My Travel Tuppence:
Your Questions Answered

Got a question on an upcoming trip? Struggling to decide between two 'must do' destinations? Want to make the most of your time in a place?

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Latest Questions

Italian Honeymoon

Hey Phil, we're off on honeymoon to Italy this August, cannot wait! We're spending three days in Rome but then would appreciate your recommendation for a week somewhere coastal? Deciding between the Amalfi Coast or Puglia? We're happy to hire a car or use public transport.

RK, North Carolina, USA

Firstly, congratulations buddy and great choice on honeymoon location.

Of the two, I'd opt for Puglia all day long. Lecce is one of the most underrated cities in Europe with everything we love about Italy - the history, architecture, food and evening passegiate - but with far fewer tourists than the main Italian tourist cities. It's probably the city in Europe that I've been most pleasantly surprised by in the last decade.

The coastal towns Gallipoli, Monopoli and - my favourite - Otranto all make lovely day trips...just leave early if you're driving as the central car parks fill up quickly. In summer there are a host of boat/swimming/diving trips all along the coast.

With a car you can also road trip from coast to coast, stopping in gravity-defying Matera or the Southern Dolomites en route.

I love the Amalfi coast but in July and August, it bears a passing resemblance to the seventh circle of hell.

A field of yellow flowers with the distant outline of a coastal town and the Mediterranean Sea in the background

Flying Visit Buenos Aires

Morning mate, I've got a few days in Buenos Aires (first time there) before heading south to Patagonia and Iguazu Falls. Any suggestions beyond what I can read in Lonely Planet on things to see and do?

MM, Hampshire, UK

Very jealous of your trip to Patagonia - my visit there last year is one of my all time favourite places.

I really should do a Flying Visit for Buenos Aires given I was in the same situation when I went last year adds to list. Anyway...you'll already have a decent itinerary but I'd suggest strongly going early in the day to La Boca and San Telmo Market - they're lovely areas but get overrun with tourists in the middle of the day. The Japanese garden in Palermo is wonderfully calming place to chill (we went while we were waiting to check in). If the weather is crappy, check out El Ateno bookstore - built in a former theatre, it's the largest in South America.

We also got the ferry (the misleadingly named Buquebus) over to La Colona in Uruguay for a lovely few hours. It's a lovely counterpoint to a capital city with its historic streets and pleasant harbour.

A colourful row of houses in Buenos Aires on a wet morning

Georgia vs Armenia

Hey Phil, I'm off to the Caucuses for a week at the end of June and will be visiting both Armenia and Georgia. Most things I've read say that I should spent the majority of my time in Georgia. Two questions:

1. Would you agree with that?

2. If so, any must-do excursions from Tbilisi?

DM, London, UK

The Caucuses are a fascinating part of the world and are becoming considerably easier to visit with the advent of direct flights from an increasing number of European cities. Lucky you!

Firstly, yes, I would agree to spend more of your time in Georgia. Tbilisi is an absolutely delightful capital with an intriguing old town (built into a hillside - bring comfortable shoes or take the cable car!) and a generally pleasant and laid-back vibe. They're very proud of their wine in these parts - justifiably - as you'll see when you visit the statue of Mother Georgia to see her clutching a glass of the local red.

My favourite excursion by a distance was to the High Caucuses around Kazbegi. It's some of the most stunning mountain scenery you'll ever come across (see pic for proof!) You can also easily combine a day trip to Gori, Stalin's birthplace (one for fan's of dark tourism and those who enjoy a good death mask!) and the hill monastery at the vowel-challenged Mtskheta, which offers more sweeping views. Links to the tours I did (and would recommend above)

You shouldn't skimp on Armenia mind you - Lake Sevan and the Geghard Monastery are both beautiful in content and backdrop and Yerevan comes alive at night (see lower picture, particularly around the Cascades complex. I transferred from Yerevan to Tbilisi with a private transfer, which included sightseeing stops and an exceptionally good local lunch. Certainly more interesting and comfortable than a regular bus

Best View in Paris

Here's a challenge for you! I'm off to Paris in a few weeks and I'm wanting to get a great view of the city from on high from somewhere that ISN'T the Eiffel Tower. You haven't yet written about Paris but I know you like a good view (and assume you've been) so where would you suggest?

LS, East London, UK

I have indeed been although - confession time - I've never been up the Eiffel Tower so can't make a comparison. Bad tourist!

My favourite view in Paris isn't especially groundbreaking - I love the view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe at night for two reasons. Firstly, you get a birds' eye view of the light show from the Eiffel Tower (time your visit to coincide with the top of the hour when you get the five minute light show) and secondly, the traffic immediately below you. Cars ON the roundabout are obliged to yield to those ENTERING the roundabout and with twelve exiting lanes, it all gets a bit Hunger Games. Anyway, it's well worth it.

Honourable mention also goes to the Montparnasse Tower, the tallest - and arguably ugliest - building in central Paris and the 8th floor of Galeries Lafayette-Hausmann department store, which also has the immeasurable advantage of being free! It also offers one of the few shots in Paris where you can capture both the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur in one shot.

Notre Dame's bell towers are expected to re-open to climbers sometime in summer 2025 so that will be worth keeping an eye out for, if only to see how they've scrubbed 500 years of grime from the gargoyles!

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My Travel Tuppence: Your Questions Answered