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Toulouse<br />
France<br />
DIALLING CODE +33<br />
CURRENCY €<br />
FROM THE<br />
AIRPORT<br />
Visit the Europcar<br />
desk on arrival<br />
for special easyJet<br />
infl ight rates.<br />
Holiday Taxis<br />
(easyJet.holiday<br />
taxis.com) take you<br />
from home to airport,<br />
then city or destination.<br />
TAXI The fare to the<br />
centre is €25<br />
(€30 at night).<br />
The Toulouse-<br />
Blagnac Navette<br />
goes to the city centre<br />
every 20 minutes from<br />
5am–12.15am.<br />
Tickets: €6 return.<br />
BON APPETIT<br />
UP TO €15 Le Félibre<br />
(13 Rue des Couteliers,<br />
tel: 05 6175 7490) An<br />
unpretentious tearoomcafé<br />
serving yummy<br />
lunchtime treats, such<br />
as bagels and wraps.<br />
UP TO €30 Bat Bat<br />
(8 Rue de Filatiers, tel:<br />
05 6125 4949) This<br />
fantastic Vietnamese<br />
restaurant serves all<br />
the classics, plus plenty<br />
of vegetarian options,<br />
which is a bit of a rarity<br />
in France.<br />
UP TO €50 Le Cordon<br />
Rose (16 Rue Valade,<br />
tel: 05 6122 9792) Dine<br />
on delicious dishes<br />
served in this stylish<br />
venue right beside the<br />
river. Exciting inventions<br />
such as prawn lollipops<br />
stand by fi rm favourites<br />
on the menu.<br />
EXCLUSIVE Le<br />
Colombier (14 Rue<br />
Bayard, tel: 05 6162<br />
4005) The speciality<br />
is the local delicacy<br />
cassoulet (stew), order<br />
one here and see what<br />
all the fuss is about<br />
– smooth, rich and<br />
comforting – you’ll be<br />
back again and again.<br />
If you order an evening<br />
menu, it doesn’t have to<br />
blow the budget – they<br />
start from just €25.<br />
AFTER DARK<br />
LOW KEY Le Vasco<br />
Le Gamma (1 Place de<br />
l’Estrapade) Catch early<br />
evening music, a quiz,<br />
an Erasmus gathering or<br />
happy hour at this<br />
tapas bar, and you’ll be<br />
tempted to stay all night!<br />
LIVE MUSIC<br />
Mulligan’s (39 Grande<br />
Rue St Michel , tel: 05<br />
6114 0421) This Irish<br />
pub blows away winter<br />
cobwebs with live music<br />
on Thursday–Saturday<br />
nights. If you fancy your<br />
chances at a bilingual<br />
quiz, head down on<br />
Tuesday nights and on<br />
Saturdays the locals<br />
drink whisky till dawn.<br />
LATE & LIVELY<br />
Le Carno Caffe (3<br />
Boulevard Carnot, tel:<br />
05 6112 1128) If you’re<br />
sick of carols and tinsel,<br />
this place is the perfect<br />
antidote, with its tiger<br />
stripes and zebra skin,<br />
loud music and all-night<br />
partygoers sipping<br />
sweet mojitos.<br />
THIS MONTH<br />
SHOP Le Cri de la<br />
Framboise is hot hunting<br />
ground for Christmas<br />
presents – you’ll fi nd<br />
gifts here that you won’t<br />
fi nd anywhere else,<br />
including a selection<br />
of items which can be<br />
personalised (9 Rue<br />
des Paradoux).<br />
SEE Le Marché de Noël<br />
in the Place du Capitole<br />
is the main attraction in<br />
December with<br />
stalls selling trinkets,<br />
edible delights and<br />
mulled wine. Keep<br />
your eyes peeled for<br />
Father Christmas and<br />
other surprise events<br />
– last year there were<br />
magic dwarves! Open<br />
4–27 December.<br />
GO Visit the beautiful<br />
Quartier des Abattoirs<br />
perched above the river.<br />
It includes the ramparts<br />
and the Taillefer Tower<br />
as well as the abattoires<br />
themselves, which<br />
house a contemporary<br />
art gallery (76 Allees<br />
Charles de Fitte).<br />
ESCAPE A €25<br />
half-day bus tour of<br />
the animated nativity<br />
scenes in the villages<br />
around Toulouse on 19<br />
December starts at<br />
1pm. The crêches are<br />
a strong tradition in this<br />
part of the world and<br />
the intricate handy<br />
work that goes into<br />
making them, is not<br />
to be missed.<br />
TAXI TAXI<br />
NO WAY!<br />
The University<br />
of Toulouse was<br />
established in 1230 and<br />
is the second largest<br />
university in France.<br />
Samantha David<br />
Turin<br />
Italy<br />
DIALLING CODE +39<br />
CURRENCY €<br />
FROM THE<br />
AIRPORT<br />
Visit the Europcar<br />
desk on arrival<br />
for special easyJet<br />
infl ight rates.<br />
Holiday Taxis<br />
(easyJet.holiday<br />
taxis.com) take you<br />
from home to airport,<br />
then city or destination.<br />
TAXI A taxi to the city<br />
costs about €35<br />
and the journey takes<br />
30 minutes.<br />
Buses leave every<br />
30 minutes from<br />
6.30am–11.30pm. The<br />
journey takes about 40<br />
minutes. Tickets: €5.50.<br />
BON APPETIT<br />
UP TO €15 Arcano<br />
Matto (17 Via Pietro<br />
Micca, tel: 011 547 953)<br />
Nested away on a small<br />
street, this place has rich<br />
selections of regional<br />
cheese and salami.<br />
UP TO €30 Sesamo<br />
(54 Corso Carlo e Nello<br />
Rosselli, tel: 011 509<br />
6561) Find seasonal<br />
products and creative<br />
cuisine at warm and<br />
friendly Sesamo.<br />
UP TO €50 The Beef<br />
Brasserie (5 Corso<br />
Moncalieri, tel: 011 819<br />
3378) An elegant French<br />
brasserie where the star<br />
of the menu is beef, in all<br />
DESTINATION GUIDES | 177<br />
shapes and forms. Think<br />
succulent entrecôte and<br />
Italian Fiorentina.<br />
EXCLUSIVE La<br />
Smarrita (17A Via<br />
Cesare Battisti, tel: 011<br />
836 628) Located in<br />
the Baroque Palazzo<br />
Salmatoris district,<br />
dishes are prepared<br />
with choice organic<br />
produce. Book ahead.<br />
AFTER DARK<br />
LOW KEY Obika (2<br />
Via Corte d’Appello, tel:<br />
011 765 0799) Forget<br />
sushi bars, Italians go to<br />
mozzarella bars! Choose<br />
your mozzarella and pair<br />
it with cured meats and<br />
a glass of red wine.<br />
LIVE MUSIC<br />
Suoneria (4 Via<br />
Partigiani, tel: 011 802<br />
8451) This recording<br />
studio has a concert hall<br />
which hosts a couple of<br />
big concerts a week.<br />
LATE & LIVELY<br />
Tribeca (10 Via Matteo<br />
Pescatore) Close to<br />
PRINCIPI DI<br />
PIEMONTE<br />
★ ★ ★ ★ ★<br />
This prestigious<br />
hotel occupies an<br />
enviable location in<br />
the heart of the city.<br />
Dine at the Casa<br />
Savoia restaurant<br />
before retiring to<br />
your elegant room.<br />
Breakfast included.<br />
From €180, book at<br />
hotels.easyJet.com.<br />
the happening Piazza<br />
Vittorio Veneto, there’s<br />
a large list of cocktails,<br />
at this venue, and it’s<br />
open till late, so you have<br />
time to work through as<br />
many as you can!<br />
THIS MONTH<br />
SHOP From 5–23<br />
December, Piazza<br />
Borgo Dora transforms<br />
into a colourful<br />
Christmas market.<br />
Pick up tree<br />
decorations, nativity<br />
scenes and handmade<br />
gifts to take home.<br />
SEE The Museo di<br />
Antichità is running<br />
the Luxus exhibition<br />
throughout the month,<br />
where you can discover<br />
the culture and senses<br />
of ancient Rome<br />
(88C Via XX Settembre).<br />
GO With its shops and<br />
cafés, Galleria Subalpina<br />
is an excellent mall to<br />
meander through, well<br />
away from the winter<br />
chill. Built in 1874, the<br />
gallery boasts unique<br />
stores, including the<br />
Gilibert bookshop.<br />
ESCAPE Sestriere<br />
is the resort that all<br />
Italians in the know go to<br />
for some superb winter<br />
fun. Try your hand at<br />
skiing, snowboarding or<br />
even ice skating. Get the<br />
bus and enjoy the 90minute<br />
journey through<br />
beautiful landscapes.<br />
NO WAY!<br />
Luis Sepulveda, the<br />
Chilean fi lm director<br />
and political activist<br />
once said “I owe [Turin]<br />
for some very wonderful<br />
moments in my life as a<br />
writer and as a person”.<br />
Elena Pietrovichillo
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