text:
Leticia

Leticia is a city in the Amazonas department of Colombia. It is part of a contiguous settlement that includes Tabatinga in Brazil. On a nearby island in the river is Santa Rosa, which is part of Peru.

Understand
Leticia is a small town of over 42,000 inhabitants (2018) on the north bank of the Amazon River. It is the capital of the state of Amazonas, Colombia's southernmost town (4.09° south 69.57° west), and its only major port on the river. It has an elevation of 96 meters above the sea-level and an average temperature of 27 °C (80.6 °F).

As the largest town and the only one with a hospital, secondary schools, an airport, 24/7 electricity (blackouts occur but do not last long) and telephone/internet facilities (very slow!) it serves as the main hub for the whole area.

Regulations require a yellow fever vaccination for entering the area and most neighboring countries may demand one from people coming from that area. Though not everyone is checked, having the proof of vaccination is not only good for stress- and bribe-free travels but actually recommended for health reasons. Vaccination must be done at least 10 days before entering the area; in Colombia it is free for people who travel to high risk areas like Leticia (only WHO-approved places may do this, search the internet for "vacuna fiebre amarilla" and the name of the city you are in for places).

Many people arrive at Leticia and continue to one of the Jungle lodges in the area, where they stay several days. It's also quite possible to go explore the Amazon with day tours (Section "Do").

Get in
As this city is nestled in a dense tropical rainforest and there are no highways, it is only possible to enter this spectacular, tropical and adventurous city from Colombia by plane or boat.

Immigration
Movement between the three countries' border towns is unrestricted; but of course, make sure you're stamped into the correct country if leaving the border area. Try to minimize the number of times you go through immigration: i.e. if entering the region from one country and leaving from another, just get one exit and one entry stamp - even if you visit all three towns in this area. Anything more seems to annoy the immigration officers.

There's a Colombian immigration office at the airport, so if you're flying in and moving on to a different country you may as well get an exit stamp when you land. Don't wait several days between getting your exit stamp and the next entry stamp; however leaving it one day doesn't cause any problems.

There is another immigration office in the port, as you get off the boat from Santa Rosa. As of November 2023 it's closed.

The Brazilian immigration office is at Tabatinga's main avenue, Avenida da Amizade. You need to get exit and entry stamps at the federal police station, which closes from noon to 2pm. Although, Tabatinga is in Brazil, it has the same timezone as Leticia.

The Peruvian immigration office in Santa Rosa is fairly central and easy to find, just ask someone (roughly: From the boats, follow the path into town, turn right on the main street, after about 100 m it is a building on your left.)

By plane
Leticia has direct connections from Bogota and one-stop connections from other Colombian cities. Between Bogota and Leticia there are two daily flights with Avianca (arriving 2:11PM, departing 2:41PM) and LATAM (11:39AM/12:25PM).

On arrival to Leticia's airport, non-Colombian tourists are not separated, however they are directed to a desk in the arrivals hall by an official at the exit and have to pay an entrance fee (Impuesto al turismo). None of the officials may be able to speak English. Entrance fee was COP$35,000 in November 2023 and it's valid for one year. It is only possible to pay in cash and there is no ATM at the airport so make sure you bring enough.

Taxis to the city center are COP$6,000-8,000.

The airport of neighboring town Tabatinga has flights to Manaus.

By boat
From Iquitos to Santa Rosa, across the river in Peru, you can take a fast boat (10 hr, US$75 or S/200) or slow boat (2–3 days, ~US$20–25, bring a hammock, plate and spoon - food is provided).

If taking the slow boat buy yourself some fresh water, and treats for the trip. You must bring yourself a hammock and rope to tie it up. Try get on the boat early and secure a spot on the top deck. Also see Voyaging along the Amazon River for more tips on the trip by boat.

Remember to get an exit stamp at the immigration office at Santa Rosa. It's in town, just ask your motoconcho taxi to get you there, they will wait for you and get you to the small boats that get you to Leticia.

Boats from Manaus go upstream and arrive in Tabatinga.

Twice a year, when the water level gets very low, the port of Leticia gets shifted towards the Amazon river. You can either walk over the little hill or take a small boat to the new departure gate (for boats to Puerto Narino, Benjamin Constant, etc.)

Get around
Mototaxis are abound. In June 2021 it was COP$2,000 between the frontier and Parque Santander and between Parque Santander and the port. You can recognize mototaxis by the second helmet they carry. Only some of the drivers wear a t-shirt stating "mototaxi". There are also motocarros (tuk-tuks), covered tricycle-type vehicles in which you're more protected from the elements.

You can rent a bicycle; or a motorcycle in various points around town (COP$50,000 per day, COP$30,000 per day if renting for a week, COP$25,000 for longer rentals - haggle!)

See
The most common day tour sold by tour agencies all over the town (approx. COP$150,000, 8AM-5PM) visits the following places: - Water lily island (water lillies, parrots, pink dolphin story) - Monkey island - Indigenous tribe (please insert name, very touristic) - Puerto Narino (lunch, walking tour, watch tower) - Tarapoto Lake (pink dolphin watching)

 *  Ethnographic Museum and Library of the Republic Bank: Carrera 11 # 9 – 43, M-F 8:30AM-6PM, near the heart of the city, it has a small exhibit in English and Spanish to help you understand the differences between cultures and learn some tips you should have in mind if you're visiting an indigenous community. The building has WiFi, air-conditioning, and clean washrooms with toilet paper.
 *  Puerto Nariño & Tarapoto Lake 3 public boats per day do the route Leticia-Puerto Narino, 8AM, 10AM, 2PM; last return boat is at 3:30PM (not at 4PM as mentioned in several sources); reserve your return ticket in advance or you get stranded in Puerto Narino. Be sure to confirm the times. Once in Puerto Narino, it's easy to hire a boat with guide to continue to Tarapoto Lake.
 *  Micos Monkey Island A nature reserve that allows you to feed the monkeys. With the scheduled speed boat it's COP$19,000 there and COP$32,000 back (COP$51,000 altogether, June 2021). An employee of the speed boat company said in June 2021 that the reserve is closed, so check whether it reopened.
 *  Bicycle trip to Tabatinga (Brazil)
 *  Nighttime Safari
 *  Bird Watching At sunset, thousands of small parrots fly to Parque Santader to spend the night in the park's trees. If you ask nicely at the church next to the park, they will let you see this spectacle from the church's bell tower. A small donation is required (COP$2,500). The tower also offers a nice view over the city and the Amazon river.
 *  Kayaking in the Yahuarcaca lakes
 *  Macuna Jungle Hut Communal large living hut of one of the indigenous tribes
 *  Flor Lagoon Swimming lagoon with Victoria Lillys, parrots and small bar
 *  Parque Ecológico Mundo Amazónico This is an Etno-Botanic center to see more than 300 species of plants that only grow in the Amazon, to learn about culture, ecological practices and recycling. It is at Km 7,7 on Leticia -Tarapaca's road. - They offer 4 different guided tours, each lasting about 45 to 60 minutes: Plants, medical plants, culture and aquatic life. These can be booked in various hotels in town and at the entrance, for COP$10,000 each. It is advisable to just book all tours, they will be held in one go. The cultural and medicinal tour offer plenty of opportunities to sit down, the cultural tour allows to try blowtubes and bow and arrow. Buses go there every 30 minutes or so, just tell the bus driver that you want to get off the bus there since it is not a default bus stop. It is probably the most children friendly thing one can do to spark some interest in the ecological aspects of the Amazon, and definitely, since it is a curated garden, one of the safest ways for learning about the ecosystem. There is a small kiosk nearby, but bringing drinks and food is a good idea since the nearby restaurants are only open on Sundays during off-season.
 *  Acuarios Etuena The first aquarium to display a wide range of native species from the rainforest.

Do
Because of its privileged position as a triple frontier and being very close to a tributary river Yavarí, Leticia can serve as the perfect base for eco-tourism activities as well as for the studies of wildlife and flora in the Amazon region. It can also be the perfect starting point for visiting indigenous tribes such as the Tikunas, Yaguas, Huitotos and Boras in the Amazonas. On the Yavarí river you can find the Yaguas and Mayorunas.

Close to Leticia you can also find Amacayacu National Park which is on Colombian territory. On the Yavarí River there is also a natural reserve. The ribera peruana is also a zone with virgin tropical forest. Amongst others in the ribera peruana, the Cayaru river can be found.

Most the places can be visited by day tours or can be explored by longer stays. Typical activities include: canopy walks, fishing, kayaking, observation of fauna and flora, night safari, canoping. Be aware that some of the lodges can only reached by walking, porters for luggage are usually availabe. Even the most basic lodges provide mosquito nets and mosquito proof buildings. For jungle lodges you may try:

Leticia also greets 2 or 3 tourist cruises in the season between March and April such as the MV World Explorer, MV Bremen, MV Le Levant. Celebrity guests also include Bill Gates.

Learn
Amazon Spanish College. Learn Spanish, Amazon studies or participate in volunteer projects. Here international students from all over the world meet. Spanish courses include social and cultural activities. The Amazon Spanish College also arrange Eco-adventure excursions up the river and to the rainforest. Accommodation in bungalows at campus or in host family.

Buy
Colombian, Brazilian and Peruvian money are all freely traded in all three towns. If getting the best rate matters, check out the rates at the money changers.

Paying in the local currency will net you a better deal, sometimes in the range of a 50% saving.

Guarded ATMs are plentiful available in town. There is a at the Parque Santander and a  in the city center.

The neighboring town Tabatinga is a Free Trade Zone with really good deals on electronics.

Eat
Leticia is a melting pot for food even thought they commonly eat the same things each week each region of Colombia's delicacy are made here. For example, many people make Sancocho, a hearty soup, in different regions of Colombia. Each family will have its own variation. Common staples are meats baked together with potatoes, and sometimes vegetables, usually cooked over a stovetop in a pan. A usual Sunday meal might consist of grilled meats, cooked in makeshift charcoal grillers, served with rice and plantains.

Street food
Various vendors sell small meat skewers and fried balls of rice & meat from COP$1,000 each (June 2021) along the waterfront promenade from around noon until after sunset.

 * from the afternoon. (updated June 2021)
 * in the evening. (updated June 2021)

Westwards
A small boat from Leticia's port to Santa Rosa is COP$5,000 (June 2021).

Puerto Nariño is 1 hr 30 min to 2 hr 30 min by boat and has hostels.

There is a small Peruvian village called Caballo Cocha, two hours by boat from Leticia. Ask in the local tourist agency if they can organize a trip there.

Slow (60 hr) and fast (13 hr) boats leave from Santa Rosa (Peru) to Iquitos. The fast boat (el rapido) leaves around 3 in the morning and the slow boat (la lancha) at 6 or 8 in the evening. Make sure to get your exit stamp at the DAS office in the airport, and your Peruvian entrance stamp at the office in Santa Rosa.

There is a fast boat to Benjamin Constant that leaves around every half hour, or whenever it's full, from the port in Tabatinga, and it costs COP$15,000.

Northwards
There are direct flights to Bogota every day. And you find one-stop flights to other Colombian destinations, some of them for the same price as to Bogota. Plane tickets can be booked directly at the airport (CC accepted). There are irregular flights to other destinations as well, but in very small planes (about a dozen passengers) and one has to be very persistent to get a seat there since they are usually not offered to tourists.

Eastwards
Go to the port in Tabatinga for travel towards Manaus and Belém. Don't forget to get your exit stamp at the airport's immigration office and your entry stamp at Tabatinga's Policia Federal (best done en route, as it's in town and not really near the port).

Stay safe
If you go on jungle trips, bear in mind that dangerous species inhabit these lands.
 * do not swim if you are bleeding. Piranhas are usually shy, but are attracted to blood.
 * make sure there is no insects or spiders in your boots before you put them on. Some spiders are deadly, most may cause painful bites.
 * do not approach snakes, many are deadly.

title: Leticia


text:
Le Touquet

Le Touquet  is a fashionable seaside resort in Hauts-de-France. The town is also known as Le Touquet-Paris-Plage indicating its popularity with affluent visitors from Paris.

By plane
Le Touquet has an airport for small private and chartered planes as well as a scheduled passenger service from Lydd Airport in Romney Marsh, England.

Larger airports in the region are Beauvais–Tillé Airport and Lille Lesquin International Airport. Most international flights are likely to land in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport or Brussels-National Zaventem Airport

By train
Le Touquet is easily reachable by train: 2 hr 33 from Paris Gare du Nord, for €30–40; 2 hr 05 from Lille, for €30–€40; And 50 min from Calais, for €11.90. SNCF website

By car
Le Touquet is from Paris (2½ hr drive),  from Lille (2 hr drive), and  from Calais (1 hr drive).

A16 L'Européenne motorway, exit at Junction 26. Then 8 km west on the D939 via Étaples. The town centre is approached through a wooded area that surrounds the town. There are several by the beach.

Get around
The town centre and seafront are easily walkable. You may prefer to use a car for travelling to some outlining attractions.

Several taxi services are available:

Historic monuments
Le Touquet has 21 registered historic monuments, including 16 villas.

Sleep
There are many hotels in the town. The large 5-star hotels, such as Hotel Westminster and Holiday Inn, are located at the rear of the town. There are also two hotels, Novotel and Ibis, located at the southern end of the beach overlooking the sea.

Connect
Most hotels offer free Wi-Fi.

Area codes for landline phones of Le Touquet are +33 3 21 05 and +33 3 21 06.

Postal services:

Go next

 * There are a number of other beach resorts on this stretch of coast, such as Berck and Neufchâtel-Hardelot.
 * Boulogne-sur-Mer — : 45 minutes' drive to the north via A16 L'Européenne motorway.
 * Montreuil is an historic walled town; it is inland and worth a visit: 25 minutes' drive to the east on the D939 road.

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

title: Le Touquet


text:
Letterkenny

Letterkenny is the largest town in County Donegal, with a population of 22,500 in 2022. It's a workaday place, frankly not scenic, but with lots of accommodation and other visitor amenities. It's the county transport hub and a good base for exploring the rest of Donegal, especially the north coast.

Understand
Glaciers carved out deep valleys around the coast of Donegal, which flooded to become fjords during the post-glacial rise of the sea. The largest were Lough Foyle (now by Derry city) and at Lough Swilly by Letterkenny, with Inishowen peninsula between. Their deep sea channels assisted transport of people and goods in an era when overland roads were muddy tracks in fair weather and morasses at other times. The Vikings (who enjoyed sailing into fjords) are the first documented outsiders, but there were many others including the Celts / Gaels to give Donegal its name Dún na nGall, fort of the foreigners.

The Irish ousted the Vikings but from the 12th century came under attack by the Normans. Those incursions never got far in northwest Ireland, so it was only from the 16th century that the English Tudors could resume their land-grab. Stiff resistance from the chieftains of Tyrconnell (Donegal) and Tyrone was only broken in 1603 by the Nine Years' War; the chieftains fled to Europe and their land was seized for "plantation" by English and Scottish colonists, laying the seeds for the partition of Ireland. The local tracts were granted in 1611 to Patrick Crawford from Scotland: he and his successors developed a town north of the River Foyle, eclipsing the original Irish settlement on the south bank.

In Irish Leitir means a hillside littered with stones, and Letterkenny is the stony hillside of the O'Cannon tribe. Until the 17th century it was a seaport, but vessels grew larger while the Swilly estuary silted up. The harbour at Ballyraine stayed in business into the 19th century, importing salt and grain, while Donegal's people drained out - some to North America, but a large contingent went to Glasgow. The last act of the 1798 rebellion of United Irishmen was played out here: the main uprising in County Wexford was already crushed when the French invasion forces arrived, too little too late. The French landing in County Mayo caught the government off-guard and they campaigned almost unopposed for 11 days before being encircled. The final sortie brought the rebellion's leader Theobald Wolfe Tone into Lough Swilly, but they were captured by the Royal Navy. Wolfe Tone was brought ashore at Letterkenny, carted off to Dublin for trial, sentenced to hang but committed suicide in prison.

The 1921 partition of Ireland bore especially hard upon the northwest, as towns such as Lettekenny lost their traditional links to both Dublin and Belfast. The manufacturing economy has always been small, though a service sector has grown and made the town into the largest in the county. Revival came with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which enshrined an open border and end to hostilities, so you can hop on a bus in Derry and come here with no border checks. As elsewhere in Ulster, the big question is the long-term effect of Brexit on this.

Get in
The nearest airport is City of Derry, with flights from London Stansted, Liverpool and Glasgow. You might also fly into one of the Belfast airports or Donegal Airport on the west coast, or even Dublin. They all have car hire.

By road from Belfast follow M2 / A6 to Derry then N13. From Dublin follow M3 / A3 to Cavan, A5 through Omagh to Strabane, then N14. From Sligo follow N15 via Donegal Town to Ballybofey then N13. The nearest railway station is Derry, with hourly trains from Belfast, taking two hours via Antrim, Ballymena and Coleraine.

By bus Expressway 32 runs every couple of hours from Dublin Busáras, taking 4 hours via Dublin Airport, Ardee, Carrickmacross, Monaghan, Omagh, Newtonstewart, Strabane and Lifford, with the last bus starting at 11PM. An adult single might be €23. John McGinley Bus 932 shares this route.

From Belfast travel via Derry: Ulsterbus and Gallagher are the bus operators.

Expressway 64 runs every two hours from Derry to Letterkenny (30 min) and continues to Ballybofey, Donegal Town, Ballyshannon, Bundoran, Sligo, Charlestown, Knock airport and village, Claremorris, Ballyhaunis, Tuam and Galway. Bus Feda 964 shares this route.

McGonagle Bus 951 takes 40 min from Buncrana via Burnfoot, Bridgend and Burt; one bus a day starts from Carndonagh. It runs three times M-F and twice on Saturday.

Local Link Bus 271 runs from Burtonport (for Arranmore) taking 1 hr 40 min via Dungloe, Loughanure, Crolly, Dunlewey, Glenveagh (for National Park) and Churchill. There are three or four M-Sa.

Bus 953 runs from Moville on the Foyle coast, taking an hour via Muff and Bridgend, with three M-Sa and one on Sunday. Bus 300 runs from Ballylar on the Fanad peninsula, taking 70 min via Kerrykeel, Rathmullen and Ramelton, with three Su-Th and five F Sa.

Letterkenny is northeast side of town at the top of Port Road. Some local buses start from the nearby streets.

Get around
Walk around town, but you need wheels for outlying sights such as Newmills and Glenveagh.

Enterprise have a car hire base in Letterkenny but it's usually more convenient to hire from the airport. There's no bike hire shop.

By bus: Letterkenny is the hub for local buses around the north end of the county, but they're too sparse for sight-seeing. As well as those above, Local Link Bus 989 from Carrigans (on the south edge of Derry) orbits Letterkenny via the college and hospital, with three M-Th and five F Sa.

Taxis wait on Market St and by the bus station. Operators include Letterkenny Taxis, Swilly Cabs , Paddy's and Star Cabs.

Fares are nationally regulated and taxis must use the meter. As of March 2021, fares M-Sa 8AM-8PM are €3.60 flagfall then €1.10-1.50 per km, 8PM-8AM, and Sunday €4.00 flagfall then €1.40-1.80 per km. In slow traffic or if asked to wait they charge by the minute, 40-50 cents. Fares are negotiable for longer out of town trips.

See

 * "There is a town called Letterkenny which hath a market every Friday and two fairs in the year with a fair Church and a bridge at the east end over the River Swilly" - survey of 1652-56

 * Main Street (one way traffic south) is a mix of 19th century and modern low rise. Market Square is a little green space, with a statue commemorating its Hiring Fairs: bring any spare members of your family along and hope to hire them out for the season to local farmers. Especially your children: that's money in your pocket, fewer mouths to feed, and their education taken care of; it's just like Montessori only with cuffs to the earlugs instead of violin lessons.
 * Town Park is a pleasant green area north end of High Road by the hospital.
 * St Eunan's Cathedral (RC) on Castle St was built in the 1890s and is open daily 7AM-9PM. The Adoration Chapel adjacent within the Loretto Convent is also usually open similar hours.
 * Cathedral Square outside has a tall Celtic Cross, erected in 2006.
 * Conwal Parish Church (Church of Ireland) across the square is from 17th century, with an interesting interior and graveyard.

Further out

 * is up a very narrow lane above the village of Termon. It was a prehistoric religious site then became a Christian site from the 1670s.
 * is 14 km southeast near Raphoe village. It has suffered pillaging of its stones but remains a clear circle of 64, with a central platform. It was adopted for Celtic ritual such as Beltane (1 May) but is much earlier, probably late Stone Age / early Iron Age circa 1000 BC. It's free to stroll any time.
 * is up a very narrow lane above the village of Termon. It was a prehistoric religious site then became a Christian site from the 1670s.
 * is 14 km southeast near Raphoe village. It has suffered pillaging of its stones but remains a clear circle of 64, with a central platform. It was adopted for Celtic ritual such as Beltane (1 May) but is much earlier, probably late Stone Age / early Iron Age circa 1000 BC. It's free to stroll any time.
 * is 14 km southeast near Raphoe village. It has suffered pillaging of its stones but remains a clear circle of 64, with a central platform. It was adopted for Celtic ritual such as Beltane (1 May) but is much earlier, probably late Stone Age / early Iron Age circa 1000 BC. It's free to stroll any time.

Do

 * What's on? Listen to Highland Radio on 103.3 MHz or read Donegal News, Donegal Live or Donegal Daily.
 * Walk: a footpath follows the north bank of the Swilly until you loop onto Ramelton Rd or return the same way.
 * Regional Cultural Centre behind the theatre has an auditorium, film theatre and exhibition space. There isn't a permanent art collection.
 * Arena7 is a family entertainment complex on Ramelton Rd, R245 near the junction with the ring road. They have bowling lanes, laser arcades, party rooms, a bar and restaurant. They're open daily 2-9:30PM, so not a late spot, but their packages include passes for the town's nightclubs. So edgy and off-the-way is the Arena, it even caters for First Communion and Confirmation celebrations.
 * Zoo: Tropical World at Hazelwood House near the golf course is open M-Sa 10AM-4:30PM, Su 1-4:30PM.
 * Coral Island is a casino and amusement arcade on Ballyraine Retail Park, open daily 9AM-3AM.
 * Gaelic games: Donegal GAA play football and hurling at Sean Mac Cumhaill Park in Ballybofey / Stranorlar.
 * Golf: Letterkenny Golf Club is 3 km east of town on R245 at Barnhill. Blue tees 6428 yards, par 72, GUI members round €35, non-members €75.
 * Go-karting: LK Activity Centre is 5 km north of town on R245 Ramelton road.
 * Donegal International Rally is an annual tarmac car rally, over 3 days in June, based in Letterkenny but touring the county.
 * Golf: Letterkenny Golf Club is 3 km east of town on R245 at Barnhill. Blue tees 6428 yards, par 72, GUI members round €35, non-members €75.
 * Go-karting: LK Activity Centre is 5 km north of town on R245 Ramelton road.
 * Donegal International Rally is an annual tarmac car rally, over 3 days in June, based in Letterkenny but touring the county.
 * Donegal International Rally is an annual tarmac car rally, over 3 days in June, based in Letterkenny but touring the county.

Buy

 * Letterkenny Shopping Centre is next to the bus station.
 * The Courtyard is in Market Square.
 * Forte Shopping Centre is opposite the Radisson on the link road.
 * For local shopping and giftware look along Main St. There are several ATMs and banks along here.
 * Farmers Market and the car-boot sale is on the gap-site on Port Rd on Saturday 9AM-1PM.

Budget

 * Fast food outlets include McDonald's, KFC, Domino's Pizzas and Subway. Clustered around the bus station are Four Star Pizza, Mr Chippie, Bamboo Court, Abrakebabra, Fry Dayz, Kiki's Kitchen, Apache Pizza, Four Lanterns and Burrito Loco.

Splurge

 * Nothing outstanding in town, but see Sleep for the hotel restaurants - Rathmullen House gets rave reviews.

Budget

 * There is no regular camping or caravan site. There's a pop-up site at St Eunan's GAA on R250 west edge of town, but it's only open for the rally in June.

Splurge

 * See Fanad Peninsula for Frewin House and Rathmullan House.
 * See Fanad Peninsula for Frewin House and Rathmullan House.

Connect
As of Aug 2021, Letterkenny has 5G from Eir and Three, and 4G from Vodafone.

Donegal County Council website

Go next

 * The Ulster American Folk Park on the road to Omagh depicts the Irish emigrant experience in this region.
 * Donegal Town's abbey and castle won't take you long, but nearby are fine Atlantic beaches such as Rossnowlagh.
 * Arranmore and Tory Island have ferries and accommodation.
 * Derry is a fascinating walled city.

title: Letterkenny


text:
Leugny

There is more than one place called Leugny:

France

 * Leugny (Vienne) - A commune in the Vienne department.
 * Leugny (Yonne) - A commune in the Yonne department.

title: Leugny


text:
Leukerbad

Leukerbad (elevation 1411 m) is a mountain spa and ski resort in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It is best known for its thermal springs (up to 51° C) and unique mountains scenery.

By bus
The closest train station is in Leuk. Trains arrive hourly from Geneva and at least twice hourly from Visp. From Leuk, buses leave hourly for the town of Leukerbad. The bus ride goes up a winding mountain road.

By car
The main road leads from Leuk to Leukerbad. Follow the signs, not your GPS as there are some other, more difficult and narrow roads. Alternative and very scenic (but narrow and exposed) roads to Leukerbad pass through Albinen and Varen.

On foot
The adventurous can hike into Leukerbad over the Gemmi Pass from Kandersteg. There are also trails coming from Adelboden via Gemmi Pass, Lötschental via Resti Pass and Crans-Montana.

Get around
The Ring-Jet bus does a circuit around the village. Time tables vary between seasons.

Cable cars connect Leukerbad to Gemmipass and Rinderhütte (Torrent ski area).

See
The village is mostly walkable and offers very nice scenery as it is surrounded by near-vertical cliffs. One interesting feature are the public fountains around the town, some of which have hot water from the thermal springs.
 * Thermal Springs Walkway ("Thermalquellensteg"). Free. Open during summers, this trail leads through a narrow gorge and culminates at a very loud waterfall. Some small brownish outlets of thermal water are visible next to the Dala river.
 * Steep walls of alpine chalk are surrounding the village entirely
 * Dalaschlucht 2.jpg

Do
Leukerbad is known for the combination of mountains and thermal baths. There is a good number of hikes in the area with varying difficulty levels. In winter the Torrent ski area is popular, with one piste leading all the way to the village of Leukerbad.

Thermal Baths
There are several thermal baths, ranging from the public Burgerbad to private spas in the big hotels.

Skiing
The Torrent ski area (elevation 1411 m to 2610 m, reached via cableway from the village) offers some of the most magnificent views over the Swiss Alps and the main valley of Valais. 55 km of pistes, including one leading all the way to the village of Leukerbad.

Hiking
A good number of hikes start in Leukerbad and the surrounding mountains, including hikes to both Gemmi Pass and Torrent.

Climbing
A difficult Via Ferrata ("Klettersteig Daubenhorn), the longest in Switzerland, leads up to the peak of Daubenhorn (2941 m). A second, far easier, Via Ferrata for adventurers is located right by the mountain station of the Gemmi cableway.

Buy
There is a good number of sports and clothing shops. Most shops are around the centre in the church street, around the village square and the area between church street and the bus station. Between the bus station and the Leukerbad Therme there is a large Migros, which is open 7 days a week during high season.

Eat
There are plenty of restaurants in the town, all of which are fairly expensive. There is only one fast food outlet and it's not exactly cheap, so the best way to eat on a budget is to buy from the local Migros.

Sleep

 * Haus Cristal, Tuftstrasse 30, haus.cristal@gmail.com; +41 27 470 16 84. Modern apartments available for 3 nights and longer. Located 5 minutes uphill from the village square, right next to the skiing piste descending from Torrent to Obere Maressen and close to a number of trailheads. Reduced tickets to the Walliser Alpentherme available for guests.

Go next

 * Hike across the Gemmi Pass to Kandersteg

title: Leukerbad


text:
Leura

Leura is a small picturesque town in the Blue Mountains region of the Australian state of New South Wales, some 100 km west of Sydney CBD and situated at an elevation of 985 m above sea level. The village you see today is bustling with a constant parade of visitors. They arrive by car, by Sydney tour buses and by the Blue Mountains train. While known for maintaining its unique heritage village, Leura is a shopper's paradise with charming boutiques, casual cafes and sophisticated restaurants. You'll never be hungry in Leura. Leura is framed upon a background of stunning natural wonders, bare sandstone landscapes and a rough terrain of dense eucalypt forests.

Get in
All of the Blue Mountains trains from Sydney (Central Station, Strathfield Station, etc) will stop at Leura. is 1 stop before Katoomba. It is about a 2-hour train trip, depending on delays. A PDF copy of the timetable can be found on TfNSW's website.

If you are driving, you exit the Great Western Highway at either of the 2 signposted Leura exits. There is parking behind the shops, accessed via Megalong Street, or if you're lucky, along the main strip, but note that this is now paid parking.

Blue Mountains Transit runs bus routes 685, 690K and 695 from Katoomba station to Leura.

Get around
Trains operate up and down the Blue Mountains, usually hourly. Leura is 1 stop before (heading up) Katoomba. No bookings are required or possible.

Blue Mountains Trolley Tours operates an hourly hop on and hop off service 7 days a week (except Christmas Day) that takes you to 29 sights located around Katoomba and Leura. You can purchase your $25 Hop On and Hop Off All Day Pass from the Trolley Shoppe at 76 Main St, Katoomba (opposite pedestrian crossing at Katoomba Railway Station) or from the trolley driver.

See

 * Discover historic Leura. Get out for an hour in sensible shoes and a broad-brimmed hat and see how Leura developed in the 19th century. At Megalong Books and several of the cafes, you'll find "Leura Blue Mountains Walking Tour & Guidebook" which includes a leisurely paced self-guided tour designed to open the senses to sights, sounds and scents you may have missed before in Leura. There's a bit of history and architectural facts and a bit of local residents' cheekiness throughout. The tour is time for small details. However, it ends on The Mall, just in time for tea and a sweet at one of the many cafes.
 * Discover historic Leura. Get out for an hour in sensible shoes and a broad-brimmed hat and see how Leura developed in the 19th century. At Megalong Books and several of the cafes, you'll find "Leura Blue Mountains Walking Tour & Guidebook" which includes a leisurely paced self-guided tour designed to open the senses to sights, sounds and scents you may have missed before in Leura. There's a bit of history and architectural facts and a bit of local residents' cheekiness throughout. The tour is time for small details. However, it ends on The Mall, just in time for tea and a sweet at one of the many cafes.
 * Discover historic Leura. Get out for an hour in sensible shoes and a broad-brimmed hat and see how Leura developed in the 19th century. At Megalong Books and several of the cafes, you'll find "Leura Blue Mountains Walking Tour & Guidebook" which includes a leisurely paced self-guided tour designed to open the senses to sights, sounds and scents you may have missed before in Leura. There's a bit of history and architectural facts and a bit of local residents' cheekiness throughout. The tour is time for small details. However, it ends on The Mall, just in time for tea and a sweet at one of the many cafes.

Buy
Leura is renowned for its shops, and you could easily spend your whole day browsing and buying in this charming village. Specialty shops, restaurants and stores selling necessities line up, side by side, on the street fronts, up a flight of stairs, tucked away in an arcade or clustered around the car park behind Leura Mall, the main street. Long term shops include Leura Cellars, Chelsea Cake Shop, Leura Chinese, Leura Health Foods and Megalong Books on the western side of the Mall, and The Candy Store in an arcade on the eastern side.

Go next

 * Katoomba – bigger town to the west that Leura merges with
 * Wentworth Falls – a town immediately to the east

title: Leura


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Leuven

Leuven (French: Louvain) is a flourishing and lively city of about 100,000 inhabitants (2018). It is the capital of the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It's a genuine university city which reflects in the streets. During the academic year (end of September until end of June) the city is full of young people, especially on weekdays. Sometimes it may seem that there are no other people living in the city. Summer in Leuven in general is calmer, although a lot of summer events are organised. The university that was founded in 1425 and has more than 40,000 students is the oldest Catholic university in the world. The historic centre is one of the most beautiful in Belgium.

Leuven has a very central location in Flanders, which makes it the ideal starting point to discover the other parts of the nation: Brussels is practically just around the corner, the coast is only a 1½-hour train ride away and Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Liège, Mechelen and Hasselt are nearby.

Leuven has everything to appeal to both young and not-so-young: buzzing nightlife, intriguing and sometimes stunning historic sites, the important and worldwide respected university and two seemingly unending shopping streets are sure to be to your liking.

Understand
The city has a long and interesting history, being founded probably in the 9th century. It was particularly interesting because of the location, at the river Dijle and close to Brussels. Most of the city was thrashed and burned to the ground by the German invasion in World War I, and was again damaged during World War II. The historic centre however has been preserved and historic buildings like the University Library have been restored, partly with foreign relief funds.

Leuven is located just east of Brussels (20 km). It is the capital of the Province of Flemish Brabant in Belgium. This means it houses a lot of administrative services and the Province Building, where the province council is located. Its main industries are technology (due to the University) and beer. Important companies such as InBev and Imec have their home bases in Leuven.

Leuven has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Groot Begijnhof (Grand Beguinage) is part of the Flemish Beguinages. The Belfry on St Peter's Church is a part of the Belfries of Belgium and France. The University buildings and the Historic Centre are also on Belgium's tentative list to become a World Heritage site in its own right.
 * Leuven city government website

By plane
Brussels Airport in Zaventem is the main international airport in Belgium and has many direct international connections from North America, Asia and especially Africa. Brussels has flights from all European capitals and most other major cities.

To get to Leuven from Zaventem, you may take a train to Leuven (13 minutes) for €11.20. It runs every half hour on weekdays and three times per hour on weekends. You may also take a De Lijn bus from the airport to Leuven (1 hr, €2,50). Taxis wait at the arrivals area (about 20 min, depending on traffic, about €70, €45 for pre-booked taxis).

More low-cost carriers arrive at Brussels South Charleroi Airport but travel time to Leuven is considerably longer (approx. 1½ hr). You can purchase a combined bus+train ticket for €17.40 that will enable you to take the A2 bus from Charleroi airport to Fleurus, and from there on to Leuven or Heverlee train station. It is cheaper to buy the ticket for the TEC bus and the train separately, especially if you are younger than 26 years old. There is a direct train between Leuven and Charleroi; you do not have to change trains in Brussels. Pre-booked taxis cost approximately €90. More information on the airport's website.

By car
Leuven can be conveniently reached by car. The E40 highway runs from Brussels via Leuven to Liège, whereas the E314 highway links Leuven with the province of Limburg and with Maastricht and Aachen, at about 1 hour distance. The city has installed a Parking Guidance System that guides you to the larger parkings in the city centre. Look for the electronic signs on the city ring road.

Don't bother looking for a free parking spot on the street, since it's expensive and the many one-way streets can be a real maze when you're driving.

The speed limit around the city is 50 km/h, or 30 km/h inside the ring road and in certain other areas. Your chances of getting a ticket when crossing the speed limit, even slightly, are close to 100%, especially on the ring road.

By train
is one of the busiest of Belgium. There are frequent direct trains from: Almost all cities can be reached by train through the Brussels North or Brussels Zuid/Midi hub. Eurostar trains depart from Brussels Zuid/Midi.
 * Brussels Airport (13 minutes)
 * Brussels (Brussels North: 18 minutes; Brussels Central: 24 minutes; Brussels Zuid/Midi: 30 minutes)
 * Mechelen (20 minutes), Lier and Antwerp (50 minutes)
 * Ghent (1 hour) and Bruges (1 hour 20 minutes)
 * The Flemish Coast, with trains from Ostend, Knokke and Blankenberge (1 hour 30 minutes) and De Panne (2 hours and 30 minutes)
 * Aalst, Sint-Niklaas and Kortrijk to the west
 * Aarschot, Diest, Tienen, Sint-Truiden, Hasselt, Genk and Tongeren to the east
 * Liège (30 minutes), Verviers (55 minutes) and Eupen (1 hour 15 minutes) in the eastern part of Wallonia
 * Mons (1 hour 30 minutes), Nivelles and Soignies in the western part of Wallonia
 * Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, where there is a connection with the train from Namur and Luxembourg

By bus
There are bus lines from and to the cities around Leuven (Brussels, Tienen, Aarschot, Mechelen, Diest and Wavre). Buses are sometimes faster (and always cheaper) if you want to go to Herentals, Turnhout, Geel or other towns in the Kempen region. Almost all buses are operated by the Flemish public transport company De Lijn. The is located right next to the train station, but many bus lines also have stops on other locations in the city.

FlixBus offers direct connections (once daily), westwards to Ghent, Bruges and Ostend and eastward to Maastricht, Cologne and all the way to Prague.

By taxi
Licensed taxis have yellow-and-blue (or the older red-and-white) colors on top. They can be found mostly at the airport. One-way to Leuven usually takes 20 min (if traffic isn't dense) and costs about €70.

Get around

The city has installed several new touristic road signs and city maps at several locations, which make getting around in the city a lot easier. Don't be afraid to ask people on the street for information, as they are usually very open and helpful towards tourists - some will even walk you to your destination.

Public transportation
The public transport company De Lijn has a number of bus lines through Leuven. Centre of their network is the train station and the stop at the Rector de Somerplein. Since distances are not that big, you won't really need public transport unless you're going to Meerdaalwoud, Heverleebos, Campus Arenberg or the hospital Gasthuisberg. There is no subway or tram line.

On foot
When arriving in Leuven by train, walk to the Martelarenplein in front of the Station and walk down the Bondgenotenlaan in order to get to the city centre: the Grote Markt (Grand Place) where the tourist information desk is situated. Discover the rest of the historic city centre from there. Note that you can also take the Diestsestraat, which is a pedestrian-only street.

By bike
The city has many special areas for cyclists and most 1-way roads can be accessed in both ways for cycles – beware of police controls on the one-way ones. It's very easy and comfortable. Make sure to lock your bike to a fixed object or the bike will be stolen. You can also rent bicycles. More information at the Tourist Information Desk (near City Hall).

By thumb
Most streets and squares are car-free. If you want to thumb out of the city, pick a spot on the city ring road and hope for a quick pick-up. Most traffic is local or headed for Brussels. The Koning Boudewijnlaan is a good spot as well, since it leads to the off-ramp to the E40 (Brussels–Liège) and the E314 (Limburg).

Hold up a sign with your final destination, as most people will not 'just' pick up hitchhikers.

By taxi
Licensed taxis can be identified by the blue-and-yellow/red-and-white symbol and can be found near the Fochplein and the Martelarenplein. Although you probably won't need one, given the perfect railway connection, they're probably the easiest way to get to the airport, for example at night.

See

You can get more information about sights and more at the Tourist Information Desk on the Grote Markt, near the City Hall. While the most important old-looking buildings (Town Hall, Cathedral, etc.) are indeed from Medieval times, most of the common houses that look old are actually (non-faithful) reconstructions of buildings that were destroyed in the First World War; these buildings carry a stone-carved sign with the coat of arm of Leuven and the indication "1914".

 * If you follow the river Dijle northwards from Brusselsestraat (near the Grote Markt) towards the area of the Klein Begijnhof, you will see a few Bruges-like scenes as the river passes by buildings.
 * Collegium Trilingue, near the Vismarkt
 * The Law Court (Gerechtshof), in the Rijschoolstraat.
 * St. Peter's Church (Sint-Pieterskerk), UNESCO world heritage site on the Grote Markt.[[Image:Castle Arenberg, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven adj.jpg|thumb|right|Castle Arenberg]]
 * Old Market (Oude Markt), filled with bars and restaurants
 * Botanical Garden (Kruidtuin) There are picnic tables in the South East corner on your left from the entrance gate.
 * War Monument for those who have fallen in World Wars I and II, on the Martelarenplein.
 * Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein and Herbert Hooverplein are two adjacent squares with a mixture of modern and older buildings. In a corner of Herbert Hooverplein is a monument depicting people travelling by hot air balloon.
 * If you follow the river Dijle northwards from Brusselsestraat (near the Grote Markt) towards the area of the Klein Begijnhof, you will see a few Bruges-like scenes as the river passes by buildings.
 * Collegium Trilingue, near the Vismarkt
 * The Law Court (Gerechtshof), in the Rijschoolstraat.
 * St. Peter's Church (Sint-Pieterskerk), UNESCO world heritage site on the Grote Markt.[[Image:Castle Arenberg, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven adj.jpg|thumb|right|Castle Arenberg]]
 * Old Market (Oude Markt), filled with bars and restaurants
 * Botanical Garden (Kruidtuin) There are picnic tables in the South East corner on your left from the entrance gate.
 * War Monument for those who have fallen in World Wars I and II, on the Martelarenplein.
 * Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein and Herbert Hooverplein are two adjacent squares with a mixture of modern and older buildings. In a corner of Herbert Hooverplein is a monument depicting people travelling by hot air balloon.
 * Old Market (Oude Markt), filled with bars and restaurants
 * Botanical Garden (Kruidtuin) There are picnic tables in the South East corner on your left from the entrance gate.
 * War Monument for those who have fallen in World Wars I and II, on the Martelarenplein.
 * Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein and Herbert Hooverplein are two adjacent squares with a mixture of modern and older buildings. In a corner of Herbert Hooverplein is a monument depicting people travelling by hot air balloon.
 * Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein and Herbert Hooverplein are two adjacent squares with a mixture of modern and older buildings. In a corner of Herbert Hooverplein is a monument depicting people travelling by hot air balloon.

Culture and landmarks

 * Visit the historic centre, the University buildings and the St. Peter's Church on the Grand Place. Information and guided tours can be found at the Tourist Information Desk.
 * Leuven has a cultural organization called 30CC that organizes all kinds of cultural activities around the year, for example in the City Theater on the Bondgenotenlaan. Less frequent during the summer.
 * A City Tour Bus leaves for sightseeing around the city from the Fochplein, situated right next to the Grand Place and City Hall.

Events

 * Visit the summer events Beleuvenissen (Every Friday in July), Hapje Tapje (First Sunday of August) and Leuven Kermis (Leuven Carnival) ) (September). The last weekend of July or the first weekend of August, M museum hosts a festival in cooperation with the cultural centre and Het Depot.
 * Beleuvenissen is a musical and cultural festival on the squares in the city centre.
 * Hapje Tapje is the one day in the year all bars and restaurants put stalls outside to promote their goods.
 * Leuven Kermis is a carnival situated on the Ladeuzeplein and the Hooverplein (just next to it).
 * Visit the Jaarmarkt (Year Market) the first Monday of September: The entire city centre is transformed into one big market. Cattle is also sold in the streets surrounding the Sint-Jacobsplein, 500 m from the Grote Markt, which is quite the spectacle. Schools in Leuven are closed for this occasion, so expect a lot of visitors.
 * Visit the Jaarmarkt (Year Market) the first Monday of September: The entire city centre is transformed into one big market. Cattle is also sold in the streets surrounding the Sint-Jacobsplein, 500 m from the Grote Markt, which is quite the spectacle. Schools in Leuven are closed for this occasion, so expect a lot of visitors.

Green

 * Have a picnic in the Sint-Donatuspark in the city centre, 50m from the Ladeuzeplein.
 * Visit the Kruidtuin or botanical garden on the Kapucijnenvoer, a side-street of the Brusselsestraat. The garden was founded in 1738 and is the oldest in Belgium.
 * Make a walk or have a bike ride in Meerdaalwoud or Heverleebos, the green lungs of the city in the suburbs Heverlee and Oud-Heverlee easily reachable by bike or bus (15 minutes). Many good walking paths. Some parts of the forest are still untouched. For more information have a look at Ad's Path, describing many different possibilities for fun activities and how to reach them by public transport with the artwork (wood sculptures) made by Ad Wouters as the central theme.
 * Take a boat trip down the Vaart, the Leuven-Mechelen channel. Step aboard in the small port in Northern Leuven, 500 m from the railway station.

Markets

 * Visit the market every Friday on the Ladeuze- and Hooverplein, flea market every Saturday in the vicinity of the Grote Markt (Mechelsestraat), and flower market in the pedestrian-only part of the Brusselsestraat (the street leading away from the Grote Markt), every Saturday as well.
 * Visit the Christmas market and shop for Christmas gifts, taste local specialties and drink a glass of Glühwein or brandy. Annually in mid-December on the Ladeuze- and Hooverplein.

Other

 * Visit Inbev's main Belgian beer factory (Vaartstraat 94,, fax +32 16 247 497), which produces such famous names as Stella Artois, Vieux Temps and Leffe Radieuse.
 * Football:
 * Football:

Learn

 * Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the oldest Catholic University still in existence in the world (founded in 1425).
 * Group T
 * Katholieke Hogeschool Leuven

Buy

Shopping in Leuven is easy: you can pick one of the two main roads both starting at the Train Station and ending at the Grand Place, near City Hall and St. Peter's Church. Stores usually close around 18:00, and at 20:00 on Thursday. Supermarkets are usually open until 20:00, 21:00 on Friday.

 * The Diestsestraat is the most important shopping street in Leuven. It is for pedestrians only for the total length of the street (about 1 km!). This street also has two small shopping malls, one of them housing the Kinepolis movie theatres.
 * Look for smaller shops around the Brusselsestraat, Mechelsestraat and the Parijsstraat.
 * The Bondgenotenlaan also features a lot of shops, but is also the main road between the railwaystation area and the centre.
 * Leuven has a lot of clothing stores, jewellers, some fine bookshops and of course a few chocolatiers where you can buy genuine Belgian chocolate.
 * Seasonal sales provide discounts up to 70% in January and July. Expect the city to be extremely busy, especially on week-ends.

Eat

In general, you'd have to really make an effort to find a horrible meal in Leuven. Almost all restaurants are tasty and relatively cheap (for Belgium), given the student population. Many Belgians enjoy French fries and snacks in a Frietkot if they're looking for a quick and cheap bite. Try fresh North Sea Mussels, during their season (roughly August–March). Every year, you'll see the big signs announcing their arrival in front of many restaurants. Smoking is not allowed in restaurants.

The more common, bigger restaurants can be found right next to City Hall on the Grote Markt.

Look for cheaper restaurants on the Oude Markt (Old Market) as that's where the student population mostly enjoys their meal. It has many smaller restaurants and bars (the Old Market is sometimes called the longest bar in Europe), but all of them stop serving food after 22:00.

There are many good eateries and a great atmosphere (eating outside during the summer is a can't-miss!) in the Muntstraat, very different styles from classical French Belgian cuisine to "Mexican", Italian, Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese. Consult the brand new website for more information. But these restaurants of this street are quite overpriced.

Parijsstraat has some restaurants with a nice atmosphere.

The Martelarenplein houses a lot of restaurants and bars just a stone's throw away from the railway station.

The cheapest choice are student cantines called Alma, which serve quite decent food for the whole meal less than €7-10 (two in the centre, one in the campus and many small ones). Students of KU Leuven get a discount, which makes each meal €5 cheaper.

Drink

In Belgium, the legal drinking age in bars and cafés is 16 for beers and 18 for spirits.

Festivals
Attend the nearby and world renowned Rock Werchter music festival in late June/early July, or Marktrock in the city centre, around August 15.

Bars and Clubs

Leuven is truly a beer city, with the world's largest brewery Inbev being founded here. Try the many tasty beers, but beware, some have much higher alcohol levels than in the rest of the world! Bars are mostly entrance-free and prices are relatively low.

You can visit the many bars around the Old Market every night, but expect a lot more ambiance on Wednesday and Thursday during the Academic Year, when the student population is in the city (late September to early December and early February to the end of May).

The area around the Tiensestraat, where there are bars owned by student organisations:

Regulations have become stricter in the last few years and visitors of these bars may be requested to provide proof that they are KU Leuven students.

Other bars filled with young people are:

Most parties take place in clubs in the city centre (and require a small entrance fee, €2-4):

Larger venues are outside the city centre, and have a slightly higher entrance fee (€5–9) and drinks cost a bit more.

Stay safe
Leuven is a very safe and clean city, with very low crime records.

In general, there are no unsafe spots in the city best avoided. The streets are safe, even at night, although you better avoid public gardens at night. Even though most of them have closing hours which vary throughout the seasons. Of course, it is advised to take the precautions tourists are urged to take everywhere (e.g. to avoid pickpocketing). If you have a bike, make sure it is secured with a decent lock as students tend to 'borrow' bicycles. Similarly, jackets left unattended in bars may be at risk.

The city centre police station is located next to City Hall at Grote Markt. Don't hesitate to walk in if you have questions. Police usually patrol by car and on foot, and most of the times anonymously instead of walking around in uniform (especially at night). Try to avoid the area around Sint-Maartensdal and De Bruul (between Brouwersstraat and Pereboomstraat). There are also some spots in the suburb Kessel-Lo which are better avoided at night (Casablanca and Vredespleintje).

Police are especially harsh on traffic violations (also the ones made on a bike!), violent behavior and public disturbance.

Belgium and the Netherlands have different drug regulations! Smoking pot (marijuana) is not permitted, although it is tolerated when done indoors. An adult can never have more than needed for 'personal use'. Expect any more to be confiscated if they are found by police and you risk being penalized.

Useful phone numbers:
 * Police: 101
 * Emergencies: 112 (can be used from mobile phones).
 * Local police: (016 21 06 11 from landlines).

Leuven is a student city, and therefore has had a history of minor vandalism (garbage being thrown around, throwing beer cans) and public drunkenness. Lately, this situation has improved when talks between locals, student organizations and police were installed. Stewards now keep things organized and make sure the party is kept inside instead of in the streets. It is therefore advisable to keep a low profile in the streets at night, as police and stewards will act.

Stay healthy

Leuven has two larger hospitals:
 * The Academic Hospital UZ Leuven Gasthuisberg is the largest hospital in Belgium and is located just along the ring road.
 * The Regional Hospital Heilig Hart is in the city centre. As always, dial 112 when you are in distress. You will be taken to either of both hospitals.

For smaller health problems, Belgians usually go to their family doctor, who are often in a group practice in city areas. Ask your hotel, hostel or guide for information on the nearest doctor. Going to the Emergency Room for small health problems will not only cost you, it will also take longer to get help (ca 45 minutes).

Leuven has a pharmacy at every corner. You can not buy medication in a supermarket.

Connect
As of July 2022, Leuven has 4G from Base / Telenet and Orange, and 5G from Proximus / Scarlet.

Go next

 * Leuven is 30 min from Brussels, an hour from Ghent and 80 min from Bruges.

title: Leuven


text:
Levant

The Levant is an imprecisely defined region in the Middle East south of the Taurus Mountains, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and by the northern Arabian Desert and Upper Mesopotamia to the east. In the Abrahamic religions, it has been referred to as the Holy Land.

The Levant formed part of a historically important region called the Fertile Crescent; the other part was Ancient Mesopotamia. The region was one of the cradles of civilisation, where farming, irrigation and cities first arose. Later the region was the base from which the Phoenicians spread west.

Regions
The term Levant is employed to refer to peoples, states, or parts of states in the region, namely:

 * Israel
 * Jordan
 * Lebanon
 * Palestinian Territories
 * Syria, in ancient times Aram

Turkey's Hatay Province, the southern "panhandle" of the country extending towards Syria, may be considered part of the Levant due to its geography, history and culture. The Cilician Plains further north is also geographically and culturally close to a lesser degree.

Iraq is not usually considered part of the Levant, but it shares close cultural ties.

Cyprus is also geographically close but in other matters, it is much more connected with Europe.

Cities

 * — this modern city is a great launching point for many of Jordan's attractions
 * — a popular vacation city located on the Red Sea, well known for its wonderful scuba diving and marine life
 * — a coastal city with a French influence formerly known as the "Paris of the Middle East"
 * — considered by some to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, Damascus contains several world-famous Arab souqs
 * — a vacation city on the Red Sea, known for its underwater observatory
 * — quarreled over by Jews and Arabs alike, this famous city is the site of many holy sites of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism
 * — a coastal city that is known for its vacationing possibilities, beaches and resorts

Other destinations
See Fertile Crescent for ancient archeological sites in the region.

Understand
The Levant derives its name from Italian levante, "rising", hinting at the direction the Sun rises. Originally it referred to all of the lands surrounding the Eastern Mediterranean or even anywhere east of Venice, but the modern term is usually taken to mean the areas of Western Asia along or near the Mediterranean coast. The media might lead you to believe that the Levant is a volatile and unfriendly region; in fact, the opposite is true. While there are occasional confrontations throughout the region, tourism is big business and tourists are welcome with open arms. The dominant Arab culture's welcoming and hospitable attitude is a nice change from the sometimes indifferent cultures of European and Western countries.

The region includes many wonderful and distinct cultural and ethnic groups, including the Arabs, Jews, Circassians, Armenians, Iranians, Assyrians, Maronites, Bedouins, Kurds, Druze and Turks. Another distinct group associated with the region are the Levantines, the traders of European, often Italian and other Roman Catholic, descent who settled in the major Eastern Mediterranean port towns from the Crusades to the 20th century. Their legacy in the local cultures is much bigger than might be expected from the population of their descendants still living in the region, much reduced from its peak.

The Levant is a fantastic destination for enthusiasts of both ancient and modern history. Known by many as the Cradle of Civilization, the Levant contains a multitude of attractions and sites, many of which have been made noteworthy from many religious texts and traditions.

The variant of Islam practised here was traditionally more liberal than in the Gulf, and in many places, Muslims and Christians have lived together peacefully for centuries, though this is changing with the growing influence of Saudi-style Wahhabism.

Talk
While Arabic is the official language of most Levantine countries (except Israel, which uses Hebrew), the spoken dialects vary from place to place. To address these varying dialects, some individual phrasebooks have been created.

 * Lebanese Arabic phrasebook
 * Jordanian Arabic phrasebook
 * Hebrew phrasebook

Get in
There are a number of international airports that facilitate entry into the region.

 * Beirut International Airport - Beirut, Lebanon
 * Ben Gurion International Airport - Tel Aviv, Israel
 * Damascus International Airport - Damascus, Syria
 * Queen Alia International Airport - Amman, Jordan

Arrival and departure by sea is an alternative to air travel, at a variety of seaports throughout the Levant. Ports are located on the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea.

Get around
The Levant region is comprised of a handful of small countries, making transportation from place to place fairly accessible. Taxis, services (pronounced "ser-veeses"), and buses are the main forms of inter-regional transportation. The cost and destination of such services will vary from country to country.

Itineraries
From Istanbul to Cairo is an overland itinerary across the region.

Do
Visit historical places such as old churches and mosques.

Experience smoking hubbly-bubbly in a coffee shop or restaurant, this practice became imbedded in the culture.

Wear the traditional dress in order in immerse yourself in a cultural experience.

Eat
Regional cuisine will vary depending on the country. Lebanon, for example, will provide a blend of Arabian, French, and Western styles, while Jordan and Syria will showcase traditional Arabian fare consisting heavily of lamb, chicken, rice, and vegetable dishes. Beef dishes are available but are more rare (no pun intended) than in European or Western countries. Pork products, being forbidden for religious reasons by both Muslims and Jews, are practically nonexistent except in some Christian communities.

Every visitor is encouraged to experience Levantine Arabic cuisine. For the few who never develop the taste for it, however, there are plenty of Western-style restaurants to choose from.

Drink
Wherever you are in the Levant, be prepared to be offered plenty of cups of tea. Hot tea is a staple beverage in the Levant and is offered as a symbol of hospitality to guests. Strong coffee, such as espresso is often available too.

For those who like to visit a bar or two on vacation, be prepared to select from a wide variety of bars and pubs. Liquor stores can be found almost everywhere in the major cities, while home made wine is found in some villages of Christian majority such as Fuhais in Jordan, just ten minutes drive from Amman. Local wine can be bought from any liquor store or bar, and is of high quality grapes and competes with the best Italian wines.

If you like night life, there are a lot of clubs and good yearly events and raves. Amman and Beirut and have a lot of Western musical influence in clubs and events presented all year long along with Israel, especially Tel Aviv. To help you get around in the Levantine countries, you can find weekly and monthly magazines with event listings and restaurants.

 * For visitors to Amman, and throughout Jordan, you can check out Jordan Today.
 * To get an idea of the night life style in Beirut, and Amman, Layalena magazine has a lot to say.

Stay safe
The Levant region has suffered from violence in the past, and active conflicts are going on in some areas today.

 * Lebanon: Syria's civil war has spilled over to parts of Lebanon, so people with plans to visit Lebanon should exercise caution and check on current conditions in the areas they plan to travel to before they go.
 * Syria: Though most Syrians are extremely friendly and hospitable, there is a civil war taking place in Syria. Travel to Syria is not recommended.
 * Israel: Tourism is big business in Israel, so both Jews and Arabs are accommodating to visitors. The cultures, however, occasionally clash as they vie for the land. Visitors who stick to well-known and reputable locations and accommodations should not have any trouble.
 * Jordan: Jordan is well known for being the safest country in the Middle East. There is no internal turmoil of any sort in Jordan, and the government keeps a close eye out for trouble. Visitors can travel anywhere throughout the country with ease and in safety.
 * Palestine: Gaza has been in a state of active hostilities with Israel, interspersed with tense and sometimes violated ceasefires since Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the land. The West Bank is less conflict-ridden, but travelers should check on current conditions and need to allow extra time to get through Israeli checkpoints.

Go next
Exiting the Levant is generally as easy as entering. International airports are generally the common form of transportation out, you may choose to travel affordably by bus, car, or ferry from Aqaba to Egypt.

title: Levant


text:
Leven

Leven is a town on the coast of Fife in central Scotland, with a population in 2016 of 9040. It was industrial during the 19th and 20th century, merging into the neighbouring towns of Methil and Buckhaven to create the conurbation of Levenmouth; it's struggled to re-invent itself since the coal mines closed. Leven is far from scenic but has a good beach, and to its northeast the industrial strip ends, with golf links and better scenery towards the East Neuk of Fife.

Get in
opened in June 2024, restoring rail services to town after a 55 year gap. Trains from Edinburgh run hourly, taking an hour via Inverkeithing, Kirkcaldy and Cameron Bridge. From Dundee or Perth change at Kirkcaldy. The station is a simple platform halt with a ticket machine, no toilets or other facilities. There is step-free access to the sole platform.

Cameron Bridge is a halt two miles west that you might use to reach Methil or Buckhaven.

Stagecoach Bus X4 runs hourly from Glenrothes via Markinch and Windygates, taking 30 min to Leven. Bus 43 / 44 also runs frequently and takes 40 min.

Bus X60 runs from Edinburgh via Halbeath P&R and Kirkcaldy to Leven (90 min) and continues to Elie, Pittenweem, Anstruther and St Andrews.

From Glasgow and Cumbernauld take X24 (heading for St Andrews) and change at Glenrothes.

Bus 7 trundles along the Fife coast every 30 min from Dunfermline via Rosyth, Inverkeithing, Dalgety Bay, Aberdour, Burntisland, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy and East Wemyss to Leven. Bus 95 runs hourly from St Andrews via the East Neuk villages of Kingsbarns, Crail, Anstruther, Pittenweem, St Monans, Elie, Lower Largo and Lundin Links to Leven.

is just off High Street.

Get around
Leven is a small town that you can walk around. The bus gets you to Lundin Links and Largo. For Falkand Palace change buses in Glenrothes.

Taxis wait by the bus station. Operators include Taxi Centre Fife +44 1333 300300, Page's Taxis +44 1333 425000, Bob's +44 1333 304050 and Magnum +44 1333 422333.

See

 * is a small council-run park and gardens. You enter though an arch that's somewhere between triumphal and funereal.
 * is in the middle of the links, with parkland, a walled garden, disused flax mill and campsite.
 * are three unsculpted stones 4-5 metres tall that were once part of a large circle. They're hidden away on the links behind Leven Rd, resembling a Pictish golf hazard.
 * stands on the promenade at Lower Largo. This village was the birthplace of Alexander Selkirk (1676–1721), who was marooned for over four years on a Pacific island and inspired the novel by Daniel Defoe. He was put ashore there at his own request, correctly insisting that his ship was unseaworthy.
 * Upper Largo half a mile inland has a parish church dating from 1623 and the shell of 18th century Largo House.
 * rises above Upper Largo. It's a steep but simple path to the top at 290 m (950 ft), approach from the south through Chesterstone Farm.
 * now adjoins modern farm buildings. It's the ruin of a late 15th-century tower house.
 * is not worth seeking out, only a gnarly finger of masonry remains of this 17th-century turret.
 * is on the coast at East Wemyss, midway between Leven and Kirkcaldy. It was founded by the 11th century Macduff (oppressed by Macbeth in the play) but the present building is a 14th-century tower house, once home to the Wemyss family. It's utterly tumbledown and fenced off as unsafe.
 * Falkland Palace - see Glenrothes for this ruined but charming palace on the edge of the Lomond Hills.
 * Falkland Palace - see Glenrothes for this ruined but charming palace on the edge of the Lomond Hills.

Do

 * Levenmouth Leisure Centre is on the promenade next to the bus station. It has a pool, gym and fitness classes.
 * Cinema: The Kino is on Commercial Rd in town centre. They have a similar cinema in Glenrothes.
 * Golf: two clubs share Lundin Links on the coast just east of town, Leven Thistle and Leven Golfing Society.
 * Scoonie GC play on the North Links adjacent, which are more park-like.
 * Lundin GC play from the eastern far end of the links, and Lundin Ladies GC play on a 9-hole course 200 yards north of that.

 * Watch football: East Fife FC were relegated in 2022 so they now play soccer in Scottish League Two, the games' fourth tier. Their home ground is Bayview Stadium, capacity 2000, in Methil half a mile south of Leven across the river.
 * Highland Games are held in June at Markinch (John Dixon Park) and in July at Thornton (Memorial Park).

Buy

 * Sainsbury's by the bus station is the main store, open daily 8AM-10PM and with an ATM.
 * Other ATMs are at 60 High St and at Beachcomber on the promenade, both 24 hours.

Eat

 * Takeaways in town include Bodrum Turkish Delight, Taste of China, Imries Fish Bar and New Indian Express.
 * Takeaways in town include Bodrum Turkish Delight, Taste of China, Imries Fish Bar and New Indian Express.

Drink

 * Others in Leven are The Windsor, Molly's, The Crown, and Station Bar.
 * Cameronbridge Distillery 3 miles west of Leven produces grain spirits for blending into the likes of Haig whisky, Smirnoff vodka and Tanqueray gin. It's owned by Diageo, no tours.
 * Others in Leven are The Windsor, Molly's, The Crown, and Station Bar.
 * Cameronbridge Distillery 3 miles west of Leven produces grain spirits for blending into the likes of Haig whisky, Smirnoff vodka and Tanqueray gin. It's owned by Diageo, no tours.

Sleep

 * Silverburn campsite is within Silverburn Park and open all year. They also have a few campervan pitches but no facilities for tourers.
 * Woodland Gardens is a campsite one mile north of Lower Largo, open Apr-Sept. Dogs welcome.
 * Lomond Guest House is a pleasant B&B at 6 Church Rd by the beach.
 * Caledonian Hotel at 81 King St has rooms but is more a place for eating and drinking.
 * Caledonian Hotel at 81 King St has rooms but is more a place for eating and drinking.

Connect
As of Oct 2021, Leven has 4G from all UK carriers, but the signal from O2 is patchy. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

 * The East Neuk has a line of picturesque fishing villages along the coast: Elie, Pittenweem, Anstruther and Crail.
 * Kirkcaldy is built-up but has a good beach.
 * St Andrews is an attractive medieval university town.
 * Kinross is where you find Loch Leven and its castle, at the head of the river that flows out at Leven.
 * Robinson Crusoe Island is the largest of the Juan Fernández Islands in the Pacific 670 km west of Chile. It's difficult to get there, and sometimes even harder to get away.

title: Leven


text:
Leverburgh

Leverburgh is the main village in the southern part of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, with a population of about 200. The main road A859 follows the west coast, running from Tarbert through Seilebost, Borve, Scarista and Northton to Leverburgh, continuing south to Rodel. A narrow lane twisting along the east coast is known as the "Golden Road" for the expense of building it.

Understand
Until 1920 the village was called "Obbe" (Gaelic An t-Òb, from the Norse word for a bay), but was then renamed for William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851-1925), the soap tycoon. He'd bought up all of Harris and Lewis and had grand plans for their industrial development, but he had no time for crofting or rural resettlement. On Lewis this caused a great falling out, and he pulled out of investment there. On Harris there were fewer such tensions and he established a fishing port and fish processing works in Leverburgh. The project stalled after his death in 1925, though Mac Fisheries continued in business until 1979.

Get in
Leverburgh is 20 miles from Tarbert along A859. Road signs use An t-Òb, but bus and ferry timetables call it Leverburgh.

By boat: most visitors arrive on the ferry from Uig on Skye to Tarbert on Harris.

itself has Calmac car ferries four times a day from Berneray, taking one hour. Until end of March 2025, return fares are £32.30 per car, £8.50 per adult including driver, and £4.30 per child aged 5-15. Berneray is linked by road to North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist.

The other ferry route is from Ullapool on the mainland to Stornoway on Lewis then south by road.

By bus: There are five buses M-Sa between Leverburgh and Tarbert, taking 45 min. Most continue to Stornoway on Lewis, another hour.

A linked bus and ferry service runs up the Western Isles through Barra, the Uists and Harris and across Lewis to Stornoway, so M-Sa it's possible to go the whole way in one day. To do so northbound you need to set off from Castlebay on Barra at 6:20AM, but for Harris you could leave it till 10:20AM, passing Lochboisedale South Uist at 1:20PM, Benbecula at 3PM and Lochmaddy North Uist at 3:30PM to reach Leverburgh at 5PM and Tarbert at 5:30PM. Going south, you need to leave Tarbert at 10:45AM to go the whole route, Leverburgh at 11:30AM, Lochmaddy at 1:45PM, Benbecula at 2:25PM and Lochboisdale at 3:25PM reaching Castlebay at 5:35PM.

Get around
Bus W10 is the Western Isles "spine route" from Barra. It runs along the west coast of Harris on A859, from Leverburgh via Northton, Borve, Seilibost, Luskentyre turnoff, and Golden Road turnoff into Tarbert, 45 min. It continues across north Harris to Stornoway. There are six per day M-Sa.

Bus W13 runs up the east coast lane from Leverburgh via Rodel, Ardslave and Geocrab then either direct to Tarbert or meandering through Grosebay and Drinishader. Two run M-Sa, another four are school buses.

Harris Cycle Hire is based at Sorrel Cottage, Leverburgh, see "Sleep".

See

 * is the ruin of a chapel of 1528. The machair headland covers prehistoric settlements, which are being exposed by erosion then lost to the sea.
 * is a tall prominent megalith at Nisabost. It's Neolithic, so it was already ancient when a 13th-century fellow called Leod founded the kindred (Mac = son of) that bears his name.
 * is one of the best beaches anywhere on earth, pity the water's freezing. It's reached by a winding little lane that branches off A859 above Loch Fincastle.
 * is the island seen a mile west of Luskentyre. It's been uninhabited since 1974, but there are occasional campers, who need their own boat. It was the location for the BBC series Castaway in 2000 and for a sequel in 2008.
 * is one of the best beaches anywhere on earth, pity the water's freezing. It's reached by a winding little lane that branches off A859 above Loch Fincastle.
 * is the island seen a mile west of Luskentyre. It's been uninhabited since 1974, but there are occasional campers, who need their own boat. It was the location for the BBC series Castaway in 2000 and for a sequel in 2008.

Do

 * Drive or cycle the Golden Road, the switchback lane along the east coast from Rodel up to Tarbert.
 * Hebridean Way is a way-marked hiking and cycling trail the length of the Outer Hebrides. Stage 8 northbound for hikers starts from the ferry pier and swings inland by Loch na Moracha, returning to the main road at Northton, then again over the moors to Seilbost. At 21.5 km (13.25 miles) this is the toughest stage, reckon 8 hours. Stage 9 continues southeast across the moors to Stockinish, Plocrapool and Meavaig, finally by road into Tarbert; 23.5 km (14.5 miles), 7 hours. Cyclists simply follow the main road all the way to get here.
 * Visit St Kilda: Leverburgh is the closest port for day trips, sailing May-Sept but only in calm weather. Booking essential, reckon £270 pp in 2023. You need to make yourself available for a two day slot and the boats sail on the first suitable day of that slot. It's a 3-hour crossing in a small but covered boat, giving you 4-5 hours ashore on Hirta the main island, plus a non-landing circuit of the other islands. No dogs, check the operators' websites for other rules eg minimum age, and take your own packed lunch. Operators are Sea Harris and Kilda Cruises.
 * Visit St Kilda: Leverburgh is the closest port for day trips, sailing May-Sept but only in calm weather. Booking essential, reckon £270 pp in 2023. You need to make yourself available for a two day slot and the boats sail on the first suitable day of that slot. It's a 3-hour crossing in a small but covered boat, giving you 4-5 hours ashore on Hirta the main island, plus a non-landing circuit of the other islands. No dogs, check the operators' websites for other rules eg minimum age, and take your own packed lunch. Operators are Sea Harris and Kilda Cruises.

Buy

 * Hebridean Mustard is sold from a roadside kiosk near Sorrel Cottage.
 * Hebridean Mustard is sold from a roadside kiosk near Sorrel Cottage.

Drink

 * There are no free-standing pubs on Harris. The distillery in Tarbert makes whisky and gin.
 * Isle of Harris Brewery is a micro-brewery on a croft at Borrisdale near Rodel. The shop is open M-Sa 10AM-6PM.

Sleep

 * West Harris Trust run six sites across the island suitable for caravans or motor-homes but not tents.
 * Horgabost Campsite is by the beach near MacLeod's Stone.

Connect
As of Sep 2023, you might get a 4G signal in Leverburgh from EE, but there's otherwise virtually no mobile coverage of Harris south of Tarbert. 5G has not yet reached Lewis and Harris.

Go next

 * Cross the Sound of Harris to Berneray, which is connected by road to the Uists.
 * Go north to Tarbert  and on into Lewis.

title: Leverburgh


text:
Levi

Levi is one of the biggest winter sport resorts in Finland. It is in the Kittilä municipality in Lapland, by the village Sirkka. Levi is a very popular place among young people, and in addition to being a ski resort it is a significant nightlife centre for people from rural Lapland.

Understand

As a very prominent peak, the Levi fell was already known for its impressive views in the 19th century, but the area was completely roadless and hard to access. Lake Immeljärvi between the fells Levi and Kätkä has been a sacred place for the Sámi people for ages. Small-scale tourism to Levi started in the 1930s when the road from the south was completed. In those days, the visitors had to coach-surf; residing in the homes of the villagers was the only option. The first cottages for rent were built in the 1950s, and the first hotel, now called Hotel Levitunturi, was opened in 1981.

In the 1960s, downhill skiing became popular in Finland, and the Kittilä municipality built the first piste with a ski lift on the northern slope of the Levi fell in 1964. When a small airstrip in a forest near Kittilä village was enlarged for military purposes during the 1970s, making the strip large enough for commercial flights as well, things truly started to happen. Regular flights to Kittilä airport started in 1982 and the first international charter flights arrived in 1993, giving Levi a substantial customer potential. The great economic depression in the 1990s enabled a group of entrepreneurs in Levi to buy skiing resort equipment extremely cheaply from the bankrupted skiing resorts in southern Finland, prompting a boom in local business. In 2004, Levi hosted the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup for the first time, definitely making it a world-class winter sports resort.

While in 1980 there were just six people working for the municipality-owned ski lift company, in 2014 there were about 200 companies serving more than 600,000 visitors a year. Today, the resort has over 24,000 beds, making the tiny Sirkka village (fewer than 900 permanent residents in 2018) the second most populous place in Finnish Lapland during the winter (after Rovaniemi).

Summer activities in Levi are still of a small scale but the business is growing. For example, a full 18-hole golf course was opened in 2006.

By plane
is some 10 km south from Levi, 5 km north from the municipal centre. The airport has daily connections from Helsinki, and during season also a few regular services from elsewhere, and charters from the British Isles and Central Europe.

Most coaches coming from the south visit the airport on their route to Levi. Tunturilinjat operates a shuttle bus between Kittilä airport and Levi (price €8/adult) scheduled after the departures and arrivals. You can also use a taxi.

Rovaniemi airport is an other option, usually with more affordable flights.

By train
There are several daily trains from southern Finland to Rovaniemi. From the railway station you need to transfer to a bus, which waits next to the station. Overnight trains with sleeping cars and car-carrier wagons operate from Helsinki and Turku to Rovaniemi and from Helsinki to Kolari (getting from Turku to Kolari requires a transfer in Tampere, no car-carrier option). Tunturilinjat has a shuttle bus connections from Kolari railway station to Levi (€24/adult). The trip to Levi takes 2½ hours from Rovaniemi and 1 hr 15 min from Kolari.

By bus
Coaches operate from Helsinki to Levi via Lahti, Jyväskylä and Oulu, but the trip takes over 16 hours! You must change coaches in Rovaniemi, but there is plenty of time for that. The regular connection leaves Helsinki at 01:20 and arrives in Levi at 17:55. In the other direction coaches can be used to get in from Kilpisjärvi, Hetta and Muonio, and in summer there is also a service from Tromsø. See Matkahuolto for timetables, Eskelisen Lapinlinjat operates the one from Tromsø.

A ticket from Helsinki to Levi costs about €100/adult and from Rovaniemi about €32/adult.

By car
From southern Finland you can drive E8 or E75 to Oulu, from there either road: E75 to Rovaniemi and national road 79 to Levi, or E8 to Kolari and via national road 80 to Kittilä. The distance from Helsinki is about 1,000 km. If you start fairly early in the morning you can drive up to Levi in one day. During the winter season the traffic on the road 79 between Rovaniemi and Levi might be surprisingly high.

The best way from Denmark or further south in western Europe is the road E4 to Luleå, then road E10 to Överkalix, and then Swedish road 392 to Pajala and road 403 to Kolari. From Kolari the Finnish road 80 intersects with Finnish road 79 about 12 km south of Levi.

If you drive back to the south in winter, make sure you have good sunglasses and have windscreen and wipers in good condition, as the sun will shine in your eyes most of the time it is above the horizon.

Get around

Levi has a bus system called Ski Bus with two routes marked R1 and R2. Ski Bus runs from November to May. A Ski Bus ticket is included to the ski lift pass for €3/day. Otherwise, a day ticket for bus bought from ZeroPoint costs €4. From the bus you can only buy single ride tickets for €4 (2021). In the Levi centre you can easily walk or ski around.

For longer trips to the forests in the winter, you can use cross-country skis or hire a snowmobile. A driving licence is required (one for car or motorcycle suffices) at least on snowmobile "routes" (reitti – counted as public roads), while a permit must be bought for the snowmobile "tracks" (ura – the permit counts as landowner permission for the specific track network). Driving on rivers and lakes does not generally require licence or permit, but is restricted in many areas around Levi. Get directions and mind ice safety. Regardless, you must be 15 years old and sober, and use a helmet. You can probably get the permission via the rental business, but check. Be careful: it is easy to make fatal mistakes. Riding a snowmobile on a road is forbidden, with some minor exceptions (such as using a bridge).

There is an assortment of maps and directions, including info on current conditions on the routes. The skiing track and snowmobile route networks extend far from Levi – the former through the national park to Hetta, the latter to Koli in North Karelia and to Kilpisjärvi and Inari in the north. A map on snowmobile routes in Kittilä can be bought.

Cycling is a good option during summer. There is a map on bike routes available from Levi Bike Park, from where you can also find more information.

By taxi

 * Lähitaksi Levi +358 200 99200
 * Levi-Kittilän Taksit Oy +358 200 99800
 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Taksini
 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Taksini

See and do
Being a ski resort, Levi is much more about doing than seeing. The thing worth seeing is the landscape including Mt. Levi (Levitunturi).

Winter sports. There are 230 km of cross-country skiing tracks and 886 km of snowmobile routes. For alpine skiing Levi has 45 pistes totalling 37 km in length. The longest piste is 2,500 m long and maximum vertical drop is 325 m. Piste information is available on the resort's web page. Levi is known for organizing an FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in November.

If you want to take a break from winter sports, you can go on snowmobile or husky safaris and reindeer rides. These are arranged by tour operators, most of whom arrange summer activities too.

See also Kittilä.

Köngäs
Activities in Köngäs, some 10 km north of Levi, and its surroundings.

Eat
The restaurants offer a good variety of local delicacies. Especially worth trying are reindeer (poro) in all its forms, willow grouse (riekko) and several varieties of fish such as salmon (lohi), arctic char (nieriä) and common whitefish (siika). These are usually fried or smoked and eaten with mashed potatoes. In addition to local specialities, hamburgers, pizzas and kebabs are also available.

Many restaurants and bars are inside hotels.

Sleep
Being one of the biggest resorts in Finland one could think there will be no problem to get bed in Levi. However, during the holiday season it may appear surprisingly difficult to find one! Most popular times are around Christmas and New Year, Easter and the Finnish winter holiday held during the three-week period from mid-February to early March. Right after the New Year when local people get back to work, skiing resorts get crowded with Russian tourists. Accommodation alternatives vary from camping to luxurious cottages and spa hotels.

Stay healthy
The health care centre is in the municipality centre Kittilä, at Sairaalantie 2. Call in acute cases that are not emergencies.

In emergencies, call  (who probably can alarm the ski patrol etc.).

First aid staff at rentals of Zero Point and South pistes. Ski Patrol (red jackets) and volunteers with first aid skills ski daily at the pistes. Phone. Can also be alarmed via lift personnel.

There are two private medical services in Levi (Sirkka) itself. Check prices or your insurance.

Go next

 * Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park, some 20 km away by ski. The park is the third largest and the most visited one in the country, with many more services than in most national parks in Finland.

title: Levi


text:
Levice

Levice is a town of about 37,000 inhabitants in Slovakia, a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is located about 40 km southeast of Nitra, and about 130 km east of Bratislava.

Understand
The first written record of Levice is from 1156 and mentions Martirius, the archbishop of Esztergom (Hungary), who consecrated the church in Bratka village dedicated to St.Martin. There was established a parish where the villages "villa Leua" and Vitk were annexed. At that time the village of Leua (Levice) was a subject to the Tekov castle, and was situated on the east part of today’s town Levice, somewhere on the slopes of the vineyard, which is still called Old Levice.

Tourist information agency is on Holubyho street 2, behind the Levice's Town Hall, phone: +421 36 6318 037.

By bus
Many bus connections operate to Levice. Use cp.sk  to find the connection (click the link in the footer of the page for English language).

By train
Levice is easily reached by train from Bratislava, Košice or Banská Bystrica. Use cp.sk  to search for the train connections.

By car
Use the D1 motorway to get to Levice from Bratislava or from Žilina. Take the exit to Nitra.

Get around
Levice is a small town, and as such it is very suitable for walking. Public transport is available as well (schedules: ).

Do

 * Go skating to Levice's indoor ice-rink (Ľudmily Podjavorinskej street 21), open to public Fridays and Saturdays 16:00 - 18:00, Sundays 14:30 - 16:30. Entrance fee €1.49 for 2 hours, or €0.99 for the second hour only. Closed from April to June. Phone: +421 36 6312685.
 * Visit Levice Fair - a demonstration of various handicrafts, cultural programme, exhibitions, stand sale. Takes place yearly, during one weekend in October. (17 - 19 October in 2014)
 * Astrum Levice is a popular basketball team representing the city in the Slovak Basketball Extraliga. Its matches are taking place in the Sports Hall Levice (on Turecký rad 5), usually on Wednesdays or Saturdays, from late September to April or May.
 * For swimming in summer, visit Margita - Ilona (Nábrežná street 1) - a centre with 2 large pools for swimmers and 2 smaller pools for children (photos: ). Also available are facilities for beach volleyball, football (soccer), table tennis, and other activities. Open daily 9:00 - 19:00, entrance €2.50 from Monday to Friday, €3.40 on weekends, parking €2. Phone: +421 36 6312954.

Go next

 * Banská Štiavnica - a preserved medieval town and an UNESCO World Heritage Site, about 40 km northeast of Levice
 * Nitra - the fourth largest city in Slovakia, about 45 km west of Levice

title: Levice


text:
Levin

Levin is a town of 19,000 people (2022) in the Manawatu region of New Zealand's North Island. Levin is the largest town in the Horowhenua District. Nestled beneath the magnificent Tararua Ranges, it is near Lake Horowhenua.

By road
Coming from Wellington, travel for 92 km on State Highway 1, which runs through the centre of town.

Intercity operates a number of buses on a regular basis between Wellington and Levin, whilst you can also hire a rental car at Wellington Airport.

By rail
The North Island Main Trunk Line runs through the middle of town with the railway station being located south of the CBD. The Capital Connection commuter train stops once in the morning (heading to Wellington) and once in the evening (from Wellington).

See
Levin Public Library is known worldwide for its innovative library software, Koha. In 2012 the library was rebuilt and extended across the site of a former supermarket and renamed Te Takere. It now contains, in addition to books, a cafe, extensive computer facilities and many local treasures on display.

Do
One of the main attractions is a large adventure playground on the main street next to the information centre. There are also public swimming baths with a water slide which are fairly modern and reasonably priced. There is a movie theatre which has a reasonable line up of films. Levin has two theatres for amateur dramatic presentations, the Levin Little Theatre on Weraroa Road, next to Horowhenua College, which produces comedies, Christmas pantomimes, etc., and the Levin Performing Arts Society on Queen Street which is more oriented towards musicals.

Sleep
Waitarere Beach
 * Waitarere camp grounds
 * Bach accommodation

Go next

 * Otaki
 * Shannon

title: Levin