Marta González-Hontoria
Updated Tuesday, March 12, 2024-00:00
Portuguese Algarve getaway: what to do when you go to see the 'Best beach in the world'
Vacations An Easter plan for every corner of our geography
Views are always important and in this selection of getaways through Europe there is a hotel room from which Valletta, one of the queens of the Mediterranean, appears impressively.
There is also a city in the Baltic where a universal artist painted master landscapes and there are many bridges from which to look out onto harmonious, cultured, vibrant cities.
Come and see.
romantic GERMANY
There are so many things happening in Germany this year that it is difficult to choose the destination.
We will have to find the excuse that best suits each traveler.
For example, we can see the powerful transformation that the country has undergone in the 25 years that have passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Or we can satisfy our soccer craving by going to the Euro Cup and, in the process, discover some of the wonders near Cologne, Frankfurt or Munich, to name just a few of the 10 venues.
Or we can follow the footprint of one of his most universal painters, the romantic
Caspar David Friedrich
for the 250 years that have passed since his birth... We like the latter because it is an opportunity to discover some of the German landscapes most beautiful.
Among them, the Elbe sandstone mountains where Friedrich was inspired to create
Wanderer over the Sea of Fog,
or the radiant green of
Meadows near Greifswald.
By the way,
this city next to the Baltic that was his hometown has designed a route to follow in the painter's footsteps.
Although it is Hamburg where the great exhibition marking the anniversary is being held until April.
More information at www.germany.travel
The Greifswald marina, Germany.SHUTTERSTOCK
THE 'DOURO' WITH BOAT INCLUDED
A walk through the Portuguese Douro between the blankets of vineyards at the end of the day is, frankly, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Even better if it is aboard a
rabelo
, of course, the boat that traditionally transported port wine barrels from Alto Douro, where the vineyards are located, to Vila Nova de Gaia.
The Octant Douro hotel has one of these boats.
It is also advisable to stop by the Douro wine lists and those panoramic outdoor pools, one of them heated, which invite you to take a dip at any time of the day.
More information at www.octanthotels.com
A dip by the river at the Octant Douro hotel.
PINK (AND BLUE) TOULOUSE
Known as the
Pink City
for the color of its brick facades, Toulouse owes much of its past splendor to the production of pastel blue, the color that Toulouse made fashionable in Europe in the 16th century.
Among the palaces of these rich merchants, the famous Hôtel d'Assézat still stands out today, which has just reopened its doors after three and a half years of restoration.
An opportunity to discover the cultural jewels of the lively city of Garonne, as the splendid Renaissance building houses the Bemberg Foundation museum, one of the best private art collections in France, with works by Monet, Zurbarán and Picasso, among others. many great artists.
More information at www.turismo-toulouse.es
Toulouse, the always lively city of the Garonne.SHUTTERSTOCK
A SPANISH IN MALTA
The
great lady of the Mediterranean
has been chosen among the three
best European cities
to visit in 2024 by the European Best Destinations.
This platform, which has collected more than a million votes from travelers from 172 different countries, highlights its perfect beaches, vibrant culture, delicious food and energetic atmosphere.
To enjoy all the Mediterranean charm, the Barceló Fortina Malta stands on the Sliema seafront, with magnificent views of the sea and the fortified city of Valletta, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
An unrivaled headquarters for getting lost in the earthy streets of this capital, diving in its waters and visiting the neighboring islands of Gozo and Comino.
More information at www.barcelo.com
The Barceló Fortina Malta hotel with magnificent views of the fortified city of Valletta.
Belgium of the brilliant Ensor
Belgium knows how to celebrate its teachers.
This year marks 75 years since the death of James Ensor (1860 - 1949), so it is time to explore the life and work of this very original Flemish painter considered one of the precursors of expressionism.
As?
Traveling, naturally.
The exhibitions, activities and events around the painter are distributed between Antwerp, Brussels and Ostend, known as the pearl of the North Sea.
It is in this spa town where Ensor was born and spent most of his life.
For the painter, Ostend was "the queen of fictitious seas, soft sands and skies loaded with gold and opal."
For the traveler, the city remains the place where the myth of Ensor continues to come to life, both in the
Ensor House
and in other places in this spa city, such as the Mu.ZEE museum.
Now, to discover the artist's work, the
KMSKA
(Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp), which has the largest Ensor collection in the world, is organizing the great anniversary exhibition this fall.
Before, in Brussels, the KBR and the Bozar host exhibitions on various facets of the master.
More information at www.visitflanders.com
Ostend, the Flemish coastal city birthplace of maestro Ensor.SHUTTERSTOCK
Czech Republic for music lovers
One of the craters on the planet Mercury is named after
Bedich Smetana,
a fact that you probably did not know, but which serves to illustrate the importance of one of the world's greatest figures in music.
With operas that have been featured in such well-known films as
Spider-Man
or
Man on the Moon
(1999), this Czech composer who, like Beethoven, was deaf, knew how to portray the beauty of his country through his music like no one else.
During this year, which coincides with the bicentennial of his birth and the 140th anniversary of his death, a particular tribute is paid to him through concerts, festivals and various activities throughout the country.
It is the opportunity to follow in his footsteps through
Prague
and discover places such as the Bedich Smetana Museum, located in Stare Mesto, the charming old town next to the Vltava River and overlooking Prague Castle.
But also to venture beyond the capital and visit
Litomil
, a beautiful city in Eastern Bohemia with a Unesco World Heritage palace, where the composer was born.
More information at www.visitczechia.com/es-es
London for bookworms
Would you like to sleep in London's St Paul's Cathedral?
Now, let's curl the curl.
Would you like to sleep in the secret library of St Paul's Cathedral in London?
Just in case, we'll tell you how: it turns out that the Airbnb platform offers the opportunity to spend a literary stay in the London temple while immersing yourself in the pages of the upcoming publications of the publisher Penguin Random House US.
It will be the first time anyone has officially slept inside the Cathedral since St Paul's Guard guarded the building during the Second World War.
And the library, with a collection of more than 22,000 books, is one of its least known corners.
The curious stay has a symbolic price of 7 pounds, about 8 euros (includes the night, breakfast and dinner), and can be booked from March 12, 2024 at 9:00 CET at airbnb.es/hiddenlibrary .
The secret library of St Paul's Cathedral in London.AIRBNB
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