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Travel Tips Getting from Narita to Tokyo Take the bus (Airport Limousine ($40 CAD/each) - very efficient, there's a bus every 5 minutes Take the train/metro A cab ride can range anywhere from $100 to $200 depending on the traffic. Travelling in Tokyo The Tokyo subway metro system is one of the best in the world. There is a ticket that allows for unlimited use in a day for about $10 CAD. There is a cheaper subway ticket/pass (24/48/72 hour) option for visitors, you will need your passport to purchase it; you can buy it from concierge at your hotel or at metro pass offices. Keep in mind there is no talking on cell phones on the subway. Avoid travelling during rush hour, there are men with white gloves to push you onto the subway, there are usually some cars that are just for women. Escalators Stand to the left side if you're not walking up or down the escalator Tipping No tax and tip in Japan. Where to Stay We prefer to stay in Shinjuku; it’s easy to get around since the metro is right by these hotels. Hotel Sunroute Plaza Hotel Century Southern Tower |
What to Do
Shibuya - famous busy intersection, street go-carting Shinjuku is the busiest train station in the world Takashimaya Shinjuku – huge shopping complex with Uniqlo, Tokyo Hands, restaurants and supermarket in basement TeamLab Borderless – beautiful light museum, purchase tickets in advance Toyosu Fish Market - new fish market, Fish auctions (super early – have to get tickets month in advance) Tsujiki Fish Market - old fish market Imperial Palace - Residence of Imperial Family Harajuku - Harajuku girls (Sundays) Daiso – stuff is better quality, made in Japan Akihabara - Electronics district, Yodobashi Asakusa - Temple Rainbow Bridge Tokyo Tower Omoide Yokocho – aka, Yakitori Alley aka Piss Alley, the washrooms are unisex (there are urinals in the open so if you have kids, you should go with them to the bathroom. There are tables up the stairs in a lot of the restaurants. Kabuto Itoya – 8 floor stationary store Ginza - high end shopping Liquor Mountain Store – Japanese Whisky, can pay to have a taster before you purchase Hie Shrine Meiji-jingu Shrine Roppongi Hills - happening nightlife Kabukicho District - Red Light District Disneyland Gotemba Premium Outlet - Extremely overpriced and wouldn't recommend it |
What to Eat
Keep in mind that you are not allowed to eat and drink in public in Japan. You purchase the food and take it somewhere to eat it. We would see people walking around with coffee cups but that’s the only extend of public eating/drinking. The top floor or roof of the malls/department stores will usually have an eating area. Family Mart Tsujiki Fish Market – old fish market, Charcoal uni bun, Strawberry mochi Toyosu Fish Market - Sushi Dai or Daiwa Ushihachi – Delicious Yakiniku – partial view of the Shibuya busy crossing Shin Udon McDonalds – Ebi (Shrimp) Burger Ichiran Ramen (24 hours) – Ramen, Stewed pork and matcha pudding dessert is delicious as well Tim Ho Wan – Hong Kong Michelin star dim sum restaurant – delicious baked pork buns, takeout window if you want to skip the line. CoCo Ichibanya – Delicious Japanese curry, level 2 is very spicy Sake – Genka Bar – Delicious eats, small house charge, reasonable prices and lots of selection for Sake, Non-smoking which is rare for these types of restaurants Sukiyabashi Jiro – Famous Michelin restaurant – Essentially high end hotel concierges can get you a reservation Sukiyaki Ibuki – Small place, make reservations Japanese Izakaya Family Mart – Onigiri Rice Balls Basement floor in department stores Food Court in shopping malls Locals eat at the train stations Rokkasen – All you can eat Yakiniku. Ala Carte is available too. Make reservations. Le Café Joel Robuchon – delicious pastries |
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Travel Tips
Google Maps Make sure to download the City maps. This will download the maps on to your phone and will point you in the direction of attractions and restaurants. Cash - Euros We found that quite a few of the smaller mom and pop places only take cash. You can definitely get cash while you are there, keep in mind it will be difficult to find a bank machine in less busy areas. Remember to keep spare change on you - you will need to pay to use the washroom in certain places. Commuting from the airport to the city Rome - Metro- most hotels will be situated near a train station. The metro ticket costs significantly less than a cab and you won't be stuck in traffic. Commuting around Amsterdam We rented bicycles and it was approximately 15 euros a day; the more days you rent, the cheaper it is. Highly recommend renting a bicycle, you get to see a lot more of the city. What to Do Anne Frankhuis - These tickets need to be purchased in advance. Heineken Experience - Buy the tickets online (this can be done the day of) and bypass the long line and go straight to the door. Ticket comes with two beers and you get a small discount for purchasing ticket online in advance. Rijksmuseum - The Iamsterdam letters are there Van Gogh Museum - Buy tickets online and skip the line Red Light District - Go here later (after 10pm) Dam Square, Magna Plaza Albert Cuyp Market, Noordermarkt, FoodHallen (awesome food stands) - Markets are typically closed on Sundays 420Cafe - Singel location Wijdesteeg - colourful street |
What to Eat
Lanskroon - Best stroopwafels 420Cafe - Singel location - Amsterdam style cafe Ibericus Amsterdam - Best ham The Seafood Bar (worth the wait) - Fantastic seafood - Fruits De Mer, Razor Clams The Pancake Bakery - traditional dutch pancakes; Signature dutch poffertjes with butter and sugar 5 & 33 - Lounge like atmosphere; everything was fantastic. Great service, delicious food and very tasty drinks. Stubbe's Haring - Pickled herring, not my thing Mannekin Pis - Excellent fries - try the sate sauce Burgerlijk - Very flavourful beef/chicken burgers Omelegg - I'm not a fan of omelets but if you are; you will enjoy it Foodhallen - Modern day food court, highly recommended, Vietnamese food, charcuterie Screaming Beans - cool cafe with good coffee FEBO - food from machines for cheap eats; gets replaced regularly Kartika - Indonesian food Oriental City - scene from Young and Dangerous was filmed here. Delicious dim sum Tempo Doeloe - delicious Indonesian restaurant Make reservations, walk-ins were turned away. Wolf Atelier - beautiful restaurant with delicious food. Perfect last meal in Amsterdam. It's a container restaurant by the water. |
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Madrid
What to Do Royal Palace de Madrid Templo de Debod - this was very interesting. Make sure to go inside and look around. I don't recall it costing it anything. Gran Via Mercado San Miguel - This was a very popular market; we got there right before lunch and grabbed a table and it got super crowded at lunch. Plaza Mayor Plaza de Cibeles Parque del Retiro What to Eat Bambubox - Thai Food Mercado San Miguel Restaurante Casa Salvador - Traditional Spanish meal |
Barcelona
What to Do Basilica of the Sagrada Familia - MUST SEE - Buy tickets and audio tour in advance to skip the line Casa Batllo Gothic Quarter La Pedrera Park Guell Mercat de la Boqueria What to Eat Kiosko Universal - Seafood and definitely get the mushrooms Cera 23 - make reservations and everything on the menu is delicious Bodega 1900 - It was delicious but the portions are on the smaller side Capitol de Vietnam - good spring rolls El Pachuco - good tacos and open late |
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Hotel
Westin Chosun - We really liked our hotel and the location was very close to everything. We would highly recommend it. Travel Tips Seoul Metro - We used it for travelling around. It was convenient - just ensure that you're getting on the proper line and direction. Listen for the stops to make any transfers. We almost missed our stops a few times. What to Do Myeong-dong Area - Shopping area and famous for skin products. There are of lot of these facial shops and there are several of the same ones. Uniqlo - Great style and good quality clothing Changdeokgung Palace - free admission. Have to pay to visit the secret garden. Insadong - Cool area to walk around Cheonggyecheon Stream |
Noryangjin Fish Market - This was a very cool market to visit. Keep in mind, the seafood smell is very strong. Apparently, you can buy the seafood and bring it to the second floor restaurants and you can pay them to cook it for you. We had a very difficult time with communication in Seoul so we skipped doing this and just went to a seafood restaurant in Myeong-dong
Dongdaemun - Lots of shopping. There are shops that open up at 10pm and stay open until 5am. There are approximately 22 shopping malls in this area. A lot of the shopping was market style. I found it over overwhelming and did not buy anything but if you're a serious shopper you should definitely check it out. What to Eat Bulgogi Korean BBQ Military or Army Stew Street Food Seafood – raw squid or crab Korean dumplings |
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Our trip was a little over 2 weeks. We did a tour of North to South Vietnam for 10 days. On hindsight, the tour was a few days too long, seven days would have been perfect; we could have skipped half the temples we visited. We also spent five days with family so we would recommend at least to visit North to South Vietnam. We would recommend flying (prices are very reasonable) over train and buses.
Ho Chi Minh City Cu Chi Tunnels Giac Lam Pagoda - oldest Temple Ben Thanh Market - very touristy, if you want to buy items, it'll most likely be cheaper at the other markets that aren't as busy. Xa Loi Pagoda - largest Temple The Independence Palace - learn some history but the information should be digested with a grain of salt. Signature Dish - Pho What to Eat Com Nieu Sai Gon - Good seafood, Anthony Bourdain recommendation Ben Thanh Market - Che Place (Vietnamese Dessert) Street Vendors - Pho, Bun Bo Hue, Spring Rolls Nha Hang Ngon - Spring Rolls are a must! The owner of this restaurant hired all of his favourite street food stalls in Saigon and started this restaurant. We didn't have one bad dish at this restaurant. If you're feeling adventurous and try new food; this would be the place. This restaurant was always packed. We came back here on our second trip to Vietnam a year later. Da Nang Doc Let Park Beach Beaches Signature Dishes - Seafood, if you're around a beach; order the seafood; it can't get any fresher than that |
Hoi An
This place is knowned for making customized suits and clothing. You should plan to stay for two nights if you want to get clothing made. This is the first thing you should do when you get to this place. This was our favourite place to visit in Vietnam. We will definitely come here to visit again one day. Thien Mu Pagoda Cau Pagoda Lattern Streets Chill out and people watch along the water Hue Ho Chi Minh Palace/Museum One Pillar Pagoda Tu Duc Tombs Perfume River Signature Dish - Bun Bo Hue Can Tho Tour of the Four Islands MeKong Delta Floating Market Nha Trang Diamond Bay Resort Vinpearl Amusement Park - it's alright if you have kids; I wouldn't go out of my way for this. Da Lat Embroidery Gallery Truc Lam Pagoda Waterfall Markets - stuff was cheaper here than other parts of Vietnam Hanoi Ha Long bay Yen Tu Mountain Hoa Yen Pagoda Tuan Chau Island Bai Dinh Pagoda Trinh Temple Tran Temple Khong Palace Dark/Light Caves Signature Dish - Pho - it is different here (no veggies and herbs); the common westernized version of pho is from the Southern region. They also have Bun Cha Ca - Noodle soup with fish cakes which I quite enjoy. |