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G R E A T E S T E X P E R I E N C E S
Travel like a local
Copenhagen
35
Don’t judge a man until
you've walked a mile
in his shoes. Unless you’re
in Copenhagen, where
the only way to properly
take in this amazing city
is by doing like the locals
do and hopping on a bike.
bikecopenhagenwithmike.
dk; 290DKK [€40]
Ride the tallest, fastest
rollercoaster in Europe
Barcelona
With an initial 78m
drop and top speed
of 134km/h, Shambhala,
which opened in Catalonia’s
PortAventura in May, has us
sweaty palmed at just the
mere thought. Go on, we
dare you...
€45 adult entry;
portaventura.co.uk
Get
Gemutlich
Salzburg
33
In German, the concept
of
Gemütlichkeit
(
cosiness) is the ideal winter
condition, and what could
be cosier than a candlelit
dinner in Bellevue Alm, one
of Europe’s oldest mountain
huts? In the Gastein Valley
near Salzburg, meat fondue,
delicious
Kaiserschmarrn
Go underground
Istanbul
32
James Bond loves Istanbul. Not only is much of
Skyfall
shot there, but fans will remember his speedboat
chase in
From Russia With Love
through the Basilica Cistern
underground reservoirs. Known as the ‘Sunken Palace’, it's
a place of vast size (well over a football pitch) and mystical
solitude that you can't quite believe is in the city. Enter through
a building resembling an outhouse 150m southwest of the
Hagia Sophia.
10
TRY (€4.30); letsgoistanbul.com/basilica.htm
(
fruit crumble) and local
Zirbenschnaps
(
pine
schnapps) await you. Then
toboggan back down again.
bellevue-alm.com
Drink a tot
Edinburgh
36
The ultimate whisky
experience. Head to
Sandy Bell’s in the Old Town
for a wee dram and folk jam.
Of 49 single malts, we love
Glenkinchie (£3.25 [€4]).
Get happily wired
Budapest
37
New York Café is by
far the most OTT of
all Budapest’s grand coffee
houses – order
tejeskávé
,
a
Hungarian take on latte for a
supreme hit.
newyorkcafe.hu
Go for a rub down
Paris
38
On a chilly afternoon,
there’s nowhere quite
like the hammam at Paris’s
Grand Mosque. Enter via
the café to find yourself in
a haven of foggy, half-lit
steam rooms, where brisk,
mitt-wielding matrons
administer merciless
gommage
(
scrubbing).
Follow with restorative mint
tea.
From €43. Check the
website for men/women's
timings. la-mosquee.com
Bin the neck pillows
Amsterdam
39
Sleeping on a plane
doesn’t have to
cause a cricked neck. The
5*
Vliegtuigsuite hotel in
Amsterdam – made from
a 1960s aircraft – comes
complete with Jacuzzi,
sauna, bar, kitchen, three
flat-screen TVs and WiFi.
The best night’s sleep you’ll
ever get on a plane.
€350 per
night; hotelsuites.nl
Take a Blue Cruise
Bodrum
31
The ancient villages of south-west Turkey sit on one of the
most beautiful – and undiscovered – stretches of water
anywhere in Europe. Hire a traditional boat, known as a gulet,
and embark on an aptly named Blue Cruise out of Bodrum
harbour. Dangling your legs into the water, drinking cocktails
on the bow, swimming in waters so blue you’ll run out of ways
to describe them… Yes, we think that sounds rather good too.
From £1,995 (€2,498) a week; petersommer.com
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