Things to Do in Niagara Falls & Around

Visiting Dusit Palace (Phra Ratcha Wang Dusit) is a very different experience from visiting the nearby Grand Palace. Built by King Rama V in 1903, it was meant to be a direct contrast to the traditional yet cramped Grand Palace. As the first Thai king to visit Europe, Rama modeled his palace after the spacious leafy royal residences he observed there, which comes through in the western architecture and layout.

Over 100 years later the complex is still the seat of power today, and there are many residences, organizations and political buildings spread around the grounds. The main highlight for visitors is the Vimanmek Mansion: King Rama V's former home and the largest teakwood residence in the world.  There are also over a dozen museums on the grounds including several photography museums, a pottery-salvaged-from-shipwrecks museum and an ancient clock museum.

Centered around an elegant traffic circle at the intersection of Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts Avenues, this upscale yet urban neighborhood is full of refined pursuits, as well as much of the city’s gay community. While here, be sure to soak up the people-watching scene around the fountain at Dupont Circle itself, and stop into the unique Kramer Books & Afterwords, a combination café and well-curated bookstore.

Dupont Circle’s graceful marble fountain was designed and built by the same architectural team behind the Lincoln Memorial. Installed in 1921, the fountain replaced a memorial statue of Civil War rear admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont that was moved to the prominent Du Pont family’s estate in Wilmington, Delaware.

In the neighborhood surrounding the traffic circle and fountain, you can feast your eyes on Impressionist masterpieces at the elegant Phillips Collection; tour the 19th-century Anderson House, the lavish home of a former diplomat; and explore awe-inspiring exhibits at the National Geographic Society. Catch a contemporary play at the renowned Studio Theatre, settle in for an artfully prepared dinner at the intimate Obelisk, or enjoy some fancy cocktails at the chic, multi-level Eighteenth Street Lounge.

Dunn's River Falls is a spectacular White River waterfall near Ocho Rios in Jamaica, where cold mountain water cascades 1,000 feet (300 meters) down naturally terraced steps. Those interested in geology will be fascinated with the way the world-famous falls renew themselves via regular deposits of calcium carbonate and sodium, while movie movie buffs will recognize them from films such as ‘Dr. No’ and ‘Cocktail.’

The Basics
While there’s plenty of swimming, sunbathing, and sightseeing opportunities at the falls, many visitors make it a goal to climb the 600-foot (182-meter) terraced falls. You can do so independently or with a waterfall guide on a Dunn's River Falls tour. Guided options are popular for the safety precautions and assistance provided by the local guides during the trek. Stop at one of the lagoons, admire the natural wonder from the top, and be sure to take a dip to cool off.
 
Families will enjoy the swim; the water is mountain runoff and fairly cold, which is perfect on particularly hot days. The site is also close to Ocho Rios' land and sea attractions, restaurants, and the Caribbean coast. Many Dunn's River Falls tours combine a visit to the falls and park with river tubing, a shopping tour in Ocho Rios, a party cruise, or a stop at the Blue Hole or Luminous Lagoon.

• Those who don’t wish to climb the falls can hang out at the observation deck, made for sunning and viewing.
• You’ll find a snack bar and souvenirs for sale on the premises.
• Wear water shoes or sandals suitable for the slippery rocks.
• Bring cash for entrance fees (if visiting independently) and a waterproof camera.

How To Get to Dunn’s River Falls
Dunn's River Falls are about three miles (4.8 km) from Ocho Rios and about 70 (112 km) from Montego Bay. While it's a rapidly growing resort area and a popular cruise line excursion stop, the falls are relatively unspoiled, the hiking is spectacular, and both the wildlife and the rainforest foliage are abundant.

When to Get There
First thing in the morning is your best bet at this popular tourist attraction. While partying vacationers are sleeping off last night’s tropical cocktails, you can get a jump on the hike to the top without huge crowds. If you can avoid a day when cruise ships are in town, you'll be glad you thought ahead.

With its distinctive wheel-like shape and fire-engine red rind, Edam is one of Amsterdam’s most famous exports, although the cheese looks a little different in its home town - here, the cheese has an uncharacteristic yellow rind. Edam isn’t just a cheese, though; it’s also the name of the town where it’s made, a waterside residence settled back in the 12th century. 18km north of Amsterdam, the town lies on the banks of the IJsselmeer (IJssel lake) and is reachable by boat, as well as being a popular destination for cheese-loving tour groups.

In the heart of town is the famous cheese market and cheese-weighing hall, an ancient tradition that was reopened in 1989 thanks to tourist demand. The market runs weekly through the summer months, with locals getting into the spirit with traditional costumes, live folk music and, of course, stalls stacked high with cheese. For the full experience, pay a visit to the region’s cheese and dairy farms where you can marvel at the cheese warehouses and enjoy cheese-making displays.

There are plenty of attractions in town aside from cheese, too – the Edam Museum, housed in an early 16th-century townhouse, offers historic snippets of the town’s whaling past and the teetering Carillon Tower (Speeltoren) with its picturesque gothic façade is worth a visit. Alternatively, take a stroll around Edam’s idyllic drawbridges, canal houses and pretty teahouses.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the East Side Gallery was the result of what remained. It is longest segment of the Berlin Wall that is still standing and the world’s largest open-air gallery, showcasing over 100 murals over 1.3 kilometres along the Mühlenstrasse, which is parallel to the River Spree. Artist interpretations are a mix of optimistic and political statements.

Some of the more famous and most photographed images on the wall include a boxy East German Trabant car that appears to burst through the wall called “Test the Best” by Birgit Kinder; and “The Mortal Kiss,” a fraternal communist kiss between Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and East German boss Erich Honecker.

Many of the images became weathered from taggers and tourists adding their own graffiti to their favorite pictures on the wall. In 2009, forty of these works of art were restored.

Sections of the wall continued to be removed for purposes like the O2 World Arena to have its own boat landing and more recently, to provide access to a planned luxury apartment complex overlooking the Spree River, despite protests.

This is a great place for a bike ride or a walk.

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and a proudly historic city of kings and queens, kilts and military tattoos (of the musical kind). Rising darkly proud above the city is Edinburgh Castle, perched high on black volcanic rock. The Old Town’s city buildings march down from the castle along the Royal Mile to the royal palace at the other end of the road, Holyroodhouse - still one of the Queen’s official residences and full of history. Nearby is the modern and controversial Scottish Parliament building.

Wrapped around the base of the castle hill is the New Town - actually dating from the 18th century, which shows how old the Old Town must be - including botanic gardens, museums and art galleries, shopping and residential areas and the city’s main railway station, Waverley. Edinburgh is both visually spectacular and culturally dynamic, home of the annual Edinburgh Festival, where many famous entertainers make their start.

How to Get to Edinburgh

Cruise ships dock in Leith, not too far from the city center. You can catch a taxi, shuttle or local bus for a ten minute ride to the Old Town, or walk for about half an hour. In Leith is also permanently moored the now-decommissioned Royal Yacht Britannia, which makes for a fascinating tour.

One Day in Edinburgh

If you only have one day in Edinburgh you must see the castle. It is not huge but it is full of low doorways into small rooms which burst with history. And the views are wonderful. From here wander down Royal Mile, which changes names along the way:  Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street and Canongate.

Royal Mile has now become a bit of a tourist strip filled with shops selling tartan, but look beyond this to the wonderful buildings filled with history and the great small museums such as Camera Obscura and the Scottish Storytelling Centre in John Knox House (which dates from 1470).

At the bottom of the road is the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the wonderful current royal palace, and nearby Arthurs Seat rises high in the parklands and is a favourite walk for locals and tourists alike. In the New Town the Scottish Portrait Gallery has recently reopened and the Scottish National Gallery has been renovated to put even more of their wide collection on display. The Royal Scottish Academy shows Scotland’s own great artists and designers.

A bit of a must-do in Scotland is to sample the local whiskies of which they are so rightly proud. And if you’re brave, taste some haggis, the national dish. If you are a golfer, head to nearby St Andrews where golf began. And if you’ve seen Edinburgh before, Glasgow is only 45 minutes away by train.

Port Information

The language is English, although it is spoken with a distinctive Scottish lilt and some puzzling Scottish turns of phrase. The currency is the British pound - if you receive any Scottish pounds they are quite legal even though they look different to the English pounds commonly used across Britain. ATMs are easy to find.