What do cities like Cannes, Berlin,Venice, San Sebastián or Locarno have in common? Well, they all host long-standing film festivals and, for a number of days and at different spots in town, all feature both screenings and parallel events as a tribute to the seventh art. Visiting these cities during a festival reveals a different side to them. Instead of the conventional tourist escapade, it involves experiencing the city from a cultural viewpoint like any of its residents. To the above-mentioned cities we should add Rotterdam, famous for having one of the largest maritime harbours in the world. It is also an industrial centre and a capital of football, with three teams in the Dutch top-flight Eredivisie – Feyenoord, Sparta and Excelsior. Over and above that, however, Rotterdam is privileged to host a highly potent film festival which turns the city into one of the leading world cinema hubs for a period of twelve days.

This time around, the International Film Festival Rotterdam (its official name) will take place from 25 January to 5 February 2017, and the programme is dedicated to art house films, both European and international, and the leading figures of independent cinema. This year is dedicated to a retrospective of Jan Němec, one of the paramount filmmakers in Czech cinema, who died a few months ago. A tribute to his figure will involve screening his best known films, as well as a posthumous film, The Wolf from Royal Vineyard Street. The official festival lineup will feature the latest movies by Jim Jarmusch, Paterson and Gimme Danger, in addition to the long-awaited film, Jackie, by Pablo Larraín, starring Natalie Portman.

The focal point of the festival will be De Doelen, a venue with an eventful history in downtown Rotterdam. Its location gives you plenty of time to stroll around and discover the city between screenings. De Doelen was built in 1966 and is both a convention centre and the primary venue of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. The other cinemas providing screenings are also in the city centre, in such charming theatres as Oude Luxor and the Pathé Schouwburgplein. They are relatively near some museums which are well worth visiting, including the Maritime Museum, devoted to the importance of maritime culture and various aspects of sailing. Apart from the exhibition space, it features a canal in the surrounding area offering all types of parallel activities. The Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum is Rotterdam’s stellar art museum with an amazing collection, a dream come true for any painting enthusiast. Its exhibits include works by Salvador Dalí, Tintoretto, Hubert van Eyck, Willem Heda and Pieter Bruegel, among others, but it doesn’t stop there – the museum also covers other art disciplines (industrial design, installations, graffiti) and itinerant exhibitions that are refreshed each month. By the way – the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum is just a stone’s throw away from Museumpark, one of the city’s lungs and most beautiful parks.

Apart from the aforementioned films and cycles, the International Film Festival Rotterdam also hosts a number of out-of-the-ordinary special screenings. One of the most prominent is a whole, day-long session dedicated to children. This year it falls on Sunday 29 January and features a selection of films which the little ones can enjoy in the company of their parents. Other events worth mentioning include two short marathons to be hosted on 4 February. Lasting six hours each, they will be held in the Kino Rotterdam, a cinema where you can also have dinner or a drink, if you wish. Check out the rest of the festival events here.

Be sure to discover Rotterdam through the prism of its cinema festival – book your Vueling here.

Text by Xavi Sánchez for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

With the major holiday period in the year now behind us, we have to make do with what meagre morsels the calendar offers in the form of long weekends. As a destination, La Palma offers myriad possibilities but, if time is at a premium, you have to narrow your sights. To help you get your priorities right, we have drawn up a set of activities and experiences worth looking into on the “Beautiful Island”, as it is known. So, listen up!

Off to the Beach

La Palma boasts spectacular beaches of black sand – some of them awarded a blue flag – and countless natural pools. And, best of all, they are known for being uncrowded. The feeling of being alone on one of these beaches is invaluable. Tempting, isn’t it? Nogales, Los Cancajos, Bajamar, Echentive, Charco Azul and La Fajana are just some of them.

Venturing Along the Trails

The island features 708 kilometres of trails leading to unique enclaves of extraordinary beauty. And, luckily enough, there are routes for everyone, from cross-country pros to sporadic ramblers.

Enjoy the Night Sky

La Palma also has one of the best astrophysical observatories in the world. The fact it was built here comes as no surprise, as you will see for yourself when you come to the island and gaze up into the night sky. To view the wonderful starry sky, get away from built-up areas and look up. The rest of the experience is your own affair!

Adventures For the Picking

La Palma stands out for the broad array of open-air activities on offer. You can tour along cycle or quad routes, spend the day in a multi-adventure park, visit an organic banana plantation, venture down a volcanic tube, go on long canoe excursions, dive in crystal-clear waters, do hang-gliding or go on a pleasure boat ride. These are just a few options to bear in mind when you plan your next getaway to the Beautiful Island.

Indulge Your Appetite on La Palma Dishes

We recommend the following menu: for starters, chicharrones. As a first course, garbanzas. Main course, carne de cabra con papas arrugadas. And, for dessert, a bienmesabe. We won’t tell you what they’re made of so as not to spoil the mystery! To drink, a good, white albillo wine, a red or rosé, or the unique, grand Malvasia – make sure it’s from La Palma. Bon appetit!

Historical Heritage

Churches with Baroque altarpieces and Flemish art, the likes of Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, in Tijarafe and Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Mansions known ascasonas,with stunning patios and wooden balconies, stone country houses, some with cisterns, especially in the north of the island. La Palma’s architectural heritage is bountiful, featuring well preserved buildings redolent with history which will leave you speechless.

Get going and discover the island for yourself – check out our flights here.

Text and images by Turismo de La Palma

Now that the end of the year draws near, you are bound to have a few spare days. Here’s a great recommendation for spending a delightful long weekend in Gran Canaria. As you will see, it is time enough to get a good taste of one of the pearls of the Atlantic. Why wait to discover it? Four days on the island will yield any number of plans to take a well-earned break from your routine. Here, then, is a compendium of practical tips for making the most of your stay on the island.

Thursday

As soon as you leave the airport, your best bet is to head south and have your first weekend splash in the ocean. Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés await you with their large tracts of pale yellow sand where you can sunbathe safely all year around. If you’re looking to switch off real quick, take an adventurous stroll in the heart of the sand dunes or play golf on one of the quiet courses in the area.

Be sure to visit charming Puerto de Mogán, the ideal spot for promenading and savouring fresh fish in any of the restaurants at the seaside.

Friday

Begin the day by taking a route across the north of the island. And where better than to aim for the town of Arucas, where homes are harmoniously interspersed with banana plantations? Its most striking landmark is the Neogothic Church of San Juan Bautista, built with stone quarried in the municipality itself. Another highlight of your itinerary is the Arehucas rum factory, where the celebrated beverage is made in the oldest and largest rum distillery in Europe.

On the way to the north-western triangle of Gran Canaria, make a point of visiting the Gáldar Painted Cave, a museum and archaeological park based on a large native deposit. If you then press on towards the picturesque village of Agaete, you will marvel at the rugged rock formations adorning the coastline. Enjoy a sunset there and take time to upload to your social networks some stunning panoramas. Your main subject is likely to be the striking dragon’s tail plotted by the cliff faces which the ocean has eroded over millions of years.

Saturday

Time to discover Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a modern, cosmopolitan capital city. Have a walk through Vegueta, the historic old town and stop over at the Christopher Columbus House Museum which boasts a valuable cultural legacy encapsulating the relationship which the island has maintained with the Americas for five centuries. The Calle Mayor de Triana has all you need for a busy shopping day, as it is lined with shops stocking both local brands and international labels.

The Pérez Galdós House Museum, where the universally acclaimed Canary Island writer was born, is another point of interest before heading to Las Canteras, one of the finest urban beaches in Spain. Open-air concerts are held there as part of the “Ruta Playa Viva” (Living Beach Route), one of the most attractive leisure proposals in the city.

Sunday

The rich natural heritage of Gran Canaria reaches its climax in the island’s interior. On Sunday you can drop in on the street markets to taste the best of local cuisine and choose a souvenir from among their regional craftwork. Devotion in Teror involves pampering the “Virgen del Pino” (Virgin of the Pine), the patron saint of the Canary Island diocese. This is where you start a climb up to Tejeda and Artenara.

A phenomenon known as the “sea of clouds” spreads out at your feet, in a breathtaking landscape which Miguel de Unamuno described as a “petrified storm”. Look out over the Roque Nublo and Roque Bentayga outcrops; then close your eyes and engrave that stunning picture in your mind’s eye forever. Why wait to experience it for yourself? Check out our flights here.

Images by the Patronato Turismo Gran Canaria

Brindisi, known as the "Gateway to the East" because formerly strategic port of way for the Roman troops and its proximity to Greece and links with Turkey and Albania, is also the starting point for discovering the beauty of the countryside and small villages of his province, that spread along the coast and inland, in the valley of Itria, a journey that reveals the traces of its past with places full of art and history.

Itria Valley spread the provinces of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto and is known as the land of the Trulli (Valle dei Trulli). It is an ancient circular building with a conical shape and stone deck very characteristics of the area, you'll find scattered throughout the valley, but especially well preserved in places like Alberobello or Locorotondo.

There is an extensive network of green routes perfectly entitled to travel by bicycle and discover the beauty of its vast territory, winding through towns like Ceglie Messapica, Mesagne, Ostuni, San Vito dei Normans or Francavilla Fontana.

Brindisi

Brindisi has a great promenade but if you get into its narrow streets, you will discover its beautiful historical center that keeps many surprises, like many churches, Roman monuments and palaces. In Brindisi ends Via Appia, which was the most important road of ancient Rome. The 'Regina Viarum "connected Rome with Capua with its 530 km long, extending from the Porta Sebastiano of Rome to Brindisi, where two columns indicated its end point (nowadays only one of them is preserved). It was ordered to built in 312 BC by the censor Appius Claudius Caecus.

The white city of Ostuni

Called the White City for its picturesque whitewashed houses, Ostuni stands with all its beauty on three hills, giving it the appearance of an ancient Greek city. The city center is enclosed among Aragonese walls that remain from the original fifteen and the defenses surrounding the medieval city. Inside the fortress, there is a fascinating maze of narrow streets that lead to small squares and tangled alleys and stairs leading to the top, where we find the majestic Cathedral, and from where we can admire amazing views of olive trees plains.

Cisternino

On one of the terraces Mugia there is one of the jewels of Italy; Cisternino is one of the most beautiful towns in Italy. Cisternino, the capital of the Itria Valley, has received one orange flag thanks for the preservation of its historical city center. It is delicious to walk among the palaces of Amatialacio and Capece, the tower Normanda or severals ancient churches. Porches, white houses with flowered balconies, narrow alleyways, patios and stairs make the stroll through this delightful old village.

Natural Reserve of Torre Guaceto

The marine protected area and nature reserve of Torre Guaceto is just under 30 miles from Brindisi. Fortunately, this area has remained virtually untouched, apart from the wild constructions that have flooded other parts of the coast. This small oasis of tranquility allows cycling on the roads of scrub and olive trees, diving to admire the beauty of its coral reefs and seabed vegetation or simply enjoy its sandy beaches and crystal clear waters.

Grottoes of Castellana

A walk of about two hours into the depths of this underground world, which runs between stalactites and stalagmites, and that takes you to the White Grotto, a beautiful cave with limestone formations reflected in the underground lake creating a visual spectacle indescribable.

Cisternino by Kiuz | Grottoes of Castellana by tango7174 | Ostuni by Dronkitmaster | Torre Guaceto by Yoruno | Trulli by yellow.cat

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