Life is all about the beach in Rio de Janeiro. Locals spend weekends and days off bronzing in the sun and people watching on a beach chair from behind a pair of designer shades, unconcerned about the passing time. They appear—sunkissed, carefree and decked in bright prints—both in the sand and around the city. Finding some relaxation inspiration on one of Rio's many shores is easy when there's an option to ...

The North Coast Travel Guide The Dominican Republic's northern coast, with mountains on one side, is also called the Amber Coast or the Amber Riviera because of the large quantities of golden amber found in the area. The sands on its 75 mi (121 km) of beach are also golden. As the area moves up on the luxury scale, the "Riviera" moniker seems more appropriate all the time. North Coast Restaurant Reviews You ...

Québec City Travel Guide Québec City's alluring setting atop Cape Diamond (Cap Diamant) speaks to travelers of high adventure, military history, and exploration. This French-speaking capital city is the only walled city north of Mexico. Visitors come for the delicious and inventive cuisine, the remarkable historical continuity, and to share in the seasonal exuberance of the largest Francophone population ou ...

Havana Travel Guide In this historic seaport, long known as the Key to the New World, classic American cars clatter along streets lined with Spanish architecture and pulsating with African and Caribbean rhythms. Old Havana's baroque facades, massive-columned palaces, and lush patios whisper tales of Cuba's colonial past. Everywhere, Spanish, African, Caribbean, and American flavors boil in a dynamic and sen ...

Google unveiled some new search features today at its "Inside Search" press conference. From mobile, to voice and image search, to new instant search features, many key aspects of the Google search experience have received a makeover. New Mobile Search Features Mobile search icons for local search: The Google home page for mobile devices will have icons for "Restaurants," "Bars," "Coffee," and more so that ...

Budapest Travel Guide Budapest offers breathtaking Old World grandeur and thriving cultural life. Situated on both banks of the Danube River, the city unites the colorful hills of Buda and the wide, businesslike boulevards of Pest. Much of the charm of a visit to Budapest lies in unexpected glimpses into shadowy courtyards and in long vistas down sunlit cobbled streets. Although some 30,000 buildings were d ...

Northern Spain is a misty land of green hills, low russet rooflines, and colorful fishing villages; it's also home to the formerly industrial city of Bilbao, reborn as a center of art and architecture. The semiautonomous Basque Country, with its steady drizzle (onomatopoetically called the siri-miri), damp verdant landscape, and rugged coastline, is a distinct national and cultural entity within the Spanish ...

Brittany Travel Guide Wherever you wander in Brittany—along jagged coastal cliffs, through cobbled seaport streets, into burnished-oak cider pubs—you'll hear the primal pulse of Celtic music. Made up of bagpipes, drums, and the thin, haunting filigree of a tin-whistle tune, these folkloric notes tell you that you are in the land of the Bretons, where Celtic bloodlines run deep as a druid's roots into the ro ...

Saba Travel Guide One of the Netherlands Antilles, tropical Saba (pronounced say-ba) explodes out of the Caribbean Sea. Though just south of St. Maarten (if you've seen the original King Kong, you'll recognize its majestic silhouette from the beginning of the film), the island couldn't be more different. Whereas St. Maarten is all beaches, gambling, and duty-free shopping, Saba is ecotourism, diving, and hi ...

Anguilla Travel Guide Peace, pampering, great food, and a wonderful local music scene are among the star attractions on Anguilla (pronounced ang-gwill-a). Beach lovers may become giddy when they first spot the island from the air; its blindingly white sand and lustrous blue-and-aquamarine waters are intoxicating. And, if you like sophisticated cuisine served in casually elegant open-air settings, this may b ...