English Vocabulary in Use Pre-intermediate and Intermediate » Unit 50: Sightseeing holidays

Word List
  • attraction
  • castle
  • cathedral
  • do a bit/lot of (sightseeing/hiking etc.)
  • explore
  • fountain
  • get lost
  • go out [social activity]
  • go sightseeing
  • guidebook
  • have a great/nice/terrible time
  • have a look round
  • historic monument
  • lively
  • magnificent
  • market
  • mosque
  • packed
  • palace
  • place [town/building]
  • see the sights
  • sights
  • sightseeing
  • statue
  • temple
  • worth (+ noun/-ing)
Exercises

50.1 ‣ Tick (x) the words which refer to religious places.

  1. church
  2. castle _____
  3. statue _____
  4. fountain _____
  5. market _____
  6. mosque _____
  7. temple _____
  8. cathedral _____
  9. palace _____

50.2 ‣ Complete the email.

From: John H.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been in Paris for over a week now and I’m having a great 1. I did quite a lot of 2_____ in the first few days – the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, and all the usual tourist 3_____. Most places are absolutely 4_____ with tourists at the moment, so yesterday I decided to 5_____ one or two shopping areas. I got 6_____ on my way back to the hotel, but it didn’t matter because I discovered a really fascinating street 7_____ selling just about everything from apples to antiques.

I ate in the hotel the first night but I usually 8_____ for dinner – the restaurants are great and I can get a set meal for €20.
I hope you’re all well. I’ll write again in a few days.

All the best, John

50.3 ‣ Complete the dialogues, but without using a word from the question.

  1. A: It’s a fabulous city, isn’t it?
    B: Yes, it’s a wonderful .
  2. A: It was very crowded, wasn’t it?
    B: Yes, it was absolutely _____.
  3. A: It’s lively in the evening, isn’t it?
    B: Yes, there’s _____.
  4. A: Did you enjoy yourselves?
    B: Yes, we had a _____.
  5. A: Kyoto is a good place to go to, isn’t it?
    B: Yes, Kyoto is definitely _____.
  6. A: You know a lot about this castle, don’t you?
    B: Yes, I bought a _____.
  7. A: St Petersburg has got many famous old places to see, hasn’t it?
    B: Yes, lots of historic _____.
  8. A: The Taj Mahal was impressive and so beautiful.
    B: Yes, it was _____.
  9. A: Did you explore the town centre?
    B: Yes, we had a _____.

50.4 ‣

Over to you

Think about your own country and write answers. If possible, compare your answers with someone else.

  1. Write down a place that is worth visiting and a place that is not worth visiting and say why.
    _____
  2. Is there a place that is particularly famous for its historic monuments? What are they?
    _____
  3. What typical souvenirs do tourists buy when they visit?
    _____
  4. What are the main attractions for tourists to your country? Do you think they are worth seeing?
    _____
Answer Key
A ‣ Things to see


  1. fountain

  2. mosque

  3. cathedral

  4. market

  5. castle

  6. temple

  7. statue

B ‣ Tourist activities

activityexample
go sightseeing [visit famous places; also see the sights]We went sightseeing almost every day. I like to see the sights when I visit a place.
do a bit of / a lot of sightseeingI didn’t do a lot of sightseeing in Warsaw.
have a look round [visit a place casually, often on foot]We had a look round the shops.
I want to have a look round the museum.
explore [go round a new place to see what is there]We explored the flower market.
go out [leave home / your hotel to go to a social event, e.g. restaurant or theatre]On holiday we went out every night.
get lost [lose one’s way]I got lost three times in London.
have a great/nice/terrible timeThey had a lovely time in Venice.
buy souvenirs [something you buy or keep to remember a place or holiday]We bought some dolls as souvenirs.
C ‣ Describing places

The word place can describe a building, an area, a town, or country, e.g. Bruges is a lovely place [town] and we found a really nice place [hotel] to stay.

“The guidebooks [books with information about places] say the Alhambra in Granada is magnificent [very good or very beautiful], but it’s always packed [very crowded] with tourists in the summer.”

“São Paulo is a lively place [full of life and activity], and there’s plenty [a lot] to do in the evening.”

“St Petersburg has lots of historic monuments [important places built a long time ago] but the Hermitage Museum was the main attraction for me. [something that makes people come to a place or want to do a particular thing]”

“If you go to Poland, it’s definitely worth visiting Kraków.”

Language help

We use worth + noun/-ing to say that it is a good idea to do something or go somewhere.

It’s worth hiring a car if you go to Scotland. Glasgow is worth a visit as well.

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