International Travel News

Travel Briefs

June 2009 issue | Appears on page 70

Shanghai hotels checkout

Good news for tourists in Shanghai — as of May 1, checkout times in hotels, guest houses and hostels are negotiable. Previously, hotels across China’s mainland set noon as the checkout time.

The new regulation requires that Shanghai hotels confirm the checkout time with guests in writing before they check in. Hotels do not have to offer a flexible checkout time, but they are required to inform guests of the time of checkout when they arrive and to display checkout options near the...

June 2009 issue | Appears on page 70

Fun in feudal Japan

In Nikko, two hours north of Tokyo, the theme park Edo Wonderland Nikko (www.edowonderland.net) shows Japan as it was in the time of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1868). Visitors can watch battles between samurai and ninja, try archery and see traditional plays, magic shows and acrobatics.

Open daily 9-5, March 20-Nov. 30, and 9:30-4, Dec. 1-March 19. Day pass, ¥4,500 (near $45) adult, ¥2,300 child. Half-day pass, ¥3,900 adult, ¥2,000 child.

June 2009 issue | Appears on page 71

Drive race routes

Including photos, captions and maps, the book “Classic Motorsport Routes” by Richard Meaden (2008, Publisher Motorbooks. ISBN 9780760334317 — 224 pgs, Hardbound, $40) shows 30 of the circuits, roads and tracks across four continents that have helped shape more than a century of racing, including the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio, Grossglockner, the rallies of Monte Carlo and Spain, the Grand Prix circuits from Monaco to Germany and the Frankfurt-Darmstadt Autobahn. All routes are on public...

June 2009 issue | Appears on page 71

Majestic Imperator

The railcars of the Majestic Imperator Train de Luxe (Vienna, Austria; www.imperialtrain.com) replicate those used by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria and his wife, Elisabeth (Sissi), before WWI. With modern chassis, cars dating from 1905 to 1959 have been restored or replicas made using original plans and photographs.

The (non-air-conditioned) luxury train runs between Vienna and Munich, passing through Melk, Linz, Salzburg, Prien am Chiemsee, Innsbruck, Seefeld and Garmisch-...

June 2009 issue | Appears on page 83

Royal Caribbean International room service fee

As of January 2009, passengers aboard Royal Caribbean International cruises are required to pay a fee of $3.95 when ordering room service between midnight and 5 a.m.

June 2009 issue | Appears on page 83

Opera House High Tea

Each Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m., a “High Tea” is offered with a performance by an opera singer in the dining room of the Guillaume at Bennelong restaurant in the Sydney Opera House (phone +61 2 9250 7250, e-mail tourism@sydneyoperahouse.com or visit www.sydneyoperahouse.com). The menu includes a glass of wine, assorted teas, savouries, pastries and petit fours. The price is AU$145 (US$99) and bookings are required.

June 2009 issue | Appears on page 83

Helsinki beer tram

The 1950s red Spårakoff Beer Tram, a traveling bar, serves Finnish beer and other beverages while you tour Helsinki, Finland. The 40-minute ride starts from the Mikonkatu tram stop, near Helsinki’s Railway Square, and makes five stops, including the Helsinki Opera House.

In 2009 the tram operates Tuesday-Saturday, May 19-Aug. 29, with departures every hour from 2 to 8 p.m. Tickets, available on board and at the kiosk on the Esplanade, cost €8 ($10.50).

May 2009 issue | Appears on page 14

Middle Ages manuscripts

“Masterly Manuscripts,” an exhibition of more than 100 manuscripts produced in Utrecht in the Middle Ages, is running at Museum Catharijneconvent (Lange Nieuwstraat 38, 3512 PH, Utrecht, Netherlands; phone +31 [0] 30 231 38 35, fax 231 78 96, www.catharijneconvent.nl), May 16-Aug. 23, 2009. It focuses on artistry and production plus the impact of book printing around 1473. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. €8.50 ($11).