OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012
WIZZ MAGAZINE
69
DESTINATIONS
Barcelona & Basel
Basel
basel.com Swiss Franc
Crafts and trinkets
Once an event for prize pigs and
bushels of grain, today the
Basel
Autumn Fair
(27
October – 11
November) is all about eating,
shopping and rollercoasters.
Now over 500 years old, the fair
is scattered over a dozen sites,
with the Petersplatz a shoppers’
paradise of crafts and trinkets, and
the Messeplatz full of the screams
of adrenaline seekers. Climb the
Münsterplatz
and board the giant
Ferris wheel to enjoy a spectacular
view of the Black Forest.
Eating and drinking
Basel’s best eating is on both sides
of the Rhine, with the two-Michelin
starred
Cheval Blanc
(
lestroisrois.
com) facing the more modest
restaurants in Lesser Basel. Try
Hotel
Krafft
(
krafftbasel.ch) or the cosy
Zum Schmale Wurf
(
schmalewurf.
ch). For nightlife, the bars and clubs
at the
Kaserne
(
kaserne-basel.ch)
are a good place to start, while the
brash discos of the
Steinenvorstadt
are a good place to end a night.
Getting to the centre
EuroAirport, straddling the French-
Swiss border, is the world’s only
binational airport. Make sure to exit
through Swiss customs, and then Bus
50 (2.80
Swiss Francs, €2.50) takes
you to Basel Railway Station within
20
minutes. A taxi costs about 40
Swiss Francs (€33).
Words Richard Harvell
Boots and ballet
Autumn is the time for specialist
walking tours, such as Suzanne Wales
on
Contemporary Catalan design
(
+34 661 050 954), or the Ruta del
Modernisme (rutadelmodernisme.
com) on
Gaudí
.
October has a
programme of flamenco singers and
guitarists at the
Palau de la Música
(
palaumusica.org), while the
Liceu
Opera House
(
liceubarcelona.
cat) hosts ballet from the US until
late October, and Prague until
late November.
La Castanyada
is
Barcelona’s answer to Halloween; it’s
on 31 October and 1 November with
roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes
on the streets, and with panellets
(
marzipan cookies rolled in pinenuts)
in bakeries. A glass of cava is nice too.
Eating and drinking
Most city’s chefs say autumn is the
best time of year. In the Boqueria
food market,
El Quim de Boqueria
(
La Rambla 91, elquimdelaboqueria.
cat) does superb wild mushrooms with
eggs;
Can Culleretes
(
C/Quintana
5,
culleretes.com), which dates back
to 1786, is big on classics like goose
and pears, and fine-dining restaurants
such as
Cinc Sentits
(
C/Aribau 58,
cincsentits.com) launch their autumn
tasting menus in homage to some of
the best regional products.
Getting to the centre
We provide a shuttle bus transfer
between the airport and any address
in the centre. It is €18 (€36 return).
Words Tara Stevens
Barcelona
barcelonaturisme.com Euro
AIR
BUS
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by
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UROPE
