By Oriol Salvador from scannerFM

Almost as important to anyone who visits the city of Bamberg, about one hour from Nuremburg, as discovering its historic and architectural heritage (the thousand-year-old cathedral, for example) is discovering the history of its beer: smoked beer (or Rauchbier in German).

It is a traditionally-made beer that is typical of Bamberg. The dark colour and smoky flavour is caused by leaving the malt to dry by fire during the production process. There are nine traditional breweries still in full operation in Bamberg, which produce a total of fifteen different types of smoked beer.

As part of the many attractions of paying a visit to the city of Bamberg, here we propose a quick tour to discover the traditional breweries that are dotted throughout the city and to try out the Rauchbier offered at each one.

Do we need to remind you to drink responsibly?

Klosterbräu

This brewery was established in 1533. It is a good place to start because it is not far from the city centre. Besides the good service and the friendly staff, you can try out the smoked beer they make on the premises and combine it with something from their extensive offer of traditional German cuisine. If the weather is favourable, you can even enjoy your beer at one of the tables on the streetside terrace.

One of the varieties they offer (and our recommendation) is the Klosterbräu Bockbier: a strong beer, with a subtle hint of hops, a great body and a certain sweetness to it. It has a 7% alcohol content and forms an excellent head over the golden liquid.

Open every day from 11:00 to 14:00 (Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays until 14:30) and from 17:00 and 22:00 (Sundays until 21:00). Further information: www.klosterbraeu.de (in German)

Ambräusianum

A young couple took the risk of opening Ambräusianum back in 2004, a new traditional brewery. Their gamble has paid off. In only a short few years, their brewery has become one of the most popular among both locals and visitors alike. The central location on Dominikanerstraße, very close to the cathedral, helps bring in trade.

Ambräusianum Hell is one of the most recommendable varieties of smoked beer among the many beers they offer: a strong beer (albeit with a moderate 5% alcohol content) with an amber-gold colour that is produced using natural yeast, giving it a fresh aroma and a certain fruity taste.

Open every day (except Monday) from 11:00. You can find more information and its menu of traditional German cuisine at: www.ambraeusianum.de (in German)

Fässla Brewery

The history behind the Fässla Brewery dates back to 1649, the first year of peace after the Thirty Years War. Today, a new generation that is well-trained in the art of brewing beer maintains the family tradition alive. What’s more, when looking for somewhere to stay in Bamberg, it is worth knowing that they also run a hotel.

The wide variety of beers they offer includes Echtes Bamberger Zwergla: a dark, almost mahogany-coloured beer with a moderate 6% alcohol content and a smooth, rounded finish. This and all the other varieties can be enjoyed at the brewery or bought to take away with you.

The brewery itself opens every day from 08:30 to 23:00 (Sundays until 13:00). They also offer traditional German cuisine from 11:00 until 14:00 and from 18:00 until 21:00 every day except Sunday. Further information can be found on the website at: www.faessla.de (in German and English)

Greifenklau Brewery

Discounting a pause during the first half of the 20th Century, the history behind Greifenklau dates back to 1731 and beyond. A little further from the city centre, they offer lunch and dinner in their restaurant with special prices and set meals for groups of tourists. If the sun is out, you can enjoy your beer in their large beer garden.

From among the variety of smoked beers they offer, we recommend the Greifenklau Lager: golden colour and a 4.8% alcohol content, an extremely white and creamy head, a slightly malty aroma and a smooth finish. A great example of the typical beer from the Franconia region of Germany.

Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:30 and Sundays from 09:30 to 14:00. Closed on Mondays. Further information can be found at: www.greifenklau.de (in German and English)

Kaiserdom Brewery

While soaking up the atmosphere of the cosy dining hall at Kaiserdom, visitors can enjoy the typical cuisine of the Franconia region and its traditional beers. They have one modern dining hall and another more rustic one. They are both very welcoming but there is also a third option provided the weather is kind: the outdoor terrace. There is also a hotel on the same premises so staying the night (or longer!) is another option to be considered.

From among their selection of beers, we recommend the Weizenland Weißbier: a golden beer with a somewhat cloudy appearance due to the sediment from the yeast during fermentation in the bottle. It has a fresh, slightly fruity taste and is dry on the palate. A very refreshing beer.

As is the case at some other breweries, they are closed on Mondays. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 07:00 to 13:30 and 17:00 to 23:00. Open Sundays and public holidays from 11:30. Check www.hotel-kaiserdom.de (in German)

Keesmann Brewery

The Keesmann Brewery was established in 1867 and has maintained its family tradition ever since. Located opposite the Mariahilf Church, their offer includes wheat beer and light beer.

However, the Keesman Herren Pils is undoubtedly their star beer. A pale beer from which a certain malty aroma can be noted in an exquisitely dry body with a refreshing and highly-enjoyable finish.

Unlike other breweries in Bamberg, this one closes on Sundays. Open Monday to Saturday from 09:00 until 23:00 on weekdays and until 15:00 on Saturdays.

Mahr’s Bräu Brewery

Visiting the Mahr’s Bräu brewery means discovering one of the oldest breweries in the city of Bamberg. There are records to show it was established in 1670 and it has been offering a wide variety of beers ever since.

The most popular of them all must be the Mahr’s Ungespundetes, also known by its nickname: “U”. It is an amber-coloured beer with a certain cloudiness to it. It has a strong malt and yeast smell that gives it a rather unique aroma.

Open every day from 09:00 to 23:00.

Schlenkerla Brewery

This is one of the most popular traditional breweries in the city and also one of the most central. Trying its offer of smoked beers or its menu of traditional regional cuisine is just as recommendable as taking the time to savour the rustic décor to be found throughout the building. Historical documents record that this brewery was established in 1405 and the sixth generation of the Trum family is currently maintaining the tradition.

The beer we recommend from among its offer is perhaps the most characteristic of all smoked beers. Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier is a dark beer with a malty aroma and a certain smoky tasty that characterises and distinguishes it from others.

This brewery opens every day from 09:30 to 23:30. For further information, visit its website at: www.schlenkerla.de (in several languages, including English and Spanish)

Spezial Brewery

Only five minutes from the train station can be found the Spezial Brewery. This traditional brewery offers a rustic atmosphere and unmissable gastronomy. It also has a hotel.

The most recommendable smoked beer from among the varieties on offer at this brewery is the Spezial Rauchbier Lager: an amber beer with a creamy head. Somewhat cloudy in appearance, it is smooth on the palate and highly flavoursome.

Open every day of the week from 09:00 to 23:00, except on Saturdays, when it closes at 14:00. Further information at: www.brauerei-spezial.de (in German)

Franconian Brewery Museum

Having visited the nine traditional breweries that still operate in Bamberg, a good idea to conclude the tour is to visit this museum dedicated to the brewery tradition in the Franconia region. Open from 13:00 to 17:00 (April to October). Tickets cost € 3.00 (adults), € 2.50 (reduced rate) and € 6.50 (family rate).

Useful information

When looking for accommodation, and besides the options already mentioned previously at some of the breweries that also offer guest rooms, we recommend the Hotel Nepomuk very close to the centre (next to Klosterbräu where we began the tour). Its modern decoration, good service or the fact that each guest room comes with an iMac will certainly impress any visitor. Further information here.

When deciding how to get around the city, we recommend buying a BAMBERGcard, which, at a price of € 12, will give you access to the entire public transport network in the city and some of its museums. These cards can be purchased at the Bamberg Tourist Office (5 Geyerswörthstraße) or via the city’s website.

By Oriol Salvador from scannerFM

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

By: Belén Parra and Carme Gasull

The gastro-event: Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre. 23 to 27 October, 2014

Turin, the ultimate in good taste. From the moment you set foot in Turin, you feel at home, you become imbued with its unique quality and understand why it was the first capital of modern Italy. While the city’s 2 million inhabitants are fully aware of its many attributes and how best to enjoy them, Turin remains relatively untouched by tourism. For decades, the city has been creating its own reality, far removed from the mass tourism of other Italian destinations. The 2006 Winter Olympic Games was clearly a major turning point for Turin, which has never depended on tourism. And the tourists it does receive are mainly from Italy. This is certainly not due to a lack of attractions… Among them, gastronomy. The aptly named Città del Gusto (Good Taste Event) also seduces the taste buds.

The welcoming

Warmth. This best sums up the Turinese nature. You just have to show curiosity, interest or mere ignorance about something to promptly find the desired answer. With a notable generosity. “La buona accoglienza fa bene al turismo”, is the slogan of the day. And they lead by example. There is no place better than Turin for a stress-free stroll. There are no hordes of foreign tourists everywhere you go unless, of course, the city is hosting a major international event.

Transportation

Obviously, the best way to explore any destination is on foot, but Turin’s superb transport system lets you move around the city at your leisure. Train, bus, underground, tram, public bicycles… Everywhere is so accessible, which makes sightseeing a pleasure. Even so: a gentle stroll, especially around the city centre, is still the best way to discover its pulse, its unique layout and its infinite charms.

Accommodation

Due to the city’s emerging tourist sector, accommodation in Turin is centred on mid to high range hotels. We suggest 2 enticing options of contrasting ambience.

Best Western Hotel Piemontese

Via Claudio Luigi Berthollet, 21
Quaint, discreet and comfortable. It stands in one of the city’s best areas for social and night life. The hotel is surrounded by bars and restaurants for breakfast, fine dining or just drinks. It is also close to the city’s main railway station: Porta Nova.

NH Santo Stefano

Via Porta Palatina, 19
Located in the centre of the modern Quadrilatero Romano, it is within easy reach of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and the historic city centre. Its proximity to the Porta Susa and Porta Nuova railway stations offers easy access to Turin by train.

Squares

Being a city of contrasting weather, Turin’s squares are a hive of activity throughout the year. So don’t be surprised to see lots of tables in the streets and especially in the squares. From the imposing Piazza San Carlo, one of the biggest and most elegant squares in the city and which leads to Gran Madre de Dio, through to Piazza Castello or the small squares known as Emanuele Filiberto and Della Consolata.
Snacks, coffee and local beers abound on the tables. The drinks menus at the different establishments offer a seemingly infinite choice. Did you know Turin is also the home of vermouth? Whether winter or summer, the enticing outdoor cafés in the squares are sure to be open. The squares are also home to historic gastronomic establishments.

Establishments with history

Ancient establishments teeming with history and fine produce. Busy places. Like their cafés. Turin is the third city in Italy in terms of historic establishments.

Caffè Mulassano

Piazza Castello, 15
The famous tramezzino was created here; a lightly toasted sandwich with a variety of high-quality fillings. The most typical one is filled with d’aragosta’ (lobster) salad. It has been in the same location since 1907.

Baratti&Milano

Piazza Castello, 29
Just a few meters away from the first one, but bigger and for a much sweeter tooth. Delicious chocolates, sweet pastries and cakes are all showcased inside.

Caffè Cioccolateria Al Bicerin

Piazza della Consolata, 5
This small, incredibly popular business (with an adjoining delicatessen) has been open since 1763. Marble tables and chairs, and its star product: bicerin, a drink combining coffee, chocolate and cream. You can try one for just €5.

Caffè Pasticceria Abrate

Via Po, 10
This café boasts a long history of baking and confectionery. It was founded in 1866.

Caffè Torino

Piazza San Carlo, 214
One of the city’s most famous establishments, it was founded in 1903 and has been at its current location since 1930. It has successfully adapted to the changing times. This large café has a popular snack buffet to accompany your aperitif, as well as outside tables where you can watch the world go by in the bustling Piazza San Carlo square.

Eat and drink

Bar Enò

Galliari, 12
Located in San Salvario, an area offering some of the best night life in the city. The kitchen stays open till the small hours and the bar itself closes at 4 am. It offers home-made pasta, typical sweets, excellent bread, wines, craft beers and good service. It has something for everybody. Its decor is one the star attractions. A sublime fusion of order and chaos. Visiting it is a must!

Restaurante Consorzio

Via Monte di Pietà, 23
A modern trattoria or an evolution of the typical trattoria without being a cutting-edge establishment that meets the slow food precepts. It is also famous for its worldwide and Italian natural wines, beers and liquors.

Enoteca Bordò

Via Carlo Ignazio Giulio 4/G
Managed by two Tuscan sisters, this is a simple and welcoming establishment where the traveller can feel at home eating a good pasta meal with a glass of excellent wine or craft beer, such as the Turinese Brew Up. Next to the Porta Palazzo market.

Pastis

Piazza Emanuele Filiberto, 9b
The South in the North. With a decidedly retro ambience, this establishment is managed by a Sicilian who has the soul and humour to give his business a character all of its own.
The owner, Andrea Tortorella, makes his presence felt on the walls and even the floor of the café, but especially in the tasty home-made recipes and almost uninterrupted timetable of the kitchen service. Personalised attention to detail in a decor that even includes one of the last pieces of the demolished Berlin Wall. On a cold day, its covered terrace is a great option. Excellent value for money.

Dausin

Via Goito, 9
Or ‘neighbour’ in the local Piedmont dialect. This small restaurant follows the precepts of the Slow Food philosophy, or eco-gastronomic project (as they like to call it) since it reduces CO2 emissions. Simple home cooking using fresh, local produce. Within easy walking distance of Porta Nuova station.

Emporio Gastronomico

Via Avogadro, 2
This restaurant and pizzeria is a veritable Mecca for those who like freshly-made pizza baked in a wood-fired oven (you can even watch the entire process from start to finish). The listing of pizzas is fairly classic and prices, opposite to other meals on the menu, are quite economic.

Taberna Libraria

Via Conte Giambattista Bogino, 5
An ideal place to try a typical Piedmont menu with different options to suit all tastes, including such dishes as vitello tonnato (cold, roast veal with mayonnaise and capers). And be sure to try (or purchase) some of the wines exhibited throughout the whole restaurant.

Focacceria Lagrange

It is named after the most famous 18th century Turinese mathematician, who invented rational mechanics. They say that focaccia is a mathematical science based on a finite number of flour particles subjected to a dynamic encounter with water and oil. Nothing else. You can judge for yourselves at three establishments (Via Lagrange 11/f, via Sant’Agostino 6 and Piazza Castello, 153).

Perino Vesco

Via Cavour, 10
A myriad of bread in all its shapes and forms, such as grissini (breadsticks) which were invented in Turin to help young Vittorio Amedeo II, who was a weak child and loved to eat this crunchy, easy-to-digest bread. Or so they say. The establishment is often packed and has long queues of people waiting to buy fresh bread, biscuits or sweet pastries, or to enjoy a panino, focaccia or just a coffee.

Where to go shopping

Porta Palazzo Market

A fabulous blend of colours, flavours and cultures, it is the biggest market in Turin and the largest food market in all of Europe. Shops, bars, trattorias and businesses under one roof and offering all kinds of products, from clothes to antiques. Time simply flies by when you’re browsing the stalls.

Guido Castagna

Via Maria Vittoria, 27/C
The cake shop-boutique par excellence. A true emblem of quality chocolate. The owner obviously loves chocolate, pampering it as if he had grown it himself. In his workshop, a few kilometres away from the city, Guido Castagna teaches his profession. His know-how has attracted many followers and given rise to some exceptional giandujotti (a typical Turin sweet made from chocolate and hazelnuts) . You have to try them!

Alberto Marchetti

Torino is not only the city of chocolate, but also of ice-cream. And the best is made by Alberto Marchetti. He has two ice-cream parlours in the city. The largest is at Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 24bis, while the other is at Via Po 35 bis. And he’s opening a third on Via Rossini. There is such a choice of flavours, they’ll let you try a few first. Just as well, or you’d be there all day trying to choose! Try some popcorn ice-cream or a delicious pallino (espresso and a scoop of ice-cream with whipped cream on top). It’s all home-made. Delicious. Amazing ice-creams from just €2. It is also babyfriendly (changing table in the bathroom and a table with games).

Eataly Alti Cibi

Via Nizza, 230/14
A great deli on a large scale. Due to its size and its wide range of quality products. It has something to suit all tastes. If you’re looking for something in particular to try or and even as a gift, you’re sure to find it here: pasta, rice, chocolate and other sweets, coffee, sauces and condiments, cookery books, kitchenware… Quality, sustainability and ecology. The first shop was opened in Turin, followed by Rome, Florence and Milan. Today, there are 26 Eataly establishments worldwide.

Also be sure to visit…

Two great museums

Or two in particular, at least. The Egyptian Museum (Via Accademia delle Scienze, 6) is considered the second most important museum in the world after the Cairo Museum due to its collection of antiques. An ambitious refurbishment is currently underway and is not due to end until 2015.
If you’re a film buff, we recommend the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, located in Mole Antonelliana, a major landmark on the city skyline (Via Montebello, 20). Rising 167 metres above the city, it has a glass lift that takes you up to the top of the huge dome, where you can enjoy panoramic views. Simply breathtaking.

San Giovanni

CathedralA must in the city, this beautiful building from the 14th century dedicated to St. John the Baptist, patron saint of Turin, holds the burial cloth in which Jesus was wrapped after being lowered from the cross: the Holy Shroud, also known as the Shroud of Turin or Turin Shroud. The relic is shown only on special occasions.

Po River

Take a stroll along its banks. If you still have time for more sightseeing, you can stand on one of the many bridges and watch the Po flow by. If you prefer, you can also go for a boat ride on the river. It is the most Parisian touch of this Transalpine city.

Now, as before, we will always have Turin.

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

It's fine to visit monuments and museums, but we think that the best way to discover a country is through its food. Enjoy festivals like the Pizza Village in Naples. Come with us to discover some of the best food festivals in Europe, and choose your next destination based not on what you can see, but on what you can taste!

We love discovering new destinations through their food and drink. In Spain, as well as typical food that you can eat all year round, like paella, tortilla and bread with tomato, you can also find special dishes that are perfect for summer. Ideal recipes for hot days when you really fancy something light and fresh.