Karlín is Prague’s emerging quarter. However, it had a rather lacklustre past, as it was one of the city’s industrial districts in the 19th century. A network of grid-pattern streets were built during that period, as well as a central square and a picturesque church. Countless factories of all types were erected alongside late-classical-style buildings with typical bay windows. One of the standout landmarks from those times is the Negrelli Viaduct, a bridge linking two important railway stations on either side of a river. The 1960s saw the construction of one of the first areas of reinforced concrete-slab buildings, as well as a hotel of dubious taste – the Olympik – just when Prague was a hot candidate to host the Olympic Games. The city’s first metro line, built in 1974, had its terminus in Karlín, in the station called Florenc.

The Karlín district features some stunning contemporary buildings. A clear example of this is the Corso complex, made up of Corso I, Corso II and Corso III, a renovation and reconstruction project designed by Ricardo Bofill. Another noteworthy project in the district is River City Prague, made up of the buildings Danube House, Nile House, Amazon Court and River Diamond. We were impressed by the Keystone office building for its references to Cubism, a style that made its mark in the Czech Republic a century ago. However, the dominant landmark in Karlín’s skyline is the Main Point Karlín office building which in 2012 was designated the most sustainable office building in the world. This unusual construction also boasts a terrace-garden open all year around which affords striking views of Prague’s historic city.

Cafés, Bistros & Restaurants in Karlín

Karlín sustained serious damage on account of flooding in 2002. Reclamation work took a year to complete before the area returned to normal. The flood repairs were used as a pretext to restore some of the district’s standout buildings and to embark on an intensive housing building scheme, which in turn spawned a host of new bars and restaurants that are now must-visit venues on a sightseeing tour of Prague. Be sure to visit Lyckovo Namesti Square and its surrounding area.

The area has been largely taken over by new businesses related to the hospitality sector in recent years. To guide you through the intricate web of venues, we have short-listed the following:

Muj Salek Kavy

The forte of this establishment is undoubtedly its coffee, which is very well made. The interior is cosy. You can take a breather and catch up on your networking here. If you’re feeling peckish, we can recommend the yoghurt with fruit and muesli.

Kafé Karlin

Said to be the most authentic café in Prague. They also offer coffee tasting sessions. Watch out, though, as the small premises fill up quick. The expresso and cappuccino are awesome.

Theatro Café & Restaurant

It features striking interior design and is well worth visiting to have a coffee, tea or breakfast. But, if you want lunch or dinner, you’d be better off looking at other options. Bookings admitted. The premises are spacious and thus suitable for groups. The café has a terrace, too.

Veltlin

Simply the best wine bar in the Czech Republic. They offer biodynamic wines sourced locally, as well as from Slovakia, Austria and many other countries (particularly Central European). The spot has become a trendy after-work bar in Prague. Lunch and dinner are also served.

Krystal Mozaika Bistro

A good place to discover meat-based Czech cuisine. The beef hamburger and roast chicken are really delicious. But, there are other tasty dishes, too, notably the French onion soup and potatoes au gratin.

The Pub

The interesting thing about this pub is the beer tap at each table. It is part of a chain of establishments in the city, but the typical Czech food is also very good here.

Hamburk Pub

As in the rest of the country, great care is lavished on beer here. You can also enjoy freshly prepared homemade cuisine. They offer traditional Czech dishes based on locally sourced fresh ingredients.

Bistro Proti Proudu

This bistro is noted for its excellent service. Their menu is exquisite and varied. We tried the hummus and carrot cake, which were delicious. This venue is ideal for a fast snack or sandwich. Comfortable interior.

Gate Restaurant

The perfect spot for coming to grips with local cuisine. The chicken soup and goulash are excellent, as is the traditional interior design. Bear in mind that smoking is still allowed on the ground floor, which struck us as being rather odd. Reasonably priced.

Charleston

Provides live music every night. This is the ideal spot for having a drink after dinner or to press on with the quest of tasting the various beers in the region.

In short, Karlín is an exceptional quarter of Prague. Its reconstruction achieved a balanced mix of office buildings and residential ones. Many people of diverse tastes and with a variety of professions live and move around this quarter. Don’t wait to discover it. Check out our flights here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Czech Tourism, Commons Wikipedia

Those who think cultural tourism is a 21st-century invention are well off course – Venice invented it long ago. Intent on setting the city under the international spotlight, the first International Art Exhibition ever was held there in 1895. That is, the Venice Biennale, which has continued until this day.

The undisputed artificer of the avant-garde art pulse – Documenta notwithstanding – the Biennale has run into its 57th edition without losing steam. Six months full-out, from 13 May to 26 November, during which the city is invaded by contemporary art, which takes over both land and sea. What with vaporetti, churches and palazzi, we visited the city of canals to soak up the latest trends, soon to descend on museums and art galleries across half the globe. Let the Grand Tour begin!

Survival Manual

A cautionary word to all navigators – moving through the Biennale is no mean feat. The key – comfortable footwear, strategically placed accommodation and solid planning. The offerings are boundless and the spaces, gargantuan.

The main facilities are located at the Arsenale and the Giardini di Castello. Those are the sites of the official exhibition, Viva Arte Viva, as well as many of the 85 national pavilions dotting the island. And, as if that weren’t enough, the list is augmented by countless top-notch parallel exhibitions and events that have staked out their territory in the city’s historic buildings.

My advice – keep calm and don’t get flustered. The marathon only comes around every two years. Set aside three days on your agenda and you won’t succumb in the attempt. Take up lodgings in the area of Il Castello, the Biennale’s hard core, thereby avoiding vaporetto tickets. And, have a notebook on you and a camera with fully charged batteries so you can review the sights once you’re back home.

In the Giardini – the Cream of the Crop

Separating the wheat from the chaff can be exhausting. By way of a warm-up, we headed south-east, to the confines of the city. Located there are the Giardini di Castello, Venice’s green lung par excellence and the preserve of the national pavilions (a somewhat archaic idea, a reminder that the current Biennale is an updated version of the classical trade fairs of yesteryear). The fact is that in Venice each state has its own building to showcase to the world the cream of the crop of its contemporary art production, by way of an Art Olympics where the winner manages to show the most muscle.

While the Biennale is all about art, it is in fact also about power and architecture. In terms of the latter, some pavilions shine with a light of their own. Not to be missed are the Finland pavilion, built in timber modules by the luminary, Alvar Aalto, the father of modern Scandinavian architecture; the Austrian pavilion, the work of Josef Hoffmann who, together with Gustav Klimt, founded the Vienna Secession, and that of The Netherlands, its open forms highlighting the minimalist elegance of 1950s neoplasticism.

But, let’s get back to art and to the most talked-about offerings. The Golden Lion for the Best Pavilion was awarded to Germany, where artist Anne Imhof installed a glass floor under which performances displaying the world “as a kennel” take place. France depicts a musical space and recording studio, Studio Venezia, an installation designed by Xavier Veilhan where musicians and artists from all over the world perform. And Austria draws all the camera flashes with a lorry standing on its nose by Erwin Wurm, a playful proposal in a pavilion redolent with sculptures which visitors can interact and have fun with.

The Off Programme

Side shows, parallel exhibitions, talks, dialogues, performances and film cycles – no body is built to withstand Venice. Indeed, the official programme is rivalled by a series of first-rate artistic proposals staged in churches, foundations and museums around the city. Here, then, are the juiciest offerings in the Off-Biennale 2017.

Damien Hirst has hit Venice with a two-fold proposal. At collector François Pinault’s art spaces, the Punta della Dogana and the Palazzo Grassi, he has installed his latest eccentricities,including an 18-metre-high sculpture which rises into the firmament. In keeping with the British artist we are familiar with, his show is pure spectacle, and the perfect excuse to visit two historic buildings overlooking the Grand Canal.

The tiny island of San Giorgio Maggiore surrenders unconditionally to Michelangelo Pistoletto. A key figure of Arte Povera and one of the most prominent Italian artists, Pistoletto presents One and One Makes Three, an exhibition housed in an abbey designed by Palladio where he showcases a selection of his works created between the 60s and the present, also featuring his popular “Venus of the Rags”.

We wind up our marathon tour at the Palazzo Fortuny, a Venetian Gothic gem which rises between the Rialto Bridge and St Mark’s Square. This former home and studio of painter Marià Fortuny houses both the artist’s collection and temporary exhibitions. This time around, it is the turn of Intuition, a collective display dedicated to the evocative power of art and featuring such great names as André Breton, Joan Miró, Vassily Kandinsky, Marina Abramovic and Anish Kapoor.

Thus far our review of the Biennale, a centennial event which reinvents itself each year and showcases art to suit all tastes, interests and theories. We’re off to the canals!

Book your Vueling to Venice here

Text by Núria Gurina

Photos by: Andrea Avezzù, Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, Francesco Galli, g.sighele, imagea.org, Erin Johnson

In terms of tourism, Germany is much more than just Berlin, Munich and Hamburg. In recent years, some cities from the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) are gaining prominence like any other, having shaken off the dust and deadweight of the Socialist regime they lived under during the Cold War. One of these newly emerging cities is Leipzig, its waxing popularity driven by the art scene, its recent history and the great vitality of its inhabitants. In the following we pinpoint the reasons that make Leipzig the ideal destination for your next getaway.

Leipzig – A Music Destination

Listen up, classical music lovers! Music is very much in vogue in Leipzig, and I mean goodmusic, largely owing to the city’s past. It is famous for composers of the calibre of Johann Sebastian Bach, who was cantor of the Choir at St Thomas Church, one of the oldest in the world. And of Robert Schumann and Clara Wieck, who entertained their contemporaries as musicians and as a couple. For Felix Mendelssohn, Leipzig was where he spent the last few years of his life, while the city is the birthplace of Richard Wagner. The Augustusplatz is the city’s music hub and the site of the Gewandhaus concert hall, a Brutalist-style building which houses one of the most widely acclaimed symphonic orchestras. Right opposite stands the Opera, the third oldest in Europe. Oddly enough, the two institutions share the same conductor.

Leipzig – A Defiant City

The chain of events that led to the downfall of the GDR unfolded precisely in Leipzig. Throughout 1989, a number of masses and peaceful protests were held around the Church of St Nicholas that gradually wore down the old, established regime and led to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Stasi, the feared secret police of East Germany, witnessed these events in silence, as, faced with growing grass-roots pressure, they declined to intervene. Leipzig boasted numerous printing presses in the second half of the 20th century and, in order to monitor their activity, the Stasi had their headquarters set up in the so-called Haus zur runden Ecke (House of the Rounded Corner). Today it is a museum showcasing the workings of the former State security, which so hobbled the lives of the GDR’s citizens.

Leipzig – A Trade Centre & River Port

Leipzig has long been a major trade centre and, to provide merchants conducting their business with shelter from the inclement weather – rainy and overcast most of the year – around twenty covered arcades were built. Two of the best known arcades are Speck’s Hof – the oldest in Leipzig, which currently showcases some magnificent paintings and ceramic medallions, and the Mädler arcade with its stylish glass skylight and the historic Auerbachs Keller restaurant, where Goethe overheard the stories that inspired Faust when he was studying in Leipzig. As a tribute to the celebrated writer, there are two statues dedicated to the main characters in this paramount work of universal literature.

Leipzig’s commercial calling is partly due to the White Elster river, a sub-tributary of the Elbe, which numerous canals criss-crossing the city flow into. They also provide a different way of discovering it – from a small boat.

Leipzig – An Artistic Melting Pot

The Saxon city is currently one of the favourite destinations among painters, designers and creators from the world over on account of the lively art scene that has blossomed in the Spinnerei, once Europe’s largest spinning mill. Today it is an unusual, colossal cultural centre where contemporary art is produced and exhibited. It features twelve art galleries, a hundred art studios and over a hundred cubicles rented out to creators who flock to Leipzig to soak up the latest trends and share their know-how with other colleagues. Here, they feel very much at home.

Leipzig – A Grand City

Leipzig is a distinguished city with character and some striking monuments and other buildings. Prominent in the Augustusplatz is the Paulinum, one of the Leipzig University buildings, featuring a facade emulating the Paulinerkirche, the former university church which was senselessly dynamited in 1968 during the times of the GDR regime. Another building which stands out, at least for its height, is the City-Hochhaus, known as the “wisdom tooth” on account of its design. The top floor of this landmark houses the Panorama Tower restaurant and viewing platform. Their lunch menu is very reasonable and the eatery is worth visiting, if only for the splendid views.

The city also features a colossal monument which, apart from being oversized, also has an unpronounceable name – the Völkerschlachtdenkmal– which was built to commemorate the Battle of the Nations in 1813, specifically the defeat of Napoleon at Leipzig by a coalition of nations, namely Prussia, Russia, Sweden and Austria.

Come and discover this German city – check out your Vueling here.

Text by Tus Destinos

Images by Robin Kunz, Michael Bader, Peter Hirth, LTM-Tom Schulze, Nils Petersen

By the southwest of Germany you can find the federal state of Baden-Württemberg and Stuttgart as the capital city. Even the name can be unknown it’s the second most touristic region in the country, full of fascinating spots.

For instance, Stuttgart is the main gateway to enter the mysterious Black Forest, the impressive Constance lake, the stunning mountain rage of Swabian Jura o little fairytale towns like Esslingen, Freiburg, Ludwigsburg, Baden-Baden o Heidelberg. Now it all sounds a bit more familiar, right?

Black Forest

This is an area well known for the cuckoo clocks, famous among German. The Black Forest has a long tradition of cuckoo clocks makers, since 1740. In the touristic town of Triberg you will fins the biggest cuckoo clock in the world, also the second on the list. At 12:00 by noon you can see the 4-meters cuckoo singing.

Another curiosity from Triberg is that is where the traditional recipe of the Black Forest cake, the most famous in German gastronomy, comes from. It’s made of layers of sponge cake, cream and cherry jam. You can find it at Café Schäfer, open since 1915.

If you’re into that, there is also Gengenbach, a fairytale town you can visit. Actually, here is where Tim Burton filmed Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. Not many changes were needed, as the cobbled streets, timbered and flowered balconies make Gengenbach a very charming town already.

Apparently, everything goes big in the little towns of the Black Forest. The windows at Gengenbach City Council (from 17th century) get open from Advent Sunday until Christmas, becoming the biggest Advent Calendar in the world.

To the west of the Black Forest, you will find the university town of Friburgo, considered the greener town in Germany and the one with more sun. Surrounded by nature, this is the perfect place to organize outdoor activities anytime during the year.

Following this series of stories, highlight that the Black Forest is primarily leading on rural tourism because of its large forest, green valleys and large lakes, like Glaswaldsee, Mummelsee, Kimbergsee, Feldsee or Titisee.

Constance Lake

But if we have to highlight something, probably the better known spot – as it’s the largest continental lake in Germany – is the Constance Lake, through the borders of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The immensity makes it impossible to look further than an horizon of crystalline water, as if it was an ocean. Here is the final point of the tourist route Architecture of Elegant, almost 3,000 kilometers long.

For the rich enviorment and the little towns surrounding it -Constanza, Lindau or Wasserburg– the Constance Lake is a valuable cultural and natural heritage.

The lake, almost 74 kilometers long, has 3 wonderful islands inside that you can visit. Mainau – which can be reached through a bridge, is a paradise full of flowers and plants, as it’s better known as the ‘Flowers Island’, and a wide variety of butterflies are here. The Lindau Island is known for the port with a lighthouse and the Bavarian Lion and, finally, the Reichenau island, connected to the mainland by a bridge, has a monastery and churches which are condisered Human Heritage by UNESCO.

Swabian Jura

Swabian Jura goes trough the Baden-Württemberg state. It’s a medium-height mountain range, because of the erosion suffered by the peaks along the years. Danube and other rivers created deep valleys and is also one of the areas in the planet with the largest number of volcanoes.

Along the range there are stunning castles and palaces but, among all of them, the great Hohenllorn castle must be highlighted, it’s located at the top of the mountain of the same name.

The interior houses treasures such as the Crown of William II, personal effects of Frederick II of Prussia or a letter from George Washington to Baron von Steuben.

It’s operative as a museum and one of the main attractions in the area; even it’s a reconstruction built in the 19th century, homage to the Hohenzollern dynasty.

Maineau by Stako | Freiburg by joergens | The biggest cuckoo clockr by MrSurrender | Constance Lake by Markus Bernet | Hohenllorn castle by Uvatter

Makes you want to go, right? Do it! Check out our prices here!