november-2010

116 | DESTINATION GUIDES
Berlin
Germany
DIALLING CODE +49
CURRENCY €
FLY FROM
Amsterdam,
Athens, Barcelona,
Basel-Mulhouse, Bristol,
Brussels, Budapest,
Cagliari, Copenhagen,
Corfu, Crete (Heraklion),
Dubrovnik, Geneva,
Glasgow, Gothenburg,
Ibiza, Lisbon, Liverpool,
London (LGW, LTN), Lyon,
Madrid, Majorca, Málaga,
Milan (MXP), Naples,
Nice, Olbia, Paris (ORY),
Pisa, Rome (CIA), Split,
Thessaloniki, Venice
FROM THE
AIRPORT
TAXI
Pre-book your taxi
at easyJet.com.
A local taxi costs €35.
Express route
SXF1 runs from
Terminal A to Berlin
Südkreuz. Tickets: €6.
The Regional
Express train
goes to the city.
Tickets: €2.80.
Visit the Europcar
desk for special
easyJet rates.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €15
Primo Maggio (10
Graefestrasse, tel: 030
6165 0861) Excellent
little Italian café named
after Berlin’s famous
May Day demonstrations
THE MOST FAMOUS
IRISH PUB IN BERLIN
SINCE
2004
that sometimes get a
little rowdy. Homemade
focaccia and all sorts of
pasta, plus some really
great coffees.
UP TO €30 Buddha
Republic (88
Knesebeckstrasse,
tel: 030 3116 4204)
Indian restaurants
in Berlin are by and
large second-rate.
Here’s the exception
to the rule. This new
opening cooks excellent
tandoori specialities in
an authentic tandoori
oven – with the correct
spices. It also serves a
host of delicious curries.
UP TO €50 Zosimo
(42 Fasanenstrasse, tel:
030 3937 1523) This
cosy, upscale eatery
launched in the spring
by a pair of German
connoisseurs, serves
up a mouthwatering,
contemporary take on
Sicilian cuisine made
with a huge amount
of love, creativity
and attention. The
cannelloni is masterful:
dark pasta shells fi lled
with mussels, ricotta
and potatoes, presented
on a bed of sashimi tuna
tartare. For dessert, the
superbly simple granita
is heavenly.
EXCLUSIVE Paris
Moskau (141 Alt-Moabit,
Tiergarten, tel: 030 394
2081) Hidden in a small,
half-timbered house in
Tiergarten Park, near
the massive new central
station. This elegant yet
unpretentious treasure
boasts a combination of
hearty central European
cooking and haute
cuisine, plus a bulging
list of 300 wines.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Gorki Park
(25 Weinbergsweg,
Mitte, tel: 030 448 7286)
One of the fi rst café-bars
in east Berlin to embrace
post-Soviet kitsch. Swig
some of their very own
Moskva beer with a cup
of bortsch.
LATE & LIVELY
Kleine Reise
(8 Spreewaldplatz) A
bathhouse-turned-bar
by day, basementnightclub
by night. The
club aims to be a haven
for electronic music
lovers looking for a
relaxed and fun-loving
party atmosphere.
THIS MONTH
SHOP Berlin is the
undisputed capital
of electronic music,
so it’s no surprise
that it’s home to one
of the most unusual
instrument shops,
Schneider’s Buero
specialises in every sort
of analague electronic
instrument around,
from synths to e-drums
to effect pedals.
There’s even a movie
about the store, Totally
Wired (135A Skalitzer
Strasse, Kreuzberg,
schneidersbuero.de).
SEE Celebrating
20 years of German
unity, the German
Historical Museum
has put on a special
exhibition. It takes
visitors on a journey
from the dramatic year
following the collapse
of the Berlin Wall, to the
unifi cation of east and
west Germany in 1990
(2 Unter den Linden,
Mitte, dhm.de).
GO Potsdamer Platz,
the new centre of
Berlin that sprouted
up in the former Berlin
Wall “death strip” is
packed with culture and
entertainment for every
taste, from Legoland
to the Film Museum.
Of course, the area is
packed with shops and
restaurants, too.
ESCAPE Potsdam,
about a 30-minute train
trip from Berlin, is a gem
of hundreds of years of
Prussian architecture.
The centrepiece is the
Sanssouci summer
palace and its gardens,
while the charming Old
Town is perfect for a
stroll. Stop for a coffee
and cake in one of
the many cafés
before leaving.
NO WAY!
During the World
Wars air raid shelters,
bunkers, and even
an aircraft factory
lay underneath
Berlin’s streets.
exberliner.com
LIVE MUSIC
Kaffee Burger (60
Torstrasse) This
famous venue hasn’t
changed much since
the communist era,
hosting intimate
concerts most nights
and morphing into
a club after midnight.
Biarritz
France
DIALLING CODE +33
CURRENCY €
FLY FROM
London (LGW),
Lyon, Paris (CDG)
FROM THE
AIRPORT
TAXI
SINCE
2008
Pre-book your taxi
at easyJet.com.
A local taxi costs €13.
The STAB runs
hourly till 7.30pm.
Tickets: €1.20.
Visit the Europcar
desk for special
easyJet rates.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €30 Le Clos
Basque (12 Rue Louis
Barthou, tel: 05 5924
2496) Traditional
Basque cooking made
from local produce.
Eat in a relaxed
atmosphere with tasty
lunchtime menus and
a good choice of à la
carte evening meals.
EXCLUSIVE La
Fleur de Sol (5 Avenue
de la Forêt, tel: 05 5963
8866) La Fleur de
Sol is tucked away in a
pine forest in the village
of Anglet, just outside
Biarritz. The big open
fi replace makes for
a cosy atmosphere.
The dining area is
small, so book
ahead to avoid
disappointment.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Pâtisserie
Miremont (1 Place
Clemenceau, tel: 05
5924 0138) An elegant
teashop overlooking the
ocean, come here for
the closest you’ll get to
a cream tea while you’re
away. Flavoured teas,
pastries and delicious
hand-crafted caramels
and chocolates are
all on offer.
LATE & LIVELY Disco
Le Caveau (4 Place
Gambetta, tel: 05 5924
1617) One of the most
popular nightspots in
Biarritz. Party all night
long to techno sounds
among a trendy crowd
and friendly bar staff.
THIS MONTH
SHOP At Mille et Un
Fromages you’ll fi nd an
impressive assortment
of beautiful Basque
wines and cheeses. Try
a bottle of Bost Mendi,
a delightful red liqueur
made from prunes
(2 Avenue Victor Hugo).
GO The wonderful
Biarritz lighthouse,
dating back to 1831,
offers a great spot to
blow the cobwebs away
on a chilly November
day. It towers 73m above
the sea and the views
from the top of the 248
steps are breathtaking.
NO WAY!
The Basque language
(Euskera) has no swear
words. This doesn’t
mean that Basque
speakers don’t swear –
they just borrow insults
from French, Spanish or
even English!
Steve Bilsborough