www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

Sofia – Bulgarias hovedstad

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En svak norsk krone har gjort turer til utlandet noe dyrere for nordmenn. Det fins likevel rimelige alternativer, ifølge Forex banks storbyindeks, skriver dagbladet.no 

Indeksen viser at nordmenn som vil på storbyreise uten å svi av for store beløp, bør reise østover

På storbyindeksen er det tre byer som utmerker seg som de aller billigste reisemålene: Sofia, Warszawa og Bucuresti. 

– Nykommeren Sofia er et spennende weekendreisemål for den kostnadsbevisste. Byen har en rik kulturarv og et prisnivå som er cirka 60 prosent lavere enn det i Norge, sier Kim Olav Svines, filialsjef i Forex bank i en pressemelding.

Også i sommer kunne Forex fortelle at nettopp Bulgaria var det rimeligste landet å legge sommerferien til.

Også flere andre storbyer øst i Europa er å finne blant de rimelige alternativene på lista fra Forex, nemlig Beograd, Sarajevo, Vilnius, Zagreb, Budapest og Riga.

Storbyindeksen tar utgangspunkt i hva det koster å være på ferie i den aktuelle byen, sammenliknet med Oslo, og tar hensyn til forholdet mellom valutakursene, samt prisnivået for vanlige ferieutgifter.

Å reise til våre populære nabohovedsteder, København og Stockholm, er blitt langt dyrere de siste månedene på grunn av en helt annen valutakurs enn den vi er blitt vant til.

Tall fra Norges bank viser at svenske og norske kroner er like mye verdt, mens vi må ut med hele 127,63 kroner for 100 danske.

Antakelig er dette med på å rangere København som dyrere enn Oslo i prisoversikten, sammen med byer som London, New York, Los Angeles og San Francisco – sistnevnte desidert dyrest av alle.

Her spiller nok også valutakursen på amerikanske dollar inn, som i skrivende stund er på 8,4988 kroner pr. dollar, ifølge Norges bank.

– Den som vil besøke USA i høst, bør regne med betydelig høyere priser enn for ett år siden. Dollarens kraftige oppgang i forhold til den norske krona har gjort de amerikanske storbyene betydelig dyrere, sier Kim Olav Svines.

Så gjenstår det å se om DNBs spådommer om rimeligere pund og dollar over nyttår, slår til.

Dagens morgenrapport fra Nordea Markets tyder på noe annet: Der er prognosene en like sterk dollar som i dag i minst ett år fram i tid.

Det samme gjelder britiske pund, mens svensk og dansk krone og også euro kan bli noe rimeligere, tror Nordea.

Saken ble opprinnelig publisert på Dinside: Les her

DE TOLV BILLIGSTE STORBYENE

Kilder: www.dagbladet.no, Forex Bank, Dinside

Ekstern lenke til saken: www.dagbladet.no/2015/09/30/tema/reise/dinside/storbyferie/sofia/41300544

#Albania #Bangkok #Bank #Beograd #BosniaHercegovina #Bucuresti #Budapest #Bulgaria #By #California #Dagbladet #Danmark #Dollar #England #Ferie #HoChiMinhCity #Hovedstad #India #Kroatia #Kroner #KualaLumpur #København #Latvia #Litauen #London #LosAngeles #Malaysia #Mumbai #NewYork #Oslo #Polen #Pund #Reise #Riga #Romania #SanFrancisco #Sarajevo #Serbia #Sofia #Stockholm #Storbritannia #Sverige #Thailand #Tirana #Turisme #Ungarn #USA #Valuta #Vietnam #Vilnius #Warszawa #Zagreb

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

Canberra. Photo credit: wikipedia.org

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From October 30 Canberra will become the first capital city in the world to legalise Uber and similar ride-sharing services with new regulations in place for drivers, www.skynews.com.au reported.

At the same time, it’s easing restrictions and drastically cutting fees for taxis and hire cars. Uber Australia hopes other states follow the route mapped out by the ACT to regulate ride-sharing services.

Other states playing catch-up with Uber already operating in their area have been left ‘looking like a bunch of slack-jawed banjo-playing yokels’, Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm says.

Uber congratulated the ACT government for showing ‘global leadership’. ‘It’s exactly what we’ve been asking for,’ Uber Australia boss David Rohrsheim told AAP on Wednesday.

‘There’s reviews underway across Australia and we hope this sets a good template. ‘The ride-sharing company will start operating in Canberra from October 30, when the first tranche of regulations come into place. Ride-share drivers must have government accreditation, pass criminal and driving history checks and have safety checks done on their cars. They’ll have to be alcohol and drug free, the same as taxi drivers.

A second stage of regulation, starting once legislation is passed, will require ride-share drivers to have compulsory third party and property insurance as well as training. They’ll have to pay $150 each year in licence and accreditation fees, plus charges for vehicle inspections and background checks.

Passengers won’t be allowed to pay cash unless cars are fitted with security cameras. Taxi drivers facing increased competition will see their licence fees halve on October 30 from the $20,000 charged now, and then drop again to $5000 in 2017. Only taxis will be able to pick up people from cab ranks and off the street – all other drivers must arrange pre-booked fares. Mr Rohrsheim said

Uber complied with these regulations already. The ACT government believes its regulations strike a balance between allowing the sharing economy to thrive in Canberra while recognising the pressure it puts on existing taxi drivers and owners. The Victorian government is also preparing a ride-sharing regulatory scheme to address passenger safety, driver and vehicle standards and insurance issues and NSW is also looking at introducing similar rules.

Senator Leyonhjelm said resolving the problem was a serious issue for tourism. And NSW opposition leader Luke Foley wondered on Twitter why his state was lagging behind.

‘If NSW Govt sources quietly claiming Uber will be regulated in next 6 months, why the bizarre public crackdown?’ he said, referring to NSW Roads and Maritime Services suspending the vehicle registrations of 40 UberX drivers this week.

The NRMA has urged all state governments to legalise ride-sharing services, saying Uber is ‘here to stay’.

Source: www.skynews.com.au

#Australia #By #Canberra #Drosje #Ferie #Hovedstad #NewSouthWales #Reise #Taxi #Turisme #Uber #Victoria

#Capital #City #Holiday #Tourism #Travel

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

German tourism agency VisitBerlin is activating in London next week (5-11 October) with a pop-up showcasing the city’s brands and cultural highlights, www.eventmagazine.co.uk reported.

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Skjønnhetskalenderne du fortsatt kan sikre deg

Pop into Berlin will launch in Shoreditch on Bethnal Green Road. A number of events will take place in store, including sessions on ‘How to work in Berlin’ and DJ sets from the likes of Sean Bradford.

A ‘Berlin Night’ – a cultural programme for invited guests – is also on the cards, while participating labels and start-ups will offer their own promotions and event formats such as ‘the smallest disco in the world’.

VisitBerlin hopes the concept will give Londoners the chance to experience the creative potential of Berliners working in design, fashion, furniture, food, lifestyle and technology. Visitors will also be invited to learn about Berlin as a tourist destination.

Brands such as cosmetics company Und Gretel, Mitte’s sustainably brewed craft beer Brlo, and Minimum – Design aus Berlin will all showcase their wares at the store.

The London experience follows the first Pop into Berlin event in Stockholm, which took place on 21-27 September. The concept will travel to Vienna on 2-7 November, Amsterdam on 16-22 November and finally Paris on 7-12 December.

Burkhard Kieker, VisitBerlin’s chief executive, said: “For the first time, we’re taking Berlin brands out on a European tour of our core markets. The pop-up stores will deliver an authentic Berlin feel by showcasing the latest trendy products: a Berlin original that can be experienced locally and taken home.

“But it won’t just be labels and Berlin’s creative side on tour this autumn. Ambassadors from the world of Berlin politics and business will be participating in joint Berlin events designed to promote Berlin and encourage people to visit our city.”

Source: www.eventmagazine.co.uk – external link to this story: www.eventmagazine.co.uk/visitberlin-create-pop-up-german-city-london/brands/article/1366096

#Ambassadør #Amsterdam #Berlin #BethnalGreen #By #Design #DJ #England #Ferie #Frankrike #Hovedstad #Livsstil #London #Mat #Mote #Møbler #Nederland #Paris #Reise #Shoreditch #Stockholm #Storbritannia #Sverige #Teknologi #Turisme #Tyskland #Wien #Øl #Østerrike

#Ambassador #Austria #Beer #Capital #City #Fashion #Food #France #Furniture #Germany #Holiday #Lifestyle #Netherlands #Sweden #Technology #Tourism #Travel #UnitedKingdom #Vienna

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

A recent proposal to increase the tourist tax on coach tours through Rome in 2016 by an eye-popping 500 percent has been met with resistance from the European Tourism Association (ETOA), www.travelpulse.com reported.

The Daily Mail reported the Italian capital’s council has proposed a daily permit increase on coaches from ?200 ($224) to ?1,000 ($1,118) in an effort to reduce congestion near the destination’s most popular tourist attractions, including the Colosseum and the Vatican. 

With Pope Francis declaring 2016 a Jubilee year, the city is anticipating a surge of foreign visitors.

Nonetheless, the ETOA has called the council’s proposal “out of proportion,” noting that a single visitor among a group of 40 people staying in a four-star hotel would have to pay ?33 ($37) per night in local taxes based on the proposed changes.

“It is yet another cost that is making Rome an expensive and unpredictable destination,” the organization said in a statement to the Daily Mail.

The ETOA said that coach tourism should be embraced as a potential solution to the problem, with ETOA CEO Tom Jenkins stressing that coaches are a form of public transportation with environmental benefits. 

“They occupy the road space of two cars with the emissions of four, yet hold up to 57 people,” he told the Daily Mail. 

The group also pointed to past missteps by city officials.

“The assessor has said that this increase is designed to act as a deterrent and force groups to travel on existing public transport to the various sites within the center of Rome, a move that had disastrous consequences in the Jubilee of 2000,” the ETOA stated, referring to the previous Jubilee’s notorious traffic difficulties.

With ETOA member tour operators threatening to scrap their visits to Rome and the potential for jobs and tourism spending to be lost, the organization is calling on the council to ditch the proposal and instead engage with the coach companies in hopes of finding a middle ground with fewer and less severe consequences. 

Source: www.travelpulse.com

#By #Colosseum #Ferie #Frans #Hovedstad #Italia #Pave #PaveFrans #Reise #Roma #Turisme #Vatikanet #Vatikanstaten

#Capital #City #Francis #Holiday #Italy #Pope #PopeFrancis #Rome #Tourism #Travel #Vatican #VaticanCity

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

Montevideo

Uruguay’s Ministry of Tourism put tour guides on public buses, the main form of transportation in the capital, to mark World Tourism Day, which was being celebrated on Sunday, giving residents and visitors alike a different way to look at Montevideo, www.foxnews.com reported.

Professional tour guides regaled riders on Saturday with stories about the history of the capital and its different monuments, neighborhoods and buildings.

The project’s goal is to “get people who regularly ride the bus without looking out the windows to approach the ride like a tourist,” viewing what they are used to “with a different level of interest,” Mary Linich, one of the tour guides, said.

The tour guides shared stories about iconic houses and places, such as the nearly 22-kilometer (13-mile) boulevard that runs around Montevideo’s beaches, Linich said.

“A general look at what a tourist can get to learn about,” Linich said, adding that Montevideo, home to about half of Uruguay’s 3.4 million people, is the main destination of most tourists.

Among the places pointed out by the tour guides was Independence Plaza, dominated by the monument to Jose Gervasio Artigas (1764-1850), Uruguay’s greatest national hero, who is remembered for his role in the River Plate Revolution of 1810.

“People really paid attention and later applauded, so it’s been a good experience,” Linich said, adding that she worked for four hours on five different routes.

The Montevideo city government and public transportation company Uruguay Cutcsa helped develop the project.

#Buss #By #Ferie #Guide #Hovedstad #Montevideo #Reise #Transport #Turisme #Uruguay

#Bus #Capital #City #Holiday #Ministry #Tourism #Travel

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

RIU Hotels & Resorts has chosen the city of Berlin for the début of the first Riu Plaza establishment in Europe: the Riu Plaza Berlin. The new hotel is located in an excellent area on one of the most prominent avenues in the city of Berlin, a short distance from the major embassies and only 350 meters from KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens), the most famous mall in Germany thanks to the wide variety of luxury items and gastronomy it has on offer, the www.rustourismnews.com reported.

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Julekalenderne mannfolk ønsker seg

With the opening of this four star hotel, the hotel chain will expand its line to the European continent after having consolidated Riu Plaza Panama in the Panamanian Capital and Riu Plaza Guadalajara in Mexico, as well as the recent opening of the RiuPlaza Miami Beach.

The Hotel Riu Plaza Berlin characterized by a modern façade and 17 floors, offers 357 rooms, including doubles and suites which combine elegant and contemporary interior decoration with all types of amenities: Internet, flat-screen TV, kettle, minibar and safe-deposit box, among others. In terms of gastronomy, the Riu Plaza Berlin will offer a buffet breakfast, while the à la carte restaurant will open for lunch and dinner. In addition, next to reception is the lobby bar, a takeaway snack area which will be open 24 hours a day.

With respect to business tourism, the Riu Plaza Berlin offers six conference and meeting rooms with the capacity to hold a total of 840 people, ideal for conventions and events. These spaces, which combine style and functionality, will be flexible and capable of adapting to each client’s needs. All of these features will be accompanied by the service for which RIU is known and wireless high-speed Internet access in the rooms and the hotel’s common areas.

The Riu Plaza Berlin won’t be the only opening in the Riu Plaza line in 2015. At the end of the year, the Spanish chain will open its first urban hotel in New York, the Riu Plaza New York Times Square  located in the heart of Manhattan. The newly constructed hotel with 29 floors will have 647 rooms and offer a wide array of gastronomical options. In addition, like the other hotels in the Riu Plaza line, it will offer facilities devoted to business tourism.

#Berlin #By #Ferie #Florida #Guadalajara #Hotell #Hovedstad #Manhattan #Mexico #Miami #NewYork #Panama #Reise #Spania #TimesSquare #Turisme #Tyskland #USA

#Capital #City #Germany #Holiday #Spain #Tourism #Travel

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

The office of the Azerbaijani embassy has been inaugurated in Bratislava, Slovakia, www.azernews.com reported.

The opening ceremony was attended by Slovak officials, including former President Rudolf Shuster, parliamentarians and the representatives of the diplomatic corps.

Speakers at the event included Azerbaijani Ambassador to Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia, Mr.Qalib Israfilov and several Slovak officials.

They hailed the opening of the embassy`s office in Bratislava as a new chapter in the relations between Azerbaijan and Slovakia.

The Slovak Republic recognized the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 1992. Diplomatic relations between two states were established in 1993.

7 bilateral documents have been signed between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Slovak Republic.

#Ambassade #Ambassador #Aserbaidsjan #Bratislava #By #Ferie #Hovedstad #President #Reise #Slovakia #Slovenia #Turisme #Østerrike

#Ambassador #Austria #Azerbaijan #Capital #City #Embassy #Holiday #Tourism #Travel

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

“Sofia is a city of the young, the enterprising, and working people – and we should continue developing it as a city that provides opportunities and outlines new perspectives,” said Yordanka Fandakova, current Mayor of the Bulgarian capital Sofia and mayor nominee of mandate-holder Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB).

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Julekalenderne mannfolk ønsker seg

Yordanka Fundakova

Fandakova presented Friday her governing programme for the 2015-2019 period, FOCUS News Agency reported.

“We have started a process of opening administrative data and I am convinced this will help find innovative solutions to a better urban environment and will stimulate initiatives and entrepreneurship in the city”, Ms Fandakova noted.

She expressed her conviction more publicity and control will guarantee greater security and Investments.

“Sofia has this year entered top 30 of the fastest developing world cities [and] we are in the top 3 of European cities in terms of startup companies. We held yesterday a special meeting with young entrepreneurs in the IT sector and Google representatives expressed their company’s interest in opening a training centre in Sofia, which is another step in support of enterprising young People and for development of the IT sector in our city,” the Mayor remarked.

She announced her team was planning the establishment of new spaces for culture and art in abandoned urban spaces and outside the city centre.

#Borgermester #Bulgaria #By #Ferie #Hovedstad #Ordfører #Reise #Sofia #Turisme

#Capital #City #Holiday #Mayor #Tourism #Travel

Source: Focus Information Agency – www.focus-fen.net

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

Den berømte og populære Michelin-restauranten Noma i København, for tiden rangert som verdens tredje beste (og tidligere den aller beste), legges ned med siste servering 31.desember 2015, skriver Se og Hør.

Men kjøkkensjefen og hjernen bak,  Rene Redzepi, skal gjenåpne Noma som et økologisk gårdsbruk der han vil snu fullstendig opp ned på hva en restaurant og en meny kan være.

Han har funnet en tomt i utkanten av bydelen Christiania i København, og her vil han etablere “nye” Noma som etter planen åpner i løpet av 2017.

#By #Christiania #Danmark #Ferie #Gård #Hovedstad #København #Mat #Michelin #Noma #Reise #Restaurant #SeOgHør #Turisme #Økologisk

www.hovedsteder.blogg.no is a Norway-based blog about the capitals of the world, with a focus on tourism and travel, the environment, diplomatic affairs, lifestyle, culture and entertainment, food and drink. See also our travel blog at www.minbestereise.blogg.no – Contact us at [email protected]

Tirana’s new bunker joins a legion of others which punctuate Albania’s landscape. Photo credit: Vincent W.J. van Gerven Oei / BBC.com

A new bunker being constructed in Albania’s capital city is causing disquiet among some residents, who associate it with the country’s communist past, the BBC.com reports.

The bunker is taking shape in the centre of Tirana, close to the interior ministry, but so far Albania’s left-wing government has remained quiet on why it’s being built, according to the Balkan Insight news website. Some local media reports suggest it’s intended as a tourist attraction or art. The construction bears a striking resemblance to the 700,000 circular bunkers built across Albania during the 40-year rule of dictator Enver Hoxha, who feared attacks from both the Soviet Union and the West.

That history has left some people concerned that the new addition is a reflection of growing nostalgia for the communist era, Balkan Insight says. The opposition Democratic Party has organised protests at the building site to call for construction to be halted, with some protesters trying to remove the structure themselves. Video footage of one protest shows a group of riot police being deployed to protect the site.

While for many Albanians the bunkers are an uncomfortable reminder of the past, several have been converted for modern-day use. Some sites have housed shops, restaurants, and even a music festival. Last year, a huge underground complex close to the capital was opened to the public for the first time, with the government saying it planned to use the space as a museum and for art exhibitions.

Source: www.bbc.com – External link to this news story: www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-34337065

#Albania #By #EnverHoxha #Ferie #Hovedstad #Kommunisme #Kunst #Museum #Reise #SovjetUnionen #Tirana #Turisme

#Art #Capital #City #Communism #Holiday #SovietUnion #Tourism #Travel