text:
Ulsan

Ulsan (울산(蔚山)) is a city in South Gyeongsang. It is the capital of the Ulsan Metropolitan District.

Understand

Ulsan is a seaside metropolitan city in the southeast of Korea with a population of 1.2 million. The city is known for its whaling heritage and as the industrial heart of the country.

While Ulsan is not listed in many tourist guides, it is the gateway to the Yeongnam Alps, considered to be one of the most beautiful national parks in South Korea. It also has twelve designated "Scenic Areas", from natural icons to man made buildings. Today the city lives in a Catch-22 situation; in some districts it is impossible to escape the industries. Although these industrial sites are breath-taking in scope, a testament to the achievement of man, they blight the landscape. On the other hand, the investment from these industries undeniably makes the city a better place to be. Ulsan was a World Cup 2002 host city.

Orientation
Ulsan City is 70 km north of Busan, but also close to Gyeongju, Daegu and Pohang.

Ulsan includes 4 wards ("Gu") and 1 county ("Gun"):

 * Buk-gu (북구; 北區) - The most northern the four Gu and rapidly developing due to the lack of pollution in the area.
 * Dong-gu (동구; 東區) - The location of Bangeojin, Hyundai and a large amount of the city's ship building industry (including the largest ship-yard in the world).
 * Jung-gu (중구; 中區)
 * Nam-gu (남구; 南區)
 * Ulju-gun (울주군; 蔚州郡)

Samsandong, home of the Lotte and Hyundai department stores, can be considered the up-market district. Western fashion brands are available along with a number of western chain restaurants. The neon lit back streets yield a vibrant bar and restaurant culture. The Lotte Ferris wheel is also in this area next to the Lotte Cinema.

Old down-town, Seongnamdong, is good for shopping at low, local prices (there are brand goods shops too however). It is the location of a small number of foreigner friendly/foreigner run bars.

Mugeodong, the home of Ulsan University, is the best place for the young, twenty-somethings wishing to eat, drink and party.

When to visit
The best months tend to be from March through May before it gets too hot. Summer serves up a heavy sweat-inducing humidity along with prolonged rain showers mixed with the occasional typhoon. It remains warm until late October (cited by many to be the best month) at which point the weather turns cold. But it is not uncommon even in December to have warm spells with temperatures plummeting at night. Ulsan sees little snow due to its southerly position on the Korean peninsular - however that is not to say that snow can not fall. When it does fall, it can be heavy.

By plane
As Ulsan receives no international flights, it is only possible to arrive in the city via the air from two destinations - Seoul (Gimpo) and Jeju-do.

Getting to Ulsan by plane from Incheon International Airport requires a transfer upon landing to Seoul Gimpo Airport, which can be done by either train (Arex) or Limousine bus.

An easier option might be to take the KTX high speed train directly from Incheon International Airport to Ulsan (no changes required).

The flight from Gimpo (operated by Korean Air and Asiana) takes about one hour. Weekday fares start at ₩62,000 rising to ₩71,000 at weekends. (The tourist information booth on the ground floor is a must before leaving the airport for great maps of the city and many leaflets on things to do. There is also literature on Gyeongju) Those wanting to get to and from Gyeongju usually pass through Ulsan airport too. A direct bus service to Gyeongju runs 4 times a day. Departures from Ulsan Airport are at 08:20 11:40 16:10 18:40. Departures from Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal, Platform No.5 are at 07:00, 10:10, 14:30, 17:20.

Another option is to fly into Busan's Gimhae International Airport which is about an hour and a half away by bus.

If you are flying in directly to Incheon International Airport, you can also take the bus from the airport directly to Ulsan. It leaves from stand 10C outside arrivals, costs approximately ₩40,000 one way and takes about five hours.

By train
Ulsan has rail links with the rest of the country and it is possible to get to the city without too much trouble or waiting.

KTX
KTX serves Ulsan directly. The train station is not in the city center, but to the west of the city in Eonyang. It is for further away from downtown than even the airport, however Ulsan City is accessible by bus from the station.

The regular city buses (yellow and white) cost ₩1,150 when using cash, or ₩1,100 when using a transportation card, and are the cheapest, although not the most comfortable way or quickest to get to the city center. The 327, 337 and 807 all run to Samsan-dong, which is the downtown of Ulsan, while other routes stay outside of the city core. These buses do not use the expressway and even makes some stops that are somewhat out of the way, so they may take considerably longer than the buses below to the city center.

One Chwaseok (seated) bus line runs as well to the KTX station, route number 1703. It costs ₩1,700 by cash, or ₩1,500 using a transportation card. It uses the expressway to the city center, so it is quicker and has more comfortable seats as the regular city buses.

There are also four express buses (5000 series) which run from the station to various parts of the city. They cost ₩3,200 when paid in cash, or ₩3,000 by transportation card. These buses have the most comfortable seats and make limited amounts of stops along the way. While not very high frequency (about 2 departures per hour), they are timed to depart after the trains arrive at Ulsan station.

Standard trains
The non-high speed Ulsan station has been renamed to Taehwagang (Taehwa River) Station, while only the new KTX station is now named Ulsan station.

There are no longer any slow (Saemaul or Mugunghwa) trains that go to Seoul. Most now terminate in Dongdaegu Station and Bujeon station in Busan, with a few runs to Pohang and other places.

Taehwagang station is a brisk 20-minute walk from the center of Samsandong following the main road straight ahead after going outside. Look for the Lotte Ferris wheel. Taxis are available to the Taehwagang Station.

When travelling between Busan and Ulsan, it is worth taking the train since the sight varies from the endless industrial backdrop of Ulsan to some breathtaking views of the sea along the way to Busan. The part especially near Haeundae is very nice as the route circles around the Dalmaji hill gives an endless view of the ocean. This line is under construction for an upgrade from single track to double track, and the part around Haeundae is being completely rerouted away from the sea meaning these sea views won't last for long.

By car
Getting to Ulsan by car is simple enough using the national expressway system:

 * From Seoul, Daejeon and Daegu, take the Gyeongbu Expressway towards Busan and exit at Eonyang junction.
 * From Gwangju, take the Namhae Expressway towards Busan and exit at Wonyang junction.
 * From Chuncheon, take the Jungang Expressway towards Daegu, then switch to the Gyeongbu Expressway towards Busan at Geumho junction.
 * From Eumseong and Cheongju take the Jungbu Expressway towards Daejeon and then switch to the Gyeongbu Expressway towards Busan at Nami junction.

By bus
Ulsan is well served by intercity buses and it is possible to get to the city from any other major (and not so major) location in the country. The city terminals are located a brief walk across the street from each other in Samsandong with a smaller terminal in Bangeojin. It is also possible to jump off these buses at the major neighborhoods or intersections on the way into the city (Gongeotap and Shinbok rotaries being a notable two).

 * From Seoul - It takes about 4 to 5 hours depending on traffic. The express bus runs from the Express Bus Terminal in Seocho-Gu in Seoul to Ulsan with departures about once every 30 minutes.  There also is an intercity bus running from the Dong-Seoul bus terminal once every 30 to 40 minutes to the Intercity Bus Temerminal in Samsan Dong in Ulsan, as well as two departures a day from the same terminal to the Bangeojin terminal.
 * From Busan There are several options for the Busan - Ulsan route. From the Nopodong bus terminal in northern Busan, you can take both the Chwasok (seated) city buses and the intercity buses that both run to Samsandong in Ulsan. For the Chwaseok buses, 1127, 1137, 2100, and 2300 all can be used (1127 runs to Mugeodong and Seongnamdong while the other buses take a more direct route to Samsandong).  The cost is ₩2,000 if you use a transportation card, or ₩2,200 if you pay in cash. Alternately you can also use the Intercity bus which runs the same route, but makes less stops, so it is slightly quicker and has very comfortable seats (only three per row).  Buses are very frequent (once every 7 minutes during the daytime) with the last departures at 02:00 from both sides.  The cost is ₩4,000 which goes up to ₩5,900 after 22:00.  There are additionally Intercity buses that run to Bangeojin as well.
 * From Haeundae, there are intercity buses running from the Haeundae bus terminal, which is directly across the street from the Haeundae train station. Local service runs once every 30 minutes to the Samsandong terminal, and takes about 1½ hours.  The direct service which uses the expressway runs once every 20–30 minutes and takes 1 hour.  In order to buy a ticket for the direct service, you should mention "Jik-tong" (직통), which is Korean for direct since the local bus is more expensive even if you get on and off at the same exact stops!

By boat
There are no ferry services to Ulsan though some people do arrive via work on boats that make port at the shipyards. The nearest international ferry services for the general public are in Busan where they arrive from a whole host of places including China and Japan. It is very rare that anyone would want to come to Ulsan for the first time using these services. Many English teachers make use of the ferries in Busan for the E-2 visa run to Fukuoka in Japan.

Get around
Ulsan has an extensive public bus network with plans in place to build Light Rapid Transit system in the future.

If staying in the city for any length of time then buying the transportation discount card makes economic sense. It will entitle the holder to a ₩50 discount on fares (₩200 discount on Chwaseok "seated" buses) and a free transfer between bus services if made within the hour. Upon exiting the first bus be sure to place the card over the box with an X and O to initiate the free transfer.

The cards can be bought and refilled at the vendor shacks located next to any major bus stop in the city. Depending on design it should cost no more than ₩5,000. This does not include any credit which must be paid for in addition. One great feature is that it can be used on other city transport networks across the country.

By bus
Getting around the city by bus is a lengthy and time-consuming process. The white express bus services alleviate this somewhat but are less frequent on the routes. The regular yellow city buses cost a flat ₩1,150 (₩1,150 by cash, ₩1,100 by prepaid bus card) regardless of your journey's destination. This makes long-distance bus travel economical, but for short trips not so much.

Buses run until about 23:30 in the evening after this they start again early in the morning. Perhaps around 05:00 in some areas. The smaller blue buses only circuit the immediate local area many times a day. These cost ₩600 or more.

Step onto the bus at the front with exact change if possible. Drivers do give change but nothing more than a few hundred won. To exit the bus press one of the red buttons for a stop and step off at the back.

There's also a sightseeing bus service called Ulsan City Tour. Single-decker buses cost ₩5,000, and double-decker buses cost ₩10,000. Reservation is required for all routes. Homepage (English) Same day KTX ticket holders will get 10% discount.

By taxi
Foreigners use taxis in the city frequently and almost always without problem. They're relatively cheap to use especially if the cost is shared among others. Once the bus stops running at night they are the only way to get from place to place over long distances.

The minimum fare begins at ₩2,200 for the first 2 km and increases by ₩100 for every 144 m thereafter. Taking a taxi between midnight and 04:00 will mean an increase of 20% on the minimum fare. ₩2,460 being the new minimum, rising at ₩120 thereafter.

After 04:00 passes the minimum fare immediately returns to ₩2,200. If your driver places it on the higher fare question this action or ask them to stop and get straight out. 04:00 and beyond means ₩2,200.

Be aware if the driver touches the meter at any point during the journey. There is only a need to touch it twice, once when the journey starts and once when it is over – that is unless your journey starts shortly before midnight and continues past in which case they may press a button to start increasing the fare by 20%.

Calling for a taxi should cost an extra ₩1,000 but it is not often noticed on top of the total fare. Speak clearly and slowly to the driver as many have problems understanding a foreigner speaking Korean, no matter how good your skills are.

Should you be involved as a passenger in a taxi in an accident with another vehicle, you may be held responsible for costs incurred - if the driver was not taking you to where you wanted to go - the accident would not have happened. It has happened in the past, and even the police have been called if there is concern that the cost of damages is so high that it could be considered the passenger may not be able to pay immediately!

By train
If you're in some of the outlying areas and live close to a station then it becomes a viable form of transport into the city. For example, Hogye and Hyomun have stations in the north. To the south lie Deokha, Onyang and Seosaeng stations.

Tickets will be cheaper than a taxi but slightly more expensive than the bus. However you'll be into the centre within a few minutes making it well worth that extra couple of hundred won. Check your local station ticket office for arrival and departure times as schedules change depending on season of travel.

By Light Rapid Transit
A Light Rapid Transit (LRT) will be built in the city similar to that found in some European cities. The first of the lines will run through Mugeodong, Munsu Stadium, Gonguptap, Samsandong to Ulsan Station then turning north to Hyomun Station.

Talk
The primary language of Ulsan is Korean. English is not common especially among the older generations and many younger Koreans are shy about using their language skills. They'll often nod and say yes without really having understood a question - which can lead to problems when asking for directions. The Korean phrasebook should provide some useful words and expressions.

Twelve Scenic Areas
Ulsan has designated Twelve Scenic Areas of interest to tourists visiting the city.

Rock climbing
Popular on Munsu Mountain, the tallest in the city. Over 100 sport routes are available from 5.8 up to 5.13

Hiking
Ulsan is the gateway to Gayasan National Park and is accessible from Eonyang, a suburb of Ulsan. Take a bus to the Eonyang terminal and change for a bus heading to Seongnamsa. Hiking in the numerous mountains around the city is very popular, especially among the Koreans. Just about any wooded area will be flush with hiking trails.

The city has a fabulous river park with walking, running and biking trails. Flowers are plentiful and make for pleasant journeys along the river.

Sports
Watch football at Munsu Football Stadium (home to Ulsan Hyundai FC).

Learn
You can take a course at the Oegosan Onggi Village near Ulsan and learn how to make onggi (Korean earthenware).

Work
The most common work available for native English speakers is teaching English as a second or foreign language.

Splurge
The second floor of the Samsandong Skyrex apartment building (the tall twin buildings that can't be missed) hosts a buffet called D'Maris which is focused on seafood, but also hosts a large variety of other dishes and is quite delicious. Cost is ₩36,300 per person.

Budget
Located around the Taehwa River Station, there are numerous motels to choose from. Typically, these motels will cost anywhere from ₩40,000 to ₩60,000 depending on the time of year. Motel prices fluctuate depending on the season and what is going on in the city. If there is a festival on, you could pay more.

Stay safe
Ulsan, like any city in South Korea, is very safe.

Go next
There are many other cities nearby that are cool to check out for a weekend tour.

 * Busan (부산, 釜山) is an hour away by bus from Samsandong. South Korea's second city, there's something for everyone there.
 * Gyeongju (경주, 慶州) Ancient capital of the Silla Dynasty a short bus or train ride north. Home of Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto. It's an open-air museum and not to be missed.
 * Daegu (대구, 大邱) Large city with its own unique sights to see.
 * Pohang (포항, 浦項) Industrial grit and grim, but a marvelous beach, compact and eminently walkable downtown make this an alternative weekend break.

title: Ulsan


text:
Ulster

There's more than one place called Ulster:

Britain and Ireland
The ancient province of Ulster was split by the partition of Ireland:
 * Northern Ireland — six counties of Ulster form one of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom
 * Northwest Ireland and Lakelands — includes the remaining three Ulster counties in the Republic of Ireland

New Zealand

 * New Ulster — see North Island (New Zealand)

United States of America

 * Ulster (Pennsylvania)
 * Ulster County — a county in New York
 * Ulster — a town in Ulster County

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Ulster


text:
Ulster County

Ulster County is in New York's Catskills region.

Cities

 * and Milton
 * and Milton
 * and Milton
 * and Milton
 * and Milton

Understand
Ulster County is located in the humid continental climate zone and has cold, snowy winters, and hot, wet summers; the county experiences four distinct seasons. Snowfall is significant. Ulster County is close enough to the Atlantic coast to receive heavy snow from Nor'easters and the county occasionally receives Alberta clippers. Winters can be very cold with fluctuating conditions. Summers in Ulster County can contain stretches of excessive heat and humidity.

By plane

 * Stewart International Airport, 1180 First St, Newburgh/New Windsor, +1 845 564-2100. The closest major airport. Allegiant Air, American Eagle, and JetBlue operate flights from Florida and Philadelphia (Mar 2021). A bus connection to Ulster County may be available with Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT).
 * Westchester County Airport, 240 Airport Road, White Plains, +1 914-995-4860 (airlines). Several counties away, but an alternative to the congestion of the 3 major international airports around New York City. Rental cars available.
 * Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark, New Jersey, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and LaGuardia Airport: Livery cars offer service to and from 3 major international airports. Amtrak offer rail links to Rhinebeck, across the river from Kingston.

By car
Common access routes are:
 * From north and south: I-87 (New York State Thruway) Exits 18 & 19.
 * From west: NY-52 from Liberty and NY-28 from Margaretville.
 * From east: NY-199 across the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge from Red Hook and NY-44/55 across the Mid-Hudson Bridge from Poughkeepsie

By train
There is no direct rail service to Ulster County, but a UCAT bus (bicycles carried) connects Rosendale, New Paltz, and Highland to the Poughkeepsie train station, served by Metro-North and Amtrak, across the river in Dutchess County. The bus schedule coordinates with specific Metro-North arrivals from and departures to New York City.

Get around
In most cases, a car is necessary to get around Ulster County. However, there is limited bus service, operated by UCAT, from Kingston to outlying areas. Taxis can be summoned by phone in all towns.

Do
Belleayre Mountain is a state-run ski resort in the heart of the Catskills. Wide array of trails, and compared to the other large mountains in the region (e.g. Windham, Hunter), Belleayre is less expensive.

Some of the best climbs in the northeast are at the Shawangunk Mountains, also known as the "Gunks". You will need to get a day pass from Mohonk Preserve.

Visit the Kingston farmers market every Sa 10AM-2PM Wall Street Kingston from the end of May until the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Annual and seasonal, a grower producer market.

You can choose to volunteer at a soup kitchen. The Queens Galley soup kitchen at 254 Washington Ave, Kingston is the only soup kitchen in Ulster County to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Volunteers are welcome 7:15AM-7PM and can call ahead to arrange their schedule at +1 845 338-3468.

Connect
Cellular signal is spotty west of the Thruway but can be found around some of the larger towns and generally outside of the Catskill Park region.

Area Code is 845

title: Ulster County


text:
Uludağ

Uludağ (pronounced oo loo daa) is a mountain of 2543 m (8343 ft) elevation which gives its name to a national park and ski resort. It rises just south of Bursa in the Southern Marmara Region of Turkey. The summit ridge is 150 km south of Istanbul, and can be seen from there on very crisp, clear days, but is usually hidden by mist and haze.

Understand
Uludağ especially to the east is a natural expanse of forests, hills, and bluffs where eagles soar; while to the west it's a busy resort with skiing in winter, and day-trippers from Bursa any fine day. So there's a dilemma in land management, one faced by many mountain districts. The Uludağ park is big enough for both, and has kept at bay the rash of weekend cottages that disfigure too many Alpine uplands.

History
In Greek mythology, the gods dwelt on Mount Olympus, which on mainland Greece meant the 2917 m peak south of Thessaloniki. But Hellenistic people settled far and wide across the East Mediterranean, and each community awarded the same name and legends to the tallest peak around, so there were about two dozen such places. The 2543 m peak above Bursa was distinguished as Mysian or Bithynian Olympos, but after Turkish independence "foreign" place names were systematically replaced, so it became Uludağ meaning "great mountain".

A 225 km "slip-strike" fault line runs east-west from Eskişehir through Bursa, with 100 km lateral displacement. Some 35-40 million years ago, the stresses along this fault forced up a massif of gneiss and granite, which was hard-wearing against erosion and stands today as Uludağ. Also forced up were ores of tin and copper, valuable to early metal-workers, and modern miners extracted tungsten. The fault heats the scalding, sulphurous waters of Çekirge and still causes earthquakes. The mountain was too steep for agrarian farming but had summer grazing, its forests supplied timber and charcoal, and ice was harvested from its upper slopes to send to the imperial kitchens of Istanbul. It was also dotted with Christian hermitages and monasteries, later joined in by Muslim dervish retreats.

Mountain and winter sports grew in Europe in the 19th century but were slow to take off in Turkey. Transport and amenities were poor, and there wasn't a large prosperous middle class seeking travel and leisure. Uludağ was the country's first winter sports resort, with guesthouses opening from the 1930s. It was declared a national park in 1961, but tourism development continued, and the game-changer in 1963 was the opening of the cable car from Bursa to Sarıalan, plus associated ski-lifts. In 2014 this was upgraded and extended to Kurbağa Kaya.

Landscape and wildlife

The north and west slopes rise through a series of plateaux. Those you pass by road are Karabelen at the park gate, and Kirazlıyayla above it. By cable car you pass Kadıyayla then Sarıalan. The routes meet at Kurbağa Kaya on the main plateau and accommodation area. South is the ridge with the main ski slopes. Beyond the ridge, the land falls away very sharply: this area is seldom accessed.

This change of elevation is reflected in distinct climate zones:
 * from the outskirts of Bursa to 350 m is Mediterranean maquis scrub with laurel, juniper and olive.
 * 350 m to 700 m are decidious forests dominated by chestnut trees, and from 700 m to 1500 m by beech.
 * 1500 m to the tree line at 2100 m are conifers, chiefly Abies nordmanniana bornmuelleriana, a fir species endemic to Uludağ and nearby mountains.
 * Above 2100 m are treeless alpine meadows.

Deer and raptor birds abound; bears lurk in the woods, see "Stay safe". You will be very, very lucky if you spot a wolf, Canis lupus pallipes. They prefer to keep well away from humans, but attack livestock and range over great distances. The park itself is barely big enough to support even a single wolf-pack, and they need to encounter other packs for healthy competition and out-breeding. Wolves are legally protected throughout Turkey, but try telling that to a farmer whose herd of goats has just been shredded.

Climate
The higher you go, the colder, windier and wetter it gets. The city of Bursa has a Mediterranean / Black Sea transitional climate, with more rainfall than the Med coast. The mountain draws clouds and rain because it pushes the air stream to higher altitudes, so it can have a standing pall of cloud while the lowlands around are sunny. Its summers are short and cool, with chilly nights, and the summits can have sleet even in mid-summer. Spring and autumn are brief, as the season flips sharply. By September it's frosty and the trees change colour. The snows come in October, and by December these are heavy, building up a base for skiing. A thaw begins in April.

Get in
See Bursa for inter-city approaches by road, sea and air.

Cable cars (Teleferik) ascend from Bursa's upper district of Teferrüç, served by dolmuş and Bus 94 from downtown. The creaky old telecabins were replaced in 2014 by 8-person gondolas, with a car every 20 secs on an 8.8 km continuous single loop. The is at 395 m and there's a midway station (with no facilities) at. The ride continues to ("yellow field") at 1634 m elevation. You can hike from there, but for the hotel strip and ski areas board the next teleferik to ("frog rock") at 1870 m. The cars run daily 10:00-18:00 and the ride takes 30 min. In 2023, the fare is 490 TL return. Expect very heavy queuing in winter, with wait times of up to 1.5 hr especially when going back to Bursa towards end of the day.

The new system has an uplift capacity of 1400 people an hour, ten times the old, yet it didn't occur to them to fit ski-racks to the gondolas. So just as before, you can't take ski equipment or hotel luggage aboard, you can hire on the mountain but most visitors still need to drive up. This does not inhibit the flow of eco-guff on the lift company website.

By road follow D575 south from Çekirge in Bursa, which winds up for 22 km to the national park gate at Karabelen. It continues as a good tarmac road for 8 km to the turn-off to Sarıalan, then another 4 km brings you to the fork for the old or new hotel zones. In winter, snow chains may be required to proceed beyond the park gate. Roadside stalls will be delighted to sell you these for ten times the garage price, and they'll probably be made of liquorice. Even if the road is clear of snow, it may be icy in the shadow of the trees, so winter driving rules apply.

Dolmuşes run from Imperial Gate in Bursa and take 50 min to the hotel zone in Uludağ. They run whenever they're full, and a one-way fare is 13.5 TL. A taxi for four might cost 150 TL.

The road past the park gate continues south and eventually joins D230 Kütahya - Balıkesir highway, so you might drive up from that side and avoid Bursa.

Fees and permits
The park fee in 2022 is 14 TL for a motorbike, 21 TL for a car or truck (regardless of number of occupants), 60-190 TL for a minibus or bus, 20 TL for a tent and 30 TL for a caravan.

Get around
There are 2 gondola lifts, 9 chairlifts and 13 T-bar tows. The most extensive ski area is south of the new hotel area and Volfram, on the north-facing slope of the main ridge. You can connect from there to the Fatin Tepe area above the old hotel district. Across the valley from there lies a smaller area.

See

 * On the road from Bursa pause to admire the ancient tree at Inkaya and the tomb of Dolubaba at Tuzaklı. Until the 19th century a monastery stood near Inkaya but it's completely disappeared, as have the two dozen others ranged around the mountain valleys.
 * ("shepherd's rock") is a giant granite boulder along a lane 1 km north of the cable car top station and new hotel area. There's camping and picnic areas here and forest trails.
 * is a forested plateau reached by continuing north from Çobankaya. It has a great outlook north over Bursa and the Marmara Sea, and the lakes to the west. Softaboğan waterfall roars off the edge of the plateau.
 * , meaning wolfram or tungsten, is an old mining area 1 km south up a road from the new hotel area. Ski lifts ascend from here and it's a good starting point for the ascent of Uludağ. The mine was active 1974-1989 and its abandoned buildings still stand. Tungsten is a valuable metal for its high tensile strength and high melting point. It was brought from the depths by the fault movements, in the form of skarn or scheelite (calcium tungstate CaWO4). This fluoresces under UV, so you know when you've found pay-dirt.
 * is a picturesque glacial tarn, one of several scraped out along the route to Uludağ summit.
 * is called Kartaltepe - "Eagle Hill". It dominates the local scenery but can be elusive from afar: mists arise once the morning sun lights upon the frost and dew, while the city below generates its own haze. The peak is 7 km east of the hotel area and in summer is a simple hike along the ridge, but be prepared for mist. You might want a Go-Pro, as there's a line of peaks all at around 2400 m, and on a dull day it might not be obvious which summit you've reached.

Skiing
This ski area is for beginners and nervous intermediates, with broad easy pistes between the forests, and snow cover from mid-Dec through March. Skiing is between 2322 m and 1767 m altitude, so that's at most 555 m descent, with 2 km the longest piste. However families don't have to worry about young children straying to be eaten by bears. Each hotel has its own little slope and teleski tows or chairlifts, and until 2017 each sold their own non-transferable pass, but then heads were banged together and you now buy an area pass. In 2022 a day pass is 195 TL adult, 100 TL child, and longer or hourly passes are available.

Ski equipment can be rented at a dozen locations on the mountain for 150-250 TL a day. Useful to know: "Kayak" is Turkish for skiing.

Hiking
Trails are not waymarked, but self-evident in the popular western parts. Examples are:
 * from Sarıalan lower cable car station to Çobankaya and Kurbağa Kaya top station.
 * from the old hotel area to Volfram, above the tree line.
 * from Volfram to Uludağ summit.
 * from Volfram to the four glacial lakes - combining these with the summit is a bit too much for a single day.

Paths elsewhere are sparsely trodden. You can even hike up from the lowlands, for instance from Zeyniler to Sarıalan, or from Saitabat to Kilimli lake (15 km). Either will take most of a day, sweating and swatting at flies, while thinking of the cable car fare you've saved.

Buy

 * Migros in 1. Oteller is open daily 08:00-22:00, and in 2. Oteller is same hours except W and Su 10:00-22:00.
 * Kiosks and grocery stores on the mountain charge about three times what you'd pay elsewhere.

Eat

 * Sarıalan has a cluster near the cable car station, including Orman Köşkleri, Palabıyık, Jebel, Abu Shanab, Taş Konağı Tesisleri and Gencosman. The sign Kendin Pişir Kendin Ye means cook it yourself, you buy your meat by the kilo and rent a grill and charcoal and set to. "Et mangal" means meat grill, and cafe signs in Arabic are pitching to the many Saudi visitors.
 * Hotels are full-board, which doesn't leave custom for free-standing restaurants, but several will serve walk-in non-residents.
 * Volfram cafe / restaurant is open 24 hours.

Drink

 * Water: Uludağ is a popular brand of bottled mineral water. Erikli (a village east above Zeyniler) is the source of another, now owned by Nestlé.
 * The cafés and bars are within the hotels and are expensive. Those that welcome non-residents include Zilly next to Grand Yazıcı in the old hotel strip, and Ruby 2543 above the new.

Budget

 * Campsites are at Sarıalan and Çobankaya, and are cramped and crowded. You might pay 15 TL per pitch.
 * Wild camping is permitted away from the tourist zones. This is a good option for exploring the eastern lakes, but the alpine meadows are fragile so practice Leave-no-trace camping.

Mid-range
All hotels in Uludağ are in Oteller (literally "hotels") area, and ordered here roughly as you come to them by road. They're aimed at winter sports and many are closed in summer.

is the original hotel area and village, on a side-loop of D575.
 * Kervansaray Ski Centre earned rotten reviews in 2021 / 22.
 * Others are on a side road up the mountain, and include Atasu, Genç Yazıcı, Ergun, Karkay, Oksijen Zone and Ulukardeşler.
 * Kervansaray Ski Centre earned rotten reviews in 2021 / 22.
 * Others are on a side road up the mountain, and include Atasu, Genç Yazıcı, Ergun, Karkay, Oksijen Zone and Ulukardeşler.
 * Others are on a side road up the mountain, and include Atasu, Genç Yazıcı, Ergun, Karkay, Oksijen Zone and Ulukardeşler.

is the newer resort area 2 km further east up D575, by Kurbağa Kaya the top cable-car station.

Stay safe

 * Fog or mist can descend suddenly out of a clear blue sky, and make it hard to stay on the trail. Take a compass bearing on your route before you lose sight of landmarks. You did bring one, right, and know how to use it?
 * Bears in these woods are Eurasian brown bears, Ursus arctos arctos, with a round head and yellow-brown fur. They show no mercy to unguarded sheep but are very unlikely to attack humans unless cornered or threatened. The crucial thing is not to surprise them, and when camping not to have open food that might attract them. Also beware bear traps, especially near villages whose residents value their livestock. They're wire nooses, totally illegal but easily bought or fashioned - report any you find. If a bear is caught, you'll hear it shrieking from afar, call the Jandarma on 112 and they'll release it safely.

Connect
There is a patchy mobile signal from all Turkish carriers along the roads into the resort, and you might even get 4G. As of Feb 2022, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next
By road or cable car you have to backtrack to Bursa. Hiking routes and poorly maintained dirt tracks lead to remote villages in the eastern and southern foothills.

title: Uludağ


text:
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is a park in the Northern Territory of Australia, part of the so-called Red Centre of the continent. The national park is a UNESCO World Heritage area and is best known for Uluṟu (also known as Ayers Rock), a single massive rock formation, and also for Kata Tjuṯa (also known as "The Olgas"), a range of rock domes.

Yulara is the only service village nearby, built to offer supplies and accommodation for visitors to the park.

Understand

Visitors should understand that there are three locations that they need to be familiar with when visiting. Firstly, the airport – that is known as Ayers Rock airport. Secondly, the national park – that contains both the Rock (Uluṟu) and Kata Tjuṯa (The Olgas). The park closes at night, and has few services and no accommodation or camping. Thirdly, Yulara that is the resort town that contains all the services for the area. The three locations are all distinct, and you need to consider how you will travel between them.

Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa are considered sacred places by the local Aboriginal people. The land is owned by the indigenous Anangu people, leased by the government and jointly managed by the Anangu and the Australian parks and management services. Visitors will notice efforts throughout the area to include and encourage respect for the Anangu perspective on the land.

Much of Kata Tjuṯa is off-limits, and climbing Uluṟu is also illegal. A few areas around the base of Uluru are also off-limits for photography, although there is no problem with it throughout most of the park. In practice, however, the daily management of the parks is handled by members of the Australian parks department.

History
The Anangu people have connected to the area for thousands of years. Some records suggest they may have been there for more than 10,000 years. On an expedition in 1872, the explorer Ernest Giles saw the rock formation from a considerable distance, although he did not reach the base. Giles described it as "the remarkable pebble". In 1873, the surveyor William Gosse followed his footsteps and reached the rock. He chose to name it in honour of the Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. Giles himself chose to name the domes nearby for Olga, the Queen of Württemberg.

The names Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa come from the local Pitjantjatjara language and respectively mean "Earth Mother" and "Many Heads". In the Pitjantjatjara language they are written as Ulu r u and Kata Tju t a, the letters with macrons indicating that they are pronounced with the tongue curled upwards and touching the upper part of the palate instead of the front part or the teeth.

Eventually, the Australian government moved to a dual-naming policy – initially "Ayers Rock / Uluru", and then "Uluru / Ayers Rock". "Uluru" is now the common-usage name amongst all but the elderly. Official material tends to begin with the dual-named "Uluru / Ayers Rock" and later use simply "Uluru".

Landscape
Uluṟu is one of Australia's best known natural features, the long domed rock having achieved iconic status as one of the symbols of the continent. The rock is a so-called monolith, i.e. a single piece of rock or a giant boulder, extending about 5 km beneath the desert plain and measuring 3.6 by 2.4 km at the surface. It rises 348 metres above the plain (862.5 metres above sea level) and has a circumference of 9.4 km. Some say that Uluru is the biggest of its kind, others say that Mount Augustus in Western Australia is bigger. Whatever the case may be, standing in front of Uluru and seeing its massive bulk rise above the flat plain surrounding it, it is nothing less than impressive. The rock undergoes dramatic colour changes with its normally terracotta hue gradually changing to blue or violet at sunset to flaming red in the mornings as the sunrises behind it.

But the rock also extends some 2.4 km (1.5 mi) underground. The Anangu believe this space is actually hollow but it contains an energy source and marks the spot where their dreamtime began. They also believe that the area around Uluru is the home of their ancestors and is inhabited by many ancestral beings.

Kata Tjuṯa is a collection of 36 variously-sized rock domes to the west of Uluru. Some geologists believe that it once may have been a monolith far surpassing Uluru in size, but that it eroded to several separate bulks of rock.

Flora and fauna
The park protects hundreds of plant species, 24 native mammal species and 72 reptile species. To protect these, off-road access away from Uluru and Kata Tjuta is not allowed.

Climate
In December and January, the temperature can be blistering hot with temperatures exceeding 45 °C, and occasionally tipping over 50, and some areas may be closed for travellers' safety. July and August can see minimum overnight temperatures drop to as low as minus 10°, with day time maximums occasionally only reaching as high as 15°. April and September offer a more temperate climate, although still warm enough to work up a sweat at mid-day.

Talk
Pitjantjatjara is the native language of the local Aboriginal people who own the land, but most people speak English as well.

By car

 * From the north, in Alice Springs take the Stuart Highway (A87) South for about 200 km to Erldunda Roadhouse. Turn right onto the Lasseter Highway and 245 km further on you arrive at Yulara). It's a tarmac road - a bit of a sloping surface in places, but you can easily drive along at . Far more cars on the road than you would imagine, and every driver waves hello to you (that's what you get in these far off places!) Plenty of places to stop and picnic and get water, although no toilets unless you stop at an official roadhouse (few and far between). There's lots of wildlife to see too: camels, cows, dingos and birds.

Cars can also be rented in Alice Springs. It is a 450-km drive to the resort from Alice, and should take between 4 and 5 hours. There are fuel stations along the Stuart Highway (A87) and the Lasseter Highway (A4). Be sure to top off your tank when you can. In addition, if you have an early flight from Alice Springs and plan to drive back in the morning, be sure to top off the day before, as fuel in Yulara is not open 24 hours - and they won't be open if you leave pre-dawn. Probably best to wait if you're not in a hurry.

 * To the south the nearest town is Marla. Take the Stuart Highway north to Erldunda, away.
 * From the west the Docker River Road ends near Kata Tjuta. As this road is considered part of the Gunbarrel Highway, you will find detailed information in that article.

Driving at night can be dangerous because of animals on the road, particularly kangaroos and cows (Lasseter Highway goes through cattle station land and is not fenced in all the way). Rental car agreements often prevent doing this drive outside daylight hours, mostly for your own safety.

By tour
A number of tour companies based in Alice Springs visit Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. Note that the majority of the companies listed below are not based in Alice Springs but are re-sellers of the local operators. You may find it cheaper to visit Alice Springs and book a tour directly with a local operator. Tours range from basic 1-day bus tours (beware, this means at least 1,000 km of driving in 1 day) up to 5 days long, also often visiting Kings Canyon and the MacDonnell ranges on the way.

Tour companies also provide longer tours from many of Australia's capital cities including Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.

By plane

The airport in Alice Springs is served by more destinations, but it is well over 5 hours drive from to Yulara. Unlimited mileage rental cars are not common in Alice Springs if you arrive and rent a car on the spot from the majors. Travel agents and the government tourist office do have access to unlimited mileage rates.

Flights from Alice Springs cost around $120 upwards with Qantas.

By bicycle
The road from the Stuart Highway makes for a pleasant & relatively easy cycle tour, undertaken each year by dozens of travellers. Bicycle travellers need to be well prepared in terms of mechanical reliability, water & food, and will need to "bush camp" several nights at least.

Fees and permits
You must purchase a pass to enter the park. As of 2022, passes cost:

 * Northern Territory residents annual: $109 / vehicle
 * Non-residents 3 days: $38 18 year old+ / free under 18
 * Non-residents annual: $50 18 year old+ / free under 18

Some tours include the fee, ask your booking agent.

You can also purchase the pass at the entrance to the park, but if taking tours, book online as the tour operators will want to check the pass when boarding the bus and not stop at the gate.

3 day passes can be extended for an additional 2 days at the entrance to the park only.

Get around
The big rocks are actually a little distance from Yulara, where the accommodation and facilities are. If you are not with a tour, or didn't bring your car, you will need to decide how best to get to these locations. Rental cars can be expensive, and have limited kilometres; however shuttles to and from the rock are also expensive, so do the maths and see what works best for you.

 * Cars can be rented nearby at Ayers Rock/Connellan Airport or at Yulara. The roads around Uluru and Kata Tjuta are all sealed/paved and well-maintained so you don't require a 4WD. Vehicles drive on the left, but there isn't much in the way of traffic in the area - people accustomed to driving on the right can probably manage it. Be aware of additional charges that may apply including premium location or one way surcharge. Also ensure you book early so you are not disappointed.
 * Ayers Rock Tours. Many of the longer tours of the Ayers Rock Region depart and return to Alice Springs. Some will pick up at Ayers Rock but do not drop back at Ayers Rock. If you are wanting to do a 3-day or 5-day tour and experience the entire region it is best to start and finish in Alice Springs.
 * Uluru Express offers unlimited access to the Park from your choice of hotel at Yulara for 2-days or 3-days at a cost of $155 or $170, respectively. This cost does not include admission to the park.  This is a great deal for those who wish to see all the attractions in the park at their own pace.  Other trips are available.
 * Uluru Express offers unlimited access to the Park from your choice of hotel at Yulara for 2-days or 3-days at a cost of $155 or $170, respectively. This cost does not include admission to the park.  This is a great deal for those who wish to see all the attractions in the park at their own pace.  Other trips are available.

Night sky

Uluru

 * The Uluru base walk (9.8 km) will take 3–4 hours. Most people walk clockwise on the track but a few kilometres along this track the crowds thin out to just an occasional walker.
 * The Mala Walk  (2 km) This track begins at the Mala Walk car-park and ends at the inspiring Kantju Gorge.
 * The Liru Walk is a walk between the cultural centre and the base of Uluru. Its 4 km and takes about 1 and a half hours.
 * The Kuniya Walk is an easy 1 km walk to the Mutitjulu Waterhole on the Southern side of Uluru. There is some rock art here also in the rock shelter, and a good place to learn about the Tjukurpa (pronounced Chook-a-pa) of the area.
 * Some tour operators, eg AAT Kings, offer a "Cultural Walk tour" which incorporates the Mala and Kuniya walks.

Kata Tjuta

 * The Walpa Gorge walk (2.6 km) is the shorter - and easier - of the two walks around Kata Tjuta.
 * The Valley of the Winds walk (7.4 km) at Kata Tjuta is truly magnificent and should not be missed. The walk consists of a single path to the first lookout point.  From this point, the walk enters further into Kata Tjuta, where a loop trail brings you to the second lookout point. The counter-clockwise (left-round) direction is recommended.  The complete walk (to both lookouts) takes about 3 hours, and carrying bottled water is advised, although there are two water stations along the route. The walk beyond the first lookout may be closed during extreme weather.  As with the Uluru climb, a sign at the park entrance will advise visitors whether the walk to the second lookout is open.  This walk is best during the early morning hours, before the large crowds arrive, permitting you to see more wildlife.  The walk beyond the first lookout will be closed at 11AM if the forecast high temperature is above 36 degrees C, which is very common in summer.  The walk is also over rocky and hilly terrain.  Therefore, good hiking shoes are not only recommended, but should be required.
 * The Kata Tjuta Dune Viewing Area is a short walk off the road to Kata Tjuta. It gives you a great view to Kata Tjuta, and as the name suggests its located on the top of a sand dune.  It also gives a good view of Uluru from a distance.  600 m and allow at least 30 minutes.

Photography

Both Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa are extremely popular photography subjects and the park provides a general guide to photography. You might also look out for the rare ability to photograph rain in the park, and the possibility of astrophotography given the excellent view of the Milky Way and the lack of light pollution.

Before photographing Uluṟu close up, review the sensitive cultural sites that the Anangu people ask not be photographed. These are marked on the base walk prominently with signs asking that you not take photographs starting from the sign. These are also shown in the photography guide above. The entire north-east face, which is the side visible from the airport and Yulara, should only be photographed from a distance.

Commercial photography requires a permit and drone photography is forbidden.

Flying over the park
Two operators provide sightseeing flights over the park, both short flights over Uluṟu and longer flights taking in one or more of Kata Tjuṯa, Lake Amadeus, and Kings Canyon.

Buy
Souvenirs are available at the Cultural Centre or at several shops in Yulara. They range from standard shirts, caps and knick-knacks to authentic (and, accordingly, expensive) Anangu art. Food, drinks and photographic equipment are available in Yulara.

Eat

 * The Sounds of Silence Dinner is an extremely popular - albeit expensive ($159 per adult) - night under the stars. Advance bookings (e.g. 3–4 days) are essential even in low seasons. Coaches take diners from Yulara to one of a few dining areas out in the desert. Champagne (or beer, upon request) are served while the sun goes down over Uluru and the inevitable didgeridoo plays. The clean, elegant dining area is lit by table lamps. The food is served buffet-style, but it's cooked with the attention of a gourmet chef (considering the circumstances). Between the main course and dessert, a star talker guides you through the stars that are out that night, and telescopes are available afterward. There is also a camp fire in the winter. Reservations can be made at travel agents or the various tour offices around Yulara. Ostensibly, reservations can be made over the internet as well, but it's a good idea to follow-up by phone, as coordination between the resort offices and the tour company is spotty at best.
 * Desert Awakenings, occasionally available, is a breakfast version of the aforementioned Sounds of Silence. It includes a guided tour around the base of Uluru and ends at the Cultural Centre.
 * Desert Awakenings, occasionally available, is a breakfast version of the aforementioned Sounds of Silence. It includes a guided tour around the base of Uluru and ends at the Cultural Centre.

Drink
Water! And lots of it. No alcohol is sold outside of Yulara, and tribal elders have asked visitors not to sell or give alcohol to the indigenous people.

Sleep
There is no accommodation inside the park, and no camping is permitted within the park boundaries. The park closes overnight.

Accommodation from camping to 5-star hotels is available in at the resort village of Yulara, just outside the park boundary. See that article for details.

About an hour short of Yulara (coming from Alice Springs) is Curtin Springs Station, which offers free unpowered camping, and $25 per night for powered sites. They charge $2.50 for a shower. You can "bush camp", but it's not recommended.

If you are interested in Aboriginal culture, consider staying at Mt Ebenezer. It's 200 km away, so you won't see the sunrise at Uluru, but it's good for a night's stop if you are late getting away from Alice or Uluru. Whilst the accommodation is relatively basic, it is one of only a few Aboriginal-owned roadhouses in the Territory. Go out the back and you will see an art room for members of the local Imampa Community, and you can buy art directly from the artists. Don't be put off by not being served by an Aboriginal person, this is due to their culture, but rest assured it is owned by the local community.

Stay safe
Unless you're well-equipped with an appropriate vehicle, supplies and maps, stay on the marked roads. Keep an eye on your fuel supply before you set off anywhere.

Keep plenty of water with you at all times while you're hiking. Whether or not you're thirsty, stop for a drink at least once an hour. The temperatures can be extreme during the summer (particularly December to January). Wear a hat and don't be shy with the sunscreen. Expect to be annoyed by flies, particularly on some stretches of the Valley of the Winds walk.

Wear comfortable walking or hiking shoes. Some of the terrain you may be traversing will be steep and covered with loose stones. Thongs, flip-flops, boat-shoes, and loafers are not recommended for the Uluru Climb, the Valley of the Winds walk, nor the Gorge walk. Runners (sneakers) are acceptable.

Go next
Curtin Springs Station makes a good base for a trip to King's Canyon in Watarrka National Park, a similarly magnificent geological wonder. Make sure you fuel up in Yulara until Alice Springs when going that way, as fuel prices on the way are unbearable!

title: Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park


text:
Ulverston

Ulverston is a small market town in Cumbria, United Kingdom. With a population of 13,000, Ulverston isn't a huge tourist attraction for the area, although its proximity to the Lake District makes it a quaint stop-over for visitors planning to explore more of Cumbria. Its two main claims to fame are being the birthplace of Stan Laurel and having a lighthouse-esque monument on a hill (usually lit up in Autumn and Winter months).

By car
Ulverston is accessible by car via the A590 road, which branches off the M6 motorway and continues towards Barrow-in-Furness.

Get around
Bus services operate around Ulverston town centre to the surrounding villages and housing estates. Given the town's diminutive size, though, it is unlikely that any visitor will want to explore beyond the centre.

See

 * Other sights: for most of the year, Ulverston is much the same as any small town - little activity of note. Late in the year, Ulverston holds a flag week where flags are displayed from shops and homes, and in September you'll see the Lantern Parade, where townsfolk (primarily children) spend an evening walking around the town holding candle-lit lanterns made from bamboo and paper. This event is accompanied by music and is an interesting, if limited, sight to see.
 * Other sights: for most of the year, Ulverston is much the same as any small town - little activity of note. Late in the year, Ulverston holds a flag week where flags are displayed from shops and homes, and in September you'll see the Lantern Parade, where townsfolk (primarily children) spend an evening walking around the town holding candle-lit lanterns made from bamboo and paper. This event is accompanied by music and is an interesting, if limited, sight to see.
 * Other sights: for most of the year, Ulverston is much the same as any small town - little activity of note. Late in the year, Ulverston holds a flag week where flags are displayed from shops and homes, and in September you'll see the Lantern Parade, where townsfolk (primarily children) spend an evening walking around the town holding candle-lit lanterns made from bamboo and paper. This event is accompanied by music and is an interesting, if limited, sight to see.

Do
Ulverston has an impressively large old-style cinema with long draped curtains swinging open to reveal the film. It shows most of the big blockbuster movies (although often a week or two after their widespread UK showings).

The Coronation Hall in the centre is home to various artistic performances throughout the year. Pop by to see if there are any music concerts, Jazz trios, plays etc. performing during your visit.

The Coronation Hall is also home to the Tourist Information Centre, which mostly serves to provide information and bookings for travel in the Lake District. You can also enjoy watching Ulverston carnival once a year! For more information visit the tourist information centre in the town centre.

Events
Dickensian Festival: every November, the town holds a Dickensian Festival celebrating times of yore, with shopkeepers dressed up in old-fashioned costume and various stalls set up around Market Street. There are usually games and activities for children too.

Buy
Ulverston is a haven for the fashion shopper who is tired of the choice offered by the chain stores found in most large towns. It has numerous independent fashion outlets in and around the town centre and once a year for a week in October holds a fashion festival. Aside from Boots, Tesco, Co-op, Bodycare, Blockbuster and Spar there are no major chains in the town. The Booths supermarket, on the edge of the town (A590 route towards the M6), has a wide range of food and drinks. Various craft shops are spread around the centre which are useful for picking up gifts and souvenirs.

Market days: Thursdays and Saturdays are market days, where temporary stalls are set up along the main shopping streets in the centre, selling everything from fresh fish to clothes and gadgets. It has dwindled to a handful of stalls, although it's still worth browsing around for that twee market town feel.

Eat
Small cafes abound - the Hot Mango Cafe on King Street is particularly good for a lunchtime snack and a cup of tea. There are no fast-food chains aside from Greggs. For evening meals, the Jade Fountain caters for Chinese food fans, while the Raj serves Indian food. Several Chinese take-aways are scattered around the centre, along with several kebab shops for those midnight peckish moments.

Drink
At one point, Ulverston had the highest pub-to-population ratio in the world. Visitors will still be surprised by the number of pubs - there are a few on every street around the town centre, and most have a welcoming traditional feel with local ales and the occasional log fire in Winter. See the Rose and Crown on King Street; the King's Arms on Queen Street; or the Swan near canal head for comfy, hospitable pubs.

If you fancy a livelier evening, McKenzies nightclub stays open until 1AM or 2AM on Friday and Saturday evenings. It tends to be frequented by groups of people, though, and can be prone to the odd spate of fighting, so if you're travelling on your own it's better to stick with the pubs in the town centre where you have a chance of meeting and talking to townsfolk.

Stay safe
Like most small and quiet English towns, Ulverston rarely suffers from any serious crime. It's always a good idea to keep track of your belongings - especially in busy pubs at night where mobile phones can go 'missing'. McKenzies is the only nightclub, and can become rowdy on Friday and Saturday nights, so avoid and stick to the quieter pubs if you don't want noisy (and drunk) youngsters around, and avoid the usual drunks at midnight in the centre.

Go next

 * Lake District National Park is to the north
 * Barrow-in-Furness is 10 miles southwest
 * Grange-over-Sands is a pleasant coastal town, 15 miles east. Nearby Cartmel has a priory and is the "home" of sticky toffee pudding.

title: Ulverston


text:
Ulyanovsk

Ulyanovsk (Russian: Улья́новск ool-YAHN-uhfsk) is the capital and principal city of Ulyanovsk Oblast. Originally known as Simbirsk (Симби́рск), in 1924 the city was renamed after Vladimir Lenin (born Ulyanov), who was born here.

By boat
During summer there are boats from Kazan, Samara and other destinations on the Volga River.

By plane
Ulyanovsk has two airports. Ulyanovsk-Tsentral'niy or Barataevka (Ульяновск-Центральный/Баратаевка) is a regular domestic airport that serves UTAir and RusLine flights to Moscow. Ulyanovsk-Vostochniy has been constructed as an experimental airfield for testing new aircraft (its runway is more than 5 km long!) Now it is converted into another passenger airport and may also cater to international flights (that do not exist, though). Flight Airlines (Russian: Полёт) operates flights to Moscow.

By train
The train takes you here from Moscow (from Kazanskaya train station) in approximately 16 hours or from Volgograd in about 20 hours. Ulyanovsk Main Station is located 6 km from the city center.

Get around
Ulyanovsk has an extensive public transportation network that includes buses, trolleys, and trams. It is very affordable, but congested and may be quite confusing. You won't find any route maps or schedules, neither at bus stops nor in buses. Fee collectors usually don't speak English. Express buses and semi-private van routes are more comfortable and more expensive. Taxis are not expensive, and that's your best bet if you want to get somewhere (relatively) quickly, in (relative) comfort (almost all cars are old Russian ladas or over 10 year old non-Russian cars), and without much hassle. They are also most likely to have English speaking drivers (one in 1000) and superloud Russian pop music.

Getting between the banks of the Volga is a problem. There is a two lane bridge connecting the banks and it's nearly always congested, so if you're unlucky, it can take a couple of hours. Most locals avoid going over the bridge if they can. A four-lane bridge was planned to relieve these problems.

See
As the home town of Lenin, it's worth visiting the Lenin Memorial Centre and Gardens and museums based in his former houses. There is also a museum dedicated to the poet 'Goncharov' and the war memorial at the end of the main street 'Ulitsa Goncharova' offers breathtaking views over the Volga.

Do
In winter, try cross-country skiing along the Sviaga river, in summer take a boat ride over the reservoir.

Buy
The city's main shopping centre 'Tsum' is basic to say the least but does offer some basic shopping.

Go next
The capital of Tatarstan, Kazan, is a stunning city just 7 hours train ride from Ulyanovsk.

title: Ulyanovsk


text:
Ulyanovsk Oblast

Ulyanovsk Oblast (Russian: Улья́новская о́бласть ool-YAHN-uhf-skuh-yuh OH-bluhst') is a region in the Middle Volga, which borders Penza Oblast to the west, Mordovia to the northwest, Chuvashia to the north, Tatarstan to the northeast, Samara Oblast to the east, and Saratov Oblast to the south.

Cities

 * — the capital, principal city, and hometown of one very famous Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known as Lenin
 * — a mid-sized industrial city on the Melekes River

Understand
More than half of Ulyanovsk Oblast's residents live in the two industrial cities of Ulyanovsk and Dmitrovgrad; the rest of the region is largely agricultural steppe.

Get in
It is fairly easy to get to Ulyanovsk via Moscow on the daily overnight train (16 hours) or by plane (1.5 hours).

title: Ulyanovsk Oblast


text:
Umag

Umag is a town in Istria on the Adriatic coast of Croatia.

Understand
Umag is a picturesque small Mediterranean town - harbour, the Croatian gate to Europe, the first tourist destination you come across on arrival to the northern part of the Adriatic coast. Umag has excellent road and air connections with all large towns in the world (at only 50 nautical miles from the famous Venice!). It is located in an attractive bay with one of the most prestigious ACI marinas awarded the Blue Flag. Its natural beauties, the history and tradition of the old town of Umag and of the surrounding Istrian area, a warm Mediterranean climate with an abundance of sunshine during most months of the year and high quality hotels, campsites, apartments and bungalows make Umag an ideal vacation place for the whole family. The history of Umag is exceptionally interesting: In ancient times it was discovered by Roman aristocracy who adopted it for their summer residence.The town has preserved parts of the town walls and defence towers, Renaissance and Baroque houses and churches, the most famous among them being the parish church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary and the church of St. Peregrine. Umag is a widely known site of the international ATP tennis tournament, which has been successfully organized since 1990.

By plane

 * Trieste International Airport (45 km)
 * Airport Pula (65 km)

By train

 * Rail Station Pazin (35)
 * Rail Station Buzet (40)

By car
Ljubljana -Kopar - Border Kaštel / Plovanija - Umag Zagreb - Rijeka - tunnel Učka -Buzet - Buje - Umag Pula - Vodnjan - Bale - Sv. Lovrec - Porec - Novigrad - Umag or Pula - Vodnjan - Bale - Sv. Lovrec - Baderna - Vižinada - Buje - Umag
 * From North:
 * From East:
 * From South:

Get around
The Arena in Pula, the Roman amphitheatre is located in the centre of Pula. It was built in 1st century BC and took its present form in 1st century when it could seat about 20,000 spectators. It served for gladiator fights that took place in it until 5th century.
 * Arena in Pula

The Cretaceous Park with fossilized dinosaur footprints, Byzantine castrum and the remains of Roman villas, archaeological and natural-science collection, the exhibition “Josip Broz Tito on Brijuni”, the Mausoleum of Kupelwieser family are only some of the sights you should not miss. And while walking along the islands you will be accompanied by numerous tame bird species, deer, mouflons and other big game. In the town of Poreč, near Umag, there is one of the most beautiful early Byzantine churches in Europe called Euphrasian Basilica after the bishop of Poreč who had this marvellous three-nave church built over the site of an older church. Of special interest are the impressive mosaics over the apse of precious stones and mother-of-pearl. The walls surrounding the small medieval hilltop town of Motovun present an invaluable cultural and historical heritage of Istria. The very well preserved old town core is surrounded by impressive defence walls. According to the Guinness Book of Records, with its 23 inhabitants, Hum is the smallest town in the world. It is situated in the central part of Istria and famous for the Alley of the Glagolitic priests – a unique memorial to the old Croatian Glagolitic script. It is a geo-morphological phenomenon with overgrown canyon cliffs rising up to 150 m above sea level. With its narrow, 11 km long inlet it represents one of the most beautiful landscapes in Istria. The Učka mountain and its highest peak Vojak at 1401 m offering breathtaking 360° panoramic view over the Istrian peninsula, north Adriatic islands, Gorski Kotar mountains, Venice, Italian Alps...
 * Brijuni Islands - national park
 * Euphrasian Basilica – part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage
 * Motovun walls
 * Hum – the smallest town in the world
 * Lim Channel
 * Nature Park Učka

See
Due to Umag’s stormy history the buildings from the Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages were completely destroyed. The present historical core has inherited the urban structure of the Middle Ages. There are numerous reminders of that era: wall remains, Venetian villas and above all, picturesque narrow streets. The one that is best preserved is also the oldest one – the west tower now housing the Museum of Umag, keeper of a valuable collection of archaeological artefacts found on the site of the town of Umag. Not far from Umag, on the Rosazzo promontory there is a small, very old Church of St. Peregrine. It was built by the inhabitants of Umag to mark the spot where, during the Diocletian era. The oldest lighthouse on the Adriatic Coast built in 1818, 36 m high with the light visible from the distance of 32 kilometres. The construction of the lighthouse is connected with a love story of Count Metternich, who although married, fell in love with a local girl and had the lighthouse built to her honour. Between Savudrija and Umag during low tides a small 200 m long and 50 m wide promontory and a pile of stones rise from the sea: These are the only remains of the ancient Castle of Sipar from the 5th century. The town of Siparis existed here during the Roman era, a proof of this being the foundations of villas and houses, mosaics, marble, ceramic, urns and coins found in this location, all dating from the era of Constantine and Valerius. Sipar was totally plundered and destroyed in 876 by the Neretvian pirates led by the Ban Domagoj and never regained its previous significance. A real paradise for divers! This luxury villa had its own Roman spa, water cistern, huge dwelling quarters lavishly decorated with mosaics on the floor and frescos on the walls. The remains of a pier measuring 30 metres in length and 6 metres wide are located in the sea near the villa, while the remains of an enormous construction can also be recognized, most likely a pool of another Roman villa.
 * Old town of Umag
 * Church of St. Peregrine
 * Lighthouse in Savudrija
 * Sipar Promontory
 * Villa Tiola

title: Umag


text:
Uman

Uman (Ukrainian: Умань) is a city in Central Ukraine.

Understand
Uman was founded in the 17th century. It is a small industrial and historic city, which occupies 50th place in terms of population in Ukraine and the second in the region, one of the major tourist centers of Ukraine, as well as Jewish religious movements - Hasidism.

Besides that Uman features a beautiful and popular botanical park.

Get in
Uman is 210 km from Kyiv and 273 km from Odesa.

By train
From Kharkiv and Poltava: train # 613 Kharkiv — Uman.

From Donetsk: train Yasynuvata — Uman.

By marshrutka
Regular comfortable minibuses (marshrutkas) from Kyiv, Cherkasy, Odesa. In Kyiv it is close from central railway station and central bus station (Moskovska ploshcha). You should seek minibus (Mercedes or Volkswagen) with Ukrainian tablet "Умань".

By public transport
Uman has a convenient public transport system:

Single ride tickets in buses cost 12 грн.
 * 14 bus routes

Schedules are available on the official website (in Ukrainian).

You can also check information about public transport on EasyWay and Google Maps.

By taxi
Taxi is the easiest way of getting around the city. Some popular taxi companies include:

Do
Go to the art gallery and museums.

Budget

title: Uman


text:
Umbertide

Umbertide is a city in the province of Perugia in northern Umbria in Italy.

Understand
Umbertide lies on the River Tiber, the river that eventually passes through Rome. Unlike most Umbrian cities, which are hill towns, it lies on flat land. It is an important industrial center producing machine tools, farm machinery, ceramics and other products. Compared with other cities in the region it also has relatively little history, with its formation dating back to around the 10th Century. Its original name was Fratta and for much of its history it has been under the control of Perugia. It received its present name in 1863 in honor of the then Crown Prince Umberto. Most of its attractions are also relatively recent.

On April 25th, 1944 Allied planes mistakenly dropped bombs on the medieval part of the town, causing considerable damage and killing sixty people.

Get in
Umbertide is on the E45 highway, 30km north of Perugia and 20km south of Città di Castello.

There are train connections via Perugia.

See

 * S. Maria della Reggia. This is often referred to as the Collegiata. It is an octagonal 16th century brick building topped by a cupola. It houses a few paintings by Pomarancio.
 * S. Maria della Pietà, has an attractive funerary chapel. It is of late medieval and Renaissance styles.
 * La Rocca. This was a medieval fort protecting the Tiber River. It is in the middle of the historical center and contains an Exhibition of Contemporary Art.
 * La Rocca. This was a medieval fort protecting the Tiber River. It is in the middle of the historical center and contains an Exhibition of Contemporary Art.

Go next

 * Civitella Ranieri, 5 km NorthEast of Umbertide, is one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses in Umbria.
 * The abbey of S. Salvatore di Montecorona is 4 km to the South. It has a beautiful eleventh century crypt with early Romanesque capitals and interesting naif 18th century painted ceilings.
 * Gubbio is a major medieval center, almost due East of Umbertide.

title: Umbertide


text:
Umbria

Umbria is a region in Italy. It is one of the smaller regions of Italy, has no large cities and a total population of less than a million but what it lacks in size it makes up for in the beauty of its agricultural land and in a large number of fascinating small towns to visit.

North

 * – the capital of Umbria, a lively university town with a fascinating medieval center.
 * – picturesque lakeside town with many restaurants and shops.
 * – Burri Collection (modern art) and the Pinacoteca Comunale art galleries.
 * – a center for ceramics.
 * – described as one of the most beautiful medieval towns in Italy.
 * – beautiful hill town, birthplace of mercenary captain Braccio Fortebraccio.
 * – a fascinating wine museum.
 * – superb countryside around this market town on the River Tiber.

Central

 * – home of St. Francis and a major religious center, the Basilica has the world's best medieval art collection frescoed on the walls.
 * – small but fascinating town.
 * – Red–bricked town. Home of the painter, Il Perugino.
 * – home of Italy's first printing press.
 * – Great red wine.[[Image:Trevi from hotel.jpg|thumb|250px|Trevi]]
 * – famous for its Infiorata flower festival on Corpus Domini Sunday when the streets are covered with intricate flower designs.
 * – famous for its Festival of the Two Worlds.
 * – close to the source of the Clitumnus River, a location much admired by the Romans and, among others, Byron.

South

 * – has the largest Roman bridge ever built.
 * – great cathedral, Etruscan sites.
 * – old Roman town on the banks of the River Tiber.
 * – the main industrial town of Umbria.
 * – impressive hill town with much to see.

Other destinations

 * – a village literally called Bastard
 * – beaches, swimming, walking and watersports
 * – beaches, swimming, walking and watersports
 * – beaches, swimming, walking and watersports

Understand
What's now Umbria was in large measure part of the land of the Umbri people, who vied for power with the Etruscans before ancient Rome defeated both tribes. Perugia was a town of the Umbri, then an Etruscan hill city. Orvieto was also an Etruscan hill town. The Roman Republic established a presence early, with Spoletium, now Spoleto, first noted in 241 B.C. Starting in the 15th century A.D., Umbria was part of the Papal States until Italian unification, with the exception of a short period of French rule under the Napoleonic Wars.

Today, Umbria remains a mountainous region with much forest and farmland, dotted with small and middle-sized cities. As in the days of ancient Rome, it is a retreat for harried inhabitants of big cities like Rome and Florence.

Talk
Umbrian accents are audibly different from Tuscan or Roman accents, but not markedly so. You will have no problems if you speak Italian. If you do not speak any Italian, you'd be well advised to learn what you can, although as in the rest of Italy, you will find some English-speakers.

By car
The A1 Autostrada that connects Rome and Florence provides impressive views of Orvieto, a town in Umbria, just to its west. However, most of the rest of Umbria is to the east of the Autostrada. The main access roads to Umbrian towns from the A1 are at Orte, if coming from Rome, and the Siena-Perugia highway if arriving from Florence.

By train
The main Rome-Florence railway line has a station at Orvieto, but not all trains stop there. A line also connects Rome with Florence via towns such as Spoleto, Assisi and Perugia.

By plane
There is a small airport at Perugia, with Ryanair offering direct flights from there to London Stansted, Brussels and Trapani. Wizz Air offers flights to Bucharest, Air Dolomiti offers flights to Munich and Blu-Express offers flights to Tirana.

Further afield, there are the airports in Rome which are about three hours away on the roads and Naples Airport which is about five hours away.

Get around
All Umbrian cities are small and can be easily seen on foot. To travel between cities, a car is convenient if you don't mind the sometimes hilly roads, but there are also several train lines and bus lines in the region. Information (in Italian) is available on the Busitalia website, including a new all-inclusive ticket for most of the public transport in Umbria.

Black Truffles
The unmistakable taste of the world famous tartufo nero is absolutely rife in Umbria. Almost every restaurant in the region will sell some form of the ingredient in one or more of its dishes. The Umbrians are very proud of their truffle usage and it has become the unofficial 'food of the region'. However, its frequency in the area does not mean its price is lower, and you will still find yourself forking out quite a bit of money for a decent truffle dish. Still, at least it's cheaper than the extortionate white truffle found elsewhere, and its flavour is no less impressive (if somewhat more overpowering).

Umbrian wine
Over the last few decades the quality of wine from Umbria has been steadily going up. Umbrian wines are often better value than wines from neighbouring Tuscany because they are less well known. For example, when trying equivalently priced Montefalco Rosso (from Umbria) against a Rosso di Montalcino (from Tuscany), more often than not, the taster will prefer the wine from Montefalco.

Red wine
Umbria has two red wines with the top Italian wine classification, DOCG (Denominazione Origine Controllata e Garantita), Sagrantino di Montefalco and Torgiano Rosso. Both these wines are grown in the hills south of Perugia, Umbria's capital city. The Torgiano Rosso DOCG was created because of the superb wines being made at the Lungarotti winery in the town of Torgiano. Sagrantino di Montefalco is made by several cantinas (wineries) with vineyards in the hills near Montefalco. This powerful red wine is made from 100% Sagrantino grapes, a variety grown only in this area. The wine has to be aged in barrels for at least a year and can only be released 36 months after the harvest.

Montefalco Rosso is usually cheaper than Sagrantino, it has DOC status and is a blend of Sangiovese, Sagrantino and sometimes Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot

There are many other superb red wines made outside these DOCG zones and again, the less well known an area is, the lower the price. Besides the usual Sangiovese blends many vineyards are producing superb "Super Umbrian" wines made with grapes not normally associated with the area.

White wine
Orvieto Classico is the most famous white wine from Umbria, it's made from a blend of local white grape varieties and there are some really great wines being made. Most producers in Umbria make at least one white, often with Grechetto or Trebbiano grapes.

Go next
Head north into the tiny, landlocked state of San Marino or even further north to the Italian cities of Bologna, Venice or Milan. Or you could always go south to the grand capital city of Rome, before heading down along the coast to Naples, the Amalfi Coast or Bari.

title: Umbria


text:
Umeå

Umeå, called Ume by locals, is a city near the mouth of the Ume River. It is the capital of Västerbotten County in northern Sweden, and with about 110,000 citizens it is the largest city in Norrland. Umeå is known for its university and many birch trees, giving it the nickname "Björkarnas stad", or the "Town of Silver Birches".

Understand
Being the regional capital of Västerbotten, Umeå is also the educational and economic capital city of the region, with no Swedish city of similar size further north. With its strategic location along the E4 national highway, most transportation to the northern part of Sweden goes through here. Umeå has the largest hospital in Northern Sweden as well as the largest university. Situated on top of a small hill overseeing the Ume river and downtown Umeå, they are by far the largest employers in the region. Due to the university, Umeå has one of the lowest average ages in the entire country with a lively night life and creative scene. Umeå was awarded the title "European Capital of Culture 2014".

History
Umeå is near the maximum of the Nordic post-glacial rebound, with the land rising at a rate near 1 centimetre per year.

Sami peoples have lived in the Västerbotten area since prehistoric times. The area was also settled by Germanic peoples, including Swedes during the Viking era. Umeå, however, is first mentioned in written sources in the early 14th century. The area remained a small parish until the late 16th century when the locals asked for and were granted city privileges. The proposed site for the new city was in "Backen", some 5 km west of modern day Umeå. However, building the city proved difficult and it didn't attract many settlers. New attempts to build a city were made in the 17th century by the Swedish king Gustav II Adolphus, this time at the site where Umeå is today. In 1647 Umeå, with its 40 inhabitants, became the seat of Västerbotten county. In the 18th and early 19th centuries Umeå was destroyed and pillaged by Russian troops several times. In 1888 the city was devastated by a large city fire, and 2,300 out of 3,000 residents lost their homes. During the reconstruction of the city a large number of birch-trees where planted, and hence Umeå is sometimes called the "City of Birches". During the 20th century communications improved with the construction of a train station in 1902 and an airport in 1961. The national highways E4 and E12 were also built by the city. In 1965 Umeå University was founded as the fifth in Sweden and the first in Norrland.

Climate
Umeå has boreal climate with short summers and long, cold winters. While not northerly enough to see a genuine midnight sun, Umeå has astounding white nights in June and July.

By plane

 * SAS has seven flights on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, five flights on Thursdays and Fridays, two flights on Saturdays and three flights on Sundays from Stockholm-Arlanda. The flight from Kiruna has been rerouted and goes through Luleå now.
 * Malmö Aviation has five flights Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday and six flights Thursday and Friday from Stockholm-Bromma, some of them continuing on from Göteborg. On Saturdays there are two flights.
 * Norwegian has four flights Monday to Friday from Stockholm-Arlanda. On Saturdays there is one flight and on Sundays there are three flights.
 * Norwegian has four flights Monday to Friday from Stockholm-Arlanda. On Saturdays there is one flight and on Sundays there are three flights.

Transports to and from the airport include a special airport shuttle bus (40 kr) which goes to Vasaplan in the city center. Shuttle tickets can only be bought using credit/debit cards or a smartphone. The ticket includes a two hours transfer time within the city buses. Taxis operate fixed prices to destinations within the city and charge from 120 kr and up.

By train
Railway connections to Umeå improved greatly as Botniabanan, the coastal railway, opened in 2010. SJ offers direct high-speed services from Stockholm, four on weekdays and two to three on weekends. Journey time is just over six hours with regular prices from 195 kr. Several more services are available that requires a quick change in Sundsvall. There's also the more traditional overnight service, departing Stockholm 22:12, arriving next morning 06:45. Couchettes and regular sleeping carriages are available. Prices starts at 600 kr one-way for a berth. It's possible to travel cheaper if booking a seat. Regional services are provided by Norrtåg connecting Umeå with Luleå, Lyckelse, Sundsvall and Vännäs.

Umeå has two railway stations.

By bus
Bus routes are well developed in Umeå. It is the cheapest way to get around in Northern Sweden and a comfortable one as well. Don't be surprised if there is service onboard of the long distance routes or even free Wifi internet. Usually there are discounts for students and sometimes even a business class section (surcharge) with wider seats and simple meal included in the ticket price.

Linje 100 has 6 buses a day on the Sundsvall - Örnsköldsvik - Umeå - Skellefteå - Luleå - Haparanda route departing Sundsvall at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00 and 20:00. The Sundsvall - Umeå or Umeå - Luleå segments cost 295 kr each.

Ybuss is a long distance bus company with 3 buses a day on the Stockholm - Umeå route departing Stockholm at 08:20, 12:40 and 20:40. The travel time is around 9 hours and the bus stops for a meal break half way. The tickets range is 330 - 415 kr depending on if you have student discount.

Linje 31 has 3 nonstop buses a day from Tärnaby with one bus starting from Mo i Rana in Norway. This 5½-hour ride stops in Lycksele and Storuman along the way. One way ticket is 242 kr. Tärnaby is Västerbotten's biggest ski resort and lies on the border with Norway.

Tapanis Buss has a route going from Stockholm to Tornio, Finland stopping at Umeå. Ticket from Stockholm 590 kr, from Tornio 380 kr.

By boat
Wasa Line runs ferries between from Vaasa, Finland across the Gulf of Bothnia. The crossing takes 4½ hours (mind the time zone change). Depending on season and day of week the departure may be in the morning, day or evening. There are daily departures in each direction. The one way ticket price is €36/27/15 off season, 390/300/150 in season (children 6–17). Cabin €30–60. A normal car costs €55/57, a bike €7. A return cruise can be had for €25 (€73 for four+car) off season; check campaigns.

The port is in the small town of Holmsund at the mouth of the Ume river, about 15 km south of the city along the Blå vägen. The shipping company provides a transfer bus from to the city centre, which can be booked when buying tickets in advance (€8/4, children 7–19) or bought on the bus if there is space. The bus from Umeå starts 1½ hours before the ship departure and passes the centre 8 min later.

By car
649km (403 miles) north on E4 from Stockholm. Note that driving in Norrland can be dangerous, especially in winter. Collisions with moose are a common cause of road accidents. During the latest years the road administration of Sweden (Vägverket) have invested much in upgrading road safety, which includes wild-life barriers/fences along major roads. This is by no means a guarantee, but it reduces the risk of moose-collisions. Other upgrades include 3-lane roads, where one direction is provided with two lanes to allow for safe passing of other vehicles while the other direction only has one. This changes from one direction to another along the road, so within a reasonable distance, the direction you travel in will have 2 lanes. It is recommended to have experience of driving in snow and poor visibility when driving in the winter, as even major roads get snow covered during days with lots of snow falling, just as strong winds in some parts cause snow to drift onto the road surface. All in all, though, the roads are kept free from snow or with a minimal surface layer of snow and ice, but roads away from the coast usually are snow covered during the entire winter, not being salted but rather just plowed for vehicle traffic.

By bike
Umeå has a lot of students and bikes are common. The city offers a wide variety of bike-friendly roads and bike-only bridges. It is often both easier and faster to get around by bike rather than by car or bus. Bikes can be rented at Cykel & Mopedhandlaren (Kungsgatan 101, ) or Umeå Camping If you plan on staying longer, buying a used bike is a good investment - with a bit of effort you can find a good used bike for as low as 400 kr.

By bus
If you prefer to use public transport, the local bus system (run by Västerbottens Lokaltrafik) has Vasaplan as its hub in central Umeå and costs 23 kr per ride for adults, 17 kr for youth below 26 and 12 kr for children below 18 (including one hour of free transfer). Buses tend to be very infrequent in summertime and as a general rule it is advisable to check the timetable before getting to the bus stop during all seasons - waiting for 10 or 20 minutes in a bus stop at -20 °C is a potential health risk. Night buses are available on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets on the busses can no longer be paid with cash. All tickets have to be paid using credit/debit cards or using mobile phone.

By taxi

 * Smartphone apps: Uber
 * Smartphone apps: Uber

Do

Sports
Being the city in Sweden with the youngest average age population, Umeå has a long tradition in sporting events. Although the local teams success in the Swedish leagues has faded, for the sport-bitten there is a variety of spectator friendly events to watch.

 * Björklöven is the local ice hockey team playing in Division 1 (Third Division). The season ranges typically September - March. Tickets cost 60-100 kr depending on visibility.
 * Umeå IK is among the top women football teams in Europe. Regularly playing in the Champions league, this is your best opportunity to watch good women's football team in Sweden. Tickets cost around 100 kr for most games.
 * IBK Dalen floorball team plays steadily in Superligan, the highest league. Home games are played in Gammliahallen and prices 40-65 kr.
 * IKSU Sport centre is the largest sport and leisure centre in Scandinavia. There is a large gym, beach volleyball, squash, swimming pool, martial arts centre, spa and a lot more. Located at the campus area close to the university, this is an incredibly popular workout spot for locals.

Learn
With 27,000 students, Umeå is Sweden’s fifth largest university city.

Work
Work is quite hard to find in the city, even for locals. The biggest employers are the University, the Hospital and Volvo (which has a factory in the outskirts). Knowledge of Swedish as well as a work permit (not needed for Nordic or EU citizens) are essential in order to get a job at either.

Students (especially foreign/exchange students) will find it even harder to get a job, but have a chance at the pubs, student papers and at the Student Union. Additionally, a French or Spanish native speaker might just get a temporary job as a teaching assistant.

Buy
Most shops are downtown (along Kungsgatan and Storgatan), in a fairly small area. Each neighbourhood will have a small shopping centre, with one or two supermarkets (ICA or Konsum/coop) and a few kiosks and fast food outlets. Two large shopping centres and hypermarkets are at the outskirts - one, Strömpilen (with a shopping gallery, an electronics hypermarket and an ICA hypermarket), at the end of Sofiehem and the other one (with a Willy's supermarket, and a Coop supermarket) in Ersboda.

Drink
Nightlife is relatively good. Clubs and pubs are either on campus or in a cluster downtown. The campus clubs are either student-only (admittance based on student-card) or offer entry fees discounts, whereas downtown clubs and pubs usually have a higher age limit for admittance. All pubs and nightclubs close at 02:00 on weekends and usually at 01:00 on weekdays. Admittance fees range between 25 and 100 kr for a regular night (100 kr and up for concerts, etc.)

Additionally, a number of events occur on a regular basis, with a traditional venue being the Plaza, Universum (on campus) or Norrlands Operan (the Opera House).

Downtown:

On campus pubs:

Connect

 * Umeå Tourist Centre (See section Tourist office) is open all year round, and is situated at Renmarkstorget in the centre of Umeå.
 * Umeå Tourist Centre (See section Tourist office) is open all year round, and is situated at Renmarkstorget in the centre of Umeå.

Stay safe
All parts of Umeå are very safe; there is no reason to be worried walking around at night. Beware of cold weather during the winter; several drunk students have frozen to death after falling asleep in the soft snow.

Go next

 * Lycksele - Some 126 km northwest of Umeå lies the scenically beautiful town of Lycksele. If you are heading to Mo i Rana or the skiresort of Tärnaby/Hemavan you might consider a lunch break here. There is a forestry museum (50 kr) and a zoo (95-135 kr).
 * Norrbyskär - Norrbyskär is an island group with a fascinating history, in the archipelago of Västerbotten 40 km south of Umeå. This is a popular hang out place for families and kids, especially in the summer months. There is a museum (40 kr), a hotel, a kiosk, a church and a YMCA camp. A ferry with many trips each day during the summer will take you to the island from Norrbyn.
 * Vindel - The town of Vindeln 55 km northwest of Umeå is a perfect day excursion spot. Rafting trips in the Vindel river are a very rewarding experience during nice summer days. A half day rafting trip with tea/coffee and a nice sandwich will set you back some 450 kr and there are longer excursions up to 2 days as well. It is also possible to rent a hot tub and just chill out with a beer. If you happen to be in Umeå during winter, the nearest skiing resort, Buberget is also in Vindeln. It has got one ski-lift and 5 slopes to ride down. Well worth a day excursion if you want to get out of the city. 120 kr for a day. There are regular ski-buses departing from Umeå to Buberget in winter.

title: Umeå


text:
Um er-Rasas

Umm ar-Rasas (Arabic: أم الرّصاص) (Kastrom Mefa'a, Kastron Mefa'a) is an archeological site in Jordan.

Understand
Umm ar-Rasas contains ruins from the Roman, Byzantine, and early Muslim civilizations. The majority of the site has not been excavated. Among the portions excavated so far include a military camp, and several churches. For its unique blend of civilizations, Um er-Rasas was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

The most important discovery on the site was the mosaic floor of the Church of St Stephen. It was made in 785 (discovered after 1986). The perfectly preserved mosaic floor is the largest one in Jordan. On the central panel hunting and fishing scenes are depicted while another panel illustrates the most important cities of the region (including Kastron Mefaa, Philadelphia, Madaba, Esbounta, Belemounta, Areopolis, Charac Moaba, Jerusalem, Nablus, Caesarea and Gaza). The frame of the mosaic is especially decorative. Six mosaic masters signed the work: Staurachios from Esbus, Euremios, Elias, Constantinus, Germanus and Abdela. It overlays another, damaged, mosaic floor of the earlier (587) "Church of Bishop Sergius." Another four churches were excavated nearby with traces of mosaic decoration.

title: Um er-Rasas


text:
Umhlanga

Umhlanga, meaning "place of reeds", is a town of 24,000 people (2011) on the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal. Although it takes on the character of a Durban exurb, its significant growth due in part to its proximity to King Shaka International Airport and tourism potential has resulted in it becoming a new economic hub for Durban. It along with Durban and other surrounding Durban communities make up a collective urban area called eThekwini.

Understand
The city is expanding into areas near the Hawaan forest to the north which is the natural habitat of many creatures such as the vervet monkey. The monkeys often venture into the city in search of food from residents and unsuspecting tourists.

Get in
As King Shaka International Airport is only about 20 km away, Umhlanga can be easily reached via ground transport upon arrival.

Get around
You can get around by taking an Uber, a bus or meter taxi.

Do
There are two beaches, Bronze Beach and Main Beach, both of which are patrolled by lifeguards throughout the day.

Sleep

 * Umhlanga Rocks has many luxury hotels and apartments right on the beach, including the Cabana Beach Hotel, the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Oyster Box Hotel, the Umhlanga Sands Hotel and Pearls of Umhlanga apartments. Many of these have views of the landmark lighthouse. It has a large increase in population during the summer months.
 * Umhlanga Rocks has many luxury hotels and apartments right on the beach, including the Cabana Beach Hotel, the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Oyster Box Hotel, the Umhlanga Sands Hotel and Pearls of Umhlanga apartments. Many of these have views of the landmark lighthouse. It has a large increase in population during the summer months.
 * Umhlanga Rocks has many luxury hotels and apartments right on the beach, including the Cabana Beach Hotel, the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Oyster Box Hotel, the Umhlanga Sands Hotel and Pearls of Umhlanga apartments. Many of these have views of the landmark lighthouse. It has a large increase in population during the summer months.
 * Umhlanga Rocks has many luxury hotels and apartments right on the beach, including the Cabana Beach Hotel, the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Oyster Box Hotel, the Umhlanga Sands Hotel and Pearls of Umhlanga apartments. Many of these have views of the landmark lighthouse. It has a large increase in population during the summer months.
 * Umhlanga Rocks has many luxury hotels and apartments right on the beach, including the Cabana Beach Hotel, the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Oyster Box Hotel, the Umhlanga Sands Hotel and Pearls of Umhlanga apartments. Many of these have views of the landmark lighthouse. It has a large increase in population during the summer months.
 * Umhlanga Rocks has many luxury hotels and apartments right on the beach, including the Cabana Beach Hotel, the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Oyster Box Hotel, the Umhlanga Sands Hotel and Pearls of Umhlanga apartments. Many of these have views of the landmark lighthouse. It has a large increase in population during the summer months.

Stay safe
Umhlanga is one of the safest areas in the Durban area as of 2019.

title: Umhlanga