Travel News

Staying in the best hotels in Paris just got better as a Saudi-based family moved a step closer to investing €141 million (£111 million) in tourism in the city. The Musallam family has held the leasehold to majestic art deco Hotel Prince de Galles in Paris for the last 16 years and now plans to buy the property.

The deal would put Paris on the map for high-end tourism despite the turbulent economic market, said Ed Blum for the company arranging the financing, Molinaro Koger.

Hotel Prince de Galles

Hotel Prince de Galles is one of the best hotels in Paris. It is currently operated as luxury brand by Starwood Hotels with high ceilings, a traditional courtyard and an impressive Art Deco façade. Built in the 1928, the 138-room hotel still retains some of its original charm. It boasts marble floors and gold leaf chandelier features, at least at present.

Purchaser Sheik Ibrahim Mussallam explained: "We are planning to spend a further €80 million on the refurbishment of the property to ensure that the Hotel Prince de Galles continues to be one of Paris' most desirable hotels."

Where can I find it?

It is central to several of the most popular attractions in Paris on the Champs Elysees – one kilometre away from the Eiffel Tower. It is €12 to get to the top. Gustave Eiffel's iconic structure opened a champagne bar on the third floor this summer, so, you can enjoy the view in style within walking distance from your hotel.

A mere 1.6 km away from the Hotel Prince de Galles is the impressionist attraction Marmottan Monet Museum, which boasts housing the largest collection of Monet's work, including iconic paintings The Water Lilies, The Japanese Bridge and The Weeping Willow.

For guests who like more than a stroll, great attraction around Montematre ... read more

With Halloween looming on October 31st, book into a cheap hotel and spend your money getting scared. There is plenty to do at the best theme parks in the UK, France and Germany this autumn.

Alton Towers

The UK's biggest theme park is running a special series of Halloween events from October 17th to November 2nd for £35 for adults and £26 for children. There are plenty of places to stay near Alton Towers, which is located off the motorway in Staffordshire.

Children and adults of all ages will be able to take part because there is something for everyone. Maze, the Terror of the Towers is so scary children under 14 are banned from entering. This is unsurprising, considering the theme park has employed a Master to give chase to anyone who invades his mansion.

Other activities include the shortcut through Gloomy Wood, meeting ghosts and ghouls (who might even be on your ride), spooky shows and terrifying revelations if you follow the caretaker. Accompanying him on his journey into the Boiler House for £8 or get chased by the zombies in the Maize Maze for free. Not for the faint-hearted.

Disneyland Paris

Families with very small children who want to dress up and have fun on Halloween can join in the celebrations at Disneyland Paris from October 4th to November 2nd. Mickey and his friends the Pumpkin Men will be welcoming guests into the park for £34 for adults and £29 for children, alongside stars Jack and Sally from Tim Burton's film The Nightmare Before Christmas.

There are plenty of family-friendly hotels by Disneyland Paris, but other cheap hotels in Paris are only a train ride away from the Marne-la-Vallee/Chessy train station, located outside the theme park's front gate.

Join Mickey and the crew for some Halloween fireworks in front of the Disney Castle or show off your scariest costume at one of Mickey's fancy dress par ... read more

Venice has followed in London's footsteps by taking steps to stop pigeons roosting in some of its most historic buildings in St Mark's Square. According to the Telegraph, bird droppings have caused serious damage to some of the city's most precious tourist attractions, including ducal mansion Doge's Palace and other Unesco World Heritage attractions.

Following in London's footsteps

The London attraction Trafalgar Square, once famous for its pigeons, banned bird feeding in 2003 when the BBC reported £140,000 worth of damage had been caused to Nelson's Column and the surrounding area. Anyone now caught feeding the pigeons at Trafalgar Square faces a hefty cash fine.

In London not everyone was happy about the pigeon ban. Late Labour MP and former sports minister Tony Banks was quoted as saying "Pigeons in Trafalgar Square are part of the London scene enjoyed by citizens and visitors alike" on the website of opposing group savethepigeon. The MP even tabled a motion in the House of Commons complaining about it.

But the Venetian authorities have largely welcomed the reduction in birds to fewer than 1,000 from 20,000, including superintendent of architectural and cultural heritage Renata Codello. She told the Telegraph roosting pigeons had pecked away brickwork and marble at several heritage sites. After a ban on feed vendors, ducal residence Doge's Palace was almost free of pigeons, she added.

Hotelier has tried everything

Pigeons can also do damage to some of the best hotels in Venice and getting rid of the birds has been harder than it looked. Chief executive Francesca Bortolotto Possati of five-star Bauer Hotel, which is two minutes from St Mark's Square, told the LA Times, pigeons had troubled guests.

The hotel tried everything from fishnet tenting, decoy hawks - that blew away - and ultrasound, wh ... read more

Tasting the national dish is foremost on the minds of many travellers to foreign climes , but few may be aware that even the most innocuous have hidden kicks. For anyone staying in affordable accommodation in England, France, Sweden and Switzerland, here is our list of what to watch out for.

England: apples

Apples are synonymous with the UK. According to the Institute of Food Research, the market is worth more than £320 million. In England, Somerset was the first country council to fund the preservation of apple orchards and it is also the county where cider comes from. The orchards in Somerset are some of the best around.

However, not many people know that eating too many apples could be hazardous for your health - and it is the seeds, not the flesh you have to watch out for. According to the Institute of Food Research, they contain cyanogenic glycoside, otherwise known as cyanide. Symptoms of apple-seed intoxication can include abdominal pain, vomiting, sweating. Unusual for something that, as the saying goes, by eating one a day it keeps the doctor away.

France: snails

Snails have been a national delicacy in France for thousands of years. They are favourites for tourists to try at many of the best hotels in Paris and other food regions of France, including the German crossover towns in Alsace. Snails are specialities at the three-star Hotel Restaurant Kastelberg in Andlau-au-val, which also serves up healthy portions of Sauerkraut because of its German ties.

Wild snails are poisonous, however, and should be harvested and cooked with care. If the chef in your kitchen is not experienced they could serve snails up cold. Not only would this be a no-no for fans of French fare, it could land you in hospital. Snails prepared at the wrong temperature can harbour a parasite that can cause a rare kind of meningitis.

Sweden: mushrooms

The Swedish love of mushrooms dates back to Viking times when legend has it, warriors used to eat red-and-white ... read more

Famous writers are an integral part of Portuguese history. Several had a dramatic impact on the country, such was the force of their writing. Tombs to the greats can be found in Jeronimos Monastery and the National Pantheon. Book into accommodation like top-rated Hotel Real Palacio and take the time to sit at the same table as Lisbon's literary greats to pick over the pages of this fascinating city.

According to eturbonews, Portugal harboured such great writers because it had an early flourishing education system and was one of the first countries in Europe to designate a stable native language. While other countries were still recovering from plagues and pestilence, Portugal was well on its way to producing some of the best writers - arguably in Europe. See Lisbon travel news for the best sights to visit.

Master of disguise

Writer Fernando Pessoa is considered one of Portugal's finest and produced work as several alter egos. He wrote not only in different narratives but also under different names; at least 72 are known. The most common are Alberto Caeiro, a shepherd, Ricardo Reis, a man of letters, and Alvaro de Campos, a free spirit. A statue of Pessoa sits, where he used to drink at a table in Cafe a Brasileria, which is now a trendy watering hole. Pessoa's former house has since been turned into a museum. True fans can stay in one of the cheap hotels in Lisbon nearby.

The poet with two tombs

Legend has it that the last words of poet Luis Vaz de Camoes were "all will see that so dear to me was my country that I was content to die not only in it but with it". Camoes lost an eye and an arm in service to the King and is alleged to have vented his patriotism by reading a poem to King Dom Sebastiao in 1572, urging him to restore Portugal to decency and glory. Apparently the King scoffed and continued plans to invade north Africa, where he was crushed. ... read more