Who says you have to wait for the good weather to enjoy open-air music festivals? One way of having a final fling at the end of your ski season is by treating yourself to one of the festivals hosted on Europe’s summits, where pride of place goes to music and snow. One of these must-attend events is Snowboxx, a festival which brings both elements together and where musical quality, snow sports and entertainment are guaranteed.

This, the fourth edition of Snowboxx will be held from 18 to 25 March on the fantastic pistes of Avoriaz, in the French Alps, some 80 kilometres from Geneva airport. Basement Jaxx, Wilkinson and Hannah Wants are the highlights of this festival, which also features High Contrast, TQD (Royal T, DJ Q & Flava D), Karen Harding, Yousef, Norman Jay MBE, Bicep, Jax Jones, Charlie Tee and Charlie Swift, among others. So, you’re in for a heady shot of electronic music to see out the season of winter festivals.

But, music is not the only leading light of this festival, as it shares the bill with the snow, and everything you can do in (and with) it. 650 skiable kilometres distributed across 283 pistes (27 black, 104 red, 119 blue and 33 green) and 14 valleys, where you can ski or snowboard – a veritable paradise which any skiing or snowboarding enthusiast can explore. And, there’s more, as Avoriaz also has several snowparks which will wow all freestylers. Oh! And if you’re not a dab hand at sliding on snowbound surfaces, you can always join the mass snowfight organised by Snowboxx, or dance in an indoor swimming pool to the background music of some DJ.

Another ingredient of this festival is cuisine, essential for beating the low temperatures and repairing your energy wear and tear. So, don’t hesitate to build up your strength by savouring the local classics, such as raclette and fondue, or warming your hands on a glass of hot wine while you listen to your favourite music.

Avoriaz – A Car-free Area 

One of the unique features of Avoriaz, the ski resort which hosts Snowboxx, is that it is closed to all vehicular traffic. That means you can only get there on foot or by any means of transport purpose-designed for gliding on snow, namely horse-drawn carriages, sleighs or skis. This affords you the luxury of being able to walk from the hotel to the ski runs. For those of you who come by car, there are two parking lots, one open-air and the other covered (both pay facilities), where you can leave your vehicle during your stay.

Avoriaz, which has been operating since 1966, is located in the central area of the group of fourteen ski resorts making up thePortes du Soleil.The different sectors are Arare, Lindaret, Chavanette, Té, Chatel, Intrets, Prodains and Super Morzine.

Book your Vueling to Geneva, which lies 80 kilometres from Avoriaz, and enjoy this magnificent festival of electronic music.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Snowboxx

Greece and its islands are a paradise for tourists where culture, mythology, art, cuisine and incredible landscapes blend perfectly. But if people go to Santorini or Crete looking for a relaxing and peaceful holidays, they go to Mykonos in search of its leisure and its famous beach parties, like it happens for instance in Ibiza.

Mecca of gay tourism, people live without prejudice in Mykonos; it is a happy, carefree and cosmopolitan island as many people who visited Mykonos at the time as a tourist, and stayed falling in love of its style and life quality.

The facades of the houses in the tourist areas are painted twice a year of pure white and make a wonderful contrast to the blue, yellow or deep red of some domes or details in the houses, in a neat appearance.

During the day you can relax on the pristine beaches of Kalo Livadi, Agrari, Elia, Psarou, Paranga Gialos, Ornos or Kalafatis, and, when the night falls, enjoy their wide leisure offer.

Two of the most popular beaches are Paradise and Super Paradise, about 6 miles southwest of Chora; nice beaches with good infrastructures, particularly famous for its parties. When evening comes, the entire beach becomes a huge outdoor club where house music and lounge turn up the volume in different bars and people dance until dawn. Here is the Paradise Club, one of the most popular clubs on the island, especially for the younger public, with the best techno, pop rock and dance music.

Out of Paradise and Super Paradise, there is a great deal of small clubs or large macro-discos throughout the island:

Caprice Bar
caprice.gr

It has been in Alefkandra for years, one of the most beautiful areas of Mykonos, also known as Little Venice, with its low houses with porches that almost reach the water.

Cavo Paradiso
cavoparadiso.gr

With a privileged location on a cliff overlooking the sea, Cavo Paradise is the place for electronic music lovers. The best dj’s come around here during July and August!

Skandinavian
skandinavianbar.com

Located downtown and with two floors; the ground floor is occupied with bars with terraces and there is a dance floor upstairs where house and the most commercial hits sound.

Astra Bar
www.astra-mykonos.com

One of the classics of the Greek night. Its doors opened in 1987 and its decor is stunning. Since then, the Astra Bar is a place, not as big as the famous clubs of the island, but where you can find good music and an atmosphere away from the tourists. Sometimes they bring djs and boast their taste for good music.

Picture Little Venice by Zitumassin | Picture Mikonos by Sailko

Perfect plan to go with friends! Check our flights and sign up!

Gijon Sound is a musical movement that arose in Asturias during the early 1990s to become one of the most popular scenes in Spanish indie music. While Los Planetas were starting to define the musical movement in Granada that would go on to counter another musical scene created in Madrid during the 1980s by the name of the ‘Movida Madrileña’, La Buena Vida was doing the same in San Sebastian and El Niño Gusano in Zaragoza – decentralising the focus placed by Spanish music on the capital city that had so greatly featured in the ‘Movida Madrileña’.

Many of you will remember the most iconic band of this sound, Australian Blonde, whose hit song Chup Chup was used for the film ‘Las historias del Kronen’ by Montxo Armendáriz and was even heard on the radio shows of Los 40 Principales. However, you may be surprised to learn that other bands of equal importance coincided in time and space with Australian Blonde, such as Penelope Trip, Manta Ray and Nosoträsh. Penelope Trip provided the space for many of the bands from the movement to rehearse and Nacho Vegas from Manta Ray used to provide drinks at La Plaza – a bar that became the temple where all indie musicians from Asturias would gather. Many of the musicians from the Gijon Sound movement studied at Oviedo University and spent a great deal of time on the Milan Campus, whose cafeteria often served as a meeting place for the bands of the 1990s. Besides the bands mentioned above, other Asturian bands like Doctor Explosión should also be recognised as, although they were not fully involved in the indie sound of the Gijon Sound, they were in the right place at the right time. Also worthy of special mention are the bands created by the girlfriends of the members of bands in the Gijon Sound movement, such as Undershakers or Nosoträsh.

Other lesser-known bands could include Screamin’ Pijas, Las Buges or Babylon Chat, one of whose tracks is included in our Podcast, or the noisy Eiminator Jr., a band who took their name from a track by Sonic Youth on their Daydream Nation album and whose sound is closer to noise pop than that of the Gijon Sound.

This brief journey through the Asturian sound would not be complete without mention of Paco Loco, the producer for most of the Gijon Sound bands, who has become perhaps the most reputable producer of Spanish indie music, the Astro music label and the Gijon International Film Festival, one of the benchmark film festivals in Spain and very closely associated with this movement. The film festival regularly includes courses, discussions, meetings with directors and daily concerts or live music parties. (www.gijonfilmfestival.com)

We now offer you a brief tour of the bars around Gijon where the Gijon Sound movement was most present, some of which still conserve the same musical spirit today. We also offer a podcast including some typical Gijon Sound tracks for you to listen to while you visit the bars we recommend here.

The small, cramped but charming bars and good music of Cimadevilla are an essential requirement for experiencing the nightlife in Asturias. Let us begin in the Plaza de la Corrada, more specifically at the La Plaza bar, spiritual home of the Gijon Sound. Very close to La Plaza, you will find Soho, which plays great Spanish music until four in the morning and then British music until the sun rises. Soho has a well-kept secret: a small upper floor accessed by climbing some steps that is easily among the best in the Gijon nightlife. We cannot fail to mention the most legendary bar in the city: Escocia. This bar has become a refuge for those of us in our early forties and still maintains the spirit of the Gijon Sound. El Patio de la Favorita is another trendy bar, with great music and a live DJ every night. On the way, between the Plaza de El Marqués and El Patio, and as long as you like a good gin & tonic, Lola Gin is a great place for you to enjoy a G&T with cucumber, lemon or lime.

1. La Plaza, Travesía de la Corrada con la de Atocha, Gijon
2. Soho, Calle de las Cruces, 33201 Gijon
3. Escocia, 7 Calle de Santa Lucía, 33206 Gijon
4. El Patio de la Favorita, 4 Calle Ezcurdia, 33203 Gijon
5. Lola Rojo Gin, 5 Calle de San Antonio, 33201 Gijon

Perfect plan to go with friends! Check our flights and sign up! 

Some myths about European cities could do with an upgrade. One of these has Hamburg labelled as an eminently professional destination associated with the work sector. While there is some truth to that, it would be a crass error to reduce Germany’s second largest city to the sole status of business haven. Indeed, under the hood of that metropolis, which forms its own federal state (it covers an area of 755 square kilometres), seethes a cultural scene which is well worth venturing into. This nerve centre of Germanic arts also boasts a highly prominent music scene.

Any fan of The Beatles knows that Hamburg is the place where the group hatched their plot to rise to stardom. There are even routes which take you to the spots trodden by the Fab Four. But, far from aiming to live off the past and beatlemania,Hamburg features a powerful network of concert halls with highly varied programmes, both in terms of live music and DJs eager to blast out any kind of sound. Hamburg is a cosmopolitan capital and this comes out in their open-mindedness about all artistic activity.

A tour of these live music clubs might start at III&70, a venue on Schulterblatt street which spotlights upcoming artists. From singer-songwriters to rock groups, electronic music and jam sessions (the most crowded nights of the week).III&70 also has a café famed for its generous breakfasts and an outdoor terrace with some fabulous table football.

Still in the Schulterblatt area, a short walk away we come to Kleiner Donner, the hub of Hamburg’s hip hop scene. While small, this basement locale packs a punch. Here, DJs and MCs eager to make their mark combine explosive scratches with freakish rhythms. This is one of the city’s coolest clubs – be sure to get there early at the weekend; otherwise you are likely to get shut out, as their capacity is rather limited.

Pressing on with the itinerary as far as Nobistor street, in the city centre, we stop off at Molotow, one of the most respected concert halls in Hamburg. Inaugurated in 1990, in the run-up to the times of alternative rock fever, such groups as The White Stripes and At The Drive -Inhave graced their stage. Their current offerings are headed by punk, as well as independent pop and rock bands. Like Kleiner Donner, this is a basement venue which acts as a pressure cooker when crowded. A hundred per cent rock and roll.

Let’s leave behind the “modern” styles and venture into the world of jazz and swing – the latter on the up and up of late. Indeed, Hamburg’s Cotton Club is a living history of live music in Germany. In fact, it is the oldest venue is in town devoted to jazz – in 2009 they celebrated their fiftieth anniversary. Located near Planten un Blomen, a park and botanical gardens in the heart of Hamburg – their own Central Park, to be sure – Cotton Club offers live music all days of the week. And, their gigs are reinforced by an exquisite array of house cocktails.

Another historic place of mandatory pilgrimage is Logo, sited next door to Universität Hamburg. Opened in 1974, its small stage was honoured by the likes of Echo & The Bunnymen, The Jayhawks, Peaches, Modest Mouse, Rammstein, Blink 182, Ben Folds Five, Dillinger Escape Plan, Phoenix and Oasis before their rise to stardom. Nowadays they feature established groups interspersed with upcoming talent touting to make a name for themselves in pop and rock. Logo also offers an appealing programme of tribute bands.

Fire up and discover Hamburg’s musical scene – book your Vueling here.

Text by Xavi Sánchez for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS