march-2011

the easy-going and
diverse crowd. There
are both non-smoking
and smoking areas.
LIVE MUSIC
Madame Moustache
(5–7 Quai au Bois à
Brûler, tel: 04 8553
4494) Tremendously
popular since it
opened in 2010, this
venue manages to
combine a bohemian
atmosphere with
great live music. Once
the bands are done,
DJs take over with
an eclectic mix to
make sure the party
continues late into
the night.
LATE & LIVELY
The Flat (12 Rue de
la Reinette, tel: 04
9590 3203) As the
name of this bar
indicates, the top
fl oor is decorated to
look just like a fl at.
You can enjoy a
cocktail while relaxing
on the bed or even
sit in the bath. The
music pumps late
into the night and
drink prices are
subject to stock
exchange variations.
THIS MONTH
SHOP With glazed
arcaded storefronts
and light pouring in
through the glass roof,
the Galeries Royales
St-Hubert is defi nitely
worth a stroll even if
you’re not shopping.
If you are, however,
this 19th-century
arcade has plenty of
luxurious shops, cafés
and restaurants.
SEE Check out the
European quarter
near Schuman
roundabout –
the European
Commission, Council
and Parliament are
all within a few
minutes’ walk of each
another. While you’re
in the area, take
a trip to the Royal
Belgian Institute of
Natural Sciences,
which has a great
exhibition called
BiodiverCity on
throughout March
(29 Rue Vautier,
naturalsciences.be).
GO Meander
in the Parc du
Cinquantenaire
and take a look at
the triumphal arch
erected in 1905.
Around the park
there are various
museums and the
city’s largest mosque.
ESCAPE Head
to Ghent and walk
around its car-free
area – the largest in
Belgium – and you’ll
soon fi nd out why it’s
often said to be as
beautiful as Bruges.
Check out St Bavo
cathedral and the
church of St Nicholas.
Once you’re done,
hop on a tour boat
and ask the guide
about the city’s
secrets. One of the
best things about
Ghent is that it’s
barely 35 minutes
by train from Brussels.
NO WAY!
Brussels truly is an
international city –
27% of the population
are foreigners.
Gaspard Sebag
Bucharest
Romania
DIALLING CODE +40
CURRENCY Leu (RON)
FLY FROM
Madrid,
Milan (MXP)
FROM THE
AIRPORT
TAXI
Pre-book your taxi
at easyJet.com. A
local taxi costs RON100.
Bus 783 leaves
every 30 minutes.
Tickets: RON8.
Visit the Europcar
desk for special
easyJet rates.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €30 Taverna
La Zavat (16 Strada
Popa Nan, tel: 021 252
2956) Currently the
city’s most talked about
seafood restaurant, La
Zavat is packed most
evenings with small
groups of friends sharing
big plates of fi sh and
seafood. There are also
great salads and a fi ne
selection of local wine.
EXCLUSIVE Osho
(19–21 Bulevardul
Primaverii, tel: 021 568
3031) At this butcher’s
shop you can pick your
chops or steak (all the
meat is sourced in
Romania), then send
them to be cooked just
how you like. Set in
Bucharest’s swankiest
neighbourhood, prices
are high but value for
money is guaranteed.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Divan (46–
48 Strada Franceza, tel:
021 312 3034) Possibly
the hippest café in the
Old Town, this place
is usually packed with
young locals drinking
coff ee and cocktails and
smoking hookah pipes
from the comfort of
some funky armchairs.
LATE & LIVELY
Kulturhaus (4 Strada
Sf Vineri, tel: 021 313
5592) This two-level
arthouse club attracts
a young, friendly crowd
of party people. Expect
a diff erent event each
night of the week,
from live rock and
folk bands to DJs
and themed parties.
THIS MONTH
SHOP Everything sold
at Idelier – a one-stop
shop for clothes, shoes,
accessories and quirky
bits and pieces – is
made and designed in
Romania (1 Bulevardul
Lascar Cartagiu).
SEE Casa Melik is
the oldest house in
Bucharest. Built between
1750 and 1760, today
it’s home to a museum
dedicated to the
Romanian early cubist
artist Theodor Pallady
(22 Strada Spatarului).
NO WAY!
Romania’s witches now
have to pay tax following
the introduction of a
labour law that defi nes
fortune-telling and
astrology as professions.
Craig Turp
DESTINATION GUIDES | 125
Budapest
Hungary
DIALLING CODE +36
CURRENCY Forint (HUF)
FLY FROM
Berlin, Dortmund,
Geneva, London (LGW,
LTN), Paris (ORY)
FROM THE
AIRPORT
TAXI
Pre-book your taxi
at easyJet.com.
A local taxi costs
HUF3,500–HUF5,400.
Trains leave for
Western station.
Tickets: HUF455.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €30 APA Cuka
(5 Horánszky Utca) APA
Cuka is an arty space in
a restored pipe factory
that combines artists’
studios, a live music bar
ART’OTEL
BUDAPEST
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
True to its name, the
Art’Otel adds a real
arty fl avour to your
trip, and has a superb
location on the banks
of the Danube.
From €89, book at
hotels.easyJet.com.
and a fun restaurant with
a Hungarian menu.
EXCLUSIVE
Babel Delikát Étterem
(1 Szarka Utca, tel:
338 2143) While many
restaurants near here
are tourist traps, Babel
is an exception. The
food is contemporary,
and the kitchen really
shines with various
tasting menus on off er.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Muvész
Kávéház (29 Andrássy
Utca) This coff eehouse
is one of Budapest’s
classic cafés, beloved
among artists who come
for the espresso.
LATE & LIVELY
Garzon Café (24
Wesselényi Utca) A
garzon refers to a type
of tatty apartment. This
bar, however, oozes
shabby-chic style, and
is a fun place to spend
the evening.
THIS MONTH
SHOP A Budapestbased
Russian shoe
designer sells her
footwear creations at
Siberia. She makes
custom designs too
(19 Wesselényi Utca).
GO Check out where
ruinpubs (Budapest’s
retro pubs) fi rst started,
at Fogas Ház at 51
Akácfa Utca and Szimpla
Kert at 14 Kazinczy Utca
in the VI district.
NO WAY!
Unicum, the Hungarian
herbal liqueur, is made
from a top-secret recipe
that contains more than
40 diff erent herbs.
Carolyn Bánfalvi