Author: Staff

To witness an authentic French holiday, Calais is your way to go. You will love to relax on the golden sands and discover some of the soothing and excellent places in Calais. In this simple guide, we have shared all the details regarding the top Calais destinations that you must visit on your trip. Since it is closer to Dover, you will love how this vacation offers both endless rejuvenation and a much-needed break from your work life. So, without any further delay, let’s get started!

Top 4 Places to Visit in Calais

When you reach Calais by ferry, have a look at all the perfect places that you must enjoy in Calais for a memorable experience.

Enjoy the Calais de Dragon

The city welcomes a massive dragon made of steel and wood that is 25 meters long, 170.5 meters wide, and 12 meters high. The total weight of the whole structure is 72 tons and it moves along the coast of the city at 4km/h. The dragon can spit fire, smoke, and water. The whole structure can perform around 280 movements that are managed by 4 to 6 pilots.

You can get on the panoramic terrace that is built on the back of the dragon to enjoy a 45-minute ride while enjoying the mesmerizing views of the beach. The whole journey offers a unique experience and allows you to capture the 360-degree views of the whole landscape.

Visit the Calais Lace Museum

The Calais Lace Museum invites visitors into the exquisite realm of lace craftsmanship, unraveling the city’s rich textile history. Nestled in Calais, France, this cultural gem showcases the intricate artistry and evolution of lace production, highlighting its significance in the region.

The museum’s exhibits delve into the delicate intricacies of lace-making techniques, featuring stunning examples of lacework that reflect the city’s heritage. From historic pieces to contemporary designs, the collection unveils the meticulous skill and innovation behind this timeless craft.

Pay a Visit to Calais Lighthouse

Calais Lighthouse is one of the most impressive buildings in the city that you must visit when exploring the impressive buildings in the region. It is also known as Phare de Calais and serves as the perfect place to enjoy the panoramic views of the city and the coastline. You have to climb 271 steps to reach the top but once you climb them you will be stunned by the views. On a clear day, the views from the top stretch up to Dover. It’s a great spot for capturing memorable photos with your loved ones.

Explore Calais Old Town

Calais Old Town, or Vieux-Calais, enchants visitors with its timeless charm and historical allure. Wander through cobblestone streets lined with medieval buildings, discovering the rich architectural heritage that defines this picturesque district.

The iconic Town Hall, a symbol of Flemish Renaissance architecture, stands proudly in Place d’Armes, surrounded by quaint shops and cafes. Immerse yourself in the authentic atmosphere, where centuries-old structures house modern boutiques, creating a unique blend of the past and present. The Old Town radiates a palpable sense of history, making every corner a visual delight. Explore its hidden gems, relishing the ambiance of a bygone era.

Some Last Words

Now that you are well aware of all the amazing things to do in Calais, you should start planning your trip to Calais. It is better to avoid last-minute rush with prior bookings of hotels, flights, and other things. We are sure that you will enjoy this fun-filled vacation with your family and friends and enjoy a fantastic getaway to Calais.

The best part of traveling the world with your loved one is that you always get someone to experience new cultures, new sights, and worldly things. If you’re planning to propose to your significant others while traveling, the gesture itself is monumental. It doubles the experience and makes everything purely unforgettable. 

It’s an absolute declaration of your love and heartfelt invitation to take your relationship to the fully committed level. No matter where you pop the question, you want the day to be special and to go on without a single setback. Destination proposals are all the rage right now, but traveling can present some unexpected difficulties and curveballs. 

Fear not- we’ve sorted out a few tips to help you nail the proposal and create the most memorable vacation you can imagine. 

Pick a Destination You’ll Both Love 

A wedding proposal is one of the most unforgettable moments. You can make it even more memorable by combining your engagement plans with the holiday of a lifetime (also, engagement months are definitely a thing now!). 

Whether you’re returning to a place that means the world to you as a couple or seeking out new adventures, these stunning romantic proposal locations across the world should do the trick…

• Paris, France 

Unsurprisingly, every survey ever made on the subject points out that Paris is the most popular city on the planet for proposals. For a unique Parisian proposal, bypass busy tourist spots such as the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower and seek out hidden corners of the City of Light instead. 

• On the Royal Scotsman 

Start your journey to married life aboard the Belmond Royal Scotsman, a mahogany and tartan decorated train considered one of the most luxurious ways to travel the world. Steam past castles, forests, and lochs while enjoying a Sky Gold in the lacquered dining room. From the highlands to the west coast and even the islands, there’s an itinerary to please everyone, especially your soon-to-be wife. 

• Florence, Italy 

Less popular than Paris but equally idyllic, Florence is the perfect spot to propose to an art lover. This Renaissance city hosts works from Michelangelo and Botticelli, to name a few of its big-name, breath-taking draws, while the morning bustling café scene and food markets denote that the modern Tuscan capital is still as lively as it ever was. Make sure you head to the top of Duomo bell tower or book a boat tour down the river with a bottle of wine to nail your proposal. 

Prepare Your Speech and Try To Sound Like Yourself 

If your words are too cliched, rehearsed, or make it seem like they’re coming from someone else’s mouth, you will come off as robotic, or worse, insincere. Memorize all important points you want to make, then follow a loose crip spoken in a natural tone. 

For example, you could begin your proposal speech by telling your significant other how you felt when you two met or you realized you were in love with them. End with the famous four words, and if the answer is the want you wanted, pop out the ring!

Use Placeholder or Take the Ring Abroad 

You should decide whether you want to use a placeholder to propose with or take the engagement ring abroad with you – the idea is to choose one together when you get back. 

A placeholder can be something as simple as a Haribo ring or just a standard cheap ring – either way, the gesture remains the same. However, you should do whatever you’re most comfortable with!

When it comes to actually purchasing the engagement ring, jewelry experts from Baunat advise you to pay attention to the right size. Women’s ring sizes can be quite tricky to work out on your own. 

To make sense of it, you could ask a friend of hers or print out a ring sizing guide and measure one of her other rings against it. If you do get all wrong, fear not! Jewelers are used to this type of thing and are usually happy to resize a ring for you. 

Get Coverage for Your Ring! 

Whether you plan to buy the ring together or you’ve bought it in advance, get Insurance for it as soon as possible…especially if traveling abroad with it. 

You can add the ring to your home contents insurance to travel safely with it, however, that’s only possible if you’re the main person on the insurance policy to minimize the risk of being found out in case you already live together. 

Otherwise, you will need to consider specific Insurance for the rings, which many insurers offer. 

Find a Good Hiding Place for the Ring

A smart move would be to try time-buying the engagement rings a few weeks before your vacation. 

This provides a reasonable buffer time in case of any delays while not being so far in advance that you risk being found out as she accidentally discovered it. And in such instances, make sure you find a suitable hiding place…ideally somewhere she’s unlikely to go. And come up with a smart cover story in case she unearths your secret location. 

Propose Early on in Your Vacation 

The sooner, the better. 

Feeling nervous? 

Of course, you do. 

To avoid sweating too much (or worse, getting found out), it’s smarter to propose early on in the vacation… ideally within the first few days. Even better, the proposal will give you both the entire holiday to celebrate. 

If the unexpected happens and you can’t find the time to pop the question, come up with a Plan B. The point is – cook a Plan B, maybe even a Plan C before the holiday in case the inevitable happens and things don’t go as planned. 

 

One of the most frequently asked questions we get from winter sports enthusiasts is: “Should I choose private lessons or group lessons?”. Although there is no clear answer to this question, in this blog we will list the pros and cons of both teaching methods.

Important factors when comparing private ski and snowboard lessons with group lessons are: price, learning curve, flexibility and of course the need to make new friends in the snow!

Price

To start with price: private ski and snowboard lessons on an hourly basis are without a doubt more expensive than group lessons. However, group lessons can usually only be booked for 5 or 6 whole mornings, afternoons or days, depending on whether you want to start the course on Sunday or Monday.

The price for a week of group lessons varies from EUR 180 in smaller Austrian villages to CHF 700 (approx. EUR 630) in the most expensive destinations in Switzerland, such as Verbier.

The price for private ski lessons or snowboard lessons depends of course on the duration of the lesson. Unlike group lessons, private lessons can often be booked from a single hour to a whole day, often with a discount if you book several consecutive days of ski or snowboard lessons.

The price of private lessons varies from EUR 50/hour at affordable destinations such as Châtel (Portes du Soleil) to EUR 100/hour (!) per hour at fashionable locations such as Zermatt in Switzerland. When you choose for example Ski lessons in Kirchberg, Ski lessons in Ischgl or Ski lessons in Zell am see the prices are mostly real affordable.

To facilitate the comparison in price of private lessons with group lessons, we take a simple calculation example. Suppose you book 5 mornings of 3 hours of private ski or snowboard lessons, then you come in a price range of EUR 750 to EUR 1500 depending on destination, which is 2x to 4x the price for 5 days of 3 hours group lessons per day.

Learning curve

If we use the learning curve that you go through during a lesson as a criterion, it becomes clear that private lessons are not nearly that much more expensive than group lessons. You need much less hours of private lessons to achieve the same result as with group lessons. During a private lesson you get the full attention of the ski/snowboard instructor, while the attention of a teacher in a group lesson is greatly diluted due to the higher number of participants.

 

A teacher who leads a group lesson will not only be able to give much less attention per participant, but will give much more generic exercises, tailored to the average level of the group rather than to the individual. As soon as you have a lower level than the group average or are a lot better than the average participant, you run the risk that the technique exercises covered do not provide you an optimal learning curve. This is simply because the exercises do not match your entry level.

The number of participants in a group lesson plays a major role in this. Where many traditional ski schools in France and Austria – handle large groups (sometimes up to 12 participants!), there is a tendency for newer ski school chains (such as Evolution 2) to have smaller groups with a maximum 8 participants. We therefore advise winter sports enthusiasts who are looking for group lessons to always inform in advance about the maximum number of participants that the school uses. It goes without saying that you will learn less in a group lesson with 12 participants than in a group lesson with 6 participants.

In a private lesson, both the exercises and the terrain are chosen exactly based on your level and needs. Whether you’re looking for good basic technique as a beginner, off-piste skiing or regaining your confidence after an accident, a private instructor can focus on any goal you choose. This means that you will see progress much faster after a private lesson than after a group lesson.

Finally, there is a crucial factor: the teacher himself. Although we must be careful to generalize, it is well known that ski instructors with the highest qualifications (“Staatlicher” in Austria) are more likely to be employed in private lessons and teachers with lower qualifications (“Anwärter”). This is because lower qualified ski and snowboard instructors often only teach during holiday weeks, which are precisely the periods in which the group lessons are given. A ski school might not be inclined to put an overqualified ski instructor with a higher hourly rate in front of a group if it can also employ a cheaper worker. The ski or snowboard school will rather employ the higher qualified ski or snowboard instructor if there is a request from an experienced skier who, for example, wants to ski off-piste.

In short: when it comes to learning curve, private ski lesson or private snowboard lesson wins without a doubt over ski or snowboard lessons in a group.

Flexibility

We have already talked about the duration of a group lesson versus that of a private ski/snowboard lesson. Private lessons offer the freedom to book from a single hour to a full week of lessons, while for group lessons you are usually limited to 5 or 6 half-days. Please note that you book private lessons on time! As the holiday weeks get closer, private lessons quickly sell out. This is not only due to the high holiday pressure, but also to the fact that many ski schools prefer to use their teachers for a group rather than as a private teacher for financial reasons.

Make new friends in the snow!

Finally: if you are looking for fun in the snow, group lessons are of course recommended! Although small differences in level may exist within a group, the group will initially be composed on the basis of level. Going on an adventure in the snow with a friendly group can only increase the holiday fun, including après-ski!

Get the Ski-Pro experience

We are happiest when we can share our love with others. Whether you are new to winter sports, want to improve your technique, teach your kids or want to go on an Alpine adventure – you’ve come to the right place. Ski-Pro makes the most of your precious time – both online and on the slope – with a choice of 250+ ski schools and instructors in the Alps. Add competitive prices, personalised service and a good dose of fun, and you are guaranteed to get great value for money and, most importantly, an amazing experience.

How much do you know about Qatar? Let’s start with the basics. Qatar is a tiny country located on the shores of the Persian Gulf. People from Qatar – known as Qataris – are predominantly Muslim, while Arabic is the country’s official language.

Thanks largely to its vast natural gas resources, Qatar has become one of the wealthiest countries in the world. It’s also becoming an increasingly popular destination for expats, with its world-renowned healthcare system and low taxes.

To give you a better idea of what Qatar is like, here are 5 things you might not know about the tiny Arabic country:

1. Qatar is flat…

Qatar is the third flattest country in the entire world after Singapore and the Maldives, with the average elevation being just 28 meters above sea level. In fact, Qatar is so flat that the highest points in the entire country are Doha’s dazzling skyscrapers!

2. … and rich

Qatar has the highest average per capita income in the world, at a whopping US$ 131,890, beating out Luxembourg and Macau. Qatar has used this wealth to invest in infrastructure and develop one of the world’s best healthcare systems. It’s also spending billions on nine brand-new stadiums for the 2022 Men’s Football World Cup.

3. There are practically no natural disasters

It might not be something you think about when moving abroad, but you’ll be pleased to hear that Qatar is hit by surprisingly few natural disasters. In fact, if you’re looking to avoid floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes and more, Qatar is considered the safest country in the world!

4. Most Qataris live in the city

A staggering 99% of Qataris live in the country’s glamorous capital, Doha. The city is also home to the vast majority of expats moving to Qatar, offering the most choice in everything from international schools to world-class restaurants.

5. Put down those forks and spoons

When eating many traditional dishes, Qataris don’t use forks or spoons. Instead, they use bread to scoop it up. Utensils aren’t the only things you’re unlikely to see on a Qatari dinner table! As a Muslim country, pork and alcohol aren’t consumed, although you can buy alcohol at some restaurants.

Find out more…

We’ve put together five interesting facts here, but if you’re thinking about moving to Qatar there are plenty more fascinating things to discover about your new home. Find out more with our expert guides to everything from rooftop bars to opening a bank account.

England is the go-to-place for many Europeans and Americans alike. For Americans Britain represents the ‘old world’, and many Americans have roots there. It’s also rather familiar through pop culture, so no need for too much of a culture shock + they speak English, albeit with an accent. For Europeans Britain represents something quite different. Americans might think Britain is part of Europe, but for Europeans and English people Britain is an island quite alone to itself, culturally.

But the best thing about England? It’s cozy as hell – Americans and Europeans will surely agree about that.

We have gathered the best cities to visit in England, and have zoomed in on places that are great for everyone, and cozy of course.

Yorkshire

Europeans and Americans can move over, because now also the Asians have discovered Yorkshire. It’s a huge touristic hot spot now (40 Million visitors a year), but the city is still rather authentic. The building and architecture is old and beautiful, and there are dozens of archeological sites. Next to that, Yorkshire has a lot of Michelin-star restaurants.

Cotswolds

It does not get more cuter and cozier than the cities and villages in Cotswolds. It’s almost hobbit like, with beautiful hills & nature. And especially the little villages with cute houses are a treat.

Devon

Devon is something quite special. You get the beautiful British country side, but also something you won’t expect: palm trees, beaches and great surf spots. There is great food there, and most of it you can eat straight on the farms. Some of the beaches are spectacular.

For more great English spots you should check out what the Telegraph has to say about it. With hotel recommendations and all.