See also Stay healthy: Fluids section for hygiene and related info.
Water
Bottled water is available everywhere. The local brands (most common being Baraka, Hayat,Siwa) are of the same price as foreign brand options which are also available: Nestle Pure Life, Dasani (bottled by Coca-Cola), and Aquafina(bottled by Pepsi). Evianis less available and is expensive. A note on the local brand Baraka:...
The European unified emergency number 112 is being deployed in Poland. By now, it certainly works for all mobile-phone calls and most land-line calls. There are also three "old" emergency numbers that are still in use. These are:
Ambulance: 999 (Pogotowie,dziewięć-dziewięć-dziewięć)
Firefighters: 998 (Straż Pożarna,dziewięć-dziewięć-osiem)
Police: 997 (Policja,dziewięć-dziewięć-siedem)
Municipal Guards: 986 (Straż Miejska,dziewięć-osiem-sześć) it is a kind of auxiliary Police force found only in...
Fluids
Ensure that you drink plenty of water: Egypt has an extremely dry climate most of the year – a fact aggravated by high temperatures in the summer end of the year – and countless travellers each year experience the discomforts and dangers of dehydration. A sense of thirst is not enough to indicate danger – carry a water bottle and...
Unique in so many ways, Croatia has roots extending from ancient times and a great cultural wealth telling of its turbulent history extending from the Roman era, through the Renaissance, the Baroque period and the Ottoman conquests right up to the present day which are exceptionally appealing to all who visit the country. If we then add to this rich...
The official language of Poland is Polish.
Foreign visitors should be aware that virtually all official information will usually be in Polish only. Street signs, directions, information signs, etc. are routinely only in Polish, as are schedules and announcements at train and bus stations (airports and a few major train stations seem to be an exception to this). When it comes...
Currency
Italy uses the euro (€, EUR). It is one of 25 European countries that uses this common European currency: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain (which are all eurozone countries of the European Union or EU) together with the six non-EU members Andorra, Kosovo, Monaco,...
Italy is largely a peninsula situated on the Mediterranean Sea, bordering France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia in the north. The country, which is boot-shaped, is surrounded by the Ligurian Sea, the Sardinian Sea, and the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west, the Sicilian and Ionian Sea in the South, and Adriatic Sea in the East. Italian is the official language spoken...
Amalfi Coast— stunningly beautiful rocky coastline, so popular that private cars are banned in the summer months.
Capri — the famed island in the Bay of Naples, formerly a favored resort of the Roman emperors.
Cinque Terre — five tiny, scenic, towns strung along the steep vineyard-laced coast of Liguria.
Italian Alps — some of the most beautiful mountains in Europe, including Mont...
There are hundreds of Italian cities. Here are nine of its most famous
Rome (Roma) — the capital, both of Italy and, in the past, of the Roman Empire until 285 AD.
Bologna — one of the world’s great university cities that is filled with history, culture, technology and food.
Florence (Firenze) — the Renaissance city known for its architecture and art that...
One of the great things about Italy is that its long thin shape means that when you get fed up with sightseeing you are but a relatively short distance from a beach. But when you get there you might be rather confused, especially if you come from a country where beach access is free to all.
In theory that is the...
