Being the capital and the largest city of Italy, Rome is the central of both tourism and economy. Unlike other major financial cities in the world, Rome also features enormous amount and great travel attractions for businessmen to explore during their business travel. Meetings in Rome are always accompanied with some sorts of city travel.

In terms of tourism, Rome is the 3rd most visited in the European Union and the most popular tourist attraction in Italy, while Italy was the 6th most visited country in the world last year. The historic centre of Rome was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980, due to the incalculable immensity of its archaeological and artistic treasures. Coleseum, Trevi Fountain, The Roman Forum and Spanish Steps are amongst the popular tourists destinations, all within the historic centre of Rome.

In terms of economy, Rome ranked as 28th in the Global Cities Index. With a GDP of nearly €94.376 billion each year, Rome contributes 6.7% of the national GDP, which is more than any other single city in Italy. The economy of Rome is largely dominated by services, high-technology companies , research, construction and banking and financing activities. The vast majority of the major Italian companies, as well as many of the world’s 100 largest companies are setting their head offices here.

With its richness in travel attractions all within walking distance, and central location for the world economy, Rome has long been the favourite travel destination for businessmen. Due to this reason, businessmen are keen to set up regional offices in Rome. Various meetings are carried out here each day and has made business hotels widely available in Rome. Holiday Inn Meetings are amongst the popular business hotel club in Rome which provide convenient accommodations to businessmen as well as central locations for touring around the city.

Like the chicken and egg story, tourists go there to do businesses while entrepreneurs are vacationing in Rome. It is not hard to understand why Rome was the 11th most visited city in the world. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide to Europe

I love traveling. I love every single moment on my vacation travel. After slaving away at work for so long, everything I see and do on travel becomes so interesting and refreshing to me. My old Nikon D60 and current Nikon D7000 camera always work as hard as cow snapping shots after shots, capturing every moment on my travel with which I can recall them clearly in future.

It’s the end of the year 2011 now. It would probably be a good time to recall some of my best travel memories so far in some of the travel destinations for the past few years, like this special scene I captured in Phuket Island of Thailand about 3 years ago… A special scene in one of the many bars at Bangla Street, the famous night spots for pub crawl in Patong Beach.

I was really impressed by how crowded the street during late night hours, especially during weekend after midnight. There were all kinds of bars along the street but this was one that caught my attention (in fact others’ attention as well ). Why? There were ladyboys in action! Many ladyboys were gathered in this bar and they were dancing on the podium right in front of the entrance! Tourists were gathered in front of the bar entrance and got exhilarated!

Thailand is famous for her gorgeous ladyboys. As you can see from the above photo, Patong Beach is no exception. You won’t believe if I did not tell you they were actually ladyboys. It was my first time to see them in person and one of them actually sit beside us later on.

But what I highlighted here is not only the beautiful ladyboys. My special travel memory was on the night we spent pub crawling at Bangla Street. It was so much fun to drink, joke, play and mix around with other tourists there! We hopped from bars to bars, drank from Heinekken to Chang Beer! The environment was so happening that made me completely care less about my daily job! What still fresh in my memory is the friendly atmosphere in the area where you can freely enjoy your life without any worry as policemen were seen everywhere as guards against violence and drug trafficking if any. I totally passed out that night!

A truly special travel memory for me to be crazy at night in Patong  Beach, Phuket Island, Thailand. Coming up next is another memorable destination in Europe. – Travel Feeder, the ultimate travel guide to Thailand

Still flaming hot out of the oven, I love to share here my top 10 places to visit in Beijing, just days after I came back from Beijing! What made me so tempting to do it so fast is because of Beijing’s richness and uniqueness in historical and cultural attractions that made me fell for them so fast! I may have spent 2 to 3 days each to see most of the tourist attractions in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Suzhou 3 years ago, but not for Beijing! I actually spent 7 days in the capital and still haven’t got enough! I hoped I had another 7 days! There are so much more to experience as an avid traveler in Beijing!

Yes. Beijing is such a huge city. Not only it’s the second largest city in China after Shanghai, it was also the seat for more than 20 emperors of ancient China who lived in the city from Yuan, Ming to Qing dynasty from 13th to 20th century, or more than 500 years! In fact, well before that, it was also the capital city for State of Yan during ancient Chinese warring era 200o years ago and then served as an important prefecture during Qin, Han and Tang Dynasty, the first 3 notable dynasties of the united ancient China in between 1st to 10th century. Beijing was also the only capital to have witnessed both the fall of the ancient China and the rise of the current People Republic of China (P.R.C).

Besides these rich and complicated historical background, Beijing is also served as the cultural, political and educational centre of P.R.C today. All these characteristics have made Beijing a tremendous travel destination for any traveler to visit in China, and I’ve just visited Beijing last week!

There are too many places to visit in Beijing in 7 days for me, but I have at least visited some of the most significant sites in and around the capital. Here are the top 10 travel sites that I think without seeing them in person, no travel to Beijing would be complete. Here they are:

1. 
   Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen Square (simplified Chinese: 天安门广场) is the 3rd largest city square in the world, measuring 440,00m2 in area. It sits direct in front of Tiananmen gate which separates the large square from the Forbidden city in the middle of Beijing city centre. There is a flag raising and lowering ceremony at dawn and dusk at the north end of the square facing the gate which attracts numbers of tourists everyday. Tiananmen Square is a highly frequented landmark in Beijing for both local and foreign visitors due to its political significance in ancient China as well as modern China with many important events happened here before. Perhaps the most remembered incidence among all was the pro-democracy movement on 4 June 1989 which involved thousands of students, troops of Chinese armies and the death of hundreds of protesters. Visitors to The Palace Museum must go through the Tiananmen Gate where a giant portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong is hung. A photo shot to the gate and its warden in front is a must.
2. 
   The Forbidden City. The Forbidden City (Chinese:紫禁城) was the Chinese imperial palace since 15th century from the Yongle Emperor of Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. For almost 500 years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government. The Forbidden City, also known as the Gugong (Chinese: 故宫) now, is the largest palace complex in the world covering an area of over 178 acres. It is where the Palace Museum is. Visitors will need at least half a day to briefly explore by strolling those accessible courtyards, various political and residential buildings, and the imperial garden within the almost 1km² rectangular city wall. The Forbidden City got its name from the fact that no one could enter or leave the palace compound without the emperor’s permission, so the Forbidden City was truly a city by its own. Visiting the Gugong is also for its brilliant architecture and the ancient structural engineering excellence. Once exit from the North Gate, you can climb up the Jingshan hill to have a great overall view of the Forbidden City.
3. 
   Temple of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven  (simplified Chinese: 天坛; Tiāntán) was a Taoist buildings complex constructed in 15th century by the Yongle Emperor of Ming Dynasty. The main structure within the park is The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests (祈年殿). It was then used by the following emperors of Ming and Qing Dynasty to hold the annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. The complex covers a huge area of 2.73km² which comprises various buildings and recreational parks, with the intention of the emperor to have it larger than the Forbidden City since the Temple of Heaven is the residence for the heavenly gods while Forbidden City is for the son of the heaven (Chinese: 天子; tianzi). It is located 3km south of the Forbidden City and is easily accessible by Line 5 of Beijing Subway, 5 stops from Tiananmen Gate. After visiting the Temple of Heaven, you may as well try the famous Beijing Roast Duck dish at Bianyifang restaurant along Tiantandong street.
4. 
   Summer Palace. As its name suggests, Summer Palace (simplified Chinese: 颐和园; Yíhé Yuán) was the resort palace for the emperors and empresses of Qing Dynasty during summer. The Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), who started the idea and commissioned the construction work of this imperial gardens since 1749. The Summer Palace is mainly dominated by Longevity Hill (60 meters high) and the Kunming Lake, covering an area of 2.9 km², three quarters of which is water. The central Kunming Lake was entirely man made and the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill. The general layout of this imperial garden is believed to have been copied from what found in West Lake of Hangzhou, where the Qianlong Emperor fell in love and visited number of times. A number of various palaces, gardens, and other imperial style architectural structures were constructed in the garden, which also included reproduction of other towers and pagodas found in various parts of ancient China. If you have been to West Lake of Hangzhou, you will find identical structures, bridges, landscaping and lakes in Summer Palace. The prominent building in the garden is the Tower of Buddhist Incense (Fo Xiang Ge).
5. 
   Badaling Great Wall of China. The Great Wall of China (simplified Chinese: 万里长城; Ten Thousand Mile Long Wall) is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups since the 5th century BC through the 16th century. One of the most famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. The majority of the existing wall was built during the Ming Dynasty. The Great Wall stretches 8,851.8 km (5,500.3 mi) from Shanhaiguan in the east, to Lop Lake in the west. The first section of Great Wall that being heavily renovated and opened for public visit is Badaling section, which is also the most accessible stretch of Great Wall from Beijing, with frequent express bus service (No.877, formerly No.919) running to and from Beijing Deshenmen bus station.
6. 
   Hutong. In Beijing only, hutongs (simplified Chinese: 胡同) are alleys formed by lines of siheyuan, traditional courtyard residences. Many neighbourhoods were formed by joining one siheyuan to another to form a hutong, and then joining one hutong to another. The word hutong is also used to refer to such neighborhoods in ancient China. Today, many hutongs had given way for new development of modern Beijing, but some hutongs have been designated as protected areas in an attempt to preserve this aspect of Chinese cultural history. One of the most frequented hutong area among tourists is NanLuoGuXiang (simplified Chinese: 南锣鼓巷) where you are find various shops and restaurants. Not far from there is the nightlife district of Houhai as well as Drum Tower.
7. 
   Bird’s Nest. Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest (simplified Chinese: 鸟巢), is the stadium designed and used for the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The stadium was designed by the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in April 2003 after a bidding process that included 13 final submissions. The design, which implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof, gives the stadium the appearance of a “Bird’s nest”. Leading Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was the artistic consultant on the project. Located in the Olympic Green, other outstanding architectures within the park include the ”Water Cube” (水立方) swimming complex and National Indoor Stadium. You will need to take a cab or bus there at the time of writing as Beijing Subway Line 8 has ceased operation for renovation until further notice.
8. 
   Yonghegong Lama Temple. The Yonghe Temple (Chinese: 雍和宮) , also known as the “Lama Temple”, is a temple and monastery of the Geluk School of Tibetan Buddhism located in the northeastern part of Beijing, which is easily accessible by Subway Line 5. It is one of the largest and most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world, constructed in 17th century during the Qing Dynasty. It originally served as the court of the Prince Yong (Yin Zhen), who turned to become the Yongzheng Emperor. After Yongzheng’s ascension to the throne in 1722, the building was converted into a lamasery, a monastery for monks of Tibetan Buddhism. After Yongzheng’s death in 1735, his coffin was placed in the temple. Subsequently, the Yonghe Lamasery became the national centre of Lama administration. The temple was constructed in similar design and layout as other imperial palaces with courtyards and various buildings serving different purposes. The prominent features of the Lama temple include the 18 Buddha luóhàn (Chinese: 羅漢) statues and the 26m tall statue of the Maitreya Buddha (Chinese: 彌勒菩薩; Mílè Púsa) carved from a single piece of White Sandalwood. The statue is  included in the Guinness Book of Records in 1993. Not far from the temple is another famous Beijing Temple of Confucius.
9. 
   Wangfujing Street. Wangfujing (Chinese: 王府井), located in Dongcheng District, Beijing, not far away from the Forbidden City. It is one of the most famous pedestrian only shopping streets in Beijing with shops selling all sorts of products. It is not rare to see the entire street full of people. The Wangfujing Snack Street, located in hutongs just west of the main street, is densely packed with restaurants and street food stalls. The food stalls serves a wide variety of common and exotic street food. Further north and perpendicular to Wangfujing is Donghuamen Street, which has a night food market of its own. There is also a church on the street which is highly frequented by the local Christians. Wangfujing is considered by many as the Avenue Des Champs Elysees of the east.
10. 
    Xiushui Market. Silk Street (Chinese: 秀水街; pinyin: Xiùshuǐjiē) is a shopping center in Beijing that accommodates over 1,700 retail vendors, as opposed to Wangfujing offering upmarket shopping experience, selling wide selection of counterfeit designer brand apparels. The Silk Street attracts approximately 20,000 visitors daily (from 9am to 9pm) on weekdays and between 50,000 and 60,000 on weekends as of 2006. This 35,000-square-meter complex replaced the old alley based Xiushui Market since Year 2005, and has since a popular shopping center especially for Western travelers. Besides the shopping center, more shops and restaurants are also gathered around the area. It is easily reachable by Subway Line 1. The shopping center is located directly above the Yong’ An Li subway station where you get direct access to Level B2 of the shopping mall from the station. While products in Wangfujing are mostly selling at fixed price, you need to bargain really hard with tactics in Xiushuijie market in order to get a good price. Travel Tips: As a common tactic, when the vendor offers you a price, you can first say ‘no’ and turn away to wait for him/her to call you back with a lower offer, then counter offer him/her with 15-20% of the initial asking price. Normally, you will get a good deal by then.

There are many more attractions in Beijing which you can also visit, include Prince Gong’s Palace, Xidan, Qianmen, Drum Tower, Beijing zoo, Ming Emperor tomb and more, if you have more time traveling to Beijing. Besides sightseeing activities in Beijing, you may need more times to explore the vast selection of  local foods and snacks throughout the city. Watch this space for more update stories on Beijing – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide to Asia

This is the second part of our story on Top 10 places to visit in Rome. If you just stumbled upon this page, read also the first part on 5 places to visit in Rome that I posted earlier. There are in fact many more attractions you should visit or see in Rome, if you have sufficient time. How much time is sufficient for one to explore Rome in full? Perhaps 2 weeks is too short for some, or 2 days is too long for others? Both are true. It would be luxurious for many to have plenty of time to explore each and every corner of the city in details. Instead, most travelers have limited time and money to stay in Rome much longer. So, a handful pick of the top 10 destinations of my choice can perhaps be a reference for travelers who have only a couple of days in Rome.

6)Spanish Steps

Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna is perhaps the most crowded area in Rome at all time, especailly in the evening when tourists and local Italians gather and relax on staircase steps of the Spanish Steps while enjoying the evening hours. Located at the Eastern end of the popular upmarket shopping street of Via dei condotti in Northern Rome city centre, Spanish Steps is a monumental stairway of 135 steps, built in 1725 in order to link the Bourbon Spanish embassy at the piazza, with the Bourbon French church on top of hill above.

7) Colosseum

The Coloseum is an amphitheatre used as gladiatorial contests during Roman Empire age. It was the biggest stadium ever built in Roman history in 1st century which could fit 50,000 spectators at one time! Many parts of the structure are already damaged over times and major restoration works were being done to certain part of the building. It is the icon of Rome and no visit to Rome would be complete without taking a close look at it. Long queue should be expected for entering into the Colosseum to look at the relics of the stage and audience seating. It is located in the Historic centre of Rome in Colosseo district.

Roman Forum

Being the political, legal and religious centre of the whole Roman Empire, Roman Forum is one of the most important historical ruins found in the valley in between Palatine Hills and the Colosseum. It was in early centuries the center of Roman public life where triumphal processions, elections, public speeches, criminal trials, gladiatorial matches, and nucleus of commercial affairs were carried out. Today, ruins of architectural fragments from those ancient period are excavated and left on the original site. Roman Forum is part of the World heritage site of Historic centre of Rome. Admission is chargeable nowadays, albeit a combined ticket for Colesseum, Forum and Palatine Hills would be a better option to avoid the long queue with fast access lane.

9) Trajan Forum

Trajan Forum is another ruin site of the ancient Roman square located along via dei Fori Imperiali near the Vittorio Emanuele II. It is chronologically the last of the Imperial forum being built during Roman Empire in 106 – 112AD. There were Basilica Ulpia and 2 libraries recorded to be within the forum. The dominant feature of the forum is the 30m high Trajan Column, built in the 2nd centuries. It can easily be noticed at road side if you stroll down the street from Colosseum, so no entrance fees is required.

10)Basilica of St. Mary Major

Basilica of Saint Mary Major, or Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore, is the largest Roman Catholic Marian church in Rome. It was built under Pope Sixtus III in between 432-440AD. This Roman style architecture demonstrates the greatness of ancient Roman architects and artists with incredibly beautiful mosaic design of Late Antique art internally. Many people wander around the outside piazza of this church every evening. It is located close to the Rome Terminal if you come from via Geoberti road. If you stay around the train terminal as I did, Basilica of Saint Mary Major should be your landmark to return back to your hotel after long hours of city exploration each day.

These wrapped up the top 10 places to visit in Rome (together with the 1st part). Hope you like it and it has helped you one way or the other in planning your travel to Rome. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide to Europe

Think you’ve seen Paris? Think again! It’s time to explore beyond the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre and find your own hidden piece of Paris. There is always something new to discover… and it doesn’t even have to cost a cent. Make these five free attractions a must on your Paris visit.

1. Shakespeare & Co. Bookshop
Tucked away on the Left Bank, across from the bustle of the Notre Dame, sits the Shakespeare & Co. bookshop. Since its humble beginnings in 1919, the shop has been a regular hang-out for artists and writers, including Hemingway, James Joyce and Ezra Pound. Over the years it has become known as a refuge for budding writers, who often work and even sleep in the store, and visitors will see beds tucked away alongside bookshelves. Downstairs is the jumbled bookstore, packed floor to ceiling with books new and old; upstairs serves as a reading space for those who just want to sit and lose themselves in literature.

2. UNESCO gardens
World organisation UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has its headquarters in Paris, and it is here that you will find the Garden of Peace. This Japanese-style garden was donated to UNESCO by the Japanese government in 1958. Covering 1,700 square metres, it is filled with cherry trees, lotuses, bamboo plants, streams and ponds. There is also a meditation space, and of course, plenty of pathways to walk amongst it all. This is as much a sculpture as it is a garden; the aim is to create a space which envelopes its own world, where visitors can find peace, tranquillity, and creativity.

3. Maison de Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo was a man of many roles – statesman, activist, essayist, poet – but it was his work as novelist which he is best known for. The author of Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame (or Notre-Dame de Paris, to give it its French title), moved into this house in Place des Vosges in 1832 – when he was just 30 – and remained there until his death in 1848. So admired was Hugo that when he died, more than two million people came to his funeral. Even today the names of many Paris hotels and streets commemorate his work, and his home has become a tribute to his life and legacy.

4. Picpus Cemetery
The cemeteries of Paris are far from gloomy; instead they are places of intricate sculptures, wild gardens, and ornate tombs, and here you can visit the resting places of many famous and creative people. While most tourists head to famous Pere-Lachaise cemetery, there are other, lesser-known places worthy of a visit. Passy cemetery is located in the 16th arrondissement, and here you’ll find the tombs of painters, aviators, writers, actresses… even the last emperor of Vietnam is buried here. Surrounded by chestnut trees, and with a joyful view of the Eiffel Tower, this is a beautiful place to escape the crowds and perhaps even feel inspired by those who rest here.

5. Porte de Vanves flea market
Many tourists will flock to the scenic market at Saint-Ouen, but the Porte de Vanves offers substance over style – this is where Parisians come to buy. The best time to go is Sunday morning when it’s less busy. Take your time to browse amongst antique dishes, vintage clothing, jewellery, artwork and all kinds of fascinating trinkets. This is a great place to pick up a chic souvenir – an antique perfume bottle, or perhaps a necklace? You might want to stay at one of the hotels in the 14th arrondissement so you can get there as soon as the market opens. It finishes at 1pm, so the best bargains get snapped up in the early morning. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate travel photo blog