I am travelling from

Flying fish at Pike Place Market

The scent of spring-fresh flowers, freshly baked bread and fish straight out of the sea greets you as you enter Pike Place Market. These market halls in the centre of Seattle are an impressive attraction and offer a huge selection of fresh ingredients, as well as clothing and artwork. Street artists also perform here and a wide range of restaurants offer fantastic local cuisine.

Shopping

Fresh fish

Tremendous success

The news of this successful farmer’s market spread quickly and more and more farmers made their way to Pike Place. Within 2 weeks, the number of farmers had grown from 8 to more than 70. A market hall was erected out of necessity. The Municipality of Seattle lost no time in doing this and the first market halls were opened 2 months later. More than 120 vendors could display their goods here in covered stands and Pike Place Market was born.

Fish throwing

Pike Place Market has no fewer than 4 fish markets. Every day, van loads of fresh mussels, swordfish, tuna, crab and many other types of seafood arrive at the market. Pike Place Fish is located directly under the large clock, where the fish literally fly past your ears as the market vendors throw them to each other over the counter all day long, bringing entertainment to the market. You can also gawk at gigantic anglers and huge tuna.

The very first Starbucks

Coffee at the very first Starbucks

There are more than 60 restaurants at Pike Place Market, making it the perfect stop for lunch, a quick bite or a relaxing dinner. A local favourite is the Russian bakery Piroshky Piroshky, where they bake Russian breads with different kinds of fillings (piroshkies). Beacher’s Handmade Cheese is another great spot to satisfy your appetite. Many claim that they make the best grilled cheese sandwiches in the U.S. The very first Starbucks opened at Pike Place in 1971. The interior is different from all of the other Starbucks in the world and the original logo still hangs above the door.

All

Arts & Culture

Nightlife

Beach

Water sports

Nature

Active & Outdoor

Culinary

Arts & Culture

Houston and Dallas may be bigger and more famous, but Austin is in fact the capital of Texas. It’s also the least Texan city in Texas. And the weirdest city in the country. This is something its residents take pride in, as evidenced by the Austin motto of Keep Austin Weird! Have a peek inside weird houses or admire a cathedral of junk in a city where there is even a museum devoted entirely to the weird and strange.

Nightlife

When it comes to music, you might be inclined to think New Orleans (jazz), Memphis (rock ‘n’ roll), Chicago (blues) or Nashville (country), but Austin is actually the music capital of the US. The city boasts over 250 music venues, more than any other American city. You can choose from countless live performances and a fantastic music festival every month, such as SXSW. Austin lives and breathes music.

Beach, Water sports, Nature

The airport in Liberia is the gateway to the Province of Guanacaste, the sunniest part of Costa Rica. Thanks to its large number of snow-white buildings and tree-lined streets made of white gravel, the city itself is also referred to as ‘la ciudad blanca’. But, let’s be honest, most visitors who arrive here are primarily interested in white sand. Only a half hour by car from the airport is the fantastic Pacific coast with beaches that are postcard perfect.

Nature

In the Rincón de la Vieja National Park, you can hike, swim in natural hot springs, picnic and camp. The park features a variety of ecosystems around nine craters and 32 rivers with spectacular waterfalls during the rainy season. The diversity of flora and fauna is amazing: look up and chances are you’ll see toucans, sloths and monkeys in the treetops.

Active & Outdoor

Old towns, stunning constructions and wonderful nature: admire all of this and more in THIS IS HOLLAND, a brand-new 5D movie attraction by the producers of De Nieuwe Wildernis (The New Wilderness). It is the perfect introduction to Holland for first-time visitors, but also an interesting surprise for Dutchies who think they know their country inside out. This is a magical 5D experience with smells, colours, images, sounds, rain and shine.

Culinary

Everyone in Sweden knows Småland as the nation’s culinary centre. The region’s cuisine goes above and beyond the famous meatballs: a Michelin-star restaurant serves innovative Swedish haute cuisine, coffee is elevated to an art, and you can visit a lovely castle and pretend to be Lord or Lady of the manor. Here are three suggestions for typically Swedish restaurants in the city of Växjö.

Arts & Culture

Älmhult is the birthplace of renowned botanist Carl Linnaeus and children’s books author Astrid Lindgren, however its most famous ‘offspring’ is IKEA. Life in this southern Swedish town evolves around the blue-and-yellow furniture giant: from the IKEA Hotel and IKEA Museum to the IKEA Bar and IKEA Spa. Welcome to the one and only IKEA Småland – meatballs and ball pit included.