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My great-uncle was fatally wounded in the first landings at Gallipoli and is buried in the military cemetery at Moudros on the Greek island of Limnos. I would love to make a pilgrimage to both these places. Could you suggest the best way to achieve this in one trip? Sue Bennett
If time isn't an issue, and you're not travelling out of season, you can quite easily island-hop between Turkey and Greece. If the following looks too much, catch a plane from Istanbul to Athens ($199, 75 minutes), from where daily services fly to Limnos ($133, one hour).
If you're travelling to Gallipoli from Istanbul, you'll need to catch a coach to Eceabat (five hours), 12km from Anzac Cove and with good access to the battlefields; one of the main information centres is here. Most visitors go to Gallipoli on a tour; if you'd like to do this, try Trooper Tours (www.troopertours.com) or Hassle Free Travel Agency (www.anzachouse.com). Eceabat has a good range of accommodation, including the Eceabat Hotel (www.anzacgallipolitours.com; doubles $78).
The Greek island of Limnos lies directly west of Gallipoli in the northeastern Aegean. These days, it's an understated, sleepy destination, perfect for a doze in the sun, but during World War I, Moudros Bay, on the island's south coast, was the Allies' base for the Gallipoli campaign. The East Moudros Military Cemetery is 1km east of the town of Moudros; a second Commonwealth cemetery is on the western side of the bay at Portianos. Moudros is little more than a collection of tavernas on the waterfront, so you'll have more choice of accommodation if you stay in the island's capital, Myrina.
You'll find the dazzling white neoclassical Apollo Pavilion (www.apollopavilion.com; B&B doubles $102), run by English-speaking owners, tucked away behind the port.
The closest Greek island with regular ferry connections to Turkey is Lesvos, which is a six-hour ferry trip ($40) from Limnos. To travel from Gallipoli to Limnos, you'll need to catch a ferry from Eceabat to Canakkale ($2, 25 minutes), then a bus to Ayvalik ($11, just over three hours), from where ferries run daily to Lesvos during the high season ($102, 1.5 hours). Hassle Free Travel Agency can organise ferry tickets for the Ayvalik-Lesvos ferry.
Before heading off, be sure to read the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade's travel advisories for Turkey and Greece at www.safetravel.govt.nz.
My wife and I, both seniors, are considering a two- to three-week stay on the Amalfi coast next European autumn. We particularly like the look of Ravello, but which of the Amalfi locations is your own favourite and why? What weekly rate should we expect to pay for self-catering accommodation or for a two- or three-star hotel? Mark Bersten
The gorgeous 50km Amalfi coast wiggles its way from Sorrento to Salerno along some of Europe's most theatrically beautiful shoreline. A narrow road hugs the tight bends and curves of the rocky peninsula, winding along cliffs and passing through a string of picture-postcard villages. You're wise to leave your visit to the European autumn, though, as summer is impossibly hectic in these parts.
Most raves go to Positano - perched on the clifftop, overrun with steep steps and best known for its ceramic-domed Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta, which boasts a Byzantine Black Madonna - and Amalfi with its Arabic-Norman Sant'Andrea Cathedral. But Lonely Planet saves its raves for Altrani, under a kilometre's saunter from Amalfi via a picturesque tangle of backstreets. Altrani is less busy than Amalfi, but with its whitewashed alleys, ancient piazza, pavement cafés and pretty cove beach it's just as lovely.
Small but stylish, the stunning hillside village of Ravello is equally rave-worthy, with spectacular views of the sea and nearby Amalfi.
Its cathedral has a remarkable pulpit supported by six proud little lions, plus an interesting museum in the crypt. The famous Villa Rufolo overlooking the cathedral's piazza was built in the 13th century, but its gardens date from the days Wagner spent here while writing the third act of Parsifal. Other famous names connected with Ravello include D. H. Lawrence, E. M. Forster, Greta Garbo and Gore Vidal. There are more gardens to enjoy at Villa Cimbrone.
Accommodation in Ravello needs to be booked way ahead in summer but you should be able to find some better deals in autumn; there's not much at all in the two-star category.
Have a look at Italia Lodging (www.italialodging.com/selected-accommodation-in-ravello.htm), the Residence le Villette apartments (www.residencelevillette.it; two-person apartment $965 a week), the light and airy three-star Hotel Toro (www.hoteltoro.it; doubles $223 a night) and the 13th-century Hotel Parsifal (www.hotelparsifal.com; double with breakfast $240). For a range of self-catering apartments in Ravello, check out Amalfi Vacation (www.amalfivacation.it; apartments from $145 a night).
My husband and I intend to visit the US next September for six weeks. We plan to spend a week in New York and then hire a car to travel to Niagara Falls, Canada and south to New England for the beautiful autumn colours. Could you recommend an itinerary?
You've chosen a gorgeous part of the world to explore and, with several weeks to play with, you can afford to plan a loose itinerary and leave a certain amount of detail to the serendipity of the road.
As autumn is a popular time of year for east-coast driving, you'd do well to book a car rental in advance. Try Alamo (www.alamo.com), Budget (www.budget.com), Hertz (www.hertz.com) or Thrifty (www.thrifty.com), and book online before you leave home. Five weeks' rental of a good mid-sized vehicle could cost around $3200.
The stunning Niagara Falls are a seven- or eight-hour drive from NYC along the I-90 tollway. The best views are from the Canadian side, so try crossing into Canada via Buffalo's Peace Bridge, then driving along the incredibly scenic Niagara Parkway to the Falls. The Canadian Horseshoe Falls are particularly impressive. If casinos and tourist tat aren't your thing, push on to Toronto, only 130km from the falls. Allow a week or so to explore Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.
New England's famous autumn colours are at their best from September to mid-October, and Vermont is popularly held to be the best US state for foliage. The picturesque state is an easy drive south from Montreal (two hours to Burlington, a vibrant university town). Route 100, running down the centre of Vermont to the Massachusetts border, is one of the prettiest routes for classic covered bridges and clapboard houses. If you like ice cream, make a beeline for Ben & Jerry's factory in Waterbury. Other picture-postcard towns and villages include Stowe, Woodstock, Newfane, Brattleboro and Grafton.
From Vermont, you could drive east through New Hampshire to Portsmouth on the coast, taking in Franconia, Concord and Salem en route to Boston. Or you could drive through the Berkshires along the Mohawk Trail east to Boston, dropping into Springfield, Williamstown, Lenox, Tyringham and Stockbridge along the way. Heading back to NYC, drop into Cape Cod, Newport and New Haven.
For more ideas, have a look at Lonely Planet's Road Trip New England and New England guides.
