Travel Ideas - Europe - Short Stops

O N E D AY I N . . .

Short stops

C L O C KW I S E FROM TOP LEFT

Photos: Alamy, Getty Images, Jamie Martin, Robert Gilhooly, Sierra Resort

Moscow’s St Basil’s Cathedral; visitors can rent bikes near Amsterdam’s Vondelpark; Prague Castle is one of the biggest in Europe; the Soviet Star at Berlin’s Checkpoint Charlie.

SOMETIMES YOU CAN’T TAKE THE TIME FOR A LEISURELY CITY STAY OVER MULTIPLE DAYS. HERE’S HOW TO HAVE ONE GREAT DAY IN...

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One of Moscow’s underground transport stops.

Performers of the world-famous Bolshoi Ballet.

Cycling is a popular way to get around in Amsterdam, both for locals and visitors.

Scones at Café Pushkin.

Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

Moscow

Words: Tatyana Leonov

8am Head to Cook’kareku for a quirky, but still delicious, take on breakfast and order one of the global-inspired choices. The Kamchatkan breakfast (scrambled eggs, salmon, crab, beetroot and sour cream) is a tasty choice.

11.30am Built in 1893, GUM is Moscow’s historic department store and is home to the city’s most expensive brands.

Most tourists visit to simply admire the architecture and buy an ice cream. (Be prepared to line up in summer.)

4.30pm Catch the metro to

9.30am There are almost 900 churches in Moscow, of which the Church of All Saints in Kulishki is one of the most remarkable. The current building is from the 17th century, with the original dating back to the 14th century. Interestingly, in the ’50s and ’60s it housed KGB offices, but in 1991 ownership was returned to the Orthodox Church.

12.30pm Overlooking the Moskva River,

the Moscow Kremlin is a historic complex with everything from gold collections and armoury to religious icons and jewellery on display.

6pm Grab a cheeky cocktail at Mendeleev Bar. You’ll need to enter via the Chinese takeaway shop Lucky Noodles and head for a discrete black curtain to enter this chic space.

2pm At Cafe Pushkin you can try beautifully presented traditional Russian dishes like pelemeni and borsch in a space fitted out like a Russian aristocrat’s home circa 1825.

7pm The Bolshoi Ballet is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world and Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre is an attraction in its own right. Watching a performance here (be sure to book ahead) is a must-do.

3.30pm Some of Moscow’s metro stops

10pm Finish your Moscow experience at Varvary, the first Russian restaurant to make the World’s 50 Best Restaurants cut.

Anatoly Komm’s inventive approach elevates traditional Russian cuisine to new heights.

10.30am Stroll around Red Square and soak up the atmosphere. St Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow’s pride and joy, is located here. Built under the rule of Tsar Ivan IV, it’s a stunning and colourful nine-dome marvel which today houses a museum.

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are striking works of art so spend some time underground. Mayakovskaya is one of the most stunning, with 34 elaborate mosaics displayed on the ceiling.

Kropotkinskaya to visit the lavish Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the world’s tallest Russian Orthodox cathedral. Although the cathedral concept dates back to the early 19th century, it was completed only in 2000.

O N E D AY I N …

Amsterdam

Words: Mitch Brook

8am Walk the canals to take in the pretty townhouses and bridges. The three major canals were built in the 1600s. If the weather gets cold enough in winter, Amsterdamers ice skate on the canals.

12.30pm Find a grocer or market

9.30am The Koffiehuis De Hoek is a popular café serving up omelettes, pancakes and quick service. The coffee is decent, too, so fuel up for a big day.

2pm The Rijksmuseum is packed full of Dutch art and artefacts. You’ll see art by masters such as Rembrandt and Vermeer (however, the nearby Van Gogh Museum is better for that artist).

10.30am Head to the Anne Frank Museum, the house where the young Jewish diarist hid from the Nazis. You can see how the Franks lived, with artefacts from that time including Anne’s original diary.

11.30am Climb the tower of Westerkerk

3.30pm Catch a number 10 tram from the

nearby Spiegelgracht stop to Hoogte Kadijk (you can buy a one-hour ticket on-board) to visit Brouwerij ’t IJ, a brewery and bar inside a windmill. It has a range of its own beers and runs tours in English at 3.30pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

4.30pm Time for some Dutch snacks. Try

patatje oorlog (fries with mayonnaise, satay sauce and onion), poffertjes (mini pancakes

with butter and sugar) or broodje haring (a raw herring sandwich with onion).

6pm Rent a bike from MacBike in Waterlooplein or near Vondelpark, or Bike4U’s multiple locations, and ride along the canals as night falls and the water reflects the street lights.

7pm The Dutch were once a colonial force in Indonesia, which has brought many Southeast Asian people – and their cuisine – to Amsterdam. Try Javanese at Warung Spang Makandra. Often these restaurants have a tourist menu in English, otherwise ask your waiter or a local for a translation; they’ll likely reply in perfect English.

10pm Seek out the Dutch spirit jenever

in one of Amsterdam’s bars. It’s like the forefather of gin, made from juniper and a range of herbs. Try Café Slijterij Oosterling or De Drie Flesjes.

Photos: Getty Images, JNTO, Shaun Mittwollen, Alamy

church for a great view. Nearby is the Homomonument, a tribute to all persecuted gay and lesbian people. It was the first of its kind in the world – testament to Amsterdam’s progressive culture.

(Foodhallen is nearby) for picnic supplies before heading to Vondelpark. This sprawling green space in the city centre is popular for afternoon picnics in the sun.

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Words: Roderick Eime

8am Grab your Berlin Welcome Card for attraction and transport discounts and take a walk along the riverside Landwehrkanal or Tiergarten (a central park). Finish up at funky Kurfürstenstraße for breakfast, where Einstein’s is a popular pick.

celebrity-spotting at Madame Tussauds, where local luminaries Angela Merkel, Karl Marx and Marlene Dietrich await.

Move onward past Unter den Linden and you’re in the culture zone, with the German Historical Museum’s enthralling exhibitions.

9.30am If you have the time, the Berlin Zoo is billed as the most important animal collection in the world with 1,500 species, or else jump aboard the efficient UBahn and head to the German Museum of Technology for a taste of Deutsche hi-tech and history. Yep, that’s a DC-3 aeroplane on the roof.

12.30pm Start thinking about lunch as

10.30am You may need to shortcut through Tiergarten to get to Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag historic zone, but visiting early will set the scene for the day and give you an insight into the soul of Berlin and the momentous events that have gripped the city over the years.

2pm If you have a taste for the nostalgic, head to the nearby DDR Museum for a glimpse of pre-unified German life and wonder what it was like before the wall came down.

11.30am Keep walking east into what was

once bleak East Berlin, stopping for a little

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you head across the Kupfergraben (canal), with the majestic Berliner Dom cathedral looming up ahead. Historic Alexanderplatz is a transport hub with plenty to choose from, including lunch with a view in the 368m-high TV Tower, built in 1969. Happy hour at Bar 203 starts at 2pm.

3.30pm You can’t leave Berlin without

paying a visit to Checkpoint Charlie, the former barricade between the East and West where you can recreate your own

Bridge of Spies climax. Grab a coffee in the once-forbidden zone.

4.30pm To complete the history lesson, get a feel for what the wall looked like.

Head to the restored Nordbahnhof (station) where a section remains adjacent to the brand-new museum on Bernauer Street.

6pm Take a short stroll to the Natural History Museum (Naturkunde), where life-size dinosaur exhibits lurks. (Sorry, the story of the dinosaur egg hatching there is a myth.)

7pm If you’ve booked in advance, you’ll have your tux and sequins ready for a performance at the Staatsoper (opera) back at Unter den Linden. It’s an institution, held in the painstakingly restored 18th-century theatre.

10pm If you missed lunch at the TV Tower, head back for an evening cocktail, or perhaps take a twilight tour of the zoo.

Photo: Philip Koschel, Prague City Tourism,

T

Berlin

O N E D AY I N …

Prague

Words: Mitch Brook

8am Start in Wenceslas Square. The long boulevard has been the site of important Czech political moments, including protests against the Soviet Union. Pick up breakfast from Studio Dva Café.

9.30am Head to the Old Town Square

and discover its old-world charm. If you must, check out the Astronomical Clock that was installed in 1410 for its on-thehour performance. Be warned that it’s been voted as one of the most disappointing experiences in Europe.

10.30am Walk towards the river for an

energy boost at TriCafé, a great little source of decent coffee and sweet treats.

11.30am To cross the Vltava River, you can either brace for the tourist crowds and tackle the Charles Bridge, or head a bit further north and cross Manusev Most – look south for a beautiful view of Prague over the river, including the 15th-century bridge and its Gothic tower.

12.30pm Head uphill to Prague Castle,

one of the largest in Europe, which includes St. Vitus Cathedral, the Old Royal Palace, the Golden Lane of tiny houses (one of which was inhabited by Franz Kafka) and Dalibor Tower, which served as a prison for nearly 300 years. You’re sure to learn the meaning of the word ‘defenestration’ (to be

thrown from a window) before you depart – something that has happened more than once in Czech political history.

2pm It’s right nearby so check out the

Kafka Museum for a look into the life of one of the most celebrated Czech authors. Then, head back across the river to wander the Old Town at leisure. Reward yourself with meatloaf from Naše Maso: a blend of pork and beef that’s all flavour.

3.30pm Explore the Jewish Museum of

Prague, which holds important historical relics – especially from the destruction of the Prague ghetto, or Josefov, at the turn of the 19th century. Its artefacts were added to during World War II when the Nazis gathered Jewish items from all over Bohemia to be stored here.

4.30pm Seek out a pre-dinner beverage.

ceramics and mosaics and run by famous Prague chef Zdeněk Pohlreich.

7pm Prague’s Rudolfinum is home to the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Dvorak Hall, named for the Czech composer, hosts regular concerts. During the day you can often catch musicians performing a sample of the music that’s to come that evening.

10pm Finally, head underground: Prague has a cool selection of cellar bars. Try Nebe Kremencova for cocktails and music in a restored medieval-era cellar, or Kozicka Bar, consisting of a warren of rooms that gets busier and louder the later it gets.

City daytrips

Visit your local Flight Centre for more advice on short city visits and the latest deals. Go to flightcentre.com.au or call 131 600 24 hours.

Czechs are all about their beer – the Czech Republic is said to be the nation that consumes the most beer per capita in the world – and even invented the pilsner style of brewing with Pilsner Urquell in 1842. Try the Urquell but be sure to also taste the range of regional brews at the Prague Beer Museum (actually a pub), with 30 varieties on tap.

6pm For dinner, Café Imperial is as impressive as it sounds, with Art Nouveau

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Berlin’s cathedral, found in the central Mitte neighbourhood.

Prague’s Café Imperial serves up impressive dishes that match its beautiful decoration.

Prague’s Old Town Square is a historic beauty, with cobbled streets and a variety of architectural styles.

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