march-2012

148 | DESTINATION GUIDES More free monthly guides available at traveller.easyJet.com
Lyon
France
two stars by the
Michelin guide a few
months later. Expect
classic dishes revisited
with modernity and
alternative ingredients
served up with an
impressive wine list
carefully selected
to suit all palates.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Le Broc’
Café (2 Place de
l’Hopital, tel: 04 7240
6401) If the weather’s
nice, the terrace is a
great little place to
chat and sip a glass
of wine over a bulging
charcuterie platter.
A popular hangout for
locals after work.
LIVE MUSIC Hot
Club (26 Rue Lanterne,
1st, tel: 04 7839 5474)
This mellow cavern fi lls
out every weekend with
locals and visitors alike,
who come to enjoy its
renowned jazz sounds.
LATE & LIVELY
Sound Factory (73
Rue du Bourbonnais)
Lyon’s take on a venue
that resembles The
Ministry of Sound.
International DJs, VIP
alcoves, pricey drinks
and the very best of
the latest tunes boom
through the place until
the early hours.
THIS MONTH
SHOP Between Rues
Edouard Herriot (2nd)
and the mile-long
Rue de la République,
you’ll fi nd entrances
to quaint arcades. The
glass-roofed Passage
de l’Argue is full of
old-fashioned artisans
including milliners
and cutlers, who now
share the space with
more modern trades.
SEE Ballet lovers
are in for a treat as
Lyon’s impressive
Amphitheatre 3000
welcomes the Moscow
Theatre Ballet (14
March), the Cuban
ballet (27th) and
Ravel’s Bolero (28th).
GO One of
France’s oldest and
most established
international fairs
takes place from the
16–26 March. The
Foire Internationale de
Lyon, now in its 94th
year, expects to draw
in almost a quarter
of a million visitors
to take advantage of
exhibits on everything
from home, wellbeing
and leisure.
ESCAPE The
car-free Beaujolais
Voie Verte, stretching
from Beaujea to
St Jean d’Ardières,
off ers seven circuits
to discover the real
Beaujolais countryside.
From Belleville head
onwards to Château
de Corcelles – a
lovely detour from
the vineyards.
NO WAY!
A local association
has awarded the
“Authentique Bouchon
Lyonnais” label to 22
restaurants. The award
considers the quality
of the food and wine,
the decor and the
owners’ personalities.
John Brown
Madeira
Portugal
DIALLING CODE +351
CURRENCY €
FLY FROM
Bristol, Lisbon,
London (LGW, STN)
FROM THE
AIRPORT
TAXI
Enjoy lunch with us.
Come for dinner, stay for the night.
Pre-book your taxi
at easyJet.com.
A local taxi costs €30.
The Aerobus
goes to the main
hotel area. Tickets: €5.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €30
Restaurante Quinta
das Cruzes (31 Rua
Mouraria, tel: 291 740
670) In the gardens
of this excellent
house museum is a
café-restaurant with
dazzling views over
Funchal. It’s a sublime
lunch spot for grilled
meats, pasta or
risotto, or you can just
pop in for a drink.
EXCLUSIVE Quinta
do Furão (Achada do
Gramacho, Santana,
tel: 291 570 100) In
the north of Madeira,
the spectacular
heights of this cliff top
restaurant are only
matched by the quality
of its cuisine. Start
with a consommé of
pheasant with quails
eggs, move on to baked
sea bass with fennel
and asparagus or local
beef cutlets, and round
it off with local cheeses.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Joe’s Bar
(Quinta Penha França,
Rua Imperatriz Dona
Amélia, tel: 291 204
650) Joe’s Bar has a
distinctly colonial feel:
enjoy a cocktail with
background piano
music in the fragrant,
semi-tropical gardens.
LATE & LIVELY
Copacabana (Rua
Imperatriz Dona
Amélia, tel: 291 233
111) Part of Oscar
Niemeyer’s casino
complex, Copacabana
serves up a suitably
fl amboyant mixture of
dazzling lights, catchy
sounds and a healthy
mixture of locals and
tourists having a
good time until the
small hours.
THIS MONTH
SEE Canhas, west
of Funchal, hosts its
annual Sugar Cane
Fair this month,
which, as well as
displaying its sweet
crop, includes
traditional food and
drinks stalls, live
music and various
activities. March also
sees Porto Santo’s
Columbo Marathon
and the Iberian Cup
Long Triathlon.
NO WAY!
It’s claimed that the
American Declaration
of Independence was
toasted with a glass
of Madeira wine.
Matthew Hancock
Madrid
Spain
DIALLING CODE +34
CURRENCY €
FLY FROM
Amsterdam,
Basel-Mulhouse, Berlin,
Bilbao, Bordeaux,
Bristol, Crete
(Heraklion), Dubrovnik,
Edinburgh, Geneva,
Ibiza, Lanzarote,
Lisbon, Liverpool,
London (LGW, LTN),
Lyon, Manchester,
Menorca, Milan (MXP),
Naples, Olbia, Paris
(CDG), Rome, Tangier,
Toulouse, Venice
FROM THE
AIRPORT
TAXI
Pre-book your taxi
at easyJet.com.
A local taxi costs €30.
A three-day
travel card gives
you unlimited use
within zone A. Buy
onboard, tickets: €13.
Metro line 8
connects to the
city centre. Tickets €2.
Visit the Europcar
desk for special
easyJet rates.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €15
Tomates Verdes
Fritos (27 Calle Santa
Isabel, tel: 915 271
126) This restaurant is
perfect for an informal
lunch or dinner. The
front bar area off ers
MOLLY MALONE’S
ULYSSES
O’DONNELL’S
delicious tapas and
excellent wines, while
the main dining room,
with its fi lm-theme
decor, serves up
Spanish favourites.
UP TO €30 La
Panza es Primero
(33 Calle Libertad, tel:
915 217 640) Get into
the swing of things
with an icy margarita
in the lively bar section
of this famed Mexican
restaurant before
settling down at the
small tables and stools
to enjoy some great
dishes from south
of the border.
UP TO €50 Lua (5
Calle Eduardo Dato,
tel: 913 952 853) Chef
Manuel Domínguez
Carrete wants his
guests to feel as if
they are eating in his
own home, and Lua
is decidedly cosy.
Diners sit around old,
wooden kitchen tables
as they savour some
fi ne Spanish cuisine,
including roast ribs
and black rice.
AYRE GRAN
HOTEL COLON
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
A cool hotel for a
super cool city, this
design hotel is on
the edge of Retiro
Park. Check out the
rooftop garden. From
€67.50, book at
hotels.easyJet.com.
2for1
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*Ceck T’s & C’s e b*