Wikivoyage:Listings/Draft

This page in a nutshell: Use standardized templates to provide consistent and complete information for business and attraction listings.

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Listingify

Wikivoyage uses standardized formats to list attractions and monuments, activities, shops, restaurants, bars and lodgings under the See, Do, Buy, Eat, Drink and Sleep sections respectively. This page describes those listings.

Adding and editing listings

The easiest way to add a listing is to click on the "add listing" link next to a section or the "edit" link next to a listing (requires Javascript). Doing so will bring up an edit box that can be used to enter listing information. Alternately, you can click the "edit" tab on any article and then select the appropriate listing type from the "Listings" section of the edit toolbar - hover your mouse over each icon, and click on the one that is appropriate. Doing so will add a blank listing template to the edit window that can then be filled out.

Alphabetical order should be used whenever there's no more appropriate logical order (e.g. price, distance, north-south, day of the week, etc.). Where a non-alphabetical order is used, it should be explained if necessary.

Overview

The following section describes how to manually enter or edit formatted listing templates. These structured tags make it easier for software to format the listings correctly. Each tag type is for a different kind of listing, according to the section it's in. Each tag should have the format:

{{listing | name=... | address=... | content=Some description.}}

Each entry can either be typed in directly or copy/pasted to the correct place in the text in the edit window. Copy/paste is easier to avoid typos which will cause the code to parse incorrectly. Content is then added to each attribute (parameter) that you wish to use. It is not necessary to delete unused attributes, they will not display if there is no content. Leaving the unused attributes encourages other editors to fill in the missing content later.

Template parameters

The following template parameters are used with the listing templates. No parameter is required, but some are recommended to make a listing at all useful.

name: the name of the hotel, bar, restaurant, museum, or whatever. Recommended.
alt: an alternative name, either in the local language or just an alternative. Optional.
address: the street address for the business or attraction. Do not include the city, state or zip code. Recommended.
directions: additional brief directions besides the street address, such as cross streets, nearby subway or bus stations. Optional
phone: a phone number for making reservations or getting more information (see Wikivoyage:Phone numbers for formatting guidelines). Recommended.
tollfree: a toll-free phone number, if available. Optional.
email: an email address for making reservations or getting more information. Optional.
fax: a fax number. Optional.
url: the URL for the official Web site for this listing (see external links for more guidelines). Include the http://. If there's no official Web site, just leave this part out. Recommended.
hours: opening hours of the business or attraction, when applicable (see Wikivoyage:Time and date formats for formatting guidelines). Recommended.
checkin: checkin time, for sleep listings only (see Wikivoyage:Time and date formats for formatting guidelines). Optional.
checkout: checkout time, for sleep listings only (see Wikivoyage:Time and date formats for formatting guidelines). Optional.
image: specify the filename to show that file as a tiny pop-up image if the numbered icon displayed on a dynamic map is clicked. Optional.
price: See below for price guidelines for each listing type. Prices should be in the currency accepted at the establishment. Recommended.
- see: Price of admission. If there are large differences (eg. adults and children), note them both.
- do: Price of admission, or one turn at the activity.
- buy: Usually best to omit price, unless the goods sold are all a very similar price.
- eat: Average price of a complete meal for a single person.
- drink: Price of standard drinks. Use the price of local drinks (glass of red wine, sake, or whatever) if beer and cocktails don't make sense for the locale.
- sleep: The rack rate/standard price of a typical double room. If there are substantial differences in room types (e.g. dorm bed and single rooms) list brief room descriptions and their respective prices. Do not give a per person cost when twin share is necessary to obtain that rate, eg: $20 per person, when a double room costs $40.
lat: Decimal latitude (GPS coordinates) for map output. Recommended.
long: Decimal longitude (GPS coordinates) for map output. Recommended.
- Note: lat and long should have the same number of decimal places (using trailing zeroes if applicable). If one is present, so must the other be. See sources for lat/longs for further details.

Examples

The following examples provide the wiki syntax used to generate a listing, followed by the listing as it would be rendered in an article.

See

* {{see
| name=Palace of Culture and Science | alt=Pałac Kultury i Nauki | url=http://www.pkin.waw.pl | email= 
| address=plac Defilad | lat= | long= | directions= 
| phone=+48 (0/22) 65 67 676 | tollfree= | fax= 
| hours=9AM-6PM daily | price=Admission to the observation deck: zł 18/12
| content=Built in the 1950s as a "gift" to the Polish people by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin the Palace of Culture and Science is Warsaw's most recognizable building.  The building elicits mixed feelings from Poles – on one hand, the building  has a controversially beautiful architectural style, however, the building was built by the man who helped Hitler rape the Polish countryside, then continued a campaign of senseless murders of the Poles when the Soviet-Nazi Germany relations soured.  Today, the building is home to a cinema, museum, restaurant, and college.  Visitors can take an elevator to an observation deck, which provides a great view of Warsaw.
}}

Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki), plac Defilad, ☏ +48 (0/22) 65 67 676. 9AM-6PM daily. Built in the 1950s as a "gift" to the Polish people by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin the Palace of Culture and Science is Warsaw's most recognizable building. The building elicits mixed feelings from Poles – on one hand, the building has a controversially beautiful architectural style, however, the building was built by the man who helped Hitler rape the Polish countryside, then continued a campaign of senseless murders of the Poles when the Soviet-Nazi Germany relations soured. Today, the building is home to a cinema, museum, restaurant, and college. Visitors can take an elevator to an observation deck, which provides a great view of Warsaw. Admission to the observation deck: zł 18/12.

Do

* {{do 
| name=Tri-Star Pilot Service Tours | alt= | url= | email= 
| address=5700 S Cicero Ave | lat= | long= | directions= 
| phone=+1 773 229-1091 | tollfree= | fax= 
| hours=By appointment, tours last at least 45 minutes | price=$125/couple, $160/three adults
| content=[[Chicago skyline guide|Chicago's skyline]] is impressive from wherever you are standing, but perhaps it is best enjoyed while swooping through it. If you are in the mood for an adventurous tour of Chicago, call Jerry Smith to arrange a flight tour of the city in his single-engine Cessna. It is probably best to book for a nighttime tour, as the city lights will present you breathtaking views.
}}

Tri-Star Pilot Service Tours, 5700 S Cicero Ave, ☏ +1 773 229-1091. By appointment, tours last at least 45 minutes. Chicago's skyline is impressive from wherever you are standing, but perhaps it is best enjoyed while swooping through it. If you are in the mood for an adventurous tour of Chicago, call Jerry Smith to arrange a flight tour of the city in his single-engine Cessna. It is probably best to book for a nighttime tour, as the city lights will present you breathtaking views. $125/couple, $160/three adults.

Buy

* {{buy
| name=Shake Your Booty | alt= | url=http://facebook.com/pages/Washington-DC/Shake-Your-Booty | email= 
| address=2439 18th St NW | lat= | long= | directions= 
| phone=+1 202 518-8205 | tollfree= | fax= 
| hours=M-F noon-8PM, Sa noon-9PM, Su noon-6PM | price=
| content=An affordable boutique womens' fashion store with lots of cute, funky, and original dresses, bags, etc. Regular selections from Rage, MIA, and Hype. Look for the Big Ass Sale in July.
}}

Shake Your Booty, 2439 18th St NW, ☏ +1 202 518-8205. M-F noon-8PM, Sa noon-9PM, Su noon-6PM. An affordable boutique womens' fashion store with lots of cute, funky, and original dresses, bags, etc. Regular selections from Rage, MIA, and Hype. Look for the Big Ass Sale in July.

Eat

* {{eat
| name=Shabuchin Shabu Shabu | alt= | url= | email= 
| address=1-1-6 Kokutai-ji, Naka-ku | lat=35.661528 | long=139.729500 | directions= 
| phone=+81 82 246-7327 | tollfree= | fax= 
| hours=11:30AM-2PM, 5PM-10PM daily | price=Expect to pay from ¥3,000-5,000, including drinks
| content=Small, friendly, family run ''shabu shabu'' restaurant in the fashionable Jizo-dori area. They make their own sauces, and all the ingredients are fresh; dip fresh meat and vegetables in a hot sauce to lightly cook it before dipping it in a piquant sauce to eat.
}}

35.661528139.72951 Shabuchin Shabu Shabu, 1-1-6 Kokutai-ji, Naka-ku, ☏ +81 82 246-7327. 11:30AM-2PM, 5PM-10PM daily. Small, friendly, family run shabu shabu restaurant in the fashionable Jizo-dori area. They make their own sauces, and all the ingredients are fresh; dip fresh meat and vegetables in a hot sauce to lightly cook it before dipping it in a piquant sauce to eat. Expect to pay from ¥3,000-5,000, including drinks.

Drink

* {{drink
| name=Harry's Bar | url=http://www.harrys.com.sg/ | email=
| address=28 Boat Quay | lat= | long= | directions=
| phone=+65-5383029 | tollfree= | fax=
| hours= | price=
| content=The favorite watering hole of Nick Leeson, the "Rogue Trader" who brought down the 233-year-old Barings Bank and was once arrested here for indecent exposure.  There are now franchises all over town, but this is the original.  Try the Bank Breaker, an unlikely shot of whisky and Midori, which like Leeson's escapades goes down smooth but leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. Live music most nights.
}}

Harry's Bar, 28 Boat Quay, ☏ +65-5383029. The favorite watering hole of Nick Leeson, the "Rogue Trader" who brought down the 233-year-old Barings Bank and was once arrested here for indecent exposure. There are now franchises all over town, but this is the original. Try the Bank Breaker, an unlikely shot of whisky and Midori, which like Leeson's escapades goes down smooth but leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. Live music most nights.

Sleep

*{{sleep 
| name=Hotel Eldorado | alt= | url=http://www.eldoradohotel.fr | email=eldoradohotel@wanadoo.fr 
| address=rue des Dames 18 | lat=48.88487 | long=2.32478 | directions=17th, metro: Place de Clichy 
| phone=+33 1 4522 3521 | tollfree= | fax=+33 1 4387 2597 
| price=€23-39 sgl, €49-79 dbl | checkin= | checkout= 
| content=The Eldorado, a former ''maison de rendez-vous'', was once home to the kept women of the 19th century bourgeois. Now a very cute ''no'' star hotel, its charm more than makes up for what it lacks in amenities (who needs a TV in Paris anyway?). The  staff are super friendly, the décor is garage sale chic, and there's a lovely courtyard that fills with neighbourhood hipsters on warm evenings. It also has a very good location and you can easily avoid the noise of Pigalle or Montmartre's high prices, but they're within stumble distance if you decide to explore. For early risers breakfast (€5, until 10:00) is served in the attached restaurant/bar. Some English spoken, especially for those who pet the cat sprawled across the reception desk.
}}

48.884872.324781 Hotel Eldorado, rue des Dames 18 (17th, metro: Place de Clichy), ☏ +33 1 4522 3521, fax: +33 1 4387 2597, eldoradohotel@wanadoo.fr. The Eldorado, a former maison de rendez-vous, was once home to the kept women of the 19th century bourgeois. Now a very cute no star hotel, its charm more than makes up for what it lacks in amenities (who needs a TV in Paris anyway?). The staff are super friendly, the décor is garage sale chic, and there's a lovely courtyard that fills with neighbourhood hipsters on warm evenings. It also has a very good location and you can easily avoid the noise of Pigalle or Montmartre's high prices, but they're within stumble distance if you decide to explore. For early risers breakfast (€5, until 10:00) is served in the attached restaurant/bar. Some English spoken, especially for those who pet the cat sprawled across the reception desk. €23-39 sgl, €49-79 dbl.

Listing

If the listing doesn't fit into one of the above categories, you can use the "listing" tag for a generic one.

* {{listing
| name=Bangkok Tourist Information Office | url=http://www.bangkoktourist.com | email=
| address=17/1 Phra Athit Rd | lat= | long= | directions=under the Phra Pin Klao Bridge
| phone=+66 2 225-7612(-4) | tollfree= | fax=
| hours=09:00-19:00 daily | price=
| content=It's a good idea to stop by the tourist office for some maps of the city. You can also get hotel and dining addresses here or ask any other questions you may have.
}}

Bangkok Tourist Information Office, 17/1 Phra Athit Rd (under the Phra Pin Klao Bridge), ☏ +66 2 225-7612(-4). 09:00-19:00 daily. It's a good idea to stop by the tourist office for some maps of the city. You can also get hotel and dining addresses here or ask any other questions you may have.

Usage guidelines

Avoid long lists

See also: Wikivoyage:Avoid long lists

Wikivoyage is a travel guide, not the Yellow Pages. Huge undifferentiated lists are only marginally useful to the traveller. A general rule of thumb is that lists should contain 5-9 items, and when they exceed that length it is time to consider breaking them up or pruning them.

For "eat" and "sleep" listings, when listings are sub-divided by price consider using the following templates to provide information about the price ranges covered by each sub-section:

Listing order

Alphabetical order should be the norm within each section. If another standard is used, it should be clearly stated so any new listing can be added to the appropriate place. Leading articles, such as "The", or "A", in the accommodation name should be ignored for the purposes of determining the order.

Avoid using images

The Raffles is an icon of Singapore — the Holiday Inn is not.

Images of businesses, including hotels and their bedrooms, are generally not used. The only exceptions are if the business is a well-known attraction in its own right, or if the image is of a type of accommodation is unusual and unique to the region. In the second case, identifying the lodgings where the picture was taken by name is not necessary.

Compilation from external sources

If one section of a destination articles is unfilled even after the other sections are complete, you might consider compiling material from external sources.

The name and contact details should be obtained from the official web site.

The description can be derived from an impression of the reviews that you have read, together with some facts from the official page, but you should not copy somebody else's words into Wikivoyage. Avoid listing establishments where the reviews are overly negative.

Here's an idea of what a listing compiled from reviews might look like:

Hotel del Sol, 44 Ramblas del sol, ☏ 55 555 55 55. This hotel rates well with young couples, who like the heated lagoon pool, and basement bar open late. Water pressure is low in the shared showers. The rooms facing the sea are said to have wonderful views, but avoid #29 which is behind the neighboring building's television aerial. 30-50€.

Note that the origin of the ideas in the listing are clearly from reviews, but that the words are not. The detail about the TV antenna could be a close call, but only if the words are copied. The presence of the antenna, and its marring of the view from a particular room, would be facts which are free from copyright.

Complex attractions

Some attractions are just too complex to list in the brief format above. There may be interesting historical information, detailed information about different parts of the attraction, or whatever. Examples might be:

Large museums
Large parks
Monuments with long histories

These kinds of attractions may need three or four paragraphs rather than sentences to treat them appropriately.

The difference here is by how much text is needed, not how important the attraction is. For example, the Manneken Pis is one of the most famous sights in Brussels, but there's only so much you can write about a small statue of a peeing boy. Importance of the attraction and how much text is needed are closely intertwined, but this format is keyed to the latter.

For complex attractions, we make a sub-section of the See or Do section with the following format:

===[http://www.attraction.example.com/ Name of attraction]===
 
Address (''extra directions if necessary''), phone number (''email, fax, other contact if possible''). Days and times open. $entryprice (''extra price info'').
 
One to five paragraphs about why this attraction is worth seeing, things to pay special attention to, warnings, notes, historical or other background information.

Complex attractions should go at the end of the See or Do section, after any attractions in the list format above. Otherwise, it will look like the list-format attractions are part of the preceding complex attraction subsection.

A good example of a complex attraction is the Golden Gate Bridge in the Golden Gate district of San Francisco.

The campus of a major university may also be a container for multiple points of interest such as museums, art galleries or historic landmarks which are notable as things to "see" or "do" in their own right. Handling these as complex attractions allows all of these points to be grouped as one large entity:

Ivy University - University Avenue at Scholar Street, founded 1066. Organised campus tour daily.
- Elisabeth Ivy Art Gallery (contact info) Paintings from the 18th and 19th century.
- University Stadium (location, price) Watch live college sports matches every Saturday, seasonal.
- Great Hall (location) - Historic clock tower and concert hall built by Queen Victoria herself.

Tour listings

Shortcut:
Tour

Tours can be listed on Wikivoyage as long as they constitute a value-added activity. If a traveler could fulfill the substance of the tour on their own, the tour should not be listed.

Here are a few guidelines to assist determining whether a tour should be listed in our guides:

The operator must have a "real world" office with a phone number and address where the tour is operated.
Tours should offer something as a supplement, rather than a replacement for Wikivoyage guides. They should count as an activity available at a destination (e.g., a helicopter tour of a city, or a camel expedition into the Sahara).
If the tour operator is providing a booking service or general travel planning then it should not be listed.
Do not list resellers of tours, only list the actual tour operators.
Always list tour operators if they are requisite to visit a certain area. Examples include tours required by law (e.g., Panmunjeom) and tours required due to exceptional danger (e.g., war zones and extreme environments such as the Amazon, Antarctica, Space, etc).

In practice this policy disallows listing most audio tours, walking tours, and guided tours since the substance of such tours can generally be fulfilled by an independent traveler, and the information provided on such tours should ideally be included in the appropriate Wikivoyage article. If you have a question about whether a tour can be listed, or feel that an exception is warranted, please use the talk page of the appropriate article to discuss your concerns.

Rental listings

Shortcut:
Apartment listings
Apartment rentals
apt

Wikivoyage is neither an apartment-finder service nor a real estate listing service, so in general real estate and rental agency listings are not allowed. The only exception to this rule is for locations where rental properties are a common form of travel accommodation and the following requirements are met:

Consensus must be achieved on the article's talk page that rental listings should be allowed. When trying to build consensus provide some evidence that rental properties are commonly used by travelers to the destination and that their addition will improve the article. Please do not argue the merits of any particular company, but instead focus on the value of such accommodation for travelers to the destination city/region.
If consensus is achieved, rental agency listings must be placed into a separate sub-section of the article's "Sleep" section.
Agency listings must include a local address with a phone number that specifies the physical address at the destination for picking up the keys, managing the property and/or resolving rental issues. This address must also be prominently displayed on the agency web site.
Apartments or cabins must be available for rentals of one week or less - remember, Wikivoyage is a travel guide, not an apartment-finder service.

The general guidelines for accommodation listings apply to these listings as well, that is long lists should be avoided, and information should be concise and relevant to the traveler.

Avoid listing nearest attractions

Hotel owners frequently give detailed list of attractions that their property is "close to". We don't welcome it here at Wikivoyage:

it is difficult to judge which hotel is more convenient to a particular attraction,
it overloads listing text with details irrelevant for many travelers,
"nearby attractions" lists, such as those found on hotel web sites, are pretty much identical for any given hotel in the same area of a city
properties routinely abuse this by listing every attraction in the city, or even other towns in a region, regardless of proximity

By all means, if the hotel is attached to a particular attraction (or, say, inside the airport), mention that—but keep it to just what makes the hotel unique. Instead of writing a long flowery description of the many attractions near the property, contribute detailed latitude and longitude coordinates for the property (see Wikivoyage:Geocoding)—it will be much more helpful for a traveler choosing a place to stay.

Boring places

On Wikivoyage, we prefer to list stores, restaurants and bars that are unique to the destination—why write about a Gap, when you could go to a Gap in any city? It's often useful to briefly mention what major popular chains are in the area, and to note where they are, but avoid spending too much time on them. See Washington, D.C./Georgetown#Clothes for a good example of how to quickly handle popular chain shops next to more detailed descriptions of local boutiques.

While not every Wikivoyager's cup of tea, shopping malls are hugely important travel destinations, often outdrawing major tourist attractions by huge margins. It's a good idea to note particularly important malls that a traveler would want to visit, but don't list every store inside. Instead, give a quick overview of some highlights, and try to also mention a thing or two that does make the mall unique!

Example shopping mall listing:

The Shops at Georgetown Park, 3222 M St NW, ☏ +1 202 342-8190. M-Sa 10AM-8PM, Su noon-6PM. An enclosed upscale shopping mall at the very center of Georgetown. It's an oddly quiet place to walk through, having been outshined by the outdoor competitors. Stores include various upscale mall fare, like Express, H&M, J Crew, Ann Taylor, Sisley, Itermix, White House/Black Market, etc., but also a host of small boutiques and unique import/export stores. The mall has its own parking garage ($18 daily).

Tools

Sources for lat/longs

There are a few web sites that provide useful lat/long information.

OpenStreetMap (OSM) – Browse the map, click with the right mouse button on the desired location and select "Show Address". The lat/long value of the location can then be copied from the text field in the upper left part of the website.
- Nominatim – OSM reverse geocoding
- If a destination has a geo tag, there will be a map icon at the top right of the article. If you know the area, then you can get co-ordinates for listings by going to that map (of any article), positioning the mouse pointer, then right-clicking to show lat and long info.
Wikipedia gives co-ordinates for most articles about places
Geomap – search via OSM Nominatim, provides coordinates in WV templates formats
Geobatcher is a tool which can take an entire section of Wikivoyage listings, and insert coordinates for up to 100 listings at a time. More instructions in article, How to use dynamic maps.
Multimap lets you search for cities in many countries and returns lat/long info (some problems with non ASCII chars in the names)
The Getty Thesaurus of Names has lat/long info for most cities in its database
The Global Gazetteer from Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. is another database that gives decimal geocode values for many place names around the world.
Richard Cyganiak's FOAF mapper – Find co-ordinates using Google Maps.
GeoNames - Quick and thorough geocoding

Conversion tools

Listing parser to convert unformatted listings - made by User:Ml31415