Beach Travel Wine Podcast

Nearly a quarter of a million travellers have listened to our advice, and today we're taking you to Toledo, the walled hilltop city that was Spain's capital long before Madrid ever was. Just thirty minutes from Madrid on the fast train, Toledo hides a cathedral holding a 237-kilogram solid gold monstrance worth fourteen million dollars, sword shops stacked floor to ceiling with blades, and a terrace bar where we somehow crashed the locals' Sunday sesh, wine in hand, overlooking the Tagus River gorge. Join us as we wander winding, deliberately confusing medieval streets built to outsmart invaders, and hear from a local guide whose own father used to drag him to Sunday Mass in that very cathedral. Click the link here www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/152/toledo to see all 23 photos we took wandering Toledo, an interactive map with every place we mention, and our best tips for planning your own visit.

Halfway between Madrid and Barcelona sits Zaragoza, a city most travellers skip on the fast train between the two, and one of our favourite surprises in Spain. In this episode we visit the Basilica del Pilar, wander the tapas bars of El Tubo, explore the Moorish Aljafería Palace, and climb the water staircase in the stunning Parque Grande. We share our favourite meals, the best value tapas in town, and why two or three nights here is well worth the detour. Head to the link here www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/151/zaragoza for the full blog post, photos from the trip, and a map of everywhere we cover so you can plan your own visit to Zaragoza.

We're heading to Port Douglas, a chic, laid back coastal village in far north tropical Queensland, that's the gateway to two UNESCO World Heritage wonders, the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. In this episode we walk Four Mile Beach, wander the markets at Anzac Park, and share our favourite restaurants and pubs along Macrossan Street. We relive our Padi open water dive certification (and our very patient instructor), take you river tubing through Mossman Gorge, and cross the Daintree cable ferry to Cape Tribulation, where the rainforest meets the reef and the crocodiles are very real. Click here to see all the photos, the map and written information for this episode www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/150/portdouglas

Thinking about visiting Kuranda from Cairns? In this episode we share our experience riding the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway over the World Heritage-listed rainforest, exploring Kuranda's colourful rainforest markets and returning on the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway. This is one of our favourite day trips from Cairns. We cover what to expect, the best viewpoints, Barron Falls, practical tips and why this remains one of the most popular day trips in Far North Queensland. To find out more and see all the pics from this episode click here www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/149/kuranda

Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and theancient Daintree rainforest, and this episode has everything you need to plan your trip. We had five wonderful days in Cairns and in this episode we share where to stay right on the marina, the best restaurants in the Pier and Marina precincts and why the Esplanade Lagoon is worth a visit even if you're not a local. We also break down how to actually get to Cairns, the islands you can reach by ferry, and our reef day with Reef Magic, which was honestly one of the best organised reef trips we've done. Find photos, maps and all our recommendations at www.beachtravelwine.com/podcast/148/cairns