84
votes
Accepted
Why do some groups of tourists include someone carrying a banner?
It's like that everywhere for guided tours (not just Chinese people)
It makes it easier to follow the guide.
The guide tour leader will carry a flag so that if/when people get lost they can spot the ...
- 14.7k
73
votes
Accepted
Is a 13-hour layover in the middle of the night enough time to go see Buckingham Palace?
As you've got to make the journey between airports anyway, I say make the most of it. Sleep on the plane if you can and see the city at night. I'd pack in one backpack (hand luggage strapped on top) ...
- 7,556
54
votes
Is a 13-hour layover in the middle of the night enough time to go see Buckingham Palace?
Yes, it's doable. Although going through central London isn't the fastest route from Heathrow to Gatwick, you have lots of time so it's not an unreasonable route to take.
You could obviously do it ...
- 3,851
48
votes
Accepted
Am I allowed to leave airport in the USA during a 23-hour layover?
Having an American passport usually means you are an American citizen. As such, you can enjoy unrestricted travel in the US.
The other travelers will have to be admitted to US before the start of the ...
- 4,658
37
votes
Accepted
Can travellers see Buddhist temples in Saudi Arabia?
There are no such temples in Saudi Arabia - source: 26+ years of living there.
There are way more Christians in Saudi Arabia than Buddhists - but there are no churches in Saudi Arabia either.
It is ...
- 39.5k
31
votes
Is a 13-hour layover in the middle of the night enough time to go see Buckingham Palace?
Very easily doable. But if you're going all that way in on the tube and aren't too tired, walk around - central London is quite small and easily walkable. You could see Tower Bridge, Tower of London, ...
- 159k
30
votes
Accepted
How can one visit the Door To Hell?
WikiTravel doesn't have an article on the Gates of Hell, but WikiVoyage does.
There's at least four tour companies listed. Two international and two local.
You apparently can drive there but it ...
- 78.3k
29
votes
Accepted
Is the new Tokyo Fish Market in Toyosu open to visitors?
Not yet open to the general public (which includes tourists I believe), but it will be starting 13 Oct 2018 (Sat) from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. From 15 Oct 2018 (Mon) onwards, it will be open from 5:00 am ...
- 1,253
29
votes
Why do some groups of tourists include someone carrying a banner?
For the same reason that Western and Near Eastern militaries have been carrying "colours, standards (and) guidons" for 7,000 years: so the troops know where the commander is.
https://en.wikipedia.org/...
- 490
25
votes
Accepted
Do we have to expect a queue for the shuttle from Watford Junction to Harry Potter Studio?
This depends on the time of year, day of the week, holidays etc.
But, generally, yes there will probably be a small queue. When I have been before it was during a week day, we arrived about 10 ...
- 9,705
24
votes
Transit in Amsterdam for 10 hours, do I have time to visit the city for sightseeing?
Yes, it is possible for you to leave the airport in Amsterdam. You will clear Schengen immigration controls there, whereby your passport will be stamped. After that, there will be nothing preventing ...
- 131k
23
votes
Do we have to expect a queue for the shuttle from Watford Junction to Harry Potter Studio?
Summary: One should be prepared to wait for the second bus if they are visiting during school holidays, Easter being one of them. There are other options to get to the Warner Bros Studio from Watford ...
- 5,711
23
votes
Accepted
The Gondolas of Aveiro, Portugal
Rather than starting by answering directly your question about Gondola trips, I will do a small introduction of Aveiro. I believe you will get a better understanding of what the city is about and you ...
- 31.7k
22
votes
Accepted
Are Ginkgo trees in Japan rare and if so, where can I find them?
While what constitutes a "best" spot is subjective, here are some popular options:
Icho Namiki
This road is located in Tokyo, between the Gaienmae and Aoyama-Itchome stations. The best time to visit ...
- 4,655
22
votes
Am I allowed to leave airport in the USA during a 23-hour layover?
If you are transferring to another city in the US via Atlanta, then yes. You are going to go through immigration in Atlanta, after which you will be landside, i.e. you have essentially left the ...
- 9,651
17
votes
Accepted
Is Big Ben visible from the British museum?
The British Museum is located a short-ish (20-30 minutes) walk from Big Ben, so the distance isn't a problem in seeing it. But the British Museum is surrounded relatively closely in that direction by ...
- 11.9k
16
votes
Accepted
Where can I visit Anthony Howe's amazing wind-powered kinetic sculptures?
Locations of Public Sculptures:
USA
Spine Tower, San Francisco, California
Azlon I, Baltimore, Maryland
Oblongata, Procter & Gamble Hdqts, Mason, Ohio
Chief II, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Octo - Greenville, ...
- 176
16
votes
Accepted
Enter Van Gogh Museum restaurant
I had a quick look at the van Gogh Museum website, found a link to the restaurant and it says
The café is open daily during museum opening hours and can only be accessed via the museum
From that I ...
- 58.7k
16
votes
Where can I find a global heat map of travel spots?
Here's what I'm aware of:
Sightsmap (which I think comes closest to what you are looking for)
Heatmaps of Flickr photos and Twitter tweets
Flickr heat maps
Flickr heat maps distinguishing between ...
- 24.2k
16
votes
Accepted
What happened to the Prime Meridian sculpture in Greenwich?
A Facebook conversation with Royal Museums Greenwich reports the following:
[T]he sculpture was returned to its owner 'News Print International' (sic) after its loan was complete. It went to their ...
- 35.3k
16
votes
Are there other tram bistros like the cancelled U76 in Düsseldorf?
I know of at least two:
Colonial Tramcar Restaurant in Melbourne, Australia, three seatings per day every day.
SpåraKoff in Helsinki, Finland, operates hourly in the afternoons during the summer ...
- 99.8k
15
votes
Where can I visit Anthony Howe's amazing wind-powered kinetic sculptures?
The artist states that he installs and tests most of his works prior to putting them up for sale. If you're that big of a fan, I would suggest emailing him to see if he would be open to you visiting ...
- 868
15
votes
Why do some groups of tourists include someone carrying a banner?
This is very common in China. You might have a number of tour groups simultaneously at a busy tourist site and the use of a flag (and stickers on the participants) helps keep them together and is very ...
- 16.8k
14
votes
Are Ginkgo trees in Japan rare and if so, where can I find them?
Visit Toyko's Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden to experience the ginko tunnel in the Meiji-Jingu Gaien, the golden canopy and carpet the most glorious in the autumn.
- 35.3k
14
votes
What's the difference between the main deck and top deck of the Empire State Building?
The biggest difference between main deck: 86th floor and top deck: 102nd floor is that main deck is open air observatory and top deck is much smaller room enclosed by glass. As question mentions the ...
- 450
12
votes
When travelling from London to northern Sweden by train, is it possible to have a day of free sightseeing anywhere other than Copenhagen?
The accepted answer is not working anymore as the city night line trains are taken out of the timetables.
So now your best bet will be to travel fast by day and/or travel by ferry at night.
Seat 61 ...
- 58.7k
11
votes
Accepted
Where in Chengdu can we see Sanxingdui artifacts, besides the museum in Guanghan?
There is no SanXingDui art museum in Chengdu, you have to go to GuangHan. The "museum" displayed by google maps is a store.
Source: I asked friends. They confirm that the place in the streetview ...
- 26.2k
11
votes
Accepted
Amsterdam Centraal or Sloterdijk station area?
It's quite easy to travel between Amsterdam Centraal and Amsterdam Sloterdijk. Trains are frequent and the trip is about 6 or 7 minutes. The base fare is €2.30. The travel time to Brussels is ...
- 131k
10
votes
Are there any "brand" museums in Los Angeles?
Okay, so I've gone through several Wikipedia pages for southern California...
McDonald's Museum (also Juan Pollo) in San Bernardino
Fender Museum of Music and the Arts in Corona (I assume there are ...
- 8,652
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible