march-2012

160 | DESTINATION GUIDES More free monthly guides available at traveller.easyJet.com
Milan
Italy
international
standing. A must
for electronic
music afi cionados.
Q21 (21 Viale Padova)
Best to get a taxi to
this new club in one
of the less attractive
parts of Milan,
but the eclectic
music policy and
general conviviality
compensate. Entry
costs around €10.
THIS MONTH
SHOP While books
are still clinging on
in this digital age,
there’s no better
place to buy them
than at Hoepli,
Milan’s greatest
bookstore, home to
half a million titles,
including volumes
in English as well as
foreign newspapers.
The building itself, an
architect-designed
palace dating from
1958, is worth a look
(5 Via Hoepli, tel:
02 864 871, hoepli.it).
SEE If you’re in
Milan on Sunday
25 March, join
Stramilano, the
city’s annual halfmarathon.
Around
50,000 runners of
all ages and abilities
take part, setting off
from Piazza Castello
and ending at the
Civic Arena. The 21km
event was fi rst run in
1972 (stramilano.it).
GO One of Milan’s
less-publicised
quarters is its
Chinatown, centred
around Via Paolo
Sarpi and Via
Bramante. This is the
best place for a lazy
Chinese meal on a
Sunday afternoon,
when many Italian
businesses are
closed. It’s also great
for delis, clothes
stores and knickknack
shops where
you might pick up an
oddball souvenir.
ESCAPE As
spring comes the
destination of choice
has to be Como,
with its picturesque
lake and fascinating
historic centre. Byron
was just one of the
literary greats to fall
for its charms, while
even in Roman times
it was known to both
Pliny the Elder and
Pliny the Younger.
Each evening on the
lake promenade,
known as the Lungo
Lario, you can still
see the Italian ritual
of the passeggiata, a
leisurely stroll before
dinner. If you’re
eating out, Piazza
Cavour has the best
restaurants. Among
Como’s historic
attractions are a fi ne
Gothic-Renaissance
cathedral with
a Baroque dome
and 16th-century
tapestries inside.
NO WAY!
Milan has been an
international hub for
centuries, and even
today 15.2 per cent
of its population was
born outside Italy.
Charles Searson
Montpellier
France
DIALLING CODE +33
CURRENCY €
FLY FROM
London
(LGW, LTN)
FROM THE
AIRPORT
TAXI
Pre-book your taxi
at easyJet.com.
A local taxi costs €20.
Take the shuttle
bus to Place
de l’Europe. Tickets:
€1.50 single.
Visit the Europcar
desk for special
easyJet rates.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €30
La Petit Aphrodite
(11 Rue du Pont-de-
Lattes, tel: 05 6765
4482) Said to be the
only authentic Greek-
Cypriot restaurant
in town, this is the
place for souvlaki
or moussaka.
Rebetiko folk music
is performed on the
fi rst Wednesday of
every month, too.
EXCLUSIVE
Isadora (6 Rue de
Petit-Scel, tel: 04
6755 6666) Tiny but
perfect restaurant
with intimate and
thoughtful service.
The evening menu
is both complex but
with dainty tastes
– think langoustine
tails wrapped in
duck breast, served
with a rich sauce.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY The
Egg (11 Rue du Plan
d’Agde, tel: 04 6763
8301) A welcoming
bar with a big
selection of beers and
wines. It packs out
later on but is ideal for
an after work pick-meup
and some excellent
dried sausage.
LATE & LIVELY
La Dune (Route des
Plages, La Grande
Motte, tel: 04 6756
4343) Take the
dedicated night bus
out to this hotspot –
there’s just a certain
something about
its combination of
techno and banana
rum that makes
this place special.
THIS MONTH
SEE The Salon de
l’Habitat (Homes
Expo) runs from 1–4
March and covers
the latest house
furnishings and decor
(habitat-montpellier.
com). Otherwise,
scramble for tickets
to David Guetta’s
show on 31 March at
all the usual outlets.
NO WAY!
The central square
in Montpellier – La
Place de la Comedie
– is often called l’oeuf
(“the egg”) because
of the shape of
the original
pedestrian area.
Samantha David
Munich
Germany
DIALLING CODE +49
CURRENCY €
FLY FROM
Edinburgh,
London (LGW, STN),
Manchester
FROM THE
AIRPORT
TAXI
Pre-book your taxi
at easyJet.com.
A local taxi costs €60.
The S1 and S8
lines run from
4:30am to midnight.
Tickets: €10 single.
Visit the Europcar
desk for special
easyJet rates.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €30
Bardales (2
Blutenburgstrasse,
STRONG BEER
SEASON
SEE From 9–25
March, Munich
celebrates strong
beer season.
Breweries produce
ales with alcohol
contents of about 8%
(Paulaner brewery,
77 Hochstrasse).
tel: 089 1202 7766)
Top-quality South
American food at
reasonable prices
is the lifeblood
of this stylish
bar-restaurant. The
cocktails come highly
recommended, too.
EXCLUSIVE
Austernkeller (11
Stollbergstrasse, tel:
089 298 787) This
fi sh restaurant prides
itself on the freshness
of its seafood. With
a separate oyster
menu and a good
selection of quality
wines, it’s perfect for
a special occasion.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY
Alter Ofen (41
Zieblandstrasse,
tel: 089 527 527) A
Munich classic, this is
a pub which promises
decent beer, snacks
and atmosphere at
sensible prices – and
has been doing so for
the past 30 years.
LATE & LIVELY
Eat the Rich (90
Hessstrasse, tel: 089
185 982) A magnet
for Munich’s beautiful
people, this is the
place to come if you
want to eat, drink,
groove and ogle the
hip clientèle well into
the early hours.
NO WAY!
Munich’s fi fth season
– strong beer season
– was started by
monks who invented
the strong ale to help
them get through the
annual fast for Lent.
Jill Henne