Once Upon a Time... a magic route to fairytales
Snow White, Cinderella, Hansel & Gretel, Dauntless Little John, Sleeping Beauty or Tom Thumb are some of the famous characters from the fairytales written by the Grimm Brothers. We all know these tales; we have read or hear them when we were kids, they blew up our imagination to distant places where kindly fairies, handsome princes and princesses or evil queens lived.
Now you can live your own adventure again following the Fairytales route in Germany, which will make your childhood dreams come true.
About 600 kilometers, from Bremen to Hanau, through charming villages and enchanted forests that will take you to an atmosphere from the 19th century and the landscapes where the main characters from the fairy tales lived adventures and misadventures.
The route follows emblematic sites like Hanau, the city where Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, the worldwide famous writers who create the most well known fairytales, were born. At the center of the Market Square, in Hanau, there is a significant monument in their honor.
The trip also passes by Kassel, the route’s main village, where many of the fairytales take place and you can also find a museum dedicated to the Grimm brothers, the Sababurg castle in Hofgeismar – linked to the Sleeping Beauty’s tale -, Bremen – from Town Musicians of Bremen -, the city of Polle – where the story of Cinderella takes place – or the city of Hamelin, where the famous flutist enchanted kids and rats with his music.
This route is especially recommended for families but also to grownups that retain their childhood’s spirit. Get ready to this magic trip that starts with a “Once upon a time…”
Picture by Christoph Runge
Makes you want to go, right? Do it! Check out our prices here!
more infoCinque Terre, the five beautiful villages
Cinque Terre (Five Lands) is the name of the 10 kilometers long seacoast that goes from Punto Mesco to Punta di Montenero, including five villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, aligned in this order if you come from Genoa.
They are part of the Liguria region -with Genoa as the capital city- and not just five random villages. Along with Portovenere and the islands of Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto, the setting was declared World Heritage site and it’s considered one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
These five traditional villages have some odd architectural characteristics. For instance, most of the houses were built on the steep rocks of the coast and are somehow suspended between the sea and the land.
These are little fishing villages, very well preserved over the years, protected against the massive urban growth and not altering the delicate ecological balance.
From Genoa you can reach Cinque Terre easily by train, taking the regional train that goes from Genoa to Pisa and across all these villages. This is the best option to get to Spezia province, because traffic to vehicles in the narrow cobbled streets of the Cinque Terre villages is limited.
Therefore, the best option is to walk within the routes that connect all the five fishing villages, to discover stunning landscapes, beaches, hills and pines forests. The most famous is the Blue Route, a 12 kilometers walk. Or, if you’re looking for something easier, get the Via dell'Amore, between Riomaggiore and Manarola, with a nice view over the Liguria coast.
At Cinque Terre you’ll enjoy a colorful mosaic in one of the most beautiful areas in the Mediterranean Sea. Also the gastronomy, with regional specialties and great fresh fish from the area or wines with their own designation of origin, like the delicious Sciacchetrà.
Riomaggiore by rdesai | Manarola by Mathias Ripp | Corniglia by sailko | Vernazza by AnticheSere | Monterrosso by Mauricio Pellegrinetti
A place well worth discovering! Check out our flights here.
more infoLe Panier
This Marseille’s quaint neighborhood is the oldest in the city and is located behind the old port, an area comprised between Castle of Sant Jean and Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Majeure . Its Provencal style streets and frontages have an maghreb atmosphere, due to the large Muslim settlement that has occurred in recent decades in this port enclave . Le Panier is characterized by a humble and even somewhat ramshackle appearance, because in ancient times had been a conflict zone, home of pirates and privateers.
Currently, this area has been converted and has nothing to do with what was once. Artisans and artists have reoccupied the streets and set up their workshops. A host of colorful houses, narrow streets with the most peculiar shops, upstairs and downstairs and typical food little bars and restaurants that gives so much charm to the district. The laundry hanging from the windows on the street gives this neighborhood an unusual authenticity. It is ideal for a walk, take pictures, go to lunch one delicious hot chocolate in one of the cafes or visit any of their famous Marseilles soap factories. Bakeries and pastries also charge a special role.
This traditional neighborhood contrasts with the rest of Marseille, more stately. There would still have one of the most emblematic points of the city attractions such as La Vielle Charité , museum and cultural center or Place des Moulins that is also noteworthy for it is on top of the old neighborhood, still retaining two former fifteen windmills, now rehabilitated as dwellings.
Image: phgaillard2001
Don’t you want to immerse yourself in this enchanting city of Provence? Check out our flights here.
more infoGoing for a beer in Madrid
In Madrid, drinking beer is more than just a tradition, it’s almost an obligation.
When the working day is done, people go out for a beer. If it’s been a while since you saw someone, you meet them for a beer. Any excuse for a lager!
The beer is always perfectly poured and accompanied by some form of tapas. In Madrid there’s no other way of doing things.
Here we recommend one possible bar crawl if you fancy a few beers in Madrid but any bar in the Spanish capital is a good place to cañear (a verb that the Spanish have invented from the noun caña, meaning a small beer, and that is used to refer to the action of going out for a few beers).
We begin our bar crawl in the city centre, with three bars that come highly recommended: El Tigre,Cervantes and Kruger on Calle Princesa.
El Tigre is known for being a typical Spanish bar and for always being full. It specialises in cider and your drinks always come with tapas.
Kruger, on the other hand, is not like other Spanish bars. It is, in fact, a small slice of Germany in the centre of Madrid. Located near the Plaza España, this bar serves a wide variety of beers, ham hocks, salads and sausages.
Cervantes bar is close to the Parliament buildings, between the Sevilla and Antón Martín metro stations. Like all good bars, it’s always full and you’re guaranteed a perfectly poured beer and accompanying tapas.
Since there is also life beyond the city centre, let us also recommend the perfect place to go for a beer in other parts of Madrid.
Cazorla: This bar in the Salamanca district boasts quality, good service and generous tapas.
Fass: At this German restaurant you can purchase German products and, of course, enjoy a great beer.
Beer’s Corner: This bar is quite a distance from the city centre (in Ciudad Lineal) but it has one feature that many will find quite quirky. Whilst having a few beers here you can play on the Playstation with your friends, since there is one at every table.
Now do you feel like visiting Madrid? Check out our flights here !
more info