Tradition reigns supreme at the well-loved classic Kronenhalle, where every inch of the restaurant’s burnished wood paneling is covered with original works by Klee, Picasso, Kandinsky, and other modern masters. The animated scene here is best enjoyed over delicious standards like steak or sausage and rösti potatoes. Just 6 miles south of town, Rico’s Kunststuben wows its clientele with a market-based cuisine that is almost compulsively inventive, every mouthful a revelation.
VISITOR INFO: www.zuerich.com. KUNSTHAUS: Tel 41/44-253-8484; www.kunsthaus.ch. KUNSTHALLE: Tel 41/44272-1515; www.kunsthallezurich.ch. HOTEL HELVETIA: Tel 41/44-297-9999; www.hotel-helvetia.ch. Cost: from $250; dinner $80. DOLDER GRAND HOTEL: Tel 41/44-456-6000; www.thedoldergrand.com. Cost: from $630; dinner $160. KRONENHALLE: Tel 41/44-2629900; www.kronenhalle.com. Cost: dinner $100. RICO’S KUNSTSTUBEN: Tel 41/44-9100715; www.kunststuben.com. Cost: dinner $145. BEST TIMES: Apr–Oct for nicest weather; Apr for Sechseläuten spring festival; late Jun–mid-Jul for Zürich Festival of performing arts; mid-Aug for dancing at the Street Parade; early Sep for Long Night of Museums.
EASTERN EUROPE
Playground on the Adriatic
BUBROVNIK AND THE DALMATIAN COAST
Croatia
A rugged shoreline and more than 1,000 islands in the warm, turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea make the Dalmatian Coast one of Europe’s most beautiful seaside playgrounds. Dubrovnik, “the Pearl of the Adriatic,” is the most magical of Croatia’s many coastal towns. Rising directly from a wave-lapped limestone promontory, the Stari Grad, or Old Town, is ringed with 15th-century stone walls as much as 80 feet high and 20 feet thick. In its glory days, Dubrovnik was an independent republic vying for influence with Venice. Stroll atop the 1.3 miles of city walls and look down at terracotta roofs and an ancient urban grid. The Placa (aka Stradun), a wide, marble-paved main thoroughfare, is lined with boutiques, cafés, and galleries. Narrow side streets and alleys lead to a monastery with Romanesque cloisters, a tiny 15th-century synagogue (Europe’s second oldest), and Gundulic Square, which fills most mornings with a lively food market. The cathedral and Rector’s Palace lie just beyond. There aren’t many options for spending the night within the old walls, but one is the small, cozy Hotel Stari Grad, a former aristocratic home. For grander lodging, the Excelsior Hotel and Spa blends timeless style and nonchalant luxury just steps from the beach and a ten-minute stroll from the Old Town.
Split, north of Dubrovnik, has a birthright shared by few other cities: It was the retirement estate of a Roman emperor. In the 3rd century, Diocletian built a walled enclave covering nearly 10 acres, and it is still the heart of this pretty coastal city. History has recycled the imposing Roman structures; the cathedral was once Diocletian’s mausoleum. The emperor’s boudoir is now part of Vestibul Palace, a boutique hotel blending high-design modern luxury and ancient Roman stonecraft.
Split is the hub for a ferry system serving the coastal islands and their exclusive resorts. Brae is known for its wine, marble (used for Diocletian’s palace, America’s White House, and Berlin’s Reichstag), and beaches that are favorites with windsurfers. Hvar is famous for being famous, with lavender fields and superb beaches that draw tycoons and rock stars. At its most stylish hotel, Adriana, a rooftop terrace overlooks the yacht-filled harbor. Korčula is noted for its golden wine called Grk and its claim to be the birthplace of Marco Polo. Adjacent to the house known as his home is the small and exclusive Lešić Dimitri Palace Hotel, once an 18th-century bishop’s palace. The island of Vis has marvelous antiquities and vineyards and offers diving, miles of sandy beaches, and a low-key, relaxed vibe.
From Split, it’s 70 miles north to Zadar, which was the island capital of Dalmatia for over a millennium. Within its old walled town are two cathedrals, the remains of a Roman forum, and a lively mix of cafés and shops. At the Riva, a seafront promenade, listen to the Sea Organ, tubes installed beneath large marble steps to let the wind and waves make music. Sign up for a boat trip to visit Kornati National Park, 89 stark white limestone islands busy with divers and sailboats.
Dubrovnik’s walls fortified the city against pirate attacks.
HOTEL STARI GRAD: Tel: 385/98-534819; www.hotelstarigrad.com. Cost: from $190 (off-peak), from $330 (peak). EXCELSIOR HOTEL: Tel 385/20-353-353; www.hotel-excelsior.hr. Cost: from $185 (off-peak), from $330 (peak). VESTIBUL PALACE: Tel 385/21329-329; www.vestibulpalace.com. Cost: from $300 (off-peak), from $450 (peak). ADRIANA: Tel 385/21-750-200; www.suncanihvar.com/adriana. Cost: from $225 (off-peak), from $425 (peak). LEŠIĆ DMITRI PALACE: Tel 385/20-715-560; www.lesic-dimitri.com. Cost: from $500 (off-peak), from $650 (peak). When: closed Nov–Mar. KORNATI NATIONAL PARK: www.kornati.hr. BEST TIMES: Apr–Jun and Sep–Nov for pleasant weather; Jul—Aug for Dubrovnik Summer Festival and Split Festival.
The Tuscany of Croatia
ISTRIA
Croatia
In Croatia’s northwest corner, just south of Trieste, Italy, the peninsula of Istria juts into the Adriatic Sea. With rolling vineyards, olive groves, and ancient, walled hill towns, it resembles Tuscany in both looks and spirit as well as boasting a gleaming, beach-lined coast. The Romans colonized Istria in the 2nd century B.C., and the arena they left behind at Pula, near its southern tip, testifies to the peninsula’s importance in ancient times. Designed for gladiatorial combat, with seating for 22,000 spectators, the amphitheater is one of Europe’s largest and best preserved and is used today for rock concerts, operas, and film festivals.
You’ll find authentic medieval charm farther north. Rovinj, a coastal town thrusting thumblike into the sea, is a tangle of steep, narrow streets and centuries-old stone houses, crowned by the imposing 18th-century Church of St. Euphemia. The saint’s 6th-century marble sarcophagus is said to have floated here from Constantinople in about A.D. 800. It’s not far to the inviting Hotel Monte Mulini, set in a forested park overlooking the beach. It has large rooms, a three-story spa, and the Wine Vault Restaurant, which serves contemporary French and Mediterranean cuisine.
Poreč invites exploration with an ancient town center and the magnificent 6th-century St. Euphrasius Basilica, whose intricate mosaics are considered among the finest examples of Byzantine art. Surrounded by beach resorts, the newly restored Grand Hotel Palazzo, built above the harbor in 1910, is Poreč’s top choice, combining period charm and up-to-date luxury.
Leave the coast and journey into Istria’s verdant heartland, a rolling patchwork where oak forests yield pungent truffles and excellent wines from traditional Malvasia and Teran grapes. The fortified town of Motovun is a medieval time capsule of winding cobblestone streets, bell towers, and a hilltop 17th-century Venetian palazzo. The last is now the family-run Hotel Kaštel, complete with a spa and charming historical quirks. If you don’t have time for a wine tour, savor local specialties in Palladio, the hotel’s restaurant.
WHERE: Pula is 73 miles/118 km south of Trieste. HOTEL MONTE MULINI: Tel 385/52636-000; www.montemulinihotel.com. Cost: from $375 (off-peak), from $730 (peak); dinner $60. GRAND HOTEL PALAZZO: Tel 385/52858-800; www.hotel-palazzo.hr. Cost: $125 (off-peak), from $300 (peak). When: closed late Oct–Feb. HOTEL KASTEL: Tel 385/52681-607; www.hotel-kastel-motovun.hr. Cost: from $120; dinner $20. BEST TIMES: Apr–Jun and Sep–Oct for nicest weather; Jun–Aug for Pula’s Histria Festival with concerts at the amphitheater; late Jul or Aug for Motovun Film Festival; Sep—Nov for truffles.
Wonderland of Water
PLITVICE LAKES NATIONAL PARK
Croatia
High in the Dinaric Mountains, on the road between Zagreb and coastal Split (see p. 284), the nascent Korana River drops through a verdant valley of stair-stepped lakes and hundreds of waterfalls that was long known as the Vržji Vrt (Devil’s Garden), so rich in mystery and beauty that locals felt it was enchanted. One of Europe’s premier natural wonders, the terraced and interconnected Plitvice Lakes extend over 5 miles. The water pools in one and then flows to the next via waterfalls, springs, caves, and chutes. The Veliki Slap (Big W
aterfall), which drops 230 feet into a steep canyon, separates the lakes into two clusters: 12 in the upper valley and four below.
The terraces are travertine, a mineral created when limestone dissolved in water gradually collects and petrifies into ridges and ledges. Jewel-like in color, the lakes vary from deep blue to turquoise as sunlight refracts at different angles off minerals in the water. Elevated wooden footpaths and bridges allow visitors to explore the lakes without disturbing this extremely fragile environment.
The lakes are beautiful year-round. Spring brings runoff from snowmelt that makes the waterfalls even more numerous and dramatic. In summer, the valley is a cool escape from the heat, and in autumn the forests are a kaleidoscope of multihued foliage. When snow blankets the peaks, the lower lakes trail remains open, allowing visitors to see waterfalls and cascades transformed into icy stalactites.
Interlinked pools and surrounding forests make up Plitvice Lakes, Croatia’s first national park.
WHERE: 80 miles/129 km southwest of Zagreb. VISITOR INFO: www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr. WHERE TO STAY: Hotel Jazero is closest to the lakes and the only game in town. Tel 385/53-751-400; www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr. Cost: from $120 (off-peak), from $160 (peak).
A Medieval Town on the Meandering Vltava
ČESKÝ KRUMLOV
Bohemia, Czech Republic
Český Krumlov is a fairy-tale river town that opens a lively window on genuine Bohemian life. It’s a popular destination for day-trippers from Prague (Praha in Czech), but plan to stay a night to enjoy a meal in a traditional riverside restaurant, then rise early before the crowds arrive: You’ll have the twisting alleyways and numerous nooks and crannies of the town almost to yourself.
Most notable among the town’s fascinating architectural collage of medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo buildings is the splendid Český Krumlov hrad, also called the Schwarzenberg Castle. With 300 rooms, this is the Czech Republic’s second largest castle after Prague’s (see p. 291), and for three centuries it was the official residence of the Rosenberg dynasty, the noble family that ruled southern Bohemia from the 13th to the 16th century. Cross from the soaring Round Tower through the grandiose stone arches of the Most na Plášti bridge to the expansive castle gardens, where, during the summer months, ballet, opera, and theater are performed alfresco in the Revolving Theater.
The Czech Republic is famous for its beer (see p. 289), and Český Krumlov’s local Eggenberg brewery conjures up a tasty dark lager best sampled at the Hospoda Na Louži pub. One of the town’s most atmospheric dining experiences is the riverside U Dwau Maryí (the Two Marys) with medieval recipes such as roast pheasant and excellent medovina (mead). On the main square, Krčma ν Šatlavské offers sizzling platters of grilled meat served in a candlelit 16th-century stone-lined cellar illuminated by candles or outdoor terrace.
The meandering Vltava river is a defining feature of Český Krumlov, and several local companies offer rafting and canoeing trips through the forests of south Bohemia. At sunset, as shadows bounce off the town’s haphazard angles, flat-bottomed wooden boats carry visitors slowly along the river as it twists and turns through the old town.
The town of Český Krumlov grew around the castle of the same name.
WHERE: 112 miles/180 km south of Prague. VISITOR INFO: www.ckrumlov.info. ČESKÝ KRUMLOV CASTLE: www.castle.ckrumlov.cz. When: closed Nov–Mar. HOSPODA NA LOUZI: Tel 420/380-711-280; www.nalouzi.cz. U DWAU MARYÍ: Tel 420/380-717-228. cost: dinner $15. KRČMA V ŠATLAVSKÉ: Tel 420/380-713-344; www.satlava.cz. Cost: dinner $40. WHERE TO STAY: The historic Hotel Konvice has castle views and is located just off the central square. Tel 420/380-711-611; www.en.stadthotel-krummau.de. Cost: from $90. BEST TIMES: Apr and Oct for fewer visitors; Jun for Five-Petalled Rose Festival with street performers and medieval pageantry; Jul–Aug for International Music Festival.
trio of bohemian Spas
KARLOVY VARY
Bohemia, Czech Republic
“I feel as if I’m in some paradise of innocence and spontaneity,” wrote Goethe, who spent 16 summers in Karlovy Vary, also known by its German name, Karlsbad. Beethoven, Brahms, Bach, and Liszt also found inspiration here. Of the Czech Republic’s 30-plus spa towns, Karlovy Vary and its centuries-old competitor Mariánské Lázně (Marienbad) are the largest and most renowned.
For more than 400 years, the world’s rich and famous have come to “take the waters” of Karlovy Vary’s 12 natural thermal springs. Located in a meandering wooded valley, the town retains an elegant and important air, enlivened by impromptu classical music concerts held amid graceful 19th-century architecture.
Dating from 1701, the Grand Hotel Pupp was one of Europe’s most famous hotels, with countless celebrities, including Goethe, Paganini, and Freud, filling its guest register. Drenched in old-world ambience, it deserves a peek, but consider unpacking at the Hotel Ontario, a more modest affair, within a minute’s walk from everything. Either is a perfect base for exploring the best of west Bohemia’s spa country. Just 20 minutes away, Loket may not feature springs, but this compact medieval village is on a scenic bend of the Ohre River and has a brooding castle. On summer evenings, the Hotel Cisar Ferdinand holds alfresco barbecues, with robust local food accompanied by one of Bohemia’s best lagers.
Forty-five minutes’ drive south of Karlovy Vary is the much smaller Mariánské Lázne, whose 40 mineral springs were a favorite choice of Kafka, Chopin, and England’s King Edward VII (the latter frequented the Hotel Nové Lázně, still a town landmark). Chopin’s legacy is celebrated in August with the annual Chopin Music Festival. Stop by the Chodovar Beer Spa in nearby Chodová Planá, where bathing in restorative tubs of warm, specially brewed beer is on offer. Continue to sleepy Frantiskovy Lázne (Franzenbad), near the German border. This is the smallest and most unspoiled town in the country’s spa triangle, despite the allure of its 26 curative springs.
WHERE: Karlovy Vary is 88 miles/142 km west of Prague, and Mariánské Lázně is 106 miles/172 km west of Prague. GRAND HOTEL PUPP: Tel 420/353-109-111; www.pupp.cz. cost: from $270. HOTEL ONTARIO: Tel 420/353-222-091; www.hotelontario.cz. cost: from $135. HOTEL CISAR FERDINAND: Tel 420/352-327-130. Cost: $95. HOTEL NOVÉ LÁZNĚ: Tel 420/354-644-111; www.danubiushotels.com. cost: from $150. CHODOVAR BEER SPA: Tel 420/374-611-653; www.chodovar.cz. BEST TIMES: Jun–Sep for nicest weather; Jul for Karlovy Vary International Film Festival; Sep for Dvořák autumn music festival.
A Cathedral to Rival Prague’s, and a Macabre but Compelling Display
KUTNÁ HORA
Bohemia, Czech Republic
This quiet town was once a serious rival to the might and glory of Prague. Kutná Hora’s wealth was drawn from the silver ore enriching the surrounding hills, and in 1308, during the reign of Wenceslas II, the town became the royal mint. The silver coins minted here were the monetary lingua franca of central Europe, and Prague and Kutná Hora became fierce economic, cultural, and political rivals. By the 16th century, the silver reserves were expiring, but the town was left with a fascinating legacy of significant architecture. The town’s interesting Silver Museum is housed in a building that was originally part of its fortifications.
Dedicated to the patron saint of miners, the superb Gothic Cathedral of St. Barbara stands proudly on a ridge above Kutná Hora’s compact old town. With a soaring nave and an elegant ribbed ceiling, the scale and magnificence of the structure reinforce the town’s historic influence. Intermittent construction lasted from 1380 to the late 19th century. It was worth the wait—the cathedral is one of the country’s most grandiose.
Kutná Hora’s other treasure is the macabre Bone Church (Sedlec Ossuary), in the town’s suburbs where a Cistercian monastery has stood since the 12th century. When the Black Plague devastated Europe in the mid-1300s, the monastery’s graveyard overflowed, and this church was built to house the volume of human bones. For 5 centuries the bones of some 40,000 people were stored randomly, but when the aristocratic Schwarzenberg family purchased the chapel in 1870, th
ey enlisted a local woodcarver to organize the mountains of skulls, femurs, and ribs into creative arrangements. The result is a highly artistic display of bones transformed into chandeliers, pyramids, and crosses. Look closely and you’ll see the Schwarzenberg coat of arms and the signature of the artist, Frantised Rint, at the bottom of the steps.
WHERE: 45 miles/73 km east of Prague. VISITOR INFO: www.kutnahora.cz. CZECH SILVER MUSEUM: Tel 420/327-512-159; www.cms-kh.cz. SEDLEC OSSUARY: Tel 420/326551-049; www.kostnice.cz. BEST TIMES: Jun–Sep for nicest weather; Jun for International Classical Music Festival.
A Country’s Proud Heritage
CZECH BEER
Prague and Plzen, Bohemia, Czech Republic
“Wherever beer is brewed, all is well. Whenever beer is drunk, life is good” goes an old proverb in a country whose per capita beer consumption is the world’s highest. And many decades after pilsner beer was first perfected in the west Bohemian city of Plzeň (Pilsen in German) in 1842, there’s never been a better time to be a pivo (beer) aficionado in the Czech Republic. Of the country’s 125 breweries, many are located in the capital, Prague. Sampling them is easy—plenty of the city’s hospody (pubs) offer an eveningful of brews on tap.
A leisurely sampling from Prague’s abundance of choice might begin at the Pivovarsky Dum (Brewery House), where you can try “beer champagne” or coffee- or banana-flavored beer. Or amble across town to the associated Pivovarsky Klub (Brewery Club), which showcases the best of regional Czech brewers. It gets busy with loyal regulars in the evening, so come for a long lunch combining traditional Czech food with up to six different beers on tap. Not enough? Several refrigerators are packed with bottled brews from around the country. Names to look for include Primátor, Svijany, Kout na Šumavě, and Lobkowicz.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 47
