december-2009

162 | DESTINATION GUIDES
Nice
France
DIALLING CODE +33
CURRENCY €
FROM THE
AIRPORT
Visit the Europcar
desk on arrival
for special easyJet
infl ight rates.
Holiday Taxis
(easyJet.holiday
taxis.com) take you from
home to the airport, then
city or destination.
TAXI
The 20-minute ride
costs about €30.
Bus 98 stops at
Nice’s Old Town
and the Gare Routière.
Tickets: €4.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €15 Cave de
la Tour (3 Rue de la
Tour, tel: 04 9380 0331)
Lunch on pissaladière
(Niçois onion tart) and a
glass of local Bellet wine.
UP TO €30 Le
Cabanon (Point des
Douaniers, Cap d’Ail, tel:
04 9378 0194) Perched
on a rocky outcrop,
this restaurant dishes
up tasty marinated
beef daube, as well as
panoramic views all the
way from Monaco to
Cap Ferrat.
UP TO €50 Le Caveau
30 (45 Avenue Félix
Faure, Cannes, tel: 04
9339 0633) Le Caveau
30 stands out from
its neighbours with
its delicious Menu du
Patron. This great threecourse
meal features
curried monkfi sh and
scampi kebabs, plus
a hefty dessert.
EXCLUSIVE Les
Viviers (22 Rue
Alphonse Karr, tel: 04
9316 0048) If the holiday
season makes you long
for a little decadence,
look no further: Les
Viviers’ towering tiers
of oysters, crab and
sea urchins should fi t
the bill perfectly.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY La Trappa
(2 Rue Jules Gilly, tel:
04 9380 3369) Before
9pm, happy hour drinks
are served at teetering
tall tables, in a quiet
corner of the Old Town.
LIVE MUSIC Paddy’s
Pub (40 Rue Droite,
tel: 04 9380 0675) For
live folk and pop, head
to this petite Irish pub
in Nice’s Old Town.
CATHEDRALE
ST NICHOLAS
GO Admire the
striking ornate domes
from outside and head
indoors to see the
atmospheric interiors
of Russian orthodox
Cathédrale Saint
Nicolas, built during
the fi rst decade of
the 20th century
(Avenue Nicolas II,
acor-nice.com).
LATE & LIVELY
Mocca (1 Boulevard de
la Croisette, Cannes)
Cocktails, live DJs and
many pretty people
hang out here,
opposite the Palais du
Festivals. Put on your
fi nest outfi t, order
the weird wasabi and
cucumber martini and
hit the dance fl oor.
THIS MONTH
SHOP This family
has been glacé-making
since 1820 and Maison
Auer is the sweetest
spot to scoop up
holiday gifts (7 Rue St
François de Paule).
SEE Mid December,
carol singers populate
Place Rossetti
throughout the day,
adding Christmas
cheer. From 19
December, they give
way to the Old Town’s
quirky Lou Présépi,
the annual real-life
nativity scene.
ESCAPE For a
much-needed dose
of vitamin D in these
cold winter months,
amble along Beaulieu
sur Mer’s sunny
Promenade Maurice
Rouvier (20 minutes
from Nice).
NO WAY!
Just before Christmas
(20th December
this year), hundreds
of daring divers
gather on Plage du
Ruhl for the annual
Bain de Noël, the
Christmas swim: a
tradition started by
Scotsman Tobias
Smollett in 1763.
Kathryn Tomasetti
Olbia
Italy
DIALLING CODE +39
CURRENCY €
FROM THE
AIRPORT
Visit the Europcar
desk on arrival
for special easyJet
infl ight rates.
Holiday Taxis
(easyJet.holiday
taxis.com) take you from
home to the airport, then
city or destination.
TAXI
The fare to Olbia
costs €13–€15
and the journey takes
about 10 minutes.
The Linea Urbana
bus goes to the
centre every 30 minutes
and takes about eight
minutes. Tickets: €0.60.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €15 Fenu
Antonello Pizze
Da Asporto (11 Via
Ungheria, tel: 0789
66550) Great for
a quick bite, tuck into
the house speciality
– pizzas loaded
with many different
toppings. They also
do delivery.
UP TO €30 Canne
Al Vento (33 Via
Vignola, tel: 0789
51609) Favourite of the
locals, this restaurant
serves delicious,
traditional Sardinian
food. Order the chef’s
pride and joy – a highly
guarded secret recipe of
spaghetti in a creamy,
tomato and meat sauce.
Closed on Sunday.
UP TO €50 Angedras
Ristorante (277 Via
Aldo Moro, tel: 0789
58010) Often unnoticed
on the main restaurant
drag, intimate
Angedras’ menu offers
oysters and succulent
beef dishes. Leave
some room for the
homemade desserts.
EXCLUSIVE Gallura
(145 Corso Umberto,
tel: 0789 24648) The
only restaurant in the
city to have won a
coveted, well-deserved
Michelin star. Famous
for dishes such as onion
soup and mutton broth,
plus the fresh lobster
and mussels get the
nod of approval.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Bar Clipper
(Via C Colombo) Golfo
Aranci’s most popular
beach is where this bar
is based. Its décor is an
eclectic collection of
nautical memorabilia.
LIVE MUSIC Il
Garage (19 Via
Barbagia, tel: 0789
21033) The local “in”
thing is rock sung in the
local dialect, Sardo, but
if that’s not enough to
tempt you, there are
also body and mural
painting and graffi ti
artists in residence.
LATE & LIVELY
Capricorno (2 Via
Catello Piro, tel: 0789
24700) The best way
to stay warm on cold
nights is to dance
away to the best DJs
dropping the spiciest
Latin beats. Arrive late
and get home later,
this venue is open from
11pm–6am.
THIS MONTH
SHOP Taste natural,
local products ranging
from wine to sweets
and fresh fruit right in
the town’s main square
at Loi Ortofrutta (Via
Vittorio Veneto).
SEE Don’t miss the
traditional medieval
chant in Alghero’s
cathedral. The moving
sounds of the ancient
Sibyl chant, whose
origins are lost in
time, is authentically
reproduced only in
Palma de Majorca and
Alghero in the week
before Christmas Eve.
GO Cala Brandinchi,
one of Olbia’s most
famous beaches is
characterised by very
fi ne sand and beautiful
blue sea. It’s a great
time of year to go,
avoiding the summer
heat and crowds. Take
the SS 125 towards
Siniscola, then head
towards Lu Impostu.
ESCAPE The Castle
of Serravalle, near the
picturesque port town
of Bosa is a stunning
30-minute drive west
of Olbia. The castle still
has its original walls and
towers, dating back to
the 12th century.
NO WAY!
Did you know the
fi rst man to become
king of Italy was
Victor Emmanuel II
of Sardinia? He was
crowned in 1861.
Christine Kessler