are interested in. If you want to see a "real" market, I recommend Mercato San'Ambrogio east of the center and just northeast of Basilica di Santa Croce and its wonderful piazza which has now returned to its previous, uncluttered glory.

Piazza del Duomo (Climb to the top… possibly do the bell tower and baptistery 

- Climb away if your heart is up for it (463 steps to the top of the dome), but you will get better views from Piazzale Michelangelo, a short taxi or bus ride away ... AND IT'S FREE! Instead, I would recommend visiting the cathedral (Duomo) itself which is also free. The entrance is through the north door of the front of the massive building with the line hugging the north side. The painting of the Apostles by Giorgo Vasari (16th C) on the inside of the dome with their legs dangling over the sides is one of my favorite frescoes in the world. Tickets are only needed to see the tower, dome, and the excavations below the Duomo.

Vivoli Gelato - Gelato 

- If you like expensive gelato, by all means!

Piazza Santa Croce – Eat Gelato here on stone benches, free entertainment and buskers

- I would recommend getting a gelato at half the price of places like Vivoli at Gelateria Il Gallo Ghiottone after having a cheap lunch at nearby Mercato San'Ambrogio's small restaurant, then strolling to Santa Croce (5 minute walk). I'm not sure what entertainment or "buskers" you are referring to as I have spent a fair amount of time in Piazza Santa Croce and was never entertained other than by the droves of tourists. And there are a couple benches in the piazza, but good luck finding a seat. Sit on the steps of Santa Croce, taking-in the square and the tourists, but not during mid-day when the sun bakes the steps and anybody near them.

Uffizi Gallery - undecided on this, not sure if we will be to rushed to really enjoy it

- The Uffizi should not be missed if you are an art lover, particularly if you love Renaissance art, but you will need 2-3 hours at the very minimum.

Ponte Vecchio

- Don't miss it and snap a few photos, but if you are buying jewelry, be prepared to spend more than you need to.

Buon Viaggio!

CombatCritic



Title: CombatCritic Q&A: Florence 1-Day Itinerary Feedback Please?

Key Words: ComabtCritic, question and answer, question, answer, Florence, Firenze, itinerary, piazza, santa, croce, duomo, Michelangelo, piazzale, one, day, 1-day, ponte, vecchio, Uffizi, Accademia

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

CombatCritic Q&A: Should I be concerned about the ticket I purchased on JustFly.com?

  1. Hello, have you had the opportunity to use this ticket yet? Many negative posts making me most concerned about my ticket.
  2. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you John, but Blogger does not notify me when I have new comments.

    There are no problems with the tickets. You get what you pay for, but my concerns were strictly with the website interface and lack of options available. In this case, we saved a couple hundred dollars by using Justfly.com, so it was worth the inconvenience of having to visit two airline websites (Brussels Airlines to and Lufthansa from Europe) to enter frequent flyer information, choose seats, and otherwise manage the reservations. I recommend comparing the lowest fares on JustFly to those found on Kayak.com and other consolidator websites (where you can store your frequent flyer numbers and preferences) before making a decision.

    I would not be concerned about your ticket.

    Thanks for the great question!
  3. Title: CombatCritic Q&A: Should I be concerned about the ticket I purchased on JustFly.com?
  4. Key Words: question and answer, question, answer, CombatCritic, TravelValue, JustFly.com, JustFly, airline, ticket, reservation, consolidator, website, online, review

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Solo Female Has Doubts And Questions About Traveling To McLeod Ganj

Hey there,

Want to visit Mcloedganj and Dharamshala solo. i have some doubts.

1. which place is more appropriate to stay ? Mcleodganj and Dharamshala ?

2. Does your hotel provide taxi or cab facility to roam around the city or to go tourist attractions.

3. Is it safe to travel alone?

4. Any other thing i need to cautious about ?

Thanks.

Nehadixit, New Delhi, India


Sunday, December 14, 2014

CombatCritic Q&A: Hill Top Swiss Cottage (Rishikesh)

Hill top Swiss cottage, rishikesh
Has anyone stayed at Hill Top Swiss Cottage? We are staying there for the whole of March 2015. I am wondering what the access is like as it looks very high up.

Helen T. (Nottingham, England, UK)


CombatCritic Q&A: Dehradun Airport to Rishakesh (Transportation)

Dehradun to Rishakesh
29 November 2014, 15:59

Hi,

Can someone tell me the best way to get to Rishikesh from Dehradun airport & approximately cost? Is it easy to share rides?

I'm arriving approx 7pm.

Thanks in advance,

Josie

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15 December 2014, 09:38

Josie,

I took a bus from Dehradun to Rishikesh just two days ago for 50 rupees that stopped at the airport on the way. Pay 700 rupees to the taxi touts giving advice if you like, but there are other much more reasonable options if price is a concern. 

I'll be posting (free and objective) reviews on my blog http://www.CombatCritic.com if interested. 

Good luck!

Chris S.
aka CombatCritic

You can read reviews of hotels, restaurants, and attractions on my blog and watch videos orienting you to McLeod Ganj on my YouTube channel, so feel free to contact me for details.

Key Words: asana, ashram, ashrams, bus, buses, cab, CombatCritic. TravelValue, Dehradun, dehredun, Ganga, Ganges, India, meditation, rishakesh, Rishikesh, river, taxi, transportation, yoga,