IGlobe Travel Presents 5 Popular Countries To Visit

Online, August 31, 2011 (Newswire.com) - iGlobe Travel is pleased to present to you a list of 5 countries you might want to visit this year. All the staff and members of iGlobe Travel agree that these vacation destinations are great for both guided tours and river tours.

iGlobe Travel presents this article, and others as part of iGlobe Travel's commitment to assisting people with planning vacations with memories that will last a lifetime! So remember to check out iGlobe Travel for all your travel and vacation needs.

France: Most tours of France start or end in Paris, where guided sightseeing excursions usually highlight the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower and the Champs-Elysees. Beyond the capital, you can explore the gardens of Claude Monet's Giverny, captured in many of the artist's paintings, or stand on the beaches of Normandy, where the Allied invasion began on June 6, 1944. Sample wines in the Loire Valley, discover why Lyon is considered the country's gastronomic capital, or climb the ramparts of Mont St. Michel, the centuries-old monastery and village built on a rocky isle. River cruises in France sail the Rhone, Saone and Seine, on small vessels that glide through the countryside and into the heart of villages and cities.

Germany: Explore a land of Old World cities, medieval villages and scores of castles -- the most famous of which is probably Neuschwanstein Castle. Built in the 19th-century by "Mad King" Ludwig, the hilltop structure looks like it came from the pages of a storybook. Tours of Germany also can visit Munich, where sightseeing guides lead guests to the Olympic Stadium and the Marienplatz, the broad square at the heart of the Bavarian city. Highlights of Berlin include the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag Building and Checkpoint Charlie, the former border-crossing station on the Berlin Wall between East Berlin and West Berlin. Riverboats travel through Germany on cruises of the Rhine, Danube, Main and Moselle. Christmas markets cruises, which take in the holiday festivities of beautiful old cities like Nuremberg and Regensburg, are very popular.

Ireland: Picture-perfect scenes await in Ireland. Old fishing villages are tucked into harbors, roads wind through rolling hills of lush emerald green, and waves crash into rocky headlands. Many tour guests spend a night or two in Dublin, where the city's Georgian squares, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Trinity College (home to an ancient illuminated manuscript known as the Book of Kells) are popular stops. You can take in the stunning views along the Ring of Kerry and Cliffs of Moher, shop at the woolen mills of Blarney or visit a whiskey distillery or Guinness brewery. And, there's always time to experience a bit of local culture in a neighborhood pub. Many tour operators arrange a night of traditional entertainment on their Ireland trips, with popular songs and dances.

Italy: Enchanting landscapes, delicious cuisine and the promise of "la dolce vita" -- the sweet life -- lure travelers to Italy. Many of our Italy itineraries spend time in three of the country's best-loved destinations: Rome, Venice and Florence. Art treasures abound in these cities, and tour guests frequently bypass long lines to see the works of Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Botticelli and others during visits to renowned museums and churches. On an Italy tour, you can tour vineyards and olive farms in the Tuscan countryside, explore the cliffside towns of the Cinque Terre, examine the well-preserved ruins of Pompeii, or drive through the alpine-like lake country of the north.

Spain: Spain has a rich history infused by the legends of seafaring explorers and memorable characters like Don Quixote. Witness the passion of the flamenco dance, explore world-class museums and dine on Spanish specialties like paella. In Madrid, tour guests typically visit the Prado Museum and the Plaza de Espana, with its monument to writer Cervantes. On Spain's Mediterranean coast, Barcelona charms visitors with its art nouveau-style architecture, Gothic quarter and the extraordinary -- but still unfinished -- Sagrada Familia Church, on which construction began in 1882. In the ancient Castilian capital of Toledo, itineraries stop at the Church of Santo Tome, which is home to one of El Greco's most famous paintings, and in Granada, you'll see the buildings and gardens of the Alhambra citadel, built by Moorish rulers in the 14th century.

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