DECEMBER-JANUARY 2012/13
WIZZ MAGAZINE
79
DESTINATIONS
Basel & Belgrade
Belgrade
Christmas lingers and
coffee with royalty
If you’re from Western Europe, you
can enjoy Christmas and New Year
all over again as Serbs celebrate
Orthodox Christmas
on 7 January
and
Orthodox New Year
on 14
January. Both are used as an excuse
for locals to continue partying in the
streets. At the residence of Princess
Ljubica, at 8 Kneza Sime Markovica
Street, there’s a recreation of the life
and times of the Obrenovic dynasty,
with
Coffee With Princess Ljubica
a popular presentation of daily life for
the Serbian royal family in the 19th
Century. Coffee and Turkish delight
are served during the hour-long talk
on Saturdays. Entry is 250 dinar (€2).
mgb.org.rs
Eating and drinking
Considered by many to have the best
coffee and hot chocolate in town,
Šnajder
(8
Kneginje Ljubice) has
light snacks to complement its fresh
juices and mixed drinks. Fittingly
for a former tailor’s, it attracts
many of the city’s fashionistas.
Design-centric
Djordje
(10
Moravska, restorandjordje.rs) offers
classic Serbian cuisine in verdant
surroundings all year round thanks to
its on-site greenhouse.
Getting to the centre
In Belgrade we provide a shuttle-bus
transfer between the airport and
any address in the city centre. Tickets
are €7 (€14 return).
Words Peterjon Cresswell
Shopping and
ancient discoveries
On Basel’s
Freie Strasse
the holiday
frenzy peaks on 16 and 23 December,
the two ‘shopping Sundays’. For
something quaint, try the Christmas
markets on the Barfüsserplatz
and the Münsterplatz. More of a
scrooge? Much of the fabulous
Petra:
Wonder of the Desert
(
above)
at the Antiquities Museum (5 St.
Alban-Graben, antikenmuseumbasel.
ch) made the trip from Jordan to
celebrate the 200th anniversary of
the modern discovery of the ancient
site by Basel native J.L. Burckhardt.
Eating and drinking
For Swiss cuisine, try raclette (melted
cheese over potato) or cheese
fondue at the
Walliser Kanne
(50
Gerbergasse, walliserkanne-basel.ch).
Just up the hill,
Brasserie au Violin
(4
Im Lohnhof, au-violon.com),
serves excellent meat and fish dishes
in a lovely art-deco dining room.
For nightlife, drop in one of the cosy
bars of the Old Town, such as
Rio
(12
Barfüsserplatz) or
Baragraph
(10
Kohlenberg), near top jazz club
Bird’s
Eye
(20
Kohlenberg, birdseye.ch).
Getting to the centre
Euroairport is a binational airport.
Exit through Swiss customs. Bus 50
goes to Basel Railway Station and
takes under 20 minutes, and costs
4.20
Swiss francs (€3.50). A taxi is
around 40 francs.
Words Richard Harvell
Basel
SWITZERLAND
Dialling Code
+41
Currency
Swiss franc (CHF)
Info
basel.com
SERBIA
Dialling Code
+381
Currency
Serbian Dinar (RSD)
Info
beograd.rs
Winter presents
New destinations and services
Barcelona
Belgrade
Brussels
Bucharest
Budapest
Cluj-Napoca
Cracow
Debrecen
Eindhoven
Gdansk
Katowice
Liverpool
London
Madrid
Milan
Paris
Prague
Rome
Sofia
Tirgu Mures
Venice
Vilnius
Warsaw
