Tom Hall and Fiona Christie 

Ask the experts

Our Lonely Planet experts, Tom Hall and Fiona Christie, answer your travel queries.
  
  


Football fans' France

I am organising a weekend in France for a group of Nottingham teachers. We wish to take in a French First Division football match at Lens, Lille or Le Havre. How can we find the fixtures and, more important, will we experience problems booking tickets in advance? I am concerned that the reputation of English fans may create a problem for us! Is it possible to book six to eight tickets over the internet?
Kev Murphy, Nottingham

French star players such as Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane and Patrick Vieira may ply their trade abroad, but French football is still skilful, fast-paced and committed.

Lens, Lille and Le Havre are all currently in the French First Division, though Le Havre appear doomed to relegation as the season nears its end.

Getting tickets is rarely a problem. Matches seldom sell out unless one of the big draws - Marseille, Paris Saint-Germain or their European opposition - are in town, but you can always book in advance by calling the club involved.

Contact details are available online, but of your three choices only Le Havre and Lille offer internet booking. Tickets are cheaper than at home and start at around £6, rising in stages depending on the quality of the opposition. If you have the choice of the three, go to Lens - they have the larger, more vocal and more passionate support. Details of next season's fixtures should be available in July.

Going to a football match in another country is always a great experience. The colour and noise always makes for a fun afternoon or night out.

You won't have any problems attending the game as English supporters. Indeed, knowledgeable and friendly fans are to be found at all the clubs you have mentioned. Being a group of teachers, you'll be clever enough to enjoy the French Football Federation's website.

Sunset on the Nile

My wife and I plan a week in Cairo at the end of July. Is it safe and will it be too hot? We would like to take a felucca, one of the ancient sailing boats, on the Nile. How much would this cost?
Rafael Morales and Tania Chawston-Morales, Tunbridge Wells

Egypt is seriously hot in the summer. Temperatures of more than 40C keep visitors away from the ancient sites at Luxor and Aswan.

Cairo is less hot, but the pollution, dust, noise and crowds can make it feel worse. Again, there will be few tourists, making visiting popular sights a doddle.

Egypt remains a safe destination, and security around the tourist sites is tight. An hour on a felucca should cost only a few pounds. Brush up on your haggling. Try taking one out at sunset with a few drinks for some memorable views.

Indochina overland

I am going on a 10-day trip to south east Asia in August, flying into Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and leaving from Bangkok in Thailand. I plan to travel overland from one to the other. Can you suggest must-see places except in Bangkok, where I have been before?
Andrew Green, by email

There are two possible routes. You can spend some time in the Mekong Delta and make your way into Cambodia by boat or, because of your time constraint, you may prefer to travel by road via the border crossing at Bavet.

Phnom Penh itself is worth at least a couple of days. It is one of the loveliest French-built cities in Indochina. Some of the crumbling colonial architecture is being restored, and the wats - Buddhist monasteries or temples - have been lovingly rejuvenated. The nightlife is pretty lively.

To understand just how far the country has progressed visit the Tuol Sleng Museum and the nearby killing fields of Choeung Ek, both grisly reminders of Pol Pot's regime.

Next head for Sihanoukville for quiet white sand beaches, tropical islands and fresh seafood. Or take a boat trip north to Kratie to see the rare Irrawaddy freshwater dolphins.

Back in Phnom Penh take the boat to Siem Reap, and spend at least two days visiting the ancient temples at Angkor. They are the heart and soul of Cambodia, and their extravagant beauty is a source of inspiration to Khmers. Don't miss them.

From there allow at least a day to cross into Thailand: the road isn't great, and you'll wait a couple of hours at the Poipet border crossing.

Denmark for kids

We are visiting Kolding in central Denmark in the next two months, and need ideas for days out with our six-year-old daughter.
Chris Coolbear, by email

Denmark is family-oriented. Its stuffiest museums often have hands-on kit for kids.

Head north to Århus for the day and visit Den Gamle By, an old provincial town rebuilt as a picturesque open-air museum of a reconstructed provincial town, with a working bakery, silversmith, bookbinder and so on. It's two miles west of the city centre, and is open 10am-5pm in May and 9am-6pm in June.

About five miles south of Århus is Moesgård, whose museum houses Graubelle Man, a 200-year-old man found preserved in a bog nearby. From the museum there is an enjoyable trail down to Moesgård Strand, a delightful sandy beach.

If all the history gets too much, you might enjoy an amusement park. Tivoli Friheden, just south of Århus, has fair rides and clowns.

If the weather is good visit Djurs Sommerland, a water park with chutes and slides, about 12 miles west of Grenaa in Nimtofte. If it's not, Aqua, at Silkeborg is perfect for a rainy day, with its display of fish, otters, waterfowl and other freshwater fauna. It opens at 10am daily, all year.

For a treat take the Hjejlen, an old paddle steamer, from Silkeborg to Himmelbjerget. For more ideas, try the Danish Tourist Board (020 7259 5959).

Over to you... readers' feedback

In response to A.Parnell's letter (Looking for highlights of Barcelona, 4 May) I suggest visiting the city's often-forgotten park, the El Laberint d'Horta. It has shade, not too many visitors and is lovely to picnic in. The estate was designed as an Enlightment puzzle concerning the forms of love, and the maze is incredible.

In the evening the fountains, especially the sound and light show at Font Magica, are breathtaking. Stay for more than one show as the soundtrack changes.

Eating out... La Fonda, just off Placa Reial in a road called Escudellers, is incredible and won't pick your pocket. Be prepared to queue.
Ben Turner, Salford

· We welcome letters. Tom Hall and Fiona Christie from Lonely Planet address as many as possible here. Email travel.tips@observer.co.uk or write to Escape, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER. The writer of the week's star letter wins a Lonely Planet guide of their choice (so include a daytime telephone number and postal address). No individual correspondence can be entered into.

 

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