march-2011

162 | DESTINATION GUIDES
Milan
Italy
a cool café inside
(2 Via della Palla, tel:
02 869 541). Via
Torino is a great place
to shop for clothes
and accessories at
more reasonable
prices than in the
upmarket boutiques
of the fashion
district to the north
of the Duomo.
SEE The Festival of
African Cinema is
a week-long event
celebrating fi lmmaking
in Africa, Asia
and South America,
and the only one of its
kind in Italy. Running
from 21–27 March, the
festival features more
than 80 productions
at a range of screens
in the city, including
the Spazio Oberdan
(2 Viale Vittorio Veneto,
tel: 02 7740 6300).
GO Today the Brera
quarter is all about
chic shops and bars,
but historically it
was a bohemian area
dominated by art and
artists. It’s home to
the Pinacoteca, one
of the most important
galleries in Italy, as
well as several ancient
historic churches such
as San Simpliciano
and Santa Maria
del Carmine. The
main streets of Via
Moscova, Via Solferino
and Corso Garibaldi
are good places to
hunt for elegant
houseware, clothes
and accessories, while
by night Brera comes
alive, with its narrow
streets fi lled with
stalls selling jewellery
and ethnic crafts.
ESCAPE Como is one
of the most attractive
towns around Milan,
and was an inspiration
to English poets
including Byron.
Originally famous for
making silk, Como
has a long history and
was home in Roman
times to the writers
Pliny the Elder and
Younger. The Lungo
Lario, the lakefront
promenade, is great
for a walk before
dinner at one of the
elegant restaurants
in Piazza Cavour, a
popular meeting point.
Among the sights
are a fi ne Gothic-
Renaissance cathedral
with a baroque dome
and 16th-century
tapestries inside.
NO WAY!
The average Italian
consumes 118 litres
of wine a year.
Charles Searson
STARHOTELS
ANDERSON
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
If your stay in Milan
has to be a suitably
stylish one, look
no further than
this hotel. Breakfast
included. From
€119, book at
hotels.easyJet.com.
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 bus to
Place de l’Europe.
Tickets: €4.90 single.
Visit the Europcar
desk for special
easyJet rates.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €30
Specialites
Marocaines (577
Avenue Léon-Blum,
tel: 04 7540 0321) This
is a great little place
knocking out couscous,
tagines, mint tea and
oriental sweetmeats
at giveaway prices.
EXCLUSIVE La
Reserve Rimbaud (820
Avenue St-Maur, tel: 04
6772 5253) Hide away
in civilised luxury in
this fabulous waterside
setting, where you can
enjoy beautifully cooked
fresh dishes based on
seasonal ingredients
and cooked with an
imaginative twist.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Mi Barrio
(11 Rue du Plan-d’Agde,
tel: 04 9958 1215)
Sit on a high stool at
the bar for a relaxing
glass of wine or slide
behind a table if
you’re also ordering
tapas. Whichever you
choose, soak up the
international languages
spoken all around
you and chill out.
LATE & LIVELY The
Circus (3 Rue Collot,
tel: 04 6760 4205)
A dark and cosy New
York-style bar with
snacks, billiards, leather
sofas and plush lighting,
this place heats up as
the night goes on, with
live music at weekends.
It’s deeply fashionable,
however, so dress up.
THIS MONTH
SHOP Madame Klein
Fringologue is a treasure
trove of previously
loved designer wear
and the proprietor has
a ferocious eye for the
best vintage looks.
She only buys highquality
fashion items
in perfect condition
(14 Rue Ste-Anne,
tel: 04 6791 0699).
GO The Antigone
Olympic swimming
pool is a glorious
leisure centre with pool,
whirlpools, a splashy
river, water chute
and café (195 Avenue
Jacques-Cartier,
tel: 04 6715 6300).
NO WAY!
Montpellier is the
fastest growing city in
France and regularly
tops the charts as the
city most French people
would like to move to.
Samantha David
WHETHER LAST MINUTE OR PEAK SEASON, WE ALWAYS
GUARANTEE AVAILABILITY WHEN YOU BOOK ONLINE.
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 €55.
Buses leave for
the centre every
20 minutes. Tickets:
€10 single; €16 return.
Visit the Europcar
desk for special
easyJet rates.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €30
Königsquelle (2
Baaderplatz, tel: 089 220
071) It may look like your
average bar from the
outside, but Königsquelle
is renowned for its
fabulous wiener
schnitzels, which are
cooked to perfection by
the bar’s Austrian chef.
EXCLUSIVE
Landersdorfer &
Innerhofer (6–8
Hackenstrasse, tel:
089 2601 8637) In
the heart of the city,
this inconspicuous
restaurant is an insider’s
tip among local foodies.
There’s no bragging and
no brash advertising,
just exemplary food
and service. Try the
restaurant’s signature
– a surprise set menu.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Kranz (12
Hans-Sachs-Strasse,
tel: 089 2166 8250) Rub
shoulders with hip young
things from Munich’s
boho Glockenbach
district at this minimalist
café-bar, which prides
itself on using only
organic ingredients.
LATE & LIVELY
Harlander (8
Braühausstrasse, tel:
089 2324 1652) Just
down the road from the
Hofbräuhaus, this cool
bar combines 1970s
retro with modern, urban
chic. The perfect place to
chill into the early hours.
THIS MONTH
SHOP For a true taste
of elegant Munich, head
to one of the city’s oldest
department stores,
Lodenfrey. As well as
designer gear, this store
houses a stunning
array of traditional local
costume and is the place
to get your Lederhosen
(7 Maff eistrasse).
SEE If you’re visiting the
city in the fi rst two weeks
of March, don’t miss
the city’s carnival, or
Fasching. Various events
take place from costume
balls to public events in
the pedestrianised zone.
NO WAY!
If Munich’s bid for the
2018 Winter Olympics is
successful, the city will
become the fi rst to host
both the winter and
summer events.
Jill Henne
Europcar guarantees easyJet
passengers great car rental deals.
For your discounted price book
at easyJet.com or visit the
Europcar desk.