EDITOR’S LETTER
PETER GRUNERT, EDITOR
This month... … we’re introducing an occasional series called the Beginner’s Guide (p96). We’re aiming to offer all the practical advice we can to encourage you to move an experience from your wish-list to reality. The topic this time around is diving. My tips from a personal first attempt, gathered off the coast of Bali, would be to remain deeply relaxed at all times, and definitely not to eat a massive plate of nasi goreng just before jumping in. Elsewhere this issue we transport you from the wild savannah of Tanzania (p62) to the Belle Époque lanes of Paris (p76). Happy travels…
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May 2015 Lonely Planet Traveller
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Contents
Win! A TRIP TO CANADA Turn to p129
M AY 2 0 1 5
Restaurants with rooms p28
Great Escape Tuscany & Umbria p47
Easy Trips p39
Regulars POSTCARDS
EASY TRIPS
GREAT ESCAPE
Your travel photos and stories 8 A Bhutanese sword dancer and more great images from around the world
Short breaks you can take right now 40 The British Museum puts Australian Aboriginal art centre stage 40 Hunker down in a Lake District log cabin 41 Sharing treehouses with squirrels by Slovenia’s picturesque Lake Bled 42 An Art Deco stunner in Manchester 42 Get close to elephants, giraffes and lemurs on safari, in Bedfordshire 43 One very natural Canary Island 43 Tours and fireworks celebrate 70 years since liberation in the Channel Islands 44 A springtime catch in Hampshire 44 Sicily’s balmy Egadi Islands are a little-seen world of their own 45 Enjoy the Cotswolds at their finest
Your next big trip mapped out 47 Sample the specialities of Tuscany and Umbria: not just fine food and wine, but also hilltop towns and wild coastlines
GLOBETROTTER The latest travel news and insights 21 My San Sebastian: a local’s tips, from top dining to waterfront art 24 Arrivals: the Sony World Photography Awards, new flights to summer locales, future tourist attractions and more 28 Extraordinary Places to Stay: restaurants with rooms 33 Two Sides To Tokyo: neon signs meet paper screens in the Japanese capital 35 Travel Icon: the Hollywood sign 4
Lonely Planet Traveller May 2015
MINI GUIDES Themed guides to take with you 117 London nightlife, from encyclopaedic gin bars to pop-up dining clubs 119 See Barcelona without breaking the bank 121 Cradle of fado and home to standout museums, Lisbon is a cultural highlight 123 Discover the rich tastes of Marrakesh 125 Greek island odysseys don’t get much finer than exploring Crete’s coast 127 Have a grand ole time in Nashville
Perfect days in Paris p76
DESTINATION INDEX
Remote places to stay p88
ON THE COVER
COVER PHOTOGRAPH: BRUNO DE HOGUES/GETTY IMAGES. EDITOR’S LETTER PHOTOGRAPHS: JONATHAN GREGSON, REINHARD DIRSCHERL/GETTY IMAGES, MATT MUNRO, DAVID DE VLEESCHAUWER. CONTENTS PHOTOGRAPHS: OLIMPIO FANTUZ/SIME/4 CORNERS, MATT MUNRO, JONATHAN GREGSON, DAVID DE VLEESCHAUWER, LORNE RESNICK, REINHARD DIRSCHERL/ALAMY
Tales of Tanzania p62
Beginner’s guide to diving p96
Features 62 TALES OF TANZANIA In the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, the northern highlands of Tanzania are a place where animals cannot help but star in larger-than-life stories 76 LES QUARTIERS DE PARIS Spend four days in the French capital to gain an intimate acquaintance with four of its most intriguing and diverse neighbourhoods 88 REMOTE PLACES TO STAY From desert camps to Alaskan wilderness lodges, find out where to drop off the edge of the map 96 BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO DIVING How to get started, what you’ll need and where to go – from the Dorset coast to the Maldives 102 THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S STORY One man’s love affair with Cuba played out in pictures, 20 years in the making
Cuba p102
Austria p12 Styria Bhutan p8 Bumthang Canada p129 British Columbia p43 Channel Islands Chile Easter Island p94 Croatia Dubrovnik p26 Cuba p102 England p42 Bedfordshire p99 Dorset p45 Gloucestershire p44 Hampshire p40 Lake District p25, p40, p117 London p42 Manchester p28 New Forest France p30 Brittany p76 Paris Ghana p16 Sampa Greece p125 Crete p92 Dodecanese India p10 Agra Indonesia p15 Flores Italy p44 Egadi Islands p25 Lake Como p47 Tuscany & Umbria Japan p33 Tokyo Maldives p100 North Malé Atoll Mongolia p88 Khentii Morocco p123 Marrakesh p93 Sahara Desert Namibia p90 Namib Desert Portugal p121 Lisbon Slovenia p41 Lake Bled South Africa p29 Western Cape Spain p119 Barcelona p29 Ibiza p43 La Gomera p21 San Sebastian p27 Sri Lanka Sweden p30 Jämtland p62 Tanzania Thailand p99 Ko Tao Turkey p24 Istanbul p100 Kaş USA p91 Alaska p16 Kenai Fjords p35 Los Angeles p28 Maine p127 Nashville p15 New Orleans p26 New York
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All prices correct at time of going to press. Prices for hotel rooms are for double, en suite rooms with breakfast in low season, unless otherwise stated. Flight prices are for the cheapest return fares, including one piece of hold baggage, unless otherwise stated.
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T R A V E L L E R
NEED TO GET IN TOUCH? Subscription and back issue enquiries 0844 826 7350 Editorial enquiries 020 7150 5118 Subscription enquiries lonelyplanet@servicehelpline.co.uk General enquiries editorial@lptraveller.co.uk
Behind the Scenes How our team of writers and photographers made the May issue SHOT OF THE MONTH Matt Munro’s photo of the hilltop town of Assisi, Italy (p47)
Subscription enquiries Lonely Planet Traveller, Building 800, Guillat Avenue, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8GU General enquiries Lonely Planet Traveller, Immediate Media, Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, Hammersmith, London W6 7BT CONSUMER TRAVEL PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR Travel Press Awards (2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013) EDITORIAL Editor Peter Grunert Deputy editor Amanda Canning Production editor Alice Braham Features editor Orla Thomas Sub-editor Rory Goulding Senior features writer Oliver Smith Editorial assistant Sophie McGrath Contributing editor Christa Larwood ART Art director Hayley Ward Designer Mike Cutting Photo editor Claire Richardson Thanks to Melanie Algar, Jon Baker, Gemma Doyle, Max Gayler, Corey Hutchison, Dom Martin, Wayne Murphy, Lucy Sheref, Elizabeth Waind ADVERTISING Advertising director Jacque O’Donnell Advertising manager Ali Teeman Group head Nick Connell, Stuart Morgan Sales executive Lauren Bell Advertising director, Northern sales team David Downs Classified sales executive Felix Hudson Inserts sales executive Daniela Restaino For advertising enquiries 020 7150 5135 AD SERVICES AND PRODUCTION Head of production Koli Pickersgill Senior production controller Katie Panayi Advertisement services coordinator Tony Dixon Classified services coordinator Salome McDonald PUBLISHING Publishing director Alfie Lewis Publisher Simon Carrington Marketing manager Tom Townsend-Smith Trade marketing director Martin Hoskins Newstrade marketing manager Alison Roberts Direct marketing manager Emma Shooter Subscriptions marketing executive Daniel Eales Management accountant Len Bright Management accountant Noma-Afrika Pele
Before I took this photo, I’d been trying to find a good vantage point to shoot Assisi – difficult because it’s so high. Then I noticed a church on top of a hill behind the town, so I trekked to the top, rushing to get there as it was late in the afternoon and the light was fading. From the church, I could see the whole town – it was the perfect viewpoint. I’d just started taking photos when, suddenly, an incredible cloud drifted into shot. It was surreal: everything went a bit dark, and then the light rays appeared behind it. Within a minute the cloud had gone, and it was just a normallooking afternoon again. It all happened in that one magic minute. Nikon D800, 24-70mm lens, ISO 100, aperture f/8
MANAGEMENT Chairman Stephen Alexander Deputy chairman Peter Phippen CEO Tom Bureau SYNDICATION AND LICENSING Director of International Licensing and Syndication Tim Hudson International partners manager Anna Brown For syndication enquiries richard.bentley@immediate.co.uk PUBLIC RELATIONS Communications manager Dominic Lobley Lonely Planet Traveller is produced for LPG, Inc (part of the Lonely Planet group) by Immediate Media Company London Limited, Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green, Hammersmith, London W6 7BT. ISSN 2050�635X. © Immediate Media Company London Limited, 2015. Printed by Polestar Group. Immediate Media Company is working to ensure that all of its paper is sourced from well-managed forests. This magazine can be recycled for use in newspapers and packaging. Please remove any gifts, samples or wrapping and dispose of the magazine at your local collection point. UK full annual subscription rate for 12 issues: £46.80; Europe and Eire: £65; rest of the world: £75.
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Lonely Planet Traveller May 2015
A WINNER’S TALE Student Olivia Wheeler won our April ’14 trip to Ecuador. She tells us about her visit: My friend and I spent a week in the Galápagos, staying on a yacht, visiting a tortoise sanctuary and swimming with sea lions, and then a week in the Amazon – we lived with a local family and walked up a waterfall. I'd love to go back. Turn to p129 to enter our latest competition.
RUSH HOUR IN SOUTH AMBOSELI Photographer Jonathan Gregson (pictured) and deputy editor Amanda Canning were in Tanzania (p62), investigating local legends in their pursuit of wildlife, when they heard a story about the ‘singing well’ – a waterhole dug 20 feet into the solid ground and allegedly discovered by an elephant. When they finally tracked it down after driving through the savannah for several hours, quizzing any Maasai they came across, they found the local cattle were none too pleased about sharing it with them.
Next month
O Find your own idea of paradise in the Greek
Islands, from the Cyclades to the Ionians
plus O Yeehaw! Buckle up for Texan
adventures in the Lone Star State O Head to the dunes in Oman’s Arabian Desert O Tour Lisbon with a local, stay in extraordinary family hotels and walk the Great Wall of China
on sale 30 April
May 2015 Lonely Planet Traveller
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Postcards WHERE YOU’VE BEEN AND WHAT YOU’VE SEEN
POSTCARDS Why not get involved? We’d love to include your best new travel photos (at 300dpi) and the inspiring stories behind them. Send them with a pic of yourself to postcards@lptraveller.co.uk
Jampey Lhakhang Drup commemorates the establishment of a 7th-century temple and takes place in late October or early November
BUMTHANG, BHUTAN
Sword play I timed my visit to Bhutan to coincide with the Jampey Lhakhang Drup festival at Jambay Lhakhang temple. Local people arrive early and spread out rugs around the dance area so they can enjoy picnics and a gossip. A kind lady noticed I was sitting on the flagstones and offered me a corner of her rug. This got me very close to the action. The dances are performed by monks who transform themselves into warrior spirits. The monks spin hypnotically and gradually quicken until they appear to be whirling, wrathful demons. At the climax of the dance, only one monk is left alone to slay the demon – in my photo, the dancer performs the final coup de grace to finish off the evil spirit.
Ross Kennedy is from Scotland and works as an engineer in Dublin
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AGRA, INDIA
Marble to behold My girlfriend and I woke at dawn to ensure we were the first people at the Taj Mahal. We ended up at the back of long line at the entrance though. We pushed our way through the throngs and were lucky enough to find a quiet spot where I was able to go through with my plan of proposing to Nicola. We were immediately surrounded by a group of Japanese tourists who wanted to take pictures of the moment (thankfully Nicola said yes!). It was surreal but wonderful. I took this picture of Nicola a few minutes later. The serenity of the Taj coupled with the mist on the water belies the life-changing experience we had shared just moments before.
Peter Staines and fiancée Nicola are getting married in August
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POSTCARDS Send your best new travel photos to postcards@lptraveller.co.uk
The materials used to construct the Taj Mahal include jade and crystal from China, turquoise from Tibet, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan and sapphire from Sri Lanka
During the winter months, Grüner See is only one or two metres deep – come June, it can swell to depths of 12 metres and is popular with divers thanks to its crystal-clear waters
POSTCARDS Send your best new travel photos to postcards@lptraveller.co.uk
GRÜNER SEE, AUSTRIA
Clear winner Last summer my friend and I went on our first hiking trip, and where better to go but Austria with its beautiful mountains, valleys and lakes? Our first destination was the Grüner See, a lake in Styria. We knew its name ‘Green Lake’ originated because of its emerald-green water, but we had no idea how colourful it was in real life. With the temperature above 30°C, we couldn’t resist taking a dip. What we didn’t realise was that the lake’s water comes from the snowmelt from the surrounding mountains and has a temperature of just 6-7°C, even in summer – but we took the plunge anyway. What a great way to start a week of hiking.
Mark Rettig, a German living in London, spent a week hiking
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POSTCARDS Send your best new travel photos to postcards@lptraveller.co.uk
NEW ORLEANS, USA
Top brass This photo was taken in Jackson Square as I roamed through New Orleans on my first day in the city. I was taking dozens of pictures for my travel blog, and loved how the late-afternoon sun added a golden glow to the square. I remember being completely overwhelmed by the ubiquitous presence of music in the French Quarter, by the picturesque colonial architecture and the unrelenting heat. New Orleans is like a Disneyland for adults, and exploring this city is such an exhilarating ride.
Olga Nikolskaya lives in London and spent a few days in New Orleans
Jackson Square, built in 1721 and modelled after the Place des Vosges in Paris, is known for its raucous buskers
FLORES, INDONESIA
Sky high I visited Seraya last August, when my friends and I were island-hopping in Komodo National Park in the east of Indonesia, living aboard a boat for four days. Seraya was one of my favourite islands. It was an easy place to fall in love with – the scenery was beautiful and we’d see manta rays in its clear waters, which were perfect for snorkelling. I took this photo from the top of a hill, looking on to the island’s tiny resort. It’s a bit cut off from the world, but who needs electricity when you wake up to this view?
Seraya Kecil island lies on the edge of Komodo National Park, home to the Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard
Samantha Siahaan is a graphic designer who lives by the sea in Bali
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POSTCARDS Send your best new travel photos to postcards@lptraveller.co.uk
KENAI FJORDS, USA
Bear faced Alaska was the perfect place for me to have a life-changing wilderness experience. I was walking on the riverbank in the Kenai Fjords National Park when I saw a bear on the other side of the water. I kept my distance and began snapping away. It was only when I turned around that I spotted this bear grazing near me. He’d also brought a few friends! I spent 10 minutes with the bears until they wandered off in search of some fish. Needless to say, I got my wilderness experience.
Both black bears and brown bears (pictured), also known as grizzly bears in the US, are common in Kenai Fjords National Park
Trish Conti is from Enfield, London, and spent three weeks in Alaska
SAMPA, GHANA
Cash crop Monday is market day in Sampa. As I was on my way to the fruit stands, I walked by this woman who smiled and greeted me in the local dialect. She pointed to the pile of maize in front of her and asked me to purchase some. I politely declined and was about to walk on, but then she pointed to the camera around my neck and then to herself. I took one picture and showed her the image; suffice to say, she was ecstatic and called her fellow market ladies to come over to see the photo.
Suradee Thongkiattikul works as a US Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana
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The town of Sampa lies on the border with Côte d’Ivoire in the region of Brong-Ahafo, known for its agricultural output
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Globetrotter A WORLD OF TRAVEL NEWS AND DISCOVERIES
Local Knowledge
My San Sebastián ELENA ARZAK is one of the world’s most celebrated chefs. Her family restaurant – the understated Arzak, located in the leafy suburbs of San Sebastián in northern Spain – has held three Michelin stars for more than 25 years. Elena began learning to cook dishes in the restaurant kitchen at the age of 11 and, today, with her father – the acclaimed Juan Mari Arzak – she creates spectacular dishes of cutting-edge Basque food, from pigeon with pumpkin-seed purée and a dairy dish inspired by the Milky Way galaxy, to a huge chocolate truffle, melted with carob sauce and finished with basil and gooseberry ice creams. arzak.es
INTERVIEW BY CHRISTA LARWOOD. PHOTOGRAPH: JUSTIN FOULKES
TURN OVER FOR ELENA’S LOCAL TIPS
May 2015 Lonely Planet Traveller
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GLOBETROTTER
Local Knowledge ‘This is not a city that you simply visit – it’s a city you fall in love with. Every corner has something wonderful to discover’
1
2
X I love to go to Bokado Aquarium for seasonal dishes such as roasted venison or confit of cod. I enjoy restaurants like Gambara (1), which is in the old part of town. It has an incredible variety of mushrooms and cooks crab so well, with vegetables in a small tartlet. Delicious! And for wonderful original Basque food, such as lobster salad with pistachio vinaigrette, try Restaurante Rekondo (2). bokadomikelsantamaria.com; ganbarajatetxea.com; rekondo.com
X Don’t miss the sculptures along the waterfront by Basque artist Eduardo Chillida. There is a very important piece of his called The Comb of the Wind, a trio of steel sculptures on the Bay of La Concha. I also love to visit the Museo San Telmo. It has a mix of old Basque art dating from Gothic times and contemporary pieces – a fusion of both, as if showing that life and art go on. It’s done perfectly. santelmomuseoa.com
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children. My kids and I often head outdoors on a sunny day to Paseo Nuevo , a promenade that traces along the foot of the Urgull Hill by the Bay of La Concha (3) and ends in the old part of town. In the evenings, we often go to the Kursaal Congress Centre and Auditorium, where there are always concerts of classical music and jazz, or cinema events and theatre. kursaal.eus
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X There are two food markets – La Brexta and San Martin – and both are fantastic, with exceptional fish and fresh vegetables. There are also wonderful speciality shops. Don Serapio (4) is a gourmet shop with the best ham, meat and cheeses. And Aitor Lasa has a great variety of mushrooms and lots of the local Basque sheep’s cheeses, as well as seasonal fruits. donserapio.com; aitorlasa.com
X For a drink I enjoy the Museo del Whisky with its incredible collection of whiskeys and live piano music. Cocteleria Dickens does a very special ‘gin tonic’ – it is very refreshing after a long day in the kitchen. For a bespoke touch, I like Dry Bar (5), because the cocktails are adapted to your own personal tastes. museodelwhisky.com; cocteleriadickens.com; dry-sansebastian.com
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PHOTOGRAPHS: JIL PHOTO/AGEFOTOSTOCK, COCONUT FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY & FILM, WILL PRYCE, JON IDIAKEZ
X San Sebastián is a wonderful city to enjoy with
T R AV E L E X P E R I E N C E D
FAC E TO FAC E WI TH
TH E HOLY L AN D This beautiful and intriguing region has been one of the world’s great religious and cultural hubs for millennia. Its fascinating history resonates in sites such as Jerusalem, the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth and Jaffa. In contrast, Tel Aviv is a lively, modern, cosmopolitan city, benefitting from a delightful Mediterranean beachside setting.
DISCOVER THE HOLY LAND 8 DAYS FROM £1,745 • Visit Masada, one-time fortress of King Herod • Stay at a traditional working kibbutz in Galilee • Visit the Baha’i terraced gardens & shrine • Float in the mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea
ATOL 2815 ABTA V2999
• Small group size – maximum 25
www.coxandkings.co.uk ,SYWIW ERH E WXVIIX MR XLI .I[MWL 5YEVXIV -WVEIP � 2SEQ 'LIR JSV -WVEIPM 1MRMWXV] SJ 8SYVMWQ
To speak to an expert or request a brochure, call 020 7873 5000 quoting reference LPT
Travel News
Arrivals New Hotel Boutique hotelier Room Mate is branching out into one of Europe’s coolest cities with its new Istanbul outpost, Room Mate Kerem. Located in the cosmopolitan quarter of Beyoğlu, the hotel has chic rooms styled with a modern take on Art Deco elegance, while a private rooftop terrace offers sweeping views over Istanbul’s minarets and waterways. There’s also a spa with a pool, sauna and, of course, Turkish baths; but perhaps most impressive are the characteristically low prices – rooms start at £75 (kerem.room-matehotels.com).
Get to grips with a notoriously difficult language using Chineasy’s flashcards, which explain Mandarin via key characters (30 pairs of flashcards £14.95; thamesandhudson.com).
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PHOTOGRAPHS: BIG�RYAN/ISTOCK, ISTOCK IMAGES, MARCIN KLOCEK�POLAND�SHORTLIST SPORT PROFESSIONAL COMPETITION�2015 SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS
New Hotel
GLOBETROTTER
MODERN MANNERS Debrett’s has published an etiquette guide for Airbnb guests. Here are the top five tips: Be punctilious about punctuality Overstaying your welcome is a good way of alienating your hosts
New Tour Western & Oriental’s Scenic Route to Lake Como chugs its way from London to the Italian Lakes via the Swiss Alps. Expect super-scenic train journeys and five nights right on the lake (week from £1,625 with all travel; westernoriental.com).
London
KEEP IT REAL Make a good entrance No muddy shoes
Madrid Rome
Respect shared spaces Guests should conduct a brief, forensic examination before exiting the bathroom
Paris he ld ve t Lea al wor u virt nd i le h be ng whi i k ta l a a T ing ks c n gla n loo nd e a scre escent d l ado annere m ill
Be a considerate smoker It is also best to assume that a non-smoking ban applies to e-cigarettes and to remember that vaping is best done in private
Trip4real, a Barcelona-based start-up that offers tours and activities guided by locals, has launched across five European countries. Travellers can choose from an archaeologistled tour of Rome’s Colosseum, or brunch and vintage shopping in Paris’s Bastille district. Other intriguing experiences on offer include a circus-themed London supper club, and the chance to help a man in Madrid complete his life’s work: a cathedral. There’s something for every budget – a tour of Lisbon’s bohemian barrios costs just £2.15 per person (trip4real.com).
Lisbon
ona Barcel
THE CHEEK OF IT It’s rare to be granted up-close access to see Japanese sumo wrestlers in training, but Marcin Klocek did just that to capture this striking image. His photo essay ‘Sweat and Blood’ has been shortlisted in the Sony World Photography Awards. The winners will be announced on 23 April (worldphoto.org), and will be on display at Somerset House in London from 24 April�10 May.
May 2015 Lonely Planet Traveller
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Travel News W H AT’S HOT SUMMER HOLIDAYS WITHIN REACH
DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME
The state of Quintana Roo in Mexico now has a new time zone to give visitors an extra hour on the beach HELLO K I T�T E A
A tea house devoted to the Japanese cartoon has opened in Kyoto
Sunseekers rejoice: this month sees a host of flights launched to some of the balmiest spots in Europe and beyond. BA now flies to Dalaman on Turkey’s Aegean coast (from £180; ba.com), while Ryanair is offering the first budget flights from the UK to the far-flung Azores (from £110; ryanair. com). New destinations from easyJet include sleepy Preveza in western Greece, the Adriatic town of Pula in Croatia, and the Tunisian resort of Monastir (from £90; easyjet.com).
TURKEY Portuguese Azores
BUNNYCHOW
Our favourite South African street food, available in London and coming soon to a festival near you (bunnychow. com)
TUNISIA
New Television
W H AT’S NOT
Air Astana is promoting the idea of booking three seats in a row, but there’s no beating that smug feel when you luck out at no extra cost
DRONES
London’s Royal Parks are the latest attractions to ban the flying eyes over safety fears
LAKE DISTRICT SALE
Seven plots in the national park are to be sold to raise funds, but some fear access and conservation will suffer 26
Lonely Planet Traveller May 2015
GAME OF THRONES VS MAD MEN Two mega-shows return this month, Game of Thrones (13 April) and Mad Men (9 April). From a citadel of intrigue to ’60s New York, we explore some of the locations featured in both the series The Croatian city of Dubrovnik is the real-life King’s Landing (minus murders and battles), as well as a few other locations from HBO’s fantasy series Game of Thrones. Head to its highest point, Minčeta Tower (above), for a great view over the distinctive orange rooftops. This spot also represents the walls of the House of the Undying, where Daenerys Targaryen searches for an entrance. The twisting pines of Gradac Park, meanwhile, provided shade for King Joffrey (left) at his very memorable wedding feast.
Mad Men’s title refers to the epicentre of New York’s advertising industry, Madison Avenue, where many key scenes in this stylish AMC drama were shot. Spanning the late ’50s to early ’70s, the series charts changing fashions in the Big Apple. After one successful pitch, execs from agency Sterling Cooper drink beer and dance to Chubby Checker’s hit song The Twist at a little brick saloon on the corner of 55th Street and Third Ave named PJ Clarke’s (above; pjclarkes.com). In a later episode, creative director Don Draper (right) takes a date for teppanyaki at the Japanese restaurant Benihana (benihana.com).
Both shown on Sky Atlantic. Visit radiotimes.com/travel for more TV-inspired trips
PHOTOCREDIT
‘ECONOMY SLEEPER CLASS’
GLOBETROTTER
New Tour
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PHOTOGRAPHS: AP PHOTO/TINA FINEBERG/PRESS ASSOCIATION IMAGES, JOHN HARPER/GETTY IMAGES, HBO/COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION/REX, PETER MULLIGAN/GETTY IMAGES, PHOTOS 12/ALAMY, SANRIO CO LTD TOKYO JAPAN, M SWIET PRODUCTIONS/GETTY IMAGES, TRAVEL LIBRARY LIMITED/SUPERSTOCK
Selective Asia’s Sri Lanka Escape combines the country’s history and wildlife with seaside lazing. Travellers explore the Unesco-listed ancient cities, forts and temples of the Cultural Triangle, including the rock of Sigiriya (pictured), before meeting villagers and going on safari in Minneriya National Park, home to elephants, monkeys and crocs. The final stop: crashing out on the east coast’s pristine beaches (10 days from £1,483 excluding international flights; selectiveasia.com).
TOURIST AT TR ACTIONS OF THE FUTURE You’ve climbed the Eiffel Tower and perhaps even walked China’s Great Wall – but what new attractions will soon join the global hit parade? Bloggers at home exchange site lovehomeswap.com have published a predictive list of 50 that includes innovative green spaces, cultural sites and ambitious hotel projects, such as a floating snowflake. May 2015 Lonely Planet Traveller
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Extraordinary Places to Stay In association with
Restaurants with rooms The Pig
NEW FOREST, ENGLAND WHAT’S FOR DINNER? Whatever the kitchen gardener reckons is at its best that day – the menu changes to make best use of seasonal produce, and all other ingredients travel no further than 25 miles until they hit your plate. And they won’t linger there long – starters like ‘Piggy Bits’ (left), and mains such as pulled slow-cooked pork croquette salad with New Forest blackberries and pear will most likely make a total pig of you. WHAT ELSE IS ON THE MENU? Stroll The Pig’s grounds and you’ll find actual pigs, a smokehouse, and a garden-shed spa. The New Forest – with its woodlands and pretty villages – is also right on your doorstep. Mains from £18; rooms from £139; thepighotel.com
The White Barn Inn MAINE, USA
WHAT’S FOR DINNER? Four courses of fanciful gastronomy conjured from the finest New England ingredients, from local game to seafood hauled from the North Atlantic over in Kennebunkport: a pretty seaside town full of clapboard houses. Most bedrooms are in the main inn, but the restaurant is housed in the eponymous barn, which dates from the 1820s and is charmingly old-fashioned, its wood interior hung with vintage signs and tables dressed with white linen – fairly formal, a jacket is compulsary for chaps. WHAT ELSE IS ON THE MENU? Borrow a bike or canoe to explore the surrounding countryside. Four-course menu, £70; rooms from £165; whitebarninn.com
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Lonely Planet Traveller May 2015
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Can Curreu IBIZA, SPAIN
COMPILED BY ORLA THOMAS. PHOTOGRAPHS: C A SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY, MYLES NEW, DOOK PHOTO, TINA STAFREN/VISIT SWEDEN, FRANCK HAMEL
WHAT’S FOR DINNER? Long before the dining hour, appetising aromas perfume the air around this elegant, whitewashed finca in the northeast of the island: pine and lavender, rose and fig, the citrus tang of lime and orange groves. Chef Toni Rodríguez uses this abudant doorstep larder to create high-end dishes with an unmistakeably Mediterranean flavour, such as grilled scallops with crispy Iberian ham and seaweed salad, or cod with gazpacho and garlic chips. All are served al fresco, on a lovely terrace by a centuries-old olive tree. WHAT ELSE IS ON THE MENU? The hotel has a spa and outdoor swimming pool, and staff can arrange horse-riding trips along the beach or private charter of the hotel’s boat. Mains from £16; rooms from £150; cancurreu.com
Babylonstoren WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA WHAT’S FOR DINNER? A historic Cape Dutch property, surrounded by vineyards and orchards that stretch into the foothills of the Drakenstein Mountains, Babylonstoren is only 45 minutes from Cape Town but exists in a completely different rhythym: farm time. The restaurant enjoys the fruits of these gentle labours – we loved the traffic light colourcoded salads, from Green (featuring gorgonzola wrapped in baby vine leaves served with kohlrabi) to Red (with hot-smoked salmon and candy-striped beetroot terrine). WHAT ELSE IS ON THE MENU? Guests can take part in the harvest, or enjoy a guided tour with one of the gardeners. But the bedrooms are so gorgeously designed (the owner used to edit Elle Decoration South Africa) that you may wish to just sit and stare adoringly at yours. Mains from £7; rooms from £285; babylonstoren.com
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Fäviken JÄMTLAND, SWEDEN WHAT’S FOR DINNER? Possibly one of the most memorable meals of your life. Fäviken Magasinet is the Scandinavian equivalent to the (now closed) Spanish restaurant El Bulli – destination dining, with a maverick chef (Magnus Nilsson) and a suitably long waiting list. Housed in an 18th-century barn in the middle-of-nowhereish Jämtland, its intimate dining room seats just 12 people. Proceedings begin with drinks by an open
fire, a gentle introduction to an evening of culinary theatre that might include bouillon strained through forest moss or meat pies filled with deer shavings and birch syrup. WHAT ELSE IS ON THE MENU? Fäviken is also a hunting estate, but stick to the sauna if you’re disinclined to catch dinner. The restaurant reopens on 1 July but reservations will be taken from 1 April; dinner, £150; rooms from £210; favikenmagasinet.se
I N A S S O C I AT I O N W I T H B R I T I S H A I R WAY S
Caribbean Cuisine
TOP DEAL
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La Grée des Landes
BRITTANY, FRANCE WHAT’S FOR DINNER? Generous helpings of organic deliciousness, such as lobster risotto garnished with flowers from the kitchen garden (see above). Meals are served on a sunny terrace surrounded by meadows full of wildflowers – it would be frankly silly not to spend several hours here sampling the incredible local wines and cheeses, before tumbling into bed. WHAT ELSE IS ON THE MENU? Owned by beauty brand Yves Rocher, the property is equipped with a splendid spa. Nearby, cobblestoned La Gacilly is host to the annual People and Nature Photo Festival (5 June�30 September 2015), when its pretty streets become a giant outdoor gallery. Fixed price menus from £20; rooms from £70; lagreedeslandes.com
he original Bajan beach destination, The Crane excels at understated luxury. Here barefoot dining overlooking azure waters and coral-hued sands is the order of the day. L’ Azure showcases classic Creole cuisine. Set against the backdrop of Barbados’ revered Crane Beach, the vistas are as colourful as the fresh-fromthe-net seafood. Try local delicacies such as the Bajan panko-crusted flying fish or pan-seared local mahi-mahi. Or book in for breakfast on a Sunday when a traditional gospel choir sings live on the balcony. Zen exudes an oriental vibe, serving Thai and Japanese dishes. The sleek live kitchen sushi bar is the centrepiece.
Seven-night holidays from £1,059pp. Enjoy up to 40% discount when you book by 15 May 2015. Valid only for travel between 11 April - 20 December 2015. Visit ba.com/thecrane for details. *Terms and conditions apply. Availability may be extremely limited. Prices based on selected travel between 1 September and 15 October 2015. Includes return British Airways World Traveller flights from London Gatwick. Book by 2 May 2015.
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Indulge yourself in luxury overlooking the famous Crane Beach Perched on a cliff, overlooking the breakers of the Atlantic Ocean and the soft pink sand of the world famous Crane Beach, The Crane hotel in Barbados blends old world charm with a romantic sense of seclusion. With luxurious accommodation, Serenity Spa and five restaurants – including the award-winning L’Azure, The Crane offers something for everyone.
5H The Crane 7 night holidays from
£1,059pp Enjoy up to 40% discount when you book by 15 May. For more information visit ba.com/thecrane
Availability may be extremely limited, particularly during peak periods. All prices are in in GBP per person and include return flights from London Gatwick. Prices based on two adults sharing accommodation on a room only board basis for selected travel between 01/09/15-15/10/15. Prices correct as of 18 March 2015. Bookings must be made by midnight 02/05/15. Some payment methods attract a handling fee. Holidays are ATOL protected (number ATOL5985). For full terms and conditions, visit ba.com.
HAMILTON POOL Home to spring-fed pools and lush green spaces, the Live Music Capital of the World® can give your next performance a truly spectacular setting.
Book now at ba.com or through the British Airways app. The British Airways app is free to download for iPhone, Android and Windows phones.
Live. Music. AustinTexas.org
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Two Sides To...
Tokyo Xxxxx The Tokyo xxxxskyline xxxx xxxxx with Mount xxxx Fujixxxx in thexxxxx distance xxx
Blade Runner
Last Samurai STAY A traditonal inn in the historic Asakusa district, Tokyo Ryokan features paper screens, tatami mats, woodwork and calligraphy (from £40; tokyoryokan.com).
STAY
COMPILED BY SOPHIE MCGRATH. PHOTOGRAPHS: DAJ/GETTY IMAGES, PARK HOTEL TOKYO, DUANE WALKER/GETTY, TAKAZAWA, JICOO FLOATING BAR, TOKYO 12YOKAN, MIXA/ALAMY, JOSE FUSTE RAYA/AGEFOTOSTOCK, Y ZENGAME/GETTY
The skyscraper Park Hotel Tokyo has colourful rooms designed by artists, and sweeping city views (from £130; parkhoteltokyo.com).
EAT Snag a table at tiny Takazawa for experimental creations like daikon radish with shiso flowers (£110 for seven courses; takazawa-y.co.jp).
DRINK Cruise around Tokyo Bay on Jicoo, a futuristic colour-changing boat with a bar (£15 entry; Thu, Fri & Sat from 8pm; jicoofloatingbar.com).
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Shooting 634 metres above the city, the recently built Tokyo Sky Tree is the world’s tallest tower. Enjoy panoramas that extend as far as Mount Fuji on a clear day (from £6; tokyo-skytree. jp).
Head to Dozeu, a restaurant in an old wooden house that’s been serving up specialities such as charcoal-grilled loach (a type of fish), with sake and soy sauce broth since 1801 (mains from £6; dozeu.com).
Take in the high drama and outlandish costumes of kabuki, an art form dating back 400 years, at its most famous venue, the Kabuki-za theatre (tickets from £5; kabukibito.jp).
DRINK Take a lakeside tea break at the Hama-rikyu Gardens Teahouse, a one-time hangout of shoguns and nobles that’s more than 300 years old. Be sure to take a wander in the landscaped grounds, too (park entry £2; teien.tokyo-park.or.jp).
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EXCITING NEW SERIES FROM LONELY PLANET
Plan your perfect day. Make My Day allows you to mix and match your itinerary for morning, afternoon and evening. With thousands of combinations in each book and an app for when you’re on the go—planning your city adventure has never been so easy and fun.
www.lonelyplanet.com/makemyday Available on the App Store and Google Play
BA R C E LO N A LO N D O N N E W YO R K C I T Y PA R I S SA N F R A N C I S C O TO KYO
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Travel Icon
Hollywood sign LIGHTS, CAMERA, AUCTION!
A STAR IS BORN
COMPILED BY OLIVER SMITH. PHOTOGRAPHS: C EVERETT COLLECTION/REX, HELEN KING/CORBIS, PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN TRUST AND HOLLYWOODPHOTOGRAPHS.COM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The Hollywood sign is synonymous with A-list glamour and blockbuster movie studios. Which is odd, because it originally had nothing to do with the film industry – it didn’t even say Hollywood. The HOLLYWOODLAND sign was erected in 1923 to promote a nearby property development, but it soon became an accidental icon for the movie business (the ‘LAND’ bit was dismantled in 1949). By the ’70s however, the sign had decayed to the point that it read ‘HULLYWO D’, and was replaced by a slightly smaller structure after a fundraising campaign from Playboy-founder Hugh Hefner.
FATAL ATTRACTION The ‘H’ has the grimmest backstory of all the letters: English movie actress Peg Entwistle jumped to her death from the top in 1932, aged just 24. More recently, fans have gathered close by for alfresco screenings of her movie, Thirteen Women, with proceeds going to suicide prevention charities.
When the sign was rebuilt in 1978, each of the letters was donated by a different sponsor. Hugh Hefner paid for the ‘Y’, Alice Cooper ‘O’ and singer Andy Williams the ‘W’. The original letters, presumed lost, turned up in an eBay auction in 2005, fetching $450,000 (£250,000 at the time).
SPECIAL EFFECTS Though the wording appears rather wavy when seen from the foot of Mount Lee, the Hollywood sign is in fact straight when seen from a viewpoint of equivalent height.
IT HASN’T ALWAYS BEEN ‘HOLLYWOOD’…
The original sign was hauled into place with the help of mules, and was only meant to last about 18 months
Prankster Danny Finegood made a few sign amendments, including this 1976 reference to looser state marijuana laws
Virgin Atlantic later came up with a different way to promote its flights from Los Angeles to London
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The Norwegian experience A number of tour operators offer hikes designed to help you experience the best of Norway. Grab your boots and discover this extraordinary country of contrasts
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and of vikings, fishermen and the band A-ha, Norway is, irrefutably, most admired for its beautiful landscapes. You can witness its incredible mountains, immense fjords and dramatic backdrops in their full glory when you explore in the best way possible – on foot. Book a hiking tour and immerse yourself completely in the epic Norwegian scenery.
There are two main regions to explore, each very different from the other. Fjord Norway in the west is made up of four counties: Rogaland, Hordaland, Sogn & Fjordane and Møre & Romsdal. Majestic wildlife, outstanding architecture, brilliant music festivals and abundant fish markets are just a few attractions of this region, but the mighty fjords have to be the bucket-list
favourite. The 12-mile long Geirangerfjord is home to some of the most impressive waterfalls in the country, and the Sognefjorden is the world’s second-longest at 127 miles, and Norway’s deepest at 1,308m. Northern Norway, on the other hand, consists of three counties: Nordland, Troms and Finnmark. It is a multi-cultural region that is home to the native Sami people. Here,
A D V E R T I S E M E N T F E AT U R E
Norwegian fjord highlights This eight-day trip gives you the opportunity to explore the impressive scenery around two of Norway’s most magnificent fjords and much more besides. Discover the beautiful Hardangerfjord and Sognefjorden, as well as admire Bergen from the top of Mount Fløyen. You’ll immerse yourself in the nature of the region on a diverse range of walks and hikes, visit orchards and churches, and experience the famous Flåmsbana ‘corkscrew railway’ – one of the most scenic railways in the world. With a relaxed pace and a range of unique properties to stay at like the fantastic Hotel Ullensvang, this fly-drive holiday is the perfect way to discover the highlights of Norway’s fjords. discover-the-world.co.uk
Serene Hardangerfjord
Midnight Flora, Harstad
Land of the midnight sun
Inntravel offers a week of self-guided walking itinerary, with bus and boat journeys connecting a series of wonderful fjordside hotels. You are free to explore entirely at your own pace. Walk across moorland, amid forests and through pastureland. Take in the scenic Norwegian hinterland and jump on a cable car to the top of Mount Hanguren. Wake up in Husedalen, a steep valley with three huge waterfalls, and visit the Hardangervidda National Park. For a dramatic climax to the week, the final walk involves a steep but satisfying ascent above the fjord up the Monks’ Steps – 616 stone steps carved by Cistercian monks from York in the 13th century. inntravel.co.uk
Experience Norway from a floating hotel. Ramblers offers cruises (there are two to choose from) that take you to some of the most beautiful spots on Norway’s coast and its islands. Highlights include glacier walks and a visit to an Arctic research centre. In the coastal city of Tromsø, combine sightseeing with walking in the hills and countryside. Here, the midnight sun shines from 18 May to 25 July, and beyond these dates the further north you go. Honningsvåg is the most northerly point on the European mainland, and here you’ll find reindeer grazing. In Kristiansund you can climb a mountain for views out to sea and inland to the fjords. ramblersholidays.co.uk
a wide choice of organised hiking tours, each offering a high level of convenience and comfort. Choose from a range of walks, whether with a local guide or on your own. Try one of the walking trips outlined here (see above) and get the full package of adventure, new experiences and a collection of memories you’ll treasure forever, as you see Norway the way it’s meant to be seen.
For more hiking itineraries, information and holiday deals, go to visitnorway.com/hiking
Photo credit: Per Eide -– Visitnorway.com
Loftus, Hardangerfjord
Photo credit: Frank Andreassen
Choose from two different walks each day. You’ll stay in a waterfront hotel in the heart of Svolvær. For your first excursion, you’ll explore Svolvær and Kabelvåg, either following a tougher guided walk up to the summit of Tjeldbergtinden, or a more sedate one through the colourful streets of the town and around the fjord. This week-long trip combines vistas of beautiful lakes nestling amid mountains with walks along the coast offering sea eagle and whalespotting opportunities. Visit charming fishing villages with their traditional ‘rorbu’ (fishermen’s cabins), and take the ferry to the beautiful neighbouring island of Skrova. hfholidays.co.uk
Photo credit: Frithjof Fure
Lofoten Islands
Lofoten
you can explore traditional fishing villages, enjoy exquisite seafood, take a wildlife safari and witness the peculiar phenomenon that is the midnight sun – during the summer, the sun never sets, so it is light even at night. Here, the air is pure and the food, healthy and fresh. It’s unique in the truest sense. Norway is easy to get to; it’s just a two-hour flight from most parts of the UK. Plus, there’s
Photo credit: Scott Sporleder
Bryggen, Bergen
Welcome to
Iceland Summer Fly-Drives - 10 days from £1210 Teetering on the edge of the Arctic, this staggeringly beautiful country is home to some of the world’s greatest natural wonders; feel the power of immense waterfalls tumbling into mighty rivers, travel through dramatic landscapes crafted by thousands of years of volcanic activity and admire the beauty of the biggest ice cap outside of the poles. Take to Route 1 on an Iceland FlyDrive and travel full-circle in just 10 days, encountering the waterfalls and glaciers of South Iceland and exploring the east coast where narrow fjords carved by Ice Age glaciers create calm natural harbours. Cross the Mörðrudalsöræfi highland pass en route to the volcanic Lake Mývatn region before continuing to Húsavík – Iceland’s whale watching capital. From Akureyri the picturesque farmlands of the north west are the backdrop to the final part of the journey back to Reykjavík.
ICELAND | GREENLAND | FAROE ISLANDS | NORWAY | DENMARK | FINLAND Our Travel Specialists are renowned for their first-hand knowledge of Regent’s unique destinations. Contact an Iceland expert on
020 7666 1296
www.regentholidays.co.uk
Easy Trips ing
PHOTOGRAPH: OLIMPO FANTUZ/SIME/4 CORNERS
for spr
including XStay in a lakeside treehouse in Slovenia XFive-star Art Deco glamour in Manchester XCelebrate Liberation Day on the Channel Islands XTotal seclusion off the coast of Sicily
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A pearl shell and charcoal pendant from Kimberley, Western Australia
Down under over here Nearly 250 years after the first Brits landed on Aussie soil, the British Museum has got around to hosting its first major exhibition of indigenous Australian art – one of the biggest collections of objects from Aboriginal communities ever assembled. Indigenous Australia: Enduring Civilisation tells the story of one of the oldest surviving cultures on Earth, as well as its more troubled times since European settlement of the continent. Among the exhibits are boomerangs, bags, baskets and artwork – including Uta Uta Tjangala’s masterpiece Yumari, a large acrylic painting whose swirls famously feature on Australian passports. Also keep an eye out for artefacts from the Aboriginal cricket team’s 1868 tour of England (the exhibits having now boomerang-ed back to London).
MAKE IT HAPPEN Indigenous Australia: Enduring Civilisation runs at the British Museum from 23 April– 2 August (admission £10; britishmuseum.org). The British Museum is closest to Tottenham Court Road and Holborn tube stations (tfl.org.uk). Direct trains run to London from various UK cities (nationalrail.co.uk). Stay at The Zetter Townhouse – a characterful new hotel set around a 24�bedroom Georgian property in Seymour Street, Marylebone (from £183; thezettertownhouse.com).
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Glamping pioneer Feather Down Farm Days specialises in stays under (posh) canvas at farms across the UK, but it’s now possible, at two locations, to hole up in lodgings with a little more frontier flavour – log cabins. One of them is Howbeck Lodge Farm, a 300�acre sheep and cattle farm in the Lake District. Its cabin is the perfect base for a weekend of rural selfsufficiency, with rustic farmhouse interiors, a stove, and veranda complete with rocking chairs. There’s no TV or radio to distract from the back-to-nature feel, though guests can enjoy such comforts as flushing toilets,
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gas-heated showers and, crucially, ultra-comfy beds. The farm’s owners are on hand to welcome guests, as well as serve up homemade food in the farm pantry (eggs are fresh from the chicken coop). Outside, the Lake District’s beautiful scenery is just a short stroll or drive away, including the wild hills of Uldale Common, which have views of Skiddaw Mountain, and the beaches of Solway Firth, a wildlife haven known for its sunsets. Cap off your wanderings with a stroll to the nearby village of Hesket Newmarket, whose microbrewery and pubs are perfect for a restorative real ale or two.
MAKE IT HAPPEN Howbeck Lodge Farm’s cabin sleeps a maximum of six people (five adults and a child), with six beds split across two levels. Facilities include a barbecue, shower and toilet (from £369 for a weekend; featherdown.co.uk). Howbeck Lodge is a half-hour drive from Carlisle station. Trains run from London Euston, via Birmingham and Manchester (about three hours, from £50; virgintrains.co.uk), and continue on to Edinburgh. Howbeck Lodge Farm is about two hours by car from Manchester via the M6, and from Edinbugh via the A74. Paddling and fishing in the stream is one of the many way to pass the day at Howbeck Lodge Farm
PHOTOGRAPHS: THE TRUSTEES OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM, HOWBECK LODGE FARM, KEN SCICLUNA/JOHN WARBURTON�LEE/GETTY IMAGES
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Cabin fervour in the Lake District
EASY TRIPS
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The Church of the Assumption on Bled Island hosts a bell, dating from 1534, that is said to grant a wish to whoever rings it
Take a bough in a Slovenian treehouse Slovenia’s Lake Bled has long been a site for ambitious constructions: be it medieval Bled Castle, teetering precariously atop sheer cliffs, or the Baroque Church of the Assumption, squeezed onto a tiny island in the centre of the lake. Added to this rich tradition comes a cluster of pine-built treehouses, set high in the canopy on the forested slopes of the lake’s southern shore. With spring sunshine beginning to peek over the snowy summits of the Karawanks mountain range (also
more politely spelt ‘Karavanks’), now is a perfect time to pay a visit to this corner of the country: to hunker down in blonde-wood interiors dotted with cast-iron lanterns, hammocks and ladders, and waking to see Slovenian squirrels skipping blithely about the surrounding branches. Take a five-minute walk down the hillside to experience one of Europe’s most celebrated views, with the church, castle and the jagged mountains aligning in perfect symmetry.
MAKE IT HAPPEN Ljubljana Airport is the closest to Lake Bled – easyJet flies from London Stansted and Wizz Air flies from London Luton (from £96; easyjet.com). From Ljubljana, regular trains take about an hour to reach Lesce-Bled station, which is a short bus ride away from the lake (from £6; slo-zeleznice.si). Regular bus services also connect Bled to Ljubljana (from £5), taking about an hour and a half.
Garden Village Bled offers six treehouses sleeping four – some have tree trunks growing through the middle of the rooms (from £120, minimum three-night stay; gardenvillagebled.com). Boats called pletnas – flatbottomed wooden vessels that date back to the 1590s, propelled by specially trained standing oarsmen– depart regularly for Bled Island from various points on the lake’s shore (from £10; bled.si).
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100 King Street was built in 1935 with Portland limestone from Dorset
A sleep you can bank on The words ‘sexy’ and ‘bank’ don’t often go together, but Hotel Gotham, which opens this month in the heart of Manchester, is an honourable exception. Occupying a very grand example of the latter – a listed Art Deco building designed by celebrated architect Edwin Lutyens – its sleek, noir-ish design wouldn’t look a bit out of place in New York. Lofty rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, luxurious fabrics and lots of quirky touches: geometric carpets, travel-trunk cocktail cabinets and laundry bags that look like money sacks. Elsewhere, local produce is served in a restaurant with arched windows overlooking the city (though dishes like hotpot and Manchester tart are pleasingly down-to-earth). No swish hotel would be complete without a rooftop bar – head up for top views.
MAKE IT HAPPEN The five-star Hotel Gotham will open on 7 April (from £149; hotelgotham.co.uk). It has 60 rooms, including five luxury suites with ‘wonderwalls’ of video screens, as well as a restaurant, Honey, on the sixth floor and a private members’ club and rooftop Bar Brass on the seventh floor. Manchester Piccadilly station has services to London Euston, Bristol and Glasgow (London from £40; virgintrains.co.uk). There are also local services from Leeds and Sheffield (from £6; northernrail.org).
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Woburn is so near, yet safari There is something uniquely thrilling about driving through rolling green Bedfordshire parkland, only to pause and have a tribe of excitable monkeys clamber over your car. If an African-based safari is out of the question, then Woburn Safari Park at least presents a bucket-load of opportunities to get shriek-inducingly close to creatures great and small, from tigers brushing past your vehicle’s window to traffic jams caused by grazing giraffes. There’s even a baby elephant, a 40�stone poppet named Tarli. It’s also possible to explore various enclosures on foot, so you might end up with a wallaby
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hopping along beside you, or see a lemur swinging past in the treetops. With the weather finally cheering up, now is the perfect time to visit before the summer crowds appear. Base yourself in nearby Woburn, a charming village made up of red-brick Georgian houses, historic pubs (we liked The Black Horse, a coaching inn turned gastropub) and a copious number of antiques shops. Have a wander round Woburn Abbey, a country pile filled with art treasures and surrounded by a 3,000�acre deer park. Make like a duke and finish your stay with a meal at Paris House, the county’s only Michelin-starred restaurant.
MAKE IT HAPPEN The park (entry fee £21.99) and abbey (£14.50) are both owned by the Woburn Estate (woburn.co.uk). The Woburn Hotel offers a ‘Safari Break’ package, including b&b accommodation in a double or family room, entry to the park for two adults and two children, and £60 towards dinner in the restaurant (£250 for two adults, £265 for a family; thewoburn hotel.co.uk). Quote ‘Lonely Planet Traveller’ when booking for a stay before 2 November for 10 per cent off the ‘Safari Break’. You’ll need a car to visit the park. Woburn is off the M1’s J13.
save
10% on your stay
Woburn Safari Park has a large breeding herd of Rothschild’s giraffes, which originate from Kenya, Uganda and Sudan
EASY TRIPS
Tame a small, wild Canary If thoughts of beaches lined with sunloungers and cafés offering full English breakfasts have put you off visiting the Canary Islands, think again. La Gomera couldn’t be further from the rowdy resort stereotype – this wild island is all about getting your kicks from nature. The second smallest Canary, it’s ringed by steep volcanic walls that swoop down to a lush interior of forests, ravines and plantations – with 16 nature reserves and a Unesco-listed park in their midst. Crisscrossed by extensive trails, the island’s a hiker’s dream, and there’s no better time to lace up your boots than spring,
PHOTOGRAPHS: MARK LEEMING, ANN AND STEVE TOON/ALAMY, OLIMPIO FANTUZ/SIME/4 CORNERS, CHRIS GEORGE
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when the weather is balmy and the hills are carpeted in bright flowers. Make a beeline for the mistdrenched laurisilva (laurel forest) of the Parque Nacional de Garajonay. It’s where you’ll find Alto de Garajonay, the island’s highest peak – head up on a clear day for panoramic views of neighbouring islands. There’s more great scenery in the fertile north in valleys such as Vallehermoso, where pretty villages sit among palm trees and gravity-defying terraces. For a well-earned rest, decamp to Valle Gran Rey for whale-watching or a laze on La Gomera’s longest beach, spread at the foot of a gorge.
MAKE IT HAPPEN Airlines including BA, easyJet, Jet2, Monarch Airlines, Ryanair, Thomson Airways and Thomas Cook Airlines fly from numerous UK airports to Tenerife (from £137; ryanair.co.uk). From there, fly to La Gomera with Binter Canarias (from £30; bintercanarias.com). Parador de la Gomera is the island’s top hotel. Set above historic capital San Sebastián, it has stately rooms with terraces overlooking the ocean, plus a pool, garden and al fresco restaurant serving Canarian specialities (from £75; parador.es). Colourful houses in the valley of Vallehermoso on La Gomera
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The Channel Islands Heritage Festival features wartime-music concerts
Channel hopping From Viking marauders to piratical raids, the Channel Islands’ history is full of drama, and the past century was no exception. From 1940�45, the islands were occupied by the German army, who ruled with an iron fist until the end of the war. This spring, the 70th anniversary of liberation is marked with the first Channel Islands Heritage Festival, five weeks of history-themed events. Highlights in Jersey, for instance, include RIB boat tours and the Occupation Trail of Nazi forts, bunkers and passages – like the eerie Jersey War Tunnels, which will host talks and a vintage fair. Over in Guernsey, there’ll be a reenactment of wartime life, and medieval Castle Cornet will open up secret chambers used by the MoD. Events culminate on 9 May’s Liberation Day, with parades, music and fireworks.
MAKE IT HAPPEN The Channel Islands Heritage Festival runs from 3 April�11 May. Event prices vary; 9 May festivities are free (visitguernsey. com/heritage-festival). Aurigny Air Services, BA, Blue Islands, easyJet and Flybe fly to Guernsey and Jersey from various UK cities (from £59; easyjet.com). Ferries run from Poole, Portsmouth and Weymouth (from £65 return; condorferries.co.uk). Set in a 17th-century coaching house in Jersey’s St Helier, the Revere Hotel has elegant rooms and a French restaurant (from £45; reverehoteljersey.com).
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save on your stay
Bourne Valley Inn’s rooms feature Feather & Black pillows and bedding
Bourne supremacy The first hints of summer are emerging in Hampshire’s Bourne Valley. The hills are in bloom, and walkers have taken to the region’s paths. The Bourne Valley Inn is well set up to take advantage of the turn in the weather: diners converge on the terrace or in the garden, by the Bourne Rivulet, while the less hardy enjoy their Modern British plates, stuffed with local produce, in the light-filled dining barn. Many come for the local fishing, with the season kicking off for the summer from 1 April. If the sight of the river inspires you, the pub can arrange fly-fishing, with tuition, equipment and transport provided. The kitchen can even cook your fish for dinner on your return to the inn. Appetite built up by the country air, you’ll be ready for a good night’s sleep in the rustic bedrooms.
MAKE IT HAPPEN Bourne Valley Inn has nine rooms and a restaurant with a focus on hearty dishes (dinner mains from £12; rooms from £85; bournevalleyinn.com). Fishing trips with full instruction cost £295 for a group of four, with fishing access to local rivers from £110. Quote ‘Lonely Planet Traveller’ when booking to stay before 1 September for 15 per cent off rooms (offer excludes bank holidays and other special offers). The inn is in St Mary Bourne, near Andover. Whitchurch train station is five miles away, with regular services from London and Exeter (southwesttrains.co.uk).
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Total Tyrrhenian seclusion Once fought over by numerous Mediterannean powers, today the Egadi Islands could hardly be more peaceful. A diminutive trio just off Sicily’s west coast, they’re a timewarp of rural villages and remote coves, little touched by tourism – the perfect place to ease gently towards summer. The tiniest is Levanzo, a rugged isle with just one village and a pick of the simplest pleasures, like gorging on seafood, lazing on quiet beaches and swimming in turquoise waters. Base yourself in the village of Cala Dogana (population 200), where sugar-cube houses with blue shutters cluster round the harbour
and its bobbing fishing boats – be sure to try the catch at one of the village’s seafront restaurants. The best way to explore the island is via its age-old paths, which lead inland to valleys of pine forest and along its coastal cliffs to swimming spots like Cala Minnola, a bay known for its startlingly clear waters; or head to Capo Grosso for snorkelling among colourful fish, sponges and corals. A leisurely boat trip is also a good way to see Levanzo’s striking coast, or visit the island’s unusual attraction, the Grotta del Genovese, a prehistoric cave with wall paintings thought to be 10,000 years old.
MAKE IT HAPPEN EasyJet and Ryanair fly direct from London airports to Palermo (from £89; ryanair.com). From Palermo, it’s a 90�minute drive or train journey to Trapani, where there’s a year-round hydrofoil service to Levanzo; the journey takes around 30 minutes (from £12 return; usticalines.it). Set in a restored stables a 10�minute stroll from the sea, Lisola Residence has seven apartments, some with timber eaves and tiled floors. There’s also a terrace, extensive garden and a pool with views out over the sea (from £40; lisola.eu).
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The main port of Levanzo – the island is home to just 450 inhabitants
PHOTOGRAPHS: JAKE EASTHAM, FANELLI PHOTOGRAPHY/ISTOCK, BARNSLEY HOUSE GLOUCESTERSHIRE
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15%
EASY TRIPS
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Former resident Rosemary Verey designed Barnsley House’s gardens in an English classical revival style
A Verey special Gloucestershire garden There is no bad time to visit Barnsley House, a Grade-II-listed manor house hotel buried deep in the Cotswolds, but late spring into early summer sees its surroundings at their finest. The grounds, created by legendary designer Rosemary Verey in the ’50s, are a veritable Arcadia come April, with blossoms in full throttle in the Laburnam Walk, borders and knot gardens, and vegetables starting to make an appearance in the kitchen garden. There are surprises hidden here too,
with a private cinema and a spa offering escape from inclement weather. The hotel itself, a 17th-century wonder of golden Cotswolds limestone, has surprises of its own: the traditional bones of the interior, with its romantic mullion windows and wooden floorboards, clothed with unusual adornments such as disco balls and double baths. Food is also a highlight, with local produce served in accomplished dishes such as rack of lamb and confit duck.
MAKE IT HAPPEN Barnsley House has various room styles, ranging from superior doubles to suites with private courtyard gardens (from £200; barnsleyhouse.com). Lunch, afternoon tea and dinner are served in The Potager restaurant (dinner mains from £14). The hotel is set within 11 acres of grounds, which guests are free to roam; the spa, with outdoor hydrotherapy pool and various treatments on
offer, is within them (half-day including treatment and twocourse lunch £115; facial from £40; free use of pool). Barnsley is a small village in Gloucestershire, five miles from Cirencester and just off the A429. Trains run to Kemble, nine miles away, from London Paddington (via Swindon), Cheltenham and Gloucester (firstgreatwestern. co.uk). Barnsley also has a lovely inn (thevillagepub.co.uk).
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Great Escape T U S C A N Y
&
U M B R I A
Rich food, rolling fields, world-class wine: few regions sum up la dolce vita more than Tuscany and Umbria. Look beyond the cities to tour vineyards, trek through the mountains, explore the coastline with cowboys, delve into the history of hilltop towns, and finish with gourmet food in the valley of Norcia
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WORDS OLIVER BERRY O PHOTOGRAPHS MATT MUNRO
The Maremma is a protected stretch of hills and marshes along the Tuscan coast, home to the Italian version of the Wild West cowboy
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Plan your trip 1
2
Hidden in the mountains of northern Tuscany, the Garfagnana region is a littleknown escape for hikers (p54).
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For ‘cowboys’ read ‘butteri’ in the coastal stretch of the Maremma, home to long-horned cattle and their horseriding herders (p56).
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Take a spin around three of Umbria’s loveliest hilltop towns – Orvieto, Spello and St Francis’s old home of Assisi (p58).
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Patience is a virtue for food connoisseurs, as the truffle-hunters and organic farmers of Norcia know very well (p60).
MAP ILLUSTRATION: ALEX VERHILLLE. PHOTOGRAPHS: WAYNE PERRY/ALAMY
Drink in views of the Chianti hills along with a glass or two of red from the most legendary of Italian wine regions (p52).
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TUSCANY & UMBRIA
ON THE ROAD
Eat
Alitalia, BA, CityJet, easyJet, Jet2, Monarch, Ryanair and Vueling fly to the region’s main gateway airports in Florence, Perugia, Pisa and Rome from numerous UK airports, including Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Heathrow, Leeds-Bradford, London City, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted (London Stansted to Pisa from £76; ryanair.com).
HOW TO GET AROUND It can be hard to get around the more remote areas of Tuscany and Umbria without a car, although bus and train routes offer a few options. A week’s car hire starts at around £185 with Avis (avis.co.uk). Trenitalia is the primary train operator and the network connects major cities; tickets can be bought on the day at stations or online (Florence to Pisa from £7; italiarail.com). Buses are a better option between small villages; numerous companies operate throughout Tuscany and Umbria, with tickets available on board, from bus stations or at tobacco kiosks (singles from £1; one-day passes from £2.50).
HOW LONG TO SPEND Though Tuscany and Umbria are compact, a combination of rural roads and town traffic often means that getting around takes longer than you think. Ten days should be enough to cover the region, but two weeks will allow more time to linger and explore the out-of-the-way areas. You’ll need a week for Tuscany’s highlights, with a couple of days each in Chianti, the Garfagnana and the Maremma, plus optional time in Florence as well. Another three or four days should be enough to head east into Umbria to explore the area’s hilltop towns and soak up the scenery around Norcia and the Sibillini Hills.
rocket in the summer, especially for accommodation – £120 to £150 a day should be enough to cover a basic double room, meals and car hire; £200 would take you a few rungs up the luxury ladder. Another option is to base yourself in one location, in a selfcatering apartment or agriturismo, which can allow you to cut costs by cooking your own meals: prices range upwards from around £450 a week. Visit sites such as agriturismo.net or bellaumbria.net for listings.
WHO CAN HELP For general information, the website of the Italian Tourist Board (italia.it) is a good place to start for inspiration. Many companies offer activity trips. A week of walks with Tuscany Walking (tuscanywalking. com) costs £999, including all meals and activities. For wine lovers, Smooth Red (smoothred. co.uk) and Italian Wine Tours (italianwinetours.com) offer various packages exploring the region’s major wine areas, including Chianti; prices start from around £450 with guides, transfers and two nights’ accommodation. If you’d like to hone your culinary skills, Tuscookany (tuscookany.com) specialises in residential cookery courses – a three-day course costs £1,385.
Hum
Watch For ravishing views of the Tuscan countryside, watch Bernardo Bertolucci's dreamy coming-of-age tale, Stealing Beauty (1996).
Sip
Nessun dorma – Pavarotti’s signature tune comes from Turandot, the final opera composed by Tuscan maestro Giacomo Puccini, who was born in Lucca in 1858 and spent most of his life in a villa near Torre del Lago. Just in case you were wondering, ‘nessun dorma’ means ‘none shall sleep’.
Vin santo – a popular afterdinner digestif in Tuscany, this sweet dessert wine is made from a blend of Trebbiano and Malvasia Bianca grapes. It’s often served with almondy cantucci biscuits.
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HOW TO GET THERE
Cinghiale – they’re a menace to vinegrowers and farmers, but chefs love wild boar. Prized for its gamey flavour, it has a lower fat content than pork. Pappardelle al cinghiale (pasta ribbons in a wild boar sauce) is a classic. Boar also makes delicious sausages.
Sample Lenticchia di Castelluccio – the Italian equivalent of Puy lentils, prized by chefs and connoisseurs alike, sold in all of Norcia’s food shops.
HOW TO PLAN For in-depth information pick up Lonely Planet’s Florence & Tuscany (£14.99). For a broader view, the Italy (£17.99) guide also covers Umbria.
Buy You can’t visit Assisi and not come home with a souvenir of St Francis. In the basilica’s shop, you’ll find the town’s patron saint gracing everything from bookmarks to keyrings.
Did you know? The three knots on a Franciscan friar’s belt signify the order’s three cardinal vows: poverty, chastity and obedience.
WHAT TO BUDGET Tuscany and Umbria are among Italy’s most popular destinations, so prices
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Welcome to the land of wine and honey…
Evening sun breaks through the clouds above the Rocca Maggiore fort in the pilgrimage town of Assisi in central Umbria
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G R E AT E S C A P E
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1. Chianti Get a real taste of Tuscany – where a passion for wine seeps into every corner of life – with a visit to one of its hallowed vineyards
A
HAZY YELLOW SUN IS cresting over the hilltop as Monica Raspi sets out on her daily tour of her vineyards at Villa Pomona. It’s early; crows are cackling in the trees and mist cloaks the fields, drifting through rows of glossy green vines that unfold in every direction as far as the eye can see. ‘This is always the best time of day in the vineyard,’ Monica says, breathing in the crisp morning air. ‘When the fields are quiet, and before the midday heat.’ She stops beside a row of vines, a tangle of acid-green leaves popping out from the orange soil. Brushing back the branches, she reveals the vineyard’s hidden treasure: clusters of plump, purple-black grapes, skins still frosted with dew. Producing a pair of secateurs from her pocket, she snips off a bunch. ‘Sangiovese grapes. The soul of Chianti wines,’ she says, popping one into her mouth as she disappears into the vines. Even in a country as oenologically blessed as Italy, the vineyards of Chianti command a special status. Sprawling across Tuscany’s hilly spine between Siena and Florence, this is Italy’s oldest and best-known wine region. Viticulture has been a cornerstone of life here since Roman times, and vines cover every inch of landscape, rolling down the
hillsides, carpeting the fields, sprouting from gardens, creeping up the sides of farmhouses and barns. Along the backroads, ‘degustazione’ signs line the verges, inviting customers to sample the latest vintage – a crucial part of Tuscan wine culture, and something that’s offered by every vineyard, from world-famous villas to humble backyard growers. ‘Everyone in Chianti is an expert. Or thinks they are,’ Monica says, uncorking a bottle and filling up glasses on a table outside her cellar. ‘But it’s good that everyone here is passionate. Wine is more than a drink here. It’s a way of life.’ She takes a sip and rolls it around her mouth, sucking in air to intensify the flavour. The taste should be fruity and floral, she says, with a sharp, acidic finish from the Sangiovese grapes, and a nutty overtone from the oak barrels in which the wines are aged. It’s especially good with food – and as if by magic, a plate of cheese, olives and ham arrives from inside the farmhouse, carried by her mother, who ran the vineyard before Monica took it over in 2007. Together they settle down to enjoy their winemaker’s breakfast – or caffè rosso, as Monica prefers to call it – enjoying the sunshine and the scent of clematis and rosemary wafting across the courtyard.
For Monica, at Villa Pomona, as in most Chianti vineyards, winemaking is a family affair. The first vines here were planted in the 19th century by her great-greatgrandfather, Bandino Bandini, and the vineyard has been in family hands ever since. It sits right in the heart of the Chianti Classico, a 7,000-hectare area between Siena and Florence known for producing some of the region’s finest, and most expensive, wines. Standards within this hallowed zone are strictly enforced, from blending techniques to bottle designs, and only the best wineries can display the gallo nero, or black rooster, on their labels. The ultimate seal of Chianti quality, his crowing presence is an appropriate symbol for a region which has elevated winemaking to an art form. Once you’ve had your fill of Chianti’s vineyards, ask your designated driver to make a beeline for the craggy peaks of the Apuan Alps. It’s a 95-mile drive (be sure to break for lunch in Florence).
Essentials
The borders of the ‘Chianti Classico’ wine region were first set as far back as 1716
Castello delle Serre This grand baronial castle in the hilltop village of Serre di Rapolano has been lovingly restored by its American owner. Rooms are full of medieval atmosphere, with tiled floors, solid beams and shuttered windows overlooking the valley. There’s a gorgeous rooftop pool, as well as a fancy tower suite offering 360° views over the countryside (from £140; castellodelleserre.com). Villa Pomona is nine miles north of Siena (fattoriapomona.it). Most Chianti vineyards are open for visits, but some only by arrangement, so do check ahead. Tasting is generally free of charge, but it’s good manners to buy a bottle.
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G R E AT E S C A P E
The hills around Villa Pomona are a tapestry of vineyards and old stone farmsteads, many now converted into wineries
Monica Raspi examines a glass of Villa Pomona red. ���� Accompaniments for a wine tasting. ����� In the cellars at Villa Pomona
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2. Garfagnana Strap on your hiking boots, hit the hills and soak up the culture of this remote mountain valley
A
S THE OLD PROVERB goes, ‘friends may meet, but mountains never greet’ and this morning, the Apuan Alps seem determined to live up to the maxim. For the last two hours, a cloak of cloud has clung to the mountaintops, obscuring both the valley below and the peaks ahead. But the weather hasn’t deterred the hikers; they’re picking their way along the ridge-lines, kitted out with hats and fleeces, braving the cloud in the hope of better weather down the trail. Their optimism is rewarded; within half an hour, the cloud burns off and they’re under a clear canopy of blue, surrounded by spiky summits and lush slopes daubed with wildflowers. It’s a reminder of another old mountain adage: if you don’t like the weather, sit down and wait. The weather is the only thing that changes at any discernible pace in the Garfagnana. Hidden away in Tuscany’s northwestern corner, 40 miles north of Pisa, this rural valley preserves a way of life that’s hardly changed in centuries. Historically, most families here would have made their living from the land – farming sheep, growing spelt and maize, and harvesting chestnuts used to make everything from cakes to bread. Quarrying was the valley’s other major industry – seams of white Carrara marble streak the mountainsides, of a purity and clarity valued by Roman architects and Renaissance artists alike. Today, the Garfagnana is part of a national park, the Parco Nazionale dell’Appennino Tosco-Emiliano, and is renowned for some of Italy’s best hiking. Sandwiched between the twin ranges of the Apuan Alps and the Apennines, it’s a pocket of unexpected wilderness on Tuscany’s northern edge, less well known than the Dolomites, but every bit as beautiful. Mouflon and mountain goats roam the high pastures, and old drovers’ paths wind through a landscape of lakeside chapels, abandoned quarries and shepherds’ bothies. Many of the valley’s old farmhouses are now agriturismi, and on a clear day, from the top of Monte Prado, the Garfagnana’s highest peak at 2,054m, the view encompasses three regions of Italy: Liguria to the west, Emilia-Romagna to the north and Tuscany to the south. Marco Santino has been hiking here for 20 years, travelling every summer from Rome, where he works as an architect. ‘It’s another
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world here,’ he says, taking a breather against a rock. ‘If I could, I’d spend every day in the mountains.’ He waits for his companions to catch up before they settle down on the grass for lunch: a walkers’ picnic of salami, fruit, bread and pecorino cheese, all freshly bought this morning from the valley’s main town, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana. A troupe of goats trots past along the trail, bells tinkling as they disappear down the near-vertical slope. Pastoral scenes like these are key to the Garfagnana’s appeal. Dotted with tiny villages and sleepy towns – where the streets are lined with old-fashioned cafés and grocers’ shops, and family-run trattorias serve up recipes such as wild boar ragù – this is a region that celebrates a traditional life. The local calendar is chalked with festivals honouring everything from beer to chestnuts, and one village even holds its own medieval pageant, when jesters and harlequins roam the streets, and locals feast on hog roasts and spelt ale, much as they would have done hundreds of years ago. Look out for old chapels and marble quarries as you head west across the mountains, then pick up the coast road near Massa, following it south all the way to the Parco Naturale della Maremma.
Essentials
Tenuta San Pietro The Garfagnana’s agriturismi are pretty rustic – if you’re after something special, base yourself at this ravishing gastro-hotel further south, near the pretty city of Lucca. The Norwegian owners have given the rooms a light and stripped-back Scandinavian feel, plus there’s an infinity pool with mountain views (from £120; tenuta-san-pietro.com). Most of the Garfagnana’s trails can be tackled solo, but Tuscany Walking offers guided treks from around £50 per day (tuscanywalking.com).
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G R E AT E S C A P E
The small village of Isola Santa, once abandoned and now being restored, lies in the forested mountains west of Castelnuovo di Garfagnana
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3. The Maremma Explore the wild beaches and empty hills of the Maremma before travelling back in time in the company of Tuscany’s cowboys
I
T’S AFTERNOON IN THE Uccellina hills, as guide Daniele Contarino and his riders seek shelter from the fierce heat of the sun under a grove of umbrella pines. Shadows lace the ground like spider’s webs, and through the canopy there’s the cobalt flash of sky and ocean. After half an hour the trees thin out and the riders emerge near the beach at Collelungo, marooned in swathes of marram grass. Along the coast an old watch-tower stands guard, its battlements burning red in the sun. Beneath, a strip of ivory sand disappears into the distance, fringed by foaming surf. Apart from a couple of walkers and some bleached driftwood, it’s deserted. In summer, the only way to reach Collelungo (and much of the Maremma’s The Maremmana breed is recognisable by its grey hide
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coastline), is on foot, by sea – or as in Daniele’s case, in the saddle. Since 1975, this strip of hills, beaches and salt-marsh has been protected as a nature reserve, recognising its unique wildlife and rare ecosystems, and for several months because of the risk of forest fire, much of the park remains off-limits without the company of an official guide. As a result, its coves stay quiet, even when the bigger beaches beyond the park’s borders are heaving. A little way south lies another secluded beach where Daniele often leads his horse treks, Cala di Forno. Cradled between two rocky headlands and hemmed in by maquis shrubland, it’s half an hour from the nearest road, accessed via a dusty forest track or by piloting a kayak along the rocky coastline. It’s worth the effort: with its white sand and crystal water, it’s a patch of paradise in the middle of Tuscany’s busiest stretch of coast. But there’s more to the Maremma than beaches. A century ago, this sunbaked strip of land was Tuscany’s answer to the Wild West: a centre for cattle production, with its own breed, the long-horned Maremmana. Traditionally, the cattle were left semi-wild, roaming freely over the hills until it was time to round up the herd. That’s where the butteri, the Maremma’s cowboys, came in. The profession required steely nerves and superb horsemanship – something that still remains the case, even though the days of wild cattle herding are mostly gone. ‘Today we work with small herds, but the skills are the same as in my grandfather’s day,’ says Ernesto Buratta, whose family have herded Maremmana for generations. He picks up his hooked staff, known as a bastone, and coils a loop of rope around its end, whirling it round his head before
releasing with a flick of his wrist. The lasso curls through the air, landing on a gatepost ten feet away. ‘It’s harder when the gatepost is running away from you,’ he says, flashing a smile under his white moustache, before mounting his horse and cantering away. After a quick spin south along the coast, head inland to central Tuscany, where you’ll find some of the region’s most beautiful hilltop towns – including the birthplace of St Francis, Assisi.
Essentials
La Valentina Nuova This farm offers self-catering apartments converted from old outbuildings, with wood furniture and terracotta tile floors. Owner Paola Petrilli is a mine of local information (from £50; lavalentinanuova.com). The park headquarters in Alberese organises activities including guided hikes, kayaking trips and horse-riding expeditions (parco-maremma. it). You can also arrange rides directly with local farms: a half-day ride with Tenuta dell’Uccellina costs from £65 (tenutauccellina.it). The Burattas’ ranch is open for dinner most nights (mains from £5; buratta.com).
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Ernesto Buratta’s eldest son Silvio, taking after his father. �������� Seaside views along the coast south of the Maremma
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4. Assisi, Spello & Orvieto Soak up centuries of history in three of Umbria’s prettiest hilltop towns, where ancient architecture and modern life exist side by side
O
N THE PIAZZA IN FRONT of the Upper Basilica of St Francis of Assisi, three friars are taking a break from their morning duties with a game of Frisbee. They’re dressed in the garb of the Franciscan order – hooded robes, tied at the waist with a knotted cord – the same outfit worn by St Francis himself, only instead of sandals, the friars are wearing brightlycoloured trainers. Apart from some early pilgrims and a few pigeons fluttering at the church’s façade, the town is pin-drop quiet. Famous as the birthplace of St Francis, who founded his namesake order here in 1209, centuries later Assisi remains the spiritual home of the Franciscans. It’s also a kind of monastic finishing school; aspiring novices travel from all over the globe to study here and take their final orders. Andrew Hochstedler is one of them. An American by birth, he’s been studying to become a friar since 2010. ‘The history here can be a little overwhelming,’ he admits, Spello has been inhabited since before Roman times
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taking a break from the game. ‘I’ve lived here for three years, but even now, I still discover corners of the town I’ve never seen before.’ Assisi’s history stretches back much further than St Francis. The Etruscans were the first to settle here, taking advantage of the town’s defensible position, protected by steep slopes on three sides and the hump of Monte Subasio behind. Many others followed, and walking the backstreets is like trying to decipher an architectural puzzle. It’s a chaotic jumble of styles, built and rebuilt over the course of three millennia. Along one street, columns from a Roman temple prop up the façade of a Renaissance church. On another, a line of Gothic arches is cut off by the addition of a medieval wall. There are dead ends and blind alleys, bricked-up doorways and staircases leading nowhere. Clues lurk in the walls: coats of arms, beastly gargoyles and saintly images loaded with obscure religious significance. ‘There are secrets everywhere,’ says Andrew. ‘It’s like a real-life Da Vinci Code.’ He points to a T-shaped cross carved above the basilica’s entrance: it’s the Tau, the emblem of the Franciscan order, but also an ancient cipher signifying the resurrection. Lions are another common motif – leering from gutters and peering out from doorknockers – but despite their prevalence, no-one’s quite sure what they mean. Some scholars think they represent Christ, others the Holy Roman Emperor. A few miles southeast of Assisi, along a winding road which veers round the wooded flanks of Monte Subasio, Spello demonstrates another feature shared by many of Umbria’s hilltop towns: a ring of ramparts, gates and watchtowers, a reminder of the days when a hilltop location was prized not for its prettiness but its protection. Walking along its battlements, Spello is transformed into an impregnable bastion, bristling with crenels and murderholes. Watching cars beetle up the hillside and sparrows flit down its sheer walls, it’s easy to imagine the town under attack, surrounded by siege engines and trebuchets. Off to the southwest, along quiet lanes that meander through corn fields and cypress trees, lies Orvieto. Perched on a spur of rock high above the plain, this hilltop town had another solution for times of trouble. Beneath the town’s cathedral, a network of tunnels burrows through the limestone, providing escape routes during
a siege. Right beneath the townsfolk’s feet, centuries of cobwebs drape the walls of this labyrinth of passageways, staircases, and galleries, where every step returns a ghoulish echo. Guides recount tales of people who entered the tunnels, and whose ghosts are still trying to find their way out. But Umbria’s hilltop towns are far from museum pieces. Life carries on as it has for centuries. Old men drink their morning grappa at pavement cafés. Cats stalk along the cobbles, and couples marry at the town church under Renaissance frescoes. Mopeds putter along alleys where housewives string their washing between the buildings, the blare of an afternoon soap drifting from open windows. At least once a week, the town square hosts a market, where everyone gathers to exchange produce, money, and – perhaps most importantly – the latest news. Now head for a feast in Norcia – southeast of Spello on the other side of the Sibillini hills, its a journey of 45 miles. If you have time, the hilltop towns of Bevagna and Montefalco are a worthy detour.
Essentials
Hotel Palazzo Bocci This 17th-century palazzo in Spello still has original frescoes on show in the first-floor reading lounge. Rooms don’t share the same period dazzle, but they’re comfy, with big beds, modern bathrooms and air-con. Breakfast is served in the hotel’s inner courtyard (from £105, palazzobocci.com). The Basilica Papale di San Francesco in Assisi is open every day (sanfrancescoassisi.org). It’s free to enter, but donations are welcome – or you can do your bit by buying a souvenir from the church shop. Orvieto’s tunnels can only be explored on a guided tour, leaving several times a day from the main square of Piazza Duomo (£4.40; orvietounderground.it).
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Sweets on Via Portica in Assisi. ���� The piazza in front of the Basilica of St Francis. ����� The right transport for Spello’s narrow streets
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The upper part of Assisi’s 13th-century basilica. ���� Andrew Hochstedler (right) and a fellow friar
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5. Norcia Hunt for truffles, learn culinary secrets and sample wild boar salami in Umbria’s gastronomic capital Nicola Berardi checks one of his dogs’ prize finds
I
T’S JUST AFTER DAWN IN THE hills above Norcia as truffle-hunter Nicola Berardi parks up in the woods and steps out into the misty morning air. He opens the trunk of the car, and his two dogs Nina and Lulu jump out, yapping with excitement. ‘As you can tell, they are happy workers,’ Nicola says, filling his pockets with dog treats. ‘They must be curious to make good truffle dogs, but they get over-excited.’ He barks an order, and the dogs sit obediently at his feet, each earning a biscuit as a reward. Then with another command, he sends them bolting down the hillside, their barks cracking like gunshots over the quiet woods. The truffle hunt has begun. It doesn’t take long before the dogs make their first dicovery. On the edge of the wood, one of the dogs begins to sniff around the roots of a young oak tree, and frantically starts to dig with her front paws. ‘Good dog, Nina,’ Nicola says, pulling her away as he excavates the soil carefully with a small
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trowel. ‘We must be careful not to damage the truffle as we dig. To fetch the best price, they must be perfect.’ He scoops his hand into the earth and emerges with a knobbly black mushroom the size of a cricket ball. ‘Not bad,’ he says, holding the truffle to his nose before stowing it safely in his jacket pocket. ‘Now let’s see if we can find more.’ Black truffles, or tartufi neri, are just one of the ingredients that have made the name of Norcia synonymous with fine food. Hidden away in the Sibillini hills, this old walled town is renowned across Italy for the quality of its ingredients – from organic honey to ricotta and rare-breed pork. It’s a poster town for the Slow Food movement, championing the use of home-grown products and organic farming. The valley even has its own trademarked lentil, the lenticchia di Castelluccio, renowned for its delicate texture and nutty flavour. One man who knows how to get the most from Norcia’s ingredients is Emanuele Mazzella, head chef at Palazzo Seneca, the town’s top hotel. While his staff are hard at work getting ready for lunch service, he’s holding a cooking class in the kitchen, demonstrating how to make two classic Umbrian dishes: zuppa di lenticchie, a rich lentil broth, and agnello al tartufo – roast lamb with truffles. The kitchen thrums with the sound of whizzing blenders and clattering pans as he meticulously trims his lamb joint, stuffing it with butter, herbs and truffle shavings before tying it up with the perfect butcher’s knot. That’s the secret to cooking, he says: use the best ingredients, and treat them with love. Outside, it’s lunchtime in Norcia’s narrow backstreets, and its trattorias are packed with diners. Seating themselves at long wooden tables, under stuffed boar’s heads and gnarled roof-beams, diners dip chunks of bread into bean soup and rabbit hotpot, or twirl ribbons of wild hare pasta onto their forks. At the rear of the restaurants, woodfired ovens blaze and smoke in the gloom, staining the ceilings charcoal black. Just along the street, one of the town’s norcinerias, or butcher’s shops, is doing a brisk lunchtime trade. Dressed in a white apron, the butcher engages his customers in debate about the day’s choicest cuts, only pausing to slam a cleaver through a beef joint, or shave a slice from a leg of ham. On the street outside, baskets are stacked with wheels of pecorino cheese, bulbs of garlic, bags of risotto rice and salamis the
size of saplings. The choice – and the smell – is overpowering. While lunch gets into full swing in Norcia, up in the hills, Nicola and his dogs have finished their hunt. It’s been a good morning – well over a kilo of truffles in just a couple of hours. Now he’s heading home for his own favourite lunch – black truffle omelette. ‘Food is such an important part of life here,’ he says, as he unloads his haul into a hamper on the front seat, and Nina and Lulu settle down in the boot to gnaw on a well-earned bone. ‘It keeps us connected to the land, and brings people and families together. And if you ask me, nothing is more important than that.’
Essentials
Palazzo Seneca Lodged inside a nobleman’s townhouse near the main square, this luxurious hotel is the place to treat yourself in Norcia. It has retained much of the building’s medieval heritage, from a hidden library to a fancy spa in the former wine cellar. ‘Romantica’ rooms are small, but the suites are palatial, with antique secretaires, carved bedsteads and marble pillars (from £130; palazzoseneca.com). A morning’s truffle hunt costs around £60 per person, while a cooking course in the Palazzo Seneca kitchen starts from around £65. There’s usually a two-person minimum; rates are cheaper if more people book. Bookings for these and other food activities in Norcia can be made through Exavel (exavel.com). Ask about special rates if you’re also staying at the hotel.
O����� B���� now knows how to dig for truffles and pulp grapes, but is still working on his Maremmana lasso skills.
NEXT MONTH
Great Escape: TEXAS
TUSCANY & UMBRIA
Norcia’s own pecorino cheese. ����� A bumper crop of truffles. ��� ����� Lulu looking on the damp side after her truffle search
G R E AT E S C A P E
Castelluccio, of lentil fame. ���� Emanuele Mazzella (right) at Palazzo Seneca’s restaurant. ����� ‘Coglioni di mulo’ salami
Norcia’s Corso Sertorio, leading to the Porta Romana. ���� Pasta with wild hare. ��� ���� A sprig of juniper
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Flocks of flamingos dart across the water in the Momella Lakes, part of Arusha National Park
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Tall tales of Wild beasts and even wilder stories go hand-in-hand in Tanzania, ready to spring out of ancient volcanoes, windswept lakes and the endless savannah at a moment’s notice WORDS AMANDA CANNING O PHOTOGRAPHS JONATHAN GREGSON
L��� Ranger Mutosha Sabath in Ngurdoto Crater; a colobus monkey on the crater rim
The monster that lived in a volcano “And that’s how it happened, at night, in total darkness. They were sleeping near the fire on the ground. Then there was this hot breath on his face and this pain when finger-long fangs cut into his neck and his face. And then his lower jaw broke. Just for a glimpse, he opened his eyes and saw something huge and black with amber-coloured eyes…” * *Story told by the Meru tribe in Arusha The green cup of Ngurdoto Crater seems benign enough viewed from its rim. A pair of silver-cheeked hornbills lifts off from the branches of a mahogany tree, and is carried by thermals over the void, the reed beds of the crater floor indistinct and hazy 300m below. Around the edge, families of colobus monkeys, their black and white fur like ragged tailcoats, pick at the leaves of strangler figs, glancing up as our jeep slides past on a red track slippery from recent rain. The crater, 15 million years old and the collapsed caldera of an ancient volcano, has been known to the outside world for barely a hundred years, and humans were not allowed to set foot there for most of that time: if ever there was a corner on Earth where a mysterious beast with amber eyes and fangs as long as fingers could hide away from mankind, Ngurdoto is it. But we won’t know for certain from up here; to find out if Gurumico, the fabled monster of local legend, exists, we must descend to the crater floor.
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Mutosha Sabath leads us down an old elephant trail, parting leaves the size of surfboards with his rifle and batting aside giant cobwebs. The hornbills now float high above, their rasping calls sounding increasingly malevolent. We reach the bottom after a scrambling descent, and two stout Cape buffalo are there to meet us. ‘If they charge,’ whispers Mutosha edging around them, ‘lie down. They think you are a log and jump over.’ There is no need to test his theory in the swampy pools at our feet – the buffalo sniff the air, and trot off into the forest. There is a special trepidation-filled wonder knowing we are the only human life in that deep hole. Sudden movements and rustling in the reeds raise the hairs on the back of our necks, but Ngurdoto’s wildlife, not much used to sharing its home, is keeping itself hidden from Homo sapiens for another day. Of Gurumica, there is no sign. ‘A monster?’ says Mutosha, frowning when I relay the story. ‘I have been a ranger here for nearly
TA L E S O F TA N Z A N I A Giraffes in the foothills of Mount Meru.
20 years, and I have never seen a monster. The big danger here is the washa washa plant – when it stings, it is more serious than the bee!’ As if to prove the point, he immediately stumbles back into the leaves of the plant and hops away howling, slapping at his legs like a demented morris dancer. Ngurdoto may prefer to guard its mysteries, but the rest of Arusha, the national park of which it is part, has no such reservations. To the north, Big Momella Lake is a grunting, flapping, squawking merry-go-round of pink. Thousands of flamingos drift on the water, beaks open to scoop up algae from the surface. One is occasionally spooked and runs along the water to take off, soon followed by hundreds of others. They circle the lake for a few laps before some unknown signal assures them it’s safe to plop down once more into the lake. On the grasslands around Momella, gangly giraffes and barrelbodied zebras amble with uneasy grace. They stand their ground momentarily when a safari jeep trundles past,
curiosity getting the better of them, before lolloping away in search of cover. Mount Meru towers over Arusha, its peak seldom revealed through the clouds. Baboons squat in the road that wiggles up the mountain, staring down vehicles with contempt before swaggering into the trees. As we ascend, purple-flowered cassia trees give way to junipers and cedars wrapped in dark moss and curling swirls of mist. With the gradient too steep, we continue on foot and are soon in a boggy crater strewn with small black balls of lava, clumps of red-hot pokers waving in the breeze. Long ago on this spot, the flamingos of Momella a thin, pink strip far below, the local Meru tribe would offer a goat to their god Njeku in exchange for abundant rainfall or a fecund marriage. Returning the next day to find nothing but bones, they concluded their prayers had been answered. We don’t have a goat to sacrifice, but a deposit of fresh leopard droppings on the trail back to the jeep lets us know that we have not been alone on the mountain.
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TA L E S O F TA N Z A N I A L��� A Maasai boy leads his cows down to the singing well; a 60-year-old male elephant in South Amboseli
The elephant that found a singing well
“It had not rained for many months and the village was thirsty. The chief followed a herd of elephants and saw that they always went to the same spot. He knew the elephants were very wise and could sense water deep in the ground. He started to dig, and after many days reached water.”*
*South Amboseli folklore Dust devils whip across Southern Amboseli, the only stirring in the slow, thick heat of afternoon. Most sensible creatures have found a bush or burrow to shelter in, waiting for the sun to set and turn the distant, snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro violet in the process. Song drifts across the plains, a strange melody of male voices and clanging bells. But there is no sign of the source. Then, the cattle appear, pouring out of the earth as though they have been spat out of it. Small boys, in the traditional shuka robes of the Maasai, follow, whacking the cows on their bony haunches with a slender stick. Behind them, down a tunnel that runs twenty feet through the hard dry rock, more cattle still jostle at a water trough. Young Maasai men, braided hair painted red and silver jewellery rattling, stand knee-deep in a murky pool, tossing plastic buckets of water up towards them. They holler and shout in rhythm with the work, voices raised against the dong-a-long of cattle bells. At the well’s entrance, resting in the shade of a yellow acacia, is Lolepo Lesongoi. Effortlessly regal with long dangling earlobes and an electric blue shuka, he is the son of the chief who, according to local folklore, found the ‘singing well’ by observing the wise old elephants. He laughs. ‘Elephants are our friends, and we are happy
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to share our land and our water with them – but they did not find this well for us.’ He stops to wave flies from his face. ‘My father found a small hole and started to dig. Back then, everyone thought he was crazy!’ If the elephants can take no credit for the well, they certainly benefit from its discovery. Lolepo sometimes finds them down here at night, drinking so much they almost drain the pool entirely. They are encountered all over the savannah, hulking great lumps plodding across the grey earth or somnolently swaying as they methodically tear the branches from acacia trees and feed them into their mouths with their trunks. It’s said they come to Southern Amboseli to find quiet at the end of their lives, away from the noise and the fuss of the more popular Amboseli National Park just north of the border in Kenya. There are worse places to retire. As the day starts to fade, more animals emerge from their hiding places. Sandgrouse and yellow-necked francolins flee from the path as we bounce along towards them in our jeep. In the long grass, a herd of zebra stand snorting before turning tail and galloping off in a whirl of dust. At a safe distance, they stop and stare once more, ears twitching. Members of the antelope world dart into view, zigzagging in front of us as though caught in an invisible pinball machine.
Chief-in-waiting Lolepo Lesongoi.
TA L E S O F TA N Z A N I A A mother and child in elaborate dress outside their home in the Maasai village, Boma Ya Lesongoi
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A male lion stirs from his slumber in the 600m-deep Ngorongoro Crater – a naturally bounded wildlife sanctuary.
There are tiny dik-diks, elegant impala and Thomson’s gazelles, a look of permanent astonishment on their faces. A silver-backed jackal squats in the grass, watching as a young Maasai leads his goats across the savannah. He rises to his feet and slinks forward, eyes fixed on a sick animal limping at the back of the flock. The boy spots him, and yells, and the jackal is soon gone, trotting away in search of an easier kill. Dusk is rush hour in the Southern Amboseli; the plain is filled with people heading home after a long day in the bush. Boys meander along with their goats, cows and donkeys; girls carry stacks of firewood or jerry cans of water on their heads. At the gates of their villages, mothers wait, babies on hips, making sure they return safely. At Boma Ya Lesongoi, a collection of thatched clay houses ringed by a fence of thorn trees, Laizer M Laizer watches as the last child meanders in. A tall Maasai
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with a ready smile and elaborately decorated hair, Laizer has recently gone through the coming-of-age ritual that all Maasai boys face to become a warrior. As a sign of his status, he has thrown off the black robes of the initiate and exchanged them for red. ‘Before, if you kill a lion you were a great warrior,’ he says. ‘Everyone will know you. It is like Wayne Rooney in your country.’ Warriors no longer kill lions, but theirs is no empty symbolism. ‘A warrior is a big person in our culture,’ explains Laizer, adjusting his many necklaces. ‘Like the elephant, we have a lot of power. But we must use it wisely. We all must share one life.’ As the gates of Ya Lesongoi are pulled shut, keeping out the wilds of East Africa for another night, there’s probably an elephant out there, drinking from a singing well, who wholeheartedly agrees. Every night at 6pm sharp, the gates of Ngorongoro Crater are also slammed shut, and all human life is banished.
TA L E S O F TA N Z A N I A
The hyena that turned into a lion
Shenzi: “You know, if it weren’t for those lions, we’d be runnin’ the joint.” Banzai: “Yeah. Man, I hate lions.”*
*The hyenas’ complaint, The Lion King Tourists return to their lodges on the rim, sharing tales of the day by the firelight, huddling under blankets as the temperature plummets. As each heads to their bed, under a sky filled with an impossible spread of stars, the stage is set for another performance down there in the deep, dark abyss. All of life and death is ready to play out in a single night – with no human audience to witness it.
By the time Ngorongoro’s gates swing open again at 6am, the sun is beginning to shoo away the clouds resting in the crater’s bowl. The park stretches out 600 metres below – a watercolour smear of beiges, greys and yellows, tiny black dots scattered haphazardly across it. The first of the morning’s safari jeeps trickle down the bumpy track to the valley floor. As we lurch along, the crater starts to take shape: those smears become small patches of woodland, lakes and grassland. The dots turn into zebra, wildebeest, hippo, elephant, Cape buffalo and kudu. It’s all of the Garden of Eden held in a single, 11-mile-wide basin. But it’s as if we arrived in that paradisiacal garden after a particularly heavy night. Fat lions sprawl on their backs, legs in the air, occasionally winching open a golden eye to assess the progress of the day. Hippos loll in lakes, the more energetic specimens rolling 360 degrees in the water, exposing their pink bellies to the
A herd of zebra traipses across the flat grasslands of Ngorongoro Crater in a never-ending quest for grazing and water
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The view from the crater rim of Ngorongoro, a Unesco World Heritage site, formed when a volcano collapsed between two and three million years ago
TA L E S O F TA N Z A N I A A���� ���� ���� An ostrich on the look-out for a mate in Ngorongoro; guide Mudy Nuru tracks wildlife from his jeep
sun. Pelicans parachute down into the water and drift aimlessly, as if trying to remember why they’d come. In the morning after the night before, all bets are off between predator and prey. Lines of endlessly plodding zebra and wildebeest pass unconcerned by hyena and lions, and share the same banks at salt licks and waterholes. Mudy Nuru trains his binoculars on a lone hyena skulking through a herd of hartebeest. ‘There is food, there is water, there are minerals here,’ he says. ‘All the animals, they have to live together. The prey knows when the predators are in hunting mode and when they are not.’ Like actors in a play, it seems they resume their roles as hunter and hunted only when an agreed sign is given. A wildlife guide in Ngorongoro for 16 years, Mudy has observed much unexpected behaviour in the crater – the zebra who know they’ll be safe from predators if they run into groups of Maasai-owned cattle, the normally nocturnal serval cats who now hunt in the day. But it is the relationship between hyena and lion that has most been turned on its head. ‘The animals in the crater, they seem to do things the other way around,’ he says, watching as a female ostrich finally falls for the advances of an amorous male after a particularly extravagant courtship dance. ‘The hyenas here are better hunters than the lions. In fact, the lion is the scavenger in Ngorongoro.’ With no poaching and only Maasai herders allowed into the crater on foot, the relationship between animal and human has also warped. Lions regularly creep under safari jeeps to sleep in their shade, zebra brush
past our vehicle on their commute between grassland and lake, and jackal pups boldly sit and stare from the roadside rather than turn and run. Long gone are the days of the Siedentopfs, two German brothers who set up a farm in the crater early in the 20th century, and took potshots at the rhino from their veranda and trained zebra to do the work of horses. Come late afternoon, as shadows start to creep across the crater floor, Ngorongoro’s wildlife falls back into character. A trail of dust beyond the hippo pool announces a herd of wildebeest, two hundred or so panicked animals pounding across the plain. Behind them, Mudy points out three hyena – dark-furred, thick-necked creatures with black snouts and imposing fangs. ‘See, they are smart,’ he says. ‘They get together and disturb the wildebeest until one animal splits from the group. Then they will have it.’ The chase is soon out of sight, and we turn to watch a Kori bustard strutting through the scrubland. It spreads its giant wings and hoists itself into the sky. ‘I like animals that move,’ says Mudy with no little scorn. ‘Not lions that just lie all day.’ As we race out of Ngorongoro before the gates shut once more, we pass the lion pride for a final time. They are still fast asleep on their backs, paws aloft – dreaming perhaps of dinner, and the hyenas who so thoughtfully prepare it for them.
A����� C������ is determined to see a rhino in the wild; she saw a very distant one in Ngorongoro, but isn’t entirely convinced it wasn’t a boulder.
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Make it Happen Essentials
GETTING THERE The most convenient airport for northern Tanzania is Kilimanjaro International, near Arusha. Flights from the UK require a stop in Europe or Africa, and take at least 11 hours (from £520; klm.com).
GETTING AROUND
MAP KEY Amboseli (Kenya)
BEFORE YOU GO British citizens need a visa from the Tanzanian High Commission in London (£40; tanzania-online.gov. uk). Check that you’re up to date with vaccinations; a full list of requirements can be found at nathnac.org, including specific advice on yellow fever in the region.
FURTHER INFO Lonely Planet’s Tanzania guide has good coverage of the entire country (£16.99; lonelyplanet.com).
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A watchful zebra in Ngorongoro Crater
Arusha National Park Momella Lakes
Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Meru
Ngorongoro Crater Ngurdoto Crater
TOUR OPERATORS Organising your trip through an operator will take the hassle out of your travel arrangements, and may secure a discount on accommodation. Both of the operators below can arrange transfers betwen airports and lodges, as well as full trips. Takims is a local outfit with offers ranging from a four-day Northern Discovery tour taking in Ngorongoro and Arusha, to a 15�day trip that combines safari with a beach break on Zanzibar (from £690; takimsholidays.com). Go2 has itineraries across East Africa, with lots in Tanzania, from a circuit of the northern parks to forays into the lesser-visited western part of the country (£2,700 for an eight-day tour; theafricatravelspecialist.com).
COMPILED BY AMANDA CANNING. PHOTOGRAPHS: JONATHAN GREGSON
You’ll need your own private transport to travel between the parks and lodges. Speak to your accommodation about arranging this, or organise through the tour operators mentioned on this page.
TA L E S O F TA N Z A N I A
Plan your itinerary 2 There are many ways to fill your days at ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK. Hire a kayak and float with the flamingos on the Momella Lakes, climb up Mount Meru, follow a guide into Ngurdoto Crater or go on a game drive. Giraffes and zebra are easily spotted here. Activities can be arranged through Hatari.
1 You’ll want a day to recover from your flight before exploring Arusha National Park, so book into HATARI LODGE (from £230pppn full-board with full-day game package; hatarilodge.de). The lodge has retro-styled rooms and a lovely walkway with firepit and views of passing buffalo and Mount Kilimanjaro. Meals are taken at a communal table. 3 Transfer to SHU’MATA CAMP in South Amboseli. The camp perches on a hill with terrific views of the surrounding plains and Mount Kilimanjaro (from £345pppn full-board with activities; shumatacamp. de). Guests sleep in luxury tents furnished in vintage safari style, with a whisky decanter on hand and an outdoor washing area for windswept ablutions. Staff here are truly lovely, and the atmosphere relaxed. Food is also a highlight.
4 SOUTH AMBOSELI has great options for a whole host of varied experiences. Not to be missed are the crowd-free game drives that bring encounters with local elephants, giraffes and zebra. This is also a wonderful place to learn about Maasai culture, with naturalist walks and visits to local bomas (villages). Shu’mata will organise all activities, with transport and food provided.
5 Beg, borrow or steal for a chance to book in at NGORONGORO CRATER LODGE – it’s fairly likely to be the most spectacular place you’ve ever stayed in (from £680pppn full-board including safaris; andbeyond.com/ngorongoro-crater-lodge). The lodge sits on the very rim of the crater, with extraordinary views of the valley floor far below, and guests sleep in enormous stilted suites, each with their own terrace, sitting and dining areas. Meals and service here are exemplary (your private butler will have the fire lit and the bath poured before you realise you want both of these things very badly). Game drives into Ngorongoro, and the opportunity to spot lions, rhino and hippos, are included. The nearby town of Karatu has plenty of cheap accommodation; entry to the crater is £33pp plus £130 per vehicle (ngorongorocrater.org).
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The Eiffel Tower, seen from the Beaux-Arts-style bridge, Pont Alexandre III
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Paris FOUR PERFECT DAYS Historic centre
Left Bank
is
ra Bastille & Le Ma
east The north
Follow our insider itineraries and explore four very different Parisian neighbourhoods on foot, by bike and by boat, taking in gourmet markets and secret bars, little-known galleries and knockout views WORDS GABRIELLE JAFFE O PHOTOGRAPHS MATT MUNRO
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The Pavillon de Flore, a section of the Palais du Louvre that backs on to the Jardin des Tuileries
P E R F E C T D AY S I N PA R I S
DAY 1
HISTORIC CENTRE High-rise Gothic masterpieces, Neoclassical monoliths and snug bistros dominate the beating heart of the city
Gothic Sainte-Chapelle’s stainedglass windows depict scenes from the Old and New Testament. ���� The Tour de l’Horloge clockface on the Conciergerie
Entering Sainte-Chapelle feels like climbing into a kaleidoscope. From all directions, light pours in through the 15-metre-high stained-glass windows in glorious technicolor. The floor, too, is a riot of red, green and blue, and 12 largerthan-life apostles glare down from the gilded pillars. Often overlooked in favour of Notre Dame, this 13th-century chapel is a good starting point for a stroll through Paris’s history. Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie both stand on the Île de la Cité, the island where Paris first began, and together they make up the remains of France’s oldest palace. It was in the Conciergerie that Marie Antoinette was imprisoned. Following the path her cart took as it trundled towards the guillotine leads
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through the Louvre, past queues snaking into its glass pyramid, and into the Renaissance orderliness of the Jardin des Tuileries. On her lunch break, with a colleague from the Ministry of Education, Véra Massias is strolling along the garden’s wide avenues, past the faultlessly symmetrical lawns and hedges. ‘I never get blasé about this,’ she says. ‘Here you really get a sense of the history and romance of the city.’ A short detour away from the Tuileries, other office workers are sharing a bottle of red in Juveniles, a burgundy-walled bistro where the baby-faced chef, Romain Roudeau, serves dishes ‘like his grandfather used to make’. As the sweet smell of caramelising balsamic and garlic diffuses across the room, customers
pause conversations with anticipatory glances at the open kitchen. Back at the Tuileries, sunlight floods through the enormous conservatory of the Musée de l’Orangerie. Inside, a couple holding hands lose themselves in Monet’s Water Lilies. His 12-metre-long canvases wrap round the walls, enveloping the viewer in an entrancing widescreen vision. ‘These were his last works. He wanted them displayed here and gave them to the people of France,’ a curator explains. ‘It was his last testament.’ Just beyond the Tuileries is where Marie Antoinette met her end – the present-day Place de la Concorde. Instead of a guillotine, this traffic-encircled square today holds at its centre a 3,300-year-old obelisk from Egypt. From here, the mother of all vistas
STRAP
insider tip NOTRE DAME TOO BUSY? HEAD DOWN THE ROAD TO BEAUTIFUL SAINTE� CHAPELLE
Claude Monet’s Water Lilies at the Musée de l’Orangerie A Batobus glides along the Seine past the Eiffel Tower. ����� Cocktail mixing at Le Fumoir
The glass and metal Louvre Pyramid serves as the main entrance to the museum. ����� Juveniles offers French dishes, often with a twist inspired by its Scottish owners
Essentials looms. To the north, south and west are the Neoclassical edifices of the Napoleonic era: the Grecian Madeleine Church, the Palais Bourbon (parliament) and the Arc de Triomphe; to the southwest, the Eiffel Tower pierces the sky, marking the late 19th-century in all its metallic modernity. Across the Seine, a squat Batobus departs from the quay in front of the Musée d’Orsay. As the boat chugs downstream, everyone on board cranes their necks to ogle the architectural hit parade passing by. After alighting by the Louvre, another nearby institution beckons: Le Fumoir, a leather and lacquer restaurant where Parisiens sporting smoking jackets are joined by glossy-haired Parisiennes, seeing out their day with martinis, olives and cigarettes on the heated terrace.
FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE HISTORIC CENTRE Sainte-Chapelle Entrance ticket £6, or £9 for combined entry to Conciergerie; monuments-nationaux.fr Conciergerie Entrance ticket £6, or £9 for combined entry to SainteChapelle; monuments-nationaux.fr Jardin des Tuileries Free Juveniles Mains from £12; facebook.com/JuvenilesWineBar Musée de l’Orangerie Entrance ticket £6.50; musee-orangerie.fr Place de la Concorde Free Batobus Day pass £11; batobus.com Le Fumoir Two-course dinner from £25; lefumoir.com
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A classic French breakfast of coffee, orange juice and croissants at La Palette
P E R F E C T D AY S I N PA R I S
DAY 2
LEFT BANK Cafés for philosophising, collectablebook stalls and serene galleries in this realm of artists, writers and thinkers Bouquinistes (booksellers) line the banks of the Seine. ���� The smaller of two bars at La Palette. ����� Paris student Michael Wolf
Paris’s intellectual centre of gravity has long been the Left Bank. Today the area’s expensive apartments no longer house students and struggling creatives, but the many universities and publishing houses mean they still crowd the streets and cafés. La Palette, a café frequented by Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and Jim Morrison, remains in a bohemian time warp. Art Deco murals share the walls with smoke-stained mirrors. A waiter in a black waistcoat sweeps out of the kitchen with a tray bearing a croissant. He places it in front of a professoriallooking man on the terrace, who pauses his breakfast ritual to nod a quick bonjour to a passer-by he recognises. ‘The café culture here is special,’ says Michael Wolf, a student originally from Berlin, who’s lived in Paris for three years. ‘I appreciate the long meals, the
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insider tip FOR SOME PEACE AND QUIET, HEAD TO MUSÉE ZADKINE’S PRETTY GARDEN
chance to watch people go by. You have this interesting mix between international students from all the universities and the old Parisian families that live here.’ Equally good for people-watching are the quayside bouquinistes, where used books have been sold since the 16th century. Many of the bottle-green quayside stalls now deal mainly in mini Eiffel Towers, but a dedicated few, especially those grouped on Quai Malaquais, continue to hawk the written word. A teenager flits between yellowed Charlie Hebdo magazines and 1950s Disney comics. Meanwhile, a bearded vendor relinquishes a play by Racine, France’s Shakespeare, to a man wearing a lemonyellow scarf, for a few euros. It costs a lot more to buy the rare editions sold around Saint-Germain. Here leather-bound tomes are exhibited
in shop windows like museum pieces. At one of these antique bookstores, Librairie Camille Sourget, an assistant carefully places a volume by the Roman historian Tacitus next to a letter signed by the 19th-century French novelist Émile Zola. With just as much precision, a redbow-tied waiter is arranging cutlery on the marble tables at the nearby restaurant Germain. Another server dashes past with a bowl of cascading French fries. The service here is traditional but the décor is anything but: flashes of neon colour are everywhere and the legs of a giant, bright-yellow statue appear to have crashed through the ceiling. Paris has always drawn artists who liked making statements. Just south of SaintGermain, Montparnasse is where the likes of Picasso first flung Modernism in the faces of the art establishment. On the border of Montparnasse, at Musée Zadkine,
Collectable tomes in the window of a bookshop in the Left Bank district. ����� Prompt service at Germain
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Luxembourg Palace in the Jardin du Luxembourg seats the upper house of Parliament, the French Senate. ����� The bar at Les Papilles
Musée Zadkine contains some 300 sculptures by Ossip Zadkine
it’s possible to get a feel for the spirit of that time. This quiet little museum was once the studio of a Russian émigré sculptor, Ossip Zadkine, and is now a light-filled space dedicated to his works. In the garden, a lone visitor admires an abstract bronze sculpture that hints at a female form. A few hundred metres away, in the Jardin du Luxembourg, a Classical marble statue looks on imperviously as a bespectacled student sits underneath it, leafing self-consciously through a novel by the 19th-century pioneer of realism, Honoré de Balzac. Near the other side of the gardens, Les Papilles bistro is opening its doors to customers. Outside, rain is falling hard, but the bright mosaic floor and the hearty set menu, which includes an ossobuco braised shank that’s taken all day to cook, provide a bright respite.
Essentials FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE LEFT BANK La Palette Set breakfast of coffee, orange juice and croissant, £6; cafelapaletteparis.com Bouquinistes From Pont Marie to the Quai du Louvre on the Right Bank, and from Quai de la Tournelle to Quai Voltaire on the Left Bank Librairie Camille Sourget camillesourget.com Germain Mains from £13; germainparis.com Musée Zadkine Free; zadkine.paris.fr Jardin du Luxembourg Free Les Papilles Four-course set menu, £25; lespapillesparis.fr
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P E R F E C T D AY S I N PA R I S Fabrice, a former pastry chef at five-star hotel Le Bristol, behind his counter at Blé Sucré
DAY 3
BASTILLE & LE MARAIS Artisan craftsmen, eccentric boutiques and croissants, cheese and chocolate to die for amongst winding medieval lanes Apple tarts at Blé Sucré. ���� Fabrice Le Bourdat presents his giant ‘to-share’ madeleines
insider tip GET TO BLÉ SUCRÉ EARLY FOR ITS AWARD�WINNING MADELEINES
Pride in locally grown, from-scratch produce isn’t some hipster fad in Paris – it’s a culinary tradition. In the workingclass Bastille district, just as clubbers are stumbling to bed, Fabrice Le Bourdat forces himself awake each day at 2.30am, to bake at the Blé Sucré boulangerie. His madeleines were named the best in Paris by newspaper Le Figaro, but this morning, customers have come for the croissants. Their warm buttery scent hangs tantalisingly outside the shop. Down the road, a stroll around the Marché d’Aligre covered food market becomes an olfactory safari. Moving from stall to stall, the zingy aroma of olive tapenade is replaced by roasted chicken with thyme, then fresh flowers, warm dough, and a punch to the nose from Fromagerie Langlet-Hardouin. Monsieur Hardouin’s hundred-odd varieties of
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cheese, from plum-sized chèvre to enormous holey Swiss Emmental, draw a crowd. Old men and women, pulling shopping bags on wheels, jostle for Monsieur Hardouin’s attention. From artisanal food to handmade crafts, it’s a short hop on Paris’s easyto-rent Vélib’ bikes to the Viaduc des Arts, where the arches under a disused railway have been converted into modern, glassfronted workshops. Through the window of Atelier Stéphane Guilbaud, Martin Renucci can be seen working on a set of prints. An unlit cigarette hangs from his mouth; behind him stands a gargantuan lithograph printing press dating back to 1900. ‘Lots of countries got rid of them, but France kept these machines,’ says Martin. ‘It used to print newspapers. Now we’re working with artists from all over the world.’
Continuing by bike, it’s a quick ride to the Place des Vosges in Le Marais – an ideal picnic spot for bread, cheese and cold cuts bought earlier at Blé Sucré and Marché d’Aligre. Across this landscaped square, La Vie en Rose plays out on a saxophone, accompanied by tweeting birds. While much of Paris is intersected with grand avenues and boulevards built in the 19th century, Le Marais is still a maze of narrow medieval lanes, now populated with galleries and upmarket boutiques. Round the corner from Place des Vosges, concept store L’êtreANGE appears like a naturalist’s study: plants dangle from the ceiling, cups are kept under bell jars and anthropomorphic prints hang next to a deer bust wearing a bow-tie. In the Haut Marais, as the end furthest from the river is known, exquisite specimens of another kind are on
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The cosy confines of Au Passage B���� Prints for sale at L’êtreANGE.
Monsieur Hardouin serves a customer at Fromagerie Langlet-Hardouin. ����� Place des Vosges, built in 1605, is the oldest planned square in Paris
display: at Jacques Genin, assistants carefully handle the heavenly chocolates, nougats and caramels with white gloves. By the evening, Le Marais pulses with restaurant- and bar-hoppers. The most popular joints are the hardest to find. Tucked down an alleyway, Au Passage is a shoebox-sized restaurant where the chalkboard menu takes up half the back wall. Tapas-sized portions rush out of a kitchen so small that the head chef has to stand outside, barking orders through the serving window. Yet the food – consisting of simple but nuanced dishes, such as citrusy grey mullet ceviche and earthy terrine en croûte, all accompanied by homemade bread and house-churned butter – ensures a steady stream of customers. No doubt, the tattooed owner behind the bar keeping everyone well liquored helps too.
Handcrafted chocolates at Jacques Genin. ����� Martin Renucci working on prints at Atelier Stéphane Guilbaud
Essentials FIND YOUR WAY AROUND BASTILLE & LE MARAIS Blé Sucré Croissant £1; 7 Rue Antoine Vollon Marché d’Aligre marchedaligre.free.fr Fromagerie Langlet-Hardouin fromagerie-hardouin-paris.fr Le Viaduc des Arts leviaducdesarts.com Atelier Stéphane Guilbaud atelierstephaneguilbaud.com Place des Vosges Free L’êtreANGE plates from £5.50; letre-ange.fr Jacques Genin £8 for a nine-piece gift box; jacquesgenin.fr Au Passage from £3 per tapas; restaurant-aupassage.fr
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A bridge crosses to the Île de la Belvédère in the centre of Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. ����� Wall art on Rue Jacques Louvel-Tessier
P E R F E C T D AY S I N PA R I S
DAY 4
THE NORTH� EAST Head away from the busy centre to a district of Belle Époque cottages, political wall art and hidden, cutting-edge eateries Cottages on Villa de la Renaissance, off Rue de l’Egalité. ����� Faux balconies on Rue de Mouzaïa, nearby Rue de la Liberté
If the storybook Paris depicted in the whimsical film Amélie actually exists, it’s not to be found in Montmartre, with its gauntlet of hawkers. Instead, for authentic Parisian village life, take the subway to Danube. Around a trio of streets, Rue de la Liberté, Rue de l’Egalité and Rue de la Fraternité, a crisscross of pedestrianised alleys, with names beginning with ‘Villa’, are lined with Belle Époque cottages. Wandering here, it’s all pastel walls, potted plants and Art Nouveau ironwork. Following the trail of these quiet roads leads to Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, where a father races his son up a set of stairs. It’s worth the steep climb to the Corinthian temple folly at the top of the park. From here, Sacré-Coeur’s white domes gleam in the distance and, immediately below, park life unfolds on an ant-like scale. Prams and bicycles wheel round paths, 84
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while sunbathers stretch out on vertiginous grass banks, like Seurat’s famous painting of bathers by the Seine. A short ride on the 75 bus reveals an altogether different scene in the area east of Canal Saint-Martin. The word ‘Liberté’ is doused on a wall on Rue Jacques LouvelTessier. Doves, painted in orange and red, fly above the giant letters and, in a space inside the letter ‘B’, someone has written ‘Je suis Charlie. Libre’ (I am Charlie. Free). In this gentrifying area, street art, graffiti tags and workers’ cafés now neighbour gluten-free bakeries and stylish international restaurants. Outside Le Petit Cambodge, a duo capped in trilbies wait for a friend; inside this Cambodian canteen, benches of customers wolf down delicate rice noodles laced with prawns, chillies, peanuts and lemongrass. Nearby, a barely noticeable sign marks
the entrance to Le Comptoir Général, a self-styled ‘temple to ghetto culture’. A red-carpeted hallway opens into a sprawling space with vintage clothes and record stalls, and a bar manned by a man with a ’fro and Homer Simpson T-shirt. Working the rooms is a Senegalese musician, who strums a kora (lute), soliciting laughs with risqué wordplay. ‘This is a unique cultural space centred around French Africa,’ explains regular visitor Stéphane Ranaivoson, a Parisian with Madagascan roots, who’s come today with his friend Alexie. ‘This is the real Paris,’ he says, ‘not the Eiffel Tower.’ Crossing one of Canal Saint-Martin’s footbridges leads to another, once seedy, now evolving neighbourhood. The area around Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est is experiencing a gastro revolution, and at the forefront is 52 Faubourg Saint-Denis,
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Le Cinébrousse cinema room at Le Comptoir Général. ����� Stéphane Ranaivoson and his friend Alexie
insider tip Cambodian dishes at Le Petit Cambodge. ����� The bar at 52 Faubourg Saint-Denis
CLIMB UP TO THE TEMPLE DE LA SIBYLLE IN PARC DES BUTTES� CHAUMONT FOR TOP VIEWS
Le Syndicat cocktail bar. ����� A footbridge crosses Canal Saint-Martin
a bistro serving dishes as stripped back and simple as its exposed walls. Despite not taking bookings and having no website or telephone number, the place is full by 7pm. Hard-to-get-into places are a motif in this area. Luckily, a friendly assistant in the deli next door to 52 Faubourg has a tip: just opposite, at number 51, behind a faux façade of a postered-over shop, is the speakeasy Le Syndicat. Behind thick golden curtains, a blond in a leather jacket nurses a ‘Pomme Sourde’ cocktail, made with calvados. American hip-hop plays over the sound system, but the drink menu uses French spirits only. The bar is a microcosm of Paris: glamorous, not gaudy; multicultural, and proud of its traditions. G�������� J���� is a travel writer who enjoyed getting reacquainted with her French language skills and proper Parisian croissants.
Essentials FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE NORTHEAST Rue de la Liberté, Rue de l’Egalité and Rue de la Fraternité Closest Metro station is Danube Parc des Buttes-Chaumont Free Rue Jacques Louvel-Tessier Closest Metro station is Goncourt Le Petit Cambodge Mains from £8.50; lepetitcambodge.fr Le Comptoir Général Entry by donation; lecomptoirgeneral.com Canal Saint-Martin Closest Metro station is Goncourt 52 Faubourg Saint-Denis Mains from £11.50; 52 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis Le Syndicat Cocktails from £8.50; syndicatcocktailclub.com
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Make it Happen Essentials GETTING THERE Eurostar operates up to 16 trains a day from London St Pancras International to Paris (from £69 return; eurostar. com). Air France, BA, CityJet, easyJet, Flybe, Jet2.com and Ryanair fly from numerous UK cities (from £70; ryanair.com).
GETTING AROUND For short distances, Paris’s public bike-hire scheme Vélib’ (velib.paris) is a convenient way to get around. Bikes can be picked up and dropped off at any of the 1,800 stations across the city. Buy a one-day pass (£1.20) at the stations themselves – journeys under 30 minutes are free. Download the free Vélib’ app to find your nearest stops, with real-time figures of how many bikes are available.
Buses, Metro and RER trains provide extensive coverage of the city. Singles cost £1.30, while a carnet (book of 10 singles; £9.80) may work out cheaper than a one-day unlimited travel Mobilis pass (£5.50), depending on how many trips you’re planning on taking in a day. Taxis are hard to find during rush hour, but are reasonably priced over short distances (minimum fare £4.90).
FURTHER READING See Lonely Planet’s Make My Day: Paris (£5.99) or, for a more in-depth guide, try Paris (£13.99), and official guide parisinfo.com.
Paris’s summer social calendar HISTORIC CENTRE 21�24 May Eat your way around the food stalls and cooking demos that take over the Grand Palais during Taste of Paris (paris.tastefestivals.com). 20 July�18 August Play pétanque and volleyball, or just sunbathe in a deckchair, on the pop-up beaches that line the Right Bank during Paris Plage season (paris.fr/parisplages). LEFT BANK Early July Sing along during Cinema Karaoke – an open-air screening on the Left Bank that is one of the highlights of the Paris Cinema Festival (pariscinema.org). 13 July�14 August Quartier d’Été brings diverse genres of theatre, circus and contemporary dance to venues across the city, including the Jardin du Luxembourg (quartierdete.com).
BASTILLE & LE MARAIS 27 June The Marche des Fiertés (aka Pride) parade usually finishes with a huge dance party in Place de la République, spilling into Le Marais (marche.inter-lgbt.org). 6�10 July Over a week the Place de la République becomes an open-air concert hall with free gigs put on for the Soirs d’Été – past performers include the Klaxons (soirsdete.fr). NORTHEAST 21 June Free gigs take place in bars, concert halls and parks all over the city for the Fête de la Musique. Head to Parc ButtesChaumont for a house/funk DJ set (fetedelamusique.culture.fr). Late July–late August See films screened outdoors for free during Cinema en Plein Air in the futuristic Parc Villette, near Canal Saint-Martin (lavillette.com).
ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS
LEFT BANK: HÔTEL D’ANGLETERRE This hotel in central SaintGermain was formerly a British embassy, and was later where Ernest Hemingway and his wife spent their first night in Paris. Some of the rooms have wooden beams and four-poster beds (from £140; hotel-dangleterre.com).
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BASTILLE & LE MARAIS: HOTEL JULES & JIM This arty hotel in Le Marais references François Truffaut’s iconic film. Edgy designs extend to the rooms, roof terrace, retro bar and courtyard, featuring a vertical garden and log fire (from £150; hoteljulesetjim.com).
COMPILED BY GABRIELLE JAFFE AND RORY GOULDING. PHOTOGRAPHS: PETE SEAWARD, JACQUES LEBAR, CELINE DEMOUX, JEAN�FRANÇOIS DRÉAN
HISTORIC CENTRE: HOTEL CRAYON A surprisingly affordable option in an area best known for expensive heritage accommodation, this hotel is just a five-minute walk from the Louvre. Its 27 rooms are all individually styled with bold splashes of colour and artist sketches that are just the right side of eccentric (from £80; hotelcrayon.com).
NORTH EAST: HÔTEL DU TEMPS A 10�minute walk from the hip Gare de l’Est quarter, this vintagestyle hotel mixes exposed wooden beams and rattan panelling with block-print fabrics (from £115; hotel-du-temps.fr).
P E R F E C T D AY S I N PA R I S
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The Eiffel Tower as seen from the Palais de Chaillot to the northwest
THE EIFFEL TOWER IN BRIEF Built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, marking the centenary of the French Revolution, the 300�metre-high Eiffel Tower was nearly double the height of the world’s tallest building at the time, Cologne Cathedral in Germany. Deplored by leading cultural figures of the day, the tower was an instant hit with visitors. It was meant to be dismantled after 20 years, but its chief engineer, Gustave Eiffel, saved it for posterity by promoting it as a weather station and radio mast. Ticket rates today are set at £3.60 for the stairs to the second floor, £6.50 for the lift to the second floor and £11 for the lift right up to the top (toureiffel.paris). Book timed lift tickets (up to three months in advance) to avoid lengthy queues.
Out ther� Escape to some of the world’s most far-flung places with these remote abodes, from a yurt on the Mongolian steppe to a sleek lodge adrift in the South Pacific WORDS DEBBIE PAPPYN O PHOTOGRAPHS DAVID DE VLEESCHAUWER
JALMAN MEADOWS GER CAMP MONGOLIA Picture the USA’s Yellowstone National Park, only imagine something triple the size – that’s the magnitude of the Khan Khentii Special Protected Area, roughly a four-hour drive from Ulaanbatar, the capital of Mongolia. Here you’ll find Jalman Meadows, a private ger (Mongolian yurt) camp next to the crystal-clear waters of the Tuul River. Every summer the whole camp is set up anew; when it leaves, nothing is left behind on the landscape, which disappears for the next six months under a blanket of snow. Using wood and canvas, the gers are built in the same centuries-old design as those
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lived in by the region’s nomads. Strong and easily manoeuvrable, they can be packed up and transported by horse or yak. Inside are beds with thick camel- or yak-wool blankets, a wood-burning stove, tables and a basin. A small tent with a warm shower can also be set up. In the middle of the camp is a larger ger with a kitchen and communal living area, and if you want to learn more about local customs or stories, there’s an extensive library. Beyond the camp, try horse-riding with the nomads or hiking alongside a yak caravan. For the ultimate in stillness and solitude, book a GerScape and go trekking with your own team of nomads. O Three-nights from £280; nomadicjourneys.com
R E M O T E P L A C E S T O S TAY
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‘Y� ca� �i�, �� � ri� � h��back � h�� t��g� t� NamibRand w�h�t �ein� an��r huma� �in�’
WOLWEDANS NAMIBIA Just a few hours’ drive from the touristy Sossusvlei sand dunes is the 670 squaremile NamibRand Nature Reserve. One of the largest privately owned nature reserves in Africa, it’s a swathe of unspoilt desert made up of red dunes and dotted with mysterious fairy circles. There are impressive mountains, granite stone formations and, happily, many wild animals: gemsboks, zebras, kudus, giraffes, klipspringers, jackals, hyenas and springboks roam, and leopards and cheetahs have also been reintroduced. Out here, in the Namib Desert, you’re reminded of man’s insignificance, and at the same time filled with a sense of peace. It’s what the dreams of desert fanatics are made of: you can drive, walk or ride on horseback
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for hours through the NamibRand without seeing another human being. Wolwedans Private Camp is the perfect location for those in search of the ultimate, private hideaway. It’s surrounded by nothing but the sensational yet unearthly landscape of the Namib Desert – with the luxury of an on-site butler and personal chef. There are two bedrooms, one at either end of the building, with a lounge and kitchen in the middle. A water-purification system changes groundwater into a useable resource for the kitchen gardens, which provide the camp with vegetables. There is a constant, gentle breeze, which eliminates the need for air conditioning. And just in front of the house is a watering hole where animals come to drink. As the sun goes down, paraffin lamps are lit around the camp, and you can dine outside under starry skies. O £245pppn all-inclusive; wolwedans.com
R E M O T E P L A C E S T O S TAY
ULTIMA THULE LODGE ALASKA, USA Hidden deep in the Wrangell-St Elias National Park, a massive 20,000 square miles of protected Alaskan wilderness, is Ultima Thule Lodge. There are no roads or cars, and virtually no people in this endless expanse of land. There are, however, a lot of bears – both brown and black – which have been known to wander right up to the lodge. The nearest village, Chitina, is 90 miles away by plane. Nights are quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and the air is as pure as the waters of the nearby Chitina River. It was while flying over the area in the 1950s that John Claus spotted this piece of land. With his wife Elenor, he soon set about building a modest wood cabin and landing strip. Over the years, the lodge has been extended little by little; more recently, their
son Paul has taken over the day-to-day running, along with his wife and family. Rooms are tucked away in cabins dotted in and around the gardens, and the décor is cosy, with large beds and high-thread linen. The main building where guests gather at meal-times has floor-to-ceiling windows for admiring the natural splendour. Paul and the other bush pilots take guests on some sensational excursions: flying over Mount St Elias (the second-highest mountain in Canada and the USA), visiting abandoned gold mines, or flying where the Pacific meets the Alaskan coast. Besides seeking an adventure in the Super Cub bush planes, guests come to experience an extreme environment. They might go hiking, rafting or fishing, and in doing so explore one of the few places on Earth where not many others have set foot. O £1,150pppn all-inclusive; ultimathulelodge.com
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‘ ��� who �end t� night w� exp�ienc� u�ima� peac� and quiet, and ma� �� ha� t� �land ent��� to t�m�l��’
PANTELIS MARATHI DODECANESE, GREECE Marathi is one of 227 Greek islands that are inhabited, though in this case ‘inhabited’ might be an overstatement. Of the island’s residents, only three are permanent. And with a mere two-and-a-half miles of coastline lapped by calm, azure waters, Marathi is small, even in island terms. What it does have is one church, three tavernas and a beautiful sandy beach; what it doesn’t is roads, cars and shops. The only signs of life are sailboats drifting in and out of the bay during summer, and if you’re not a sailor, it takes at least two ferries and a small boat to reach these tranquil shores. When arriving, the first thing you see is the Pantelis terrace. Rooms, each with a balcony and en suite bathroom, are spread out, some above the restaurant and others closer to the chapel in the gardens behind, where flowers and scented plants thrive. Those who spend the night will experience ultimate peace and quiet, and may well have the island entirely to themselves. The pace is so relaxed it’s impossible to resist slowing down, sitting back and doing sweet nothing. O From £50 per night; marathi-island.gr
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R E M O T E P L A C E S T O S TAY
DAR AZAWAD DUNE CAMP MOROCCO Deep in the Moroccan Sahara, in the still of the Chaga dunes and the seemingly infinite space beyond, you will find Dar Azawad Dune Camp. The closest village is 40 miles away and this, the hamlet of M’hamid El Ghrizlane, marks the end of habitation and the beginning of a playground for desert nomads. The only way to get to the camp is by 4x4 – or by camel. It’s soon very obvious that a Lawrence of Arabia feeling is never far away. Your first glimpse of this camp of white tents, emerging from a sea of red sand, is a moment you will never forget. Then you’re welcomed with mint tea, medjool dates and an overwhelming sense of solitude. Dar Azawad has four luxurious tents, all of which elevate life as a desert nomad to a whole new level. Softly lit by lanterns, they have beds fitted with fine linen, en suite
bathrooms, and a terrace with sunloungers for lying back and surveying the Sahara; real desert devotees can also arrange to sleep outside under the stars. As light falls, guests are invited to an impressive Tuareg tent to enjoy Moroccan cuisine such as tajines and couscous, prepared by the desert nomads. Owner Youssef has developed a good relationship with the local Tuareg, and with their assistance is able to take guests to some of the most remote and beautiful locations the area has to offer. Clambering out of bed at dawn and climbing high into the dunes to watch the sun come up in complete silence is well worth it – if you can, go on your own to fully appreciate the intense solitude. Take a camel trek guided by Tuareg and explore the environment around the camp to truly experience the magnificence of the desert. O From £210pppn; darazawad.com
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R E M O T E P L A C E S T O S TAY
‘Hu� win�w� i� e�r� r�� ��d fi� view� – � ma� �� � ��-r�min� h�� ��in� b�’
POSADA DE MIKE RAPU EASTER ISLAND, CHILE Rapa Nui, better known as Easter Island, is the most remote inhabited island in the world. There are just 4,400 native people, of whom more than 60 per cent are descendants of the original Polynesian inhabitants. Rapa Nui’s isolated location is magical, but it has another kind of magic. Here, there are more than 26,000 archaeological sites in less than 60 square miles of land, and almost every stone, every place, has a symbolic meaning. The most outstanding lodge on Rapa Nui is the Posada de Mike Rapu, which looks over the green of the island and out to sea. Low buildings are built entirely of local materials, and huge windows in every room afford fine views – if you’re lucky, you may see a free-roaming horse passing by. Chilean architect José Cruz Ovalle has won several awards for its clever, sleek design, which blends into its surroundings so well it seems to disappear. On Rapa Nui, everything revolves around the land, and architecture is not allowed to dominate – after all, there are more important things to grab your attention, like the hundreds of Moai statues. O £1,720pp for three nights (min stay); explora.com
D����� P����� and D���� D� V����������� are a travel writer and photographer couple (classetouriste. com). Their book, Remote Places to Stay, presents their pick of 1,000 locations visited (£30; findingremote.com).
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ON SALE
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A new collection of the greatest city breaks, with inspiring photography and the latest recommendations from Lonely Planet’s unique network of travel experts.
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Beginner’s Guide
Diving
Scuba diving is the best way to explore the 70 per cent of the planet that’s underwater, drifting effortlessly on a warm current and watching shoals of fish flit about vividly-coloured coral. Jump right in…
A recreational diver passes corals off the North Malé Atoll in the Maldives, surrounded by reef fish including brilliant orange anthias
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How do I get started?
When you see photos of scuba divers gliding through a tropical seascape it’s easy to forget that you can start learning to dive right here in the UK. Scuba stands for ‘self-contained underwater breathing apparatus’ – a set of equipment that lets you breathe independently underwater, getting to places you couldn’t with a snorkel. So the first skill involved in scuba diving is one you should already have practice in: breathing. Anyone who is reasonably fit and at least a moderate swimmer can learn to scuba dive. The human body being relatively buoyant, the challenge is often more about how to sink than how to float. Scuba instructors can guide you through the process of equalising air pressure within your body and achieving the right buoyancy, but what’s up to the individual is how open you can be to this new experience. While it can be very alien to us land-based primates, scuba diving can also be calming and liberating. SCUBA EQUIPMENT Once you’ve been trained to use it and got in some practice dives, the equipment will seem relatively simple to use. No reputable diving outfit will let you out on open water without the right training and knowledge of the equipment you’ll need. THE STARTING POINT For most newbies this is the Open Water Diver course, a programme that generally lasts around four days, and consists of both theory elements – like written tests, which you can often start online in your own time – and practical elements, such as pool dives and at least four dive sessions with an instructor in open water. A number of diving bodies accredit such courses, but by far the largest is PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. While you can complete the course at locations across the UK, many novice divers choose to learn abroad, where prices are typically cheaper… and the water can be mercifully warmer, too.
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BEGINNER’S GUIDE
What will I need? In diving hotspots, expect to rent most gear you'll need. Consider investing in gadgets like a camera (GoPro HERO, £110; mikesdivestore.com) and dive computer (Suunto Zoop, £155; simplyscuba.com). Bring a snorkelling set (£30; divingdirect.co.uk) to explore the shallows between dives.
Scuba cylinder
Regulator
Buoyancy control device
Wetsuit
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PHOTOGRAPHS: ATHUR/ISTOCK, GONZALO AZUMENDI/GETTY IMAGES, CREATIVE CROP/GETTY IMAGES, REINHARD DIRSCHERL/ALAMY, ISTOCK IMAGES, KETMANEE/SHUTTERSTOCK, DAVID LADE/SHUTTERSTOCK, ANGEL WHITE/PORTLAND, SERGIY ZAVGORODNY/SHUTTERSTOCK. THANKS TO MARCUS DAVID
Where should I go?
PADI has information on dive courses and holidays, and where to dive (padi.com). For travel inspiration and tips, see the collection at lonelyplanet.com/diving-and-snorkelling. UK Diving (ukdiving.co.uk) and the British Sub-Aqua Club (bsac.com) offer advice on gear and safety.
Dorset, UK THE DIVING Off beginner-friendly Chesil Cove you might spot blennies (below), sand eels, cuttlefish and kelp forests. WHY LEARN HERE The Jurassic Coast’s abundance of wrecks has given it some of the UK’s best diving facilities for all levels. WHEN TO GO Summer, to reduce the chill. O Underwater Explorers offers a PADI Open Water
course (from £475; underwaterexplorers.co.uk).
Ko Tao, Thailand THE DIVING Ko Tao is one of few places where it’s possible to spot whale sharks (March to June) along with reef fish, rays and barracuda during your dive course. WHY LEARN HERE Asia’s obvious choice
for learners, this laid-back island has many value dive operators. WHEN TO GO Year-round, but visibility can be low in November and December. O Crystal Dive has a four-day PADI Open Water
package (from £200; crystaldive.com).
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BEGINNER’S GUIDE
North Malé Atoll, Maldives THE DIVING The North Malé Atoll is home to vibrant coral, warm water and has great visibility for seeing manta rays and sharks. WHY LEARN HERE Underwater scenery is among the most diverse in the archipelago, and arranging diving courses is easy, with resorts affiliated to local outfits. WHEN TO GO Calm seas: November to April. O Kuredu Resort’s big dive school offers a five-day
PADI Open Water course (from £470; kuredu.com).
Kaş, Turkey THE DIVING Learning to dive in Kaş might yield encounters with sea turtles, barracuda and – best of all – smashed Roman amphoras on the seabed. WHY LEARN HERE A quiet town of terracotta-roofed villas spread around blue
bays and rocky beaches, Kaş is one of the most picturesque diving resorts on the Mediterranean. WHEN TO GO April to October – many businesses close for the winter season. O Bougainvillea runs a four- to five-day PADI Open
Water course (from £215; bougainville-turkey.com).
My first time diving was off the coast of Turkey. Beforehand I just kept wondering: ‘What if, 10 feet down, I try to breathe through my nose?’ It helped to talk to someone who’d been through the same learning experience. The instructors walked us slowly into the water, held on to us the whole time and, after a few minutes, breathing became second nature. We descended to 17 metres. The seascape and creatures gave the sense of travelling to an entirely new country – one I'd love to visit again.
Angus Gayler is just at the start of a gap year of activity-focused travels
100 Lonely Planet Traveller May 2015
PHOTOGRAPHS: HELMUT CORNELI/IMAGEBROKER/SUPERSTOCK, REINHARD DIRSCHERL/GETTY IMAGES, ANDRII GATASH/GETTY IMAGES
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102 Lonely Planet Traveller May Month 2015 2014
The Photographer’s Story ����� �������
Cuba I visited Cuba for the first time 20 years ago and completely fell in love with it. I’d planned to stay for two weeks but ended up staying two months; since then, I must have been at least 50 times. Cuba is an amazing country in all aspects, and what really sings to me are the cities, like Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Trinidad; the cars; the colonial buildings, with their gorgeous patina of colours; and, especially, the people. Although Cuba’s been under US embargo for 55 years and a lot of things are run-down, the people are very alive, with a sophisticated outlook on life and a capacity for joy that’s unlike anywhere else I’ve been. Everyone is warm and open – meet one person and you’ll end up meeting the entire neighbourhood. In Cuba, you can walk three feet and take a thousand pictures, but I’ve tried to dig deeper, revisiting places and people. This month is my final trip for the project – coincidentally, just as the US is moving towards lifting the embargo. Over the years, while the country has changed in certain physical ways, the core essence – the Cuban heart and soul – has remained the same. That’s why I’ve kept going back. L���� R������ is a fine art photographer and teaches workshops worldwide. His book Cuba: This Moment Exactly So is out in October – preorder at thiscuba.com.
Month May 2014 2015 Lonely Planet Traveller 103
104 Lonely Planet Traveller May 2015
T H E P H OTO G R A P H E R ’ S S TO RY
P������� ����� Havana’s Malecón roadway is probably my favourite place on Earth. In good weather people always sit out there; locals call it The Couch. A lot of life happens on it. O�������, ���� ��� Ana and Alberto are great dancers. I shot them on a roof outside Havana, where I take photography groups for a celebration with Afro-Cuban and salsa dancing; I was walking in the sleepy town of Trinidad when I saw this juxtaposition of a car and girl on horseback. A���� Some of the most beautiful sights in Cuba are the revolutionary signs, which change every year. B���� ���� This motorcyclist, pictured at the Malecón, was attending a rally – there’s a strong love of motorcycles in Cuba. B���� R���� I met this girl walking in Trinidad. I’d see the same people and get to know them.
May 2015 Lonely Planet Traveller 105
T H E P H OTO G R A P H E R ’ S S TO RY
A���� The laws in Cuba have been changing in the last couple of years, and a lot businesses have popped up. This Havana street vendor was fixing watches. In Cuba they don’t throw anything out, because they can’t; there are guys whose job is refilling disposable lighters. I don’t think there’s anything they can’t fix – it’s astonishing. B���� This is my friend Illa, a very sweet guy who owns a spectacular 1952 Cadillac. He keeps it in mint condition in a garage in old Havana, renting it out for weddings and quinceañeras (held when a girl turns 15). O������� Here, Illa is in front of the Partagás cigar factory, one of the main manufacturers of Cuban cigars, and the brand he’s smoking.
106 Lonely Planet Traveller May 2015
���� �� ������ Air Europa and Virgin Atlantic fly direct to Havana from London Gatwick (from £650; virginatlantic.com). Lorne offers photography trips to Cuba, with an eight-day itinerary based in Havana and a 12-day workshop that also visits Trinidad. Trips run several times a year and include shared accommodation, return flights from Miami and transfers (from £2,600; lorneresnick.com/ cuba-info). BA, Delta and Norwegian fly from London and Manchester to Miami (from £400; norwegian.com). Explore offers a 15-day Classic Cuba trip that takes in Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Trinidad as well as the scenic Viñales valley and Caribbean beaches, and includes a jungle trek to Fidel Castro’s former base (from £2,115 incl flights; explore.co.uk).
May 2015 Lonely Planet Traveller 107
MAY 2015
Mini Guides S I X T H E M E D G U I D E S TO TA K E O N T H E P E R F E C T S H O RT B R E A K
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Cocktail bars THE LONDON GIN CLUB
1940s-inspired fun at the pop-up Blitz Party
MINI GUIDE
WHITE LYAN
London nightlife There’s little Londoners like to do more than party. From sampling handcrafted cocktails to playing air guitar to Bon Jovi, there’s a bar, club or pop-up that will make you feel at home.
CLUB DE FROMAGE
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6TS AT 100 CLUB This legendary London venue has showcased such greats as American blues singer BB King and British rock band The Rolling Stones. It was also bang at the centre of the punk revolution and the ’90s indie scene. Now, about 10 times a year, it runs 6Ts Rare Soul All Nighters – expect to hear the best Northern rareties, recent discoveries, a smattering of oldies and the odd modern track thrown in for good measure (the100club.co.uk; 100 Oxford St, W1; 11pm–6am; £12).
When this Hoxton bar opened last year, it made headlines for its no ice, no fresh fruit and no branded spirits approach. Instead, you’ll find handcrafted cocktails that are pre-made using raw spirits, vinegars, powders and cordials to ensure a consistent high quality. Be persuaded with East End Rickey – Mr Lyan gin, apple, wormwood and dandelion soda (whitelyan. com; 153�155 Hoxton Street, N1; 6pm–late; cocktails from £6).
The winning pairing of dim sum and cocktails at Opium
OPIUM Towering above Chinatown, what touts itself as a ‘cocktail and dim sum parlour’ could pass as an opium den-cum-brothel. The décor is scarlet, there’s a bartender’s table with unmarked bottles and the signature Opium Cocktail No 1 features rum, absinthe, kaffir lime syrup and mandarin and ginger juice poured over dry ice (opiumchinatown. com; 15�16 Gerrard St, W1; 5pm–late; cocktails from £10).
Pop-ups
Dancing The clue’s in the name at this Saturday night club night at the O2 Academy Islington – if it’s cheesy, they’ll play it. It’s practically obligatory to don fancy dress, dance round your handbag and play air guitar to the likes of Kylie, Rick Astley, Bon Jovi, Girls Aloud and Wham (clubdefromage.com; 16 Parkfield St, N1; 10.30pm– 3.30am Sat; from £8).
Soho’s Star at Night is home to The London Gin Club, which offers a collection of more than 130 gins. It boasts the best G&T in London, served in a copa glass with twicefrozen, cracked ice and a tonic to complement your chosen gin. There’s even a precise pouring method to keep the gas active (thelondonginclub.com; 22 Great Chapel Street, W1; 4pm–11pm, closed Sun & Mon; G&T from £8).
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BLITZ PARTY
Clubbers at Fabric, twice voted the best club in the world
FABRIC London’s top-rated superclub plays a killer selection of electro, techno, house, drum and bass and dubstep. A warren of three floors, three bars, walkways and unisex toilets, room one also contains a kidney-shaking ‘bodysonic’ dance floor. Superstar DJs often sell out Friday night’s FabricLive, while WetYourSelf!, a hedonistic techno and house night, is a Sunday night treat (fabriclondon.com; 77a Charterhouse St, EC1; 10pm-6am Fri, 11pm-8am Sat, 11pm–6am Sun; from £7).
Head underneath the arches in Shoreditch for a 1940s bunkerthemed party complete with sandbags and ration books for bar tabs. Don your victory rolls and tea dress or uniform and medal and have a knees up to the swing band – sign up to the dance class beforehand to perfect your moves (theblitzparty.com; The Arches, 54 Holywell Lane, EC2A; from £25).
DISAPPEARING DINING CLUB Once a month this club runs dinner-dance events in unusual locations – anywhere from salvage yards and launderettes to Victorian warehouses and antique shops – usually in the East End. Expect cocktails, canapés, a four-course meal using simple, seasonal produce, plus DJs and dancing to house and Ibizainspired beach tunes (disappearing diningclub.co.uk; £56).
A four-course banquet underway at Disappearing Dining Club
THE ART OF DINING The Art of Dining throws imaginative themed events that include food, drink, dancing and dressing up. Themes range from Abigail’s Party, a ’70s themed dinner dance and night of theatre amidst lava lamps, hostess trolleys and drinks cabinets to Gone Camping, a campsite in the Pickle Factory complete with wellies, campfire sing-song and marshmallows (theartofdining. co.uk; venues vary; £55).
TURN OVER FOR MAP AND NUMBER LOCATIONS
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MINI GUIDE London nightlife Drinking
TRANSPORT Aer Lingus, BA, easyJet, Flybe, KLM, Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic fly to London’s five airports from major UK cities (from £84; easyjet.com). Each airport is well serviced with trains, tubes or buses, taking you to the centre of town. London is linked to major cities by train and bus: Manchester to London by bus takes from 4 hours (from £11; nationalexpress.com). Public transport in London is excellent, if expensive: travel with an Oyster card (zone 1 single £2.30, rather than £4.80). Or hire Barclays bikes (£2 access fee, first ½ hour is free, £2 for every ½ hour after that) or explore the city by foot. See tfl.gov.uk.
WHERE TO STAY Run by the same family for half a century, Cardiff Hotel overlooks Norfolk Square in Paddington, a positive oasis in the warmer months. The 60 en-suite rooms are a good size and are bright and cheery (cardiff-hotel.com; 5�9 Norfolk Square; from £75).
118 Lonely Planet Traveller May 2015
The Great Northern Hotel, the world’s first railway hotel, has a boutique style reminiscent of luxury sleeper trains. Exquisite craftsmanship is in evidence everywhere and the hotel has a lively bar and excellent restaurant (gnhlondon.com; from £156). The hip Soho Hotel has 91 bedrooms, suites and apartments in hues of lime and raspberry. There is original artwork throughout the hotel, including a black cat sculpture by Fernando Botero (firmdalehotels.com; 4 Richmond Mews; from £330).
Sleeping
The know-how THE COCKTAIL HOUR
The Great Northern Hotel in King’s Cross dates back to 1854
Eating
Head to these Shoreditch haunts for something special: O Try The Changeling – lapsang tea, Chase marmalade vodka, aperol, sugar, Peychaud’s bitters – at Worship St Whistling Stop, a Victorian drinking den that takes its cocktails to a molecular level (whistlingshop.com). O The Master at Arms – Myers rum, port evaporation with grenadine – features the homemade ingredients typical of The Zetter Townhouse, a cocktail lounge showcasing the obligatory-for-Shoreditch stuffed animal heads (thezettertownhouse.com). O The Prohibition-inspired Forager’s Shrub (below) contains Bombay Dry Gin, sauvignon blanc, Forager’s cordial, lemon, longan and jujube vinegars at Nightjar, a speakeasy with live music (barnightjar.com).
FURTHER READING Lonely Planet’s London (£14.99) is a comprehensive guide to the city, and chapters of the book can be downloaded at lonelyplanet.com (£2.99), while Pocket London (£7.99) is more suited to short breaks. For more on London’s cocktail scene, see thecocktaillovers.com. London by Edward Rutherfurd is a sweeping drama that brings the city’s epic history vividly to life (£7.49; Arrow).
COMPILED BY NATALIE MILLMAN, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM STEVE FALLON, VESNA MARIC AND EMILIE FILOU. PHOTOGRPAHS: BLITZ PARTY, OPIUM, JASPER BROWN, DISAPPEARING DINING CLUB, THE GREAT NORTHERN HOTEL, NIGHT JAR COCKTAILS
London essentials
Entertainment
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Best museums and arts CENTRE DE CULTURA CONTEMPORÀNIA DE BARCELONA A complex of auditoriums, exhibition spaces and conference halls that hosts a constantly changing programme of exhibitions, films and other events. The courtyard, with a vast glass wall on one side, is spectacular (cccb.org/en; Carrer de Montalegre, 5; closed Mon; £4.20, or free on Sun).
Barcelona’s Gaudídesigned Park Güell is uniquely playful
MINI GUIDE
Budget Barcelona With a bit of planning, Barcelona is affordable. Many museums are reasonable or free, and some of the best places to engage with the city include its markets, parks and tapas bars.
Best sensory experiences MERCAT DE LA BOQUERIA One of Europe’s greatest permanent produce fairs, this has an endless bounty of fruit and veg, fish, smoked meats (including the finest Jabugo ham), pungent cheeses, barrels of olives, and chocolate truffles. In the back, tapas bars serve Catalonia’s specialities, such as bacallà salat – dried salted cod (boqueria.info; La Rambla, 91; closed Sun).
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PARK GÜELL This is where Gaudí turned his hand to landscape gardening. It’s a strange, enchanting place where his passion for natural forms really took flight – to the point where the artificial almost seems more natural than the natural. Don’t miss the Sala Hipóstila, a forest of 88 Doric stone columns, some of which lean like mighty trees bent by the weight of time. The best views are from the cross-topped Turó del Calvari in the southwest corner (parkguell.cat; Carrer de Larrard; £5 if booked ahead).
The architect-designed 1960s building of the Fundació Joan Miró
MUSEU D’HISTÒRIA DE BARCELONA
FUNDACIÓ JOAN MIRÓ
This fascinating museum takes you to the very foundations of the original city, Roman Barcino. You’ll stroll over ruins of the old streets, sewers, laundries, wine-making factories and fish factories that flourished following the town’s founding by Emperor Augustus around 10 BC. The building itself was once part of the Grand Royal Palace (museuhistoria.bcn.cat; Plaça del Rei; closed Mon; £5).
The city’s most-famed 20thcentury artist bequeathed this art foundation to his hometown. It’s crammed with seminal works spanning his career – head to room 16 to see how Miró moved away from Realism towards a unique style, featuring primary colours and morphed shapes of the moon, the female form and birds (fundaciomiro-bcn.org; closed Mon; Parc de Montjuïc; £8).
Best food and drink
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LA VINYA DEL SENYOR
Barcelona’s Font Màgica is a spectacle of water and light
FONT MÀGICA A huge fountain that crowns the long sweep of the Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina to the grand façade of the Palau Nacional, Font Màgica is a unique performance in which the water can look like seething fireworks or a mystical cauldron of colour. On hot summer evenings especially, this 15-minute spectacle (repeated throughout the evening) is mesmerising (Plaça de Carles Buïgas, 1; every 30min 7�9pm Fri & Sat, 9.30�11pm Oct–Apr, Thu–Sun May–Sep; free).
Relax on the terrassa, which lies in the shadow of the splendid Basílica de Santa Maria del Mar in the Gothic quarter, or crowd inside at the tiny bar. The reasonably priced wine list is as long as War and Peace and there’s a table upstairs for those who opt to sample by the bottle rather than the glass (Plaça de Santa Maria, 5; noon ’til late; wine from £3 a glass).
ENVALIRA Look out for the modest entrance to this delicious relic and head out back to the 1950s time-warp dining room. Serious waiters deliver all sorts of seafood and rice dishes to your table, from arròs a la milanesa – savoury rice with chicken, pork and a light cheese gratin – to a bullit de lluç – slice of boiled white hake with herb-laced rice and clams (envalirarestaurant. com; Plaça del Sol ,13; closed Mon, lunch only Sun; mains from £6).
The generous seafood platter at popular Can Maño
CAN MAÑO It may look like a dive, but you’ll need to be prepared to wait before being squeezed in at a packed table for a raucous night of raciones (full-plate-size tapas serving; posted on a board at the back) over a bottle of turbio – a cloudy white plonk. The seafood is abundant with first-rate squid, shrimp and fish served at rock-bottom prices (Carrer del Baluard, 12; closed Sun, lunch only on Sat; mains from £5.20).
TURN OVER FOR MAP AND NUMBER LOCATIONS
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MINI GUIDE Budget Barcelona Drinking
TRANSPORT BA, easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, Monarch and Vueling all fly to Barcelona El Prat airport from most major UK airports (from £70 from Stansted; ryanair.com). The A1 Aerobús runs from Terminal one to Plaça de Catalunya (35 minutes; £4.50 single; aerobusbcn.com), while the R2 Nord train lines runs to Passeig de Gràcia in central Barcelona (25 minutes; £3.30; renfe.com), and a taxi costs around £25. Barcelona’s excellent Metro can get you most places, with buses and trams filling in the gaps (single tickets £1.50; tmb.net).
WHERE TO STAY Hostal Centric is ideally located just beyond the old city and 10 minutes from the Ramblas. Its renovated rooms all have private bathrooms and air-con, some have a balcony and there’s a shared rooftop terrace with tables and chairs (hostalcentric.com; Casanova, 13; from £55). 120 Lonely Planet Traveller May 2015
Attractively located in a lane just north of the grand old Sant Antoni market, Hotel Market is a simple hotel with a good Catalan restaurant and bar (andilanahotels.com; Comte Borrell, 68; from £45). Part of the city’s plans to pull the El Raval district up by the bootstraps, Barceló Raval makes a 21st-century splash. The rooftop terrace offers fabulous views and the B�Lounge bar-restaurant is popular for meals and cocktails (barcelo.com; Rambla del Raval, 17; from £95).
Sleeping
The know-how THE CITY’S HIGHLIGHTS
The modern B�Lounge bar– restaurant at Barceló Raval
Eating
One of the best times of year to visit the city, May and June see a wealth of events: Primavera Sound The Auditori Forum and other locations in town welcome international DJs and musicians (28�30 May; primaverasound.com). Festa de Sant Ponç To commemorate the patron saint of bee-keepers and herbalists, locals fill Carrer de l’Hospital in El Raval with the chatter and bustle of a street market (11 May). L’Ou Com Balla During Corpus Christi, L’Ou Com Balla (The Dancing Egg) bobs on top of flower-strewn fountains around the city. Festival Ciutat Flamenco One of the best occasions to see great flamenco in Barcelona is held at the city’s Mercat de les Flors (22�24 May).
FURTHER READING Lonely Planet’s Barcelona (£13.99) and Discover Barcelona (£12.99) are full guides to the city, while Pocket Barcelona (£7.99) is ideal for short trips. To find out more about the city’s Modernista heritage, consider the Ruta del Modernisme pack, which includes a guide to 115 Modernista buildings, a map and discounts of up to 50 per cent at the main Modernista sights in Barcelona (rutadel modernisme.com; £9).
COMPILED BY NATALIE MILLMAN, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM SALLY DAVIES AND REGIS ST LOUIS. PHOTOGRAPHS: ROLAND NAGY/ ISTOCK, JOAN MIRÓ FOUNDATION, GETTY IMAGES, BRETT STEVENS/GETTY, PERE PERIS, ISTOCK
Barcelona essentials
Sights
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Music MUSEU DO FADO
Tram 28 weaves through Lisbon’s streets
MINI GUIDE
Fado was born in the Alfama district. Immerse yourself in its bittersweet symphonies at this engaging museum, which traces fado’s history from its workingclass roots to world stardom, taking in recordings, posters, a hall of fame and a re-created guitar workshop, plus a wellstocked shop (museudofado.pt; Largo do Chafariz de Dentro 1; 10am–6pm Tue–Sun; £3.80).
CASA MUSEU DE AMÁLIA RODRIGUES
Cultural Lisbon Spread across steep hillsides that overlook the Rio Tejo, Lisbon has long captivated visitors with its grand plazas, art galleries and the haunting sounds of fado music.
A pilgrimage site for fado fans, this is where the Queen of Fado Amália Rodrigues lived. Born in Lisbon in 1920, the diva popularised the genre with her heartbreaking trills and poetic soul. Short tours take in portraits, glittering costumes and crackly recordings of her performances (amaliarodrigues.pt; Rua de São Bento 193; 10am–1pm & 2pm–6pm Tue–Sun; £3.80).
Fado music takes its name from the Portuguese word for fate
A BAÎUCA On a good night, walking into A Baîuca is like gate-crashing a family party. It’s a tiny place where you may hear fado vadio (where locals take a turn) and spectators hiss if anyone dares to chat during the singing. The so-so food stops around 10pm but the fado goes on until midnight. Reserve ahead (00 351 21 886 7284; Rua de São Miguel 20; abaiuca@sapo.pt; dinner Thu–Mon; minimum spend £18).
Art
Other museums
MUSEU COLEÇÃO BERARDO
LISBON STORY CENTRE
The star of the Centro Cultural de Belém, this minimalist gallery displays billionaire José Berardo’s eye-popping collection of Abstract, Surrealist and Pop Art. Temporary exhibitions are among the best in Portugal. There’s also a café, a restaurant and a crafty museum store (museuberardo.pt; Praça do Império; 10am–7pm Tue–Sun; free).
Take a 60-minute journey through Lisbon’s long history. An audioguide and multimedia exhibits describe key episodes, including New World discoveries, the 1755 earthquake (with a vivid film re-enacting the horrors) and the ambitious reconstruction that followed (lisboastorycentre.pt; Praça do Comércio/Terreiro do Paço 78�81; 10am–8pm; £5.30).
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The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian displays art from East and West
MUSEU NACIONAL DE ARTE ANTIGA
MUSEU CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN
MUSEU NACIONAL DO AZULEJO
Set in a lemon-fronted, 17thcentury palace, this museum presents a star-studded collection of European and Asian paintings and decorative arts. Keep an eye out for highlights such as Nuno Gonçalves’ naturalistic Panels of São Vicente, Dürer’s St Jerome, Lucas Cranach’s haunting Salomé with the head of St John the Baptist and Courbet’s bleak Snow (museudearteantiga.pt; Rua das Janelas Verdes; 2pm–6pm Tue, 10am–6pm Wed–Sun; £4.50).
Famous for its outstanding quality and breadth, this museum showcases an epic collection of art. The romp kicks off with the likes of gilded Egyptian mummy masks, Mesopotamian urns and Persian carpets. Going west, bewonder masterpieces by Rembrandt (Portrait of an Old Man), Van Dyck and Rubens. The grand finale is the collection of René Lalique jewellery (museu. gulbenkian.pt; Avenida de Berna 45; 10am–6pm Tue–Sun; £3.80).
Housed in a sublime 16th-century convent, this covers the entire spectrum of painted tiles (known in Portugues as azulejo), from early Ottoman geometry to altars, scenes of lords a-hunting and Goan intricacies. Star exhibits include a 36m-long panel depicting Lisbon before the 1755 earthquake (museudoazulejo.pt; Rua da Madre de Deus 4; 10am–6pm Tue–Sun; £3.80).
The lavish Baroque chapel at the Museu Nacional do Azulejo
PANTEÃO NACIONAL The Baroque porcelain-white National Pantheon was originally intended as a church, but now pays homage to Portugal’s heroes and heroines, including 15thcentury explorer Vasco da Gama and fadista Amália Rodrigues. Its echoing dome resembles an enormous Fabergé egg, with vertiginous views from up top (patrimoniocultural.pt; Campo de Santa Clara; 10am–5pm Tue–Sun, to 6pm May–Sep; £3).
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MINI GUIDE Cultural Lisbon Entertainment
TRANSPORT Lisbon Airport, four miles north of the centre, is served by BA, easyJet, Ryanair and TAP flights from Bristol, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Heathrow, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester and Stansted (from £80; ryanair.com). Head into the city on the metro, the AeroBus (£2.60) or by taxi (about £10). Within the city, the metro is useful for short hops (single £1.10; metrolisboa.pt), and don’t leave the city without riding tram 28 from Largo Martim Moniz or tram 12 from Praça da Figueira through the narrow streets of the Alfama, or trying out the quirky Elevador de Santa Justa, pictured right (carris.pt).
WHERE TO STAY Overlooking a palm-dotted plaza, the yellow-painted Residencial Alegria is ablaze with pink geraniums in summer. Rooms are peaceful, decorated with plaids and chunky wood (hotelalegrialisboa.com; Praça da Alegria 12; from £40).
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The know-how LISBON ARCHITECTURE O Rare survivors of the 1755
Casa Balthazar has a swimming pool set in a grassy courtyard
The Hotel Príncipe Real has 18 stylish rooms with marble bathrooms in a modern property on the edge of the Bairro Alto. Many rooms have skyline views, and breakfast is served until midday (hotelprincipereal.com; Rua da Alegria, 53; from £85). Tucked down a quiet lane, Casa Balthazar has undeniable appeal with friendly service and beautifully furnished rooms. Each has been appointed with high-end linens and electronics (casabalthazarlisbon.com; Rua do Duque 26; from £115).
Sleeping
earthquake include the Romanesque Sé (cathedral), and the churches of São Roque and São Vicente de Fora. O Outstanding architecture can be found at Belém, about four miles west of the city centre. Built around 1515, the Torre de Belém epitomises the spirit of Portugal’s Age of Discoveries. O After the 1755 earthquake, the Marquês de Pombal oversaw the city’s rebuilding, particularly its Baixa district. Here, ride the Neo-Gothic Elevador de Santa Justa (pictured). O Head to the Parque das Nações for stunning contemporary works, including the wave-like Gare do Oriente.
FURTHER READING Lonely Planet’s Pocket Lisbon (£7.99) is ideal for short breaks, while Portugal (£16.99) has a full chapter on Lisbon & Around, which is available to download at lonelyplanet.com (£2.99). For more information, see visitlisboa.com. Lisbon’s metro is a showcase of the some of the best in Portuguese contemporary art and architecture – see metrolisboa.pt for details. Watch Lisbon Story (1994), director Wim Wenders’ love letter to the city.
COMPILED BY NATALIE MILLMAN, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM REGIS ST LOUIS.PHOTOGRAPHS: PAUL BERNHARDT/GETTY, CASA BALTHAZAR, JEAN�PIERRE LESCOURRET/GETTY, MATT MUNRO, SYLVAIN SONNET/GETTY, ARISTIDIS VAFEIADAKIS/AGEFOTOSTOCK
Lisbon essentials
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Street eats DJEMAA EL�FNA
Dinnertime in the Djemaa el-Fna
MINI GUIDE
Eating in Marrakesh Moroccan cuisine is the stuff of legend, and isn’t limited to couscous and tajines. Few things make Marrakshis happier than to see guests eat with gusto, so go on, have dessert.
Traditional Moroccan LE TOBSIL In this intimate riad, diners enjoy button-popping menus with aperitifs and wine pairings, as musicians strum quietly in the courtyard. No excess glitz or belly dancers distract from attempts to finish salads, pastillas, tajines, couscous and Moroccan pastries. Booking required (00 212 524 44 40 52; 22 Derb Moulay Abdellah ben Hessaien; dinner, closed Tue; five-course menu incl wine £45).
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SOUK KAFÉ Pull up a hand-hewn stool under the sun umbrellas on the terrace to savour authentic local food. The Moroccan mezze of six savoury, cooked vegetable dishes qualifies as lunch for two, and the vegetarian Berber couscous is surprisingly hearty. But wait until you get a whiff of the aromatic Marrakshi tanjia: beef that flakes apart after slowcooking in a hammam across the street (11 Derb Souk Jedid, near Rue Riad El-Arous; 10am–11pm; mains from £4.50).
Arrive just before sunset to watch chefs set up shop in the Medina’s main square. Djemaa stalls have a better turnover of ingredients than most fancy restaurants, where you can’t typically check the meat and cooking oil before you tuck in. Eateries bordering the square, such as Chez Chegrouni, offer views of the spectacle, along with tajines (around £4), meat skewers and overpriced drinks.
SAMAK AL�BAHRIYA This cheerful seafood joint is in the Ville Nouvelle (the newer, more rationally laid-out part of town, west of the Medina) and has a strong local following. It serves top-notch Moroccanstyle fish and chips, with perfectly tender fried calamari with generous chunks of lemon, plus salt, cumin and hot sauce (75 Ave Moulay Rachid, cnr Rue Mauritanie; 10am–midnight; seafood with chips from £2).
The Djemaa el-Fna has been specially listed by Unesco
MECHOUI ALLEY Just before noon, the vendors at this row of stalls start carving up steaming sides of mechoui (slow-roasted lamb). Point to the best-looking cut, and ask for a nuss (half) or rubb (quarter) kilo. The cook will hack off the tender lamb and hand it to you with bread, cumin, salt and olives. The alley turn-off is opposite the Café de France on Djemaa el-Fna (east side, Souq Ablueh; lunch; 250g lamb with bread from £2.50).
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VENEZIA ICE
Dine like a well-fed pasha in the elegant courtyard at Le Tobsil
AL FASSIA Glassy-eyed diners valiantly grip morsels of bread, scraping the last savoury caramelised onion from what was once a Berber pumpkin and lamb tajine. The mezze of nine starters alone is a proper feast, but there’s no resisting the classic mains perfected over a decade by the Marrakshi sisters who own the place. Book ahead for the cosy Guéliz branch (alfassia.com; 55 Blvd Mohammed Zerktouni, Guéliz; lunch and dinner, closed Tue; meals from £13).
Part of a smart Moroccan chain, this gelateria inside the city’s main train station in the Ville Nouvelle serves rich ice creams and sorbets, including cherry and dark chocolate, passion fruit, cassis and vanilla crème brûlée with caramel. Macaroons and cakes are also available (venezia-ice.com; Gare de Marrakech, Ave Mohammed VI; 9am–10pm; ice cream from £1).
Moroccan sweets are the perfect accompaniment to mint tea
PÂTISSERIE AL�JAWDA
PÂTISSERIE DES PRINCES
Care for a sweet, or perhaps 200 different ones? Hakima Alami can set you up with delicacies that feature figs, orange-flower water, desert honey and other local, seasonal ingredients. Around the corner at 84 Ave Mohammed V, Hakima’s savvy son has set up a tea salon with both sweet and savoury items on the menu (11 Rue de la Liberté; 8am– 7.30pm; pastry boxes from £4).
This is one of the city’s most famous patisseries, doling out enough pains-au-chocolat, petits fours, almond cookies and ice cream to keep Djemaa el-Fna dentists in business for many years to come. The small café at the back is a welcome respite for anyone in search of a quiet coffee (32 Rue Bab Agnaou; 9am–9pm; tea for two with sweets £3.50).
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May 2015 Lonely Planet Traveller 123
MINI GUIDE Eating in Marrakesh Eating
TRANSPORT BA, easyJet, Royal Air Maroc, Ryanair and Thomson fly from Birmingham, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Manchester and Stansted to Marrakesh Menara airport, four miles southwest of the Medina (from £90; ryanair.com). If it’s your first time at your riad or hotel, arrange an airport transfer to take you there so you don’t get lost. Walking is the best way to get around the Medina, which is mostly closed to cars. Beige taxis should charge from 50p to £1.50 for journeys within the city, with a 70p surcharge at night.
WHERE TO STAY Relax on hot-pink cushions in the whitewashed courtyard of Riad Nejma Lounge or soak up rays on the all-red roof terrace. Splashes of colour make the wood-beamed guest rooms feel modern, though the rustic showers can be temperamental (riadnejmalounge.com; 45 Derb Sidi M’Hamed el Haj; from £40).
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The know-how SNACK ATTACK
Safran (Saffron) is one of four eclectic rooms at Riad Le J
Riad Le J crosses Italian furniture design with Marrakshi craftsmanship. Whichever room you choose, you can lie back and gaze at antique painted ceilings, silk kaftans and vintage mirrors (riadlej.com; 67 Derb el Hammam; from £55). Taking decorative inspiration from Morocco and further afield in Africa, Tchaikana has the spirit of a true Marrakesh caravanserai. Staff can help you navigate your way here through the Medina (tchaikana.com; Derb el Ferrane 25; from £60).
You’ll find many snaks (kiosks) dotted around the city – be sure to try these dishes: Brochettes Kebabs of chicken, lamb, beef or various mixes of mince and offal rubbed with salt and spices. Merguez Hot, spicy lamb sausage, not to be confused with the paler teyhan (stuffed spleen; like liver, only less bitter and more tender). Pizza Now found at upscale snaks. Try local versions with anchovies and wild thyme. Shwarma Spiced lamb or chicken roasted on a spit and served with tahina or yoghurt. Tajines The classic Moroccan one-pot (pictured), basic tajines served at a roadside snaks are usually made with just a few ingredients, pulled off a camping stove or earthenware brazier.
FURTHER READING Lonely Planet’s Morocco (£16.99) has a chapter on Marrakesh, which you can download at lonelyplanet. com (£2.99). For Moroccan recipes, a glossary of Arabic ingredients and Moroccan cooking tips and anecdotes, surf the links at al-bab.com/ maroc/food.htm. Actordirector Faouzi Bensaïdi’s family-history epic A Thousand Months, which looks back at the Morocco of the 1980s, won the 2003 Cannes Film Festival’s Le Premier Regard award.
COMPILED BY NATALIE MILLMAN, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PAULA HARDY. PHOTOGRAPHS: CALLE MONTES/GETTY, MICHAEL HEFFERNAN, ISTOCK IMAGES, ANTONIO MICHELI, PICTURE PARTNERS/ISTOCK, LE TOBSIL
Marrakesh essentials
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Beaches ELAFONISI
The old harbour at Rethymno, on Crete’s northern coast
MINI GUIDE
PREVELI
Coastal Crete Make the most of the glorious beaches on this Greek island, take to the seas or explore the enchanting villages laced with timeworn lanes and taverna-filled harbours.
Villages and towns RETHYMNO OLD QUARTER Wander among charismatic Renaissance-era Venetian buildings, sprinkled with exotic features from the Turkish period, and you’ll find romantic, flower-filled courtyards, idyllic plazas and cafés within Ottoman bathhouses. Walk along the harbour walls past the fishing boats to the landmark 16thcentury lighthouse.
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AGIOS NIKOLAOS One of the nicest towns in Crete stands on the shores of the gorgeous Mirabello (‘beautiful view’) Bay. The town has a pleasing layout around a small harbour and Voulismeni Lake. There’s a cheerful buzz around the lakeside cafés by day and, by night, young Greeks and visitors from neighbouring resorts descend to strut the harbourside catwalk and hang out at the bars. Pop into the tiny folk museum by the port to see traditional handicrafts and costumes.
One of Crete’s loveliest sandy beaches is located deep in the wild southwest of the island, beyond the craggy mountains and little villages. This long stretch is known for its fine pink and tan sand, and is separated from the Elafonisi Islet by about 50 metres of knee-deep turquoise water. There are a few snack bars on the beach and stalls to rent umbrellas and lounge chairs.
A collage of natural beauty, this beach is like an exclamation mark idling at the mouth of the Megalopotamos River at the end of its meander through the rugged Kourtaliotiko Gorge. Where the canyon meets the beach, the stream’s chilly water tumbles through a jungle of palm trees into a lagoon hemmed in by soft sand and the shimmering Med. There’s fantastic swimming plus a snack bar.
Elafonisi beach lies next to a protected nature reserve
VAÏ This is where the South Seas take a break on an exotic beach of golden sand backed by a deep forest of palm trees. Vaï means ‘palm frond’ and the palms are said to have sprouted from date stones cast away by Roman soldiers or pirates. It’s a popular spot so at peak times either head to the south end and follow the rocky path to a less-crammed beach, or head over the hill north for a series of coves.
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WINDSURFING
Rethymno is one of the best preserved towns in Crete
MOHLOS This fishing village, reached by a three-mile winding road from the Sitia-Agios Nikolaos highway, was once a thriving Early Minoan community from the period 3000�2000 BC and was joined to the small island that is now 200 metres offshore. Today it has a small pebble and grey-sand beach, gift shops and some of the best tavernas on the island, renowned for their fish and shellfish – including grilled white bream and, the local delicacy, sea urchin salad.
The best windsurfing in Crete is at Kouremenos Beach, north of Palekastro in Sitia. Kouremenos is affected by the meltemi – the summer wind that can blow fiercely throughout the Aegean – and, coupled with a local funnelling effect, creates some ideal conditions. You can hire boards and take lessons from Freak Windsurf Station (twohour lesson £45; freak-surf.com).
DIVING The most popular region for diving is the north coast, where accessibility and sea conditions are most favourable. Agia Varvara is a small rock island that has plenty of reef fish; El Greco Reef hosts octopuses, lobsters and an array of sponges; while more advanced divers will want to check out the Messerschmitt Bf 109 wreck, which is now home to groupers and moray eels (dives from £40; diversclub-crete.gr).
Hiking between Lissos and Sougia on Crete’s southwest coast
WALKING The nine-mile coastal hike from Paleohora to Sougia takes in breathtaking views over the Libyan Sea, pine forest and plateaus carpeted with brush, and allows you to delve into the past among the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine ruins at Lissos. Allow six hours – the route is virtually shadeless so, in high summer, start at dawn in order to get to Sougia before the heat of the day reaches its peak.
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May 2015 Lonely Planet Traveller 125
MINI GUIDE Coastal Crete Beaches
TRANSPORT Aegean Airlines, BA, easyJet, Germania, Jet2, Monarch Airlines, Ryanair, Thomas Cook Airlines and Thomson Airways fly directly to Chania International Airport and Heraklion International Airport from numerous UK cities between May and Oct (from £115; ryanair.com) – outside the summer months it is best to fly via Athens. Hiring a car is a good way to get around this huge island (from £75 per week; budget.co.uk). Smaller boats link the towns along Crete’s south coast, while public buses run across the island (singles from £2; bus-service-crete.com).
WHERE TO STAY Anonymous Homestay is a simple but good-value pension in the Paleohora area, with private bathrooms and shared cooking facilities in the courtyard garden. It’s a short walk from sandy Pahia Ammos beach (anonymous homestay.com; from £20).
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A secluded option on Kolokytha Peninsula, Elounda Island Villas has 10 split-level apartments, with balconies and well-equipped kitchens, set amid a pleasant garden and decorated with traditional furnishings (eloundaisland.gr; from £55). A gorgeous option in the heart of Rethymno, Vetera Suites has plenty of character and attention to detail. The four suites have hand-picked antique furniture and neatly concealed kitchenettes (vetera.gr; from £70).
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The know-how EXPLORING SOUTHERN CRETE
Elounda Island Villas are set on a largely uninhabited peninsula
Eating
Large sections of the island’s mountainous southern coast are accessible only by boat. The Paleohora–Hora Skafion hop-on, hop-off boat stops at: O Sougia A laid-back and undeveloped beach resort with a lovely wide curve of beach and a few tavernas selling quality seafood (£6; 40 mins from Paleohora). O Agia Roumeli This tiny beach settlement at the foot of Samaria Gorge is a welcome sight for anyone who marches six hours down the mountain (£6; 40 mins from Sougia). O The glittering fishing village of Loutro, tucked between secluded beaches, is devoid of cars and bikes, making it a peaceful escape (£4; 40 mins from Agia Roumeli).
FURTHER READING Lonely Planet’s Crete (£12.99) is a comprehensive guide to the island and chapters from the book can be downloaded at lonelyplanet.com (£2.99). To find out more about sights, beaches and activities – including an events calendar – in Crete, visit incrediblecrete.gr. James Holland’s Blood of Honour is an action thriller about the WWII’s Battle of Crete in May 1941 (£7.99; Corgi).
COMPILED BY NATALIE MILLMAN, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ANDREA SCHULTE�PEEVERS, CHRIS DELISO AND DES HANNIGAN. PHOTOGRAPHS: SLOW IMAGES/GETTY, NAVE ORGAD/ALAMY, ART OF TRAVEL/ALAMY, ELOUNDA ISLAND VILLAS, HOLGER LEUE/GETTY
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Bars and live music BB KING’S BLUES CLUB Listen to live jazz and blues in this downtown cathedral of sound, complete with stainedglass windows and folk-art portraits of the ‘saints’: Johnny Cash, Miles Davis and Elvis. The kitchen serves good soul food, such as ribs, fried chicken and catfish (bbkingclubs.com; 152 2nd Ave N; 5pm-1am; cover charge from £7).
Lower Broadway, home to honky-tonks and dive bars
MINI GUIDE
Music in Nashville For a country-music pilgrimage, take in the neon lights of Lower Broadway, a breath of beer-perfumed air, and feel the boot-stomping rumble from inside the crowded honky-tonk.
Entertainment
Heritage
GRAND OLE OPRY HOUSE
COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM
Though you’ll find a variety of country shows throughout the week, the performance to see is the Grand Ole Opry, a lavish tribute to classic Nashville country music, every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday night from March to November – and at the Ryman Auditorium during winter (opry.com; 2804 Opryland Dr; tickets from £20).
‘Honor Thy Music’ is the catchphrase of this monumental museum, reflecting the nearbiblical importance of country music to Nashville’s soul. See Patsy Cline’s cocktail gown, Johnny Cash’s guitar and Elvis’s gold Cadillac. Also, don’t miss the walk-in listening booths (countrymusichalloffame.org; 222 5th Ave S; £16).
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STATION INN Sit at one of the small cocktail tables, squeezed together on the worn-wood floor in this beer-only dive, illuminated with stage lights, and neon signs and behold the lightening fingers of the bluegrass savants. We are talking stand-up bass, banjo, mandolin, fiddle and a modicum of yodelling. Pizzas, nachos and hotdogs provide sustenance (stationinn.com; 402 12th Ave S; open mic 7pm, live bands 9pm).
Brash, glittery Nashville is proud to have earned itself the nickname NashVegas. Put on your rhinestone cowboy boots, don your Stetson and join the big-haired ‘Jugg Sisters’ on a campy frolic through the risqué side of Nashville history, including a drive along legendary Music Row. Buy tickets for NashTrash, a BYO booze tour on a big pink bus, in advance as tours can sell out months ahead (nashtrash. com; 772 Harrison St; 90-min tour £23).
Country and bluegrass singer Charlie Daniels at Grand Ole Opry
NASHVILLE SYMPHONY The shiny new, yet beautifully antiquated, Schermerhorn Symphony Center hosts maestros, the local symphony and pop stars from Randy Travis to Smokey Robinson and Boyz II Men. Calendar highlights for May include Benjamin Britten’s Epic War Requiem, Natalie Cole, daughter of legendary Nat ‘King’ Cole, and Abba The Concert: A Tribute to Abba (nashville symphony.org; 1 Symphony Pl; tickets from free).
RYMAN AUDITORIUM The so-called ‘Mother Church of Country Music’ has hosted a laundry list of 20th-century performers, from Martha Graham to Elvis and Katherine Hepburn to Bob Dylan. The soaring brick tabernacle was built in 1890 – its excellent acoustics, historic charm and 2,000 seating capacity have kept it the premier venue in town, with big names frequently stopping by (ryman.com; 116 5th Ave N; tours 9am–4pm; tours from £10).
Molly Sue Gonzalez singing at Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge
TOOTSIE’S ORCHID LOUNGE The most venerated of the downtown honky-tonks, Tootsie’s is a dive with boot-stomping, hillbilly, beer-soaked grace. In the ’60s, club owner ‘Tootsie’ Bess nurtured Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings on the rise. No-name musicians still play her two stages but it’s not unusual for big stars to stop by for an impromptu jam (tootsies. net; 422 Broadway; 10am–late).
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Boots worn by Jeff Hanna of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
RCA STUDIO B Music Row is home to the production companies, agents, managers and promoters who run Nashville’s country-music industry. Head to the historic RCA Studio B, to see where Elvis recorded Are You Lonesome Tonight? and Dolly Parton cut I Will Always Love You. Tour the studio through the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Studio B Tour (countrymusichalloffame.org; 1611 Roy Acuff Pl; tours £26).
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May 2015 Lonely Planet Traveller 127
MINI GUIDE Music in Nashville Tours
TRANSPORT Flights to Nashville International Airport from the UK go via New York, Chicago or Atlanta (from £540; virgin-atlantic.com). The MTA bus 18 links the airport and downtown, while the Gray Line Airport Express (graylinenashville. com) serves major downtown and West End hotels. Greyhound has buses to Nashville from Memphis (£26), Birmingham (£30) and Atlanta (£21; greyhound.com). The MTA operates city bus services based downtown (single £1; nashvillemta.org). Its express buses also go to Music Valley. All major car hire companies can be found at the airport (from £140 per week; dollar.com).
WHERE TO STAY The owners of 1501 Linden Manor have filled this Victorian house with antiques collected on their world travels. Have egg soufflés for breakfast and dip your hand into the cookie jar anytime (nashville-bed-breakfast.com; 1501 Linden Ave; from £80).
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O Take a 328-mile drive from
Hotel Indigo has a fun, Pop Art look, with an electric blue and lime green colour scheme and a huge mural above the bar. Electric guitars mounted on the lobby walls and live music remind you you’re in Nashville (ihg.com; 301 Union Street; from £141). Union Station Hotel was once Nashville’s grand train station; today it’s downtown’s most iconic hotel. The lobby is all peach and gold with marble floors and a stained-glass ceiling (unionstationhotelnashville.com; 1001 Broadway; from £270).
Sleeping
The know-how ROAD TRIPPING
The grand exterior of Nashville’s Union Station Hotel
Sights
Nashville to Memphis for musical education. Discover the birthplace of soul at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and see where the rockabilly dynasty of Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Elvis and Roy Orbison (pictured) was born at Sun Studio and Graceland. O Set in tiny Moore County (the smallest in all of Tennessee and still a dry county) is the state’s most famous product, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. The distillery has tasting tours. O The Hermitage, the former home of seventh president Andrew Jackson lies 15 miles outside Nashville. The huge plantation is a peek into what life was like for a Mid-South gentleman farmer in the 19th century.
FURTHER READING Lonely Planet’s USA (£14.99) has a chapter on the South, which includes Nashville, and is available to download at lonelyplanet. com (£2.99). Read about the CMA Music Festival, which takes place 11�14 June 2015 and attracts tens of thousands of countrymusic fans to town at cmafest.com. Founded by Jack White, Third Man Records is based in Nashville and releases an eclectic mix of music – see thirdmanrecords.com.
COMPILED BY NATALIE MILLMAN, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM AMY BALFOUR. PHOTOGRAPHS: DANITA DELIMONT/GETTY, MARTIN THOMAS/ALAMY, CHRIS HOLLO PHOTOGRAPHIC, COURTESY OF COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM, BRIAN JANNSEN/ALAMY, TONY GALE/ALAMY
Nashville essentials
Entertainment
COMPETITION
WIN a road trip in British Columbia! Worth
£4,000
Sonora Resort – the island is named after a Spanish schooner that explored the Pacific Northwest in 1775
Lonely Planet Traveller has teamed up with Canada tour specialist Canadian Sky and Destination British Columbia to offer one lucky reader and their guest a six-day self-driving holiday in British Columbia. Having flown into Vancouver, a city renowned for its Asian-influenced cuisine, local arts scene and surrounding natural beauty, you will spend two nights at the Georgian Court Hotel, and be handed the keys to your hire car to start exploring the area. On day three, you will drive to Campbell River, from where a water taxi will take you to Relais & Châteaux’s luxury wilderness property of Sonora Resort in the Discovery Islands. During your two nights at Sonora you will be treated to gourmet meals, an ecoadventure tour, spa sessions and free access to the resort’s many amenities, including mineral pools and fly-fishing ponds. Your final night’s stay is at the Fairmont Empress Hotel in British Columbia’s capital Victoria, where you can enjoy the city’s colonial architecture, museums, and independent shops and bars.
THE PRIZE X Return economy flights for two from London to Vancouver X Six days’ car hire with insurance included X Two nights at the Georgian Court Hotel, Vancouver X Two nights’ full board at Relais & Châteaux’s Sonora Resort, plus one-hour eco-adventure tour, spa vouchers, access to virtual golf course, cinema and tennis courts
X One night at Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria X Return ferry crossings and water taxis included
HOW TO ENTER To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize, fill in your details online at lonelyplanet.com/magazine/competitions. Competition closes at 11.59pm on 17 May 2015. CONDITIONS OF ENTRY 1. The promoter of this competition is Immediate Media Company London Limited. 2. The prize includes return economy flights for two from London Heathrow or Gatwick to Vancouver, six days’ car hire with insurance included, two nights at the Georgian Court Hotel in Vancouver, two nights’ full board at Sonora Resort, plus a one-hour eco-adventure tour, spa vouchers, free access to fly-fishing lake, virtual golf course, cinema, pool and tennis courts, one night at Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, return ferry crossings and water taxis. 3. Travel is permissible from 18 May – 22 June 2015, 1 May – 22 June 2016, and 26 August – 15 October 2015 or 2016. Sonora is not available during the following dates in 2015 only: 8�10 June, 7�9 July, 25�26 August, 9�14 September, 18�19 September 2015. Travel must be taken by 15 October 2016. Both hotel and flights are subject to availability. 4. The prize does not include travel insurance, visas (if applicable), additional meals and refreshments, UK transfers, optional activities, spending money or transfers in Vancouver .Hire car is available from the airport, if winners would like it to be delivered to their hotel, they must cover the cost to get to the hotel. 5. The winner or their guest must be at least 21 years old and hold a full driving licence to be able to drive the hire car and have a credit card in their name for the refundable car hire deposit. The other person needs to be at least 18 years old. Both require a valid 10-year UK passport, with six months or more remaining after return to the UK. 6. For full terms and conditions, visit lonelyplanet.com/magazine/competitions.
May 2015 Lonely Planet Traveller 129
Travel Quiz
What on Earth?
2
Bohol, home to the Chocolate Hills, is a province of which country?
In which country do people celebrate King’s Day on 27 April by dressing in orange?
1 Where should you be careful of getting soaked during Songkran festivities, beginning 13 April?
4
What political fact do Brazil, Germany, Jamaica, South Korea and 13 other countries currently have in common?
3
5
6
You change your GBP into MAD, take a four-hour direct flight, and step out in the same time zone as the UK. Where are you?
7 Which US state hosts a famous twominute horse race on the first Saturday in May?
8
Outside the UK and its components, five European countries have English names ending in ‘land’ – can you name them?
Which 268�mile walking trail, running from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders, officially turns 50 in April?
9
5� CHILE AND PERU. 6� MOROCCO. 7� KENTUCKY �THE KENTUCKY DERBY�. 8� FINLAND, ICELAND, IRELAND, POLAND AND SWITZERLAND � THE NETHERLANDS JUST MISS OUT. 9� THE PENNINE WAY. 1� MAINLY THAILAND, ALTHOUGH NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES ENJOY SIMILAR FESTIVALS. 2� THE PHILIPPINES. 3� THE NETHERLANDS. 4� THEY ALL HAVE ELECTED FEMALE HEADS OF STATE OR HEADS OF GOVERNMENT.
YOU WANT ANSWERS? 130 Lonely Planet Traveller May 2015
COMPILED BY RORY GOULDING. PHOTOGRAPHS: MICHELE FALZONE/AWL IMAGES, MELISSA FARLOW/ NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC/GETTY, JUSTIN FOULKES/BANANA PANCAKE, I�STOCK, BRIAN KLUTCH/GETTY, JEREMY LIEBMAN/GETTY, LOURENS SMAK/ALAMY, UPPERCUT IMAGES/GETTY, GARY YEOWELL/GETTY
Which two countries dispute ownership of the pisco sour?
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