Some Favorite European Attractions for Chinese Tourists

Bicester Village

The outskirts of the Oxfordshire town is the second most visited UK attraction for Chinese tourists — after Buckingham Palace. Three in four Chinese visitors head to Bicester aided by Mandarin signs and announcements at London Marylebone; others travel by tour bus.

King’ s College, Cambridge

A famous tree — for Chinese people at least — can be found in King ‘ s College, Cambridge. The willow, ignored by most, is mentioned in a much - loved poem by Xu Zhimo, “Taking Leave of Cam - bridge Again.” Xu spent a year studying at King’s College , where he was entranced (使入迷) by the works of Keats and Shelley , before returning to China to lead its modern poetry movement . Xu died at the age of just 34 in a plane crash and the willow is now considered by his fans to be a mark. A memorial stone can be found beside the tree—an essential spot for Chinese tourists to take a photo.

Outletcity

Germany’s answer to Bicester Village is Outletcity in Metzingen, the town in Baden - Wurttem - berg, close to Frankfurt, where Hugo Boss was founded. It has little to attract anyone beyond scores of factories. Hugo Boss was the first, but Prada, Nike, Burberry, Armani and Gucci have since followed suit.

Bonn

The former West German capital is another popular port of all. Chinese people love classical music— particularly Beethoven— making his birthplace an obvious highlight of any trip to Europe. The city’s tourist board offers maps in three foreign languages: English, Chinese and Japanese.

Verona

Both British and Chinese travellers like Venice, Rome and Florence — but Verona typically appears higher on the wish lists of China ‘ s tourists. That’s because of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The play is popular on UK shores, of course, but the love is doubled in China as it was among the first of the Shakespeare’s works to be translated into Mandarin, while its plot is similar to a famous Chinese folk tale, The Butter fly Lovers.

Costa Rica is home to everything from steamy rainforests and misty cloud forests. And there’s enough action to satisfy the most demanding thrill-seeker. Below, we look at the places you won’t want to miss.

La Fortuna

You can get up close to its lava-covered lower slopes by taking the Las Coladas trail, one of several unforgettable hikes around Volcán Arenal National Park, about 7km west of La Fortuna.

Around 7km east of La Fortuna, there’s horseback riding, mountain biking, along with kayaking on Lake Arenal. The region’s natural hot springs make the perfect place to ease weary muscles.

Monteverde

Monteverde’s mist-wreathed cloud forest reserves sit high on the country’s mountainous spine. It’s one of the world’s biodiversity hot spots, with a shocking diversity of plants and animals.

For a bird’s eye view of the forest, take a thrilling ride on a zipline(滑索), skimming the canopy at high speed—Sky Trek Monteverde has an automatic braking system, useful for kids and anxious adults.

The Nicoya Peninsula

Famed for its postcard-perfect beaches and sweet Pacific swells, Nicoya has something for wave riders of all levels. There’s wildlife too: Grande Beach is a nesting site for leatherback turtles from October to March.

Further south, the remote, jungle-backed town of Santa Teresa is now a hip hangout with cool cafes, sushi restaurants and designer boutiques.