The moment you set foot in the airport you are surrounded by design. Suffice to look at the street furniture, a clear example of Finnish design. Their design philosophy is so consistent they have even created a design district. Confident of the value of their brand, in 2005 they created the Design District, founded by a group of entrepreneurs, which includes the Design Forum Finland, an organisation that has endeavoured to promote Finnish design for over 120 years. The area currently functions like a “mini-city” in the centre. It is made up of over 20 streets and some 200 establishments run by young entrepreneurs and local merchants who conceive of commerce as promoting Finnish design with great impetus and creativity.

They are all identified by a sign on the door. The Design District features quaint establishments, florists, restaurants, fashion stores, design and publicity agencies, photographic studios, art galleries, and such interior design spaces as the famous Artek, and even the Design Museum.

Beyond the DD circuit itself, one can’t fail to notice other significant Finnish design and architectural works. Here are some of the landmarks you shouldn’t miss:

The Kamppi Chapel (Chapel of Silence), in Narinkkatori Square, is a must-see. It is a refuge from the city bustle which was inaugurated in 2012, the year Helsinki was designated World Design Capital. It is built entirely of timber to resemble an igloo. No religious symbol features in its interior, and its maxim is peace and silence.

The older Church of Temppeliaukio, popularly known as the Church of the Rock, is visually stunning, resembling a UFO embedded in a rock, the only design of its kind in the world. Prominent between the roof and the rock is a thick glazed front that lets natural light into the interior. This is one of the most widely visited buildings in the city.

Another of Helsinki’s majestic constructions is its famous train station. This veritable gem of the Art Nouveau – which the Finns oddly call “National Finnish Romanticism” – was designed by the Finnish architect, Eliel Saarinen. Presided over by four huge sculptures, the exterior stands out as grandiose, while the interior is also admirable.

The Kallio District is acclaimed as one of the most hip districts on the planet. Indeed, it bears all the traits of this sub-culture, with its a-thousand-and-one Indie music nightspots, organic food, vinyls, brunch, food trucks, vintage, design, etc. One worth highlighting is Made in Kallio, a radical design store which doubles as a café and a studio belonging to a design collective. This space hosts events, including exhibitions and flea markets. Here, you’ll be anything but bored.

Helsinki’s design hub, where it all started, is undoubtedly the Arabia Centre, where you can find such brands as Iittala, Fiskars and Arabia, which account for a 90% presence in Finnish homes. Here, too, is one of the most prestigious design universities in Europe, the Alvar Aalto University of Art and Design. It can be reached by tram and is worth devoting a morning to. You can visit the factories and purchase the odd Finnish design article.

If you’re an unconditional fan of art nouveau, this is your ideal city, as Helsinki boasts one of the most prolific repertoires of this style in the world. Download the most emblematic routes, here.

In closing, to approach contemporary design, you should not pass up the chance to see the Kaisa House university library, a majestic building which breathes design throughout. It is Finland’s largest library and its architecture has been awarded several prizes.

I would take Vueling and turn up there right now. Helsinki is one of the most wonderful cities I have ever visited, with endless opportunities for outings and sightseeing. What’s more, it is near St Petersburg, opposite Tallinn and just a short jaunt away from Stockholm.

Text by Tensi Sánchez of actitudesmgz.com

Photos by Fernando Sanz

As in the rest of Poland, after World War II, Cracow took on a new lease of life, its past and present both palpable in a city well worth discovering. You should venture into the Old Town (Stare Miasto) and stop over in Rynek Główny, one of the largest squares in the world, descend into the underground museum underneath it to journey back to the Middle Ages, enjoy a beer and some good music in the lively Jewish quarter (Kazimierz), stroll along the banks of the Vistula, go up to Wawel Castle and wander through the city’s markets, streets, memories… And, of course, dive into the local cuisine. A warm, tasty, homemade cuisine, with Slavic, Jewish and Hungarian influences which you can try at affordable prices in dozens of restaurants. We made a thorough tour of the city and let ourselves be charmed by it. Here’s what we learned.

Pod Baranem and Pod Nosem – Enjoying Polish Cuisine

Located very near Wawel Castle is Pod Baranem, a cosy, intimate restaurant with very efficient and friendly service. They serve a good żurek, a soup made of fermented rye flour, with egg, potato and homemade sausage. It is potent and tasty, like many dishes with local DNA. Also worth trying is their cabbage stuffed with meat and mushroom sauce, as well as their good meat dishes. If you’re keen on crockery and table ornaments, you will leave the restaurant wishing you could take everything with you. A classic charmer.

In the restaurant of the boutique hotel at Kanonicza 22, Pod Nosem, they serve up Polish cuisine, but this time with a creative flourish of renewal. A young crew headed by their chef, Przemysław Bilski, perform to perfection in a quaint space and terrace with views of the castle. They have delicious pierogi (typical Polish dumplings with different fillings) and other dishes, including a highly refined cream of asparagus, various meat dishes and even tripe. Their wine list is good and it is difficult to choose from their broad array of cakes.

Eating Cheap in Cracow? Milk Bars and Lunchtime Menus

Cracow is not an expensive city but, if you’re looking for a place with good food at laughable prices, your best option is to head for a “milk bar”. Reminiscent of their Communist past, these milk bars (mleczny, in Polish) are no-frills self-service eateries, their menus chalked up on the walls – an average ticket would cost 5 euros per person. A recommendable venue in the centre is Pod Temida and, if you’d like to see where the concept eventually leads to, be sure to visit Milkbar Tomasza.

Apart from milk bars, another option for cheap meals are the lunchtime menus offered by many restaurants. Highly recommended venues include C.K. Dezerter – where, for just €4.5, they serve, for instance, a scrumptious soup with semolina, and fish with a salad of fermented cabbage, carrot and potato – and the Chimera garden, an incredible salad bar with menus of the day, a large number of veggie recipes, homemade cakes and juices.

Cafés, Bars and Pubs In the Ever-Lively Jewish Quarter

The area around Plac Nowy is packed with bars, restaurants and terrace cafés which are lively all day long. It is an eye-opener to venture inside and see their unusual decor, featuring souvenirs from bygone times. Mleczarnia, and the Mlekowoz terrace café just opposite, as well as Alchemia, with live music, and Wódka Cafe Bar, with dozens of Polish vodka varieties, are some of the most interesting spots in the area.

In Plac Nowy, it is also customary to eat at the food stalls serving zapiekanka (huge panini with loads of ingredients and sauces). If you prefer something less filling, we recommend you go to Szynk, a charming haven of homemade cuisine and good music. We had a delicious soup there – Cracow has so many soup dishes you could have a different variety each day of the year – and chicken stuffed with spinach and cheese. We loved it!

Text and photos by Silvia Artaza of Gastronomistas.com

Marlys Schuermann, the other half of the @ParisBuFF team on Twitter

Montmartre may not have a world-famous or a Michelin starred restaurant to boast of, but it certainly has a lot to offer visitors on a budget when it comes to eats and treats. Restaurants and bistros offer tasty meals at reasonable prices. You just have to know where to go to avoid being trapped in one with bad food (and bad service to boot.)

Here are a few suggestions of where you can go if ever you find your tummy grumbling for a meal or even for just a simple treat when visiting Montmartre:

1. Au Cadet de Gascogne

4, Place de Tertre – It can’t get more touristy than in Place de Tertre, but this restaurant serves a full breakfast till 11 a.m. for €10, which consists of a glass of orange juice served with your warm croissant and jam, an omelette or 3-egg sunny side up with salad, coffee or tea and baguettes. You can’t get a better deal than that anywhere in Paris, where breakfast in a cafe could easily cost you €6 for a slice of baguette with thinly spread jam, orange juice and a cup of coffee.

2. Coquelicot

24, rue des Abbesses – This boulangerie is also a restaurant and just a few steps away from metro station Abbesses. It is a favourite of locals who take a late breakfast or brunch there. Prices of their breakfast offerings might be slightly off-putting, but you go there to sit outside, watching busy life passing by while you leisurely sip from your bowls of hot coffee or chocolate and munch on your pain au chocolat. It also offers a variety of cakes and French pastries that you can take with you to the park.

3. Le Relais Gascon

6, rue des Abbesses, is a restaurant we’ve been recommending to friends and family for years. And each one enjoyed the food so much, they return during the duration of their visits or when they return, and recommend it on to their friends and family. Tip: Order one of their warm salads, served any time of the day. But if you have a big appetite, their week-day lunch menu is great value for money.

4. Trattoria Pomodoro

20, rue de la Vieuville, has one of the best pizzas we’ve tasted in Montmartre. It is located in one of the remaining streets that will still give you an idea of how cobblestoned Montmartre looked like before boutiques and numerous souvenir shops mushroomed in the area.

5. Le Grenier à Pain

38, rue des Abbesses, – This boulangerie shot to fame (was even featured in the New York Times) because its chief bread maker baked the best baguette in Paris in 2010. The baguette is well and truly good, but what got the international press in a flurry is the fact that this particular boulanger happened to be a Senegalese. But don’t just try their baguette, with which they make their freshly made sandwiches. Their cakes are moist temptations, too.

6. Les Petits Mitrons

26, rue Lepic – You can’t walk by this little patisserie in the market street of Montmartre without drooling over the hand-made fruit tartes displayed in its shop windows. Chances are, you’ll go in there and get yourself a slice of one of their delectable cakes. If sweet tartes aren’t your thing, they also have savoury ones.

7. Au Grain de Folie

24, rue de la Vieuville – There was a time, vegetarians had difficulty finding a Parisian restaurant serving meat-free dishes. This restaurant was one of the very first dedicated to providing vegetarians an excuse to go out for a meal and it’s still going strong.

Author: Marlys Schuermann, the other half of the @ParisBuFF team on Twitter

Image: Au Cadet de Gascogne

A perfect idea for travelling with friends! Check out our flights and off you go!

Innovation and tradition combine perfectly in the city of Vigo. All neighborhoods have a special charm, historic streets, weekly outdoor markets, nature trails, shopping and cultural acitivities. From the Cies Islands to Mount O Catro, Vigo is a perfect urban destination for your holiday.

Here are some tips so you don’t miss the essence of Vigo.

1.- Food Festivals

It is going to be strange visiting the city and not matching any of its food festivals. The annual calendar is full of them, like Vigo Mussel Festival, which is held every September in the park of Castrelos or The Seafood Festival the second weekend in September at the Port of Vigo, which sold more 40 different varieties at affordable prices.

Ria de Vigo has excellent characteristics in terms of water temperature, which makes excellent seafood! A curiosity: did you know that the best seafood’s season in the Ria de Vigo begin September to April?. Do you know how you can remember the best months to consume seafood? They are the months that contain the letter “R”.

2.- Aperitif time

Visit Vigo is an excellent opportunity to taste the best Ria’s seafood at great pricing, like in the appetizers full of tapas and beer which have a fierce devotion between the people in Vigo, especially on Saturday and Sunday morning: a walk and an apperitif before lunch.

3.- Statue de Julio Verne

One of the best options in Vigo is to walk before the appetizer down to the yachthabour enjoying the ocean breeze, and get to the bronze statue of Jules Verne, opposite the Club Náutico de Vigo. The city has paid tribute to French writer because in his famous novel “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” dedicates an episode to the Ria de Vigo and to Rande Treasure’s legend .

4.- Learn how to cook  productos of the Ria

If you also want to learn how to cook seafood, join this exciting initiative; a gastronomical workshop that shows you how to buy and cook the best products with the advices of the city’s top chefs, who will help you in everything. After selection of the best raw materials and shopping at O Berbés market or at the port’s shellfish nurseries, you can prepare the typìcal sailor dishes yourself and enjoy them along with some glasses of wine of Rias Baixas.

5.- Try out the oysters on the street

One of the most interesting places  is Fish Street, which offers a unique spectacle when ostreras tirelessly open oysters on the street while preparing the dishes. You can buy oysters directly to them, give them a squeeze of lemon and you eat them accompanied by a good Albariño. There is no such a better pleasure!

6.- Come up to a Furancho

Furanchos are venues or private homes in which buy excess wine or try on the spot accompanied by a good home cooked meal. Usually, served with tortillas, empanadas, meats, sausages and cheeses in a family atmosphere at a great price.In the area of Vigo ther is over a dozen to choose , in which attention is always exquisite!.

We’ll be there. If you want to come too, check out our flights here.