Top places to visit
EUROPE is a good destination to visit in June, especially in the north where Scandinavian countries enjoy lake- land parties, neverending days and some of the best fishing spots in the world.
Accommodation tends to be a bit cheaper than during the real high season, too. Elsewhere, the continent’s “boot”, Italy, possesses cultural pearls ready to be plucked before the tourist season gets into full swing. Here, Insight Vacations selects some of the favourite locations for travellers wondering where to visit in June.
Iceland Natural wonders of Iceland:
A country with “ice” in its name rarely leaps to the top of summer destination lists, but don’t let that fool you. Dotted with geysers, including the highly active “golden circle” – which contains the 30m- high Strokkur – you can cook eggs on many, and bake bread in the ground, too. Other wonders include Gullfoss, a Nordic Niagara Falls, and Skaftafell, a preservation area renowned for its warm climate. No trip is complete without a visit to Blue Lagoon, an all- natural spa where health- seekers can daub themselves with silica mud and emerge feeling years younger. Prices start from US$ 3,525 ( RM14,627) per person twin share.
Madrid Spain and Portugal in style:
The capital of Spain is full of sites for the avaricious culture vulture. From the Plaza de España, featuring a statue of Cervantes, to the Plaza de Cibeles, with its own riot of marble, Madrid is hardly short on symbolic monuments or neoclassical frippery. Nearby, the Prado is undoubtedly still one of the world’s greatest art galleries.
With works by Goya, Velasquez, El Greco, Titian and Bosch, it’s perhaps as gorgeous on the inside as the Royal Palace of Madrid is on the outside. And if all that sightseeing leaves you hungry, Albora – a restaurant seamlessly blending traditional and contemporary cuisine – is an epicurean delight, deserving all the rave reviews it receives.
Prices start from US$ 2,825 ( RM11,723) per person twin share.
Switzerland Majestic Switzerland:
Most people conjure visions of snowcapped mountains and ski slopes when they think of the landlocked cantons of Switzerland. But winter visitors are missing out on the parts of the country that emerge when the sun’s out. Whether you decide to visit historic castles, like Chillon – one of the House of Savoy’s main fortifications, and a favourite of Lord Byron’s – or take a long and languid boat trip across the brilliantly blue lakes, Switzerland does not lose its lustre when it loses its snow.
Among the summer favourites, the lake town of Lucerne is a particular draw, mixing Teutonic grandeur with Renaissance flair in a hallowed time capsule. Prices start from US$ 2,750 ( RM11,412) per person twin share.
Italy Ultimate Italy:
As temperatures rise most of us would trade places with the person sitting in the shade of an Italian piazza, with a bottle of red or dinky espresso, having just seen some of the world’s greatest art. It’s a nation of nations too, with every sort of terrain at the traveller’s beck and call: for metropolitan grandeur there’s Rome; for history, Pompeii; for green hills, Umbria and for glamorous coastline, the Cinque Terre.
Perhaps, the greatest testimony to the boot of Europe’s success is the sheer scale of return traffic the country attracts. Not that it’s any real surprise given the standard of villas, museums, hotels and island retreats la bella nazione contains. Prices start from US$ 2,350 ( RM9,752) per person twin share.
In conjunction with MATTA Fair, you can enjoy savings up to 40% off the second traveller exclusively for Visa Cardholders plus a complimentary Barry Smith cabin- sized travel luggage.
This special deal is valid for booking with full payment received by March 15, 2016. For more savings, pair your Insight Vacations itinerary with the special discounted air fares.
For more information, call 03- 2091 9966 / e- mail insight@ cit. travel / log on to www. cit. travel or visit its office at Unit B- 1- 3, Northpoint Offices, Mid Valley City / drop by at Booth No. 1333- 1352 ( 20 booths), Hall 1, PWTC. Corporate Information Travel Sdn Bhd ( CIT) is the appointed general sales agent in Malaysia for Insight Vacations.