Top 10 travel destinations from GalaHotels!

From GalaHotels you can have access to thousands of hotels world wide. Altough there are countries, cities and destinations to choose from, there are still some top destinations which seem to be more popular among travellers. These places are listed in here; GalaHotels's top 10 travel destinations from where our website users most actively book their hotels. The list is formed based on information from the last six months.

1. London

Why London is always on the top of all popular travel destination listings? If you haven't been there yet go and find out! You can book your London Hotel from GalaHotels.

London City View

2. Paris

Yes Paris is the city of lovers and romance. Read more from a previous post about Paris. If you got interested go ahead and book your Paris Hotel from GalaHotels!

Paris City View

3. Barcelona

Barcelona is one of the few great European cities by the sea. That might be the reason why the city is so popular among travellers especially during the warm seasons of the year. Hmmm, holiday in a lively city next to a beach during the summer doesn't sound that bad... If the idea is also tempting you, go ahead and book your Barcelona Hotel from GalaHotels!

Barcelona City View

4. Helsinki

I know you are surprised that Helsinki is keeping a high position like this in the list since it has not been a famous travel destination in the past. Don't worry, we are equally surprised here in the GalaHotels's office. It can be rather cold now in the North Europe but if you wish to see what all the fuss is about (and when you find out please come and tell it also to us!) go and find it out yourself! Helsinki Hotel reservations you can do easily (and cheaply) by visiting GalaHotels.

Helsinki City View

5. Vienna

Vienna is gaining more and more popularity among especially European travellers. The city is famous for its various cultural offerings including opera and museums. If you feel like having a city holiday with a proper portion of cultural experiences don't hesitate and book your Vienna Hotel from GalaHotels.

Vienna City View 

6. New York

Did you know that New York was originally under the rule of the Netherlands and was called as New Amsterdam. The city got its name New York when the English conqured the land in the 17th Century and named the city after the Duke of York. Despite the name, the city has been steadily popular among travellers and the Big Apple, city which never sleeps, has a lot to offer for many kinds of travellers. Go ahead and book your New York hotel from GalaHotels.

New York City View

7. Rome

Rome is the city of history which has always attracted travellers and always will. If you want to experience the historical monuments and narrow streets of Rome, go and book your hotel from GalaHotels.

Rome City View

8. Milan

The next city in the list is also from the land of pasta and pizza; Italy. Milan is the meeting point of North Italy and it's one of the fashion capitals in the world. Variety of Milan hotels you can find from GalaHotels.

Milan City View

9. Amsterdam

Amsterdam has been favoured by foreign tourists for a long time. One reason for the city's popularity is the Netherlands's government's more free minded approach to some issues considered more or less illegal in many other countries. The city is also famous of its effective public transportation which has decreased the usage of cars, and of the wide canal network. If you want to see Amsterdam with your own eyes, start your trip by booking a hotel from GalaHotels!

Amsterdam City View

10. Madrid

The last destination in the top 10 list is another Spanish city; the capital of Spain.  This former capital of the old Spanish Empire is also famous of its cultural sights including museums, concerts and famous architecture. Book your Madrid hotel from GalaHotels.

What do you think makes these cities so special that they are in the top 10 travel destinations? Tell your opinion in the comments section!

Madrid City View

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Stories behind the famous Paris attractions

Since it was Valentine's Day it seems reasonable to continue with the romantic theme in the travel destination presentation. Therefore this blog post will be all about Paris, one of the top destinations in the world.

Open Travel presents the top 10 places of Paris which one should definitely visit while staying in the city. However, since Paris is one of the top travel destinations in the world, the famous sights are already familiar to most of us. Places like Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral and Arc de Triomphe are familiar to us from movies, post cards and travel stories. But how many people actually know the history behind these world known touristical attractions?

Instead of listing (again) the same list of Paris's top attractions, we will provide some background information about some of the top sights. This way you will already have some basic knowledge about the places you will visit before your trip to Paris.

1. Louvre

Louvre is one of the world's largest museums and the most visited art museum in the world. The Louvre Palace, where the museum is housed, began as a fortress. Later on in the 17th Century it was turned into a place to display the royal collection by Louis XIV. Louvre was officially turned into a museum during the French Revolution to display the nation's masterpieces. From these times the museum's collection has grown under different leaders of France, and nowadays nearly 35 000 objects are exhibited over an area of 60 600 square metres. This huge collection attracts millions of visitors every year to view the famous pieces of art, such as the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci.

Grufnik /Free Photos

If you want to stay close to Louvre to easily visit the museum during several days, take a look at our hotel offerings near Louvre.

2. Eiffer Tower

The Eiffel Tower is perceived as the symbol of Paris by many people. It was originally build  for the Paris's 1889 World Fair as the entrance arch and was the tallest building of the world at that time. The Tower received some criticism in its early years and was accused as being ugly and a sore for the eye by artists and inhabitants of Paris. Nowadays the Eiffel Tower is considered as a striking piece of structural art. It is one of the most visited places in Paris and in the world, and has become famous as being the stage for proposals and other romantic events.

If you want to admire the view of Eiffel Tower during the night from the window of your hotel room, check out our hotel offerings near the Eiffel Tower.

3. Notre Dame Cathedral

mismisimos /Free Photos

The Notre Dame Cathedral, which name in French stands for Our Lady of Paris, is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris. It is widely considered as one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in France and in Europe. During the French Revolution the Cathedral suffered desecration and much of its religious imageniry was damaged or destroyed. The Second World War also caused severe damange for the Notre Dame. In 1991 a major program of maintenance was initiated and planned to last for 10 years. However, the cleaning and restoration of delicate old sculptures has lasted now for 20 years.

Kenski1970 /Free Photos

Check out hotels near the Notre Dame Cathedral from GalaHotels.

4. Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge is best know as the spiritual birthplace of the modern from of the can-can dance. It was originally introduced as a seductive dance, but evolved to a form of enternainment of its own. This lead to the introduction of cabarets acorss Europe. Nowadays Moulin Rouge, the Red Windmill, is known as a touristic attraction offering musical dance enterntainment for tourists. The old cabaret has been an inspiration to several movies and books which have introduced Moulin Rouge to the whole world.

The Moulin Rouge is situated in the Montmartre district of Paris. Check out hotels from the same area from GalaHotels.

Belfyta /Free Photos

5. Catacombs of Paris

The Catacombs of Paris are an 18th Century burial place. The former mines of Paris were turned to burial places when all the grave yards of Paris became full. Bones from the graves above the ground were moved to the underground mines and the underground burial place consists of the remains of estimated 6 million people. Nowadays the catacombs are a creepy but famous touristical attraction. Only small part of the tunnels are available to public, but this over 300 km long pathway attracts people who seek for a place to hide.

This post introduced brief stories of just five Paris's famous attractions. What important place do you think is missing? If you have a story to tell about a place which is not mentioned, or wish to add something to the stories of the five places above, tell your story in the comments section!

If you still didn't plan a trip to Paris now is the right time! Our database has over 2000 hotels in Paris where you can stay while visiting the top attractions. Go to GalaHotels and find the best hotel for you with great prices!

Travel destinations for Valentine's Day

The arrival of the Valentine's Day can be sensed days or even weeks before the magical 14th of February. Shops are starting to sell gifts, cards and chocolates fitting to the theme of love and romance including hearts and pinky colors. The day indeed is important for many sectors, and for example some chocolate companies in Japan receive half of their years' profits during the Valentine's Day season. Restaurants are also well prepared for the day of love and offer special menus for two. Besides giving gifts and celebrating the Valentine's Day with a romantic dinner, it has also become popular among couples to take a brief get away. Hotels across the world are also now offering special Valentine's Day packs and are prepared for more demand.

Altough Valentine's Day can be celebrated anywhere, some destinations have clearly become more popular among couples seeking for romantic get aways. Cities like Paris, Rome and Venice in Europe have been perceived as romantic cities among travellers for as long as we can remember.

Fontana di Trevi in Rome

The Eiffer Tower in Paris

However, the traditional romantic destinations have gotten some competitors. Wandering Kiwi lists in a blog post romantic destinations for Valentine's Day and the first place is held by India and Taj Mahal. It's not surprising, since the story behind Taj Mahal itself is very romantic; Taj Mahal was built by an emperor to respect the memory of his late wife. 

Taj Mahal in India

If you are spending Valentine's Day with a special person, any location can be romantic though. Where would you like to take your loved one for a romantic get away?

GalaHotels offers thousands of hotels around the world in the traditional and not so traditional romantic destinations. If you still didn't reserve a hotel but wish to spend the day of love abroad, reserve a room from GalaHotels!