Parks, gardens, palaces and museums; the Danube fitted out with an urban beach; street food in stalls and riverside bars; gastrobars, bistronomics and signature restaurants which have superseded and even deleted from their menu the well-worn schnitzel (or Viennese escalope). Vienna’s cuisine is enough to make you do cartwheels like their giant Ferris Wheel. It’s not a case of being greedy but because the offerings are so extensive and inviting – even in haute cuisine – that you need a few days to taste and enjoy the rich variety in style.

Where To Eat:

Steirereck

It is not the most Michelin-starred restaurant in Vienna but it does rank among the top ten in the world, and deservedly so. Its formidable siting, in one of the city’s loveliest parks, matches its flashy gourmet cuisine in which the feast takes precedence over minimalist restriction. Tables are decked out in their finery, while a trolley with goodies does the rounds for aperitifs or cocktails, with others for bread, cheeses and even aromatic herbs, picking their way among the impeccable dishes crafted by Heinz Reitbauer, who digs into tradition and experiments with various tasting menus.

Mraz & Sohn

After choosing between the short or long menus, gourmet dishes with some discreet flourishes are trotted out in succession. Creative bites with marked contrasts emerge from a minute kitchen married well to the dining room, each of them managed by one of the two Mraz brothers. Be sure to go on the cellar tour if you’re interested in learning the true story behind this family business.

Tian

You don’t need to be a vegetarian to venture into Paul Ivic’s cuisine – although, if you are, you’ll enjoy it even more. Few chefs of his calibre have done so much to raise the status of eminently wholesome cuisine. Based on an exhaustive selection of the best local produce, judicious combinations, exciting plating ups and wonderful desserts, Tian is a venue to remember, as is the more informal version of their bistro, which serves the most unusual apfelstrudel (apple strudel) in town.

O Boufés

This is chef Konstantin Filippou’s bistronomic – he also has his own door-to-door culinary facility. In this bistro, wine plays a crucial role in pairing dishes, which pose few risks and are served up in generous helpings. You will have a hearty meal and even better drinks.

Where To Have…

A Pizza. For those who need to switch between full-course meals and fast, affordable snacks, your best bet is Pizza Mari’, where you can either have a pizza on the premises or take one home. A decent array of Italian specialities in a huge eatery. Best to book in advance.

An Ice-cream. Whether the idea is to overturn or to reinforce Vienna’s reputation as being a “cold” city, the fact is it boasts countless ice-cream parlours. Be sure to head for Schelato, where they resort to sheer Italian art in order to serve up amazing flavours which are constantly being renewed. The cosy premises also invite one to tarry.

A Sacher. Treat yourself to the best sacher, either single or in portions, at Demel, where the bakery is on view and should definitely be visited before sitting down at one of the tables. The display cabinet in the entrance is highly tempting so, if you can afford it, be sure to taste their mille feuille and other classic cakes.

A Drink. One of the most interesting bars in town is located on the top floor of the 25 Hours Hotel, in the heart of the museum district. You will certainly take to the Bar Lounge Dachboden for its ambience, cocktails, terrace with views and decorative features from bygone times.

Where To Sleep

Hotel Kärntnerhof

In the heart of the city’s 1st District, a stone’s throw from St Stephen’s Cathedral, stands this hotel with its loft suites, Art Nouveau decor, a small roof terrace and excellent service. Make a point of visiting it, even if just to have a drink, as it is really charming. Snugly set in a cul-de-sac, it is a stylish, culturally priceless oasis.

The Ring

Located in a main thoroughfare where most of the tram lines run and with a host of pavement cafés, The Ring is a casual version of a Grand Hotel. Be sure to drop in on their sauna with views of the city’s skyline. Enjoy their a la carte breakfast and bear in mind you can also have a drink in the wee hours in their bar.

Text and photos by Belén Parra of Gastronomistas.com

Manchester is one of the most highly industrialised cities in the United Kingdom, but also one of the most culturally alive. Particularly in terms of music – this is the cradle of punk, and of the groups that were spawned thereafter, notably Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths, The Stone Roses and Oasis, young bands eager to forge a better future, far removed from the industrial assembly lines. The fact is that this musical tradition also generated an extensive network of record shops, scattered across the city centre, stores which are still very much alive and kicking.

The good thing about Manchester is that, being a comparatively small city, roughly the size of Barcelona, it doesn’t take long to get from one end of it to the other. So, if you’re thinking of going there, while you’re visiting the stores we recommend in search of that record you are missing from a collection, or simply just browsing and getting your fingers grubby, you will also have time to wander through the area where the legendary disco, The Haçienda, was located, as well as the Museum – of Science and Industry, of course. So, let’s get started with those five temples of vinyl:

Empire Exchange

Rather than a store, this is more of a basement warehouse where you can wander about and breathe in dust, in search of that record by The Beatles or The Rolling Stones you need to round off your collection. Empire Exchange is acclaimed for having one of the most comprehensive selections of seven singles in England. Indeed, they stock records released from 1930 onwards. This temple of rare vinyls is located in the city centre, specifically, on Newton Street.

Piccadilly Records

Situated in the heart of Manchester, on such a venerable precinct as Oldham Street, you will feel like just another Mancunian when you stroll along it. Piccadilly Records specialises in rare albums which are hard to come by, but also in new releases of independent pop and rock and reissues of classics. Incidentally, the store is very near Piccadilly Gardens, one of the city’s loveliest green areas. It is ideally placed for visiting afterwards and having an impromptu picnic.

Clampdown Records

A small but charming shop which packs a punch, and its vintage appearance endows it with a special status. Here you will find an exquisite selection of used vinyls (especially punk and new wave) and, if you’re game for getting your fingers dirty, you can pick up some gems at a great price. Clampdown Records is on Paton Street, next door to Manchester’s old town. The area has a generous sprinkling of restaurants where you can grab a weekend brunch.

Vinyl Resting Place

Like Clampdown Records, this is also a small store which has maximised available space to a tee. It is on the third floor of Afflecks Palace, right in the centre of Manchester and near both Piccadilly Records and Empire Exchange. So, all you need is a good pair of trainers with air pockets to wander about and fit in. Vinyl Resting Place stocks a good collection of used vinyls, which range from reasonably-priced records to rare releases which will cost you an arm and a leg if you bite the bait. You’ve been warned!

Soundwaves Here We Come

This is the ideal spot for winding up your tour, as the store is also located in Afflecks Palace, just one floor down from Vinyl Resting Place – you just have to slide down the stairs to get there. The list of used vinyls at Soundwaves Here We Come encompasses virtually all styles. What’s more, if you’re lucky, you may catch some group playing live, as the store owners organise regular concerts to promote the city’s upcoming bands. Who knows – you may even be fortunate enough to cross paths withThe Stone Roses!

Put on your walking shoes and experience the magic of record hunting – check out our flights here.

Text by Xavi Sánchez for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Marc Wathleu

When visiting Rome, the last thing that comes to mind is thinking there may be something else beyond that spectacular city. Indeed, you probably won’t even have time to entertain such thoughts. What with its intricate Roman past, its Renaissance glories and its stunning Baroque heritage, one is hard put to imagine anything beyond its boundaries. Nothing could be further from the truth, however, as there is actually life beyond the city limits – and how! Summer villas, time-locked towns and papal refuges await you less than an hour from Rome. Come along and discover them!

Hadrian’s Villa

Our first gem is situated in the environs of Tivoli, some 45 minutes from Rome – an extraordinary villa which served as Hadrian’s retreat. Like Rome’s ruling class, the emperor sought a place in Rome’s environs where he could escape the bustle of the big city. He did not, however, settle for a simple summer house – going a step further, he had the idea of commissioning a model town featuring replicas of some of the buildings he had visited on his travels. This is the case of Canopus, a copy of a shrine in Alexandria, and of Pecile, an imitation of a building in Athens. The Maritime Theatre is one of the most emblematic constructions in the complex. It features a small villa set on an island in the middle of an artificial lake.

Villa d’Este

Another jewel in the area, located in the centre of Tivoli, is this Renaissance villa, originally a Benedictine convent, which in the 16th century was converted into a palace by Ippolito II d'Este, the son of Lucrezia Borgia. In addition to the building and its rooms, decorated with frescoes in fine taste, its standout feature are the stunning gardens, housing no fewer than 500 fountains! The most striking ensemble is a row of one hundred fountains known as the Fountain of Neptune – which also has a spectacular waterfall – and a fountain with a hydraulic organ that emits sounds.

Villa Gregoriana

Hard by the Villa d’Este is this wonderful park commissioned by Pope Gregory XVI in 1835. Built on the bed of the river Aniene, its most striking feature is a large waterfall, created by diverting the river to protect the area from flooding. Among the lush vegetation in the Villa, which affords some lovely views, stand the archaeological remains of the Temple of Vesta, built in the 1st century BC.

Ostia Antica

Situated 30 kilometres from Rome, near the mouth of the river Tiber, stands the archaeological site of Ostia Antica, once an important port. Founded in the 4th century BC, it was a major trade and defence enclave in ancient Rome. With the fall of the Roman Empire, the city went into decline, while continual invasions and a malaria epidemic led it to be abandoned. The city was buried under river sediments for centuries and has survived to the present in fairly good condition, although less so than Pompeii or Herculaneum. Wandering through what is left of its streets, temples, thermal baths, houses and shops, it is not difficult to imagine what its splendorous past must have been like.

Frascati and Castelgandolfo

Lastly, we have singled out these two beautiful locations in the Alban Hills which form part of the municipal comune known as the Castelli Romani (Castles of Rome). The picturesque town of Frascati is celebrated for its white wine and its villas, commissioned by Popes, cardinals and nobles of Rome as of the 16th century. One such construction is the spectacular Villa Aldobrandini, also known as Belvedere, designed by Giacomo della Porta and completed by Carlo Maderno.

Located on the shores of Lake Albano stands Castelgandolfo, celebrated above all for being the Pope’s summer residence. Although not open to visitors, it is worth strolling around the town centre and soaking up the views.

Book your Vueling to Rome and venture beyond the city’s limits to see some of these sites.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Aquilifer, Adrian Pingstone, M.Maselli, Alexander Mooi, CucombreLibre, Alessandro Malatesta, Polybert49, Sudika, MatthiasKabel

To start, let’s recall that Edinburgh is both a World Heritage Site and also the first place to be designated by UNESCO as a “City of Literature”, because of its numerous well-preserved buildings and monuments and its age-old literary traditions.

The city is best seen at a walking pace, and as a pedestrian you’ll find its hidden nooks and crannies and perchance the spirits of the city’s famed authors and even more famous creations, such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his shrewd detective Sherlock Holmes, Robert Louis Stevenson and the two-faced Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, or Sir Walter Scott and his heroic Ivanhoe and Rob Roy characters. And there’s even a chance you’ll see some of the city’s literary figures in the flesh, for we shall start our tour in the café with the red façade where the contemporary author J. K. Rowling penned many of her early stories and planned her books about the boy wizard Harry Potter.

1. Few people noticed the young Rowling scribbling in her notebooks at a table in the unprepossessing Elephant House café. The establishment, which opened in 1995, remains a favourite of literary types, thanks to its selection of the city’s best coffees and teas, which continue to stain many pages of manuscript. Huge breakfasts are also served, as well as hot midday and evening meals, plus the usual sandwiches and cakes, etc. And there’s an excellent wine list, too. No excuse for not sitting down and writing your book!

2. Or you might prefer to take a stroll down Edinburgh’s legendary Royal Mile, linking the city’s two most popular monumental sites, Edinburgh Castle, standing above the city atop the towering volcanic basalt plug known as Castle Rock, and, at the other extreme, Holyrood Palace, the official Scottish residence of the British monarch. A slow and attentive walk down the four stretches of the Royal Mile, called Castlehill, Lawn Market, High Street, and Canongate, will infuse you with the unique, friendly atmosphere and stony charm of this historical city.

3. If you appreciate the macabre, on your walk down the Royal Mile you must stop at Mary King’s Close, a warren of gloomy underground streets and enclosures widely believed to be haunted by the ghosts of the past. Once a thriving market, the close was named for a woman who lived there and traded in cloth in the early 1600s. According to urban legend, when the plague struck the area in 1645, the authorities walled it off, leaving scores of people inside to die. Since, then reports of strange lights and noises have fuelled beliefs that the zone remains haunted. Visitors often brings dolls to calm the ghost of the legendary Annie, a child plague victim thought to have been left by her parents to die in the Close, and whose heart-rending cries can still be heard. Perhaps.

4. For a Facebook-worthy selfie showing Edinburgh Castle in the background, the place to go is Princess Street, Edinburgh’s main shopping street, which featured in the 1996 film Trainspotting. Apart from the shopping opportunities there, the street happens to be the best place from which to capture a panoramic view of the castle, since there are no buildings on the castle side of the street, but only gardens and monuments.

5. If you’re looking for quirkier and more out-of-the-way shops, head for the wildly picturesque Victoria Street, a curving slope just off the Royal Mile that is a favourite of photographers because of its colourful specialised shops selling liquors, cheeses, handicrafts, and all sorts of treasures. You’re sure to find bargains in the several charity shops selling used clothing and other items, the proceeds from which are donated to worthy causes. Harry Potter’s creator J.K. Rowling acknowledged that this street was her inspiration for Diagon Alley, where her wizards bought their magical gear.

6. Edinburgh is not made entirely of stone, despite initial impressions. It also features expansive green zones, such as the parks of Calton Hill and Arthur’s Seat, where the city’s joggers, cyclists, and dog-walkers go. Both offer fantastic views of the city from on high. The 251-metre Arthur’s Seat is the peak to which, according to legend, King Arthur used to repair when he needed time alone to think. Atop Calton Hill are two monuments to British victories over the French, Nelson’s Tower, commemorating the battle of Trafalgar, and Scotland’s National Monument, an unfinished construction modelled on the Parthenon in Athens, built in the 1820s to honour Scotland’s dead in the Napoleonic wars.

7. At Ocean Terminalin the Port of Leith, Edinburgh’s harbour, stands the Royal Yacht Britannia, used by the British royal family from 1954 until 1997 when it was converted into a floating museum that is well worth a visit –don’t miss the little bedroom where Queen Elizabeth II slept during her nearly 1,000 state voyages.

8. To finish up, you might visit Greyfriars Cemetery and have your picture taken next to the statue of one of Edinburgh’s heroes, Bobby, a Skye terrier traditionally believed to have stood watch by his master’s grave for no less than14 years, until his own death in 1873, after which he was buried next to his master.

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Text and Photos: Nani Arenas