Hello.

Motorcycle travel is my hobby, I love it, and I try to get out on long trips more often. Probably any travel fan, regardless of the preferred transport, be it a motorcyclist or a hitchhiker, spends a lot of time on maps, dreaming about a new route, drooling and counting finances. I am no exception) I want to go many more places, so I look at the maps and open the sites of various route planners much more often than I need to. Together with considerable practical experience in using autoplanners in travel, over time, the advantages and disadvantages of some of these programs have become apparent.

We will talk about this in this article, about sites-auto-planners of routes.

Almost every site with online maps now has a built-in route planner, but some are shamelessly buggy, others do not take into account such route features as, for example, ferries. Finally, many planners have a too small limit on the number of key points.

Yes, and only will be considered here free programs, paid, they are all cool and work great, it’s not worth talking about them.

In addition, route planners usually have their own "specialization" in a particular region. There are also global autoplanners, but they are less able to cope with local roads and distances than regional ones.

We divide the considered autoschedulers into several groups:

1) World route planners.

2) Route planners for Europe.

3) Australia route planners.

4) Route planners by South America.

5) Route planners for the USA and Canada.

6) Africa route planners.

7) Asia route planners.

8) Route planners in Russia.

Uff .. A lot happened ... Well, let's go point by point:

1) WORLD!

Actually, the scheduler, sewn into the Google maps engine. Not bad, but often does not find small objects on the map. The route of the trip around the Baltics on a motorcycle, which I drove this summer, and which you can see in the picture, Google could not lay out, because it did not find the Grigorovichi border crossing point (this is between Belarus and Latvia).

On the other hand, the same planner perfectly guided me along the way when I rode on regional dirt roads in the Ryazan region. In short, how lucky. The main advantage of Google is that it searches and builds routes around the world.

A good global planner and an excellent US planner. I periodically communicate with Americans through couchsurfing, and since a fool sees a fool from afar, all “my” Americans are completely crazy motorcycle tourists. And they recommend Yahoo when planning trips around the US. I personally did not use it.

This auto route planner is the former map24.com. The world planner, works very well in the central part of Europe. I tried to use it on a trip to Spain, but it’s just not suitable for Spain, because. “knows” too few Spanish roads =)

An excellent autoplanner, supports all the necessary options that are needed to build a route. He knows a lot of roads, including local dirt roads and makeshift houses, but he is focused mainly on Europe. Here is a very strange thing. MapQuest perfectly sees all the roads, even those that can only be driven by a tractor, but at the same time, many small settlements are not on the map 🙁

2) Europe.

High-quality planner for Europe with beautiful maps. I really got the impression that this is more likely not a Route Planner, but a Trip Planner, that is, a map-map, and the site is sharpened more likely not for cars and motorcycles, but simply for independent tourists using any public means of transport.

An excellent planner, the pluses of which include a separate search for travelers on a motorcycle. What is the difference between a motorcycle and a car travel route, I didn’t quite understand, perhaps this is just a marketing ploy to attract another category of users =)

As the name suggests, this autoplanner takes into account ferry crossings and is geared towards traveling around the Scandinavian countries. Well, actually, that's all, this scheduler can be useful when planning combined tour for Scandinavian countries, i.e. for trips that include more than one ferry crossing.

3) Australia.

In general, there are not very many roads in Australia, it is quite difficult to get lost there, so the main advantages that Australian route planners should have are the addresses of hotels, eateries, gas stations, etc. sewn into the map. This auto planner for Australia has it all.

It was created on the basis of Google maps, so I don’t see much point in referring to it, it’s easier to immediately go to the original source.

Sufficiently voluminous and powerful portal with information for tourists. In addition to the autoplanner, there is also a search for hotels, plane tickets, car rentals, etc.

4) South America.

Works only in Costa Rica.

Works throughout Latin America, but! I could not test it because of the language barrier, because I did not understand how to switch to the English version of the site.

5) USA and Canada.

Works on the Google engine, only calculates the distance, that is, it does only what Google does) Useless.

Powered by Google and requires registration. I don't see much point in doing extra useless mouse clicks.

Counts distances, gives many more useful information. Not a bad alternative to global autoplanners.

6) Africa.

It builds routes only in South Africa, works on the Google engine. This is all I found. Do not go, children, to walk in Africa!

7) Asia.

More like a solo trip planner than a route planner. Not quite in the subject, but I did not find anything else in Asia.

8) Russia.

It so happened that most often I use this autoscheduler. Some time ago I stumbled upon it on the Russian website of the Iron Butt Association, and I am very happy about it. Almost all my motorcycle trips that required at least minimal preparation were calculated by this planner. I can say that this program works just fine, it calculates distances very accurately. It also has enough options to plan a trip with many turning points. Shows the time it takes to complete the route without speed violations =) In general, in my opinion, at the time of writing this post, AutoTransInfo is the undisputed leader among auto route planners in Russia.

The same as AutoTransInfo, but worse, as it gives out less information. In fact, apart from distance, nothing else counts. Distances, however, gives out quite accurately.

It works in Russia, and it also shows all Lukoil gas stations on the route. Periodically wildly, unbearably buggy (!!!)

There are many more regional route planners, but the ones I have listed are without a doubt the most convenient. Also, each search engine has maps, and most often, a scheduler is attached to these maps. Yandex, for example, works well, but tends to shorten the route a bit. But you can use it too, so the final choice is yours.

Planning an itinerary, whether traveling by car or other means of transport, is a creative and exciting process. You can take a ready-made plan by reading the forums and collecting information from experienced travelers. But it is much more interesting to collect information bit by bit in guidebooks, to mark all the most interesting places, choose places to stay for the night, and then lay routes. Road atlases, navigators, the Internet and much more come to the aid of the tourist. Let's try to figure it out how to plan a travel itinerary while saving time and money. A little advice: we suggest you create a table in Excel with all the most important points. This will help you plan your route and structure all the necessary information.

Preparatory stage: gathering information

The most important thing for any independent traveler is the possession of information. Agree, no one goes to a new place without knowing anything about it. Therefore, before the trip, read not only guidebooks, but also authoritative forums (For example, Vinsky's forum) and blogs of other travelers. Pay attention to how experienced people passed similar routes, what they succeeded and what did not. Gathering information and planning is no less exciting than the trip itself. Try to find out as much as possible about the country (or countries) you are going to. What national holidays take place during your visit? Will there be elections or other major events that could make your holiday difficult? What is the weather like in each region? Also don't forget to read about traditions local residents accepted norms of behavior and safety of tourists.

When collecting information about attractions, immediately write out:

• How to get there? The exact coordinates of the place.
• What time is inspection allowed? Many museums, galleries and other places are open only in the morning, so don't be there in the evening.
• What's the cover charge? This is necessary for budget planning.
• Find out if it is possible to buy tickets in advance via the Internet for sightseeing objects. This will, in many cases, save you time.

When reading about a city, pay attention not only to famous sights, but also to places of interest only to you. Do not plan your route based on someone else's opinion and taste. Why would you want to visit all the cathedrals of Paris if you are not interested in architecture at all, but love shopping? You should not watch some attraction just for show, if you are not at all interested in it. Do not forget to write down the names of cafes, restaurants and shops you like (especially if they are recommended by other travelers). The same applies to hotels.

Stopovers

When planning a route, you will have to choose only the most interesting and important places. At first, you will want to visit every city or village and see every temple or museum. Start with the amount of time you have. You should not try to embrace the immensity, a trip in which all participants are constantly tired is not needed by anyone. List all the cities you are interested in in the table.

The places where you will stop depend only on your preferences and the information that you have. After you have decided on settlements that you want to see, it is time to choose accommodation. There are many sites where you can choose a place to stay overnight. These are numerous search engines for hotels around the world, and sites with apartment rentals, and communities where you will be offered to stay for free. Here is a matter of taste. But pay attention to small details and read the terms carefully. For example, in some hotels, the reception is open only at 23.00, and you plan to arrive late at night. If you are traveling during the warmer months, consider camping. It's convenient and very cheap. In Europe, in many tourist places there have long been equipped sites where you can park your car and put up a tent. All reserved places (camping is optional) enter in the table with prices.

Here are some camping resources http://www.eurocampings.co.uk/en/europe/, http://ru.camping.info/. For the rest of the search for housing, you can use all known services, which we wrote about in the section:booking.com, etc.).

Once again, on visas and tickets

There is only one way to save on tickets: buy them in advance. Follow the promotions and sales on the websites of airlines. The earlier you buy your ticket, the cheaper it will be. If you have difficult route with many transfers, allow enough time between flights so you don't miss your plane. Read more in the section.

Now about visas. If you are going to one country, everything is simple here: you need to find out if a visa is required and for how long it is issued. But if you have compiled a complex route through several countries, you will have to collect a lot of information. What you need to pay attention to:

1. If you are flying through a country, find out if you need a transit visa. If such a visa is required and you have a long connection at the airport, do not sit and wait for your plane in the waiting room. You have a great opportunity to add another city to your travel map. For example, in Istanbul, where there are many connecting flights, you can take a city tour right at the airport and it is useful to pass the time.
2. Learn the rules for issuing visas and the relationship between countries. Can you visit multiple countries at once? For example, it will be difficult to get from Armenia to Turkey, with an Israeli stamp to Muslim countries, and a visa from Pakistan can be a problem when obtaining a visa to India.
3. Make all visas in advance so that your trip does not break at the last moment.

This is the wonder of Google Map!

Using the Google Maps service, you can plot routes and calculate distances, see what public transport runs. An indispensable thing when traveling! So, in order to understand how to use google maps, go to maps.google.ru and select the "routes" tab. Then we enter the names of all settlements, each time pressing the "Add destination" button. After all the data has been entered, click "Get route" and we get a ready road with a detailed indication of the entire path, the presence toll roads and numbers of all motorways.

And the second option. On the map, right-click on the place we need, click on the menu "How to get from here", then right-click on the next item and add it to the destination. And so on until all the places we need run out. Then we also create a route. When the route is laid out, search the Internet for information from travelers who have used a similar route. Perhaps you will find minuses in it or correct it. Experienced travelers can tell you where the road is best, what public transport to use, whether it is worth paying for the autobahn (if you are) or is it better to take a small detour, etc.

In addition to Google, you can use other resources that will help you get directions, calculate the distance between points, and even gas mileage:

All selected cities can be added to the table. Opposite each city, write down all the interesting places and sights. So it will be clearly visible how much time in each city you need to spend. Record the distance between stopping points in the table. If you see that the distance is too great, it may be better to make an additional stop.

By reading the forums, calculate your travel time. If you are not traveling on your own transport, you will have to make many transfers, use different types transport. When traveling in Europe, you can easily look up bus and train schedules on the Internet and get an idea of ​​how much time you will spend on the road. Traveling by public transport in Asia, you never know what time you will arrive at the place.

Take your finished table, in which you have indicated: the names of all cities, sights and interesting places, distances between settlements, overnight stays, the cost of moving and stopping. If you have collected enough information for each item, think about whether you can master all the moves? If the budget is limited, it is better to remove a few places, there should always be an amount of money in reserve for force majeure. The same goes for time. Having spent the whole vacation on the road and in a hurry, you will not remember anything but transport and the road.

• If you are taking a credit card with you, find out in advance where cards are accepted and where they are not. In which places is it more profitable to pay with it, and in which cash. It might be better to arrange new card especially for the trip? Open a currency account? Take a few cards with you in case you lose one.
• For the first independent travel do not build too complicated routes. Choose 1-2 places and allocate enough time for this.
• Anything you can do ahead of time, do it. If you can buy tickets in advance - buy. Do not count on the fact that it will be easier or cheaper to buy them on the spot. It will only take your time. If it is possible to book accommodation - book it. Why would you waste precious time? To book accommodation, payment is not always required, choose hotels where you do not need to pay immediately. Then you will always have room for maneuver.
• Have a backup plan. How will you go to the right place if you can’t find transport on the spot, the train is canceled or another unforeseen situation occurs? What will you do in the city if the attraction you need is closed? How to get from the station to the hotel at night if there is no taxi at the exit?
• Regardless of your route, be mobile. Travel is not a clear program, no one obliges you to live according to a schedule. Independent travel is complete freedom, and this is their main advantage! Therefore, be prepared for the fact that you will want to drastically change all plans or include new places in the route along the way. It’s good to have a free day or two in reserve for this case (see the previous paragraph about a backup plan).
• The best option for a route through several cities is a circular one. When you arrive in one city and leave the same city. This is convenient, if only because round-trip tickets are always much cheaper.

And finally. Print your plate, do not forget to drive all the coordinates into the navigator. Take a paper map or road atlas with you. Keep all documents in electronic and printed form. And go on a new exciting journey!

When we travel around different countries on our own, we constantly meet people on the way, from whose stories we want to abandon the planned route and go to those places that we have just heard about, in the admiring stories of our interlocutors. There are not so many continents on Earth, but when you think about them, route options for which you heard about somewhere or it occurred to you that it would be nice to drive “like this”, and then ... Here we will try to tell you about best destinations for an independent trip, which will allow you to feel all the romance of the road and in any of them, several excellent stories will happen to you, “there will be something to tell your grandchildren”:

Well, Go!

Trans-Siberian railway by train (Trans-Siberian railway)

The longest railway in the world - runs through Eurasia, connects the two capitals of Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg) with the third capital (all of Russia) - the largest East Siberian and Far Eastern cities of Russia. The length of the Trans-Siberian Railway is 9298.2 km.

To tell the truth about this route every second foreigner dreams of when he hears about big country: Russia? Would be cool to go Trans-Siberian!

- How long does it take to go?

- A week!

According to the Russian Railways website, the journey from Moscow to Vladivostok will take from 143 hours to 161 hours. The cost, by European standards, is very small - 270 euros for a seat in a reserved seat. And this, in my opinion, is the best option for a trip - for 6 days of travel, the neighbors in the compartment can get very bored. And in the reserved seat, if desired, the social circle will be many times larger. Especially interesting for foreign travelers.

But, in truth, if you are going to explore Russia, with a route tailored for the Trans-Siberian Railway, then you need to allocate at least a month for this. Plan ahead for stops in large Siberian cities, a visit to Lake Baikal is also a must. You can stay with couchsurfers (there are many who want to host guests in Russia) or through airbnb. The minus is more expensive than a ticket for direct travel to Vladivostok, but there are disproportionately more pluses. So, you will be able to:

• see Russia from the inside
• enjoy all its immensity, breadth and expanses
• yelling: “Guard! Tea!”
• get to know the locals closer (there is a saying: “The farther from Moscow, the kinder the people.”)
• on the train, you will definitely fall into a trance and higher transcendental states without any meditation
• if you are a fan of Russian pseudo-culture, then you can get a lot of vodka - you will definitely make new friends
• even if you are not a fan, you will still meet those who drink all the way
• enjoy the beauty of nature all the way, in particular near Lake Baikal
• trump in front of foreigners: “Ah, I was driving along the Trans-Siberian Railway…”

This journey can be incredibly epic with the right preparation. As our friend Evgeny says: “Transsib? “Nothing special…” “Of course, if you get home without money and you only have a book in your hands, but, in any case, even such a story sounds!

From Moscow, along the Trans-Siberian Railway, you can go not only to Far East Russian territory, but also in . Through Russia and Mongolia, the train will take you to, this is another incredibly interesting direction for which all of the above is true.

So, having arrived in China for several months, having perfectly explored, learning to say “shye-shye” and “kunya”, understanding all the difference and subtle nuances between cuisine and Sichuan cuisine, seeing mountainous areas in Yunnan province, you can move south to Vietnam.

The Ho Chi Minh trail is a series of water and land routes, more than 20 thousand kilometers long. In the years, partisans, troops of the National Liberation Front South Vietnam and related equipment and equipment. This road from to the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon), ran through and partially through the dense jungle, which was abundantly watered with fire and chemicals by American troops. So, you will be able to:

• feel like a real Viet Cong
• meet real partisans (although they are unlikely to tell you much about this)
• you will be able to see the entire legacy of the war in the cities and jungles of Vietnam
• take part in a real adventure, bypassing all non-mine sections of the trail
• also on the way you can meet all the living creatures of the wild jungle
• it will be a survival route, not a whip at the hostel

Now a long route of the same name has been laid through the territory of Vietnam, which connects the two capitals. What else can be done? – Buy a motorcycle, drive it from Hanoi to and from southern capital sell it. If you trade well, then you can also win on the difference. On the track you need to be very collected and attentive, the traffic is very rough and when I moved around Vietnam by bus, I was always scared for the motorcyclists who had to pull over to the side of the road - our bus, at full speed, rushed along the oncoming lane ...

From Sydney to Perth by minibus (OZ path)

What many European school graduates, students who have not graduated from the university do is travel. Often, having in their pocket a working holiday (working holiday) visa received in their home country, they wander around Asia, exploring the world, until the money runs out. Then they jump on the next plane to Perth, Darwin or Sydney and go to work in Australia.

There are many jobs in Australia, the level of income is high, as well as the level of costs. Even working on an organic farm, with free accommodation, you can set aside money to continue your journey through the expanses of Asia. But first, you need to ride through the most multifaceted country of kangaroos and national parks.

Buy a minibus for several people and after a crazy vacation and surfing on the Gold Coast - Gold Coast (Gold Coast), you can go to travel around the Australian tracks. The advantage of a minibus is that you can sleep comfortably there and save on accommodation (the main thing is curtains so that the cops do not see you inside the car, according to the laws it is forbidden to spend the night in the car). Selling your minibus to the next travelers (some even remain in the black) can be a pleasant final chord.

All this journey will allow you to:

• become a ruble millionaire for several months of illegal work at the mine
• box with a kangaroo compete in speed with a running ostrich
• live in your house on wheels
• eat fresh fruits on the farm - vitamins and nutrients
• learn to insert "mate" and "bro" into the conversation at every opportunity
• surf everywhere from east coast before…

It is a little more difficult for us with a visa to Australia, there is no working holiday for citizens of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Yes, and a simple tourist is not given as willingly as Europeans (via the Internet) - you have to collect papers and go to the consulate or visa center. I was denied a tourist visa with all my biometrics and application, but that shouldn't stop you. Make an Australian visa in your country, with all documents translated. My friends easily got it, having handed over a standard package of documents in St. Petersburg, and quickly set off for Darwin. A good continuation of the route could be a flight to the South American continent.

Trail of illegal immigrants. Pan American Highway on a motorcycle

From hot Australia with a change in, taking the "Motorcyclist Diaries" with you, you can go to the Latin American continent. From Buenos Aires to Nuevo Laredo there is a long way. Surely, many watched the film, where the young Ernesto "Che" Guevara went with a friend on a motorcycle in order to visit the leper colony different countries in South America: Chile, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela. Their motorcycle broke down back in Chile, so then you can do the same as Che: on foot, hitchhiking or “hares” on steamboats or trains.

Crowds of emigrants move in the same way, hoping to get to the United States. Together with dozens and hundreds of migrants, you will be able to overcome hundreds and thousands of kilometers for nothing, a good program about this was filmed by Al Jazeera:

Maybe you can skip a couple of Latin American countries without a visa, on the roof of a train. Well, besides this, of course, many other bonuses await you:

• you can improve your spanish
• at the bus stop
• you will find many friends in the immigrant environment, this will be useful to you in the States
• you can meet real indians
• in Chile and Peru you will learn to dance salsa normally
• fall in love with the beauty of the local rich nature
• survive malaria
• be inspired and carry out a new round of the world socialist revolution in countries with a pro-American regime
• shoot a couple of drug lords or work with them
• a little off the Pan-American Highway, you can drop by the carnival in Rio

When we all get safely to the Mexican border towns together and eat plenty of burritos, quesadillas, then a good continuation will be crossing the American border, who is legal and who is not very legal (another epic adventure), you can still get a visa to the states, even though the procedure is similar to Australian.

United States of America from East to West by car (Route 66)

So, you have decided to go on a journey for the American dream. Many have traveled before you to unrealistically inspire a trip from West to East across America or from East to West, we advise you to read Jack Kerouac - " On the road».

Of course, when you have a visa and driving license, you are ready even today to leave to meet new cities, long highways and roadside fast foods. I don’t know if it makes sense to list all the sights that you will meet on your way, but you will definitely get your portion of the wind in your face, and you can also:

• rent or buy a solid muscle car (muscle car)
• enjoy the freedom of movement and the kilometers that lie under your wheels
• eat a big ass in fast foods and drive it to the fitness club
• take a “magic suitcase” with you (see “Fear and loathing in Las Vegas”)
• of course, in Las Vegas it will be necessary to get married / get married
• in the same place, sink all your fortune / last pennies into vending machines
• come to Hollywood for a casting
• shoot from the machine gun and shotgun at the ranch of your cowboy friends
• meet a real american sheriff
• ride on different epic routes of the past: Kerouac, Ilf and Petrov, Jack London
• open your small or large business in a country of developed capitalism

Illegal border crossing will not give us a feeling of complete freedom, it will be necessary not to catch the eye of the police or even sit underground. Therefore, it is better to get the necessary stickers in your passport and race along Route 66 towards your friends in a remote state, wallow on the beach and surf on the California coast, swing in your car to gangsta rap in the poor neighborhoods of New York and follow your dream (optional American).

To the Pole of the Earth on a dog sled

Both earthly poles were reached by dog ​​sled. The North Pole was first reached by Robert Peary in 1909, and the South Pole by Roald Amundsen, an expedition in 1911. Welcome to the Museum of the Arctic and Antarctic in St. Petersburg for inspiration. This journey is simply necessary to go when you are fed up with the heat of the beaches on the coast of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

How many things can you do during an expedition to the pole:

• explore the earth's magnetic field
• see how funny the penguins move and compare with the human flow in the subway at rush hour
• stay close to nature, polar bears, seals and other animals
• get used to sub-zero temperatures - the average winter temperature at the poles is -40° in the North and -58° in the South
• send to

So we are in Turkey. Turkey is an independent republic, partly in Europe and partly in Asia, which has played an important role in world history as a bridge connecting East and West. It attracts tourists from all over the world, thanks to its wonderful weather and climate, warm sea and endless beaches. Tours to Turkey are popular due to the abundance of historical sites. Rest in Turkey is a warm and clear sea, wonderful beaches, as well as a large selection of entertainment. In addition to relaxing on the beaches and active rest tours offer a variety of excursions where you can get acquainted with the unique culture, traditions, customs and history of the country. Turkey is an unusually interesting and beautiful country. Therefore, one moment is not limited here.

Istanbul Istanbul is a city of rich history, with a unique location - shared by the Bosphorus, it is located both in Europe and in Asia. Istanbul The main attraction of the city is the Hagia Sophia. This grandiose temple was built in the years. The sights of Hagia Sophia include the "weeping column" covered with copper (they say that if you put your hand in its hole and make a wish, it will surely come true). Another attraction is the Ahmediye Mosque (gg., "blue mosque"). The walls of Ahmediye are covered with light blue tiles that reflect the sun's rays, which gives it a special charm. It is from here that pilgrims leave for Mecca. The Sultan's Topkapi Palace is one of the biggest attractions in Istanbul. Built in 1466 by order of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The bridge across the Bosphorus, which connected the European and Asian coasts of Turkey, has become another symbol of this country. It is the fourth longest bridge in the world. Not far from Istanbul is the Turkish "Disneyland" - the largest in Europe and the fourth largest amusement park in the world Tatilla

Ankara Ankara is the capital and second largest city of the country. Now it is a city of ministries and embassies, universities and medical centers, as well as the center of winemaking and a major transport hub of the country. Ankara historical center the city is considered to be the tower of Ak Kale ("White Castle"), surrounded by a double wall, along which you can trace turbulent history Ankara. Another symbol of the city is the Haji Bayram Mosque (XV century), built next to the ruins of the famous temple of Augustine and Roma, on the walls of which essays from Roman history and a list of the acts of Augustus are carved. The real place of pilgrimage for local residents is the majestic building of the Ataturk mausoleum (1953). The sarcophagus of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal, the first ruler of the country, is kept here.

The tourist capital of the Turkish Mediterranean is Antalya, which attracts tourists with its rich historical heritage and unique nature. According to UNESCO, this area is recognized as one of the most ecologically clean places on the planet. Antalya One of the symbols of the city is Hadrian's Gate, erected in honor of the visit of the city by the Roman emperor Hadrian in 130 BC. e. There are many ancient monuments in Antalya, of which the "symbol of Antalya" is especially good - the Yivli minaret built by the Seljuk Turks, as well as the Eski Jami mosque, built on the model of the Byzantine church in 1373, the tombstones of the wife of Sultan Bayazed II and Mehmet Bey, the former monastery of "dancing dervishes" Mevlevikhane with an exhibition contemporary art, and the Cut minaret, destroyed at one time by lightning. At the exit from Antalya to Kemer, there is a wonderful water park "Aqualand" - the oldest of Antalya's water parks, designed for 1500 people and built according to world standards on an area of ​​40 thousand square meters. m.

Belek, located between Antalya and Side, is considered the recognized golf center of the region. Located in close proximity to the ruins of the ancient cities of Perge, Aspendos and Side, and has a number of first-class hotel complexes surrounded by pine, cedar and eucalyptus forests. Belek must visit the magnificent cypress-eucalyptus national park-reserve"Koprulu Canyon" with an area of ​​500 hectares. In the reserve there is an opportunity for mountaineering, horseback riding and all kinds of water activities, but rafting on the Kupruchay mountain river is the most popular.

Welcome to Egypt! Egypt is one of the few Islamic states open to tourism. This beautiful country of pharaohs and pyramids, ancient monuments and interesting museums, excellent beaches and the Red Sea, rich in corals and outlandish fish, never ceases to attract tourists from all over the world. Every year traveling to Egypt is becoming more and more popular. More than 5 million people visit it every year. Let's get acquainted with the features of this country.

Cairo Here you will see the openwork minarets of the Mohammed Ali Mosque and the Mosque of Sultan Kalan. In the Egyptian Museum you will find a national collection ten times richer and more complete than in the British Museum. Unforgettable excursions you can visit the papyrus and jewelry factories, as well as the Perfume Museum. You will see a giant aqueduct from the Nile to the Citadel, the Beit Al Sennar tower and the building of the oldest Arab university, Al-Azhar.

Giza" Business card"Egypt - pyramids. There are about a hundred pyramids here - large and small, stepped and with smooth sides, which have come down to us almost unchanged and look more like a shapeless pile of stones. They are located along the left, western bank of the Nile in small groups. The most famous of the pyramids - on the outskirts of Cairo, on the edge of the desert plateau of Giza, hanging over the green valley of the Nile.Here, in Giza, and there are three great pyramids - Cheops, Khafre and Menkaure.At the foot of the Giza plateau are funerary temples and the Great Sphinx.

Port Said is a very young city by Egyptian standards. Located 200 km northeast of the country's capital, it was built in the middle of the last century along with the Suez Canal, at its northern entrance. Port Said is a kind of sea gate of Egypt. AT National Museum in Port Said, samples of the material culture of the Egyptians from pre-pharaonic times to the present day are presented.

Greece is a country of heroes and gods, unprecedented architectural monuments and simple friendly people. As the popular saying goes - "Greece has everything!". Let's turn to its attractions.

Athens The capital of the Greek state bears the name of the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom and knowledge - Athens. It is a city of surprises and contrasts, beautiful and diverse, always smiling. Styles intertwine harmoniously in architecture and art different eras and directions. In whatever part of the city you are, the majestic Acropolis is visible from everywhere, with its magnificent temples and a museum where genuine masterpieces are kept ancient Greek sculpture The Parthenon Temple is a stunning architectural masterpiece, built according to the drawings of Phidias, famous for its perfect and flawless contours. The Theater of Herodes Atticus is located to the west of the Theater of Dionysus. The semi-circular stage is characteristic of the Roman era, since the stages in Greek theaters are round. Olympeion (temple of the gods of Olympus) - the ruins of the majestic temple of Zeus, from which fifteen columns remained. Argolis is the northeastern region of the Peloponnese peninsula. Your path along the national road leads to the Corinth Canal, where you can admire this grandiose building the end of the last century.

Austria is a fairly compact country, but it has a variety of landscapes and a variety of cultural heritage. Majestic cities, charming villages, soaring mountains, rolling plains, royal resorts mineral waters, alpine lakes - all this creates a picturesque picture. Let's get acquainted with its capital.

A tourist who first came to Vienna, first of all, rushes to Stephansplatz - St. Stephen's Square with the famous cathedral, after which it is named. St. Stephen's Cathedral is the symbol of Vienna, and St. Stephen is the patron saint of the Austrian capital. The cathedral is over 800 years old. The majestic complex of the Hofburg Imperial Palace (XIII XIX centuries) houses a number of government organizations of the country and the OSCE. The Spanish Riding School is located in the palace. Belvedere, built by Lucas von Hildebrandt as a summer residence for one of the greatest commanders of his time, Prince Eugene of Savoy, was once located outside the city walls. Schönbrunn Schönbrunn - the summer residence of the Habsburgs - is also among the must-sees.

There are many websites designed to make life easier for travelers. Some of them help you decide on the choice of transport, others help you book a hotel, others help you rent a car ... and some resources try to collect everything you need in one place.

Moreover, to make everything as convenient as possible, without a confusing interface and the need to deal with the functionality for a long time. One of the most successful such attempts is the site Rome2Rio.com, which we will talk about now.

We will figure out what the site is capable of, why it is good, and how to lay a travel route with it.

We note right away that we are by no means alone in our opinion that Rome2Rio is an extremely convenient and useful site for the traveler. Since 2012, the resource has collected a number of awards in the field of tourism, and many people use it.

Not so long ago, Russian localization even appeared - but so far, unfortunately, partial. So for full-fledged work with the site, it is desirable to have at least a minimum knowledge of English language... is it a minus? On the one hand, yes, but on the other hand, how can you travel without such minimal knowledge?

Rome2Rio – why and for what?

The root idea of ​​the site is to allow you to lay out online route travel of any complexity "from door to door".

All types of transport are presented on one site: you can not switch from window to window, but immediately lay out a complex route that includes travel, say, successively by plane, train and car.

Trains, buses, planes, ferries… on every continent Rome2Rio works with hundreds of local carriers, including 670 global airlines. Here you can really find absolutely any transport.

At the same time, there is no difference how far the path is ahead: with routes within cities and through the entire Earth Rome2Rio copes equally confidently.

Additional site features

The Rome2Rio interface also includes the ability to book hotels (integration with Booking.com), and rent a car. They are available both when working with the route, and separately, through the tabs on the main page.

However, these functions were added rather in order to achieve the full effect of "one window": they are implemented quite standardly, and the main charm of the resource, of course, is not at all in them.

Let's move on to the main thing: how to use Rome2Rio.

Working with the site

In fact, everything is quite simple. Rome2Rio assumes that you are building a route between two points. In fact, apart from specifying them in the appropriate fields on the main page of the site, little is required of you.

It is interesting that the site constantly changes the views on the “substrate”, and also randomly suggests the starting and ending point of the trip – who knows, maybe thanks to this you decide on an unexpected trip?

Site interface

But first, let's take a look at the interface. The screenshot above shows the central part of the main page, the most important for us. Fields for start and end points, a search button, three tabs that we have already talked about.

And in the upper right part is the main menu, it looks like this:

Items "Hotels" and "Cars" duplicate those already described. The pages to which the sections "About", "Information" and "FAQ" lead, alas, are not translated into Russian, as well as the site's blog. Next is the button that calls the form feedback, and buttons that allow you to quickly tell your friends about the service.

Switching the language has already been mentioned above - alas, there is not as much sense from it as we would like. Don't be afraid of the dollar sign - the service is completely free, this icon only switches the currency in which transport and hotel prices are displayed. By the way, there you can switch between kilometers and miles.

That's the whole main interface: as you can see, nothing complicated. It's time to lay your first route!

Laying out a travel itinerary

Let's start. Where are we going and where are we going?

The service itself suggested that we find routes from Saratov to a small coastal town in Australia - why not? It will turn out very significant, because such a trip can hardly be called banal! We click on the "Search" button, and what do we see?

That's right: Rome2Rio has found three ways to get from Saratov to Cable Beach. You can switch between them in the menu on the left.

Please note: the proposed routes include, in addition to the obviously necessary aircraft, also travel by train, taxi and bus.

For each of the stages of the route, you can immediately see the travel time, distance, necessary transfers, frequency of departure - in a word, the most necessary data. You will see the exact prices if you specify the date of the trip, otherwise - approximate.

At the same time, for each stage of the journey, Rome2Rio, if you click on this stage, is ready to provide the most detailed information. What is in Russia, what is in Australia - the service knows everything!

As you can see, you can even see photos of the buses you have to ride. Recall that we are building a route to a place where, perhaps, the foot of a Russian tourist has never set foot ...

Want to view the schedule? To book a ticket? The corresponding buttons are at your service in the same window. Alas, booking is not always available, this button may not be there.

So, we talked about how to work with routes. But, as you may have noticed, there are two more items at the bottom of the menu: "Hotels" and "Things to do." Let's pay attention to them.

Hotels and attractions

How many attractions do you think Rome2Rio will find for you in an obscure provincial Australian city and its surroundings?

They didn't guess: exactly 61! Moreover, all interesting places are divided into categories and displayed on the map by clicking, which is very convenient.

As you understand, in major cities There will certainly be no problem finding places of interest using this menu: Rome2Rio will show you everything that might interest you.

The functionality of the hotels is also very interestingly implemented. If from the main page the site refers to, in fact, built into its own Booking.com interface, then inside the route everything is different:

So, in front of you are the nearest hotels on the map. If you still want to see them in "Booking mode", then click on the "List" button.

But it is more convenient to work directly in the route window. The proposed hotels can immediately be filtered according to several criteria:

• The number of "stars" (standard five-star system);
• Rating from Booking.com users (by the way, only hotels with an average score equal to or greater than 6 are marked on the map);
• Type of hotel (regular hotel, resort hotel, motel, hostel, and so on);
• Various services (Wi-Fi, transfer to the airport, availability of a gym, and much more).

In a word, choosing the right hotel a minute after you have decided on the route is easy and simple! Many will find that Rome2Rio is even more convenient to work with hotels than Booking.com itself and similar sites.

What haven't we talked about yet?

For example, the fact that the information you see can be easily printed out - for this there is a corresponding button in the upper right part of the screen.

The interface for working with routes is built on a convenient “window” system, which, alas, is difficult for us to show on screenshots - but when you visit the site, you will definitely appreciate its convenience!

When it comes to booking rental cars through Rome2Rio, the site does not offer anything extraordinary in this regard. The corresponding menu tab brings up a quite ordinary search window for several hundred rent-a-car companies:

Note that with the help of Rome2Rio it is very convenient to lay a car route:

You will see the distance, and the estimated time, and even approximate cost fuel, subject to local prices. True, it is difficult for us to check how wrong the site can be in this matter - just in case, it is better not to trust it too much with regard to the calculation of gasoline.

And in general, it is still better to use special aggregator sites to book a car, or contact the company directly - this is too serious a question that has a lot of "pitfalls". By the way, we posted a number of materials on this topic!

Conclusion

In many ways, the Rome2Rio website is unique: it really successfully combines "all in one", provides extremely detailed, full information, and - in the most convenient form for working with it.

Separately, I would like to note those smallest details that the service takes into account. You could see for yourself in this example.

At the same time, some functions look superfluous - first of all, work with car reservations, which cannot compete with aggregators. Many interface elements are duplicated, and not obvious enough, which creates confusion.

Some features are missing, first of all - laying a route through several key travel points. Such a function is necessary for long, multi-stage journeys, but the creators of the site did not think about it.

And, of course, the “half-hearted” Russian localization is frustrating: it just looks frivolous.

All the listed shortcomings, however, in no way overlap the advantages of the site. Rome2Rio just has a lot of work to do - but we're sure it will get even better with time.

But already now it is one of the best resources for the traveler. Be sure to try!