Ten shopping capitals of the world

Ten things you never knew about India

There has got to be no other country in the world that is such an assault on the senses as India.

India surprises with its unusual customs, lifestyle and often confronts you with some quite shocking traditions.

It’s diverse and enigmatic – so to lift the lid on some of those enigmas, here are Booked.net‘s 10 things you never knew.

Top cities to visit in Ukraine

IT was a country that remained an enigma to the rest of the world.

It was largely undiscovered; a country many placed the word “the” in front of and a place dominated by outdated stereotypes.

But Ukraine has come of age.

Ukraine turned 21 in 2012 and finally appears to be shaking off the ghosts of the Soviet Union, this year also marked the country sharing hosting right with neighbors Poland for the Euro 2012 UEFA European Football Championship – the world’s third-largest sporting event.

The eyes of the sporting world turned toward Eastern Europe as the continent’s top 16 national teams battled in the four-week football festival. But it was away from the soccer pitch that Ukraine won hearts.

Largely overlooked and undiscovered by tourists, that looks set to change as the world is beguiled and charmed by this country set in the center of Europe.

Here are Ukraine’s top cities.

More highlights from “Capture the Seasons”

NOW November is upon us and autumn draws to a close, the team at Booked.net wants to revisit some more entries in our blogger promotion “Capture the Seasons”.

The entries are still trickling in, and where better to start then with some images of the current season in the northern part of the world – autumn/fall.

Without further delay, here are some more highlights from bloggers across the world.

Seven out of the ordinary places to visit in Paris

THE true face of Paris is in its unknown sights, such as A Cat House on the Trocadero, The Opera Bastille – a meeting place for informal groups, Le Marais, Mare Quarter and others.

Everyone knows the obvious things to see and do in Paris – visit the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees and much has been written about these sights.

So Booked.net’s Svetlana Malukha explores seven points of interest in Paris that are not usually included in tourist itineraries.

Extraordinary and unexpected items stolen from hotels

NOTHING is safe when it comes to hotel rooms.

It seems if it is not screwed down it can be taken.

You will not surprise anyone if you take a mini shampoo bottle or a sample of body lotion home with you.

The same goes for food, robes, slippers and towels.

However, sometimes the things guests steal are nothing short of weird.

Booked.net writer Svetlana Malukha charts some of the more unusual things to disappear from hotels and asks the question”why?”

Royal retreat – the world’s greatest castles

FOR most of us, visiting a castle is the closest we will ever get to living like royalty.

They fascinate us, inspire both awe and terror, but most of all they provide a glimpse into a world most of us will never know.

The structures we traditionally associate with castles have a history spanning 1000 years in Europe. However their form and function has evolved over the centuries.

Where once they were created as fortresses on hills or surrounded by moats to protect and serve as the homes of  rulers, they were symbols of military power, with the coming of more peaceful times they simply became elaborately decorated follies and bore testament to the excessive wealth of their owners.

Functional or decorative, the one thing all castles have in common is they were built to stand the test of the time.

Booked.net presents our picks of the world’s greatest castles. Some have great historical and cultural significance, others are familiar because of being on the big or small screen, while some made the list for their over-the-top extravagance.

Haunted hotels – the top 3 to visit on Halloween

WHILE  most guests usually check out of hotels at the end of their stay, if you believe in things paranormal, there are some guests who check in for eternity.

It is the time of year when our thoughts turn to the supernatural, spooky and scary.

Of course, for those that don’t believe, the whole event can be written off as just more crass commercialism and in the United States it is big business.

But believer or not, these hotels might just give you an experience that extends beyond finding mints on your pillow.

Planning a trip around Halloween? Choose one of the most haunted hotels in the US and share your trip with ghosts, if you dare.

Here is Booked.net‘s top-three hotels to visit on Halloween.

Discovering Dubai in a day

The towering Burj Khalifa – the tallest building in the world.

DUBAI in the United Arab Emirates is known as a city of superlatives.

It’s a deserved reputation.

The city holds the highest building, the biggest enclosed shopping mall and the only seven-star hotel in the world.

Dubai is a city that likes to show-off, offering a multitude of entertainment and places for tourists.

But what if you have only one day to tour all these places?

Booked.net’s Svetlana Malukha presents a few ideas about what to visit in Dubai in one day.

Just add water – Mexico’s underwater museum

IT’S not often a museum visit will leave you completely wet, but this is no ordinary museum.

Established near Mexico’s number one resort of Cancun in 2009, MUSA (Museo Sabacuato de Arte) is unique.

Why?

Because this museum is under water.

It has more than 450 exhibits, located at depts of four to eight meters, and in four short years it’s already luring 750,000 visitors to the waters off Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc per year.

Booked.net takes a look at MUSA and why it is considered one of the most remarkable and beautiful submerged attractions in the world.