Travel Briefs

The bells of the clock at the Palace of Westminster in London (often mislabeled as Big Ben, which is actually the name of the largest of the bells) will be silenced for three years, starting in January 2017, as the structure is renovated. In addition to repairing the roof and cleaning and inspecting the bells, the clock hands on all four sides will be stopped for the first time in its 160-year history as they are repaired and the springs are replaced.

The United Kingdom’s tourism board continually offers, on its website, limited-time discounts on day tours, city passes and admission fees to particular city sites, such as Red London Bus tours starting at $44 for a 3½-hour tour or 10% off a London Pass. Visit www.visitbritain.com/us/en/shop.

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Here are two temporary exhibitions at Barcelona’s Picasso Museum (Montcada 15-23, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; phone +34 93 256 30 00, www.museupicasso.bcn.cat/en):

• “Cubism and War. The Crystal in the Flame,” Oct. 20, 2016-Jan. 29, 2017, focuses on three artists living in France during WWI — Picasso, Juan Gris and Diego Rivera — with 60 Cubist works from 1914 to 1919.

• “Mythologies, Graphic Work in the Collection of the Museum,...

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Guided tours of Sydney are available on Gocycles, bicycles with lightweight electric motors to assist with uphill climbs. Take the 1½-hour, 8-mile “Bike the Bridge” tour for AUD59 (near $42) each or the 2½-hour, 12-mile “Sydney City Tour,” AUD99, or customize a tour. 

Tours 9 a.m.-1 p.m. daily except Sunday. Group limit, six people. BlueBananas Electric Bike Tours (Arcade 2, 281 Clarence St., Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia; phone +61 [02] 9114...

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The online Iceland Academy, created by the Iceland Tourism Department, comprises a series of videos with free “classes” taught by Icelanders. Among multiple topics are lessons on Icelandic festivals, Icelandic hot tub etiquette, how to drive in Iceland and how to photograph the northern lights. Visit http://inspired.visiticeland.com/academy.

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With Volvo’s Overseas Delivery Program, buying a car in Sweden becomes a vacation.

After picking up your car at the Volvo Factory Delivery Center in Gothenburg, including a factory tour, lunch and an introduction to your car by the English-speaking staff, you are free to embark on one of the Volvo travel agency’s suggested self-drive tours of Sweden.

Itineraries include a 3-day food tour that visits the city of Smögen, a 3-day cultural-history tour that includes...

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Visitors to Abu Dhabi, UAE, can download two free apps for iOS or Android. Abu Dhabi Events lists sports, music, food and cultural festivals in the city and environs. DARB provides bus and ferry schedules, airline arrival and departure times and customizable route maps with real-time traffic updates. Users can also hire a taxi and pay for public parking on DARB, which requires a 3G or Wi-Fi connection with the GPS enabled in order to function fully.

Visitors to Abu Dhabi, UAE, can rent bicycles from FunRideSports (phone +971 2 445 5838, www.funridesports.com), which has four locations in the corniche area on the western coast of Abu Dhabi, each open 4 p.m.-12 a.m. daily: Hilton Station (Corniche Rd. West, al Khubairah); Family Park (Corniche Rd. West, al Khalidiyah); Chamber Station (Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, Corniche Rd., al Markazaiyah West), and Meena Station (Meena St., Tourist Club area). 

Available for rent are...

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