The Roavi Blog
Stories from people who live there.
Travel tips, city guides, and local insights from the Roavi team.
1173 articles
Travel Guides · Bangkok
Bangkok in October: The Monsoon Breaks, the Vegetarian Festival, and the Last Cheap Month
October is a month of two halves in Bangkok. The first is still rainy season, with storms and the year's highest river levels. The second dries out, the sky clears and the city starts to feel like November. The Vegetarian Festival in Chinatown, two public holidays, and the last low-season prices before the high season.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Barcelona
Barcelona in 3 Days: An Itinerary That Books the Right Things and Leaves the Rest to Walking
Three days is the right length for a first Barcelona trip: one day for the old city and the sea, one for Gaudí and Gràcia, one for Montjuïc or Montserrat. Which three things need booking weeks ahead, which neighbourhood to sleep in, how to eat on a Spanish clock, and what to leave out.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Guides · Lisbon
Lisbon in 3 Days: Hills, Belém, and Whether to Spend the Third Day in Sintra
Three days in Lisbon: one for the old hills of Alfama and the castle, one for Belém and the river, one for Sintra or the city's quieter neighbourhoods. What to book, where to stay without climbing a hill every night, how the trams actually work, and the eating schedule that avoids the tourist menus.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Guides · Paris
Paris in 3 Days: One Museum a Day, the Right Arrondissements, and What to Skip
Three days in Paris, built around one museum a day and a lot of walking: the Louvre and the Marais, the Eiffel Tower and the Orsay with Saint-Germain, Montmartre and the canal. What needs a timed ticket, where to sleep, how to use the metro, and the things most first-timers queue for that are not worth it.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Guides · Rome
Rome in 3 Days: Ancient, Vatican, and the Rome That Isn't on the Ticket
Three days in Rome, one theme a day: the ancient city and Monti, the Vatican and the baroque centre, then Testaccio, the Aventine and a Rome that most visitors never reach. The two tickets that must be booked weeks ahead, where to sleep, how to eat without being robbed by a tourist menu, and the walking order that avoids the worst queues.
Oscar Garcia··3 min read
Travel Guides · Barcelona
Barcelona in November: Mild, Quiet, Cheap, and the City Back in Local Hands
November is Barcelona's quietest month: mild days in the mid-teens, some rain, short queues at the Sagrada Família, and hotel prices at their lowest. What the weather really does, what's on, the beach question, and why November is the month locals would tell you to come.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Barcelona
Barcelona in December: Cool and Bright, Christmas Markets, Caga Tió, and the Twelve Grapes
December in Barcelona is cool, mostly dry and bright, with the Christmas market outside the cathedral, lights down Passeig de Gràcia and a set of Catalan traditions you will not see elsewhere. Weather, what's open on the holidays, how New Year's Eve works, and the prices, which climb only in the last week.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Lisbon
Lisbon in November: Rain Between Sunny Days, Roasted Chestnuts, and the Cheapest Rooms of the Year
November is one of Lisbon's wettest months, but the rain comes in fronts with bright, mild days between them. Chestnut sellers appear on every corner for São Martinho, the tourists go home, and hotel prices drop. What the weather really does, what to do when it rains, and how to use the bright days.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Lisbon
Lisbon in December: Lights on the Hills, Bolo Rei, Quiet Weeks, and New Year on the River
December in Lisbon is cool, sometimes wet, and lit from end to end. The city is quiet until the week before Christmas, the big tree goes up in Praça do Comércio, and New Year's Eve is fireworks over the river. Weather, what closes over the holidays, what to eat, and when the prices rise.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Paris
Paris in November: Grey Skies, Short Queues, Beaujolais Nouveau, and the Lights Coming On
November is Paris at its greyest and its emptiest. Highs around ten, early dark, drizzle, and the Louvre with room to breathe. Beaujolais Nouveau on the third Thursday, Armistice Day on the 11th, the Christmas lights switched on along the Champs-Élysées in the last week, and hotel prices at a low. How to make the month work.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Paris
Paris in December: Cold, Lit Up, Christmas Windows, and Where to Be on New Year's Eve
December in Paris is cold, dark by five, and lit from the Champs-Élysées to the smallest boulangerie. Christmas markets at the Tuileries and La Défense, the Galeries Lafayette windows and tree, ice rinks, what closes on the 25th, and the honest version of New Year's Eve at the Arc de Triomphe. Plus the price curve, which is flat until the last ten days.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read
Travel Guides · Rome
Rome in November: The Wettest Month, the Shortest Queues, and the Best Carbonara Weather
November is Rome's rainiest month and its quietest. Mild days in the mid-teens, real downpours some afternoons, and the Vatican and Colosseum with a fraction of the summer line. All Saints on the 1st, free state museums on the first Sunday, the new olive oil and the artichokes arriving in the markets. How to do it well.
Oscar Garcia··2 min read