A Thrilling Botswana Walking Safari in the Okavango Delta
Botswana is one of the best places in the world to go on safari. It is blessed with wonderful landscapes, a vast array of wildlife and great infrastructure, which means that travelling through the country is very easy. Exploring on foot is a wonderful way to discover the Okavango Delta region, a vast wilderness area. Here’s our guide for what to expect and what to bring on a Botswana walking safari.
Where To Go on Safari in Botswana
The country has several national parks. We visited two of the most popular: the Chobe National Park in the north and the Okavango Delta. Okavango is the world’s largest inland delta and is UNESCO listed as a remarkable geographical area because it is a river delta that doesn’t flow into an ocean.
The Okavango is also one of the best places in the world to see wildlife. It is home to the ‘Big Five’ game animals (elephant, lion, buffalo, rhinos, which are there but are very rare, and leopards which are quite elusive) as well as plethora of other wildlife and birds.
When To Go On Safari in Botswana
The country’s dry season runs from April to October (the winter). Daytime temperatures will likely be around 30C, cooling to 20C at night. Then temperatures increase during September and October until the wet season (November to March). The area experiences the heaviest rains from December to February. Most visitors arrive during the dry season, April being the shoulder month and start of the tourist season. You can visit during the wet months and animals can still be sighted but the area becomes a lot more difficult to access.
The Okavango is unique in that it floods every year. Waters come in from Angola and the grasslands transform into waterways. When the delta is full, many safaris are taken by mokoro, a traditional dugout canoe. Drifting along the water viewing wildlife from the channel gives you a unique perspective. The delta is usually full by June/July.
We travelled in April while the waters were still quite low. Although we did manage some short rides in the mokoro most of our safari was on foot. And it was one of the most magical experiences we have ever had.
Oddballs Camp
Botswana is one of the most expensive places to go on safari, the country having a ‘low turnover, high value’ visitor policy. However, the camp at Oddballs, on Chief’s Island, offers a package that is a lot more affordable than most. That isn’t to say that it’s cheap, but we had previously researched trips to Botswana that were waaaay out of our price range, and Oddballs was affordable for us.
We flew into Oddballs from Kasane (there are also flights available from Maun), where we had enjoyed a vehicle and boat safari in the Chobe National Park. You won’t know your flight time until 24 hours before departure because the schedule of flights going into and out of the various camps at the delta needs to be organised and co-ordinated. We arrived at the airport an hour before our scheduled departure, where an official issued our tickets and took us through to the departure lounge. Our lovely pilot had arrived early, so we were taken to our tiny plane. We were the only passengers!
Flying over the delta was wonderful. Look out for watering holes, there’s a chance you will see elephants having a drink or a bathe.
Tip: If you suffer from motion sickness you might want to consider taking your usual medication or remedy. The flight can be a bit bumpy.
Oddballs is located 1.5 hours from Kasane and just 20 minutes flying time from Maun. The airstrip is minimal, the departure lounge delightful.
On arrival at Oddballs we were welcomed with a drink and introduced to our lovely guide, Moja. The camp ensures that there is one guide for every two guests.
The Accommodation
Our accommodation was a private tent that had been constructed on a platform, with an adjacent open-air bathroom complete with flush toilet and bucket shower. Basic and compact, but perfect for us. There is no electricity but solar charged lamps are available at night.
We had to lock our soap and toilet paper away because the baboons might have taken them. (If you see any beautifully coiffured baboons, they probably found some shampoo!)
The view was magnificent…
…especially when a local elephant sauntered by, mere metres from our bed.
All the animals in the area are wild and free-roaming. We had an elephant walk through the camp several times.
But the best thing about Oddballs was the staff. Everyone was so friendly and helpful and nothing was too much trouble. Everyone introduced themselves to us and made us feel right at home straight away.
There was no wifi or phone signal available. It was the perfect opportunity to get away from the rest of the world.
On Safari On Foot
Each day at Oddballs starts at 6am with a very gentle “Good morning!” wake-up call from your guide. You get up, have a cup of tea and a muffin, then go for a walk or mokoro ride in the bush for a few hours, searching for wildlife. Watching the sunrise from the mokoro was delightful.
As the sun gets hotter, it’s back to camp for a cooked breakfast. Then it’s time for siesta. You can return to your bed for a kip, or hang out in the lounge area where there are books to read and games to play. It offers a fantastic view of the bush and there is usually some interesting wildlife to spot.
A light lunch is offered at 2:30pm. After another rest, meet your guide for an afternoon walk at 4.30pm.
As the sun goes down, it’s time to return to Oddballs for sundowners around the campfire, watching the sky change to a glorious colour. The camp is all-inclusive, so we enjoyed a G&T each night – purely medicinal for the quinine in the tonic water (honest!) – before dinner.
Meals are taken in the communal dining area and the guides will join you. All the guests and guides share tales of their adventures from the day. It was always exciting to hear about everybody else’s sightings.
Why Go On Safari On Foot?
Quite simply, it’s thrilling! It is a truly immersive experience. The guides at Oddballs carry radios but they do not carry rifles. This was the first safari we had been on where the rangers were not armed, and it was genuinely refreshing. We received a briefing on what to do if we encountered any of the animals at close range. First of all, everything can run faster than you, so don’t run away. Keep very calm and don’t make sudden movements. Back away slowly and try to get downwind of the animal if possible, so that they can’t smell you. But if you come across a big cat, stand your ground and look ‘em in the eye!
When walking through the bush you are a part of the environment. You learn to tune your senses looking for wildlife. You look for paw-prints and examine excrement for traces of visitors in the area. On each walk we managed to get very close to many animals. And, although people always talk about seeing the Big Five, the other wildlife is just as fascinating: zebras, hippos, giraffe, jackals, baboons and the birds, among many others, made this a very rich experience. Even the insects, such as dung beetles, are fascinating because they are as much a part of the eco-system as all the other creatures.
Elegant giraffes sauntered gently through the bush. We met a lovely lady giraffe – you can tell she’s female because her ‘horns’ (ossicones) have tufts of hair.
The zebra and impala were curious, observing us intently.
The baboons were initially interested then something else attracted their attention.
The wildebeest were hilarious, flouncing around, tossing their impressive manes and swishing their tails. They are most definitely the prima donnas of the Okavango.
We saw over 30 elephants in a single day, and that total included this delightful matriarchal family with their babies.
There was a large lake near the camp and it had many different bird species to view. They were enjoying a drink, a wash and a forage for fish, and the species we saw included egrets, maribou stork, sacred ibis, herons, pelicans, geese and fish eagles.
On one walk we had to avoid some 200 buffalo moving through the plains. Just when we thought it was safe to move on, we had to wait for the stragglers. But this is what makes a walking safari so special – you learn to slow down and observe, discovering how the animals interact with each other. We managed to get within a few metres downwind from a pool full of hippos, watching them bob up and down in the cooling water.
The most exciting walk was a search for lions. A pride had been spotted by the guides from the camp, stalking buffalo, so of course we all set out on foot in search of them. The guides’ experience ensured that, even though we felt a teensy bit of trepidation, we were confident that they knew what they were doing. Our guides communicated well, knew exactly where to look for the lions and how close to get to them – safely. We reckon we were about 50m away. You’ll have to look, but the photo below shows one of the lions hiding in the grass, in the centre-left of the photo, a short distance from the termite mound. So exciting!
Remember: if you are after exceptional wildlife photos you probably won’t get the best shots on a walking safari. You are walking through grassland and will – necessarily – need to keep a safe distance from the animals. But sometimes it’s better to ditch the camera and enjoy the experience.
Packing Tips For A Botswana Walking Safari in the Okavango
Pack light! The aircraft are tiny and have very small luggage holds. Bags should be soft, squishable and should not have wheels. Oddballs offer a free laundry service (underwear excepted) so it’s possible to get shirts and trousers washed if needed. They dry very quickly in the hot sun.
Long trousers and long shirts are important on a walking safari. The grasses can scratch your arms and legs, and long sleeves help prevent insect bites. Neutral colours are advisable and you shouldn’t wear anything too bright.
Good walking shoes, with a closed toe, are also essential. The terrain is flat so you don’t need walking boots.
If you are travelling in the wet season, wet weather gear is also advisable. Ponchos are very handy as you can throw them on quickly and they can also cover your rucksack.
Water bottle. Drinking water is available at Oddballs and you can fill up any time. Our guide also carried water which we could use.
Suncream, sunhat, insect repellent. Oddballs did provide insect repellent and bite relief cream as well.
There are lots of mosquitoes and they are usually hungry, so check with your healthcare professional to see whether you should take anti-malarial medication.
Head torches are really useful, giving you hands-free light at night.
Camera, battery, memory cards – you won’t be able to get these easily in Botswana. There are charging facilities in the lounge area at Oddballs but you might want to consider taking a power bank. You will have your own preferred camera setup, whether that be a DSLR or a phone. We took a cheap bridge camera that had a good optical zoom which we found to be perfect. It was light to carry, got reasonable photos and was cheap enough that it didn’t matter if we dropped it.
Final Thoughts
Botswana is one of the best places on the planet to go on safari and we truly fell in love with this wonderful country. Throughout our time at Oddballs we felt we were part of the environment – whether walking through the bush or lying in bed at night listening to the rhythmic orchestra of insects, accompanied by occasional loud grunts from the local elephants and hippos. The experience of a walking safari, which was so immersive, was exciting and utterly exhilarating. We’d go back in an instant.
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What To Know Before Visiting Japan
Our ‘know before you go’ series- succinct practical info you need to know about a country before you visit, with special tips for foodies. This handy guide is based on our personal experience of travelling in Japan many times over the course of 20 years. Here’s what to know before visiting Japan.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links. If you click through and decide to make a purchase we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, which will help towards the costs of running this site.
Why Visit Japan?
The Land of the Rising Sun is our favourite place in the world. It combines modern neon cities with delightful traditional rural towns. It contrasts hi-tech modernity with thousands of years of history. Blaring urban arcades contrast with serene temples and gardens. Japanese culture not only fascinating, it is hugely popular all over the world. The food is so delicious it’s been acknowledged by UNESCO. Japan is clean, safe and easy to get around. But, most of all, it’s so much fun to visit.
When To Visit Japan
Japan can be visited any time of the year and there are always plenty of things to see whenever you go. Golden Week (late April/early May) is a time when many Japanese workers take a break, so public transport may be busy. New Year is an important holiday in Japan, when people spend time with their families, so some museums and small hotels/ryokan will be closed during late December and the first few days of January.
Typhoon season runs from May to October, with the biggest storms in July and August. It may rain a lot but it’s rare that a typhoon would stop transportation. And the typhoon usually passes within a day or two.
Getting To Japan
Most people fly into Tokyo or Osaka. These airports are a fair distance from the cities they serve but both have good transport links into the centres. You can either catch a train or a bus.
Buses are known as limousine buses. You can easily book a limousine bus from Osaka airport or a bus to Tokyo from Narita or Haneda airports.
Passports and Visa
Check the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs website to see whether you need a visa.
Getting Around Japan
Public transport is the best way to get around Japan. It is efficient and integrated and – most of the time – bang on schedule. In fact, delays on trains are measured in seconds, not minutes! Most Japanese trains are punctual to within one minute. You can read our detailed post about how to use public transport in Japan.
Getting Around Cities
The major cities have metro systems. We recommend getting an electronic money card such as Passmo or Suica which you can charge with cash and then tip-tap in and out of the metro stations. You can also use them – and charge them – at convenience stores. Beware that different cities may need different cards.
A Suica card will get you around the Tokyo area.
A Kansai metro card (Osaka) gives several days transport and discount at a number of attractions. There is also a Kansai pass that offers discounts on various transport and activities.
Getting Around the Country
If you are planning to visit different cities we recommend getting a Japan Rail Pass. This gives you unlimited transport on all Japan Rail (JR) trains, except the super-fast Nozomi bullet train. The other bullet trains are still very, very fast, so this isn’t a problem.
You need to buy a JR Pass voucher before you visit. If you are travelling in just one area of Japan, you can buy a regional pass which is cheaper. Just click on the link and select which region you wish to buy a pass for. You will only be able to use the pass within this region.
JR Pass prices increased last year so there is a tool which helps you check whether it is cheaper to get a rail pass or buy individual tickets.
You will receive a voucher which you then exchange for a rail pass at a JR station.
Beware that if you are travelling further out, some railway lines are private lines and the JR Pass cannot be used on these, so you will have to buy a separate ticket.
Alternatively there are long-distance buses which travel between cities. These are significantly cheaper than the train but slower.
If you are travelling in the countryside you can easily rent a car as that will provide lots of flexibility. We don’t recommend driving in the cities. Driving is on the left.
Accommodation
Japan has many different types of accommodation to offer the visitor. It has a plethora of standard hotels. If you are on a budget, Japanese business hotels, designed for salarymen (Japanese businessmen), are a good option. They offer very small rooms but they are cheaper than standard hotels and still have loads of facilities. And you’re in Japan – you don’t want to spend all your time in your hotel! We have a post about what to expect when staying in a Japanese business hotel.
A ryokan is a traditional Japanese guesthouse and we recommend staying in one for at least part of your stay. You will have a tatami (reed mat) floor and will sleep on a futon.
Some ryokan will offer your meals in your room. They are delightful and refined but can be on the pricier side. However, we reckon it’s worth a splurge for a night or two.
Minshuku are B&Bs that are usually run by families. Often they will have tatami rooms and a shared dining room.
And if you’re feeling even more quirky, you can stay in a capsule hotel. Definitely not for the claustrophobic, you sleep in a tube in a dorm. Do note that these will be sex-segregated.
Language
Unsurprisingly, the language of Japan is Japanese. English isn’t spoken widely. The written language comprises four alphabets:
| Kanji | derived from Chinese characters |
| Hiragana | a phonetic alphabet for words of Japanese origin |
| Katakana | a phonetic alphabet for words of foreign origin |
| Romaji | the roman alphabet |
At 46 characters each, Hiragana and katakana are reasonably easy to learn and are helpful if you are travelling because it becomes quicker to read signs etc. Kanji are much more difficult – you need to know around 2,000 before you can read a newspaper. And each kanji has multiple pronunciations!
If you are travelling on public transport you will see station signs written in kanji but there will also be a romaji sign in the major cities. The romaji name will usually be below the station name written in Japanese, but may not appear on every sign. Be sure to look out when you arrive at a station. Many trains and metros will have an indication of the next stop on an electronic display.
Over the years technology has improved for visitors and many ticket machines will offer English, Chinese and Korean language options.
Money
The currency is the Yen. You can usually buy Yen in your own country prior to travelling.
Cash is king in Japan. Although there are increasing numbers of ATMs, we do recommend bringing cash.
Credit cards are becoming more widely accepted in places such as hotels, restaurants and convenience stores.
Tipping
You don’t need to tip in Japan.
Electricity
Japan uses 100V two flat-pin plugs. We suggest taking an adaptor with you. Curiously (and this isn’t really an issue, just a random fact) the east side of Japan runs on a 50Hz frequency and the west on a 60Hz frequency.
Telephone, Internet and Wi-Fi
You can pick up a SIM card or eSIM.
Wi-fi is available in many of the cities. Most hotels and ryokan will offer wi-fi.
Can I Drink the Water?
Yes, Japanese tap water is safe to drink.
Safety
Japan is a very safe country and has a low crime rate. Obviously bad things can happen anywhere, but we have always felt safe travelling there and have never had any issues.
However, Japan is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire so is prone to earthquakes, which could lead to tsunami on the coast. Japanese buildings are designed to withstand earthquakes but it is worth noting emergency procedures when staying in your accommodation. All hotels will have equipment such as torches in each room and an infographic showing an escape plan.
Culture and Etiquette
Japan is a country where etiquette is important although, as a visitor you aren’t expected to know it all. However, if you get it right, it is greatly appreciated.
Being polite and respectful is a very important part of society.
Eating and Drinking
Eating
These days, many restaurants, particularly in the cities, will have a menu in English. If they don’t there is a backup option where restaurants display plastic models of the food outside, so you can take a photo of the window display and point to what you want.
Some restaurants have automated ordering machines – select your dish and put cash into the machine. You’ll get a receipt and then your food will be delivered or your number announced.
Food is eaten with chopsticks. It isn’t too difficult to learn how to use them. Most restaurants won’t offer you a fork, although some may have spoons. If you really struggle with chopsticks it might be worth bringing your own cutlery.
Some restaurants offer tabehodai – which means ‘all you can eat’. There’s a set time period to order and scoff as much delicious food as you can.
A kaiten sushi bar is a sushi restaurant where sushi is placed on plates on a conveyor belt and sit at the bar and help yourself. The plates have different colours and each colour has a price. At the end of your meal the cost is calculated by adding up the number of plates. Some of the cooler sushi bars deliver the sushi by mini-shinkansen!
Typical Japanese dishes include sushi/sashimi, noodles (ramen, udon, soba, somen are particular favourites), karaage fried chicken, donburi rice bowls, tempura, okonomiyaki (often described between a cross between a pizza and a pancake), gyoza dumplings, shabu shabu/sukiyaki (wafer-thin meat cooked in a broth or sauce), yakitori meat skewers, takoyaki octopus balls and many, many more.
Bento – if you’re travelling on the shinkansen you can pick up a bento, a boxed lunch, which is a delicious snack to enjoy on the train. Specific stations even sell specialty bento with ingredients and dishes local to the area. It is cheaper to buy your bento at a convenience store or at the station rather than on the train.
Drinking
Traditional drinking establishments are called izakaya. They will sell lots of alcoholic drinks (and non-alcoholic but Japan has a hearty drinking culture) and often lots of delectable small plate dishes to enjoy while you soak up the booze.
Nomihodai means ‘all you can drink’.
Be aware that there may be a cover charge at some izakaya. If you are given a plate of snacks, they aren’t free, and may cost a lot more than you think they are worth. The cover charge is ostensibly there to keep you drinking at that establishment.
Coffee shops are called kissaten and they will offer a variety of interesting hot and cold drinks, as well as some nice snacks. Ice-kohi (iced coffee) is particularly enjoyable in the sweltering heat and humidity of Japan’s summer.
Vegetarian/Vegan Dining
Japanese cuisine can be quite challenging for vegetarians or vegans but there are options. Vegetable tempura (deep fried vegetables with a crispy batter) is a good choice and most sushi restaurants will serve kappamaki (cucumber rolls) or takuan maki (daikon, aka mooli, radish rolls). Agedashi tofu is a lovely lightly fried tofu, served with a dipping sauce and grated daikon. Zaru soba (chilled buckwheat noodles) should also be okay. Side dishes called tsukemono – literally ‘pickled things’ – often accompany dishes and these usually comprise pickled vegetables.
Beware that soups and broths may have used a meat or fish based stock, although vegan stocks – dashi – are available and made from kombu (kelp seaweed) or shiitake mushroom stock.
Zen Buddhist monasteries offer shojin ryori – beautiful and delicious dishes that are also vegan, and are delightful if you are staying at a temple during your trip.
Konbini – convenience stores – can be found all over Japan and are great places to find veggie food and snacks.
Basic Phrases
| Good morning/hello/good evening | ohayo gozaimasu/konnichi wa/konban wa |
| Thank you (very much) | (domo) arigato (gozaimasu) |
| Please | onegaishimasu |
| Excuse me/sorry | sumimasen |
| Yes | hai |
| No | iie |
| Goodbye | sayonara |
If you go into a shop or restaurant you will hear ‘Irasshaimase!’ which means ‘you are here – welcome’!
At the Restaurant
| Please give me this (pointing) | kore o kudasai |
| 1/2/3/4 people | hirori/futari/san-nin/yon-nin (if you want a table at a restaurant just hold up a number of fingers for the number of people dining) |
| Getting attention (excuse me!) | sumimasen! |
| Do you have an English menu | eigo no menyuu ga arimasu ka |
| I don’t eat meat/fish | niku/sakana o tabemasen |
| Bon appetit | itadakimasu |
| Delicious | oishii |
| The bill please | o-kaikei onegaishimasu (Or you can cross your index fingers in an ‘x’ shape) |
| That was a real feast/thank you for the meal | gochisosama deshita (if you say this to the chef you will get a big smile!) |
Packing Suggestions
Japan isn’t demanding in terms of packing. In fact, we pack minimally so that we have space in our luggage to bring all sort of cool souvenirs and foodie ingredients back home with us.
Of course you will know what style of clothes you would like to bring but you will need seasonal clothing depending on when you visit.
Winters are cold but summers are hot and very humid, so bring appropriate clothing. Layers work best. It can rain heavily, especially in the typhoon season, so waterproofs are always a good idea. If you don’t have waterproofs you can easily buy a cheap umbrella for just a few hundred yen.
In most cases, if you have forgotten to bring anything, you will be almost certainly able to pick it up in Japan. Be aware though that clothing is generally tailored towards the Japanese physique. The Muji and Uniqlo clothing stores will have a greater selection of sizes.
And even if you forget your toothbrush there is a strong likelihood that you’ll get a useful toiletries pack in your hotel.
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Great British Regional Breakfasts – A Guide
Let’s be honest, in these cholesterol-conscious times, traditional British breakfasts aren’t the most healthy way to start your day. But (don’t tell anyone) an occasional good old-fashioned fry-up is kinda delicious. British breakfasts are the sort of naughty treat that you’d be unlikely to cook at home these days – they’re a bit of an effort – but something to enjoy once in a while, especially when someone else cooks it for you. Did you know that each region of the UK has variations on a typical breakfast? Here’s our guide to great British regional breakfasts.
History of the British Breakfast
In Britain, we have a saying, “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” But, as with many things, the great British breakfast started out as food for the rich – the gentry were able to show off their massive wealth by offering fabulous feasts using only the finest produce. The ingredients we know today became popular during the Victorian and Edwardian eras (19th and early 20th centuries) but a full breakfast was really only for the wealthy.
However, as industry developed and the price of food decreased, working people began to be able to afford the ingredients and the breakfast as we know it became a popular way to start the day. Indeed, around half of Brits in the would start their day with bacon and eggs in the mid-20th century. Fried food became less popular over time as people became more concerned about their health. Additionally, changes in working practices meant that cooking a full meal early in the morning, when the entire household was due to go to work, wasn’t very practical. So these days, a full breakfast is usually reserved for a special occasion.
If you’re travelling in the UK and having a breakfast at a hotel or café, you will usually be offered a choice – the Full English/Scottish/Welsh/Irish Breakfast. It’s perfectly acceptable to pick and choose which bits of the breakfast you want to eat – just ask for your favourite ingredients. Or you could do what we do and ask for a full breakfast and then swap the bits you don’t like with your dining companion.
The best British breakfasts should always use quality ingredients. There is nothing worse than terrible sausages, filled with rusk and offal, watery bacon, and a sad fried egg swimming in a pool of grease. Sadly, some establishments, in an attempt to cut costs, do not use great ingredients.
Traditional British Breakfast – The Essentials
There are all sorts of variations on the British brekkie but all of them will have sausages, bacon (usually back bacon) and eggs. The eggs are often fried but may be served scrambled or poached, and you will usually get to choose how you would like your eggs to be cooked.
There will also be some bread – either toast, which is usually served separately, or fried bread which is served with the plate of food. Fried bread comprises a slice of (usually) white bread fried in the fat of the bacon and sausages. It has absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever, but it tastes good. We reckon it’s okay to eat fried bread once every 10 years or so!
These are the fundamentals. And then there are traditional embellishments:
Black pudding may well be offered. It is a blood sausage which doesn’t sound very appetising but when made well it is delicious. Mushrooms and tomatoes are common accompaniments to acknowledge the presence of vegetables in the brekkie. Traditionally the ingredients are fried in a large frying pan, but more health-conscious chefs may use the grill or oven these days.
Modern Additions to the Breakfast
Veggie breakfasts are increasingly popular and you can get very decent veggie sausages although, to be honest, we’ve yet to discover facon (fake bacon) that has achieved real culinary excellence.
Hash brown – grated potato that is formed into a patty and fried – is a relatively new addition and it’s usually not that great. It is really an American ingredient, that has somehow ended up on the British breakfast plate. A far better embellishment is bubble and squeak – mashed potato and cabbage mixed together and fried – it is named for the sound that it makes as it cooks.
Baked beans are something that many people outside the UK struggle with. Baked beans are haricot beans in a tomato-based sauce. Many breakfast eaters prefer not to have the ingredients drowning in tomato sauce (after all, you don’t want your runny egg yolk to be diluted with bean sauce if you’re dipping your toast in it) so the classier presentation is a separate dish of beans. If it’s all piled onto the plate you may have to build a sausage dam (left) to keep the bean juice out of the way of other ingredients. Some presentations go a little bit posh and pile all the ingredients on top of each other (right), which is a little bit pretentious for a British brekkie.
Sauces are an essential addition to the breakfast. The most popular are tomato ketchup and brown sauce, a mildly spicy, fruity sauce that is rich and tangy in flavour.
A cup of tea or coffee is the standard drink to accompany your breakfast. Although we know some establishments that offer a beer to make the whole experience even naughtier!
The Full English Breakfast
The full English will contain all the traditional ingredients – bacon, egg, sausage, mushrooms, tomato, beans and black pudding.
One of the best things about a full English is the sausage. There are different regional sausages. The most popular are:
Cumberland – this originated in Cumbria and is an unusually long sausage, coiled up into a ring. You’d generally be served a portion of the sausage. These are pork sausages, flavoured with herbs and spices, with a healthy dose of black pepper.
Lincolnshire – hailing from the county of Lincolnshire, this is another pork sausage and is flavoured with sage, salt and pepper. Unlike the Cumberland, these can be long, short, fat or thin.
If you offered bubble and squeak – do take it. It’s not often on the menu but it’s really nice.
We are incredibly lucky that our home city has a gourmet chef who makes his own sausages and smokes the bacon. He cooks both the beans and the bubble & squeak from scratch, and even produces his own tangy brown sauce. His breakfasts are a real treat.
The Full Scottish Breakfast
The Scottish breakfast is a beautiful thing. Scotland is home to an amazing variety of quality ingredients.
The lorne sausage is a flat, square sausage made from minced meat, usually pork or beef, and rusk, with added herbs and spices. It’s has quite a different flavour to a standard sausage and is really delicious.
Potato scones, also known as tattie scones, are like potato flatbreads and they beat a hash brown any day. They’re made from seasoned mashed potato and flour. They are tasty and filling and definitely not greasy, which is often a problem with hash browns.
You may also enjoy some haggis, which is another ingredient that you don’t really want to think about but is surprisingly good.
The Full Irish Breakfast
When we were talking to our friend who hails from Northern Ireland we asked whether this region has a typical national dish. Her answer was the ‘Ulster Fry’.
A couple of ingredients that we really enjoyed during our trip to Northern Ireland was black pudding and white pudding. Historically both of these are puddings that were designed to make full use of a slaughtered animal to ensure that none of it is wasted.
Black pudding is a blood sausage which also includes a cereal (usually oatmeal) and fat. Herbs and spices add flavouring. White pudding does not contain blood, and is an oatmeal pudding that uses suet and offal, usually pork.
The Full Welsh Breakfast
Now a Welsh breakfast is an altogether different thing. It has the basic components of course, but a traditional Welsh breakfast also incorporates the flavours of the sea. Alongside the sausage, bacon and egg, you will also find laverbread and cockles.
Laverbread is a seaweed paste. It is delicious spread on top of toast or bread. Laverbread is made from laver seaweed (littoral alga, the same seaweed that Japanese nori is made from), foraged from the coastline and boiled for several hours until it forms a puree. It is sometimes known as Welsh caviar.
The cockles are another traditional ingredient. Bivalve shellfish, they are juicy and slightly salty, and surprisingly delicious.
A traditional Welsh breakfast is quite difficult to find in some hotels because they have decided over the years to stop offering it as many visitors are not keen on trying it. Well, it’s their loss because it’s really, really good! You are more likely to find a full Welsh breakfast in South Wales. You can buy cockles and laverbread at Swansea market if you’d like to make your own Welsh brekkie.
Other Traditional British Regional Breakfasts
Porridge is a traditional Scottish breakfast – oats cooked in water or milk and served hot in a bowl. It’s hearty, filling and warming, and will absolutely set you up for the day. Purists will say that porridge should be made with water and only flavoured with salt. But porridge is often made with milk and sugar. The very best is made using cream and flavoured with jam or honey, which makes the dish luxurious and decidedly decadent.
Kippers are popular in the north of England and Scotland. These are herring that have been ‘kippered’, that is, split in two and butterflied open, cleaned, salted, and cold smoked. Cold smoking involves smoking the kippers at a low temperature, which doesn’t cook them but imparts a lovely flavour. The kippers will then be grilled for breakfast. These are oily fish and considered to be really good for you – packed with Omega 3. There are a lot of very thin bones to contend with, which means that many people aren’t so keen, which is a shame, because they taste delicious.
Have you tried a British breakfast? Which of the regional breakfasts would you most like to try? Let us know in the comments.
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How To Get From Vienna To Bratislava By Train
A day trip to the Slovakian capital of Bratislava from Vienna is a really easy journey. It’s quick and cheap, and Bratislava is a delightful city which has lots of history and plenty of things to do. Here’s our detailed 2025 guide on how to get from Vienna to Bratislava by train, including how to get the best value tickets.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links. If you click through and decide to make a purchase we will make a small commission, at no extra cost to you, which will help towards the costs of running this site. Thanks for your support!
Where Do Trains From Vienna Depart From?
Trains run from Vienna Hauptbahnhof (Wien Hbf) to Bratislava so you need to make your way to the main station. This is not Mitte, which is likely to be the central station that you will have come into when arriving in Vienna from the airport.
S1, S2, S3, S4, S60, S80 as well as Trams 0 and 18 will get you to the Vienna Hbf. If you are travelling on the U-bahn, take U1 to Sudtiroler Platz. Vienna Map has the details.
Vienna Hbf is a modern and airy station. The ticket machines and platforms are all well signposted.
How Much Does It Cost To Get From Vienna To Bratislava By Train?
The ticket costs just 18 Euros. This includes your return fare from Vienna and all public transportation when in Bratislava.
Note: the ticket is valid for three days and includes all public transport in Bratislava, but you can only use public transport in Bratislava on the first day, so we recommend buying your ticket on the day.
Buying Tickets From Vienna To Bratislava.
Ticket machines are available all over Vienna Hbf and are clearly signposted.
Buying the cheap, flexible ticket isn’t obvious. We were helped by a very kind fellow passenger while we were at the ticket machine. And were very pleased to be able to pay the advice forward later, when another passenger was struggling to buy their ticket.
You can select from multiple languages. Do not type Bratislava into the destination box, as that will bring up a ticket for a specific train. Instead you need to select from the “city tickets and more” box on the lower left side of the display.
You can then select a Vienna to Bratislava ticket.
Choose the number of passengers. Then pay.
How Long Does It Take To Get From Vienna To Bratislava By Train?
The journey takes around an hour. There are often stops along the way.
Arriving at Bratislava
Bratislava has two train stations – Hlavna and Petržalka. You can walk to the centre from Hlavna or catch a tram or bus. The bus stop is directly outside the station entrance. The tram stop is located below the station – you will need to go down the steps on the left-hand side after you have exited the platforms.
If you arrived at Petržalka, buses 80, 91 and 93 take you into the city centre. The journey will take around 10-15 minutes.
Petržalka is the station most closely connected with Vienna and trains go to Petržalka every half hour.
Other Points To Remember
Slovakia is in the EU and part of the Schengen group of countries. This means that crossing the border from Austria is seamless. However, we recommend bringing your passport with you if you are travelling from a country outside the EU. It’s unlikely that it will be checked but it’s worth having just in case you encounter any problems.
Things To Do In Bratislava When You Arrive
The old town in Bratislava is lovely. It’s compact and easy to walk around. The lanes of the oldtown are very pretty. There are all sorts of sights – a castle and cathedral, churches, museums and fun statues. It has a bridge across the Danube which features a ‘UFO’ style restaurant. The food is great and there are plenty of restaurants and cafes in the area.
You can read our detailed post about what to see on a day trip to Bratislava.
Return Journey
Make your way back to the station that you arrived at. Trains don’t necessarily return from both stations. When we visited we arrived at Petržalka and there were no trains running to Vienna from Hlavna that day.
If you end up at the wrong station, Bus 93 will get you to the other one.
An Alternative Journey
If you have a bit more time in the area, another – and rather romantic – trip is to get a boat from Schwedenplatz in Vienna and cruise to Bratislava along the Danube.
There are also buses that run from Vienna to Bratislava several times a day. The journey takes a similar time to the train – between 45 minutes and an hour.
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Thanks so much for reading. We hope you enjoyed this article. If you’d like to keep up to date with new posts and recipes, please subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on social media – Bluesky, Facebook or Instagram. We always love hearing from you and would be delighted to read your thoughts about this article.
A Delightful Bratislava Day Trip From Vienna
Located just an hour away on the train, the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava, is very easy to reach from Vienna. It’s a city with a charming old town and has plenty of attractions that you can easily explore in a day. Here’s our guide for taking a Bratislava day trip from Vienna.
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How To Get To Bratislava From Vienna
There are two primary ways to reach Bratislava from Vienna for a day trip. The quickest and easiest is via train which takes around an hour. Bratislava has two train stations – Hlavna and Petržalka. You can walk to the centre from Hlavna or catch a tram or bus. Buses 80, 91 and 93 take you from Petržalka into the city centre. Petržalka is the station most closely connected with Vienna and trains go to Petržalka every half hour.
Another way is to get a boat from Schwedenplatz and cruise along the Danube.
Slovakia is in the EU and part of the Schengen group of countries. This means that crossing the border is very easy. We recommend bringing your passport with you though. It’s unlikely to be checked but worth having just in case you encounter any problems.
A Bratislava Day Trip From Vienna
Bratislava’s old town is quite compact and very walkable. We recommend visiting the tourist information centre which has a map of the area and suggested walking tours as well as a list of top attractions.
The tourist information centre is marked in green on the map below and is well-signposted in the city.
Top Attractions in Bratislava For A Day Trip
The Old Town Hall
Located just across the square from the tourist information centre, the old Town Hall houses the city museum, Slovakia’s oldest continuously operating museum. Its exhibits document the history of Bratislava. It is closed on Mondays.
The Lanes of the Old Town
The old town is absolutely charming with lots of squares as well as lanes and alleys to explore. There are plenty of places to stop for coffee and cake.
A City of Fun Statues
Schone Naci was a famous resident who live in the city in the first part of the 20th century, and was apparently loved for his kindness. His statue definitely shows his joie-de-vivre!
Cumil is possibly the most famous statue and certainly the most photographed. He’s a bronze figure of a man emerging from a hole in the street. You’d worry about tripping over him but never fear, you can easily find him because he’ll be surrounded by a plethora of visitors.
Tip: If you want to buy souvenirs, the shops on the smaller streets offer much cheaper options.
Michael’s Tower
Michael’s Tower and Gate is the last remaining of the four gates to the city. It’s an imposing tower with a delightful onion dome. Originally completed in the 14th century it was destroyed in the 16th century by the Ottomans and rebuilt a couple of hundred years later, only for the city’s defences to be deconstructed.
Bratislava Castle
Bratislava Castle’s imposing position on a hillside above the Danube ensures that it is one of the most prominent sites in the city. You will get a splendid view of it coming in on the bus from Petržalka. It is a rectangular design with four turrets in each corner, the oldest dating from the 13th century. It is possible to visit the castle and its extensive Baroque gardens.
St Martin’s Cathedral
The lovely church is just across a busy road from the castle hill. There’s a bridge where you can walk across the road and along the remains of the old city walls which have interesting infographics about some Bratislava’s famous residents.
The cathedral is a gothic church originally constructed in the 15th century and was once used for the coronation of kings.
The UFO
To contrast with the historic centre, the UFO is an altogether more modern, indeed futuristic construction. Located on the bridge across the Danube, the only cable supported bridge in the city, the SNP has a UFO-shaped observation deck and restaurant.
The Blue Church
A little way out of town (but still very walkable) is the Blue Church. It is a church to Elizabeth of Hungary but is known as the Blue Church due to its delightful Art Nouveau style and blue decoration.
Bratislava for Foodies
When visiting Bratislava for a day, we recommend enjoying lunch at Bratislava Flagship, one of the largest restaurants in Europe. Located on Postova, near the Centrum tram stop, it used to be a theatre! Normally we’d aim for a quiet intimate location but we wanted to try as many Slovakian dishes as possible so, although it is touristy, the Flagship offers excellent local food and good service and reasonable prices. They have a brewery on-site so you can try home-brewed beers. Local wine is also available.
The Slovenska misa is a Slovakian platter comprising quintessential local dishes for two people to share. Bryndzove halusky are dumplings with sheep cheese, pirogi are filled dumplings and kapustove strapacky are dumplings with cabbage and bacon. All are delicious and very filling.
You really can taste the sheepy-flavour with ewe cheese (this is a good thing!) it has such a distinctive taste. The cabbage and bacon dumplings add a nice sour element (and vegetables!) to the dish.
Other dishes include hearty soups served inside a hollowed out loaf. Plenty of deserts are available as well. (Although we couldn’t manage a dessert as we were too full!)
If you’re feeling peckish mid-afternoon you can stop for a coffee or a beer and a cake. Pumpkin cake with fruit compote is delicious and you can pretend it’s healthy as it contains both fruit and vegetables!
The quintessential snacks are Bratislava rolls. These are curvaceous yeasted pastries, baked in a horseshoe shape and filled with either walnuts or poppy seeds. There will be plenty on offer in the local bakeries and at just a Euro each they make for a brilliant snack. And both are utterly delicious.
A River Trip To Bratislava
Althoug the train is cheap and convenient, if you have a bit more time in the area it is possible to enjoy a boat ride from Schwedenplatz in Vienna and cruise to Bratislava along the Danube.
Final Thoughts
A Bratislava day trip from Vienna definitely worth enjoying if you are spending time in this delightful part of Europe. The trains are fast, convenient and cheap. The whole city is conveniently walkable and very easy to get around, and there are plenty of choices for sights to see. It is also lovely to be able to enjoy local food and home-brewed beer and wines.
Related Posts You May Enjoy
- Great British Regional Breakfasts – A Guide
- How To Get From Vienna To Bratislava By Train
- A Delightful Bratislava Day Trip From Vienna
- Is Vienna Worth Visiting?
- Visiting Berlin for the First Time
- Fortresses and Falls in Jajce Bosnia
Thanks so much for reading. We hope you enjoyed this article. If you’d like to keep up to date with new posts and recipes, please subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on social media – Bluesky, Facebook or Instagram. We always love hearing from you and would be delighted to read your thoughts about this article.
Is Vienna Worth Visiting?
Vienna is a city with so much to offer the visitor – from amazing art and culture, stunning architecture, interesting museums, a fascinating history and a great big big wheel! And the food scene is simply scrumptious. There are so many attractions Vienna can seem overwhelming for a first-time visitor, so we’ve broken down this guide by topics of interest. You could spend much of your time in the city browsing art galleries as there are so many to see. But, for a first time visit, we recommend exploring a variety of locations. So is Vienna worth visiting? We think so. Here’s why…
Please note that this post contains affiliate links. If you click through and decide to make a purchase we will make a small commission, at no extra cost to you, which will help towards the costs of running this site. Thanks for your support!
How To Get To Vienna
Most people fly into Vienna. The airport is located around 18km from the city centre. There are plenty of ways to get into central Vienna. The train is a cheap and convenient option. You can either use the CAT direct service or a cheaper option is to use the S7 train which is still pretty quick, although it does stop at multiple stations. These trains will take you to Mitte and from there you can easily pick up public transport services to take you around the city.
Vienna is also well served by an excellent train system which connects countries all over Europe.
Getting Around Vienna
Vienna’s transport system is superb. A combination of S-bahn (overground trains), U-bahn (underground trains), trams and buses will ensure that you get to all the attractions conveniently. You can walk around the city centre but there is a lot to see, so it’s worth using the public transport to get to the various attractions. We recommend the Vienna City Card which costs around 5 Euros per day and allows unlimited use of public transport. The card also offers discounts for some of the museums, galleries and restaurants. We bought a 7 day card for 35 Euros and got 20 Euros back in reduced admission fees.
If you decide to travel using individual tickets, you must validate your ticket before using the transport. Validation stamping machines will be found on trams and buses and at the entrances to U-bahn and S-bahn stations. Ticket offices and machines can be found in the stations.
Worth Knowing: Vienna public transport is used on an honesty basis. Tickets aren’t routinely checked but could be inspected at any time and you will get a hefty fine if you don’t have a valid ticket for your journey.
Where to Stay in Vienna
Vienna can be an expensive city to stay in, especially if you wish to stay in the central area. But, just slightly further out, there is a good range of much cheaper accommodation. We spent a week in Vienna so decided to rent an apartment in Leopoldstadt. Our room comprised a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen-diner-lounge which was perfect for us.
Just across the Danube canal it was a 10-15 minute walk to the nearest U-bahn and a 5 minute walk to the nearest tram, we were located close enough to the action. We had a supermarket and a pharmacy just 3 minutes walk away and the area had plenty of shops and cafes.
Introduction To Vienna
On our first day we decided to walk the Ringstrasse, a 5 km ring road that encircles the historic centre. It’s a good way of getting your bearings. The only problem was that there was so much to see that we kept getting distracted!
The Wien Museum is a great place to start your exploration of the city. A free museum, close to Karlsplatz station, you can learn all about the history of the city as well as explore its culture. It has a wonderful model of the cathedral.
Artistic Vienna
Vienna is paradise for art lovers. We could not visit all the museums and galleries we wanted to see – there are so many.
The Upper and Lower Belvedere
The Belevedere comprises two baroque palaces which house the Belvedere museum. You need to get tickets for each palace or you can buy a combined ticket if you want to visit both.
Klimt is possibly Vienna’s most famous local artist and his works can be found throughout the city. If you want to see The Kiss it is located in the Upper Belvedere building. However, it is impossible to really look at this artwork for getting pushed out of the way by people wanting selfies.
The Kiss is a marvellous painting but the other pictures in the room – and indeed the rest of the gallery- were just as good. And there is more exciting Klimt in other parts of the city. While you’re at the Belvedere, don’t forget to look at the palace building as well as the amazing art.
Secession
The Secession Building showcases a wide variety of mainly contemporary art but in the basement is a special treat – a frieze created by Klimt, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the death of Beethoven. Its inspiration was Wagner’s interpretation of Beethoven’s glorious Ode To Joy – Symphony no 9. Headphones are available to listen to the wonderful music.
MAK
MAK is the museum of applied arts. It displays arts and crafts objets rather than traditional paintings. We really enjoyed our time here, taking advantage of their half price tickets on Tuesday evenings, exploring the world of design. The staff are super-friendly and when you buy your ticket, they can advise which exhibits are best suited to your tastes.
MAK Is home to a massive 8 metre wide Klimt, Tree of Life. Even better, there is a bench in front of it, so you can sit down and look at the piece in all its detailed glory.
This work sits alongside a lovely mural by Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh (wife of Charles Rennie Mackintosh) The Seven Princesses.
Austrian painter Egon Schiele spent much of his working life in Vienna. The Leopold Museum owns the largest collection of his paintings but you can also see his works in the Albertina, The Wien Museum and the Belvedere.
Kunst Haus
We fell in love with the works of artist Hundertwasser, who was also a designer and architect. Museum Hundertwasser is an absolute joy to visit. It’s a short walk from Radetzkyplatz on tram 1 going to Prater (pick it up from U1 or U4 from Schwedenplatz).
The building is organic and curvaceous, the floors undulating – Hundertwasser stated that you never walk on an even surface in nature. The artwork is delightful.
Kunsthistorisches Museum
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is a grand building located on the Ringstrasse (Burgring) or Museumsplatz and houses a huge collection of fine art. Highlights include works by Carravagio, Archimboldo, Rubens, Bosch, Raphael and Titian. And there’s some sneaky Klimt to view on the staircase.
There are many portraits of the Spanish royal family, a branch of the Habsburg family, by Velázquez. They have an extensive Brueghel collection, the most magnificent of which is The Tower of Babel.
Other significant art galleries include the Leopold, which contains the largest Egon Schiele collection in the world, and the Albertina, which has an impressive collection of modern art.
Historic Vienna
St Stephen’s Cathedral
Located right in the centre of Vienna, conveniently in Stephensplatz, this is Austria’s tallest church and has a wonderful Gothic design. You can enter the cathedral for free but guided tours are available, for which there is a fee.
Votive Church
Located on Rooseveltsplatz this a chuch in neo-gothic design built to commemorate Emperor Franz Josef surviving an assassination attempt in 1853.
Rathaus
Vienna’s City Hall is a glorious gothic-inspired building on Rathausplatz, located right on the Ringstrasse. It’s the city’s administrative building but it is possible to visit and tour inside.
Hofburg and the Sisi Museum
The Hapsburgs were one of Europe’s most famous dynasties, ruling Austria from the 13th century and the Austro-Hungarian empire from the 15th century. Their reign ended with the collapse of Austria-Hungary following World War 1. Many royal families in Europe, including the British royal family, have connections to the Hapsburgs.
Vienna was the home of the Hapsburgs and it is possible to visit their splendid residences in the city. The Imperial Apartments at Hofburg, and the Sisi Museum, which showcases the life of Empress Elisabeth, are popular attractions.
Schönbrunn
A little way out of town, accessible on U4, is Schönbrunn palace, the summer residence of the Hapsburgs. This Baroque palace boasts 1,441-rooms and is one of Vienna’s most popular tourist attractions.
You can visit the extensive gardens for free. The entrance is to the right of the palace as you enter the complex.
It makes for a lovely walk and you can get some wonderful views across the city.
The woodlands are populated by the cutest red squirrels.
Top Tip: If you want to visit all the imperial palaces it is possible to buy a combined ticket. It is also worth considering some of the other cards, such as the City Card or Vienna Pass, if you are planning on doing a lot of sightseeing. The Vienna Pass is expensive so it’s worth researching whether it works out as good value for you as you’d have to visit a lot of attractions in a short time period.
Famous Residents of Vienna
Many famous people lived and worked in Vienna, from musical maestros Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Mahler and Strauss, to artists Klimt and Schiele and, of course, the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud. It is possible to visit many of their former houses, many of which have been converted into museums.
The Sigmund Freud museum is located in his former house on Berggasse 19, before he escaped to London in 1938. The layout has changed over the years and it contains displays of artefacts and correspondence. The only room that contains any original features is the furniture from the waiting room, donated by his daughter Anna Freud.
The Klimt villa located on Feldmühlgasse 11 is where Klimt worked from 1911 to 1918. The studio has been restored to show how he would have lived and worked.
Beethoven lived in many places in Vienna. You can visit the apartments on Mölker Bastei 8. Apparently he completed his 5th and 6th Symphonies here.
He also spent much of his time residing in the hillsides above Vienna, trying to find relief for his ailing health. The Beethoven Museum at Nussdorf (Tram D) showcases the rural house where he lived.
The Haydnhaus on Haydngasse 19 was Haydn’s final home and has been extensively restored.
Architecture in Vienna
One of the best things to do in Vienna is simply wander the streets. The architecture is stunning.
We particularly enjoyed many of the buildings designed by Otto Wagner, one of the city’s most important architects. The post office Postsparkasse at Georg-Coch-Platz 2 is a wonderful modern, functional design. It is possible to visit but you will need to pre-book.
The decoration of the Majolika house on Linke Wienzeile 38 is delightful. This building is very close to Naschmarkt and the Secession building, so be sure to pop by to take a look.
The Karlsplatz station pavilion is gorgeous in its design. You can visit during the summer months. Karlsplatz is on U1, U2 and U4 as well as REX1, S1, and S2
Hundertwasser was a particular favourite architect. You can visit the house and village he designed. It’s just down the road from the Kunst Haus museum.
And if you travel along the U4 or catch tram D towards Heiligenstadt you can visit the Spittelau incinerator, a waste-to-energy plant that is undisputable proof that industrial can be beautiful. Free tours are available but only at certain times, so check the schedule. If you can’t find a tour it’s okay to go into the office foyer and have a look around – there are some interesting displays.
Vienna in the Movies
Loads of movies were filmed in Vienna and, if you’re intrested in cinema, it’s fun finding the locations for classic scenes.
The Third Man is one of the most famous films set in Vienna and the city is integral to its narrative. It is possible to join Third Man tours in Vienna, and even visit the underground sewers that were key to the climactic chase, but these only happen in the high season. Nevertheless, you can still visit iconic locations, such as the famous doorway where we first catch a glimpse of Harry Lime at Schreyvogelgasse 8 or Lime’s apartment building (and ‘assassination’ location) on Josefplatz square.
And they say you can’t say you have visited Vienna unless you have had a ride on the big wheel at Prater. This was an iconic location in The Third Man, when Harry Lime (Orson Welles) expresses his disdain for humanity and we learn quite what a repulsive character he really is.
Before Sunrise is one of the most romantic movies of all time. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy star in this tale of a young man and woman who meet on a train and explore Vienna together, just for a night. They fall in love but decide not to exchange details (this was the 1990s) and agree that they will meet at Vienna station exactly six months later. The iconic green bridge where they start their Viennese whirl is in the centre of the city is Zollamtssteg, close to the Mitte station.
English director Nicolas Roeg’s nasty psychological drama Bad Timing flits between Vienna and Bratislava and takes in many of Vienna’s sights, including The Kiss at the Belvedere.
Although the film Amadeus, based on the life of Mozart, was set in Vienna, it was actually filmed in Prague. And The Man With Two Brains was ostensibly set in the city but you only really see a tram!
Green Vienna
Prater is not only the location for the big wheel, it is also an enormous green space. Prater does have a theme park with all sorts of rides but the park itself is extensive. It’s a fantastic place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
As well as riding the big wheel, there are other rides to enjoy at the theme park. Prater Museum is also worth popping into. It’s just across the walkway from the big wheel. It tells the history of the theme park and has some exhibits from days gone by. It also offers a screening of all the films that have featured Prater over the years – a nice piece of cinematic history.
Prater is located in Leopoldstadt, across the Danube canal. You can catch Tram 1 to Prater (end of the line) which will take you to the woodland/park area, or U1 or U2.
Located on the Danube river, Vienna is also surrounded by beautiful countryside and many of the trams will take you away from the city lights. There are lots of enjoyable, well sign-posted walks, especially amongst the extensive vineyards. And plenty of heurigen – taverns – to enjoy a refreshing post-hike glass of wine.
Vienna For Foodies
Just as Vienna is rich in culture, so its food is rich in, well, richness! You will certainly eat extremely well. Viennese food is indulgent and delicious. Savoury dishes are quite meat-heavy but we did manage to find some veggie options.
Naschmarkt
The Naschmarkt is very close to the Secession building, a short walk from Karlsplatz. This extensive market has a huge range of foods on offer from all over the world, as well as restaurants and cafes. There may be vendors offering free samples of their wares with the expectation that you to buy something.
Heurigen
If you enjoy wine, Heurigen are an essential places to visit. Austria makes amazing wine and the city is surrounded by glorious vineyards. The Heurigen are traditional taverns, usually connected with a vineyard, which sell their wines, as well as rustic food, in a lovely setting. Some of them are centuries old. ‘Heuriger’ means ‘this year’s’, a reference to the winemaking. They may have limited opening hours.
We took Tram D to Nussdorf where we had a lovely time walking through the vineyards, visited the Beethoven house Kahlenbergerstrasse 26 and then stopped by a couple of heurigen for a tipple or three before heading back into town.
At Mayer am Pfarrplatz you can order aged wines from the bottle, but more interesting are the latest whites and reds ‘from the tap’. These are young wines, less refined but hearty drinks.
They arrive in glass tankards in ½ pint (quarter of a litre-ish) sizes. The red is quite tannic because it is still young. These are honest quaffers.
At our second heuriger, the lovely Kierlinger, close to the Tram D terminus, we paid just 3.80 Euro for two glasses of the house wine. Amazing!
The heurigen are also places where you can enjoy a rustic meal – many offer a range of local meats and cheeses.
We were travelling outside the sturm season but the heurigen often offer sturm as well. This is a partially fermented grape juice which retains a lot of the fruity flavour, but is only available in the autumn time.
Coffee Culture
Vienna is justly famous for its coffee culture. There are loads of cafes all over the city which offer coffee and cake. Beware of queues though. At weekends and during the busy tourist season, people will be queuing out the door for a coffee and a slice of cake. Coffee is always accompanied by a glass of water.
Sweet Treats
Sacher Torte is probably the cake most associated with Vienna. It was apparently created by Franz Sacher for Prince Metternich in 1832. The torte would actually be quite a boring chocolate cake but for the layer of apricot jam running through the middle. If you want to eat Sacher torte at Hotel Sacher, you will almost certainly have to queue. Even the ‘café around the corner’, Café Bel Étage, was full. But there are plenty of other cafes to try this quintessential cake, so we enjoyed a coffee and cake at Demel café where we didn’t have to queue.
Kaiserschmarrn is a lovely dish which comprises shredded sweet pancake accompanied by a delicious plum compote. The tartness of the plum offsets the incredibly sweet pancakes.
Apple strudel is another classic dish associated with Vienna. It comprises delicious apples encased in a crispy pastry. Contains fruit so it is absolutely good for you.
Mozart Balls, Mozartkugel, are sweets made from all the good things: marzipan, pistachio, and nougat, all covered with rich dark chocolate.
Top Tip: The major supermarkets sell Mozart Balls and other sweet treats that you can buy for souvenirs. They are about half the price of the sweets at the airport.
Meet the Meat
The Viennese do love a sausage and there are lots of sausages available at street food stands all over the city. When you order a sausage it is accompanied by horseradish or mustard and a hunk of bread, which is warmed up for you. Käsekrainer is the queen of sausages and hascheese inside. We also enjoyed Burenwurst which includes bacon and spices.
Wiener Schnitzel is yet another dish associated with Vienna. It comprises a cut of meat, traditionally veal, bashed to tenderise it, then coated in fine breadcrumbs and deep fried. It is often served with a wedge of lemon and lingonberry jam, with potato salad on the side. Wiener Schnitzel is clearly the dish that every visitor wants to try because it’s usually significantly more expensive than most other dishes in restaurants!
Surstelze is roasted pork knuckle. A feast for two people with crispy crackling served with mustard and horseradish.
Tafelspitz is another typical Viennese dish. It comprises boiled beef served in a broth. It is usually accompanied by apples and horseradish.
Restaurant Recommendation: Schank zum Reichsapfel located on Karmeliterpl. 3 was superb. It really has the air of a heuriger – a tavern like atmosphere and it serves traditional food.
The highlight dish was pork belly made to a traditional recipe with dumplings and served with meat juices. It was accompanied by warm cabbage salad with bacon and caraway.
They also host pop-ups which serve slightly more unusual variations on traditional Austrian food using local ingredients. We even managed to eat some stunning vegetarian and fish dishes. Below you can see beetroot carpaccio with horseradish and feta, and wild mushrooms with noodles in a creamy sauce. Both were delicious and much lighter than traditional Viennese cuisine.
If you like cooking, there are lots of cookery courses in Vienna. Some are demonstrations, others are more hands-on and you get to both cook and eat local dishes. We thoroughly enjoyed a schnitzel and strudel course. The chicken schnitzel wasn’t flattened out to ultimate thinness, but kept thick enough to taste juicy. We learned how to make and stretch the strudel pastry, added rum-spiced apples and baked.
If you’d like to enjoy a cookery course in Vienna, this was the one that we did.
Resources To Help You Plan Your Trip
Accommodation: Hotels in Vienna
Transportation: The Vienna City Card offers transportation in and around the city. You can also get discounts at many of museums, galleries and restaurants.
Attractions: The Vienna Pass offers free entry and hop-on/hop-off transportation. It also offers skip-the-line at many museums and galleries. But do check that it works out to be good value for you.
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Where To See Snow Monkeys In Japan
Who loves a good soak in a bath when the weather’s cold? We certainly do! So do the macaque monkeys of Japan, who enjoy nothing more than bathing in the country’s hot springs when the weather is chilly. One of the best things about travelling in Japan during the winter is getting out into the countryside to enjoy beautiful scenery and also to bathe in the onsen (hot springs). And it’s possible to watch the monkeys do this as well. Here is our guide about where to see snow monkeys in Japan.
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When and Where To See Snow Monkeys In Japan
One of the best places to see the snow monkeys is the Jigokudani Monkey Park in the Yamanouchi prefecture in central Japan. It’s a park that’s very easy to reach from Tokyo.
The closest town to the park is Yudanaka and it is accessible by public transport or car, if you are hiring a vehicle in the region.
You can actually see the monkeys bathing all year round but they look particularly cute in the winter.
How To Get To Yudanaka
If you have a JR Pass, you can get the shinkansen (bullet train) to Nagano. This is easily accessible from Toyko – it takes around an hour and a half on a direct train. Kanazawa is also on this line if you are coming from the west coast of Japan. If you are travelling from the Kansai region (Osaka or Kyoto) the journey time is longer and you’ll have to change at Tsuruga, Nagoya or Tokyo.
Then you need to catch the Snow Monkey Limited Express train at Nagoya station.
Note: that the Snow Monkey train is a private railway line and you won’t be able to use your JR Pass here. Ticket machines are available close to the platform entrance. Then take the train to the end of the line. The journey takes around 45 mins and costs around 1000-1300 Yen.
Where to Stay in Yudanaka
We often stay in cheap business hotels when we are visiting Japan. They are comfortable but incredibly compact, so we decided to treat ourselves to a couple of nights at a larger inn. We stayed at Hotel Housei which was a 10 minute walk from the station. We had a large tatami room with futon and a private bathroom. On arrival, tea and cake were waiting for us.
A delicious buffet breakfast was available each day. The staff were welcoming and friendly. They also have onsen facilities – so you can bathe in the hot springs, perfect after a day’s sightseeing in the cold winter weather.
If your hotel or ryokan doesn’t have an onsen, there are public baths in the town as well.
A Note on Onsen Bathing Etiquette
Public onsen are usually sex-segregated, which means that if you are travelling in a mixed-sex group, you will have to bathe separately. Some onsen do have private facilities where you can bathe together. These would usually need to be booked.
When you visit an onsen you usually bathe naked. You will be expected to wash before getting in the springs – showering facilities are available. The showers are for washing, the onsen for soaking. Make sure you have washed all the soap suds and shampoo from your body before getting into the hot spring pool.
The situation may be changing as more tourists visit Japan, but some onsen may refuse entry for people with tattoos. This is still a taboo in Japan as tattoos are associated with yakuza gangsters. If your tattoo is small, cover it with a sticking plaster. If it is a large tattoo, check whether you will be permitted to bathe.
How To See The Snow Monkeys In Yudanaka
The Jigokudani Monkey Park is a few kilometres from Yudanaka town centre. Many hotels and ryokan will offer you a free ride to the snow monkey car park, so check at reception whether this is available. We booked a slot with our hotel and they kindly took us to the park in their minivan at a pre-arranged time.
If you can’t get a lift, there is a bus which goes from Yudanaka station. There are one or two per hour and it takes around 10 minutes to get to the park from there. It costs around 400 Yen. Ask at the station or your hotel for the timetable.
Once you have reached the car park, it’s a walk through a snowy forest to the monkey viewing onsen.
You will arrive at a ticket office and it costs 800 Yen to enter the park. You can stay as long as you like.
The monkeys are wild, although used to the presence of humans, so they will come down from the mountainside to go bathing whenever it suits them.
They tend to test the water for warmth…
…Before easing into the warm pool for a bathe.
The monkey viewing is popular so we recommend arriving early. It is important to keep a respectful distance from the monkeys and never approach them to touch them.
Other Things To Do In The Area
Although the monkey park is the main attraction there are plenty of other things to do in the region. A short train ride will take you to Obuse, a delightful town that is well worth visiting. If you like Hokusai, Japan’s best known ukiyo-e artist, we wholeheartedly recommend visiting the Hokusai museum . Ukiyo-e are artworks, commonly in the form of woodblock prints, that reflect Japanese culture during the 17th and 19th centuries.
Hokusai was most famous for his Great Wave Off Kanakawa artwork but did you know that this was actually one of a series of pictures of Mount Fuji? Although the dramatic Great Wave dominates the scene, you see Mount Fuji in the background. The picture is one from a series ‘Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji’. Hokusai also created a further series, ‘100 views of Mount Fuji’, and these were exhibited at the museum when we visited.
Obuse also has an interesting lamp and lantern museum showing the history of lighting in Japan over the centuries from the Edo (1603–1867) to the Taisho (1912–1926) periods. It has an amusingly disturbing sculpture outside.
There is a lovely temple in Obuse as well, with torii and stone lanterns.
Yudanaka and Obuse for Foodies
Obuse is famous for its chestnuts and there are many sweet shops where you can try delicious chestnut delicacies.
The chestnut logo is very popular – you can even see it on posters at the railway station.
Obuse also has a fantastic miso shop, Kokuhei Miso, where you can try – and buy – many different varieties of lovely miso paste, packed with umami. The delightful staff were happy to explain about the different types of miso and how they had been fermented. And they let us have a taste of each of them.
You can really get an appreciation for the different types of miso – the textures range from super-smooth to chunky, and the flavours run the gamut from sweet to salty to umami.
Back in Yudanaka there are plenty of restaurants and izakaya – drinking establishments – where you can order food and they offer standard Japanese fare.
The Sake Storehouse Art Museum – Gallery Tamamura Honten combines a brewery with an art gallery. Tastings of the local sake were available and we bought a couple of bottles to take home with us.
If you like craft beer, Yudanaka also has an excellent emporium which sells actual pints of beer. (This is quite unusual in Japan, where your beer normally arrives in bottles or smaller glasses with an enormous head on the beer which – to boozy Brits – sometimes feels you’re missing out on actual beer!)
The Farmhouse is located reasonably close to the monkey park. It is predominantly a bar but it does serve food, although to be honest, we found the food to be more in the realm of bar snacks than a proper meal. But the beer was superb! Note that it may have seasonal opening hours.
Final Thoughts
If you are travelling during to Japan during winter, watching the snow monkeys bathing is a fun activity. And if you also spend time enjoying a good soak with your own onsen bathing, it makes for a perfect day. But this region has so much more to offer. Obuse, in particular, was a delightful place to visit, so we recommend spending a little more time in this region so that you can experience the culture and the local food.
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Things To Do in San Cristobal de las Casas
San Cristobal de las Casas is a highland town located in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. It’s a lovely, colourful place nestled in the hills of this beautiful area. There are plenty of sights to see and plenty of interesting excursions in the surrounding area. Here is our guide for things to do in San Cristobal de las Casas.
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Why Visit San Cristobal de las Casas?
San Cristobal was one of the most interesting places we visited on our tour of Mexico because we were able to visit indigenous villages in the area and learn about the culture and heritage of the Mayan Tsotsil people. The Tsotsil have their own time zone, calendar, language and customs, and live in a very close-knit society.
How To Get to San Cristobal de las Casas
We were travelling through Mexico on buses and had travelled from Oaxaca on a night bus, which took 12 hours. It takes around 13 and a half hours to reach San Cristobal from Mexico City. If travelling from the Yucatan, it takes a similar time from Cancun. Even Palenque, which is relatively close as the crow flies (and was our next destination), is an 8 hour journey because the commercial buses avoid using the mountain road. Bus journey times can vary depending on road conditions and – sometimes – roadblocks.
If you are flying in from other Mexican cities, the closest airport is Tuxtla Gutiérrez Airport. From here you can take buses, colectivos or taxis to the city and it takes around 1.5 hours to drive there. Colectivos are a cheap way to travel – they follow a set route, don’t have a particular schedule and everyone just piles into the vehicle.
We stayed at Casa Mexicana 28 de Agosto No. 1, a delightfully pretty hotel with a lovely courtyard. Not only did we receive a warm welcome, they let us check in at 9am which meant we could get a shower and a short nap after our night journey. And they served a cracking brekkie.
So, getting to San Cristobal is a bit of an effort, but it is very worthwhile.
Things To Do in San Cristobal de las Casas Town
San Cristobal is set in a valley surrounded by pine forests. The town of San Cristobal is quite compact so it is easy to walk around.
The zocalo is right in the centre of town. It’s a small square where people meet to socialise and relax. Sometimes musicians will play in the band stand.
Museo de San Cristóbal MUSAC – Palacio de Gobierno is a grand building just to the west of the zocalo, which houses art exhibitions on the ground floor.
There are a number of churches all over town. Located in the main square, the Cathedral of San Cristobal de Las Casas was constructed around 1528.
Templo de San Nicolás is behind the main cathedral and was one of the first in the area to serve the indigenous people. There are lots of other churches in town and most are open to visitors.
The charming Iglesia de San Cristóbalito is located at the top of a hill. You can climb a slightly breathtaking zig-zag of 280 steps to reach it.
But don’t forget to turn around to get a view across the city.
Slightly out of town , heading north on Gran M. Utrilla, is the Mayan Medicine Centre which has a range of exhibits about traditional medicine (and some fairly disturbing mannequins).
It was very interesting to learn about how the Mayan people used natural resources – plants and animals – for healing particular ailments.
Mayan World Textile Centre is housed in a former convent and showcases beautiful textiles from Mexico and Guatemala.
The Mesoamerican Jade Museum has exhibits explaining the importance of jade in Mesoamerican culture.
Day Trip To Visit Indigenous Villages
One of the primary reasons to travel to this area is to visit the nearby indigenous villages, the heart of Tsotsil culture. The Chamulans have proudly kept their traditions alive, and visiting local villages is a fantastic way of discovering their heritage, culture and religion. Visitors are welcome but are expected to behave with respect. It is especially important only to take photos where permitted and particularly to ask permission if you wish to take photos of people.
We recommend a taking a tour from San Cristobal – we joined a bunch of international visitors and were driven in a minibus. Importantly, we had a local guide who was able to explain about the culture and traditions of the towns we visited.
San Juan Chamula
Our first visit was to the town of San Juan Chamula. We parked on the outskirts of the town and walked into the centre, passing by the old church in the fields.
We were visiting just before Mexico’s Day of the Dead festival and local families were preparing for this by tending the graves of their deceased relatives. They pile earth over the graves and cover them with pine needles and marigolds.
The colour of the crosses indicates the age of the person who died. Only family members tend the graves. Some actually exhume their loved ones and will clean their bones for three years after their relative’s death.
Moving into the town centre we explored the town buildings and marketplace. Our guide told us about the society. It is a very close-knit and closed community, run by the people for the people. The town is self-governing and public positions are held by volunteers. You can tell the policemen because they wear sheep’s wool ponchos. They carry radios to inform each other about any crimes so that they can catch perpetrators quickly.
We saw the local prison – when men are incarcerated their cell is an open room with bars – the point is to humiliate them for the crime committed. (Female criminals are afforded privacy for their safety.) Anyone who transgresses the rules is expelled. In the past, lynches have happened for really serious offences.
A Most Remarkable Church
We visited the church the Iglesia de San Juan Chamula. This is undoubtedly one of the most unusual and fascinating churches we have ever seen. The Tsotsil religion blends both traditional indigenous beliefs with Catholicism. Visitors are allowed inside but any photography is strictly prohibited – there are signs at the entrance indicating that you will receive a hefty fine if you take photos.
The church floor is covered with pine needles and the walls are adorned with pictures of Catholic saints. People light candles and kneel on the floor to pray. The candle colours reflect the colours of sweetcorn – white, red, black and yellow – which all have specific meanings, and the number of candles lit is also significant.
There was music in the air – we heard music that we associate with Christmas carols, as well as traditional music, played on a harp, accordion and drums.
The local people come here to pray. There is a shaman in the church who will help people to deal with their problems by undertaking rituals. One of these rituals might include rubbing the person with a chicken that they have brought in, in order to pass the problems to the chicken. Then they will strangle it (the chicken’s throat would not be cut because there should never be blood shed inside the church) and the problem is eliminated for good. Local people become shamen when they dream about becoming one – the calling comes to them in a vision.
Visiting the Spiritual Leaders
We were also invited to the house of one of the town’s spiritual leaders. The leaders are not only volunteers, they actually pay to rent a location where they take responsibility for and tend to the shrine of a saint. They will do this for a year.
We sat in the room and the leader told us about their responsibilities, as we listened to the electronic sounds of Christmas carols and were invited to enjoy a drink of posh, a sugar cane liquor, flavoured with rosemary.
The Mayan calendar is unique. It comprises 18 months of 20 days and the fourth month has 5 days.
Curiously, the cross was a symbol of Mayan culture before the Conquistadors arrived. It is green and has rounded ends, the four points represent cardinal points and the Ceiba, symbolic of a native tree of life.
Zinacantán
The next town we visited was Zinacantán. On our way through, we passed by many greenhouses which grow flowers, one of the main exports for the area.
The church in Zinacantán is much more conventional but is also more beholden to the Catholic church. Photography was allowed here.
We loved the church grounds. Not sure if this bat is a regular feature or was there for the Day of the Dead but he was fabulous!
We were also invited to a local home to see demonstrations of traditional crafts, including weaving and cooking.
This was the perfect location to buy souvenirs – the woven products are perfect for packing into your bags, are great quality and excellent value.
We were also offered tamales and tacos cooked on a traditional fire. The tacos were filled with pumpkin seed powder and was absolutely delicious.
(Note to self – never throw away pumpkin seeds again. Roast them, crush them and eat them.)
Other Excursions
Depending on how much time you have in the area, there are other excursions. The surrounding countryside is absolutely beautiful and you can enjoy a day trip to the Sumidero Canyon (Cañon del Sumidero) and Chiflón Waterfalls (Cascada El Chiflón).
San Cristobal for Foodies
Throughout our trip to Mexico we enjoyed local culinary delights. Bread soup is a traditional dish here. It’s a filling bowl of comforting soup that was surprisingly sweet and not at all spicy.
Chiles en nogada is a poblano chilli stuffed with meat and aromatic spices, topped with a walnut cream sauce and garnished with pomegranate and parsley.
A Chiapas pollo en mole is chicken in a mole sauce (above) and asado coleto is a Chiapas roast pork with ancho chilli pepper and cinnamon (left) were also delicious.
Achiote Cochinita Pibil, on C. Niños Heroes 10, is the place to get pulled pork. It’s a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant and pulled pork is what they serve. In fact, it’s all they serve, but in a variety of different, and very delicious, ways.
Posh is the local tipple. It’s sugar cane ‘rum’ which is quite strong at about 45% ABV. The local restaurants offered us a free shot so that we could try it.
There are also plenty of bars in town where you can enjoy a cool, refreshing beer.
Final Thoughts
San Cristobal may be an effort to reach but it is a truly fascinating place to visit. You won’t see a show for tourists here. It is a privilege to be able to visit communities which do welcome visitors but also fiercely protect their culture and their heritage.
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RECIPE: Tsvikli Beetroot Horseradish Relish
It is well known that beetroot is a popular ingredient in Ukrainian cuisine. After all, the quintessential beetroot soup, borscht, is thought to have originated in Ukraine, although it is hugely popular throughout Eastern Europe. But the humble beetroot is a lot more versatile than you might think. Its sweet, earthy flavour can be used in a variety of ways. One of these is tsvikli, a beetroot horseradish relish that is as easy to make as it is delicious.
Although beetroot is the star of this dish, it is enhanced by the addition of fiery horseradish, a root vegetable that grows in such prolific quantities in the UK it is actually considered to be a weed.
If you grow your own vegetables, they are both root veg so need a really good scrub with a stiff brush to clean them up.
You can buy horseradish root in the shops but we grow it in our garden. If you can’t get fresh horseradish, many shops sell jars of grated horseradish and this will work fine.
Horseradish root will keep in the fridge for a few days but if you want to store if for a longer period we recommend grating it and then freezing it in ice-cube trays. Fresh horseradish is very powerful but when frozen it loses a bit of its pungency, so we suggest doubling the quantity of horseradish in this dish if you are using frozen. Of course, your tolerance of horseradish heat may not be the same as ours so we recommend checking how hot you like your tsvikili and adjust the portion accordingly. This recipe is pretty fiery.
Depending on how much preparation time you have, you can use fresh beetroot that you will need to cook yourself, but the dish works really well with precooked beetroot. We don’t recommend buying pickled beetroot but if that is all you can get, reduce the vinegar levels in the relish.
How To Make Tsvikli Beetroot Horseradish Relish
This will spread across 4 slices of bread, so it will serve 4 people or 2 greedy people. Alternatively you could use it as a dip or a relish to accompany a variety of dishes.
Ingredients
4 medium or 3 large beetroot
Thumb-sized piece of fresh horseradish (or 4 tbs grated frozen horseradish)
2 tbs cider vinegar
2 tsp sugar
Good pinch of sea salt
(If you are using grated horseradish from a jar it may contain vinegar, so you may need to adjust the vinegar quantity to your taste.)
Beetroot Horseradish Relish Method
If you are using raw beetroot you will need to cook it. Peel the beets and roast in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until soft (it will depend on the size of the beetroot). Or you could boil the beetroot for 25-40 minutes (again, the time will depend on the size of the beet). Allow the beetroot to cool. We find that pre-cooked beetroot works really well in this recipe and saves loads of time.
Grate the beetroot on finest grater setting and squeeze out excess water.
Grate the horseradish on the finest setting. You might want to wear PPE for this as fresh horseradish is really pungent – sometimes it’ll make your eyes water!
Combine with the grated beetroot.
Stir in other ingredients. At this stage have a taste. You might have a sweeter tooth, in which case add a bit more sugar. Or, if you prefer sour flavours, add a drop more vinegar. We recommend using sea salt as a seasoning and, again, add to your taste.
Allow to stand for a few hours to let the flavours infuse.
Serve on toasted sourdough.
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Thanks so much for reading. We hope you enjoyed this article. If you’d like to keep up to date with new posts and recipes, please subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on social media – Bluesky, Facebook or Instagram. We always love hearing from you and would be delighted to read your thoughts about this article.
Visiting Berlin for the First Time
Berlin is a city that we had long wanted to visit and, thanks to the recent introduction of direct cheap flights from our local airport, we couldn’t resist booking a few days to explore Germany’s cool and cultured capital. Berlin is an amazing city with so many attractions, it’s difficult to know what to prioritise. Here’s our guide to visiting Berlin for the first time.
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Getting To Berlin
Many people fly into the airport Berlin Brandenburg Airport, which is located around 40km from the city centre. It takes around forty minutes to an hour to get to central Berlin using public transport.
The Airport Express (FEX) will take you from the airport to Berlin Hauptbahnhof (Berlin Hbf), although you could also use the S-bahn (lines S9 and S45) which is much cheaper but takes a bit longer. You can buy train tickets using machines at the airport.
If you’re travelling from other European countries, international and regional trains are available and will take you into Berlin Hauptbahnhof (Berlin Hbf).
Getting Around Berlin
The Mitte district of central Berlin is very walkable. The main street Unter den Linden connects many of the city’s famous sights.
If you’re travelling around the city, Berlin has an excellent public transport system. The U-bahn (underground) and S-bahn (overground) trains are a great way of getting around. Beware, though, when transferring from U-bahn to S-bahn you may have to climb the steps over- or under-ground and walk a few hundred metres to change platforms at what is ostensibly the same station.
You can buy transportation cards for a single journey or purchase a card that is valid for a particular time period. A 24 hour card is good value if you will be using public transport three or more times during the day. You can buy a card at stations via a machine. Multiple language options are available. Berlin transportation lines are divided into zones – so check the maps to see which zones your ticket needs to cover.
Transportation is on an honesty basis so you don’t need to present your ticket when you enter or leave the station. But it is important that you carry a valid ticket with you – random checks can take place and you will be fined if you can’t produce your ticket.
Remember! You need to validate your ticket. Just insert it into the machine located on the platform to get a time stamp. We totally failed to do this when travelling on the train from the airport – fortunately a local young couple sitting opposite us noticed that our tickets were not validated and the lovely man leapt out of the train to validate our tickets on the platform at the next stop before returning them to us. What a great first impression of the city – they were so helpful and friendly!
Where To Stay in Berlin
Berlin has a huge variety of accommodation to suit all budgets. We stayed at the Movenpick hotel on Schöneberger Str. 3. It takes approximately 15-20 minutes to walk from Potsdamer Platz. We can highly recommend this hotel, with its large rooms and excellent facilities. A fabulous buffet breakfast is available until 10am every day.
Essential Berlin – The Famous Sights
For anyone visiting Berlin for the first time, there are some key sights to explore in the city centre. Unter den Linden is Berlin’s main street, a broad boulevard that is around 1500m long and lined with shops and restaurants. At one end is the Brandenburg Gate and at the other Museum Insel, an island on the river Spree, cram-packed with museums, and a UNESCO heritage site.
Brandenburg Gate Area
The Brandenburg Gate is one of Berlin’s most recognisable landmarks, an imposing monument that has featured throughout German history. It was originally the gateway that denoted the start of the route to Brandenburg.
Just beyond the Brandenburg Gate is the Reichstag, Germany’s Parliament Building. One of the key features of this imposing building is its impressive glass dome. You can visit the building and climb up to the dome to see views across the city. Alternatively you can take a guided tour. There is no cost for these but you need to book a timed ticket online. Tickets do sell out at popular times, so we recommend booking at least a week or two in advance.
Tiergarten, located adjacent to The Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate, is an extenstive and very lovely park. There are plenty of paths and green spaces to enjoy here. The park also features a number of cultural sights including Siegessäule (Victory Column). You can climb the spiral staircase to the top to see panoramic views of the city.
Museum Insel to Alexanderplatz
Walk east along Unter den Linden and cross the river to visit Museum Insel. This is an island on the river Spree which is home to Berlin Cathedral and some of Berlin’s most famous museums, all housed in grand buildings.
Altes Museum – this was the first museum to be constructed on the island. It was originally planned to display the royal art collection but now shows exhibits from Greece and Rome.
Neues Museum exhibits antiquities from Egypt, including the famous bust of Nefertiti.
Alte Nationalgalerie has exhibitions of classical art and sculpture.
Bode Museum offers sculptures and Byzantine art.
Pergamon Museum houses a vast collection of Greek and Roman art. Its most renowned attraction is the Pergamon Altar, a monumental construction that was built in the 2nd century in Asia Minor. The Pergamon is closed for renovations and won’t be reopening its galleries until 2027.
We recommend pre-booking tickets to the museums you wish to visit, so that you can skip the queue.
Crossing the bridges on the other side of Museum Insel will take you to the Fernsehturm TV Tower, a 368m structure that dominates the city skyline. It was constructed in East Berlin between 1965 and 1969 and was a functioning broadcast tower and a grand representation of Communist power in its time. It’s possible to visit the observation deck to get fantastic views across the city as well as enjoy a meal in the restaurant or something stronger in the bar.
And just further along is Alexanderplatz, probably Berlin’s best known square. It’s lively and bustling, and has a large number of shops and restaurants.
Berlin History
It is impossible to visit this city without acknowledging its history and particularly that of the Berlin Wall, which divided the city both physically and ideologically between 1961 and 1989.
Located alongside a section of the Berlin wall on Niederkirchnerstrasse is the Topography of Terror exhibition. This was the site of the former SS Command and it gives a very honest history of National Socialism which isn’t easy to learn about but is important to understand.
Further along Niederkirchnerstrasse is Checkpoint Charlie, probably the most famous crossing between East and West Berlin during the Cold War. To be honest, it’s not that exciting but it seems to attract lots of tourists, so you’ll have to get in line if you want to have your picture taken there.
Far more interesting is The Wall – Asisi Panorama, just across the road. This is an installation by artist Yadegar Asisi depicting a huge mural showing life on both sides of the wall.
Climb the 4m platform and watch as day turns to night and the audio backdrop pervades the space. There is also an exhibition about the wall and a video documentary about the artist. You can pre-book tickets.
The Berlin Parliament Museum at Deutscher Dom adjacent to Gendarmenmarkt is housed in a grand building that looks like a cathedral. (Dom means cathedral.) The friendly staff will point you in the direction of the exhibition which documents the history of Germany’s parliament from the March Revolution of 1848 to today. Most of the exhibits have explanations in German only, but they are very visual and feel free to ask the English-speaking staff if you need further information.
Random Berlin Trivia: You can tell whether you are in the former East Berlin or West Berlin by looking at the pedestrian crossings. The little red or green man, Ampelmännchen, will be wearing a hat if he was located in the East. You can also buy souvenirs of Ampelmännchen in Berlin.
Berlin Art and Culture
Galleries
Alte Nationalgalerie on Museum Insel offers fine art in the form of classical paintings and sculptures, and includes works by some of Germany’s most famous painters.
Kulturforum, just west of Potsdamer Platz, is a large arts centre which showcases a broad range of exhibitions from classical to modern art.
Nearby, the Neue Nationalgalerie is a modern art museum. It has a permanent collection, which is highly interactive, and also hosts temporary exhibitions and retrospectives, including some big names in the art world. Andy Warhol and Gerhard Richter artworks were exhibited when we visited.
Bauhaus was a school of art and design that operated between 1919 and 1933 and produced some iconic designs that were both functional, artistic and deeply cool. Sadly, the Bauhaus Archive is currently closed as it undergoes a full renovation.
However, you can visit the temporary Archive on Knesebeckstraße, just down the road from Ernst-Reuter-Platz (U-bahn U2, Hardenbergstraße exit). This houses a small exhibition and shop as well as an excellent interactive electronic archive where you can explore a plethora of designs, even searching by shape and colour.
Cinema
We were lucky on our visit that we managed to explore the Deutsche Kinemathek at Potsdamer Platz which has recently closed for renovation. An excellent archive showcasing the best of German cinema throughout its history, the museum will be relocating over the coming years. In the meantime, check out their streaming programme.
If you want to explore the joys of German cinema, you can do a day trip to Potsdam to visit the Filmmuseum Potsdam, the oldest film museum in Germany. Line S7 on the S-bahn will get you there from central Berlin in around an hour. (You will need an ABC zone travel card.) We thoroughly recommend this museum which offers a fascinating insight into the movies that were made at these iconic studios.
Street Art
Berlin is famous for its street art scene, particularly in the east side of the city. Strictly, the art is illegal, but many artists have made their names showcasing their works on the streets. They usually paste their art in the form of posters, not only because it’s quicker to get their artwork out there but also the fines for spray painting onto walls can be hefty if they are caught by the authorities.
The East Side Gallery is possibly the ultimate street art location but this street is very legal. The longest remaining section of the Berlin Wall has been adorned with murals painted by more than 100 artists from all around the world. Start at Warschauer Straße (U-Bahn, S-Bahn or Tram).
You can view the paintings for 1.3 kilometres along the wall from Oberbaum Bridge to Ostbahnof.
Additionally, Haus Schwarzenberg Street Art Alley has loads of art to view.
There are a number of street art walking tours available. These a great way to discover the best places for viewing street art and the guide can tell you more about the artists and their particular style and way of working.
Berlin Shopping
Of course there are many places to indulge in some retail therapy. Berlin’s biggest department store is KaDeWe on Kurfürstendamm. Leipziger Platz has the ‘Mall of Berlin’ and nearby Potsdammer Platz also has a large number of shops. Friedrichstraße is the area for those looking for a more upmarket experience. We prefer not to spend too much time shopping when exploring a city, but we did pop into Dussmann das KulturKaufhaus, which describes itself as a culture house and has a massive range of books, movies and music. If you are exploring the main shopping areas, do take time to check out the side streets, many of which have smaller shops and lively cafes.
Berlin Nightlife
Berlin’s nightlife is famous the world over. Amongst the many clubs in the city some of the most famous include Sisyphos, Berghain and Anomalie. A lot of the clubs have a door policy – the bouncers will decide whether you feel right for the vibe. And if you don’t, you ain’t getting in.
Worth knowing: Clubs will either ask you to lock away your phone or place a sticker over the camera. This means that everyone’s privacy is respected.
We indulged in enjoying some of Berlin’s vast and diverse number of bars which offered more sedate drinking opportunities – especially the excellent range of beers or cocktails. If you are looking for local beer, Berliner Weisse is a wheat ale that is a specialty of the region.
Berlin for Foodies
Berlin currywurst is the city’s signature snack. There are loads of street stalls and restaurants all over the city. Currywurst is a sausage doused in mildly spiced curried ketchup. You can eat it on its own or with potato fries. If you want to indulge in a tipple as well, it’s the perfect dish to enjoy with beer.
There are a large number of restaurants along Unter den Linden and Potsdamer Platz (located around a 10 minute walk from the Brandenburg Gate) where you can enjoy plenty of German dishes. The Bavarian restaurant Paulaner Wirtshaus Berlin offers delicious, filling and hearty food, from small plates to full dinners. The Bavarian Trio is a taster platter offering luscious pork knuckle with crispy crackling, sausages and schnitzel, accompanied by potatoes, salad and sauerkraut. The restaurant also has a wide range of beers on offer – don’t forget to order a stein! (You’ll also get a workout as you drink because steins are really heavy.)
Manifesto Markt near Potsdamer Platz is a food court which hosts loads of street food stalls and a bar. There is food from all over the world and plenty of seating, so there will be something to suit everyone. However, it is closed on Sundays.
If you’d like to enjoy German fine dining, Peter Paul on Torstr. 99 offers tasting plates of Berlin specialties, including ‘posh’ currywurst; matjes herring with potato chips; “Himmel und Erde”, a black pudding with apple compote and potato cream; cured pork with sauerkraut; and roast beef, crème fraiche, shallot, pickled gherkin amongst many yummy dishes. There is a good selection of German wine on offer. They also offer a range of veggie/vegan options as well, which is useful to know because the local cuisine can be a bit meat-heavy.
Make sure to eat lots of bread. Did you know that Germany has over 3000 different types of bread? Any country which has a national bread day – Butterbrot (buttered bread) on the last Friday of September each year – is worthy of laudation. We made sure to try as many breads as possible at breakfast every morning. The seeded breads are particularly delicious.
Rausch Schokoladenhaus on Charlottenstraße 60 has loads of Berlin’s famous landmarks brilliantly recreated in chocolate. These are for display only but the shop has a huge range of delicious chocolates to indulge in.
And for a more, er, unusual foodie experience, the Museum of Disgusting Food on Schützenstraße 70 will challenge both your tastebuds and your perceptions of food.
Visiting Berlin for the First Time – Don’t Forget To Wander!
One of the things we most liked about Berlin was simply wandering through the city, chancing upon interesting places. Berlin is a city of contrasts – it’s posh and unpretentious, conventional and alternative, historic and modern. You can admire the architecture, discover quirky shops, chill out in trendy cafes or pop into pop-up museums and galleries.
We hope this guide offers a variety of things to see when visiting Berlin for the first time. Our first trip provided a mere flavour of the city’s charms – we can’t wait to return!
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