Destination appeal

Our verdict

I am slightly ambivalent about Rome. On one hand, I adore its fountains and beautiful squares; on the other hand, I think that central city architecture is spotty, with too much of less than delightful edifices surrounding the true gems. On one hand, I appreciate centuries of history in this Eternal City; on the other hand, most of the monuments dating to the Ancient Rome demand a lot from your imagination, being largely in ruins.

It cannot be debated, in any case, that Rome is one of the greatest cities of the Western world, and a must-see destination in one’s lifetime.

Things to See

Rome’s squares – some adorned with obelisks, some with fountains, many with both – are a true delight. Among the places that you have to find yourself on your wanderings about the city are: Dramatically Baroque Piazza Navona ♥♥♥ with its three fountains, the central of which, Bernini’s Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, is utterly resplendent; sometimes excessively busy Piazza di Spagna ♥♥♥, with its famous eponymous stairway leading up to the French church above; a bit too open to the motor traffic Piazza Barberini ♥, whose Triton Fountain is one of the loveliest; grand Piazza del Popolo ♥♥; lively Campo de’ Fiori ♥, with cafés surrounding the spot where Giordano Bruno was burned at stake. You won’t miss the expansive Piazza Venezia ♥, of course, with its humongous Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, called with derision alternatively either a “typewriter” or a “wedding cake”. Piazza del Quirinale ♥, Piazza Colonna ♥, the list can go on and on…

The famous Fontana di Trevi ♥♥♥ attracts so many visitors that the small square on which it sits is often bursting at the seams with crowds. In my opinion, it’s all worth it: The fountain is an exquisite piece of sculpture and architecture.

Pantheon ♥♥♥, fantastically preserved after two thousand years of standing, sits on noisy Piazza della Rotonda ♥ and is a most extraordinary monument both on the outside and inside, a vast cylindrical dome equal in radius and height. Its only source of light used to be the circular opening in the roof, and the floor is tilted in a way to properly manage the rain that enters through that oculus (watching the rain fall down inside Pantheon is an interesting sight). The tomb of Raphael and sarcophagi of Italian monarchs line the perimeter of the magnificent building.

Most of the other attractions from the Ancient Roman times are situated in the southern part of the city core. Colosseum ♥♥♥ does not require much introduction, of course, and it’s an awesome sight to behold. Touring it is a fascinating experience, although this is one place where you need to start using your imagination to form a picture of how the things were millenia ago. You’ll have to rely on your imagination even more on your visit to the Roman Forum ♥♥ – there are a number of columns, even a couple of porticoes, still standing here or there, and the well-preserved arches of Titus and Septimius Severus, but a person not highly attuned to the subject of ancient history will mostly see ruins around a field strewn with blocks of stonework.

What we liked most about the forum is how it looks at night, with lighting. The best viewpoint to take it in is off Piazza del Campidoglio ♥, itself a beautiful square, flanked by buildings of Capitoline Museums that we did not visit.

The Arch of Constantine ♥ is another well-preserved artifact of the Empire, and there are a few more worthwhile attractions of that era nearby, the Palatine hill ♥, with its ruins of the patrician palaces, the Trajan’s Forum, with its majestic column and the market complex that we only looked at from the outside, and the vast Baths of Caracalla ♥ complex, with fragments of original floors and mosaics on display.

Rome, as behooves the capital of Catholicism, has literally dozens of beautiful churches, many of which contain important works of art. We looked into quite a few: Santa Maria in Trastevere ♥♥♥, with breathtaking mosaics and frescoes; Santa Maria sopra Minerva ♥♥, with brilliant blue ceilings, fronted by one of the funnest obelisks in Rome, Bernini’s elephant; small and pristine San Carlo alla Quattro Fontane ♥; church of Trinita dei Monti atop Spanish Steps; San Carlo al Corso; etc.

Santa Maria Maggiore ♥ deserves an altogether separate mention. It is a blend of several architectural styles – to wit, the lavish ceiling is Renaissance, the façades and domes are Baroque, – and is also famous for its mosaics. Another separate mention belongs to San Giovanni in Laterano ♥♥, an opulent basilica built on the site of the first Catholic church in history (it is located slightly outside of the city core, but is definitely worth a detour).

Then, of course, there is Vatican. The enormous Piazza San Pietro ♥♥♥ is one of the most spectacular public spaces that I’ve ever seen in my life, with its semi-encircling colonnade, fountains, obelisks and statues. The incomparable St Peter’s Cathedral ♥♥♥ cannot be adequately described in words – I’m not even going to try. The view from its top terrace is worth the effort of climbing 491 steps, but be warned: Some parts of the climb are very tight and feel quite claustrophobic.

If you want to send a postcard from Vatican, there are three main locations to do that. The post office on the right of the square (if you face the cathedral) is the least crowded of the three. The one on the left of the square is subject to a lot of pedestrian traffic from the cathedral’s exit and, therefore, is much more crowded. The main post office is inside Vatican’s walls and, reputably, is a nice building in itself.

The colourfully dressed Vatican guards allow themselves to be photographed with children. They are positioned to the left of the cathedral.

Vatican Museums ♥♥♥ hold one of the most important art collections in the world, headlined by Raphael. You may have to endure longest waits during the busy season if you do not buy tickets in advance. The last Sunday of every month the entry to museums is free, and it pays to arrive an hour and a half before the opening; by the time the doors open, the line stretches for several kilometers. Sistine Chapel ♥♥♥ can only be reached through the museum – whether you love religious art or hate it, you’ll have to admit that frescoes by Michelangelo and other artists are masterpieces of unrivaled proportions.

A majestic and massive fortress, Castel Sant’Angelo ♥♥♥ is home to several exhibitions highlighting its history. There are a number of magnificent rooms with vivid frescoes, and the view of Rome from the top-level terrace is one of the best in the city.

For a respite from the bustling city, Villa Borghese ♥ is a large pleasant park, where hiring a pedal-powered carriage for cruising around is a popular activity. Make sure you get the one with a motorized boost; otherwise, the ratio of hard work versus enjoyment will tilt against you.

The Borghese Museum and Gallery ♥ is on the park’s grounds. The ground floor consists of nine splendid rooms full of superb sculpture, while the upper level contains an outstanding collection of paintings. Entry is timed and a limited number of people are allowed in for each two-hour interval; advance ticket purchase is essential.

The area of Trastevere ♥♥ around the church of Santa Maria is a hip and happening cluster of streets and squares lined with bars, cafés and shops, one of my most favorite rioni of the city.

Ghetto ♥, conversely, does not appear particularly hip, but it gets quite lively in the evenings. We walked by Rome’s central synagogue without going on a tour that it offers. At the beginning of Via Portico d’Ottavia, the main street of the Ghetto, there is a well-known pastry shop Il Boccione, where stern-looking all-female staff dispenses freshly-baked treats. We tried their specialty, torte di ricotta e visciole – those with a sweet tooth will love it!

Among the many delights that await you on various walking routes around town, is the amazing “keyhole” view ♥♥ through the locked gates of the church of Santa Maria del Priorato on Piazza Cavalieri di Malta on Aventine Hill. Off the beaten track, for sure, but worth every effort you put into getting there and finding it.

Transportation

We walked almost everywhere in Rome, having stayed largely within the city core. The couple of times we used metro in 2003, we did not like it much. Our recollection is that of the worst subway system that we have ever used anywhere – infrequent, badly-maintained and overall unpleasant. With only two lines in operation at that time, not many places were within easy reach by metro. The bus network is considerably more extensive, but not on one of our visits to Rome did we use a bus.

Taxis, however, are relatively inexpensive and useful. We hired a taxi several times during our visit in 2009, and paid less than €15 on every occasion. A fixed-rate of €48 is in effect for going to the airport from the city center (as of 2012).

Lodging

We rented a room at a B&B a couple of blocks away from Santa Maria Maggiore (as well as the main train station) in September of 2003. Our records show a good-sized room with en-suite bathroom (not always a given in Italian B&Bs) and a location a bit on the fringes of central city, but not too inconvenient walking-wise. The windows of our room looked into the inner courtyard, which resonated with fairly loud sounds of locals in the morning. Breakfast was rather limited, but borderline acceptable. For the price that we paid, this Budget B&B (link) was adequate.

In May of 2009, we stayed at another B&B, Pantheon View (link). It occupies part of the top floor in a building literally a few doors down from the Pantheon, and you can see a segment of Pantheon’s roof from your windows, just as the name of the establishment promises. The location is as central in Rome as one could get. The accommodations itself are no more than adequate. Our “suite” had a serviceable double bedroom, but the second bedroom was of a closet-like variety, with two single beds taking up practically all the available space and only a small window below the ceiling. A fan in each room was sufficient for a moderately cool weather during our visit, but I have doubts whether it would be sufficient on hot nights. The bathroom had a shower stall, but no bidet, an amenity that we’ve become accustomed to on our stays in Italy.

The place was clean, but not too cheerful. The noise from Piazza della Rotonda reached the open windows easily late at night. The elevator did not function on the day of our arrival, so we had to lug our bags ourselves for what felt like five floors up (only three, in fact, and the elevator got fixed the next day). The breakfast was decent, with some pastries, toasts, jam, cheese slices, tea, coffee, juice. A reasonable place to stay for people who require little beyond a bed (and simple breakfast).

For a stay in December 2012, we went with an apartment rental through Airbnb, finding a cozy and well-stocked place on Vicolo del Bologna in Trastevere ♥♥ (link). It was just perfect for a couple or for a solo stay. The little square beyond the front door may get noisy on weekend nights as people spill out from neighborhood bars and restaurants, but otherwise the location is very peaceful. All major attractions of the great city are within reasonable walking distance in different directions. The apartment has everything one needs, including basic food necessities and fully-stocked kitchen, so you can stay in and have a candlelight dinner whenever you choose. A couple of supermarkets are located literally around the corner, for all of your homemade meal needs, or just to bring a bottle of wine back to the apartment. Not that you’ll stay in very often, with dozens of good restaurants within a stone’s throw, but breakfast in bed is certainly a possibility. I cannot vouch for TV channels, not having turned the TV on even once (TV is not why I come to Rome), but the WiFi worked perfectly when I needed it. The bathroom is on the smaller side, but completely adequate, with a shower and a bidet-enabled toilet. The hosts are very prompt in their communications and in accommodating various requests.

Places to Eat

Of our major trips to Rome, we only kept detailed meal records in the spring of 2009, visiting several restaurants for which we found recommendations online. All those visits were as a party of four (two adults, two children).

Cassetta di Trastevere ♥♥, on Piazza de’ Renzi in Trastevere, sits on a small square, with both outside and inside seating areas. We sat indoors, in a dining room decorated to resemble a Mediterranean village, complete with wash-lines festooned with pieces of clothing. Quite an extensive menu, with prices roughly half of what you’d normally pay for dining. Good pizza, pasta, meat dishes. Excellent panna cotta for dessert. Our damage: €67, including a carafe of house wine and gratuities. Cash only.

Giggetto ♥♥♥, on Via Portico d’Ottavia in Ghetto, is widely known in Rome and beyond. One of the place that offers a Jewish-Italian mix of cuisines, it is extremely popular. Reservations are essential! There are several dining rooms and a couple of outdoors dining areas, and they were all full during our meal. The service is excellent, the wine list very extensive. The food is excellent, starting with fried artichokes through pastas and on to oxtail or veal with porcini and peas. Our damage: €134, including a bottle of wine, before gratuities.

We returned to Ghetto for a lunch, which we had at Piperno ♥, on little Monte de’ Cenci. This restaurant had a upscale feel, with fine cutlery and dishes and middle-aged waiters dressed in white jackets with black bow-ties. The service was of “refined” quality, although I did notice a waiter peeking over our heads to see if we finished our dishes. The food was good, but we did not order anything that would bowl us over. The damage was a bit too steep for a lunch: €100, including gratuities, without any wine to account for.

Ad Hoc ♥♥, on Via Ripetta, impresses from the very beginning with the shelves of wine bottles on open display. The wine list is virtually endless, and the menu, while not very extensive, is pretty interesting in that it provides a detailed description of each dish in both Italian and English. An attractive young waitress was almost fawning in her friendliness, which was compensated by another, not as friendly, hostess. Outstanding food. For starters, we had fish carpaccio and eggplant served in earthenware pots. For main courses, saltimbocca and salmon ravioli were very well received. Dessert sampler, consisting of pieces of four different cakes, disappointed a little – none of the cakes were great, a couple were somewhat cloying, – but berries with chantilly cream were excellent. Our online reservation entitled us to 15% off the bill, so the damage, with a bottle of wine but before gratuities, came to €125.

Coffee gourmands may appreciate Caffe Sant’Eustachio, on the eponymous square, more than we did. It is quite famous for the specialty coffee that it serves, but we are far from aficionados, so no recommendation, just a note for those who might enjoy it.

In December of 2012, we only recorded impressions of our meals, without keeping track of the actual menu selections. Those notes were turned into TripAdvisor reviews (found at this link). Here is the “heart” list of eateries from that trip: Bir & Fud ♥, Brunetti’s ♥♥, Cuoco & Camicia ♥♥♥, Dar Poeta ♥♥♥, Alfredo e Ada ♥♥♥, Hostaria del Moro da Tony ♥♥, Osteria dell’Ingegno ♥, Aristocampo ♥, Maranega ♥♥.

Tivoli

This erstwhile resort of the ancient Romans still contains a number of temples in different stages of preservation or ruin. We did not actually tour anything in town, as our sole purpose was a visit to Villa d’Este ♥♥♥. The sumptuous residence of a 16th-century cardinal is all about its terraced garden full of spectacular fountains. Some of the fountains show their age, but the overall impression is quite remarkable.

On the way to Tivoli from Rome, another major attraction, ruins of Hadrian’s Villa, awaits our visit some other time.

Getting to Tivoli by public transport in 2003 required a bit of determination. Buses to Tivoli could be caught at the last stop of the B metro line, Rebibbia, but they actually departed from a station next to one of the previous metro stops. The buses were infrequent and got crowded at the point of departure. We managed to squeeze into a bus at Rebibbia, but the ride was hugely unpleasant. On the way back, we waited for a bus at a stop in Tivoli for good 40 minutes. The effort was worth it for us, but others’ mileage may vary. It is possible that the transport links have improved nearly ten years later.

Destination appeal

Our verdict

Barcelona is one of those cities that enchant a visitor both with the variety of attractions and a measure of spirit not found anywhere else. Its major sights may get touristy and the overall ambience may suffer for that a bit, but there is so much to take in in this great city that a lasting image of it cannot be obscured even by the biggest tourist hordes. That lasting image would be of beauty, architectural imaginativeness and sparkle.

Things to See

The center of the city can be largely divided into three major sightseeing areas. The Old Town is the historic city center; Eixample is where most of the Modernist delights are; and Montjuïc is a high hill with several attractions of its own.

The landing point for many a visit to Barcelona will be lively boulevard Las Ramblas ♥♥♥. At different parts of it, it is a flower market, a pet market, a street painters gallery. And throughout its length, human statues of all kinds and origins ply their trade.

Among the points of interest along Las Ramblas is Font de Canaletes, a small fountain that is one of the Barcelona symbols; Mercat de Sant Josep ♥, popularly known as “La Boqueria”; the opera house, Gran Teatre del Liceu; Palau Güell, considered one of the most important works of Gaudí, but one which we are yet to tour; Museu de Sera, a reputedly delightful waxwork museum. One of the liveliest squares in the city, Plaça Reial ♥, is located just off Las Ramblas.

The Old Town of Barcelona is one of the largest in Europe, but on balance leaves lesser impression than similar districts elsewhere. Its core part, Barri Gòtic ♥♥, is a maze of streets and squares that contains the relatively compact Gothic Cathedral ♥ and a couple of impressive medieval palaces used for governmental purposes nowadays.

A major point of interest in Barri Gòtic, located on medievally narrow Carrer Montcada ♥, is Museu Picasso. Having endured a long wait to get in, I was disappointed by the collection exhibited therein. Your mileage may vary. Next to Picasso, there are a couple of lesser museums, which I never considered as possible stops on the itinerary, but you may find interesting.

There are several loosely-defined neighborhoods within the limits of the Old Town that warrant exploration. El Raval ♥, anchored by the wide Rambla de Raval, is multi-ethnic and some may even say best avoided late in the evenings. El Born ♥ is hip and happening.

The waterfront areas of Barceloneta ♥ and Port Vell ♥ are full of interesting sites, the former more quaint and historic, the latter more modern, with an IMAX and the Aquarium ♥ that surely will be of interest to kids. Monument a Colom ♥ marks the spot where Columbus stepped ashore upon his return to Spain in 1493 after having had discovered America. One can get to the viewing platform on its top, although one local warned me that the platform is really tiny and not overly enjoyable.

Almost at the foot of the monument, there moor las golondrinas ♥♥, double-decker boats which offer sightseeing trips around Barcelona’s harbor. The tours last only about half an hour (although longer tours are available as well), but they are very worthwhile for great perspectives of the city and close looks at ocean liners.

The popular Parc de la Ciutadella ♥♥ has a boating lake with an impressive ornamental cascade, but it is most importantly a relatively tranquil oasis in a bustling city. Parrots inhabit it in addition to pigeons and ducks and geese, making for interesting battles for crumbs. There are several museums located in various corners of the park, as well as the zoo (Parc Zoològic). The unusually Mudéhar Arc del Triomf ♥, erected in 1888 as the gateway to the Universal Exhibition, is worth a look.

One of the major Modernist masterpieces in town, Palau de la Musica Catalana ♥♥♥ also sits within the confines of Barri Gòtic. The guided tours are offered every half an hour, and nowadays alternate between Spanish and English, so you have plenty of opportunities to visit. The tickets occasionally can be obtained for the next departing tour, but most likely you need to buy in advance. The visit is entirely worth it.

Among other sights in the Old Town that remain to be explored by us in Barcelona are Museu d’Historia de la Ciutat and Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar.

Vast and fountain-adorned Plaça Catalunya ♥ connects Las Ramblas with Passeig de Gràcia ♥♥♥, the main artery of Eixample district. It is here that you will find the greatest collection of Art Nouveau buildings in Europe. In Catalonia that style, of course, is known as Modernisme.

Between Carrer d’Aragò and Carrer del Consell de Cent on Passeig de Gràcia sits the most famous group of Modernista buildings, Illa de la Discòrdia ♥♥♥. The three principal buildings on the block belong to three different architects and vary in outward appearance greatly, which explains their collective name. We only admired Casa Lleò Morera and Casa Amatller from outside, but went on a tour of Casa Battlò ♥♥, by Gaudí. The wavy designs with colourful mosaics are a visual feast. The audio-guide narration was slightly over the top with exuberance, but that was a tolerable negative.

A few blocks up the street, stands Gaudí’s greatest contribution to Barcelona’s civic architecture, Casa Milà ♥♥♥, more commonly known as “La Pedrera”. The building with no straight walls anywhere in its design, it is an architectural marvel of rare quality. The roof is one of its most fascinating features, where sculpted air ducts and chimneys look like some sort of an alien army.

Just a couple of blocks from here is the eclectic mixture of styles at Casa Terrades ♥. This apartment block is not open to the public, but is worth a look.

A 20-minute walk from here (or take the Metro, if you prefer), and you’ll find yourself in front of the church of Sagrada Família ♥♥♥, probably the most emblematic of Barcelona sights. The fantastic cathedral of the kind not seen anywhere in the Christendom was started by Gaudí in 1883 and its construction continues today. The star features of the church are the intricate Nativity Façade (the only part of the church fully completed at the time of Gaudí’s death in 1926), the Crypt where the architect is buried, the brilliant stained glass mosaics, and the nave where columns resemble palm trees and the ceiling looks like a tropical forest canopy. Interior of the church was completed very recently, and it looks as bright and as magnificent as anything we could imagine while looking at the construction site incarnation of it all the years before. Additional tower construction remains a work in progress. There is a museum of the church history as well. Taking a lift up one of the towers (with subsequent descent on foot) is quite interesting, but in high season, the wait time can easily exceed 90 minutes.

Quite at a distance from the city center (definitely go by Metro) is another famous Gaudí creation, a colourful and enchanting Parc Güell ♥♥♥. Among its delights is the Room of a Hundred Columns (actually, there are only 84 of the crooked pillars in this cavernous hall) and the Gran Plaça Circular, an open space with a balcony of coloured mosaics along its perimeter.

The hill of Montjuïc can be reached by a funicular from near Metro Paral-lel (the 50-second ride is quite disappointing if you expect something cool), after which various points of interest are connected by a cable car system with fantastic views over the city. Castell de Montjuïc ♥ occupies the highest point of the hill. The main attraction here are the finest views over the port, but an interesting military museum can be visited as well.

There are several other museums in the area, such as Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, located in the magnificent Palau Nacional, Fundacio Joan Miró, devoted to the famous Catalan painter, and CaixaForum, an exhibition center, none of which figured in our visits to town. Poble Espanyol ♥♥, however, provided a fascinating look into Spanish vernacular architecture styles. Many of its buildings house interesting artisan shops, so quick visit this was not.

Plaça d’Espanya ♥ is very busy with traffic, but is a grand square, with a splendid fountain, and two towers modelled after the Venetian campanile. The view between the towers towards the Palau Nacional is majestic. The square is also home to the city’s bullring, but Catalans have never taken to bullfighting much, and the arena is primarily used as a music venue. You can, however, get to the top tier of the arena for a rooftop view of the city.

Halfway between the square and the palace sits illuminated Font Màgica. This attractive fountain is only turned on in the afternoons, and it changes its shape at short intervals throughout the time it is on. It then truly comes to life in an incredible mix of colour and music for several performances after dark (Thursdays through Sundays during summertime, only weekends otherwise) ♥♥♥.

The highest point of Barcelona is Tibidabo ♥, which is some ways outside of city center. There is an amusement park at the top of the mountain and two very interesting churches, but most importantly, there are fantastic views over the city to be had from here.

An attraction slightly off beaten path, Parc del Laberint d’Horta is a quiet park with a British-style labyrinth as its main point of interest. It is located more than a dozen metro stops north of the city center. The park boasts several picture-worthy spots, but evokes a somewhat neglected feeling in places.

One of the most heart-warming sights in Barcelona is the Saturday folk dancing on the cathedral square ♥♥♥. A band plays Catalan tunes and the locals get in circles and dance sardana. It is not a performance dancing, but a spontaneous celebration of the native culture by everyone with a heart to dance. Most of the circles are made up of people of advanced age, but there are some youth clubs who participate as well. Because the dance is a group exercise, it is important to hold your own, and the determination of the teens to stay in rhythm and to execute seemingly simple moves flawlessly is remarkable.

Flamenco is not as big in Catalonia as it is in Andalusia, but there are several places to see it in Barcelona. Most of those offer a dinner-and-show or drinks-and-show combo which costs considerable amount per spectator. One time we decided to see a show, we opted for Los Tarantos, a tablao on Plaça Reial, which offers a 30-minute show for just €8 per person, in a theater seating with drinks completely optional. The show is billed as faithfully representative of Andalusian school of flamenco. There is a slight “it’s too short” feeling at the end of the show – and it is no less touristy than the more expensive versions – but if you don’t want to spend too much money, it is a reasonable option.

There are a couple of other attractions outside of the city center that may interest some people, namely, Camp Nou stadium and museum, home of FC Barcelona, and Palau Reial de Pedralbes, both located off Avinguda Diagonal several metro stops northwest.

Transportation

Metro system in Barcelona is mostly convenient and the trains run frequently enough. Buses, trams, funiculars and cable cars provide useful connections for some harder-to-get-to points of interest, but most of the sights are within walking distance of a metro station.

Places to Eat

On the fairly long stay in the city in the summer of 2011, no detailed records regarding restaurants were kept, even though there have been some good experiences along the way. Here are several names and heart ratings nonetheless: La Fonda ♥♥ and El Gran Café ♥♥ in Barri Gòtic; L’Olive ♥♥♥, close to the university and Passeig de Gracia; Luz de Gas ♥♥, the only floating café in Barceloneta harbor (don’t let the touristy feel to turn you off – tapas there were as good as anywhere else); La Xina ♥, a contemporary Chinese restaurant off Ramblas.

Señor Parellada ♥♥ is an oft-recommended eatery in El Born. All our records from the first visit in 2004 said that it was a pretty good meal. The impression was confirmed on a return visit in 2011. There is a bit of upscale pretense to the place, and the prices are towards a higher range, but the food is good and the experience is pretty nice. Last visit: Summer 2011.

Restaurant Tenorio ♥♥ sits smack in between Modernista buildings on Passeig de Gràcia. We had both a dinner and a lunch there. Strikingly modern decor and the kitchen open to the patrons’ view were a novelty to us. Very efficient service and a large menu. Not very expensive. We did not record the particulars of what we ordered, but recall that the food was excellent. Last visit: Spring 2004.

Most of the street cafés in the tourist-heavy areas of the city will offer you a middling culinary experience – and you potentially will pay comparatively too much for your meal; drinks cost exorbitant amounts of money. We tried several of the cafés on Las Ramblas (Brasil, Via70, Awaya) and one on Rambla de Raval (Fragua), all with similar results. To us, sitting down at such a place is worth it simply for the people-watching opportunities, and we do not expect food above average quality. It is important to consider getting a single bowl of sangria with two straws, not a bowl for each person (unless, of course, both of you are extreme sangria aficionados). Our damage has never been below €40, even for the smallest of selections. Last visits: Summer 2011.

Despite low expectations, Tapa Tapa on Passeig de Gràcia pleasantly surprised us with the speed of the service and quality of the food. We ordered seven different tapas, of which only one left a lot to be desired (mini entrecot – a fast-food-type piece of meat). The rest were pretty good – better than at aforementioned cafés on Las Ramblas. Our damage for a party of four: €47. We sat at a table in the open air, but the café interior looked quite interesting and original. Last visit: Summer 2008.

We also had lunch at Lonja de Tapas on Placeta Montcada. Modern interior, interesting menu, but the size of tapas portions was on a smaller side than usual, and despite overall pleasant environment, the value for money was not there. Our damage for a party of six: €90. Last visit: Summer 2009.

At La Boqueria market, not far from the entrance, there is a small bar Pinotxo ♥♥. It is frequently mentioned in the guidebooks as a cool experience. I don’t recall seeing a menu there, although I’m sure that some sort of a card exists. The proprietor, Juan, looks you in the eye and suggests a dish. You don’t decline. I was offered gambas, Natasha some fish or other – both were delicious. With only 15 or so seats, there is often a crowd waiting to get a turn. Juan is probably over 80 now, and I do not know if the bar will survive after him, but it was buzzing – and he was there – in July 2008 when we came for a look. The stall was shuttered in August 2011, on our last visit, but it could be due to summer vacation. Last meal: Spring 2004.

Lodging

Between our several visits to Barcelona, only a couple were longer than a day, meriting a hotel stay. Neither of our hotel selections could be called inspired, so the notes below should not be construed as endorsements.

In May of 2004, we stayed at Hotel Ronda (link) on the outskirts of the Old Town, but within reasonable walking distance from Las Ramblas. Recollections are of adequate, but unremarkable accommodations in a slightly seedy area. A specific note was made of the fact that the toilet did not flush unless the bathroom light was turned on. Make what you want of that.

In August of 2011, we stayed at Hotel Aneto (link), very close to Las Ramblas and La Boqueria market. In the plus column, there is proximity to Las Ramblas and to the metro, so you’re always central to many points of interest during your stay. The hotel also offers free wi-fi, and there aren’t any complaints about its cleanliness. It is a 1-star hotel, so room amenities are non-existent beyond a TV and a noisy A/C unit. And noise in general was a real problem – in a narrow-street-facing room, sleeping with balcony doors open was impossible (and even when closed, they hardly muffled car sounds from below). But most annoyingly, everything happening in the hallway, as well as in adjacent rooms sounded as if it was happening directly in our room.

While the immediate surrounding area felt safe in general, I did have not one but two encounters with thieves posing as lost tourists who attempted to pick my wallet within a hundred meters of the hotel door. Nothing of the kind happened to me on any other comparatively busy street in Barcelona, so this could be just an unfortunate coincidence, but these are the borders of El Raval district, which has a mixed reputation.

Parking

If you are driving into Barcelona for a day visit, expect the type of traffic comparable with any large European city, even though the major arteries are wider and more plentiful than elsewhere. Unlike some other places, though, there is convenient underground parking in the city center. Catalunya, located at the eponymous grand plaça that connects Las Ramblas with Passeig de Gràcia, is an ideal central location for exploration in both directions. If you want to park near Sagrada Familia, there is a convenient garage on Carrer de Provença between Carrer de Padilla and Carrer de Lepant. For sights near the waterfront, there is a large B:SM car park under Passeig de Colom.

Montserrat

The mountain community and monastery of Montserrat takes some effort to get to, but it’s very much worth it. An hour-long train ride from Plaça d’Espanya is followed up by 5-minute-long breathtaking ascent via a cable car or a funicular. (Note of caution: Please make sure you get correct round-trip tickets for the train portion of the trip; there are no ticket booths at some of the stations near Montserrat, and a €25 penalty to exit the turnstiles back in town if your ticket is of the wrong kind.)

Once in Montserrat, there are several attractions to avail yourselves to. Basilica ♥♥ is beautiful, and those willing can endure a long line to see the Black Virgin, a statue from 12th century. Museu de Montserrat ♥ holds a comparatively small collection of paintings, with many important artists (from Caravaggio and El Greco to Monet and Degas) represented by a single work each.

Another funicular can take you to an even higher point, Sant Joan, for panoramic views of the surrounding area all the way to the Pyrenees and the Balearic Islands. The combination of schedule and line size prevented us from taking advantage of that, but there are plenty of other fantastic views all over the Montserrat.

Costa Brava

You can technically make a day-trip out of a visit to Costa Brava from Barcelona, but not without a car at your disposal. Costa Brava notes are located here.

Destination appeal

Our verdict

Madrid is a beautiful city, especially its “Bourbon” part, where beautiful boulevards, fronted by grandiose buildings, connect squares adorned with magnificent fountains. It is an important center of culture, with several major art collections. It is an epitome of Castilian spirit, a city that dances the night away.

It may not stand as tall in the European-destination Pantheon as its peers such as London, Paris or Rome. But it has a lot to offer. For instance, I subscribe to a minority opinion that architecturally it is near the top of Old World major cities, definitely more stimulating than Paris in that particular aspect. And if you add the great food, the vibrancy and those many attractions, you get a city easy to like and enjoy.

Things to See

There are several striking public spaces in Madrid that all deserve a fair share of lingering at. In the Old City, the incomparable Plaza Mayor ♥♥♥ and the lively Puerta del Sol ♥♥♥ are the undeniable highlights, and Plaza de España ♥ is home to the monument to Servantes and his famous creations, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Plaza de la Villa ♥ always features in tourist guides as a beautiful historic square, while Plaza de Oriente ♥♥♥ not only has the enjoyable view of the Royal Palace, but also provides a surprising respite from the hustle and bustle of the Opera district. Gran Via ♥♥♥, which connects Plaza de España with the modern city center, is an undisputed architectural showpiece, with a number of Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings.

The area between Puerta del Sol and Gran Via is the prime shopping district, for those so inclined.

In Bourbon Madrid, Plaza de Cibeles ♥♥♥ with its eponymous fountain, Plaza Cánovas del Castillo ♥♥ with Fuente de Neptuno, Plaza de Colón ♥, with several monuments and fountains amid heavy traffic, and Puerta de Alcalá ♥ on Plaza de la Independencia, are the main focal areas of the city. Paseo del Prado ♥♥♥ is a beautiful promenade, with pedestrian boulevard taking more than half of its width, fronted by impressive buildings.

The outwardly austere Palacio Real ♥♥ hides splendid interior well worth a visit. Audio-guide narration is recommended. The nearby Catedral de la Almudena ♥♥♥, a massive edifice finished less than 30 years ago, may not be held in the same high esteem as its Middle Age brethren, but it is a marvel nonetheless, with unusual for a cathedral ceiling decorations and vivid stained glass mosaics.

The palace complex is surrounded by parks and gardens. Aforementioned Plaza de Oriente is also a statuary of early Spanish kings. Jardines Sabatini ♥, on the northern side of the palace, is a quiet and contemplative retreat. Campo del Moro is a pleasant park rising steeply to offer finest views of the palace; we did not actually go there.

Museo del Prado ♥♥♥ may not directly contend with Louvre or Hermitage for the title of the greatest art collection in the world, but it is certainly the foremost collection of Spanish art, and especially of works by Velázquez, Goya, Murillo and El Greco. Many old masters from other parts of Europe – Bosch, Rubens, Raphael, Titian, to name a few, – are represented as well.

Another superb art collection, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza ♥♥♥, contains a great assortment of Old Masters and Impressionists, as well as a smattering of Modern Artists. It is not big enough to be tiring, and significant enough to stake a claim as a must-see for an art lover.

Parque del Retiro ♥♥ is always full of Madrileños on a sunny weekend day. You can rent a boat to row on its pleasure lake, observe street portraitists plying their trade, or relax on a bench in the shade. The Monument of Alfonso XII and two attractive Neo-Classical palaces add both to the grandeur and to the charm of this beautiful park.

Estación de Atocha ♥ is one of the most arresting railway stations in all of Europe. Depending on how much you are an admirer of “industrial” architecture, you may be interested to take a look.

Another architectural sight impossible to miss is the grandiose Palacio Cibeles ♥. Somewhat prosaically, it is but the main post office, and while its Art Deco interior may be worth a look, it feels rather empty inside. However, there is a viewing platform at the top, which delivers nice vistas over the town. The entrance to the platform is free, but the visitor flow is regulated with a certain number of people every 15 minutes. You have to get a timed ticket on the main floor, before going up to the platform. During the shoulder season, we had to wait for 20 minutes for our turn, but weren’t disappointed.

One of the lesser museums in Madrid, but the one that we enjoyed tremendously, Museo Cerralbo ♥♥ holds a sumptuous collection of artifacts that include paintings, tapestries, sculptures, arms, furniture, curiosities, etc, set around a lavishly decorated 19th-century mansion, with glittering chandeliers, mirrored ballroom and resplendent library. Helpful and detailed tour booklet helps you get an extra insight into the atmosphere of the late 19th century recreated around you.

Another museum off beaten path, Museo Sorolla ♥, is the former residence of the Spanish impressionist. A pleasant house, fronted by a walled charming garden (and boasting another Andalusian garden inside the house), it is home to a surprisingly large collection of Sorolla’s paintings.

Madrid offers a fair share of walking routes in interesting neighborhoods, from chic La Latina ♥, ethnically-diverse Lavapies ♥, atmospheric Malasaña ♥ to the more upmarket Salamanca ♥, the latter pierced through by the Madrid’s smartest shopping street Calle de Serrano.

As an erstwhile stronghold of the Catholic faith, the city boasts a large number of churches that are worth a look. We randomly stepped into a handful on our walks around town, including San Miguel and San Nicholas, running into sermon proceedings more often than not. We can’t highlight any of them as targets for a dedicated visit, but architecture aficionados would not be disappointed with any of them. Iglesia de San Jeronimo et Real, above Prado, remains an elusive target for us, but its exterior is entirely arresting.

An interesting attraction in the Old Town, Mercato de San Miguel ♥, is a covered market which is aimed more at selling tapas and delicacies rather than meat, fish or produce. In the evenings, the place is packed with people hanging out and sampling various fares available from multitude of vendor stalls. “Traditional” market purchases are available here too, but practically no one comes here for that.

Among the attractions that we did not fit into either of our stays in Madrid is the modern art collection at Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, which holds Picasso’s famous Guernica. Other potential points of interest include market of El Rastro (held on Sundays only), and two monasteries.

Transportation

Madrid metro system is convenient, modern and frequent. You will unlikely require its services in the central areas, but for trips further afield – or to reach terminals for day-trips – it comes in very handy. Buy the 10-trip ticket – it comes at considerable savings and allows as many passengers to pass through the turnstiles on a single trip as the number of trips left on it.

Also, Madrid is extremely well served by taxis, and the cost of the ride even cross-town is quite tolerable.

Places to Eat

There are hundreds of places in Madrid to engage in the sampling of tapas, which we took ample advantage of. Theoretically speaking, one does not need ever to sit down for a full dinner in Madrid, as tapas provide an easy-to-find and practically around-the-clock mode of sustenance. In fact, tapas crawl – sampling something at a given eatery, then moving on to a different one for another bite, and so on – is an essential Madrid experience in itself (Calle Cava Baja and the area around Plaza Santa Ana are among primary locations). Be prepared, however, that as night gets longer, places become more packed, and you may have to eat your tapas while standing practically on top of other people.

It is also worth noting that you do lose in the quality of food by randomly picking touristy places or even many open-air cafés on bustling squares. While the experience should remain pleasant throughout, you cannot expect that the food will be uniformly excellent. You may end up with pulpo gallego that is way too salty, or with patatas bravas that are covered in lowly ketchup. That being said, you will never know without trying. We had some of our greatest culinary experiences at seemingly random selections. For instance, the unassuming Tapas 44 ♥, a bar on Gran Via near Plaza de España, hosted us twice to our complete satisfaction.

On a different note, Museo de Jamon ♥ is a chain of charcuterias which double as bars. You can get a sandwich to go for a couple of euros, with the meat cut right in front of you. You can also get a quick and tasty breakfast for under €5, including a cup of coffee.

The notes below mostly deal with restaurants that we targeted for full-blown sit-down meals.

Casa Lucas ♥♥ on Calle Cava Baja is a little place with the expressed limit of 29 people capacity (when we walked by it on one of our crawls late at night, it seemingly held at least 50, most standing). Getting there by the opening did the trick of getting to sit down for a meal. The menu is not very extensive, but all offerings have some unusual twist in them. We tried 5 different pinchos and raciones and were very happy with all. The damage: €60, including a few drinks. Last visit: Spring 2011.

Posada de la Villa ♥ also on Calle Cava Baja. A refined, somewhat upmarket place frequented by celebrities (we ran into a member of the Real Madrid soccer team there). Pleasant interior, very nice vino de la casa, understated service with a flourish. Local specialty – lamb quarter. The waiter was very insistent that we pick that, and turns out with some good reason. The lamb was exquisite, whereas deer cutlets were so-so. Oxtail, however, was also excellent. For starters, we tried two different soups, as well as caracoles and roasted peppers. Posadero postres, a sampler of desserts, was pretty good too. The damage: €220, including two bottles of wine, for 4 people. Last visit: Spring 2011.

Selected by our friends who were traveling with us, Diverxo ♥ is the first “TV-famous” restaurant that I’ve ever been to. It was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s Travel Channel show. Located pretty far from the city center, it is best reached by taxi. The menu provides only a choice of how many courses you intend to have, and everybody at the same table have to make the same choice, so that delivery of the various courses are synchronized for all diners in the party. We went for the cheapest option – a 7-course meal – which still clocked in at €75 per person. Each course is a bite-size plate in Asian-fusion style: a couple “appetizers”, then several “main courses” and dessert. Each new course is accompanied by an explanation provided by a waiter. All courses were truly unusual and extremely tasty. The service is collective and borders on too frequent; I have never seen this many waiters and busboys working a not-too-large room (40-50 people, at most) at the same time in a European eatery. Utensils and plates were replaced after each course. Very interesting meal, although clearly not one to be repeated often, both on the account of cost and convenience. Reservations have to be made a month in advance. As far as I understood, the plate lineup changes quite often, if not day-to-day based on whatever the chef bought on the market. At the end of the meal, the sommelier offered us delightful jerez, unlike any I tried before. The damage: €400, including wine and other drinks, for 4 people. Last visit: Spring 2011.

Astrid & Gastón ♥ on Paseo de la Castellana not far from Plaza Colón specializes in Peruvian cuisine. Large selection of wines and a pretty good menu, but we all decided to go for a set “Menu Tradition”, which ended up resembling our meal at Diverxo, complete with waiter’s explanations of what was brought to us. Only 6 courses, though, but all still on the smallish side. Good food, smooth service. The damage: €306, including wine and other drinks, for 4 people. Last visit: Spring 2011.

Meson Asturias ♥, on Calle Alvarez Gato, near the lively Plaza de Santa Ana, was a random choice on our very first night in town. Despite it being nearer to a tapas place than a formal restaurant, we spent over two and half hours at our meal there and recorded our satisfaction with the experience in our diary (without stating any details), which I suppose merits a one-heart recommendation. Our damage then: €47 for two, undoubtedly with at least a half-bottle of wine. Last visit: Spring 2004.

Botin ♥♥♥, on Calle de Cuchilleros, is the world’s oldest continually operating restaurant according to the Guinness Book of Records. Such designation could well indicate a tourist trap, but we still went and the experience was great. The place is certainly tremendously popular with both tourists and Madrileños – we showed up around 7pm and were able to procure a reservation only for 10:30pm; advance booking is very much advised. The food was excellent, and we clearly ordered too much for the two of us. I recall the starter portion of regional cold cuts being of the size that could easily pass for a whole meal. Our dinner lasted well beyond 1am and included an extended musical performance by a 6-person band. The damage then: €135 for two, which definitely included at least one wine bottle. Last visit: Spring 2004.

La Paloma ♥♥♥ was picked from our guidebook, and it turned out to be one of the more upmarket places that we went to on our travels. It is located on Calle de Jorge Juan, in a fairly fashionable area of the city. Our records state that our experience there was “indescribable”. Fantastic food, smooth and attentive service, ballroom-bright decor. This happens to be the place that turned me onto jerez, at the advice of our waiter. We must have been more careful with our orders after Botin, and the damage only came to €110 for two, which included wine and after-meal drinks. Last visit: Spring 2004.

Paella Real ♥♥, on Calle Arrieta, near Opera and not far from the Royal Palace, was recommended to us by a friend who had eaten there in the past. It is widely considered one of the best places in Madrid for classic paella. We did not record which type we ordered, but it was an excellent meal. The damage: €60 for two, with undoubtedly some wine and possibly jerez afterwards. Last visit: Spring 2004.

Tirso de Molina ♥, on the eponymous plaza, was an entirely random selection after our target place for the meal turned ugly (see below). A fetching large dining room inside and a nice outdoor dining area, which we took advantage of. Excellent gazpacho and patatas a dos salsas. We also tried paella, baby squid, pork cutlets and a variation of Morcilla omelette. A very good meal. The damage: €66 for 4 people. Last visit: Spring 2011.

I am only mentioning Casa de Granada as a sort of warning. I almost never walk out of a restaurant without eating once I settled down in a chair, but this was one such occasion. The restaurant is located on the top floor of a multi-story building off Plaza Tirso de Molina. It was nearly empty when we came in for lunch. Despite that, the waitress instructed us that we could not use two tables together for our party of four. We had to sit around a tiny round table. After we reluctantly agreed, the same waitress proceeded to tell us something about menus not being available at this hour. She spoke in Spanish, and pretty fast. I understand enough Spanish to handle myself in a restaurant, but my limited knowledge did not allow me to discern what options she might have been offering us. I tried to figure out what she was saying, but the waitress made no attempt to help me. We got up and left. I am a big proponent of leaving American habits at home when I travel to foreign destinations, but even I cannot accept when a waiter is not willing to meet me half-way to reach an understanding.

Another random selection, El Botanico on Calle Espalter is somewhat overpriced on account of its location next to Prado and the Botanic Garden. Not a bad lunch nonetheless, which included gazpacho, cod croquettes, oxtail and black paella. The damage: €130 for 4 people. Last visit: Spring 2011.

Lodging

In May of 2004, we stayed at Hotel Plaza Mayor ♥♥♥, (link) on recommendations picked up at Fodor’s. It is located not on the Plaza Mayor itself, but on the adjoining Plaza de Santa Cruz. The all-night-long reverie on the plaza may be a nuisance for those expecting peace and quiet, but you need to look for places away from the city center to find that. We had what is likely the best room (I believe the room number is 503, but I could be mistaken) on the top floor, with the balcony looking out onto the square below (it’s the top window on hotel’s small cut-corner side above its entrance, as seen in the pictures on its website). The location is perfect for the Old Town explorations and within reasonable walking distance from the Bourbon part of the city. Very good breakfast; tapas separately offered throughout the day.

In May of 2011, we shared an apartment with our friends at Gran Via 73 ♥ (link). Three bedrooms (two doubles – but the size of a double bed in Europe is considerably smaller than the queen size in the US; one twin), two full bathrooms, one even featuring a bidet. Large sitting room with nice views over Plaza de España and Gran Via. Despite being on the 7th floor (which would actually be 8th in US gradation), there is plenty of noise from the street at night, but again, you can’t hardly avoid that in Madrid no matter where you are. Sitting room has an A/C unit. There are 2 elevators in the building, one more modern and fast, the other more old-fashioned, with manual doors, which are invariably not closed properly, making it stuck on some floor above or below you. Location is towards the edge of the central area of interest, but still within easy reach from most attractions. Metro station is 20 meters from the building entrance. We did find a huge cockroach in one of the bathrooms, which clearly negated some of the good impressions, but overall it is a pretty good, clean and well-furnished residence for a Madrid stay.

Toledo

In 6 words: A medieval gem of a city. For your first visit half-day should be enough to get acquainted with the city and its major sights. Distances are walkable in all cases, you will need public transport only to/from bus or train station. Worthy attractions: Cathedral; Sinagoga del Tránsito; Sinagoga de Santa María la Blanca; Iglesia de Santo Tomé.
Left for another visit: Museo de Santa Cruz; Monasterio de San Juan de Los Reyes [did not go inside]; Alcázar; Casa-Museo de El Greco. Last visit: June 2011.

Toledo is such a beautiful and full-of-history destination that it probably warrants more than an intraday trip from Madrid, but its exploration is unlikely to be undertaken as anything but such trip.

The medieval melting pot of Christian, Muslim and Jewish cultures, Toledo was for a time one of the most important cities in all of Europe. Its historic center, dramatically sitting behind old walls high on a hill above the River Tagus, offers a lot of the city’s rich history on display.

The most remarkable sight in Toledo is its massive Cathedral ♥♥♥. Its interior is nothing short of splendid, full of decorations and artifacts, with several pipe organs built in different styles. Brilliant stained glass windows and frescoes are present throughout the cathedral. In the choir, every seat is marked with a unique carved sculpture. In the cardinal picture gallery, two portraits by Goya always get the dismissive reaction from the tourists when compared against more “realistic” other portraits.

We spent most of our two trips to the city strolling along its streets and taking in the sights. Of the attractions open for visiting, we only stepped into a couple. Sinagoga de Santa María la Blanca ♥♥, the oldest and largest of the city’s eight original synagogues, is now restored to its maiden beauty, with its mudejar columns and remains of Catholic frescoes. On our last visit, in 2011, it held an exposition of Jewish symbolism.

Another temple, Sinagoga del Tránsito ♥♥, impresses with its main prayer hall with high ceiling, but it is also a great museum of Jewish history and customs. Several rooms has various objects on display, accompanied by good tour booklets in various languages.

The painter El Greco spent the second half of his life in Toledo, and there are a number of his works in various city churches and museums, as well as a Casa-Museo de El Greco. I cannot say that I am a fan of his painting style, and we bypassed the museum. But we did step into Iglesia de Santo Tomé for a quick look at one of his masterpieces, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz.

More of El Greco’s works, along with other works of art, can be seen in Museo de Santa Cruz, which we also passed up. And we only walked around Monasterio de San Juan de Los Reyes, without going inside. One other potential attraction, Alcázar, is the main army museum in Spain, replacing Madrid’s Museo del Ejército.

Toledo is a suitable place for a museum of arms. Its souvenir shops are full of swords, knives and such. I don’t know anyone who comes back from a visit to Toledo without at least a picture of him/herself wielding a heavy sword; some return with the actual weaponry.

Transportation logistics

There is a high-speed AVE link between Madrid Atocha and Toledo, taking only 35 minutes one way. It is, of course, more expensive than the regular train, and the trains run hourly during rush hour (which is in the opposite direction in which you will be traveling, to Madrid in the mornings and to Toledo in the evenings), but only once every two hours at other times. You also need to buy tickets in advance to ensure that you can get on the train that you want, but this is by far the most convenient way to get there.

The regular train service from Madrid runs once every couple of hours and takes an hour and a half to complete the journey one way. On our first visit in 2004, we opted for a bus journey instead, which takes about one hour and fifteen minutes. The comfortable, air-conditioned buses depart from the Mendez Alvaro bus station (eponymous metro station) every 30 minutes. From the station in Toledo you should opt for either a municipal bus or a short taxi ride to the city center.

Places to Eat

We stopped for lunch at Adolfo Colleccion Perdiz on Calle Reyes Catolicos. Nice atmosphere and fairly leisurely service. The food is pretty good, although gazpacho was probably the simplest of all that we tried. We also ordered local pork dish, beans and meat soup, baby squid, venison sausage and the selection of tapas, the latter including potatoes with fish, fried cheese, mushrooms, venison and a cake with ice cream. We separately ordered local dessert specialty, marzipan cake. The damage: €98 for 4 people. Last visit: Spring 2011.

Segovia

In 5 words: As picturesque as it gets. For your first visit half-day should be enough to get acquainted with the city and its major sights. Distances are walkable in all cases, you will need public transport only to/from train station. Worthy attractions: Cathedral; Alcázar; Aqueduct.
Left for another visit: there are a number of churches and a couple of monasteries that may be worth a visit. Last visit: June 2011.

Segovia is breathtakingly pretty and very easy to fall in love with. There are not too many attractions that specifically merit a visit, but walking the streets of the historic town core is a treat, with many houses decorated with elaborate ornamental stucco patterns. There are also numerous artisanal shops to browse, many pretty squares to rest at, and amazing vistas all over the place.

The 2000 year old Aqueduct ♥♥♥ meets you as you enter the city center and bids you farewell when you leave. The amazing structure was in use until the 19th century and remains in pretty good shape nowadays. You cannot climb on its top, but you can walk up the stairs on the side of Plaza del Azoguejo to get a nearly level view with the Aqueduct’s upper tier.

The aqueduct continued underground across the city, and you can follow its route above by walking along commemorative plaques that mark its location in two dozen places.

Segovia’s Cathedral ♥♥♥ may not be as famous as Toledo’s, but it is nonetheless the last great Gothic church in Spain. Its many chapels are not off-limits to the visitors as is often the case elsewhere, so there is plenty of exploring to be had. Near the Cloisters, there is the fine Sala Capitulares and a small museum.

Alcázar ♥♥♥ is worth the visit to Segovia all on its own. Not only there are magnificent view of Castilian countryside from its walls and the Tower (152 steps to climb up), but also there are a series of elaborately decorated rooms inside (don’t forget to look up to check the luxurious ceilings – in each room, it’s different), and the castle has that quint-essential fairy-tale look and feel. Since it is located some kilometer or so away from the town center, you can also see the panoramic view of the town, dominated by the cathedral, from the same Tower.

There are also several churches and monasteries in town, and a fine arts museum or two, but they probably only get visited by people who stay in Segovia for more than a day.

When you are riding back to the train station, ask the driver to point out to you Mujer Muerta, a mountain massif that looks like a woman lying on her deathbed. Rather eerie.

Transportation logistics

High-speed trains serve Segovia from Madrid Chamartin station, and take less then 30 minutes. Buy tickets in advance to ensure that you can get on the train that you want. From the train station, it is a 10-15 minute taxi ride to the historic town center. You can also take a bus, but I suspect it will take considerably longer.

There is also a regular train service that takes close to two hours to complete the journey one way. It actually arrives at a different train station. On your way back to the station from the town, if you’re taking a taxi, make sure the driver is clear which of the two stations you are going to. Saying “tren rapido” would do the trick for the high-speed train station.

Places to Eat

By the aqueduct, on Plaza del Azoguejo, Meson de Candido ♥ definitely attracts tourist crowds, but is nonetheless a good choice for a meal. We ordered two different soups – de pescados and a typical Castilian – followed by an “appetizer” of mushrooms that was the size of a proper meal and a reasonable codfish filet. The damage: €66 for 2 people, including a carafe of wine. Last visit: Spring 2011.

El Escorial

The imposing grey palace of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a great destination for a half a day away from Madrid. The unornamentally severe palace was intended to serve as a mausoleum and a contemplative retreat, rather than an opulent country residence.

The royal apartments are quite humble, but the main attractions of the palace are its artistic wealth and the splendor of some of its main purposed rooms, especially Library ♥♥♥, which holds forty thousand books in twelve languages, Basílica ♥♥, with a lavish altarpiece, Royal Pantheon ♥♥♥, with the funerary urns of Spanish monarchs, and Sala de Batallas ♥♥, with walls and the ceiling covered in paintings depicting various battles. The Museum of Art contains a number of Flemish, Italian and Spanish paintings.

The palace is huge, and touring it with an audio-guide takes around three hours at a minimum. The village, over which the complex towers, is rather nondescript.

Transportation logistics

Most frequent train services to El Escorial are from Chamartin, which is near a metro station Bambú. The train ride takes about 50 minutes. Upon arriving in El Escorial, you may want to walk uphill to the palace on your own, or to take a municipal bus. I recommend the latter; leave the walking bit for the return leg.

Destination appeal

Our verdict

Swiss skiing resorts may be the overall top attraction of this beautiful country, but it has quite a lot to offer to a discerning tourist beyond skiing. We had only limited opportunities to discover that on our European travels until late 2010, when I managed to spend a full week exploring various Swiss destinations.

Zurich

In 8 words: Swiss finance, plus a handful of cultural attractions. For your visit one full day should be sufficient. Distances are walkable in all cases. Worthy attractions: Grossmünster; Fraumünster; Kunsthaus. Left for another visit: Schweizerisches Landesmuseum. Last visit: November 2010.

Zurich is not really known for must-see attractions, but its central area is pleasant enough, deftly combining pretty sights with opulence of a major center of finance. The town is neatly separated in two halves by the Limmat river, with some of the most pleasant medieval streets on the east bank and some of the most imposingly monumental on the west one. The former exudes hip café culture, the latter – loftiness of high finance. Both are worth a leisurely stroll through, as is a walk along quays on the river and a visit to the main street, Bahnhofstrasse.

Grossmünster ♥♥ is austere and does not really impress on the inside as it does on the outside, but if you walk up one of its towers you’ll be rewarded with excellent views over the city, the lake and to the mountains.

Fraumünster ♥♥ is famous for its Chagall stained-glass windows, and well worth a look.

Kunsthaus has a reasonable, if unexceptional, collection of Old Masters and Impressionists. During my visit, most of the cost went towards a special exhibition (Picasso, at that time), which I assume occur with regularity.

A curious place to visit is Uhrenmuseum, at Beyer store (Bahnhofstr 31). Downstairs, in a single room, it displays hundreds of interesting clock-pieces from throughout history.

Places to Eat

A number of our dining choices in Zurich were arbitrary, not truly warranting a write-up and/or recommendation. Here are a few that stood out. All last visited in the Fall of 2010, unless noted otherwise.

Ristorante Contrapunto ♥, on Paradeplatz. Situated on two levels, with simple modern interior. Fairly attentive service, good Italian menu. Tried zuppa di pesce and bistecca di vitello con porcini, which were very tasty. Not cheap: CHF 84.50 for one person, with only a single glass of wine.

Bodega Espagnola ♥♥, on Münstergasse, not far from Grossmünster. Popular Spanish place. Lower level reputedly has excellent tapas atmosphere, but we ended up in a more formal dining room upstairs. Good seafood paella, large selection of Spanish wines. Live guitar music and may get a little noisy. Our damage: CHF 150 for two, including a bottle of wine.

Ristorante Cantine ♥, on Niederdorfstrasse. Good Italian menu, nice house wine, clean modern interior. Garlic consommé (cappeletti brood) and bruschetta pomodoro for appetizers, saltimbocca and manzo all griglia for main course – all very nice. Our damage: CHF 150, including bottle of wine and tips, for two people.

Restaurant Le Dézaley ♥♥♥ is a well-known and popular fondue eatery at the foot of Grossmünster. It boasts an extensive menu beyond fondue, but my local hosts insisted on having the classic Swiss meal. No regrets – fondue was excellent. The service was beyond reproach, and, despite the fact that the place is frequented by tourists, the atmosphere of a traditional Swiss meal remained. Reservations recommended. Last visit: Winter 2008.

Lodging

The time I stayed in Zurich in 2010, my base was Courtyard Marriott, at Max-Bill-Platz, near Oerlikon. It is perfectly fine as an American-type lodging for anyone not planning to spend all of their time in city center (and, obviously, for a Marriott Rewards member – my stay was entirely covered by rewards points). But it is not close enough to center – 5-min walk plus 20-min tram ride to Bahnhofstrasse – to warrant a recommendation for a Zurich-centric stay. Breakfast was not included for rewards-based stay, so I made no attempt to try it (CHF 20 per person for a cold buffet, CHF 30 for a hot buffet). A/C in Switzerland is off altogether in late fall/winter, so the room can get a bit stuffy even if you don’t turn the heat on much; you can open windows (although mine were looking out on a fairly busy street). There is a PC-enabled “business center” in the lobby – for an extra charge, and I did not manage to harness the process of paying. No room service at the hotel.

Geneva

In 9 words: Nice, but hard to rate after two short visits. For your visit you likely need a day to get acquainted with the city and its major sights. Distances are short in the city center. Worthy attractions: Lakefront, with a pleasant park and Jet d’eau. Left for another visit: Cathedrale de St-Pierre [did not tour inside]; Palais des Nations. Last visit: January 2007; dinner in Nyon in February 2008.

Geneva is a nice city, even though it does not boast any must-see major sights.

The lakefront ♥ is very pleasant, with a prominent 140-meters high water jet stream that is considered the symbol of the city. The Old Town is an agreeable cluster of pretty streets lined up with well-maintained buildings. St Peter’s Cathedral in the center of the Old Town is architecturally winning, but we did not endeavor inside.

The town of Nyon, located less than 20 miles away from Geneva along the lake shore, has its own waterfront that is Geneva’s miniature sans Jet d’eau.

Places to Eat

La Croix-Verte ♥♥, located in the centre of Nyon, serves excellent fare, accompanied by very nice service. Our damage: CHF 270 for four adults and two kids, including a bottle of wine. Last visit: Winter 2008.

Bern

In 4 words: Well-preserved historic town. Bern is a few-hours-long destination, even if you venture into a museum. Distances are walkable in all cases. Worthy attractions: Münster St Vinzenz; Bear Park; Zytglogge. Left for another visit: Bundeshaus [did not tour inside]; Kunstmuseum. Last visit: November 2010.

Bern has one of the most homogeneous and pretty city centers, understatedly commercialized, which is easily traversed on foot along several parallel streets. Among the main attractions of the town are brilliant stained-glass windows at the cathedral ♥, the bears walking the slopes of Barenpark ♥, and the former town gate, Zytglogge, with an astronomical clock built in 16th century, which provides a somewhat underwhelming moving figures display on every hour. The imposing Bundeshaus may be worth a tour some other time.

Luzern

In 4 words: Beautiful architecture and waterfront. Lucerne is a few-hours-long destination, which could potentially stretch into a full day with a museum visit. Distances are walkable in most cases, but getting to Transport Museum may require driving. Worthy attractions: Chapel Bridge. Left for another visit: Rosengart Collection; Hofkirche; Swiss Transport Museum. Last visit: November 2010.

The fine historic houses of Luzern’s Old Town have their façades painted with frescoes or covered with sgraffito decoration. Coupled with surviving ancient layout, it makes for a very enticing locale. Chapel Bridge ♥ – a symbol of Luzern if there is one – is one of the main sights to see. My time in town was spent entirely on strolling around its quaint streets, taking in the architectural delights.

Fribourg

In some aspects similar to Bern’s, Fribourg’s historic core is smaller, but still quite attractive, with steep cobbled streets, well-preserved Gothic houses and many fountains. The cathedral ♥♥ is relatively bright and well-decorated, with radiant stained-glass mosaics and paintings.

La Maison de Gruyere

Mildly curious audioguide-enabled tour of this dairy may or may not coincide with the timing of the actual cheese-making operations on the production floor. If it does, the tour becomes slightly more fulfilling.

The village of Gruyere above the dairy is well-preserved, and its castle is reputedly worth a visit, but it unfortunately did not fit into my itinerary.

Nestle’s Maison Cailler

This chocolate factory ♥♥ leads you on an interesting tour, which starts with the animated history of cocoa and chocolate and proceeds to introduce Swiss chocolatiers and their contributions. The tour then continues with a look into the chocolate-making process, finishing with a tasting of various products.

Lausanne

In 3 words: Needs more exploring. For your visit you likely need a day to get acquainted with the city and its major sights. Distances are walkable. Left for another visit: Cathedrale Notre-Dame [did not tour inside]; Palais des Rumine with its several museums; Fondation de l’Hermitage. Last visit: November 2010.

Lausanne was a not-certain last stop on a packed daily itinerary, and I did not manage to do it justice with exploring. I only spent a few hours in town after the sun had already set. I climbed up the steep hills to the cathedral, but it was already closed to visitors. After that, time was taken by strolling through a largely pedestrianized and rather commercialized city core.

Solothurn

Solothurn deserves its crown as Switzerland’s most beautiful Baroque city. Its compact historic center is beautiful and boasts a number of architectural delights. Both St Ursen Kathedrale ♥♥ and Jesuitenkirche ♥♥ are lavishly decorated and impressive.

Lake Maggiore

Lake Maggiore (as well as Lake Lugano, which I did not tour) is simply spectacular, with atmospheric resorts and little villages surrounding it. I spent some time in Locarno and Ascona, both of which must be bursting with crowds during summer, as well as drove along the lake shore for some of the most fantastic views anywhere.

Liechtenstein

The only reason I made a detour to Duchy of Liechtenstein one day was to add one more check-mark to my list of countries I have been to – after all, this is an independent country. There are no truly worthy sights in the tiny principality; my entire visit must have lasted all of 30 minutes.

Resorts

A separate article on Villars-sur-Ollon can be found here.

Destination appeal

Our verdict

When I am pressed to name the city that I think is the most beautiful in the world, I always say Prague. My preferences in architecture and ambience run along spires that pierce the skies, bridges spanning the rivers, narrow streets, medieval jumble of roofs, delightful little details around every corner. Elaborate façades of buildings of later-than-medieval eras do not hurt either.

Prague has all of that and more. And most importantly, almost all of its architectural delights are in pristine renovated shape. We always feel that a structure is always more attractive when it looks cared after than something in a dilapidated state. On our first visit to Prague, we fell in love with it, and a recent return trip only reinforced our affection.

Things to See

Prague is more or less divided into two parts by river Vltava. The left bank is where the Castle, the district around it (Hradčany) and the atmospheric Little Quarter (Malá Strana – it is actually the second largest of the five main areas of the city) are. On the right bank, the historic core of the city consists of the Old Town (Staré Město) and the Jewish Quarter (Josefov); to the south of the two, the larger New Town (Nové Město) has a few points of interest as well.

The focal point of the historic Prague center is the vast pedestrian Old Town Square ♥♥♥ (Staroměstské Náměstí). In addition to colourful array of Romanesque and Gothic buildings surrounding it, several important sights are located here, including Jan Hus Monument that commemorates the religious reformer and Czech hero. We only marvelled from the outside at the magnificent multiple steeples of the Church of Our Lady before Týn (open only for services) and the lovely Rococo Kinský Palace (a venue for temporary art exhibitions, so probably not worth much of an in-depth visit), but we stepped into the dramatically white Church of St Nicholas ♥ (Kostel Sv. Mikuláše) to admire its huge crown-shaped chandelier.

The southwest corner of the square is taken up by the Old Town Hall (Staroměstská Radnice). Its most famous feature, the Astronomical Clock ♥♥ (Orloj), is a remarkable piece of engineering. It also offers mechanical figure performances every hour to the crowds of tourists gathering in front of it. The performance consists of the procession of 12 Apostles, preceded by movements of the figure of Death, and followed by a crowing cock. There are also moving figures symbolizing Vanity, Greed and Lust. Curious, but very short, and may not be worth enduring the crowds. (On advice of an acquaintance, we had a breakfast with a view to the clock one day at a café opposite the Town Hall; while we were able to enjoy the clock performance better, we did not particularly liked the establishment – see below in “Places to Eat”.)

Old Town Hall Tower is open for a climb to its high gallery with a fine view of the city ♥♥♥. If you also want to see the workings of the clock mechanism from inside, you will have to get a full town-hall tour with a guide ♥. We decided to go for it and, while it is definitely of the kind that can be skipped, were not very much disappointed: There is a number of interesting rooms and exhibits.

To the north of Old Town Square lies the historic Jewish Quarter. One of its main streets, Pařižská ♥ is an impressive treasure trough of renovated 18th- and 19th-century buildings.

There are a handful of synagogues in the Jewish Quarter that may be worth a visit. Foremost of them is the Old-New Synagogue (Staronová Synagóga) ♥♥, one of the oldest in Europe. Unlike other synagogues, this is less of a museum exposition and more of a true place of worship look-in. The other synagogues all exhibit ceremonial and domestic artifacts from Jewish life of past centuries. We stopped by Klausen Synagogue (Klausová) ♥, Maisel Synagogue (Maiselova) ♥ and the Ceremonial Halls ♥ near the cemetery. We decided against visiting Old Jewish Cemetery (Starý Židovský Hřbitov), as well as a few other synagogues in the area.

Not far from the Jewish Quarter is a mildly interesting Museum of Decorative Arts (Uměleckoprůmyslove Muzeum), with exhibitions of glass, crystal, porcelain, clocks, wedding dresses, etc.

We attended an excellent classical concert ♥♥ – Vivaldi and Mozart – in the beautiful Chapel of Mirrors at the Clementium. The impressive complex is now the National Library, and you would not get to the chapel unless for a musical performance. In fact, there are many classical music performances in various churches across the city. We have been only to one, but liked it a lot.

We only walked by the Powder Gate (Prašná Brána), a severe-looking tower, and the Municipal House (Obecní Dům), one of the most prominent Art Nouveau buildings in the city, on the edge of the Old Town.

The narrow and winding Charles Street ♥♥♥ (Karlova Ulice) is home to many attractive Gothic and Renaissance buildings with fascinating house signs. In this area of Prague, matching house names with their signs is a never-ceasing delightful activity for children and adults alike. The street runs from the Old Town Square directly onto the Charles Bridge.

Charles Bridge ♥♥♥ (Karlův Most) is undoubtedly the main symbol of Prague. The pedestrian bridge is busy with revelers, street vendors, artists and performers from morning hours until well after midnight, so if you want to experience it at a quiet moment, you have to come here with sunrise. But even at its busiest, the 650-years-old bridge is still a wonder. It is lined with 30 statues, many of which are copies of the originals now displayed at various museums. One statue, that of St John Nepomuk, near the middle of the bridge, is always a cause for pedestrian traffic on account of all people who want to rub it for luck.

The bridge is guarded by towers on both sides of the river. You can ascend to the top of each tower for great sweeping views over the city and the river. I personally liked the view from the Old Town Bridge Tower ♥♥♥ slightly better than that from the Little Quarter Bridge Tower ♥♥.

On the left-bank side of Charles Bridge, the Little Quarter is the part of Prague that has been least affected by recent history. It is probably the most atmospheric and romantic area because of that. Bridge Street ♥ (Mostecká Ulice) is a picturesque entryway to the area.

Right under the bridge on this side of the river is the district of Kampa ♥, one of the most happening areas in Prague, with plenty of good eateries and some points of interest.

The main square of the Little Quarter, Little Quarter Square ♥ (Malostranské Náměstí) is a former marketplace now surrounded by fine Baroque buildings. It is dominated by Church of St Nicholas ♥♥ (Kostel Sv. Mikuláše – yes, there are two churches of the same name in Prague). In this resplendent cathedral, you get a rare chance to ascend to the balcony for a good view of the church interior from an upper level.

Not far from the square is Wallenstein Palace (Valdštejnský Palác). It is open only on weekends, not when we were around, and we decided against visiting gardens only, although reputedly they are very alluring. Instead, we spent some time in Vrtba Garden ♥♥ (Vrtbovská Zahrada), a beautiful Baroque garden of steps and ballustraded terraces. From the top terrace, there are magnificent views both of the castle and of the Little Quarter.

Similar to Charles Street, the picturesque and narrow Nerudova Street ♥, which runs from Little Quarter Square up to the castle, has a splendid selection of fine houses adorned with magnificent heraldic beasts and emblems.

There are several other churches, parks and gardens in the Little Quarter. The southwest part of it is taken up by the vast Petřín Park ♥, with grand panoramas of Prague from different vantage points. There are several minor attractions at the highest point of the park, served by funicular railway (Observation Tower, an imitation of Tour Eiffel of sorts, Mirror Maze ending with a room of curved mirrors, Observatory).

Prague Castle ♥♥ (Pražský Hrad) is where the history of Prague started. It has several points of interest. First of all, of course, is the St Vitus Cathedral ♥♥♥ (Chrám Sv. Víta) whose towers and spires soar above the city. The Gothic cathedral is richly decorated and impressive both on the exterior and inside, with brilliant stained-glass windows and magnificent bas-reliefs around its perimeter.

A small alley with brightly-painted tiniest of houses, Golden Lane ♥ (Zlatá Ulička) is an amusing sight, a former residence of castle guards and later goldsmiths. In 1916, Franz Kafka stayed in No. 22 for a few months. All of the houses are now souvenir shops. There are also a couple of small expositions – medieval arms and clothes, and a torture chamber.

The Royal Palace (Královský Palác) is only marginally worth a visit. Its dozen or so of rooms open for visitors fail to truly impress. St George’s Basilica ♥ (Bazilika Sv. Jiří) keeps remnants of some impressive frescoes. There is also a reputedly strong collection of paintings at St George’s Convent (Klášter Sv. Jiří), and the Czech history museum at the Lobkowicz Palace (Lobkovický Palác) within the castle complex. Also there is a small but curious toy museum ♥, which is very popular with kids. Its thousands of exhibits are arranged in a series of thematic displays, and the upper floor is given to a huge collection of Barbie dolls and its friends.

We did linger a bit at the pleasant Royal Garden ♥ (Královská Zahrada) outside castle walls, and took a passing look at the Belvedere, one of the finest Renaissance buildings north of the Alps (it is open only for exhibitions).

Outside of the castle gates, at Sternberg Palace (Šternberský Palác), you can find Gallery of Old Masters ♥. It does not compete with the foremost painting collections found elsewhere in Europe, but some of its paintings are worth a look.

A town called Hradčany was founded in early 14th century around the castle. In this elevated area of the city, there are several charming streets and attractive sights to explore. We only looked from the outside at Schwarzenberg Palace (Schwarzenberský Palác) and a couple of other imposing buildings. We did visit Loreta ♥, an opulent complex devoted to the legend of the Santa Casa de Loreto. Its treasury contains a large number of valuable jewelled liturgical items.

We also visited Strahov Monastery ♥♥ (Strahovský Klášter), which boasts a couple of grandiose halls, Theological and Philosophical, and the splendid Church of Our Lady. We could only see the libraries through the open doors, and I do not recall why we were not able to actually enter them.

To the south of the Old Town lies the area that is younger in appearance, the New Town. While dating from mid-14th century, this district was largely redeveloped in the late 19th century. There are several potentially interesting churches located in various corners of it (none that we visited), the resplendent National Theater (Národní Divadlo), which can only be visited for a performance, and a few museums that we decided to skip, among them the National Museum (Národní Muzeum) whose collection is said to be much less impressive than the building it inhabits. Some blocks in Nové Město consist entirely of adjoined Art Nouveau buildings, with mosaics, sgraffito, ornamental balconies, bas-reliefs, etc. All in well-preserved condition.

The two major squares in Nové Město are Wenceslas Square ♥ (Václavské Náměstí) and Charles Square ♥ (Karlovo Náměstí). The former is really a wide street surrounded by hotels, restaurants, clubs and shops. The latter has a peaceful retreat of a park and projects the academic environment of the city university.

The most fetching quays are along the edge of the New Town. It is here that you will come upon the quirky “Ginger and Fred” office building, for instance.

Of the attractions outside of the city center, we only attempted to visit a couple. On our own, we went to Vyšehrad, the legendary first seat of Czech royalty. The area has several interesting sights, including the twin-spired Church of St Peter and St Paul, but as we came around in early evening, everything was mostly closed and deserted.

At the advice of our personal guide, we also went one evening to the Exhibition Ground to see a light-show performance of Křižík’s Fountain ♥.

One activity that we like to make a part of our visit to any city with river traffic is a boat excursion. There are many offerings of this type on Vltava. While the different perspective on main city sights is always fascinating, not all boat rides are born the same. On our first try, we were given a true cruise of the river, going some distance away from the Charles Bridge. If you pick one of those, you’ll agree with a ♥♥ rating. Unfortunately, on the more recent occasion, we fell prey to one of the many ticket-sellers dressed in sailor’s costumes that patrol Knights of The Cross Square at the Old Town end of Charles Bridge. The cruise they offer does not really take you anywhere, entering the mouth of Kampa canal for a few minutes and going no further than one bridge away from the Charles Bridge. The 45-minute floating around the central part of the river costs CZK 290 for adult and half of that for a child, includes entrance to the nearby Museum of Charles Bridge (we skipped it), as well as a choice of beer or Sprite and of ice cream or gingerbread. Not worth it, really.

We also spent most of one day on our first visit to Prague in the company of a walking tour guide. She was a transplanted Russian, recommended to us by friends. We have slightly mixed feelings about the tour, since even though our guide told us a number of great stories about Prague, we felt that we were rushing from place to place in some cases. We have her information available, so if anyone is interested, feel free to contact us.

Transportation

The subway system of Prague is not very convenient in the city center, with only a few stations within walking distance of the main sightseeing areas. The trains, nonetheless, run very frequently. The tram network is a lot more extensive and is a prevalent mode of public transport.

Places to Eat

Our most expensive meal in Prague was at the restaurant V Zátiší ♥♥♥, on Betlémské Náměstí. The cuisine is Bohemian, and on one night we went all out to have a great meal. Everything we had was delicious, but looking at the online menu of the restaurant today, I cannot locate specific dishes that we recorded as having, – no doubt the menu has changed since our visit. However, chocolate mousse and creme brulée are still on the dessert menu, and we put down superlatives about them in our diary. Nice decor of the place and refined service were additional positives. The damage was considerably higher than for any other meal that we had while in Prague: $185 for a party of three (no records of how much it was in local currency). Last visit: Fall 2004.

With refined service and curiously predominantly retired-age clientele, U Modré Kachničky ♥♥ (“At the Blue Duckling”), on Nebovidská, is famous for its variety of duck. We tried roasted duck on Slivovice and duck breast roasted in ginger, as well as a plate of grilled vegetables, preceded by beef consommé, Czech potato soup and wild game pate. Everything of the highest quality, but a bit pricey. We heard that reservations were recommended, but on a Thursday night the several medium-sized rooms of the restaurant were far from full. Our damage: CZK 3260 including gratuities, roughly $155, for a party of three. Last visit: Spring 2010.

Le Café Colonial ♥ is a nice place near the juncture of Široká and Zarecká. Pretty interior, good fusion menu, unhurried service. Among our selections were beef carpaccio, tempura, tuna steak, grilled lamb. All good, but no more than that. Chocolate fondue with fruits for dessert received the highest marks. The damage: For a party of three, CZK 1950 (~$95) before gratuities, including two glasses of wine. Last visit: Spring 2010.

Chez Marcel ♥, on Haštalská, is a French bistro in Prague’s Old Town. Those familiar with Café Rouge franchise in the UK will find it very similar to that. Soups, croques, and other requisite fare. We had a pretty heavy lunch there, with two courses for each person in our party of three. Damage: CZK 1050 (~$50) including gratuities. Last visit: Spring 2010.

A random selection while walking around Kampa, restaurant 3 Stoleti ♥♥ (“Three centuries”) provided one of our best meals. Understated modern decor. Quite busy on Friday night, the waiters were constantly playing catch-up. Large menu, heavy on traditional-modern fusion. We had two excellent soups – chicken consommé and kulajda with mushrooms – and portobello mushrooms for starters, and then a fantastic goulash Ferdinand and two different types of pasta for the main course. Chocolate fondue with fruits did not meet the expectations – too few fruits. Damage for a party of three: CZK 1250 before gratuities, about $60. Last visit: Spring 2010.

Of the two breakfast meals in Prague away from our residences, one was at Café Slavia ♥, across street from the National Theater. Quite pleasant. Last visit: Fall 2004.

The other was at Grand Café Praha with a good view on the Astronomical Clock on Staroměstské Náměstí. While we were able to enjoy the performance, the food was not great, the service was atrocious, and $30 for a party of three for that type of breakfast felt like robbery. Last visit: Fall 2004.

All of our breakfasts in 2010 were had at the tiny Bohemia Bagels ♥ around the corner from the Charles Bridge off Mostecká. Good choice of bagels with various toppings, omelets, pancakes and combo breakfast meals. We managed to hover around CZK 600 (~$30) for a party of three on each occasion. Last visit: Spring 2010.

Our walking tour guide took us to restaurant U Písecké Brány ♥ (“At the Sand Gate”), near the Royal Gardens in Hradčany. We had an excellent leg of lamb and tried the traditional fried cheese and local Czech beer there for the first time. No records of the damage. Last visit: Fall 2004.

Restaurant U Zlaté Podkovy ♥ (“At the Golden Horseshoe”), on Nerudova Ulice in Malá Strana, was a randomly-picked stop for lunch, typical Czech and very agreeable. Damage in dollars for three people: $27. Last visit: Fall 2004.

Also on Nerudova, U Zeleného Krále (“At the Green King’s”) is a pizzeria offering a variety of pizzas. Not exceptional, but a good stop for those who, like one member of our party, is very much into Italian staple food. Damage for a party of three: CZK 1060 including gratuities, about $50. Last visit: Spring 2010.

Another walking-by selection was restaurant U Karlova Mostu ♥, on Kampa island. Made to resemble a wine cellar, it turned out to be a popular tourist place, yet the food was quite good. Damage in dollars for a party of three: $26. Last visit: Fall 2004.

A reasonable lunch stop in Mala Strana is Cukrkavalimonada, on Lazenská. Various omelets, salads, pancakes, types of pasta. Small pleasant seating area, good food. Cash only. Damage for a party of three: CZK 410 (~$20) before gratuities. Last visit: Spring 2010.

One of our dinners on our first Prague visit was at Don Giovanni Italian restaurant next door to our apartment on Karoliny Světlé. Selected purely for that proximity on the day of our arrival to Prague because we had no energy to look for something with a local flavor, it provided an adequate meal but no more than that. The damage came to $80 for a party of three. On our return trip, we could not find the restaurant at where we thought it was. It seems to continue to pop up in internet searches, so I am not exactly sure whether we somehow missed it. Last visit: Fall 2004.

As a replacement for that, an arbitrary choice of Platina ♥, in Hotel Leonardo also on Karoliny Světlé, provided a reasonable dining experience. We sat in the courtyard, which was a bit bothersome because of constantly passing hotel guests; there is also seating inside. Good service. Excellent soups: chicken consommé and Bohemian potato soup in bread pot. Not very exciting small portion of tiger prawns. Very good duck and average quality steak for the main course. High marks for cheesecake with strawberries for dessert. The damage for a party of three: CZK 2260 with gratuities, including one glass of wine (about $110). Last visit: Spring 2010.

Lodging

In September of 2004, we rented an apartment at Karoliny Světlé 30 ♥♥♥, within a couple of hundred meters from Charles Bridge. The two-bedroom apartment on 2nd floor was large, spacious and able to fit as many as 6 people. Good utilities and furniture. There are so many apartments being advertized online for this street and even this address that I am unable to locate the link to this particular one, so the only precise recommendation that I can make here is about location – excellent.

In May of 2010, we stayed at a B∓B in another great location – on Mostecká in Malá Strana literally within a stone throw from the Charles Bridge. Called Charles Bridge Residence ♥♥ (link), the accommodations it provided were not exceptional, but the main amenities were all there (TV, phone, fridge, safe deposit box, reasonable-size bathroom) and the location was truly unbeatable. Our Room #2 looked out right on the busy street, but with closed windows the noise was not a problem. I am not sure whether in the hot season that might be an issue, as I was not able to locate any notion of A/C, and I don’t know how stuffy the rooms might get.

Karlstein

This grand castle is located some 30 kilometers away from Prague. With all of our personal aversion to organized tours, this is one trip that is better attempted with a group. The main reason for it is time: The visit to the castle will be over in slightly more than an hour, but if you go there on your own, you’ll spend close to a whole day getting there and back.

Could be appealing to some, for all I know. We did enjoy the train ride and the freedom of making the long trek from the station to the castle at our own pace. But trains run only once every 30 minutes, take roughly 35 minutes, and you need to account for time between your hotel and the central train station in Prague at the both ends of the trip. That may add up to three hours, depending on how much time you end up waiting for the next scheduled train. Walking up the hill to the castle may easily take an hour for the less athletic, but will definitely take at least 40 minutes. Walking down the hill after visiting the castle – another 40 minutes. The castle may be visited only with one of the groups departing at specific intervals, so there could be some additional wait here… All in all, the entire endeavor will likely take 6-7 hours, of which only a small portion will be the actual sightseeing.

Conversely, an organized tour will pick you up at your hotel and deposit you back in roughly 4 hours. (You will still have to endure the same 40-minute climb, though.)

Is it worth it in the end? Not unequivocally. You will visit six or seven halls in the castle ♥ and hear some interesting commentary, but not much of the interior is going to bowl you over. The views from the ramparts are quite nice, but some of the higher points of the castle are off limits for the visitors. If you are a true aficionado of the Middle Ages history you might find this place quite enchanting. The average visitor might be disappointed.

The village spread out along the road up to the castle is full of souvenir shops and eateries, but also has a couple of nice art galleries.

We had lunch Pod Hradekom, with a very minimal damage of CZK 410 (~$20) for five different plates plus drinks. Last visit: Spring 2010.

Destination appeal

Our verdict

For the sheer number of museums, galleries and various attractions, London can contend with any other city. It also has a unique feature: Most of the major museums are free for anyone to enter (although special exhibitions are always for a special fee).

The Westminster Abbey ♥♥♥ is a very impressive architectural masterpiece of the 13th to 16th centuries. It also presents a unique pageant of British history, including the shrine of St Edward the Confessor, the tombs of kings and queens, and countless memorials to the famous and the great. It has also been the setting for every Coronation since 1066 and for numerous other royal occasions.

There are several nice stained-glass windows, and some impressive chapels and altars. Royal tombs are often lavishly decorated. Kids of all ages engage in recognize-the-famous activity, moving from monument to monument around the cathedral’s chapels.

The Abbey closes much earlier than other sights, at 3:30pm.

The Tower of London ♥♥♥ is surely one of the top attractions in the city. Onetime fort, onetime royal castle, onetime infamous prison, it is bursting with history at every step.

I have last been to the Tower prior to relocation and promise to write a better overview upon my next visit. But among many points of interest inside the complex, there are several fascinating armory and history displays in the White tower, the magnificent royal jewels collection, prisoner dwellings and always entertaining Beefeaters and ravens.

The nearby Tower Bridge, arguably the most emblematic of London sights, offers an interesting Experience tour ♥♥, which starts with a short movie on the history of its construction, and follows that with a walk on the bridge’s upper level, at 45 meters high, with fantastic views over the river and the city. Along the way, one can try a hand in various Victorian games. There is also a treasure-hunt-like “What Victorians did for us” activity that goes well with children.

St Paul’s Cathedral ♥♥ is one of the greatest Christian cathedrals in the world. It is in fact the fourth cathedral to occupy the site, the earliest dating from 640 AD. The present building was designed by the court architect Sir Christopher Wren and built between 1675 and 1710 after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London.

The imposing building’s interior is far from luxurious, but ceiling mosaics around the choir are nothing short of amazing, marking the departure from the usual frescoes depicting biblical scenes. St Paul’s mosaics are instead colorful, ornamental and gilded.

Several hundreds of narrow, twisting steps lead up to three levels of galleries. The first one, Whispering, gets its name from a curious acoustic effect: A whisper into the wall on one side of the gallery is clearly heard if you put your ear to the wall on another side. Two upper galleries provide sweeping views of the city; the view from uppermost is completely unobstructed.

The National Gallery ♥♥ has a very nice collection of European paintings dating back to the 13th century. It probably cannot compete with Louvre or Hermitage, but it does boast a nice assemblage, including Rembrandt, van Dyck, many other Dutch and Flemish painters, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Boticelli, Claude, Caravaggio, Canaletto, three rooms of Rubens…

Not sure how good the permanent impressionist collection at the gallery is (somehow we never spent enough time at the gallery to find it), but there are frequent temporary exhibitions that we visited over years.

There are a few scheduled drawing activities for the kids on weekends.

The British Museum ♥♥♥ is simply an incredible collection of exhibits from all over the world. Impressive open-space galleries contain unparalleled collection of artifacts from ancient and not-so-ancient civilizations. One of the most famous objects, for instance, is the Rosetta Stone that enabled Champollion to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs. An entire gallery is filled with statues from Greek Parthenon – makes you wonder whether any are left at the Parthenon itself.

One visit is clearly not enough to see all of the great stuff in this museum.

Kids activity backpacks are available for different ages, each providing of up to two hours of tasks to occupy inquisitive minds.

A vast collection of objéts d’art from the last two millennia, the Victoria & Albert Museum ♥♥ has something of interest for everybody. Sculptures, paintings (not many of the latter, though), masonry, ironwork, and literally every other type of craft are presented in over a hundred galleries. There are many hands-on side exhibits and quite a number of kid-friendly activities.

The museum is organized a bit along lines of different cultures and eras. It can hardly be covered in a day, but it also does not apply any pressure in terms of must-see exhibits. You can simply wander galleries, literally stumbling upon masterpieces of craftsmanship.

Museum cafe is surprisingly good, if overpriced.

The Natural History Museum ♥♥ is one of the South Kensington Big Three (together with V&A and Science museums). Located in an palatial building, it has an unrivaled collection that promotes discovery of the natural world. Dinosaurs’ skeletons, models of animals, birds and fishes, exhibitions on natural resources and phenomena – it all comes together to provide enjoyment for kids of all ages.

Small kids can equip themselves with explorer kits and embark on treasure hunts and various educational activities. This is one of the most children-friendly museums. Each gallery, even when filling a huge hall, is not overwhelming as far as the number of exhibits. Plus, each gallery has something specific for kids to do.

The Science Museum ♥♥♥ is another one of the major attractions in South Kensington. Its galleries are devoted to scientific discoveries, technological progress and various aspects of human innovation. Displays range from models to historical exhibits to computerized interactive activities.

A fantastic model ship exhibition displays hundreds of different types of ships and boats grouped by culture and region.

The Launch Pad gallery is a hands-on children activity center, with several dozen scientifically-minded and simply fascinating things to do. The museum also houses an IMAX theatre, a computer-games arcade, and a 3D Simulator, none of which we had a chance to visit yet (somewhat on the account of extra fees required to get in).

Even though I am not a big fan of portraiture as a genre, the National Portrait Gallery ♥ is certainly an interesting place to visit.

The main interest is in an engrossing excursus into British history that it provides. All portraits on display are well annotated with short bios and descriptions of occasions for which they were painted. Putting famous names with faces is quite enlightening.

The most “ancient” figures (Middle Ages) are housed on the upper floor, and the most modern ones on the ground floor. I personally find contemporary section a bit too artsy.

A separate room is dedicated to various portraits of Princess Diana.

The Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum ♥♥ is nearly a must-see for anyone fascinated with the subject of the second World War. The War Rooms convey their claustrophobic nature from the very first steps and illustrate living accommodations of the top politicians and the military personnel rather vividly. The audioguide, included in the price of admission, provides excellent narration and many captivating facts and tidbits about the Blitz and the wartime operations.

The wing of the Churchill Museum, collocated with the War Rooms, is an excellent tribute to the great statesman, with dozens of interactive displays charting Churchill’s biography and hundreds of artefacts.

Adults £12, children under 16 free.

The Imperial War Museum ♥ has enough tanks and planes on display to satisfy any fan of military craft. There are also thorough exhibitions on the First and Second World Wars, complete with a simulated trench (for the former) and a simulated Blitz experience (for the latter; not visited on account of a sufficiently long line).

There is also a powerful and bone-chilling exhibition on Holocaust. As much as I believe that every person should know about Holocaust and appreciate its magnitude, this exposition is not for those weak of heart and certainly not for children under 15. The display chronologically follows the catastrophic events from Hitler’s rise to power through the end of the World War II. The exhibits, of which fair share are the photos with factual descriptions and the survivor testimony, will fill you with contempt for the perpetrators and the unbearable sadness for the victims, no matter how well you are familiar with the subject from before.

The museum offers an audioguide, which I do not believe is necessary. There is plentiful labeling everywhere.

Another attraction for weaponry buffs is the HMS Belfast, a naval cruiser moored between the London and Tower Bridges on the South Bank of the Thames. You can visit various rooms and sections, climb upon guns (always popular with the kids), and learn a wealth of stuff about life on a warship. [I did not visit the Belfast personally; other people found their visit quite interesting]

Madame Tussaud’s wax museum is one of the most popular destinations in London, but you would be wise to skip it. It is terribly overpriced and invariably takes queuing for at least an hour in order to get in (tickets bought online or via a pre-paid voucher from a hotel concierge will allow you to skip the queue).

There are probably 100+ models of celebrities and historical figures in the current collection. Some are very lifelike, others look nothing like themselves. Throngs of tourists incessantly photograph themselves with Brad and Angelina, Bush and Blair and especially David and Victoria Beckham. There are also thematic displays, such as Pirates of the Caribbean.

Additional attractions include Chamber of Horrors (serial killers and guillotine victims), Chamber Live (with live actors mixed with wax figures, all trying to scare the bejesus out of you), Spirit of London (amusement-park-like ride through centuries of London history) and, as grand finale, an animated movie with funny aliens discoursing on the subject of earthling celebrities (the movie is played in an observatory-like hall projected onto the dome).

Teens and celebrity-chasers undoubtedly come away impressed. Except to please my teen daughter, I fail to see the point of going.

The Sherlock Holmes Museum ♥, at – where else? – 221b Baker Street, will certainly resonate with the fans of the famous detective, even though the recreated dwelling of a fictional character sounds like a less-than-sophisticated destination on balance.

But it is very nicely done, with three levels of a tiny building chock-full of furniture and exhibits representing all that we know of Holmes’ and Watson’s abode, from chemistry equipment to insect collection to smoking pipes. It is faithfully maintained, which makes it appear more authentic than a lot of less-fictitious quarters. There is even a rather phlegmatic fellow, dressed as Watson, who greets you and allows you to take pictures with him. If you are so inclined, you can engage him in a conversation related to the nature of the exhibits.

The entry fee of £6 may feel like too much for a tourist trap if you are not a true Holmes aficionado.

The Tate Modern gallery occupies a converted power station building in the hip Bankside area on the south bank of the Thames. It is certainly worth a visit for any admirer of the modern art, but I will admit that it is not exactly my cup of tea. Even though I recognize many famous names (among them Picasso, Miro, Rodin, Matisse) whose works are on display, I do not get the big idea of the post-expressionist art in general. Especially when it comes to installations. Or paintings that consist of solid colors that seemingly do not depict anything. Or grotesque distortions of human shapes and proportions.

There are a few expressionist works as well, but not enough to improve on my overall lack of appreciation for the collection. Hence, the absence of hearts; were I more attuned to the modern art in general, I might have placed a couple of hearts next to the gallery name.

There are, however, several interesting children’s activities, so if you are looking to expose your offspring to unorthodox concepts and keep them engaged in the process, you might find just the right things at Tate.

Shakespeare’s Globe ♥♥ is an awesome open-air theater, where performances are held from April to September. At other times, you can go on a guided tour that starts every half-hour and lasts for about 45 minutes. You’ll hear about the storied history of the place and will be able to appreciate many of its fun attributes. If you manage to see a play in addition to taking a tour, the experience may be even grander, but we so far have not managed that. [I did not visit the Globe personally; this paragraph paraphrases what I heard from members of my family.]

Courtauld Gallery at the Somerset House houses a comparatively small collection of paintings, among them a couple of dozen expressionists, including works by Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Pisarro and others. Not exactly enough to warrant a targeted visit, but as an add-on diversion to doing some other staff in the West End theater district, it can be a nice stop. Children free, adults £5.

Covent Garden ♥♥ can be overcrowded and noisy (especially on Saturday nights), but it is a fun place to walk around, with a small market, many interesting shops and plethora of good places to eat. It is probably one of the best places in all of London for people-watching. There are always several street performances happening in its various corners. Note: Stay away from the Covent Garden tube station – it easily gets congested at busy times, and there are no escalators – only slowly running lifts, – so you may need to schlep up 180 steps to get to the ground.

The State Rooms of the Buckingham Palace ♥♥ are as impressive as in any other royal palace. Equipped with a complimentary audio guide, you will stroll through several drawing rooms, galleries and especially splendid Royal Dining Room and Music Room. The fact that all of the rooms are in continuous use by the royalty and their guests, gives them some additional allure.

There is a number of outstanding sculptures and paintings throughout the State Rooms, including several works by my favorite Canaletto. The displayed furniture and ornaments are fascinating in their own right.

Every year, a side room on the viewing route is given for a different special exhibition (no extra cost). In 2006, the ceremonial dresses of the Queen throughout her reign were on display. In 2007, the special exhibition was devoted to the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s wedding to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten.

The palace is open for only 7 weeks each year, from late July through late September.

Next to the palace, the Royal Mews is both a working royal stables and an interesting collection of State vehicles (read, carriages). [I did not visit the Royal Mews personally; other people told me that they liked their visit there, especially with the kids.]

The ceremony of changing guard at the palace has some colorful and interesting components, but, on balance, is quite disappointing. The problem is that for the most part the ceremony happens behind the gates, in the palace courtyard. And the only people who see something are those lucky ones standing right against the gates. But to get a spot there, you need to stake the ground an hour or more prior to the ceremony. And then just wait there, with nothing to do except making sure that you do not get elbowed out.

The rest of the spectators – and there are dozens of thousands of them – line the sidewalks of the square and the steps of the Queen Victoria Monument. They get to see marching bands and guard companies and flaneuring cuirassiers, but there is very little that is discernible between companies marching in and – in 25 minutes or so – companies marching out.

In that interval, the bands play music heavily slanted to cinematic themes, from 007 to Star Wars. The guards are performing some maneuvers, but they are largely shielded by the bands, so even the people in the nearest rows can hardly understand what is going on. And after a while, it’s over.

To summarize, the marching and the riding is cool, but there is hardly anything to see, there are tremendous crowds, and you certainly would not go there for the music. Come only if you must.

St James’s Park ♥♥ and Green Park ♥♥ are two very nice patches of greenery in the heart of Westminster. Maybe not attractions in themselves, they give you a perfect respite from the city and its traffic on your wanderings in the area.

Kensington Gardens ♥♥ is a large, pleasant park in West London. We walked through it a couple of times, fed hungry obnoxious geese by the pond, and spent some time at the Princess Diana Memorial Playground. The latter is a gated marine-themed playing area, dominated by a tall ship. There are swings, jungle gyms and other implements to make every kid happy.

In the summertime, the park is a great place to relax and kick back, or rollerskate, cycle or run, if that is your preference.

Kensington Palace, at the edge of the park, is quite overpriced and only slightly curious, with several sequential exhibitions. First few rooms are dedicated to Victorian dressmaking and royal court presentations. They are followed by a photo tribute to Princess Diana. Afterwards, you walk through a few empty rooms where Princess Margaret, the Queen’s sister, used to reside; there are picture-and-text displays in each room, but hardly anything exciting. Finally, the state rooms – some of them are imposing, but only a few decorated with furniture

The audio guide is not great; certain commentary was okay, but it was too lengthy in some cases or ended too abruptly in others.

Looking out on the Gardens is The Royal Albert Hall ♥. You will certainly be driven by it if you take a bus tour around the city, and you may come in for a tour of the building. While an awesome sight in itself, the Royal Albert is first and foremost a magnificent performance arena, so if you have an opportunity to attend a classical music concert ♥♥♥ there, I highly recommend it. There is a scheme for very cheap (£5) standing-room-only tickets available a couple of hours before performances, but buying a regular ticket, coming in with some time to spare, and taking in the grandeur of the place, capped with a great acoustic experience of the performance itself, will not leave you disappointed.

Regent’s Park ♥♥ is another large park, north of the central London area. Its boating lake is very popular with visitors, and it has everything that a park should offer, namely, plenty of picnic space and various snack stands. There are also a couple of semi-formal gated garden areas within the park confines, open to public, but not well-known, that are ideal for a quieter relaxation.

The British Airways London Eye ♥ is a huge Ferris wheel located on the South Bank – you can’t miss it.

Large glass capsules, each accommodating up to 25 people, accomplish full circle in a bit over 30 minutes, providing excellent views of London and its major landmarks. The highest point is at 135 meters. The movement of the wheel is quite slow, which affords ample time to take in the views. On the other hand, the movement is constant, so there is a limit to how much you can linger (unlike, say, some high tower viewpoint) and your fellow “travellers” are likely to attempt to take a hundred snapshots each, constantly interrupting your reverie.

It is one of the most popular tourist destinations, often requiring long queuing time. Late afternoons tend to be less busy, but it is fairly impossible in-season to just walk up, buy tickets and get on.

If you are interested in the gruesome bits of history, you might fancy the London Dungeon. Located on the South Bank within walking distance of the Tower Bridge, it is one of the more expensive attractions in town. Contrary to common misconceptions, it goes for history lessons a lot more than for simple “boo” effects. The rooms, rides and displays are themed around executions, epidemics and famous murderers, but while the experience is certainly aimed at making you uneasy, it is not at all like Disney’s “Haunted Mansion”. I’m told that some kids especially enjoy petting live rats at the Dungeon, but my eldest daughter refrained for shocking me so when we visited together.

The London Aquarium is located by the Westminster Bridge, near the London Eye. It is neither large nor fancy, providing samples of various marine ecosystems. The touching tank is the biggest attraction, and there are several lectures at specific times. Kids activity station – arts and crafts on marine themes – was closed when we were there. An hour and a half is more than enough to cover everything.

The famous Portobello Market ♥♥ in Notting Hill is a great place for those interested in antiques, jewelry, accessories and bric-a-brac. The eponymous street is made pedestrian by the market-goers, with both makeshift stalls and resident shops participating in the fair. The street is quite narrow, the people quite numerous. Movement along the succession of vendors is very slow, but you get a chance to take a look at all the different wares.

For food, there is Borough Market ♥♥, which sits by the Southwark Cathedral near London Bridge. All kinds of produce, delicacies, specialty foods and sweets can be found here, for quite reasonable prices. Cheeses and meats stalls offer tasters of their wares, and a large number of places are there to sell food for consumption on site, be it oysters, burgers or paellas. At the end of the market day (around 4pm), you may even be offered the remaining delicacies for free or at a big discount.

Two grand department stores merit a look regardless of whether shopping is your thing or not. Harrods ♥♥ on Knightsbridge is the world-famous one, selling anything and everything in “luxury goods” category across its million-plus square feet of commercial space. I especially like its food halls on the ground level (disclaimer: Never bought a single thing there). Fortnum & Mason ♥♥ is more widely known as the premium tea brand, but its store on Piccadilly is a lot more than a vast selection of teas. The domestic utensils department is entirely fascinating.

Further Afield

Various points of interest outside of Central London are discussed in the series of articles found here.

Places to Eat

For reasons of space, the article on London restaurants is found here.

Transportation

London transportation system is very extensive and can get you anywhere in the city.
Underground stations are within easy walking distance from virtually anywhere in the city center. The service is reasonably frequent (although disruptions happen now and then) and the stations and the trains are reasonably well-maintained. “Each line has its own track” principle necessitates occasional long walks between connecting stations, but there is ample signage and plenty of maps to lead you to your destination. A few older stations in the city center do not have escalators.

Several underground lines have branches. It is important not only to know the name of the line that you need, but also keep an eye that the final destination of the train that you are getting on is on the right branch of the line.

A vast network of commuter trains is integrated with the subway. The trains are collectively called the National Rail, but are operated by two dozen different companies and connect suburban areas with the city center.

Plus, there are over 800 municipal bus routes. Double-decker buses are fun to ride, but the bus network is not easy to navigate without certain local knowledge (each stop provides an outline of the route, but you’ll need to carry a map of bus routes and figure connections on your own).

On most subway stations, electronic signs display how many minutes are left until the next three trains. Very welcome practice! Central bus stops often have their own electronic signs, announcing when next buses are expected. Commuter train stations always have plenty of monitors displaying departures and stations served.

Fare structure is extremely complicated. There are six zones, concentrically extending from the city center. Trips within and between different zones cost different amounts of money. Single trip within central zone 1 on the underground costs £3, while a single bus ride costs £2. Nobody buys single trips anyway – the way to go is to use one of the following two main methods.

The first one is travel cards. They come in daily, 3-day, weekly, monthly and even yearly variety (the longer ones do not have to be Monday through Sunday or the 1st of the month through the 31st; they simply last for a week, month or year from the day you start them on). The card allows for unlimited trips on any public transportation (underground, buses, commuter trains) within proscribed zones. The cards make travel very cheap. For instance, off-peak day travel card for zones 1 through 4 costs only £5.70 – just two subway trips, and you already saved money.

The second main method is Oyster card (which, unfortunately, cannot yet be used on many commuter train routes). It works on a simple pre-paid balance basis and deducts fares for each trip. Not only Oyster-paid fares are much lower than basic ones, but if you happen to travel so much within a period of time as to reach an amount that an appropriate travel card would cost, your subsequent fares for that period will be zero.

Kids travel for free during school-days, and pay £1 or £2 for an unlimited day travel card, depending on the type of the card held by the accompanying adult.

Access control on all underground stations and central train stations is very strict. You either touch your Oyster on the reader or insert your travel card into a slot and retrieve it from another slot; the almost full-height swinging doors let you through. The procedure needs to be repeated at the exit, so that correct zone-based fare can be checked/deducted. If there is a problem with your card, there is always a gate agent on hand.

Destination appeal

Our verdict

 

The Catalan coastal area is, first and foremost, a popular beach-going destination, but has quite a lot to offer in addition to that. You are not too far away from Barcelona, although you are unlikely to want to make repeated day-trips to the city if you are based somewhere on Costa Brava. But the area is incredibly rich in culture and history, highlighted by numerous well-maintained medieval towns and villages. You are not likely to run out of short excursions to pretty destinations to cap every day of your stay.

Transportation logistics

From the points of origin within the US that have direct flights to Barcelona, it is your best bet, as you will need to rent a car to move around Costa Brava anyway; the drive from Barcelona (BCN) will take between an hour and a half and two hours. However, if you have connecting flights anywhere – or fly from within the European Union – it makes a lot more sense to look for Girona (GRO) as the destination; it would cut your driving time to under an hour and, being a smaller airport, is likely to cause less hassle in getting on and off the plane.

Things to See

From our base in l’Estartit, we explored a number of picturesque destinations within 20-km radius. The boundaries of Costa Brava, of course, extend much further north and south (and most of the towns mentioned here are not actually “coastal” towns); this overview is not intended to cover all of the region.

The largest town that we visited, Figueres, reputedly boasts a beautiful historic center, but we came there with a single very specific attraction in mind. Dalí Theater-Museum ♥♥ is an extremely popular tourist destination, with long wait lines for tickets unless you come by the opening time. It houses a large number of Dalí’s works and other exhibits related to his life and art. The Mae West room never fails to impress the younger visitors and the jewelry collection, exhibited in a separate wing, is simply fascinating. (Note: Only cash was accepted at the ticket office at the time of our visit.)

Atmospheric Pals ♥♥ is picture-perfect, with its cobblestone alleys, decorative balconies and flowerbeds. There is an austere church worth stepping into and a panoramic view of the coast from the old fort.

Begur ♥♥ is livelier than Pals and less medieval in its countenance. The Gothic church of Sant-Pere is worth a look, and the main town square nearby is home to the art market. There are several interesting galleries around and a number of architectural delights.

Pubol is sleepily medieval and looks utterly deserted. The main attraction here is Castell Gala-Dalí ♥, which the painter bought for his wife and transformed into an enchanting abode. In addition to furniture and fixtures designed by Dalí, quite a number of his works is housed here as well. (The third corner of the Catalan “Dalí triangle”, in Port Lligat, was left unexplored by us until future visits to the area.)

The tiny core of Peratallada is all arcaded passages, narrow alleys and a charming main square. As in every other town, there are several interesting galleries and shops around.

L’Estartit itself is a bustling beach-side resort, which completely empties in the off-season. Because of its “dead-end” location on a major regional road, it gets none of the pass-through traffic (and whoever drives into town from elsewhere is likely to be looking specifically for beaches or the nightlife). The road leads to Torroella de Montgri, which has a comparatively extensive historic center and a couple of minor museums.

Aquadiver ♥ park in Platja d’Aro is a nice compact water-park that allows for a good diversion for so inclined. Teenagers may be slightly disappointed with the available selection of the rides – they are mostly on the “smallish” side – but it is still an enjoyable attraction.

Beaches

We sampled a couple of beaches. The one in l’Estartit is wide and sandy, and being over a kilometer in length it never gets overcrowded. There is ample car parking. The Mediterranean Sea can be a bit colder here than at places north and south, but in the afternoon, the water temperature gets to 24-25°C.

The only time we went to a different beach, in Platja de Pals, it greeted us with high waves on a seemingly calm day. Swimming was not as pleasant, but there are a couple of nice restaurants right at the edge of a wide sandy strip.

Places to Eat

It is important to note that our close friends who make Costa Brava their summer home recommended and accompanied us to all of the restaurants that we visited there. They are regular customers at most of them. In addition, it is worth noting that some of our meals were in true European style, where we ordered more than just two courses per person and spent several hours around the table.

Restaurant Iberic ♥♥♥ is located in small and winsome Ullastret. There are several rustic dining rooms, and we were shown to the semi-private smallest one on the sub-basement level. We did not order from a menu, letting our friends select a sort of communal meal. Catalan specialties are fantastic, and we gorged ourselves on caracoles, mussels and bread with garlic, tomatoes and ali-oli. The greatest hit of the meal was a specialty seafood soup, of which most of the people in attendance had seconds. Our damage: €410 for a party of eight, including several bottles of local wine. Last visit: Summer 2008.

Candelaria ♥♥♥, in Peratallada, is a small restaurant, no more than seven or eight tables. The decor is elaborate and eclectic, the menu is selective and refined. Carpaccio, gazpacho and risotto with beet sauce for appetizers and various fish and meat dishes for main courses were all well-received. Our damage: €235 for four people, with four bottles of wine from a good list. Last visit: Summer 2008.

Restaurant Mas Pou ♥♥♥ is in Palau-Sator. It is bigger than the others that we’ve been to, has its own car park and sits next to a museum-shop of local agriculture and wares (entrance free). There is also a children playground on the premises. On our first visit there, as at Iberic, we sat in a semi-private arch-ceiling room and our friends ordered a big feast, at least when it came to appetizers. Caracoles, carpaccio, seafood soup, esparrago, quail eggs, bread/tomato/garlic/ali-oli. Everyone ordered main courses individually from the menu, though. The highlights were conejo al salsa verde, ternera con setas and mejillas de la ternera. For dessert, we tried – with varying degrees of success – drinking muscat wine from a porro. On that night, our damage: €345 for a party of eight, with several bottles of local wine. We returned a couple of times for similarly big meals with large groups of friends, coming away very content on every occasion. Last visit: Summer 2009.

The castle in the center of Torroella de Montgri has been transformed into a dining venue, Lo Mirador, especially popular for grand celebrations. On a quiet night, though, its open-air lounge ♥ is a beautiful and relaxing place to have drinks. If you feel like having some food with your wine and cocktails, you can order great selections of meats, cheeses and pâtés, which is what we did. Our overall damage, including drinks, for a party of four: €90. Last visit: Summer 2009.

In Peralada, we went to restaurant Mas Moli ♥♥, which is famous for its suckling pigs. The dining room is comparatively modern and well-appointed. The service is performed with a bit of a flourish not seen in more rustic places. The food is great, not just the pork, but also similarly acclaimed lamb. We also liked grilled peppers, blood sausage and some spicy meat for starters. Our damage: €480 for a party of eleven, including several bottles of wine. On a repeat occasion, we visited with an even greater party, and every guest was unfailingly satisfied. Last visit: Summer 2009.

On Platja de Pals, we had an after-beach lunch at Mar Blau ♥♥. Excellent food selection, nice service, dining area under the tent looking out to the sea. Last visit: Summer 2009.

In l’Estartit, we’ve been to several restaurants. Le Salines ♥ is a café at the far end of the promenade that runs along the beach. Extensive regional menu, excellent seafood soup, a pretty good Catalan style half-chicken. Damage: €51 for a party of four. Last visit: Summer 2008. Hotel Coral Café ♥, specializes in pancakes of several dozen varieties. We tried blood sausage, bacon, dulce de leche and a few others for fillings and liked them all. The damage: €62 for eight people each ordering a pancake, plus various drinks. Last visit: Summer 2009. Rosamar ♥♥ sits on the seashore drive in the very center of the town. Great menu with all of the local staples, at times busy ground floor dining area, but for big parties there is an excellent seating area upstairs. Last visit: Summer 2009.

Destination appeal

Our verdict

Venice is utterly unique in the Western world, and all the more fascinating for that. While there are other cities built on extensive canal networks, only in Venice those canals represent the actual transportation routes. And since the rest of the city is completely pedestrian, you get a feeling of immersion into something exciting and unfamiliar like nowhere else in Europe.

What people who have not been to Venice do not realize is that the city is not all made of canals. The central part of Venice is actually made of streets that mostly do not cross canals, and they are so narrow and short that the existence of the sky is not exactly apparent and keeping a geographic course is virtually impossible. You walk as if along a corridor, which abuts another corridor, which leads to a small “room”, – a square – from which another couple of corridors run off, and so on and so forth. Only when one of these little arteries happens to reach a large square or becomes a bridge across a canal, you realize that you are moving around a city. The sensation is very strange, but also very romantic.

Note for parents traveling with kids aged 7-13: At the very start of your visit to Venice, find a bookshop and buy “Venice for Children” book. It covers all of the major sights and is written in a way that’ll keep your child engaged. You’ll want to read it yourself…

Things to See

Hardly any person visiting Venice for the first time does not start with Piazza San Marco ♥♥♥. The only square in the city designated as piazza (all others are called either campo, “field”, or its diminutive, campiello), it is a most remarkable public space. Considerable segment of it used to be owned by thousands of pigeons (who were altogether missing on our latest visit in 2009), but neither that nor ever-present hordes of tourists diminish the impression.

The piazza is fronted by Basilica di San Marco ♥♥♥, a cathedral that is a splendid amalgamation of several architectural styles of West and East. The domes, the arches, the towers, the mosaics, the Horses of St Mark above the main doors – it all combines in one resplendent architectural spectacle. The interior splendor is almost blinding, with over 43,000 sq ft of golden mosaics. The treasury contains a number of magnificent artifacts collected by the Venetian Republic over the centuries. The gold-and-gemstones altarpiece, Pala d’Oro, is certainly worth the extra fee to view.

Another major attraction located right on the square is the Campanile ♥♥♥, which is actually the exact copy of the original tower that stood on this spot since the middle ages but collapsed at the beginning of the 20th century. Unlike many other bell-towers in Italy, this one is equipped with an elevator, which means potentially longer waiting time to get in, but a much easier ascent than elsewhere. The view from the top over the city and the entire lagoon is through the wire-mesh, but is nonetheless breathtaking; beware – it might be very windy.

You can also view Torre dell’Orologio on the piazza, with its elaborate clock and two moors who hit the bell with their hammers when the time strikes. The rest of the buildings that surround the square on three sides are mostly of administrative nature and house expensive cafés and smart shops, plus a civic museum, Museo Correr, that we never visited.

At nights, there are live chamber orchestras playing at a few of the cafés around the piazza. If you decide to sit down to take in a performance, expect the food and drink bill to be outrageous. We decided that it was one of quintessential Venetian experiences, and are willing to put ♥♥ next to it; we picked café Quadri, and sat there for over an hour enjoying the music; two coffees each cost €8.50, plus there was a “music surcharge” of €5.70 per person. But if you don’t want to incur this expense and don’t mind standing right outside the last row of tables, you can listen to a pretty good performance gratis (still worth ♥♥) and even move from one café to another when the music sets alternate. If you’re not bashful, you may even dance.

Next to the cathedral, on what is an appendix to the piazza called Piazzetta San Marco stands Palazzo Ducale ♥♥♥. It’s a dazzling example of Gothic architecture. The tour of the interior includes several magnificent rooms and the famous Giant’s Staircase. There is no furniture in the palace and many works of art are recent additions to the ensemble, but the luxurious nature of this rulers’ residence is visible everywhere. The excellent audio-guide narration explores in detail the history of the Republic and its administrative structure and functions.

You’ll walk over the Bridge of Sighs while on tour of the Doge’s Palace. Afterwards, if you walk around the palace towards Riva degli Schiavoni, you will be able to see the famous passage from the outside. To be honest, I don’t rate it as anything extraordinary.

Piazzetta San Marco opens onto a vast expanse of water, from where the Grand Canal ♥♥♥ starts. You cannot walk along the canal, but you can ride its entire length on the route #1 of the vaporetto. I highly recommend doing that – and try to commandeer a seat at the front of the boat. Ride all the way to the final stop at Piazzale Roma… and then do it again going in the opposite direction. I don’t possess enough superlatives to describe the views.

If you’re up to it, try going for this vaporetto cruise in the very early morning, before most of the tourists – or even residents – are out and about. The sight of the palaces illuminated by the rising sun is mesmerizing.

Only three bridges span the Grand Canal, and the middle one of those, Rialto ♥♥♥ is one of the city’s symbols. It is a prime spot for observing the hustle and bustle of the canal traffic from above.

There are dozens of interesting churches in Venice, many of them containing important works of art. The grandest of them, Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari ♥♥♥ and Santi Giovanni e Paolo ♥♥, are worth the nominal price of entry to explore. (Next to the latter is the beautiful marble façade of Ospedale Civile – you will be forgiven for thinking that to be the church’s entrance, at first.) Other churches are usually free for entry, and we stepped into quite a few of them. Santa Maria della Salute ♥♥, the imposing church at the mouth of Grand Canal, has interesting history and mostly ascetic interior. We also saw: Beautiful San Stefano ♥; unassuming San Maurizio ♥ with a fascinating exhibition of string instruments inside; Santa Maria Formosa; San Stae; San Giovanni Cristosomo; richly decorated San Zulian ♥.

Of the art museums in Venice, Accademia ♥ is probably the most impressive and comprehensive in covering the spectrum of the Venetian school. The collection is dominated by religious and ceremonial works, which unfortunately run on the fringes of our art affinities. Nonetheless, it is nearly a must for any art lover. Note of warning: The museum is not air-conditioned; on hot days, it can get pretty stuffy inside.

Some of art collections in Venice are located in former palaces, one of which, in Ca’ d’Oro ♥, we did visit. Despite the fact that many guidebooks mention this as a top sight, we came away underwhelmed. The palazzo is striking, even though there is none of the gold referred to in its name remaining; the interior and the collection are interesting, but no more than that.

Other art museums, such as Peggy Guggenheim Collection and especially Ca’ Rezzonico, will have to wait for our future visits to Venice.

The area known as Jewish Ghetto is not especially distinguishable from other parts of central Venice, but on its main square, Campo Ghetto Nuovo, there are a couple of poignant memorials and the little Museo Ebraica, where you can get on a guided tour of three adjoining synagogues ♥. You may have to strain your cognitive skills to decipher the guide’s English accent, but the Sephardic synagogue is very beautiful, and the 45-minute tour is probably worth the time and expense.

Your sightseeing in Venice will likely be mostly confined to the central San Marco and San Polo districts (sestieri) of the city, with only parts of Dorsoduro and Canareggio visited. On our very first visit, we also explored parts of Castello, walking all the way to the pleasant Giardini Garibaldi far away from the tourist bustle.

I cannot overemphasize how delightful it is to get lost ♥♥♥ in Venice. Forget about your map for a while; ignore the ubiquitous signs that point to major sights on many corners. Just walk in any direction, make turns as you wish, pick a random estuary alleyway from any given square, see what you come across… I could do that for days.

Getting into a gondola ♥♥♥ should be no less delightful. Gliding under arched bridges in a sleek vessel is a romantic experience, and it is also the only way to get close to the feeling of waterway-enabled dwelling. I prefer the narrow side canals portions of the ride to being on the Grand Canal while in gondola, but the latter portion is still quite pleasing. This is not a cheap attraction, at roughly €100 for a 45-minute ride (open to negotiating at right periods of time; the prices seemed to be the same in 2009 as they were years ago), but in our opinion, very well worth it.

Based on my interactions with people I know, the impression of your gondola ride, should you decide to go for one, will color your entire impression of Venice. Not all gondoliers are made equal, unfortunately, and while I mostly observed them going out of their way to put their customers in the mood and at ease (tips above the negotiated price are very much welcomed, obviously), some may not be as attentive. Plus, in high season at peak times, you run a strong risk of being surrounded by other gondolas following largely the same circuit as you are, which definitely drives any romantic feelings away. To prevent any of this from happening, consider erring on the side of planning versus spontaneity in hiring a gondola: Pick the time when few tourists are doing the gondolas (the hours before dinner, 5-7pm, seem to be a nice slow period); look for places to hire a ride other than the main stations along the Grand Canal or near Piazza San Marco (this has the added bonus of prices being slightly lower away from the busy touristy areas); chat up your prospective gondolier for a minute or two before getting into the boat and try to gauge his level of friendliness, command of English, etc. This will very simply maximize your chances of getting a truly romantic and memorable experience.

Related to gondolas, a little sight that may be interesting to some is one of the few remaining gondola repair shops, found if you walk along Fondamenta Priuli and on, past San Trovaso in Dorsoduro.

For avid market-goers, Rialto market ♥♥, including its famous fish section, is a place to visit during morning hours.

Islands

Of the many islands in the lagoon, three are widely considered among top sights in Venice. It is possible to see all three in one day.

Murano ♥ is primarily famous for its glass-making, and the key attraction there is attending a glass-blowing workshop presentation ♥♥♥. There are several places that you can manage that along Fondamenta dei Vetrai or Fondamenta Daniele Manin near Colonna side of the island (where you will first arrive on vaporetto from Venice). Look for fornace signs.

Other than that, there is little to do on Murano. Glass art showcases are spectacular, but you see a couple of them and they start to blur. In any case, buying a Murano glass souvenir is more expensive on Murano itself that it is on Venetian “mainland” (I have no knowledge of whether there might be any authenticity concerns, though). There is a mildly interesting Museum of Glass and the architectural highlight of the island, the attractive church of Santi Marie e Donato ♥, which could be visited. The streets of Murano are not really exceptional.

Burano ♥♥♥, by contrast, is wildly colorful and delightful just to walk through. It is the local capital of lace, and there is even a museum of lace at Scuola dei Merletti, which we did not visit. The houses around the main square and along every street and canal are painted in various bright hues, giving the little town an incredibly festive air.

Finally, Torcello ♥ is a mostly uninhabited island, which is one of the earliest settlements in the lagoon. The main attraction here is Santa Maria ♥♥ basilica, with brilliant mosaics in the apse and on the walls. The campanile ♥ can be ascended (mostly via inclined ramps, there are less than 100 steps in total at the ends of ramps) for nice views of the island and nearby Burano. Church of Santa Fosca ♥ is quite interesting as well, and there is also Museo dell’Estuario that we did not visit. There is about a 10-minute walk from vaporetto stop to the “village” where all of the attractions are located, but even accounting for that, you may be able to fit exploration of Torcello into just one hour.

Transportation

The vaporetto (water bus) network serves many points along the Grand Canal and around the perimeter of the city, and connects central areas with many islands in the lagoon. There is no form of public transport on any of the little canals, and while distances are always within walkable range, plenty of walking will be involved no matter what you plan to see that’s located “inland”.

If you are spending several days in Venice, definitely consider getting a 72-hours iMob pass. It pays for itself within 5 trips on vaporetto, and allows traveling on all lines around the lagoon. The countdown starts from the moment you first validate it, not when you buy it.

Water taxis are quite expensive, but they could get you into some smaller canals. If you fly into Venice, consider hiring a water taxi to get to the center of the city from the airport. It costs €95 for up to four people, which is actually less than what you’d pay for a party of four to travel on direct “express” water bus (€25 per person). There are cheaper ways to get to central Venice than that (a shuttle bus to Piazzale Roma plus regular vaporetto from there would cost around €35 in total for four people), but none as fun.

Since there are only three bridges along the entire length of the Grand Canal, crossing it may present a problem, which is solved with traghetto, a primarily standing-room gondola ferry. There are traghetto crossings at various points on the canal (but some operate only in the first half of the day). The cost is €0.50 per person.

If you cannot find an operating traghetto crossing, you can always get on linea 1 vaporetto an get off at the next stop; the stops alternate between the sides of the Grand Canal.

All islands are served by various vaporetto routes, but there are frequency considerations. For instance, Torcello can only be reached from Burano; the trip takes 5 minutes, but runs only once every half an hour. If you do go to Burano and Torcello, it may be wise to explore Torcello first and only then spend time on enjoying Burano, since the latter is connected to Venice via a relatively direct vaporetto route. Nonetheless, it takes about 45 minutes to reach Fondamenta Nuove in Venice from Burano.

The main train station is located directly on the Grand Canal, with a vaporetto stop directly in front of it. Transferring between a train and a vaporetto is a matter of minutes, regardless of whether you are arriving or departing.

Lodging

In September of 2003, we stayed at Alloggi Barbaria ♥ (link), on Calle delle Cappuccine, on the outskirts of the central area. The hotel is rightfully billed as being located away from the tourist crush, but while nothing in Venice is too far for walking, the location is on towards the longer side when it comes to most of the major attractions. (Also, quiet streets in Venice tend to resonate with the sounds of a rare passerby; you really only have a choice between the constant noise of busy streets and the occasional, but piercing, noise on the “quiet” ones.)

Our record-keeping mode of that time did not leave much in terms of our impressions of the hotel, but I recall a good-size room and a nice breakfast on the open terrace.

In May of 2009, we rented an apartment within short distance from Rialto, Ca’ San Luca ♥♥ (link). Less than 10 minutes to Piazza San Marco from there as well. The apartment is nicely appointed, taking the entire second floor of a building on unassuming street. There are no views to be had, and you will be looking directly into offices and apartments across the street when you open the shutters.

There are two large bedrooms, a serviceable kitchen, bathroom with a shower and bidet, and a nice dining room. Almost perfect for a family holiday. The only shortcoming is the air conditioner, whose noise-to-efficiency ratio is not great. The unit sits in the hallway hidden only behind a drape, and if you do not shut your bedroom door, you will be bothered during the night every time it comes to life. It barely managed to keep the rooms ventilated; on truly hot days and nights I am not sure it would be up to the task.

Note for apartment renters: Finding a supermarket to stock your fridge is not a trivial task in Venice. We bought foodstuffs at shops that we accidentally came across in our wanderings.

Places to Eat

In the spring of 2009, we dined at a number of good restaurants, which are listed below. All visited as a party of four (two adults, two children).

Trattoria Da Nico ♥♥, on Frezzeria, was suggested by our apartment hosts. Nice place on a comparatively quiet street that is nonetheless part of the walking route between Rialto and San Marco. Most of the patrons were seemingly tourists, but the place did not feel like a tourist trap. Unobtrusive service. Excellent food, starting with an incredible seafood soup (in terms of both quality and presentation); very good vegetable soup; superb sea bass; nice vermicelli with clams; not bad lamb chops. Our damage: €140, including a bottle of wine, before gratuities.

Leon Bianco ♥♥, on the corner of Campo San Luca, was another recommendation by the apartment hosts, its garden directly below the courtyard windows of the apartment. The garden is quite nice to be seated in, the service is very friendly, the food pretty good. We had mostly pastas. Huge portion of mussels and clams for a starter went down very well. Great dessert: panna cotta, tiramisu and a sweet concoction called chocolate “salami”. Our damage: €120, including a bottle of wine, before gratuities.

Vini da Gigio ♥♥, on Fondamenta San Felice in Canareggio, was a recommendation by our good friends who dined there in the past. Two small dining rooms facing the canal quickly filled up. We sat in the corner with a pretty good outside view. The menu is not very extensive. We had fairly simple starters, such as fried cheese and tomato and mozzarella salad. Among main courses, ossobuco was fantastically tender and succulent, and pasta “i mori” with tuna or duck with potatoes were pretty good as well. Only one dish received a lukewarm reception, eel. All dishes were accompanied by polenta on the side. Excellent dessert in the form of strawberry tart with cheese. Stupendous choice of wines. Friendly and pleasant service. Our damage: €166, with a bottle of wine.

The same friends also recommended L’Anice Stellato ♥♥♥, which is located well into the depths of Canareggio, on Fondamenta della Sensa, along the eponymous medium-sized canal, of which we had a pretty nice view. The dining room filled up with tourists and locals alike, plus there were a few tables outside on the canal. Several walk-in potential customers were turned away for lack of seating space – reservations are recommended. There is no English menu, so an English-speaking waiter performed several acts of detailed explanations to tables occupied by tourists. There are no meat dishes, only seafood and pasta.

Starters section is dominated by bocconcini, which is loosely translated as “small bites”; we tried one of salmon and one of ricciola, a local fish. Our main course selections consisted of a pretty good sea bass, very tasty cota di rospa (some sort of fish in pesto-like sauce), and a gigantic heap of seafood and vegetables, frittura mista, which included one whole fried ricciola. Nice dessert and wine. Our damage: €138, including a bottle of wine.

Gam-Gam ♥♥, on Fondamenta di Canareggio, is in the Jewish Ghetto. Cuisine is Jewish-Mediterranean; definitely order at least one assaggi Israeliani, a sampler of various delicacies. Everything is very tasty. Our damage: €80, including gratuities. Cash only.

Pizzeria Ai Coghi ♥, on Campo San Silvestro, was a random choice for lunch on one of the days. Very good pizza. Our damage: €54, including half-bottle of wine.

While on Burano, we arbitrarily picked restaurant-pizzeria Principe ♥ for lunch. It is located across the bridge from where the main street of the island, Via Baldassare Galuppi, starts. There are probably 50 different varieties of pizza on the menu, plus other dishes. Our damage: €52.

On our first trip to Venice, in 2003, no specific records of the couple of meals that we had were kept, except the names of Ristorante La Gondola, not far from Piazza San Marco, and Ristorante Al Peoceto, near Rialto on San Polo side. I sort of recall the former being a typical tourist-oriented place, and, unfortunately, I have no memory of the latter.

Destination appeal

Our verdict

 

We heard from people in the past that a couple of days is more than enough to see all of Budapest. I am not going to try to dispute that; if you do not visit any museums, do not take time to go to one of the baths, and only limit yourself with exterior views, you should be able to cover the city in two days or so. (Come to think of it, this may be true for almost every city in the world.) On the other hand, if you avail yourself to everything that Budapest can offer, you might have to stay for longer than a week. We did not have any museum visits in mind, yet we easily filled up 4 days in town with fun things to do and places to see.

Things to See

Buda and Pest, the two parts of the city separated by the river, are quite distinct from one another. Pest is flat, 19th-century-planned in its layout, and full of architectural treasures of that century, built with the expressed notion to rival Vienna. Buda is hilly, retains more of a historical charm, and, aside from some dramatically-positioned edifices, does not appear too monumental.

Royal Palace is one of the most dramatically-positioned and monumental sights in all of the city. Its grounds ♥ would be more impressive if the fountains were working, but we were not that lucky during the visit. There are no royal apartments to tour inside the palace. Instead, the space is given to a couple of museums, most notably, the Hungarian National Gallery, which we did not visit.

Mátyás Church ♥♥♥ (technically, Church of Our Lady) was partially covered in scaffolding, but its brilliantly colored tiled roof was still visible. The church is quite colorful inside as well, with vivid satined-glass windows, painted walls and pillars, and other rich decorations.

Fishermen’s Bastion ♥ is a good vantage point for views over Buda riverside and all of Pest. The views are unobstructed, but the entrance is for a fee. Similar, albeit sometime partially obstructed, views for free can be had from other lookouts, from inside the Castle District and away from it. For instance, also on the Buda side, on Gellért Hill, a reasonable view opens up from the monument to St Gellért ♥. The most spectacular view of all is higher on that same hill, from Citadel ♥♥♥ – the fortification itself is not worth the visit unless you are interested in the restaurant and nightclub located there, but the panoramic view is beyond comparison, especially after the fall of darkness.

We extensively walked the pretty streets of the Castle District and stopped at the Labyrinth ♥. It is a series of caves – not a true labyrinth, you cannot get lost, – dimly lit and sparsely decorated with statues, wall paintings and curiosities. No more than mildly interesting for most, but the teenager in our group was quite enchanted.

We took only passing interest in lower areas of Buda, such as Tabán or Víziváros, which have several minor points of interest and appear pleasant enough to wander around. We devoted more time to exploring Central Pest instead.

Central Pest reminded us of Paris quite a bit, with its wide boulevards, impressive squares and nearly-uniform building height. It is a veritable treasure trough of 19th-century architecture, with many “neo-” styles, common to that era, represented throughout the town quite well. If you have the stamina and the desire, walk the entire length of Andrássy Avenue ♥♥♥, and you will encounter architectural masterpieces and delights practically every step of the way. Kossuth Square ♥♥♥, Liberty Square ♥♥♥ (Szabadság), Roosevelt Square ♥ are all surrounded by magnificent buildings.

The Parliament building ♥♥ is simply grandiose and reputedly boasts no less grandiose chambers. Getting in requires some scheduling luck (it is closed to visitors when the parliament is in session) and the extra effort of getting to the ticket booth early in the morning. We limited ourselves with a lingering look from the square.

St Stephen’s Basilica ♥♥ was only completed in early 20th century and, subsequently, lacks the atmosphere of an “old” church. But its interior is quite impressive nonetheless and the dome mosaics are absolutely splendid. You can also get to the viewing gallery under the dome (most of the way up and down is by an elevator), although the rooftop panorama falls short of truly breathtaking.

Built to emulate Vienna’s Opera, the State Opera House ♥♥ is a remarkable architectural gem, with an interior of opulence and grandeur. Guided tours are offered, but the simplest way to see it is to buy the cheapest tickets to a performance. Those go for 400 HUF (roughly $1.85 at the time of our stay) and do not allow any view of the stage. Get in half an hour before the performance, walk around the building, check the magnificent performance hall, and leave if you are so inclined. Or stay for an auditory, if not visual, enjoyment. (We got lucky in that the kids were able to move into seats with good views, so we stayed for all three acts of The Swan Lake.)

There are several interesting Secessionist – Austro-centric Art Nouveau movement – buildings in Central Pest. Some, such as the Post Office Savings Bank, with its elaborate roof, or the Turkish Bank, we only saw from the outside. One, Gresham Palace ♥♥, currently a Four Seasons hotel, we stepped into, marvelling at it curvilinear forms and organic motifs. The wrought-iron gates and fancy mosaics were among the highlights.

Several churches in the city besides the two already mentioned merit attention, both in Buda and Pest. We skipped the visits to most of them, except Inner City Parish Church ♥, which dates from 14th century. It has some interesting elements, including little remnants of it being used as a mosque during the Turkish rule.

Great Synagogue ♥♥ was firmly on our list of places to visit, but we were in Budapest during Passover, and the great temple was closed to tourists. It earns its hearts on the basis of its wondrous outward appearance; we were greatly disappointed that we could not see its interior.

There are two Holocaust monuments in Budapest, commemorating the fate of Hungarian Jews during the WWII. The “weeping willow” is in the yard of the Great Synagogue. The “shoes” – a minimalist evocative memorial to people executed on the banks of the river – is on the Danube’s embankment near the parliament building. Putting hearts next to them feels inappropriate, but I strongly recommend to anyone that you find time to view them, especially the “shoes”.

The Jewish Quarter of Budapest is not especially remarkable, although there are some fine buildings along its narrow streets and some Kosher establishments. We walked by Orthodox Synagogue. But the unexpected highlight of the visit to the area was the interior of a popular bar/club on Kazinczy Street, SzimplaKert (Simple Garden), hidden behind a crumbling façade; the bar is fancifully decorated with old furniture and household objects from 50-60 years ago.

Covered Central Market Hall ♥♥♥ is delightful as only a market could be. Its wide central aisle is lined with stalls that sell various delicacies, spices, sweets and produce. More of the same is found in the side aisles. A feast for eyes and senses! The upper level is given to souvenir stalls, arts and crafts, clothing and accessories sellers, and food vendors. We love markets as a rule, and browsing this market was an unquestionable top-notch experience.

The Market Hall is where the pedestrian Vaci Street ♥ starts and runs parallel to the river for a couple of kilometers, lined with boutiques and restaurants. As with any street of such type, it is almost perpetually busy with people, mostly tourists.

Taking to the hot springs was a must-do on our list. There is a good number of well-known baths in Budapest, most of which not only provide for a pleasant relaxation, but also aspire to be sights to see, in terms of architecture and decor. One little problem, if you travel as a family or a mixed-gender group, is that most of these spas are true baths and, therefore, segregate the sexes either in different areas or via single-sex days. We cared for pools more than baths anyway, so we picked Széchenyi Baths ♥♥♥ as our destination. The beautiful neo-Baroque complex houses a medical clinic (step into its foyer, if you have time, for a look at the stunning ceiling mosaics) and the public thermal pools, the latter not putting any restrictions on gender-mixing (obviously requiring swimming attire). There are three pools of different temperatures, the lowest 30°C, the highest 40°C (the hottest of all of Budapest spas), plenty of hydro-massage implements, as well as a swift-current whirlpool, infinitely popular with children. Great way to spend a couple of hours!

It should be noted that soaking in warm waters for a lengthy interval has a pretty tiring effect on the body, so plan your activities accordingly. You may not be physically up to lots of walking and sightseeing after you leave the spa. On the other hand, even in the middle of the week, the pools get progressively busier towards the afternoon; the most uncrowded time to visit is in the morning on a regular workday. If you manage to leave the spa within two hours of entering it, you are issued a refund of 300 HUF, roughly 10% of the entrance fee.

Széchenyi Baths are located within the confines of the vast city park, Városliget. The park is fronted by the expansive Heroes Square , with the majestic Millennium Monument ♥♥♥ as its centerpiece. Aforementioned Andrássy Avenue ends here. Two large art galleries stand on either side of the square: Museum of Fine Arts, with the only non-Hungarian-centric collection of art in the city (including many of the famous masters from all over Europe), and Műcsarnok Art Gallery, Hungary’s largest exhibition space, hosting mostly temporary exhibitions of contemporary painting and sculpture. Both buildings are magnificent, but we did not check out their collections.

The park, itself not especially remarkable, is home to several important attractions. First of all, Vajdahunyad Castle ♥♥, built for Hungarian Millennium celebrations in 1896 (the anniversary of Magyars settling in what later became Hungary). This is not a true castle, but rather a complex of buildings illustrating various architectural styles that existed in Hungary at the time of construction. Overall, there are over 20 of Hungary’s most renowned buildings represented here. Most of the viewing is from outside, though. You can step into a small chapel (for a symbolic fee), or you can visit the Museum of Agriculture (entrance in the Baroque section of the castle). We did the former, but otherwise limited ourselves with the castle grounds.

Also within the park limits is the zoo ♥ and the Vidámpark ♥♥ funfair. Entrance to neither costs much, and both provide an excellent diversion from sightseeing for your tired and bored offspring.

Another popular park area is on Margaret Island, somewhat north of the city center, which we only observed from aboard a river cruise boat.

As mentioned above, museums were not part of our programme for Budapest, but we did visit a small gallery, Kogart, on Andrássy Avenue not far from the Heroes Square, for a fine exhibition of Hungarian impressionists. The gallery does not have a permanent collection.

Numerous musical performances are being held in various venues in Budapest throughout the year. We attended a folk dance and music concert at the Danube Palace, halfway between St Stephen’s Basilica and Roosevelt Square on Zrínyi Street. The venue is adequate if not exactly remarkable, but the performance was superb, given by Rajko Folk Ensemble ♥♥♥, with virtuoso play on violins and percussion and fiery and graceful dances.

For a couple of hours over each of our first two days in Budapest, we were guided by Gabriella Török of Private Tours Budapest ♥♥. A very nice lady who spoke an excellent English, she gave us a pretty good orientation tour of the city. She is pretty open to customizing the itineraries to your liking.

She took us to one location that we otherwise would not have visited, the new Palace of Arts/National Theatre ♥ complex a little bit downriver from the city center. Quite interesting.

We also took a boat cruise on the Danube. There are several offerings of the kind alongside the river embankment; we followed the recommendation of our guide, and picked Dunayacht ♥, from Pier 10 near the Elizabeth Bridge. The cruise lasted exactly an hour and took us upriver to and around Margaret Island and back, under the accompaniment of commentary in English and German. The English recording was heavily accented, but still quite informational.

Transportation

Budapest has all different types of public transportation – Metro, buses, trams, trolleys – but we only made use of a couple: Trams to move north-south parallel to the river on the Pest side, and Metro line #1 that runs under Andrássy Avenue to Városliget. Other Metro lines are not much useful in city center, but trams can be pretty handy in Pest. Only one small appendage of the Metro network goes to Buda (with another currently being built).

There is a funicular to take you up to the Buda Castle near the Chain Bridge, but, with our luck, it was closed for refurbishment during our visit. Walking up the Buda hill is not an overly exhausting exercise, but it is still not for everyone; bus routes should provide an alternative to the funicular.

Family ticket, valid for 48 hours, costs 2900 HUF, is valid on all modes of public transport and pays for itself after three journeys. There is a regular human ticket control at entrances to the Metro stations (and once we had our tickets checked while on a train), but none that we encountered on trams.

If you require transportation to the airport from your hotel, beware of our less-than-ideal experience with the Airport Minibus. It costs 2500 HUF per person (roughly $45 for a family of four – no discounts for children, at least children over 8), and promises to get you to the terminal in under 40 minutes from your hotel in central Budapest. Unfortunately, after picking us up from our hotel, the driver had to wait for one other person for nearly 25 minutes at a different hotel. We, of course, did not plan on a 25-minute delay in our schedule; we still made our flight without a problem (no lines anywhere at the check-in or security control), but it caused us some aggravation. Given that the airport is only 10 miles away from the city center, I don’t expect a taxi ride to cost more than 10000 HUF, although that is a guess, not a fact.

Places to Eat

We did not have any extraordinary culinary experiences in Hungary, for some reason, but pretty much all places that we dined at were quite good. Do not worry about not knowing enough Hungarian to read the menu – every eatery in the city center and in tourist areas has menus in English. All places visited in April of 2009. At that time, $1 was roughly equivalent to 220 HUF. The size of the party was two adults and two children, unless otherwise noted.

Our tour guide recommended Arany Bárány ♥♥ (Golden Fleece), on Harmincad Street near Elizabeth Square, and it was both the most striving-to-impress and by far the most expensive meal of our stay. Nicely decorated small dining rooms (there is also sidewalk dining area, but the night was getting chilly). Excellent, if a bit too loud, live music. Very professional service. All of our selections were great, while simultaneously failing to reach level of fantastic. We were offered a tasty spread, the ingredients of which we failed to identify, for our bread. For starters, we ordered a goulash soup and a very unusual lamb ragout soup. We then had peppers stuffed with lamb, half a dozen duck legs with croquettes and the Gypsy’s spit (mixed grill on a skewer, on a bed of potatoes). Our arbitrary pick of a bottle of Hungarian wine was not bad. For dessert, a pancake with chocolate in nuts was well received. Our damage: 33000 HUF, including wine and gratuities. The larger cost of the meal (compared with other places) contributed to the downgrade of heart.

Walking streets of Buda Castle District, we came across Fekete Holló ♥♥ (Black Raven), on Országház Street not far from Mátyás Church. We sat outside in the sidewalk dining area which became fully occupied in a short while; there is also an inside dining room. Friendly service, great food. Chicken soup was ok, but pumpkin soup, duck liver with grilled vegetables, pancake stuffed with meat with paprika sauce and cold cuts plate were all excellent. Dessert standout was honey cake with chocolate. Our damage: 18000 HUF, including gratuities.

On Vaci Street, we randomly selected restaurant Sorforras ♥ for a dinner one night. Modern interior, understated service, good food. Children’s menu, consisting of chicken soup and turkey schnitzel, went down perfectly; other selections, such as excellent “peasant” potato soup, thick mushroom soup, very tasty duck liver over ratatouille and expertly prepared butter fish with grilled vegetables, were also well received. We did not take any dessert. Our damage: 21000 HUF, including gratuities and a bottle of wine.

Kafe Kor ♥♥, on Sas Street not far from the St Stephen’s Basilica, was a travel forum recommendation. Top-notch service, most of the patrons seemingly locals, interesting menu. We started with goose cracklings (one of the local specialties – fried slices of goose skin), eggplant caviar and a large cold cuts and salad plate called Kor Specialty. For mains, we took beef goulash with croquettes, lamb chops with potatoes, lamb pieces with mash potatoes. Everything quite tasty. For dessert, cherry strudel and sponge cake. Our damage: 24000 HUF, including two glasses of wine and gratuities. Cash only.

Next to our lodgings was a nice Italian eatery La Porta di Taormina ♥ (Pesti Barnabás Street), where we had restaurant-type pizza meals a couple of times. Many many different types of pizzas and other Italian staples, reasonable service. We spent less than 6000 HUF on each occasion (ordering two pizzas at most), with a single pizza pie costing as little as 1300 HUF for the basic pizza margherita.

A convenient choice for lunch after leaving the spa, Széchenyi restaurant ♥ is located at the end of the eponymous spa/clinic complex. Unpretentious set-up under a tent, but nice service and a pretty good menu. The fish soup was one the best I ever had, if only a bit too rich. Broccoli soup-purée, spaghetti bolognese, schnitzel and especially Hungarian steak (with delicious potatoes) were quite tasty as well. Relatively inexpensive. Our damage: 12000 HUF, including gratuities.

Another convenient choice is restaurant Fakanál on the upper level of the grand Market Hall. It is a self-service buffet with a broad selection of mostly traditional fare. The quality of food is what you’d expect from a good buffet – it is not gourmet, but it is still quite good. Live music in the seating area. Our damage: 8500 HUF.

Lodging

We stayed at Marriott Millennium Court Executive Apartments ♥ (link) in April of 2009. We had a two-bedroom apartment, appointed and decorated as how you would expect a Marriott to look, including a small kitchen. The breakfast was somewhat lacking, but cereals, juice, coffee, tea, bread and pastry, jam and cheese, for a price of 1300 HUF per person (roughly $6; children under 12 free) was not a bad deal. Location is serviceable, around the corner from Vaci Street, a block away from the river near the Elizabeth Bridge; most of the sights are not closer than 15-20 minutes of walking, but there are transportation links nearby, and you are still veritably in the city center.

Destination appeal

Our verdict

 

Visitors to Kraków are likely to focus on its historic core, which is unmistakably old European with centuries and centuries of history behind. In that, Kraków is a very easy city to see, because the area is fairly compact and largely pedestrianized. That little core is chock-full of striking buildings and points of interest, enough to satisfy the most demanding of travellers.

Things to See

The heart of the city is the Market Square ♥♥♥ (Rynek Główny) – a vast open space surrounded by beautiful palaces and mansions on all sides. Despite its busy-ness at all hours, it is not an unpleasant place to linger. It is more or less divided into two parts by the massive Cloth Hall ♥ (Sukiennice), built in mid-16th-century but re-modelled in 1875, which houses a long row of souvenir stalls on the ground floor and the gallery of 19th-century Polish painting, which we did not visit, on the upper floor.

The church that towers over the square, Church of St Mary ♥♥♥ (Kościół Mariacki), is not only impressive on the outside, but boasts a fantastically decorated colorful interior, with beautiful stained-glass windows and many interesting works of art, including the High Altar.

There are a few other buildings on the square that attract the eye, including St Adalbert’s Church and Town Hall Tower, but we only looked at them from outside.

From the square, Grodzka ♥♥ street, the main mostly pedestrianized street of the city center, leads to the castle hill. There are many interesting buildings and churches along the street, as well as along other routes, such as Kanonicza ♥♥, that runs almost parallel to Grodzka, or Florianska ♥, on the other side of the Market Square that leads to one of the old city gates and the only surviving segment of the medieval walls that were otherwise taken down in early 19th century to give way to the parkland ring around the Old Quarter, Planty ♥.

Wawel Hill ♥♥♥, rising up above the city, houses several important points of interest. Top of them is the Cathedral, but we only managed to admire it from the outside, as it was closed for visitors throughout our time in the city (because of the Easter; be aware of whether you travel to Poland during a major Catholic holiday – with 95% of the population of the country identifying themselves as Catholics and 70% being regular church-goers, your sightseeing plans may be disrupted by closures for celebratory services). This was by far the biggest disappointment of our time in Kraków, which we will have to rectify in the future.

Instead, we went on two of the Royal Castle tours, guided private apartments ♥♥ and then self-guided State rooms ♥. Entrance to both is timed, and it is important to note that there a limited number of tickets sold every day to each. We did not look for any facility to book the tickets ahead of time, but on a busy day during the tourist season, it is possible that the number of available tickets will be exhausted before noon.

The rooms are not much furnished, but there are paintings, tapestries, friezes, decorated ceilings, interesting artifacts, and, above all, beautiful tiled heating stoves in many rooms. Our English-speaking guide had a very heavy accent, but still provided quite an interesting narrative.

There are several additional tours and exhibitions available on Wawel Hill, which we decided to skip. Entrance to the Crown Treasury and Armoury and to the Orient in Wawel Collections exhibition is from the same beautiful Renaissance courtyard of the palace as the royal rooms, while the “Lost Wawel” exhibition (depicting history of the castle district) and the Cathedral Museum (not only sacred art, but also insignia and memorabilia of the Polish kings) are situated in other buildings.

There is also Dragon’s Lair ♥ that could go well with children. It consists of a descent into small series of rock caves within Wawel Hill. Beware, the exit from the caves is to the embankment of River Wisła, below and outside the castle. If you intend on continuing with touring the castle, you may want to leave the Lair until the conclusion of your visit to Wawel Hill.

Kraków does not boast any major museums, but there are a few moderately interesting ones that may merit attention. We only looked at the Czartoryski Museum ♥, an 18th-century collection of paintings and artifacts that can be summarized as “one Leonardo, one Rembrandt, and a bunch of other stuff”. A reasonable collection, with little in the way of exceptional, but still quite interesting.

One other museum that we considered but ultimately bypassed was Museum of Cracow at Christopher Palace on the Market Square.

We also only managed to view the courtyard of Collegium Maius, one of the oldest schools of higher learning in Central Europe. Quite a number of places in Kraków closes for visitors at 3pm on most days even during the tourist season. Collegium Maius is one of such places, and we could not figure out a way to fit it into our schedule. The courtyard is worth a look nonetheless, even if you know that you are not going on a tour.

There are over 130 active churches in Kraków, and we stepped into a number of them for a look. In addition to the Church of St Mary mentioned above, the most striking were Franciscan Church ♥♥♥ (Kościół Franciszkanów), with walls and columns painted in various colors and with its brilliant Art Nouveau stained-glass windows; Church of St Andrew ♥♥♥ (Kościół św. Andrzeja), small and old, built in 11th century, with its main chapel barred by metal gates, but still visually arresting; Bernardine Church ♥♥♥ (Kościół Bernardynów), at the foot of the Wawel, as opulently Baroque as only Baroque can be; Church of St Anne ♥♥♥ (Kościół św. Anny), another Baroque beauty, but infinitely more restrained. We also looked into the grand Church of Sts Peter and Paul ♥ (Kościół św. św. Piotra i Pawła), which looks very imposing on the outside, with its statues of the apostles on the front railing, but is comparatively ascetic in the interior, aside from resplendent organ; and Church of the Missionaries ♥ (Kościół Misjonarzy; also marked on the map that we used as Kościół Nawrócenia św. Pawła), which is not too impressive inside, but is another fine example of Baroque architecture otherwise.

The Jewish Quarter of Kraków, in the area known as Kazimierz, not too far southeast of the historic center, is concentrated around a street-square by the name of Szeroka ♥. As we were touring the city during the week of Passover (in addition to Easter mentioned above), we had limited opportunity to see synagogues in the area. The most important of them, the Old Synagogue ♥♥♥ (Synagoga Stara), we did visit, aided by the excellent audio-guide available at the ticket desk (there is wealth of information in English on boards around the synagogue, but getting at least one audio-guide is nonetheless recommended). The central bimah (pulpit) was unlike anything I’ve seen in synagogues everywhere, and there are many interesting artifacts and accessories related to Judaism.

We only saw the outer gate of Remu’h Synagogue and did not get to see its cemetery, and also walked by High Synagogue and Tempel Synagogue, which are probably mildly interesting to visit.

We stayed within the historic city core otherwise, aside from daily walks along Karmelicka ♥ to and from our lodgings. This street has several interesting buildings of its own, but we neglected to step into the Carmelite Church ♥ (Kościół Karmelitów), dating from 11th century, and supposedly magnificently decorated, which has an interesting outer chapel in its south wall.

We took a walking tour of the city with Cool Tour Company ♥♥. Our guide, Filip, was a native Russian speaker, which we did not ask for specifically, but it was a bonus because surely his English could not have been as good as his Russian. Nonetheless, I’m sure that he would be pretty good in English as well. The tour was quite informative and educational, if probably a bit shorter than we expected.

We skipped a popular tourist attraction of taking a ride in a horse-driven carriage, starting and ending on the Market Square. There was not a specific reason for that – we normally like this type of relaxing entertainment, – we simply decided against it when we had a bit of downtime, electing instead to engage in people-watching on the square itself.

Places to Eat

We had several excellent culinary experiences in Kraków. All places visited in April of 2009, as a party of four. At the time, $1 was equal to roughly 3.30 PLZ.

Nostalgia ♥♥, on Karmelicka, was a recommendation from our B&B (including 10% discount, which we successfully forgot to ask for). The entrance is from the main street through a narrow little passage into a pleasant and quiet courtyard. We sat at a table right there, not even bothering to check out the inside dining area. Extensive menu at reasonable prices. Unobtrusive service. We had three different types of pierożki, all excellent, but beet soup (barszczyk) was rather thin and watery – it put us off trying it elsewhere, but it could be just the Polish borscht style, so I’m not giving Nostalgia a demerit for it. Pork loin with wild mushroom sauce (polędwiczka wieprzowa z sosem z kurek) was very good. Our damage: 180 PLZ, including gratuities.

Another similar recommendation was Farina ♥♥♥, on the corner of Św. Marka and Św. Jana. It was a back-up choice after we decided against CK Browar (see below), and, boy, are we glad that it turned out that way! Farina is simply outstanding. There are several dining rooms, each with a few tables. All of the wait staff seemingly consists of lovely young women, who were very attentive and friendly. Excellent food – everything that we selected was fantastic! We had three different soups, Mediterranean fish (Śródziemnomorska zupa rybna), cream of mussels (kremowa zupa z małży) and Thai coconut (Tajska kokosowa zupa). For mains, we chose steak in mushroom sauce (polędwica duszona), ravioli with mushrooms (grzybowe), and selection of grilled seafood (chrupiące owoce). We left nothing on the plates, which were all quite sizable. Even the picky little member of our party devoured her spaghetti completely. The dessert, made of coffee, ice cream and halva (kawowe semifreddo), was, according to the people who tried it, heavenly. We obtained the 10% discount provided by our B&B, bringing the damage to 280 PLZ before gratuities, including a bottle of wine.

Guliwer ♥, on Bracka, appeared on our list of potential choices through a travel forum. The street runs away from the Market Square – it is, nonetheless, pretty quiet; the dining room is not very large and quite pleasantly appointed. The service was adequate, but I could not help but feel that our waitress could have shown us her teeth in a smile at least once. The menu was not very extensive, but with enough of interesting selections. Main courses failed to bowl us over (halibut was altogether too salty), but the soups, garlic (zupa czosnkowa) and fish (zupa rybna nicejska), were outstanding. Our damage: 230 PLZ, including a bottle of wine.

Café Pod Wawelem occupies a prominent corner at the foot of the castle hill. We picked it for convenience and for its extensive menu, but this was one place where our experience was lacking. The service was glacial, especially towards the end of our meal when the place filled up a little, even though there were seemingly a dozen of waiters around. The food was partially great and partially disappointing. On the good side were żurek (a traditional soup with bits of eggs, sausage, bacon, etc.), schnitzel the size of medium pizza, mushroom soup (zupa grzybowa), and a huge potato pancake with mushrooms and meat (placek po zbojni). On the bad side were spaghetti with some cloyingly sweet sauce from children’s menu and too sour pierogi kapusta (dumplings with cabbage). Our damage: 126 PLZ.

Again a recommendation from travel forums, Michelin-reviewed Miod Malina ♥♥♥ is on Grodzka. Stylish interior, evoking rural housing, replete with a white stone oven in the corner. Refined and very cordial service. Cuisine straddles traditional Polish dishes with Italian staples. Quality – beyond reproach. Of the local dishes, we had a very good mushroom soup (krupnik), the traditional żur w chlebie, which was delightfully served in a little pot made out of bread (which you are supposed to eat, with the soup and after finishing the soup), and unbelievably tasty potato and meat balls (pyzy jak u mamy). Our Italian selections: Bruschetta, lasagna, penne with salmon and an excellent salad from fresh vegetables. The dessert – fantastic panna cotta and pancakes with apple sauce (racuchy) – deserve special mention. Our damage: 180 PLZ before gratuities.

Also a travel forum find, Chimera ♥♥♥, on Św. Anny practically on the corner of the Market Square, was excellent as well. The restaurant is on a subterranean level, clearly a former cellar, and retains an arched stylishness. The service is exceedingly friendly, occasionally with a flair. Great food. We took our usual assortment of soups, all of which were very tasty: mushroom (zupa borowikowa), consommé with dumplings (rosol z koldunami), and traditional żurek with bits of eggs, sausage and bacon. For main courses, we had a pork knuckle (golonka z puree grochowym), a goose leg (pieczone udko gesie), and a selection of grilled meats (wybor mies i jarzyn z grilla). All excellent. The dessert was down a notch, especially a cheesecake that was not really a cheesecake (sernik krakowski), although tort a la Chimera (chocolate with walnuts) was pretty good. Our damage: 280 PLZ before gratuities, including a bottle of wine.

We had one more target for dining from the list compiled on travel forums, but CK Browar, on the corner of Karmelicka and Podwale J. Dunaewskiego, turned out to be too full of smoke, while failing to attract us in any way. We took a look and went to Farina instead.

We also had excellent dessert with coffee at Enso ♥, on Karmelicka. It’s a modern-looking lounge; we sat by a small wall fountain. A random nearby selection on a night when we did not feel like going to bed early, it was fairly pleasant.

Lodging

In April of 2009, we stayed at Cracowdays ♥♥ (link), on Grabowskiego, off Karmelicka. The only small negative about this B&B is its not too central location. To be fair, it is a fairly easy 10-minute walk from the place to the outer edge of the city center (or a one-stop tram ride, if you prefer), but in a city whose main points of interest are concentrated in a small area, having to walk to and from that area a couple – or more – times a day may become a chore for some. We are willing walkers, but your mileage may vary…

The rooms are located on the second (directly above ground) floor of a multi-story building. Rooms are of nice size, with modern utilities and old tiled heating stoves (more for decorative purposes than actual use, I suppose). Owners/staff are reasonably friendly and attentive. The dining room is on the next floor above, and when the B&B is full and all of the guests decide to have breakfast at the same time, there may be a problem with seating; we narrowly avoided such situation once. The breakfast, otherwise, is amply adequate, with cheeses, cold cuts, fruits and fresh vegetables, cottage cheese, cereals, juice, tea, coffee.

In the hall, a connected laptop is free for guests to use to check their emails or what-have-you. A very welcome little perk that is not found often.

Wieliczka Salt Mines

Located about 15 kilometers away from Kraków, Wieliczka Salt Mines ♥♥♥ is a fantastic half-day excursion from the city.

The vast network of underground galleries and chambers was created over the centuries in the mines where salt has been excavated since probably 11th century. There are huge banquet halls, stunning chapels, sculptures, and various displays related to salt mining and the lives of miners. A fascinating tour!

English-speaking tours leave roughly once an hour. We were very lucky with our guide, who not only spoke very good English, but also exhibited very dry sense of humor with deadpan delivery, cracking the group up on many occasions and keeping it lively. The tour itself lasted over an hour and a half; afterwards, we were left on our own to go through another kilometer or so of chambers in order to get to the elevator up. The descent is on foot, via something like 60 8-step flights of stairs.

There are several ways to get to Wieliczka. Organized tours or direct mini-buses are probably the easiest. We opted for the cheapest option instead, taking bus #304 from Filarmonia in city center; it does not stop right by the entrance to the mine complex, but rather a good half-kilometer from it – you need to ask your fellow passengers to alert you to the right stop. But it only cost us about 10 PLZ each way; adding 177 PLZ for the family visit ticket, we spent about half what it would cost for the four of us to go on an organized trip (which would be 380 PLZ if we hired the tour suggested to us by the B&B).

Oświęcim (Auschwitz)

Many visitors to Kraków go to Auschwitz as well – it is a good 50-km trek from the city, but there are many available tours that you can join. We judged that we did not have time to fit that in, and we were not particularly sure if it made sense to incorporate it into our itinerary. You’ll make your own judgements in that regard.