We thought it would fun to explore another option for turkey however, one that you don’t eat! That’s right, we’re talking about taking a trip to Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey.

Few thrills match the experience of standing on the deck of a Turkish ferry as it sails into the Bosporus (Bosphorus) Strait at sunrise, as the first rays of light strike the domes and spires of Istanbul’s heart-stopping skyline. It’s a magical sight, made even more dramatic by the haunting sound of the muezzin’s call to prayer echoing through streets dotted with colorful cafés, markets and mosques.

The only city in the world sited on two continents, Istanbul blends the cultures of Europe and Asia into a setting as rich and varied as the pattern of any kilim. Water also defines its character: the city stretches along the Bosporus, the channel that links the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and then narrows into the Golden Horn, a fresh-water inlet intersecting the European side of Istanbul.

Several bridges span the Golden Horn, most notably the Galata Bridge. Here a steady parade of cars, donkey-carts, and pedestrians stream between the old city of Stambul to the south and modern Beyoglu to the north.

Immerse yourself in Istanbul’s past by exploring its opulent palaces, mosques, and museums, structures evoking the splendors of the Byzantine, Roman, and Ottoman empires that flourished and fell over 3,000-years.

The old city is home to dazzling architectural gems from those fabled times, including Topkapi and Dolmabahce Palaces, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and Süleymaniye Mosque, which houses a priceless array of treasures.

Istanbul is considered one of the world’s greatest shopping centers. Don’t miss the Grand Bazaar, the planet’s largest covered market, a labyrinth of streets containing more than 4,000 shops that sell everything from leather goods to carpets, from jewelry to meerschaum pipes.

Here bargaining is a fine art that proceeds over tulip-shaped glasses of hot tea. Watch craftsmen at work at the Bazaar of Istanbul Arts. Then visit the Spice Bazaar, a delightful throwback to Ottoman times; here you’ll discover such exotic treats as bee pollen, saffron, and lokum (Turkish delight).

You’ll find the cuisine in Istanbul second to none. Meals usually begin with meze, cold appetizers of an infinite variety, and proceed to a meat or fish course, which you choose either right in the kitchen or from offerings brought to table.

Some of the best fish are found in charming little restaurants along the Bosporus, but the streets around the Kumkapi fish market are also packed with dining spots-as well as a rollicking music-filled scene. After the excitement, revive your senses at an incomparable Turkish bath: the soothing massage, warm suds, and body scrub will soothe you.

A trip to Istanbul will leave you with fond memories. The variety of things to see and do makes Istanbul a destination that truly does have something for everyone.

And though reservations must be purchased locally, you can get a jump on your rail travel around Turkey by getting a Balkan Flexipass. Having a flexipass will allow you to travel throughout Turkey as well as Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia. A pass is a great side-dish for your Turkey travels!

This year’s Hocus Pocus Festival will feature performances by magicians and masters of illusion from Spain, China, France and Argentina. There will even be gala performances and clown workshops as well!

The festival runs from November 25th-29th. Come to Granada and be mystified by illusions beyond your wildest imagination.

You can travel to Granada by train from Barcelona. It’s easiest to board an overnight train to Granada, the train takes about 11 hours. By taking the night train, not only do you save some money by avoiding a night in a hotel, but, you get to where you want to be and arrive relaxed and ready to start the day!

You can use a Eurail Spain Pass to help you explore all of the great destinations Spain has to offer. This pass provides you with unlimited access to the entire national rail network of Spain – a great asset to have with you on your trip to Spain!

For more information on Granada, or traveling in Spain, please visit the Spanish Tourist Office. More details for the Hocus Pocus Festival are available here, however, please be advised that this site is not available in English.

For all of you who attend this amazing festival, we’d love to hear what you think of it, be sure to leave us a comment!

If you’d prefer not to drive in France, a France Rail Pass provides you with unlimited travel on the entire French rail system. With services such as the TGV, trains can take you where you want to go.

It’s best to take the train from Paris to Rouen or Caen. Rouen can be reached by TGV in about an hour and a half. Caen is just over a 2-hour trip by train.

Rouen is the capital of Normandy, and the 5th largest port in France. Victor Hugo once called Rouen “the city of a hundred spires”. Most of these spires were destroyed during WWII. After the war however, crafts and talents from the Middle Ages once again emerged and aided in the reconstruction of the city.

The Rue du Gros-Horloge, in Rouen, is the “street of the Great Clock”. This street is named for the ornate gilt renaissance clock that can be found mounted on the arch. The clock is Rouen’s most popular monument.

Pay a visit to Place du Vieux-Marche, site of Joan of Arc’s execution. She was killed for heresy. Joan was tied to a stake and burned in 1431. Her ashes were gathered and spread in the River Seine. Visitors can pay homage to a monument in her honor, it can be found in the square. Be sure to take note of the bronze cross on the statue, the cross marks the position of St. Joan’s stake.

Don’t miss the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen. This Cathedral has been immortalized through Monet’s paintings. Notre Dame is a gorgeous cathedral which underwent some reconstruction after WWII. Inside this revered house of worship you will find entombed, the heart of Richard the Lion-Hearted. It was given to the cathedral as a token of his affection for the people of Rouen.

Caen is situated on the banks of the Orne. This port city suffered great damage in 1944 during the Invasion of Normandy. About three-quarters of the buildings in Caen were destroyed during the war, 10,000 in total. Today, Caen has been built back up and is a very cosmopolitan city. Be sure to stop by the Caen Memorial, it can be found 10 minutes away from the Pegasus Bridge and a mere fifteen minutes from the landing beaches.

Honfleur, Deauville, and Trouville are some other stops along the Normandy coast that you will want to make.

Honfleur is a quaint and charming port. It is a nice place to stop and have a look around. Many boutiques and galleries can be visited in this city. A perfect setting for an afternoon lunch.

Deauville has been dubbed as Paris’ 21st arrondissement. Located on the Touques River, this very rich and hip city is where Coco Chanel launched her career. Take some time and have a look around the city, once you’ve seen it all, cross the bridge to Trouville.

On the other side of the Touques River you will find Trouville, neighbor to Deauville. This city is much more low-key and less expensive than it’s neighbor. Trouville has more the feel of a fishing port, similar to Honfleur, but containing fewer boutiques and art galleries.

You certainly can’t visit Normandy without making a trip to Mont-St. Michel! This island Abbey is surrounded by massive walls that measure more than half a mile around. The island masterpiece is connected to the shore by a causeway, crowning the rocky islet at the border of Normandy and Brittany, standing 256 feet high. You can explore this amazing island on your own, or check with the local tourist office for guided tours available. If you go, make sure you visit La Mere Poulard. It is a must especially if you are a fan of the omelet! Established in 1888, the omelets made here are tantalizing! They are more like soufflés.

And probably the most sought-after destination in Normandy is of course, the infamous D-Day beaches. Most of us are, in one way or another, related to someone that stood on these beaches in 1944.

Start your tour of the D-Day beaches at Arromanches-Les-Bains. See where the 50th British Division took over.

Move along the coast and arrive at Omaha Beach. This beach is probably the most notable. Still visible today on this beach, is the wreckage from the invasion. Men of the 1st and 29th American Divisions occupied the shores of Omaha Beach. Take a moment to pay tribute to the monument commemorating the heroism of the invaders.

On 173 acres of Omaha Beach you will find the Normandy American Cemetery. Here the ground is filled with Crosses and Stars of David in Lasa marble. The remains of 9,386 American soldiers can be found here. The cemetery is now owned by the United States, it was a gift from the French Nation. You can pay your respects at the cemetery daily, from 9am-5pm.

Continue along the coast until you reach the jagged lime cliffs of Pointe du Hoc. Here you will find a cross honoring a group of American Rangers. These men scaled the cliffs using hooks to get at the gun emplacements (pillboxes). The wounds of the war, here, are more visible than on any other point along the beach.

Just go a bit farther down the coast and you’ll arrive at Utah Beach. This is where the 4th U.S. Infantry Division landed early that morning. They landed just under two miles south of their intended landing destination. The Infantry had cleared the beach by midday, and today on the beach you can find a U.S. monument commemorating their heroism and victory.

The other three beaches involved in Operation Overlord (Normandy Invasion) were Juno Beach, Sword Beach, and Gold Beach. These, along with Omaha and Utah beach, are all found on the shores of the Normandy coastline.

Normandy is rich in history, history that not only remains in US books, but worldwide. If you have not been to this region yet, go today. Don’t let another day go by. Visit the beaches, and see where history was made. Pay homage to those who fought, and those who lost their lives. Though the exact number of those killed during the invasion will never be known, visit Normandy today to pay your respects to all.

Stand on the somber shores where Operation Overlord occurred; open your mind up to places you have only read about in history books. Take a walk through Normandy’s ominous past, then indulge in all the beauty and culture that thrives throughout the region today.

Those Veterans who returned from Normandy after the war have taken trips to the region to see it once more, on better terms. It is a very emotional journey for them, for obvious reasons, yet many find comfort and closure in the visit.

This event is fun for the whole family with music and skiing, there’s something for everyone. So make plans in your schedule to come and watch these Santas battling it out. You’ll get to see them competing in chimney climbing, gingerbread decorating and of course, delivering gifts!

Depending on where you are, the easiest route to go to get to Samnaun is from Zurich. Take a train from Zurich to Landquart. From there hop on another train to Scuol. In Scuol, you can take the bus to Martina, and then continue on to Samnaun. In all, this route will take approximately 4 hours.  The Swiss Travel System is one of the best in the world. Known for its punctuality and frequency, traveling in Switzerland by train is a quite simple and enjoyable.

You can use your Swiss Pass to travel on this entire route. The pass will cover the train and bus portion of this schedule. And don’t forget, if you’re traveling with children between the ages of 6-16, they travel free with a parent, simply request the Swiss Family Card when you are choosing your Swiss Pass.

Attending this championship is a wonderful way to begin the holiday season, which is rapidly approaching! Pretty soon reminders of the season will be all over shopping malls and department stores.

The Santa Claus World Championship begins on, what we in the States call, Black Friday. This is of course, that infamous day after Thanksgiving when stores throw amazing sales on the season’s hottest products, which they typically have extremely limited quantities of, attracting large crowds of anxious shoppers.

This year, wouldn’t you prefer to be watching Santas from around the world battling it out to be the best, over battling traffic on the roads and in stores for the best deals? Tough call, but we think you’d have more fun in Switzerland!

For more information about the Santa Claus World Championship, click here. If you’d like more information about Samnaun, please click here.

Count Dracula is probably the world’s most famous and well-known vampire. Dracula is known to many as a horror film, adapted from the novel by Bram Stoker. However, Stoker had created his story based on a series of stories published throughout Hungary and the Balkans.

Stoker selected Romania as the setting of his book, given it was the birthplace of vampire myths. He chose to model his character after Vlad Dracula from the Transylvania region. He figured in his audience, few knew of him, and those who did, would know of the morbid acts of cruelty committed by him, fitting perfectly into his story.

The story of Dracula, as told by Stoker, has certainly contributed to tourism in Romania, especially to the Transylvania region where you can find Bran Castle, but the country has much to offer aside from Dracula. The striking landscape, rich culture and medieval flair continue to invoke interest in Romania.

A Eurail Romania Pass can help you to explore the folklore, myths and legends that fill this mysteriously wonderful country. Travel from one castle to the next, some will leave you with goosebumps, others with gorgeous views! Romania will be whatever you make of it. It has plenty of scenery to fill your camera’s memory card, it has legends and folklore to fill your travel journals, and above all else, it has welcoming inhabitants who will leave you wanting to come back again and again.

This Halloween, treat yourself to an amazing trip to Romania, the memories created will last much longer than any candied treat! The trick to making your journey truly spectacular is incorporating rail travel into your itinerary. You’ll see so much more than you thought possible. Enjoy!

November 9, 1989. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. I was studying for my High School finals and had the TV on as background noise. All of  sudden, the movie was interrupted for the breaking news that changed the history of Germany and entire Europe.

Only a few weeks earlier I went to Berlin using an overnight train from Stuttgard to Berlin, now no longer an overnight journey due to the ICE High Speed Train. Nothing fancy, a 2nd class couchette cabin which had to be shared with 5 more travelers.

The train ride was not different to other overnight train rides to Italy or France until we reached Hof, the former border crossing between West and East Germany. There, East German border police boarded the train and after the locomotive had been exchanged to a Deutsche Reichsbahn (the former East German Railroad) locomotive the train continued its long non-stop journey through the rail corridor to West Berlin. In the meantime, the police officers inspected our passports and stamped them with the GDR immigration stamp. After that, one police officer was placed at each of the car ends for the remaining trip until we finally reached the check point between East Germany and West Berlin. After a short stop to drop off the agents the train continued to Berlin Zoo, the former main train station of West Berlin.

I experienced similar border crossings between Hungary and Austria or West Germany and Czechoslovakia before but this time it was a lot more emotional considering that this border crossing took place within the same nation.

The trip became even more emotional while in Berlin. As FRG citizens we had free range, could get on all S-Bahn trains, whether they went into East Berlin or other parts of West Berlin. We were able to cross check-points whenever we wanted but were also confronted more often and had literally “hands-on” experiences with the wall. At that point, nobody imagined what will happen just a few weeks later.

On that November evening I told my parents that I will go to Berlin right after my finals were over and one day later I went to the travel agency to make a reservation for a couchette berth.

The second trip to Berlin, was a historical trip as well, without knowing it. Though there were still two Germanys, there was only one or two border patrol agents on the train who quickly looked at our IDs (no more passports were required) and got off the train a few kilometers later in Plauen. The remaining trip was uneventful until the conductor woke us shortly before we reached Berlin Zoo Train Station.

Like before, I was able to cross check-points without being asked what I want or will do in East Berlin and even was able to chip off a small part of the wall as my own little souvenir.

One morning while I was there, I woke up to the news that as of that day, no IDs or border crossing papers were needed any more to travel between both parts of Berlin or Germany. I changed my plans and the first trip that day was by S-Bahn to Alexanderplatz, a wide open place with the tall TV Tower as landmark and a major border crossing point between East and West Berlin. When I arrived there, there were no passport control lines to queue up at, all gates were open and all booths were unstaffed and for the first time we had the feeling to travel within one and the same country.

For somebody who grew up in a divided country and family in both parts of it, a remarkable day which will be never forgotten.

To celebrate stories like Chris’ Rail Europe is offering 20% off a German Rail Pass with Free Berlin City Sighetseeing Tour purchased between October 20 and November 20, 2009.

The city of Berlin is celebrating this remarkable anniversary with many events. If you’re more mature in age, you can recall hearing the words President Ronald Regan spoke on June 12, 1987, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”. The wall was torn down a little over two years later. For those on the younger side, you most likely learned about the Berlin Wall in history class. Regardless of age though, there is no better time than today to visit the amazing city of Berlin.

Now through November 20th, 2009, Rail Europe is giving travelers 20% off the German Rail Pass to celebrate 20 years of freedom and the spirit of traveling freely. Not only will you get 20% off your German Rail Pass, you’ll also receive a Berlin city sightseeing tour, absolutely FREE!

There is much to see and do in Berlin. And the city is easily accessible by train. Get a German Rail Pass and plan day trips to various parts of Germany from Berlin, using high-speed ICE trains, or visit other European cities, some reachable by City Night Line overnight train service. You may also decide to simply stay in Berlin to gain a true appreciation for all this German treasure has to offer.

Embrace Berlin, rich in history, culture and life. Stroll the area where the Berlin Wall once stood, seeing traces of it still today. And witness, in person, how a once-divided city, has emerged into a thriving metropolis, a welcoming destination for travelers from all around the globe.

Budapest is a quaint city, while it has modern flair, you can embrace old-world architecture all around. On the winding streets of Buda you’ll see the reconstructed castle, and many rejuvenated pink and gold Baroque and Renaissance houses. You’ll also find the thermal baths and the remains of the city walls.

In Pest you’ll come across a combination of Art Nouveau, old turrets, museums, the opera house, banks and elegant shops. Buda and Pest are so close, yet provide completely different experiences for travelers.

Then there is Margaret Island, in the middle of the river between Buda and Pest, here you will find a pleasant English-style park with swimming pools and an open air theater.

Everywhere in Budapest you’ll be able to dine like a galloping gourmet at first-rate Hungarian restaurants, while being serenaded by gypsy music. And definitely visit one of the fine coffee houses, serving rich brews and tasty cakes! One thing is for certain, you will never go hungry in Hungary! Foodies travel to Budapest just to sample the fine cuisine. And when you taste the mouth-watering delicacies, you’ll understand why!

You can reach Budapest by taking a direct train from Vienna (approximately 3 hours). Because Budapest is a larger city, rail service is available from other cities as well, but if you happen to be in Vienna, there is direct service at your disposal.

Budapest is well worth the time it takes to get there, and when you walk around this unique city, you’ll be glad you came! For more information on Budapest, click here.

Stockholm is located on the islands between the Baltic Sea and Lake Mälaren, in Sweden. You’ll want to take a boat ride under the bridges of Stockholm, and you’ll think you’re in Venice!

Be adventurous on your trip to Stockholm and indulge in some great excursions, such as the harbor islands or to Lake Mälaren’s Royal Palace of Drottningholm, with its lovely grounds and 18th-century theater. Or visit one of the many museums, there are over 50 in the city!

Delight your palate with the wealth of culinary offerings in Stockholm. For wonderful food and a taste of history too, don’t miss Den Gyldene Freden, an 18th-century Swedish restaurant in Gamla Stan.

To reach Stockholm, you can board a City Night Line overnight train from Venice to Munich (approximately 7.5 hours). From Munich, you can take another City Night Line overnight train to Copenhagen (approximately 15 hours).

From Copenhagen, you can travel direct by train to Stockholm (approximately 5.5 hours).

In all, this rail adventure will take about 28 hours by rail. The great part about this trip is that two rail segments are overnight trains, meaning you can spend the day in Venice and Munich sightseeing before you board the train. Click here to get more information about Stockholm.

The Artesia Day train travels on various routes between France and Italy.  Operating on a high-speed network, the Artesia Day train reduces travel times between popular cities in France and Italy. A ride aboard the Artesia Day train is not one that is easily forgotten! Between the scenery that surrounds you and the pleasant staff on-board, you’ll almost wish you had more time on the train!

But as with most high-speed trains, the benefit of traveling at high speeds is that you can make the most out of your time in your desired destination.

Taking a trip to France or Italy before December 13th? You might want to look into taking the Artesia Day train and experience the thrill of high-speed train travel!