On a crisp winter morning of Christmas eve, I landed in the majestic city of Toledo by bus from Madrid. The bus journey was pleasant and took almost an hour, passing through miles and miles of farmlands. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in the 1980s, it was the captivating history of Toledo that first… Continue reading How touristy is the historic city of Toledo in Spain?
The historical cities of Kyoto and Nara, both erstwhile capitals of Japan during different eras, can be best covered as day trips from Osaka by train. You will find most of the attractions within walking distance from each other in both cities, perfect day out for tourists and locals alike. During my two-week tour of… Continue reading Day Trips to Kyoto and Nara from Osaka
For my spring tour of Japan, I chose Osaka and Tokyo as my home bases for visiting noteworthy places in Honshu Island during the cherry blossom season. Since it was a short trip (less than two weeks), I mostly adhered to a carefully curated itinerary that offered me a glimpse of Japan's traditional culture while… Continue reading Must do activities in and around Tokyo: visiting a famous shopping district and taking a fascinating ferry ride
My trip to Hokkaido was the final part of a two-week tour of Japan during the cherry blossom season. I covered most of Honshu in 10 days (yeah, it was a packed schedule as I wanted to cover as much as possible!) before taking the bullet train (Shinkansen) from Sendai to Hokkaido. Although I had… Continue reading Hokkaido: Hot spring town and the charming world of musical toys
After spending four days in Japan visiting Osaka and surrounding areas, I set off for Hiroshima and Miyajima from Osaka on Day 5. After a simple breakfast at the hostel, I made my way towards Shin-Osaka station with my travel companions. This was the day when our JR Pass got activated based on the information… Continue reading Hiroshima and Miyajima in a day
International Backpacking 