Explore Birmingham's Excellent Shopping Destinations

Birmingham is the UK's second largest city so it comes as no surprise that it boasts some of the country's best shopping opportunities. With a selection of stores to rival London, but a more laidback atmosphere and less tourist traffic à la Oxford Street, Birmingham is a wise choice for a weekend shopping spree, and is fast establishing a name for itself in the world of fashion.

Shopping Centres

Start your spree by visiting the world renowned Selfridges department store in its specially designed building inspired by a Paco Rabanne sequin dress, a modern landmark on the city's skyline. Stock up on designer fashion and homeware, and have a bite to eat at Yo Sushi, and a refreshing cuppa at the inhouse Starbucks.

Next door you'll find the Bullring Centre, home to over 160 shops from Debenhams to Punky Fish to Hawkin's Bazaar. Also available is a good spread of restaurants with well-known family favourites like Wagamama, Nando's and Pizza Express among others.

The Mailbox is a luxurious shopping destination on the waterfront. Home to Harvey Nichols, Hugo Boss, Emporio Armani and other designer stores, the centre is a modern fashion hub. There's also a large range of home and lifestyle shops where you can seek inspiration for your house and purchase an array of classic and contemporary home accessories.

Dining opportunities are aplenty at the centre. Choose from restaurants like Cote Brasserie, Café Rouge and Gourmet Burger Kitchen among others. While at The Mailbox, you can also get your hair done at Toni & Guy or Nicky Clarke, and go for a spa treatment at the Petit Spa.

The Pallasades Shopping Centre offers a range of cheaper shops and high street brands like Peacocks, Claire's and Footlocker. Its central location just above the city's New Street Station is a great place to start the day.

Markets

Bull Ring markets is a vibrant outdoor set up with 140 stalls held six days a week. Visit the markets to stock up on anything from fresh fruit and veg to lingerie. The Rag Market is a ladies' favourite with an unrivalled choice of fabrics and gown designs on offer.

On weekends Handmade Birmingham arts and crafts fair springs up alongside Bull Ring market. The weekly event is a great place to buy original souvenirs.
New Street Farmers' Market is held every first and third Wednesday of the month. Here you can fill up on fresh goods from the local area for prices that won't break the bank. The friendly stallholders happily hand out testers, and you can grab a light lunch at the market too.

The Jewellery Quarter

They say 40 per cent of the UK's jewellery is made in Birmingham's prized Jewellery Quarter where over 100 craftsmen design stunning pieces, some tailored to suit individual requests. Explore some of what's on offer by window shopping or popping into the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter on Vyse Street.

After a full day out indulging in shopping and sightseeing, you'll appreciate a hotel in Birmingham with amenities like a 24-hour shop for midnight munchies, and a hearty breakfast to keep you energised for day two.

Harvey McEwan writes to offer information and advice on a variety of areas, from technology to holiday destinations. Read through Harvey's other articles here to find out more.

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South America Travel: Explore Neighbors Peru and Bolivia

Why travel only to Peru when Bolivia is also so close by? One of the easiest dual-country holidays to enjoy in South America are the neighbors of Peru and Bolivia, both offering distinct glimpses into Andean and Altiplano life on the continent.

Peru is an absolute place of wonders, with all of its rich heritage and culture to speak of, is a premier destination in South America for due reason. The country features a wide range of climates and geographic regions, making it one of the most ecologically diverse places on the planet. Travel to Peru to see some of the most stunning views on earth, from the vibrant Pacific Ocean coast to the quaint Andean lifestyles of the central highlands and the exotic niches of the Amazon Basin, Peru and its people are an impressive and fascinating example of Latin culture and the results of Spanish colonialism centuries after the making. Another most famous destination is Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca citadel that was created over 600 years ago by the mighty civilization. Researchers today still don't know exactly why the incredible archeological site in the middle of the Andes was created, but the purpose of religion is the most reasonable motivation. Also worthy of your precious Peru holiday time is Puno along the brinks of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigatable lake in the world. Sunrises and sunsets are particularly beautiful, and the manmade floating reed islands all around still inhabited by the indigenous people as they have lived there for centuries is a breathtaking vista.

Just on the other side of Lake Titicaca on the Bolivian side is the town of Copacabana, the original site whose name lends itself to its more infamous brother in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From there, visitors may visit the large and impressive Sun Island on Lake Titicaca, providing another beautiful perspective of the lake. Further inland is the capital city of La Paz, the highest city in the world, so make sure to spend some time getting acclimated to the altitude. The massive salt lake of Uyuni is typically the next stop after La Paz. The glistening white salt expanse is flat as a pancake, and an organized 4x4 tour across it will make for some of the most exciting vacation photos one can ask for, not only during your Bolivia travel times but of them all. A visit to the city of Sucre will round out your Bolivian experiences with all of its iconic white colonial buildings, a site which has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This article about Peru and Bolivia was written by a travel expert at Peru For Less who specializes in helping you travel to Peru and Bolivia travel plans.

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Explore the Best Travel Destinations in the US

United States of America is a diversified country which offers amazing natural and cultural wonders. Whether you are a nature loving person and want to see the sights of great mountains, plains, forests, deserts and wildlife or you love to walk around the modern civilization, fashion and entertainment; America can be the best travel destination for you. Its incredible cities, soaring shore redwoods, alpine lakes, moving vineyard and many more fascinating places will deeply impress you.

USA is a large kingdom consisting 50 states and more than 20,000 cities in it. Each state and city offers something illustrative; so the task of sorting out the best travel destinations in US has become slightly difficult. But at last, we have managed to come up with top 5 travel destinations based on their popularity. Following are some of the locations that truly represent the glory of US and can be considered as the top places to travel in the world:

1. New York City (New York): The pride of United States and famously known as "The Big Apple", New York City is one of the greatest vacation destination of America that no one wants to pass over. The city offers fabulous attractions such as mountains and beaches, thousand of Islands including world famous Niagara Falls and National Parks along with countless enjoyable places such as greatest theater, museums, etc. Apart from all these attractions, there are numerous American icons like Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, and Times Square which makes the New York City stands tall among all other tourist destinations in the world.

2. Los Angeles (California): Los Angeles is the second highest travelled location in United States after New York City. This entertainment wealth of the World is not only popular for its lure of Hollywood and international celebrities, but also well known for its Disneyland, seaside, mountains, snowboarding, climbing, parks, zoos etc. California's coastal highway 101 is much loved touring way among visitors, because it provides open road trip to California starting from Los Angeles and going through some of the most pleasing spots of the state. Another eye catching area around Los Angeles is Mount Shasta volcano. What more to mention here about California, as it is considered as an American Dream.

3. Chicago (Illinois): When it comes to the architecture and museums, Chicago certainly comes in mind. Attractive museums, aquariums, botanical gardens, skylines, restaurants, shopping spots and many more activities that can pleasantly be enjoyed here. If you are an art lover then the Art Institute of Chicago offers you various Art exhibitions and Art sessions all over the year. Apart from Chicago, there are also other parts in Illinois State that really worth visiting such as Springfield which was a long time home for late American president Abraham Lincoln. You can also appreciate many common American festivals in Illinois throughout the season.

4. Washington, DC (Washington): USA capital is famous for its museums and typical monuments. The historical white house, great monuments such as the Vietnam War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, National Parks, National Forests and Wild Life are the main tourist attractions in the City.

5. Las Vegas (Nevada): Las Vegas is an extraordinary city of United States located in the state called Nevada. The 'Sin City' is commonly famous for its night life. Lightening casinos, hotels, cultural shows and museums grab the attention of people from all over the world. Apart from Las Vegas, Nevada state also offers many other enthralling spots such as Hoover dam, Lake Tahoe state park, Wild horse state recreation area, etc.

So, these are few of the best travel destinations in US. Your vacations should not end here as there are plenty of other places too in the country which offers many more things.

USACityLink.com offers travel and tourism information. It has been listing cities and states of USA since 1994 and provides travel information area wise.

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