Holiday homes in Venice in a satellite image

Post from 08/05/2015

The world of holiday homes as viewed from above

The world offers some amazing perspectives when seen from above. Well-known sights are shown from a new angle and suddenly look strange. Other things, in contrast, seem more familiar. Maybe because we already know them from a city map or a road atlas.

Would you have known, for example, what the title picture of this blog post shows? Venice can be seen there, located in the middle of a lagoon on the Italian Adriatic coast. It’s nice to see the Grand Canal, which meanders through the city in an S-shape formation.

However, maps and aerial photographs also possess a very significant advantage in addition to the special aesthetic that offers the observer a bird’s eye view. You get a spatial overview of a region - or in concrete terms: of a travel destination. We want to pass on this advantage to you. atraveo knows the exact location of most of the properties on offer and with the interactive map, you can directly search for them in the satellite image.

How does a map search work?

Very simply and intuitively. First select the criteria that are relevant for you in the search template, as usual. Which region should you go to? Perhaps to Tuscany or the French Atlantic coast? When do you want to travel and how long do you want to stay? How many holidaymakers are accompanying you? Is a pool important? Or the proximity to the coast? Or both? Do you need a child’s bed? One click on "Display offers" will take you directly to the results list of all corresponding properties.

Along with the results list, you will see the "map" tab. One click on this will open up the map view and the properties in the results list will be displayed on the map. By clicking on one of the blue-marked house symbols, you can access the description of the respective property.

Of course, you can also shift the map section, and zoom in and out of it. Take a virtual “journey” through a region via the map, e.g., straight through Brittany or along the coastline of the Italian Riviera. New properties can be reloaded at any time in the now altered view.

Important: For the purposes of clarity, if a large number of holiday homes match your search criteria, not all of the properties will initially be displayed to you on the map. The offers that you see will be the same ones that can also be found in the upper ranking of the results list. However, other properties can be reloaded at any time. Or you can refine the map section so that only a maximum of 50 offers will be placed under consideration.

Pick an area of your choice and just try it out for yourself! Or come with us first on a short round trip in the next paragraph.

Snapshots of the world of holiday homes from above

Some interesting things have come to our attention since we introduced our new interactive map search. Come on a little journey with us, where we take a look at the world and the holiday homes, which are on it, from above.

Please note: In the following section, we will only show you snapshots from our interactive map. If you want to take a look for yourself at what is shown, and do some further exploring via the map, simply follow one of the links in the text below the images.

Let's start with what a holiday should ideally look like from above. From left to right, we can recognise the sea, a wide sandy beach, the adjoining dunes, and finally, the holiday homes. We are here on the Dutch coast near Julianadorp.

Tip: If the distance to the sea is particularly important to you, select "100 m from the water" as a search criterion. Only properties located near the coast will then be displayed to you in the results list and on the interactive map.

Blanket of cloud? Avalanche of snow? No way. Even though the view may initially be a bit confusing, the subject is almost the same as in the previous image. The white space between the blue sea and green land is the widest sandy beach of Europe - whose dimensions become particularly clear in the satellite image. Just behind the dunes are the holiday homes, which are grouped together for your vacation. Denmark insiders will already know, of course, that we are on the North Sea island of Rømø.

Off we go to the next island. Do you recognise it? Correct, that is Majorca. It is only in the map view that the proliferation of holiday accommodation in the north of the island around Pollença becomes clear, as a particularly high number of holiday resorts can be found here.

This snapshot is also a good illustration of the fact that the number of properties we can show you is initially limited. Our range on Majorca encompasses almost 5,000 holiday homes and apartments in total. If these were all displayed on the map at the same time, the island would probably no longer be recognisable due to the sheer mass of holiday homes ...

... Or did the previous image make you think that we didn’t have any holiday homes in Palma de Mallorca at all? Simply zoom in a little closer on the relevant map section and let the offers reload. You will soon see the full range in and around Majorca's capital.

We’re staying with the Spanish islands, but changing both the island group and the ocean. In addition to the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands located in the Atlantic are a particularly popular travel destination for holiday home vacationers. In this picture, we see Gran Canaria, whose circular shape bears witness to the volcanic origin of the island. The highest point of the now extinct volcano, which once created the island, rises to over 1,940 metres above sea level.

Speaking of volcanos: the observer is allowed a bird’s eye view into the depths of a volcano here. Naples and its suburbs are not the only things which seem to be grouped so peacefully around the edges of the still active Mount Vesuvius volcano. Some holiday homes can also be found there c/o atraveo.

Travel tip: Be sure to visit the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which were destroyed nearly 2,000 years ago when Vesuvius erupted.

Back to the topic of islands. The tiny little island of Isola dei Pescatori has been built upon – up to almost the last square metre - and is located in the middle of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. As the map shows, some holiday accommodation can even be found there.

Incidentally, we focused on Isola dei Pescatori in greater detail in our last blog post.

But islands can be even smaller - and more isolated. Off the coast of Croatia is the rocky island of Porer, where you can spend a holiday in absolute seclusion. You will be ferried over by boat on arrival and will not be staying as in a normal holiday home, but in a real lighthouse!

Read more about the lighthouse holiday homes on the Croatian coast here.

However, you don’t necessarily need to be dependent on a tiny rocky island if you want to spend a secluded holiday in Croatia. A few so-called "Robinson Crusoe houses" can be found along the Adriatic coast of the Balkan state. These are usually located far away from the nearest town in small bathing bays. Property 219675 can be seen in this picture. It is on the island of Hvar, which forms part of Dalmatia.

The complete range of Robinson Crusoe houses can be found among our holiday ideas.

This property can never be omitted from a series of secluded holiday homes. Shown here is the holiday home, which is probably the furthest away from the nearest holiday home in our range. The map reveals a view of southern Siberia, where property 943241 - a beautiful wooden house surrounded by nature - can be found.

But enough of the solitude now. We would rather proceed on to the streets of a big city. Here we see Berlin, where atraveo offers you around 140 city apartments, located in the heart of the capital.

The closer you zoom into the map section, the more exciting it usually is. The streets of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris form a star shape from this perspective. Some holiday apartments in the 8, 16 and 17 arrodissement can be found in the immediate vicinity.

But interesting things can also often be revealed if you zoom out a bit. Istanbul can be seen here, an ancient city situated between two continents and two seas. On the left is Europe, while Asia is on the right. Between them, the Bosporus connects the Black Sea (above) and the Mediterranean Sea (below). The apartments pictured in this image, in the heart of the capital, are ideal for a city trip to the metropolis, which is well worth visiting.

This city is also scarcely older than Istanbul. However, in this image, we can also see the smallest state in the world. On the far left, on the middle picture edge, you can recognise the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, which forms the Vatican City along with the adjoining buildings. The distinctive forecourt and the roads leading away from it in a long axis towards Tiber and Castel Sant'Angelo (right picture edge) already belong to the "Eternal City" of Rome.

Another tiny state can be seen here. Not far from Nice, on the Côte d'Azur, is the little principality of Monaco with its famous harbour, where the Monaco Grand Prix takes place every year. Racing fans can be accommodated in one of the two apartments seen in the picture.

We’ll switch the location to a few kilometres west and stay on the topic of harbours. Several holiday homes and apartments can be found in idyllic little harbours along the Côte d'Azur. For example, Port Grimaud can be seen in this picture, where you can spend your holiday directly by the water.

You can also spend your holiday right beside the water here. However, we have jumped a few hundred kilometres north and are now looking at the skerry coast of Stockholm with numerous small islands. A holiday home with its own access to the water and a rowing boat is recommended here, ensuring that a holiday in Sweden’s countryside becomes the perfect experience.

And what can be seen here? The Alps? No, far from it. We have simply switched to the other side of Scandinavia - to the Fjord coast of Norway. This picture shows the foothills of the Nordfjord, which branch off inland. The snow-capped mountain peaks project steeply upwards, immediately behind the coastline. Norway’s landscape has a uniquely spectacular effect, even when viewed from above.

So, now let’s go to the Alps. The many hundreds of valleys make searching for a holiday home on the map a true pleasure. Simply hike from valley to valley and see which place you like best. Down in the valley, or would you rather be on top of the mountain? Here in this picture, we can see four valleys in Austria, running parallel to each other. From left to right: the Kaprun Valley, the Fusch Valley, the Rauris Valley and the Gastein Valley, all of which lead to the Salzach Valley on the upper picture edge. On the lower left, you can also recognise the snowy flank of the Grossglockner mountain.

We’re remaining in the Alps, but are switching to the French part. Cycling fans will definitely get a tingling sensation at this view, for we are looking at the famous 21 bends that snake up the mountain to L'Alpe D'Huez. The mountain-top finish at this winter sport resort also forms part of the Tour de France again this year. The professional cyclists among us are therefore welcome to view all of our holiday homes now they’ve also arrived at the top.

Football fans will get their money’s worth with this picture. We're looking at one of the most legendary stadiums in the world. There is space for more than 99,000 spectators to watch the home team FC Barcelona’s games at Camp Nou in Barcelona. Those who do not want to miss a game while staying in the Catalan capital will find themselves in good hands in one of the apartments located around Camp Nou.

Again, there is something for motorsports fans to see: In the centre of this image, you can view the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, one of the oldest racing tracks in the world with its distinctive and extensive steep curves into the forest. Visitors to Italy’s Grand Prix could stay in the apartment, which can also be seen in this picture, or in the nearby Milan.

From Monza, we move a bit further north to Lombardy, where we come onto another topic at Lake Como. Italy's third largest lake is divided into western and eastern foothills by a peninsula. Picturesque Bellagio lies at the tip of the peninsula. Bellagio’s exposed position, together with the holiday homes that can be found there, becomes particularly evident from a bird's eye view.

Incidentally, our customers selected Bellagio as the best Italian resort in 2013.

And here we can also see a peninsula. However, this time it is not a lake that has been divided, but rather two seas. The North Sea (left) and Baltic Sea (right) flow into each other at the Skagerrak or at the tip of the peninsula of Skagen Odde in the north of Denmark. Several holiday homes can also be found in the immediate vicinity.

Our last stop is another peninsula, which is divided into three smaller peninsulas. Chalkidiki in northern Greece extends into the Aegean Sea with its three "fingers". The map view tells us directly that holiday homes can only be found on Sithonia and Kassandra (the left and middle finger). Athos, on the far right, was by no means neglected by us in the search for new holiday homes, but it is an autonomous republic, which is inhabited by Orthodox monks. Unfortunately, access is strictly prohibited.