Grande Ile has an abundance of good places to eat, especially in the Petite France neighborhood. Menus are posted outside each restaurant, which makes it easy to stroll about and pick something to fit your appetite and budget. To try: Kammerzell House Maison des Tanneurs Le Clou Special-occasion meals worth the splurge are found at Au Crocodile.
As you travel the Wine Road (Route des Vins), the Romanesque Road (Route Roman), and the Crest Road (Route des Crêtes) , take time to enjoy some good Alsatian food in the small towns that you pass through. There are 27 restaurants in Alsace with at least one Michelin star, which is more than any other region in France except Île-de-France/Paris. Of course, many good...
Look for this 17th century Renaissance building between Church of Saint Martin and the Unterlinden Museum in the center of town. It is now a restaurant and 18-room 4-star hotel. The exterior is elaborately decorated with more than a hundred sculpted heads (têtes). It was built as a private home for Anton Burger in 1609. The statue on top of the...
Try this bistro-style winstub for regional specialties. The decor, from tablecloths to curtains, are down-home Alsatian, and the food is authentic and well prepared. Located near the Strasbourg Cathedral, the place gets crowded, especially during high-tourist season, so make a reservation.
This old tanners’ building in the Petite France section of the Grande Ilehas been a favorite with visitors for more than 50 years. It was constructed in 1572, became a restaurant in 1949, and was meticulously renovated in 1972 for its 400th birthday. Regional specialties include sauerkraut and Alsatian foie gras. Fish, escargot (snails), and chicken simmered in local white...
Dozens of small towns and more than 1,000 wine producers (including 51 Grand Cru vineyards) are linked along an itinerary known as Route des Vins d’Alsace. Some of the towns also are on other mapped routes, such as the Route Romane (Romanesque Road) and Route des Cretes (Crest Road). You can travel the wine road north to south, but the southern end is somewhat more...
ScheduleScheduleScheduleYour first impression might be that a canal cruise is too touristy for you. But in fact, one of the best ways to see Amsterdam is from the water. The city’s 165 canals were created over centuries to stimulate trade and transport, and to help expand the city. So hope onboard! There are several operators that run cruises from moorings...
Amsterdam is a sea of restaurants if you look close enough. And that can make selecting the best place to eat tricky. So head to Restaurant Tomaz for lunch or dinner. Located in two restored 17th-century buildings on a medieval street near Kalverstraat, inside you can indulge in a range of options including traditional Dutch cuisine and more contemporary options. After...
Cafés cluster around the extended crossroads that is Mt Eden Village. There’s no shortage of choice, but Olaf’s is a winner on several fronts. It is perfect for a coffee and toothsome pastries such as the Portuguese pastel de nata and the Austrian linzer torte. If it’s picnic supplies you’re after, you can’t go past their breads, used in some...
This imposing landmark hotel – whose interior is a bizarre fusion of alpine and neo-colonial furnishings – is famous above all for its commanding views over Lake Louise from its 511 suites. Rates are reduced significantly outside of holidays and weekends and in the off-season (Oct–Dec), and good value ski packages are offered too. The hotel’s battery of five-star facilities...
Le Beaujolais is a longstanding gourmet restaurant whose reputation for fine French renditions of regional cuisine extends all over western Canada. The best option is the 6-course surprise dinner ($95 or $155 with wine), since it gives the kitchen free-rein. Otherwise there’s a good selection of top-notch seafood and meat entrees at around $35 and a lavish wine list to...
A unique location on the roof of the Reichstag with wide-open views of eastern Berlin sells this restaurant well before the food. A reservation here means you get to use the side entrance and avoid the longer lines at the front, making this a good spot for breakfast (around €20) at the start of a day’s sightseeing. Later in the...
This is one of the classic fin-de-siècle brasseries that every second Bern local tells you that you simply must go to, and in the next breath they’ll tell you that you must have Jack’s famous Wienerschnitzel. And you must, because, as the brass plaques at your table attest, everyone who is anyone has been there too. The menu boasts all sorts...
La Maison du Cygne has pretty much run the gamut of all social strata in its long history. Originally the home of the Butcher’s Guild in around 1720, it went on to become host to Karl Marx’s New Year’s eve party in 1847/48 and the site of the launch of the Belgian Workers’ Party in 1885. Since 2009 it has been an...
Opened in the fall of 2015, the French-themed Bistro de Margot is a recent addition to the Burlington restaurant scene. French Chef Herve Mahe took over the space from an Italian restaurant, and has given it an open, modern feel. On the upper end of Burlington restaurants, it’s one of the few places in town where you might feel under-dressed...
A Burlington staple for over 35 years, the French-themed Leunig’s Bistro and Café is popular with both locals and visitors. Set right in the heart of Church Street, Luenigs’ has plenty of outdoor seating in the summer, and it’s a great spot for people watching or listening to their live music while you enjoy your meal. The second floor of...
If you’re looking for a good, hearty meal in a romantic setting, you can’t go wrong with Trattoria Delia, or “the Trat,” as it’s known by locals. The restaurant is set in the ground floor of an old hotel building, and the owners relocated a working sugar house for the interior décor. Set just around the corner from Burlington’s Flynn...
Humboldt County’s only full-service resort is set in a historic building just south of Garberville. Along the Eel River and adjacent to the Benbow Lake State Recreation Area, this redwood-hugged historic structure has long been an icon of the North Coast. Dignitaries and Hollywood celebrities (including Clark Gable and Eleanor Roosevelt) once flocked to this grand dame. Now, she is...
A Roman and Mystical Marian Legacy When you first arrive in the city of León on the Camino, you will pass by the medieval square, La Plaza del Grano, Grain or Berry Square. Archaeological excavations of the small neighborhood that include this square discovered a Roman crypt here. The square has a sweet church dedicated to Santa Maria del Mercado....
Early Foundations of a Pilgrim Town In the center of Celtiberian territory, Romans seem to have been the first settle in Burgos where they built a small, fortified settlement on the hill. Burgos’ next human occupation was as a cluster of 9th century villages on the frontier between Muslim and Christian Spain. These huddled around a protective central castle, forming...