Bavaria (excluding Munich)

This post has information about some places in Bavaria, excluding the capital city, Munich. For Munich, check my other post here.

The places mentioned here are in no particular order.

Burg Trausnitz

LANDSHUT
Landshut is a city located around 75 km from Munich, and it's in Lower Bavaria.

View from the Burg Trausnitz

The main sights in Landshut are undeniably the castle and the old town.

Church of St Martin

The castle called Burg Trausnitz, is located pretty close to the Old Town (Altstadt). The collection of buildings is pretty nice to look at. Since it's on a hill, there's a viewpoint overlooking the city, but at the time of visit, there was some construction work going on so the viewpoint may be inaccessible. You can go inside the castle where there is a museum with artifacts from various places such as Turkey, Egypt and Sri Lanka. Photography not allowed.

Inside Church of St Martin

Another church; outside the Altstadt

As you exit the castle complex, get on to the road called Alte Bergstrasse. The road would lead you to the Altstadt. Nearby is the famous Church of St. Martin, the tallest brick tower in the world. You can go inside the church; the interior is pretty good too.
This road is the main tourist street in town and has everything you might need: shops, restaurants, banks etc.

Ländtor

Continue walking around this road in the nearby side streets and then you'll soon come across the Ländtor. This is an arch and is close to the end of the Altstadt. Keep on going and you'll cross the river Isar. On this other side of the river is another church.

If you do not want to eat in the Altstadt, you can eat in this part of town which is much less touristy but still has its share of pretty streets and restaurants.

PASSAU - around 170 km from Munich
Passau is another city very close to the Austrian border. The city is touted as the "Venice of Bavaria". Three rivers flow into this city, the Danube (Donau), the Inn and the Ilz. Two of them converge in the city while the third converges with this stream a little beyond.

Passau; from the river cruise

Passau

If you're new to the city, you might want to get oriented with the city before deciding what and where to explore. You can start by visiting the viewpoint on the hill near the Old Town. The viewpoint affords good views of the city and the surrounding countryside including hills in Austria.

A popular tour here is a river cruise in the Danube lasting approximately 40 minutes. Enjoy good views of the city whilst digging into some food, maybe an Apfelstrudel (apple strudel)?

Cathedral (Dom)

The main attraction in Passau is the Dom (cathedral). Built in a very Italian style, the cathedral has a very beautiful interior. The cathedral is located at Domplatz (Cathedral Square).

Before reaching the Domplatz from where the river cruise stops, you will reach the Rathaus (Town Hall). This area is the Old Town, and has pretty and narrow streets.

Inside the Dom

Another church near Ludwigstrasse

Other attractions include other small churches in the city. The main pedestrian street is Ludwigstrasse. This is a fine street to roam around, seeing the nice architecture and there are many shops and restaurants around.
There's a mall nearby too. It's pretty big (5 floors) and has the usual brands and shopping besides a big electronic store called Saturn.

Chiemsee

CHIEMSEE
Chiemsee is a lake located around 90 km from Munich.

Gardens at Schloss Herrenchiemsee-
slightly reminiscent of Jardin du
Luxembourg in Paris

The main sight here is the palace called Schloss Herrenchiemsee. Built by Ludwig II, this castle is somewhat similar to Versailles in Paris, as it was supposed to be.

Schloss Herrenchiemsee

Gardens at Schloss Herrenchiemsee

To get to the castle, you need to take a ferry to the island. The scenery is very beautiful, and the Bavarian Alps can be seen. Try to visit in good weather!

After disembarkation at the island, there are a few shops- souvenirs and food. The palace is a 10 min walk away.

Visiting the castle is by guided tour only. Photography isn't permitted.

The tour shows various rooms including Ludwig's bedroom, his bathroom and the room where his throne is located.

REGENSBURG
A city with excellent medieval architecture, located around 120 km from Munich, is Regensburg.

The main sights here are the Dom (Cathedral) and the Steinbrucke (Stone Bridge). 

You can just walk around the area around the Dom which has many other pieces of good architecture.

Also walk around the Rathaus (Town Hall). 

There are a few good souvenir shops near the stone bridge. Also closeby is a tourist center.

The main cathedral (Dom)

The stone bridge

You can take guided tours from the Tourist Office- close to the Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall).

View from the stone bridge

Central Regensburg

The Altes Rathaus

Inside the Dom

OTHER TOWNS

Other sights include the BMW Factory at Dingolfing. A little off the beaten track: slightly picturesque town of Reisebach and the town of Landau an der Isar (Landau a.d. Isar).

Nearby is the city of Salzburg in Austria (see blogpost here). For a photo-post on Bavaria, see this post.

Last visit (to Bavaria)- Apr 2012

No of visits- 2

First visit- Jun 2011

Bavaria- photos

The following is a photo album of Bavaria, except for Munich. Information on Munich can be found on my post on Munich. (link)

Lake Chiemsee and the Alps

Schloss Herrenchiemsee

A new church at Landau a.d. Isar

Castle at Landshut

Central Landshut

Passau

Dom, Regensburg

Church at Reisebach

Passau

Any feedback is welcome.

Udhagamandalam (Ooty)

Udhagamandalam, is the new name of the town commonly known as Ooty. It is located in the western part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

How to get there
From Bangalore, expect around a 6hr drive to Ooty. The road till Mysore is fine although it passes through some towns. It's not difficult at all to find a stopover meal on the way, be it in a cafe or a restaurant serving fresh South Indian cuisine. Till Ooty, you have the option of stopping in restaurants like Kamat, or in Cafe Coffee Day, or in Indradhanush etc. For more variety, get into Mysore city.

For some sightseeing on the way, Mysore is an ideal choice.

If you want to head straight to Ooty, you should bypass Mysore, and not enter the city.

                       Top Video:  View of Ooty from the hotel

Sights in Ooty

Municipal Market

The most well-known sights in Ooty are the Ooty Lake and the Botanical Garden. To visit Ooty Lake, there's an entry fee required- INR 5, besides an extra fee for cameras. The area is pretty busy with shops. Boating can be done on the lake. The Botanical Gardens are quite beautiful; they have a map of India and some other designs made from flowers and soil. There are different elevations in the garden allowing for good view spots.

If you like markets, try Municipal Market. It stretches on a main road and behind and is a good place to buy fruits, spices etc.

 Other sights include the Kandal Shrine and the Rose Garden.

Map of India at Ooty Botanical Garden

Boating at Ooty Lake

Ooty Botanical Garden

St Stephen's Church

Most of these sights can be very crowded. For a change try St Stephen's Church which is generally calm. Notice the beautifully decorated windows. Behind is a graveyard.

Accommodation

One of the beautiful glass decoration at St Stephen's Church

We stayed at Club Mahindra's Derby Greens Resort which affords pretty good views of Ooty and the racecourse. Rooms are fine. The property is quite big. Service, however, isn't up to the mark- slow room service, non-availability of certain goods such as lemon and apple pie. Food at the resort is otherwise not bad, though.

Transport
Walking and auto-rickshaws are the main ways to get around. Although prices for autos may seem ridiculous, these are official. There are auto ranks in some areas, else you can hail one on the road.

Last visit: Mar 2012
No of visits: 2
First visit: N/A

Dubai

Dubai, the biggest city in the UAE, and one of its emirates, has been growing at a phenomenal pace.

How to get there
Dubai Airport (link) is the airport serving the city, just about less than 10 km from the center (Bur Dubai/Deira). The airport is a hub for Emirates and flydubai. Many other airlines fly into Dubai too.

City mapping
Bur Dubai and Deira are the traditional heart of the city, situated on the left and the right bank of the Dubai Creek respectively. The Dubai International Airport is south-east of Deira. Sheikh Zayed Road connects Bur Dubai to Jumeira and Dubai Marina and further west.

Sights
Bur Dubai and Deira, hugging the Creek, are fine points to start exploring. On the Bur Dubai side, you have the Bastakiah District, home to good traditional Persian architecture. Nearby is the Dubai Museum whose building exterior itself is a marvel.

Shops at Gold Souk

On the Deira side, you have the famous souks (note: some books may also spell this as 'souq'): Gold Souk and Spice Souk. You know you've entered the souks by nice gate-like structures covering the entire souk. Besides these, the Naif Market is also located here, on Naif Rd, and is a good place to shop for souvenirs and Emirati dress, among other things.

On the Dubai Creek, abras can be rented- they are small boats which act as means of transportation through the river. You can also charter one, at around 100-120 AED (code for Dirhams) per hour. There are great views from here.

On the other side of town, around the Downtown Dubai area, is the famous Burj Khalifa. Tickets have to be purchased in advance (can be done from here) and cost 100 AED- however if you don't book in advance, and miraculously find one slot on the spot , you have to pay 400 AED per person. The observatory deck, although called "At the Top", isn't at the top of the tower, but it's at the 124th floor, and it affords great views over Dubai. Burj Khalifa is located next to Dubai Mall and entrance to the observatory deck is from the LG (Lower ground) floor of the Dubai Mall.

Burj al Arab

Another extraordinarily famous building, the Burj al Arab (check link for visit here) is also worth a visit. You cannot just enter and roam the hotel, you need a booking in advance- either at the restaurant, at the Skyview Bar (for which no under 21s are permitted) or for High Tea- and you need to present the confirmation to the security outside. Service is really very nice, and they can adjust to certain demands, such as only vegetarian food etc.

Tours

Desert escapes while in Dubai are popular, and there are several companies which run this. This generally includes dune-bashing in the desert, followed by
dinner at the tour operator's camp in the desert. Some are even overnight. Pick-up from your hotel may or may not be included, check that out. We used Lama Tours for our excursion.

Burj Khalifa

sand dunes

Accommodation 
Check sites such as Agoda and Venere for hotels.

We stayed at the Moevenpick Bur Dubai . The hotel has rooms as well as apartments in a building behind the hotel. Location is good, but you need to take taxis/buses/metro to get anywhere. There are generally taxis waiting, or you may need to wait- but not for much time.

Food 
Saravanaa Bhavan- just a two minute's walk from Moevenpick Bur Dubai- OK South Indian food. Opens at 7.30 for breakfast too besides lunch and dinner.

Asha's - good North Indian food here at this famous restaurant in Wafi City Mall in Bur Dubai.       link

Sarpino's Pizzeria - at the Arabian Courtyard Hotel in Bur Dubai, very close to Dubai Museum. OK pizzas and pastas.

view from Burj Khalifa

The food courts are good places to eat in the malls: good variety. They're often spread out, especially in Dubai Mall.

Shopping

Dubai Skyline

The souks are traditionally the places to shop and still are an attraction now days. However, malls are very popular nowdays and are great places to shop. Prices may not be very cheap, especially of international brands.

Dubai Mall (link)- This is the biggest mall in the world. The layout can be confusing, and don't count on seeing all the stores. Entrance to Burj Khalifa observatory deck is from LG level. The Dubai Fountain, also a famous attraction is also accessible via the LG level. The fountain dancing shows are at: 1pm, 1.30 pm and every half hour between 7 pm and 11 pm. There are 2 food courts. Located next to Burj Khalifa, near Sheikh Zayed Road. There is a big hypermarket here.

Mall of the Emirates- (link) A very big mall on Sheikh Zayed Road. Home to many brands. SkiDubai (link) is located here. It has a hypermarket and a food court.

Surprise Surprise! This is Ibn Batutah Mall (and not some historic sight).

Ibn Batutah Mall- (link) This is an excellent mall, and one of the most unique ones in Dubai. It is themed on the six areas traveller Ibn Batutah visited- and divided into six 'courts'- China, Persia, Egypt, India, Tunisia and Andalusia. The decor is amazing here and it feels more like a historic sight than a mall. Still, it's good for shopping. Located on Sheikh Zayed Road. (And no, it's not just these two pictures which show the impressive part, every court of the six are beautiful.)

Deira City Centre (link)- located in Deira, it's a very big mall with the usual brands. Has a Carrefour hypermarket.

Malls can be very crowded on weekend nights- Thursday night and Friday night.

Other malls include Mirdiff City Centre, Wafi City Mall and BurJuman Centre.

Transport
See these two sites- RTA and Dubai Metro

Abras at an abra station

Taxis are very common, and every mall has at least one pick-up and drop-off point, although queues for taxis can be long. Generally, in some malls, the pick-up point is located not far from the supermarket exit.

Tourist Friendliness
Walking is fine in many parts of Bur Dubai and Deira and sidewalks are wide. Be careful crossing roads anywhere though. Luckily, there are pedestrian lights.
Central Dubai is a pretty safe place to walk around even at evening but obviously take the usual precautions.

China Court at Ibn Batutah mall

Even at malls, taxis may refuse to take you to a particular destination, even when there is an attendant.

Taxis can be hailed, but don't expect one to stop on a busy road with fast moving traffic.



Tour Idea
Get to the Deira abra station (an abra is a boat) and charter an abra for around 1 hr, seeing Dubai by the creek. This would cost around 100-120 AED per hour. Alternatively, you can just take an abra from one point to another. Get off at Bur Dubai station and walk around- in the souks and finally to Bastakiah District where you can see some Persian architecture and see the Dubai Museum.

fireworks for the starting of DSF

DSF= Dubai Shopping Festival. Click here for details.

Last visit- Jan 2012
No of Visits- 1

Kodaikanal

From Bangalore, the drive is around 7 hrs. The path along NH-7 is quite good, with around 5 toll booths concerning this journey.

View of Kodai town

There is a GRT Hotel in Salem, on the main road itself when you enter Salem, good for stopping for food, they had buffet breakfast and buffet lunch at the time of writing. The hotel is popular, especially during lunch time.

Christmas tree at Bryant Park

In Kodaikanal

Church opposite Coakers Walk entrance

Kodaikanal (short form: Kodai) is a picturesque hill station, and there are great vantage points for good views. It's a small hill station and walking around is easy.  Coakers Walk  is around 1-2 km long, and has great views of the hills around. There is an entry charge, including for cameras. Nearby is the Bryant Park- finely maintained. There is an entrance charge, including for cameras. Adjacent to Bryant Park is a small lane (a quick way to get to the town center from e.g. Coakers Walk) from where you can see a bit of Bryant Park. Other vantage points include Suicide Point  (there is now a grill). When the weather is fine, a walk along the lake is recommended. Most parts of the road has a footpath. Views are good. Cycling around the lake is very popular and one can rent a cycle from a point on the lakeside.

Bryant Park

If there's one thing one cannot avoid in Kodai, it is the ubiquitous chocolate shops. They are everywhere, but that doesn't mean they are necessary good. Don't immediately buy chocolate at the first shop you see, you will certainly see more.




Besides chocolate,  there are many peanut stalls.

Restaurants:

Boating on the lake

1) Tava- It's a small Indian-cuisine restaurant on PT Road. Good food and quick service.
2) Astoria Veg- A relatively busy Indian restaurant. Fair quality food.
3) Cloud Street- On PT road, slightly further down than Tava. Fine European-cuisine food.

Accommodation:
We stayed at Villa Retreat. It's a villa property blessed with a great location- next to Coakers Walk in the center of the town, walking distance from the lake. The lawn has great views of the area.
The rooms are OK- slightly small. The rate may include a car-and-driver tour of Kodai but some of the travel agents they hire may be dodgy- you may see yourself come back without seeing what you went out to.
Food at the hotel isn't very good, except for breakfast- which is fine.

Tourist Friendliness:
Walking in the late evening around the centre is safe enough, even if it's deserted. If it's unlit, be careful of missing sidewalks, steps in the sidewalk and garbage. Some areas on the lakefront may be empty too even in the early evening, but it's still fine to walk around, and there may be an occasional police patrol.
At other times, walking is fine and many people walk around.

Last visit: Dec 2011
No of visits: 3
First visit: N/A