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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 we 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. If you are exploring the main shopping streets, 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 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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A Marvellous 7 Day Tamil Nadu Itinerary
Tamil Nadu is India’s southernmost state. It runs along the east coast’s Bay of Bengal all the way down to the tip of India at Kanyakumari. It is adjacent to the lush green state of Kerala, which is better known as a tourist destination. But Tamil Nadu has a plethora of amazing places to visit. Here is our 7 day Tamil Nadu itinerary.
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!
Why Visit Tamil Nadu?
Tamil Nadu is a fascinating state. It is very different to northern India and even its neighbour Kerala. Tamil Nadu has a large number of amazing historic and religious sites. And the welcome was the friendliest we’d ever received in India. We’d often visit a site and many people would run up to us and chat. They were also really keen to get a selfie – we felt like celebrities!
The best time to visit Tamil Nadu is between December and March. The weather will be hot – over 30C – all year round, although from April to June the daytime maximum can push 40C. The monsoon season runs from October to December and it will be very wet indeed. It’s worth noting that it can rain heavily any time through the year, so be prepared.
Getting Around Tamil Nadu
It is possible to undertake much of this itinerary using public transport but some of the locations are not easily accessible or quick to reach via public transport. We were travelling to see dear friends who are from Tamil Nadu and they had kindly arranged a car and driver for us. We recommend using a reliable tour operator if you don’t have local connections. This is something that we did in Kerala and it worked very well.
A driver will cost about 30,000 rupees per day (about $35) including use of the car and the driver’s accommodation and meals. We paid for fuel on an as-needed basis. Fuel costs for this trip came in at about 10,000 rupees (~$120) but that included a really long drive from Kanyakumari to Cochin in Kerala, so this itinerary would cost around $90-100. We do recommend hiring a car with a driver because driving in India is challenging, but if you’re feeling brave, go for the rental car!
If you are using public transport, trains and buses are available between the major cities. You can use tuk-tuks to get around and hire a car/driver locally to visit some of the attractions that are out of town. We recommend booking train tickets in advance, especially if you want to travel in the air-conditioned carriages.
Accommodation in Tamil Nadu
Accommodation in Tamil Nadu ranges from the cheap and basic to the luxurious, and hotel prices vary accordingly, from less than $30 for a night in Kanyakumari (perfectly fine, it had a bed and a bathroom and included breakfast) to $90 for a very posh hotel in Madurai. There are plenty of hostels if you’d prefer to stay in these, and they will be much cheaper.
Beware: All the hotels charged our credit card in GBP rather than Rupees. We didn’t realise this at the time. Make sure you are charged in Rupees as the conversion cost to your home currency will be horrendous. We did contact the hotels after our return home to get a refund and a recharge in Rupees, which most did for us. But make sure you check the currency if paying by credit card to save the hassle of having to get refunds.
7 Day Tamil Nadu Itinerary
This itinerary is pretty full on. India is huge and distances between cities can be large. Roads are fast in Tamil Nadu (certainly much faster than Kerala) – indeed some of the highways are so fast that they have concrete blocks in the middle of the road so that drivers have to slow down to navigate around them.
Day 1 Arrive Chennai
Our itinerary starts in Chennai (formerly Madras), the largest city in Tamil Nadu and the state capital. Depending on when you arrive you can spend the first day exploring Chennai. The Kapaleeshwarar Temple and Marina Beach are amongst the top attractions. Marina beach is one of the longest beaches in the world, right on the Bay of Bengal.
Day 2 Chennai to Auroville or Puducherry
Dakshina Chitra Museum
This lovely museum about 25km south of Chennai (SH 49, Muthukadu), is on the way to Mahabalipuram and is well worth a stop. It exhibits traditional buildings, as well as arts and crafts of the region.
There are lots of buildings to explore and demonstrations of crafts throughout the day. We enjoyed watching the weaving and glass sculpture.
Visit Mahabalipuram
Continue along the main road to visit one of India’s greatest tourist attractions. Mahabalipuram is a UNESCO world heritage site which comprises remarkable 7th- and 8th-century Hindu monuments. Located on the Bay of Bengal, this area was a trading place and hence the architecture shows influences from multiple cultures, including Chinese and Roman.
Amongst the most important monuments are:
Arjuna’s Penance, aka Descent of the Ganges – an open-air bas relief carved into two adjacent boulders, which is the second longest in the world. You can see the details of the penance, surrounded by elephants as the sinister snakes look on.
Pancha Rathas (or the Five Rathas) is a complex of five monuments, each carved from a single piece of granite.
They are named for the five Pandavas, brothers of legend who appear in the Mahabharata, the epic Hindu story.
The Shore Temple is located on the Bay of Bengal. There used to be seven of these but only one remains, and that was impacted by the tsunami of 2004.
We recommend getting a guide who will help explain the marvels of the temples and granite reliefs. You can pre-book but there will almost certainly be someone on hand who will offer their services. We paid 1000 rupees (about $11) for a private two hour tour.
Drive Mahabalipuram to Auroville or Puducherry (95 km)
We decided to stay in Auroville but you could choose to visit the colonial coastal town of Puducherry. We arrived in the evening and explored the local area. It’s worth noting that some of the guest houses in Auroville do not have restaurants or dining facilities, and may be quite remote, so you may have to walk to nearby eateries. Take care walking along the roads if it’s dark.
Day 3 Auroville to Chidambaram
Auroville
Auroville was constructed in the late 1960s as a town where people could live together irrespective of nationality, politics or religion. Its aim is to recognise human unity. The visitor’s centre at Auroville includes documentaries about the town, as well as lots of interesting exhibitions. There are restaurants on site too.
The centre of Auroville is the Matrimandir, a place for meditation. If you wish to meditate here, we recommend booking in advance. It is not a tourist site but a place for true contemplation. The Matrimandir viewing point is a short walk from the visitor’s centre.
Drive Auroville to Chidambaram (75km)
Chidambaram Nataraja Temple
This marvellous Hindu temple dates back to the 10th century when Chidambaram was the capital of the Chola dynasty and is dedicated to Nataraja, which is Shiva in the form of lord of the dance. The name Chidambaram means ‘wisdom atmosphere’. The temple represents the connection between spirituality and creativity.
We were lucky to be invited inside this temple with our friends and to join with the ceremony. It was a marvellous experience. We were permitted to enter the inner sanctum and were also introduced to a local pundit (priest) who told us about the construction of the temple and how its design is based around the human body.
As with all Hindu temples, shoes must be removed before entering. Men were expected to remove their shirts when entering the inner sanctum. Women are advised not to visit if they are menstruating.
We spent two nights in Chidambaram. There isn’t a huge range of accommodation options in the town so you might want to consider hotels that are located a few kilometres out of town.
Day 4 Around Chidambaram
Pitchawaram Mangroves
Just 15km from Chidambaram, these are some of the largest mangrove forests in India. You can enjoy a serene boat ride through this lovely area.
Velankanni
Velankanni is a 100km drive away and is a city on the Bay of Bengal which has two Christian churches.
Due to three miracles that occurred in the middle of the 16th century, including an apparition of the Madonna and Child, Velankanni has become a place of pilgrimage and devotion. It is possible to visit both the churches here.
When driving back to Chidambaram we stopped off at Tranquebar, a Danish fort built in 1620, which was a flourishing trade centre. There is a small but interesting museum.
Day 5 Chidambarm to Thanjavur
Set off early to drive to Thanjavur (100km), one of southern India’s most important centres of art and religion.
Brihadeeswara Temple
We were blown away by the Brihadeeswara Temple, built by Rajaraja I, the Chola emperor (985-1014CE). The mediaeval Cholas were the de facto rulers of southern India and Sri Lanka.
This temple was built over the course of 10 years and was completed around 1010 CE. It is a UNESCO site, one of the Great Living Chola Temples. The temple is extensive and has multiple buildings and shrines, all ornately decorated.
It also has one of the largest Nandi bull statues in India. This was carved from a single piece of granite.
The Thanjavur Museum in the centre of the city offers a well-curated history of the region.
Drive Thanjavur to Madurai (190km)
We arrived in Madurai in the evening and stayed at the Gateway Taj hotel, the poshest hotel we visited during the trip. We were welcomed with flower petals falling gently upon us as we walked underneath the balcony, and we enjoyed staying in an enormous room. The brekkie, cooked to order, was amazing!
Day 6 Explore Madurai
Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple
No visit to Madurai would be complete without visiting the remarkable Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple dedicated to Lord Sundareswarar and Goddess Meenakshi. It is one of the oldest temples in India and adorned with stunningly beautiful, intricate carvings. The temple has five entrances – representing the head, arms and legs.
Tips for Visiting the Temple: You will have to get tickets at the ticket office and security is tight. Shoes need to be removed as do any leather items, such as belts. (If your shoes are not leather, you will still need to remove them.) Dress should be conservative, shorts and sleeveless tops are not acceptable. Photos are not allowed within the temple.
We recommend getting a guide who can explain the temple’s features and describe the festivals celebrated here. The temple even has its own stables where its cows reside. Only Hindus are allowed into the inner sanctum, but the temple is fascinating to visit and we learned a lot.
As you can’t take photos inside, many of the adjacent shops will let you go up to their rooftop balconies so that you can get a nice view of the temple and, particularly, its amazingly intricate carvings.
Did you know? Cows are sacred to Hindus. This is because they provide milk, the most beneficial after a mother’s, so they are known as ‘second mother’. It is common to see cows wandering freely in city streets.
Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal
King Thirumalai Nayak built this residence in 1635 but, unusually, it was designed by an Italian architect, which explains the style, which seems out of character with the rest of the area. The King not only lived here, but he also held court in the palace.
The building has a theatre, shrine, bandstand and armoury.
Sadly part of the building was removed by Thirumalai Nayak’s grandson, but efforts are being undertaken to preserve what remains.
Drive Madurai to Kanyakumari (245 km)
Kanyakumari is the southernmost point of India – the very tip of the country where the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal meet. We recommend trying to arrive in time for sunset because viewing the sunset is one of the top things to do here.
And then set your alarm for an early start because sunrise viewing is also important. There are plenty of accommodation options in the town.
Day 7 In Kanyakumari
Get up early to see the sunrise. Our post about visiting Kanyakumari shows the location of the sunset and sunrise viewing points.
We do like sleeping in when we’re travelling but we got up at 4am and made our way to the viewing point looking out to the Vivekannanda rock memorial. It was definitely worth the effort!
Later in the day, visit the Vivekannanda rock memorial itself. It was constructed over 50 years ago and is dedicated to Swami Vivekananda, a Hindu monk, philosopher and author, who is said to have attained enlightenment while visiting the rock.
You need to go to the harbour to catch the boat. We recommend leaving reasonably early in the morning because you will need to remove your shoes to visit the rock and it will be very hot underfoot.
This concludes the 7 day Tamil Nadu itinerary. We went on to visit Kerala from here (our driver took us to Cochin) but you could catch a train back to one of the major cities or make your way to the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (90 km in Kerala) to make your onward journey.
Tamil Nadu for Foodies
Indian cuisine is one of the world’s greatest but southern Indian food may be very different to dishes you may have tasted in northern India or in your home country. Many residents of Tamil Nadu are Hindu and do not eat meat or drink alcohol, so a lot of the dishes are vegetarian/vegan, and all are absolutely delicious.
In this area people don’t have cutlery but eat using the fingers of their right hand. There is always a place to wash your hands before eating.
If you are visiting a family, you will be treated as the guest of honour and will be served your food by your hosts, who will not dine with you, but will eat after you have finished. We were blown away by the hospitality and generosity of our friends and their family, who made us feel extremely welcome.
Southern India’s staple food is rice. And it’s always presented in a variety of delicious ways and beautifully spiced. Amongst the many yummy variations, our favourites were lemon rice, rice with coconut and cashew, vegetable rice. One that surprised us was curd rice (like a yoghurt rice).
A biryani in Tamil Nadu may vary slightly to other types of biryani. It is a rice dish that is cooked together with the other ingredients, rather than in layers. Our friend kindly gave us her family recipe for authentic Tamil Nadu vegetable biryani and it is absolutely delicious.
Dosas are another essential dish to try. These are pancakes made from a batter comprising rice and lentils, which is fermented for a few days and then fried. They can be filled with potato curry or served plain with various chutneys.
Idli are steamed rice cakes and vada fluffy doughballs made from urad dal (lentils).
Hello Thali!
Thalis are a lovely way to try multiple dishes. These are platters comprising multiple small dishes which are delightful. You may be served your food on a banana leaf or a tray covered with metal pots.
We have a post about how to enjoy thali in South India. One thing we did notice was that when we were eating in restaurants, local diners were very keen to see how much we were enjoying the food and to offer advice on which dishes we should eat in which order.
In Tamil Nadu many thali will be vegetarian but you may be able to specify a ‘meat’ or a ‘non-meat’ thali. We often ate lunches at random diners along the road. These were fantastic – great food, reasonably priced. And often you can have seconds, as the servers will pass through the restaurant with large pots offering another portion to plop into your dish.
Alcohol is not widely available, even in western-style hotels. Some hotels may have a licence and a special drinking area located somewhere on the premises. We didn’t consume any alcohol during our visit. And that was absolutely fine. There were lots of fruit juices, lassi (a yoghurt based drink) and fresh coconut water to enjoy.
Although Tamil Nadu is not one of the most famous states in India we absolutely recommend a visit. We loved it for the heritage and culture, for the warmth of our welcome and, of course, for the amazing food.
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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.
Fortresses and Falls in Jajce Bosnia
Jajce is a delightful town in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the confluence of the Pliva and Vrbas rivers and is best known for its fortress and waterfall. We enjoyed an overnight stay here as part of our road trip to Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Here’s what to expect if you visit Jajce Bosnia.
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.
How To Get To Jajce Bosnia
Car is the most convenient way to travel through this region. We hired a car and drove ourselves through lovely countryside. Jajce is located on the M16 road. It’s about 160km from both Sarajevo and Mostar (along different routes) and it will take 2 ½ to 3 hours to drive there. If you are driving, parking fees apply in the town’s car parks. They cost about 1 Euro per hour.
If you are using public transport, buses are available from Bosnia’s larger cities, including Sarajevo, Travnik, Mostar and Bihac.
You can also do a day trip to Jajce from Sarajevo as part of an organised tour.
A Brief History of Jajce Bosnia
Evidence of Roman visitors can be seen in the Mithraeum, a temple dedicated to Mithras, the sun god, which is thought to date back to the 3rd century.
Bosnian nobleman Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić founded Jajce in the 14th century and it quickly became an important city in the region. Hrvatinić constructed a fortress and erected high walls to protect the city. When Stjepan Tomašević, of the Bosnian Kotromanićrose, rose to power in 1461 the city not only became the home of the Bosnian kings, it became the capital of the Kingdom of Bosnia.
Despite successfully repelling a number of sieges as the Ottomans swept through the area, the city eventually fell to this vast empire in 1527. After the decline of the Ottomans, Jajce was absorbed into the the Austro-Hungarian empire, along with the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, between 1878 and 1918.
Following World Wars 1 and 2, Jajce became part of AVNJO, the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia, established by Tito. The second council of this organisation was convened in the city in 1943. The delegates determined to establish a federal Yugoslavia and one of its core principles was that the many ethnic groups living in the region would be considered equal.
Jajce suffered significantly during the Bosnian war. It fell to Serb control in October 1992 and many of the ethnic groups fled. Catholic churches and mosques were destroyed. The city became part of Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the Dayton Agreement.
Visit Jajce – Top Attractions
Jajce is a small town which it is easy to walk around. It has some lovely places to visit. We recommend visiting the tourist information centre which has free maps to aid exploration, and the friendly staff can offer suggestions for places to visit.
Pliva Waterfall
Now, sometimes your expectations can be raised before you visit a place. Our hotel hosts in Mostar told us that we were going to visit the ‘Niagara Falls of Bosnia’. While of course we weren’t expecting a waterfall on the scale of Niagara, and it is a very lovely waterfall, it was a little disappointing, but not for reasons of size.
The Pliva Waterfall is the location for diving tournaments and we felt that the concrete viewing platform, the diving board and advertising hoarding did detract from its charm.
You have to pay a fee to get up close to the waterfall at its base, if you want to admire it from the lower river and enjoy a mild spray soaking on a hot day. The cost was 4 Euros each (3 Euros in low season).
Jajce Fortress
With its dominant location on a hill towering 470m above the city, Jajce fortress resisted a number of sieges as the Ottomans invaded the region. These days, the fortress is largely a ruin and it’s a reasonably uphill climb to reach it, but it’s lovely to walk along the crenelated walls – fantastic views of the city and surrounding countryside are guaranteed. It costs 1.5 Euros to visit.
The Catacombs and Bear Tower
Below the fortress, carved into the rock, are a small set of catacombs, the burial place of Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić, founder of the city. They aren’t very extensive but are worth a brief look inside to see the crypt and altars.
Some of the motifs inside, representing the sun, the cross and a crescent moon, are a memorial to the independent Bosnian church and something of a rarity because they have survived the political upheavals over the years. And apparently Tito hid inside the catacombs during World War 2. Sadly there is also a fair amount of graffiti carved into the rock.
No one is quite certain what the purpose of the Bear Tower was.
St Mary’s Church
Located at the foot of the citadel, this building very much reflects the area’s history, it was built as a simple church in the 12th century and enhanced over the years, being dedicated to St Mary in the 14th century.
Over the ages the building was redesigned and reconstructed but its purpose was changed entirely in 1528 when it was converted into a mosque dedicated to Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman sultan. It is now derelict.
Mithras Temple
Dedicated to the god Mithras, this was built by the Romans. It was only discovered this century when building work was being undertaken in the area. The temple features a relief showing the sacrifice of a bull.
The AVNOJ Museum of the Second Session of the National Liberation Army of Yugoslavia
This museum exhibits many copies of photos and documents from the AVNOJ session, which was a key moment in the region’s history.
Visit Jajce Bosnia Further Out – The Wooden Watermills
Located around 5km from the town centre are the Pliva lakes. This is a resort area. We stayed in the Plivsko Jezero hotel, a modern hotel, half of which offers a lovely lake view but the other half looks over the main road. In the summer you can hire boats and go out on the lake, and there are gentle walks in the area.
The most delightful place to visit here is the Mlinčići, a cluster of charming wooden watermills, some of which date back to the 16th century.
They are located between the Large and Small Pliva lakes, taking advantage of the height difference between them, as water cascades through them.
There are boardwalks which you can follow to get really close to the watermills. They are free to visit.
A Day Trip from Jajce – Una National Park
Our road trip was to take us to the marvellous Plitvice Lakes in Croatia and we travelled there from Jajce. We don’t necessarily recommend this route, as it involves a lot of driving, but we particularly wanted to see this amazing national park, so we embarked on the long journey. We weren’t disappointed and you can read our post about visiting Plitvice.
En route, and a couple of hours’ drive from Jajce, is the Una National Park, Bosnia’s largest park, set in very pretty countryside. There is a small fee to enter the park, unless your name is Una, although you’ll have to bring ID to prove it.
A Truly Splendid Waterfall
The reason for visiting this park was not only to break up our journey to Croatia but also to see the Martin Brod waterfall. This – for us – was so much nicer than the Jajce falls; set in a natural environment these delightful falls tumble into crystal clear blue waters.
Located on the river Una, the falls were named for a woman called Marta, who fell in love with a soldier, but sadly drowned in the river while she was crossing it to meet him.
You can hike around the waterfall, use the viewing platforms and if you climb to the top of the falls via a path, you can also meet some local entrepreneurs who will show you how they use the water and gravity to wash clothes and grind flour. It costs a Euro to get a demonstration of the most natural washing machine in the world. Apparently people bring their bedding and rugs here from miles around to get a good wash!
Jajce for Foodies
The town has a number of restaurants and cafes, many with outdoor seating. We enjoyed Bosnia’s national dish of cevapi (little sausages) inside a fluffy lepinja (Balkan flatbread). These are traditionally served with raw onion but don’t worry, the onions are a lot less pungent than you might expect.
Resources To Help You Plan Your Trip
Accommodation in and around Jajce Bosnia
Car Hire in Bosnia
SIM card for use in Bosnia
While Jajce is one of the smaller towns in the region, and may not have the cosmopolitan charms of Sarajevo, or the amazing architecture of Mostar, we do recommend a stop here, just for a night, or a day trip, if you are visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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RECIPE: How To Make Dakgalbi
Spicy chicken stir fry dakgalbi hails from South Korea and is a really easy dish to make. We cook it regularly and it’s an excellent weekday dish, because it requires little effort – just chop the ingredients, mix everything together, let them marinate, and then cook. This is a dish that is warm, spicy and surprisingly sweet, and the multitude of ingredients ensure that it will have delicious complex flavours. It is often served inside salad leaves as ssam, which means wrap – whereby the dakgalbi is wrapped in the leaves. However, we often serve it with rice. We can usually cook the dakgalbi in the time it takes to cook the rice. Here’s our dakgalbi recipe.
These days we find it very easy to buy gochujang, the spicy fermented chilli paste that is characteristic of so many Korean dishes. Even our local supermarket stocks it. Gochujaru and rice syrup might be a little more difficult to obtain. We are lucky to have a Korean supermarket in our town but if you can’t find these ingredients you can easily substitute them.
Rice syrup, known as ssal-jocheong, is made from rice and barley malt powder which is cooked up with water to create a thick, gloopy syrup. It has a lovely sweetness which adds another dimension to the dish and complements the spiciness. If you can’t get this ingredient, you can use golden syrup.
Gochujaru is another quintessential Korean ingredient and basically comprises flakes of red chilli which provide the spiciness for this dish. If you can’t find it, you could easily substitute dried chilli flakes or even chilli powder, although chilli powder is much finer in consistency than gochujaru.
Dakgalbi Recipe
Serves 4
Dakgalbi Ingredients
1tbs gochujang paste
1tbs soy sauce
2tsp sesame oil
2 tsp gochujaru (use dried chilli flakes or chilli powder if you can’t get this)
1 tsp curry powder
1 tbs rice syrup (golden syrup if you can’t get it)
2 plump cloves of garlic
1 Carrot
1/3 white cabbage
1 onion
1 sweet potato
500g chicken breast or thigh (you can make this dish vegan by substituting the chicken for another 3 sweet potatoes)
Vegetable oil for cooking
Dakgalbi Recipe Method
Dice all the vegetables into similar-sized chunks – between ½ – 1cm cubed. The idea is to get them to the same size – and quite small.
Cut up the chicken into small pieces. If you are using sweet potato, chop into cubes, a similar size to the other ingredients.
Mix the gochujang, soy sauce, sesame oil, curry powder, rice syrup together in a large bowl. Crush or micrograte the garlic. Add the gochujaru chilli flakes. You can add more if you want your dish to be spicy, less if you want it milder, it’s up to you.
Add the chicken and vegetables to the mix and stir to ensure everything is coated. Leave for at least half an hour to marinate.
Heat up the vegetable oil in a pan. Add the mixture and cook on a high heat to start with, stirring regularly to make sure all the pieces of chicken are getting seared, then turn the heat to medium after about 5 minutes.
Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken and veg are cooked through.
You can serve with rice, which we garnished with sesame seeds and Korean celery leaves, which is a lovely comfort meal. Or, for a lighter option, wrap it in lettuce or perilla leaves to eat as ssam.
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Lobster Dinner in Nova Scotia
What makes a luxury food luxurious? Is it exclusivity? A famous name? Limited availability? And why do many luxury foods look so unappealing? Oysters are grey and slippery, truffles look like muddy-mini-brains, and lobsters appear positively primeval. Sometimes it’s easy to see why food is considered to be luxurious. Kobe beef, for example, is reared to exceptional and very precise standards and there is limited availability. Seafood is considered to be a luxury food by many in the UK, an island nation with a long history of fishing. But ingredients such as lobsters, scallops and oysters are enormously expensive. The north-eastern coastline of America and Canada is famous for seafood. And when we visited Canada one of our top priorities was to enjoy a lobster dinner in Nova Scotia. Or more…
What Makes Fine Dining Fine?
We recently celebrated a significant wedding anniversary and treated ourselves to lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant. It was expensive but it was a place that we had long wanted to visit and, if you can’t treat yourselves after 30 years of marriage, when can you? But… while the food was nothing short of divine, we didn’t really enjoy all the other ‘stuff’ that goes with luxury dining.
The wine was eye-wateringly expensive (and not that amazing), we were requested to comply with a dress code, a hefty automatic service charge was added to the bill (we could have asked for it to be removed) and we just felt, well, not fully relaxed. The service felt kinda overly stiff and formal. It was a lovely experience, just not as sublime as we’d hoped it would be.
Our local city has a fine dining restaurant which is much more up our street. Owned by a chef who has worked in amazing kitchens all over the world, the food is exquisite but it is served in a relaxed, informal environment. You can dine in a t-shirt and jeans if you want. Bring your own booze and become your own sommelier. You share a table with the other guests and enjoy lively conversation and usually a laugh. As you say your goodbyes you get a hug from the chef’s wife (this is optional!). And did we mention how exquisite the food is?
Seafood and Eat It!
We’ve recently returned from a road trip to Nova Scotia, one of Canada’s eastern maritime provinces, located on the Atlantic coast. We travelled in a ‘figure 8’ around the peninsular, hugging as much of its beautiful coastline as possible, and with a firm determination to scoff as much seafood as we could. We ate like kings every day. But what we loved most about Nova Scotia’s seafood was how down-to-earth it was. No pretentious plating, no fiddly processes, just good honest food.
Nova Scotia’s Lobster Fishing Industry
The town of Lunenburg is around an hour’s drive from Nova Scotia’s capital city Halifax. It’s a beautiful UNESCO heritage town with colourful buildings lining the gorgeous coastline and harbour.
The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg is extensive and absolutely fascinating. It’s the perfect place to discover Nova Scotia’s maritime history, particularly in the context of its fishing industry. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and give talks about lobsters and fisheries throughout the day. We really enjoyed interacting with them.
Canada has very specific rules about catching lobsters. All fishermen need a licence. These are issued by the government and each costs $1.25m CAD. Licences are issued for particular ocean regions, which mean that the fishermen assigned their locations are responsible for looking after their patch. There are very specific rules on what they can catch – undersized lobsters and females with egg-laying potential all have to be returned.
Dories and Lobster Pots
We learned about the history of fishing in the area and the evolution of the lobster pot.
Historically, fishermen went out to fish for lobsters using dories. These small boats would be stacked up in a schooner which would take the men to the fishing grounds. You can see the little dories in the photo below.
The dories would be launched and the catch hauled in. Interestingly, during both World Wars U-boats would torpedo the schooner although they would rescue the souls on board, destroying the main boat, but would leave the crew in the dories to make their own way back to shore.
Lobsters are caught in pots which are designed like wooden crates with internal netting. They are weighted down with rocks to keep the pot on the bottom of the seabed and a wooden or plastic buoy marks its location. Lobsters have a keen sense of smell and are attracted by bait – usually bits of fish – and they swim backwards into the pot. Then they become trapped inside the netting.
The older type of pot had a wooden catch which local seals learned how to open by rubbing their bellies on it. Then they could work their way inside to get a tasty snack – free food! They have been observed teaching their young pups to open the pots too. Modern lobster pot designs use a bungee catch which is ‘seal-proof’ but also incorporates a hinge that rusts away after 4 weeks or so, allowing lobsters to escape if the pot ever loses its mooring and drifts away to the sea.
Sometimes you may encounter a more unusual species in the pot!
The sea is as much a part of the fabric of Nova Scotia as its beautiful landscapes. The bounty from both land and sea are taken very seriously, but the focus is on enjoying the great ingredients.
Lobster? Food For Poor People?
When visiting Musée des Acadiens des Pubnicos in southern Nova Scotia, a museum which showcases traditional Acadian life, we got chatting to the boatbuilder who had been demonstrating how to build a dory over the course of the summer. He told us that when he was a child, lobster was considered to be poor man’s food. At school, the poorer kids who brought lobster sandwiches would try to swap their lunch for the baloney or peanut butter sandwiches that the richer children brought in.
And perhaps that is why that lobster, considered to be such a luxury food worldwide, is treated with respect but is not elevated to snooty levels here, it’s accessible to all. We ate lobster dinners in family restaurants and diners throughout our trip.
Best Lobster Dinners in Nova Scotia
Whole Lobster – a lobster on a plate. Simple. Classic. The lobster is cooked to perfection, the claws are usually pre-cracked and then you are given either crackers or scissors, and picks to extract the meat from the claws and tail. Some restaurants also give you a plastic bib and a card showing you how to extract the meat from the lobster. And a plastic pot containing melted garlic butter for dipping. Often accompanied with fries or salad.
Lobster Roll – another classic that we had long wanted to taste. Tender chunks of lobster meat in a soft roll with salad and dressing. We loved that different types of restaurant had variations that suited their style of cuisine. So an Italian restaurant in Halifax offered a scrumptious lobster ciabatta.
Even the Subway, a fast food restaurant chain, had lobster subways on offer in Lunenburg. They were very reasonably priced and pretty tasty too.
At the Grand Banker Bar & Grill in Lunenburg they take their seafood seriously. The Lunenburger is a smashed meat burger patty with bacon, cheese, rocket, aioli, and, of course, lobster in a toasted artisan roll. If that wasn’t enough, this juicy burger is topped with a bacon-wrapped scallop.
Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese – a humble comfort food made luxurious with the addition of succulent pieces of lobster. And nothing like the stingy lobster mac ‘n’ cheese we’ve had in the UK where you need a microscope to identify any pieces of lobster that may have somehow been incorporated in the sauce – here you get luscious chunks of lobster tail and claw.
Lobster Poutine – Poutine is Canada’s national dish and we were keen to taste it on our visit. It comprises chips (French fries) smothered in yummy gravy and topped with cheese curds. It sounds kinda wrong to an English girl who likes her chips with vinegar and a Dutch boy who won’t eat chips unless they are accompanied by mayonnaise. But poutine is surprisingly delicious. The key lies with the gravy – the best poutines we ate were served with a thick, rich gravy that was full of flavour. Lobster and traditional gravy doesn’t really work – gravy is really a sauce for meat- so lobster poutine tends to use a creamy sauce.
One of the things we most liked about the restaurants in Nova Scotia was that not only were the prices very reasonable, while the lobster may have been the star of the show, you would often be offered the main attraction as part of a full dinner. In Baddeck, on Cape Breton island, we enjoyed all-you-can-eat chowder, all-you-can-eat mussels, a choice of whole lobster or snow crab, followed by a dessert. All for less than the price that a UK fishmonger would charge just for a single lobster that you’d have to prepare yourself. Baddeck Lobster Suppers offers exactly what its name suggests. (And the all-you-can-eat was absolutely good to its word – if you fancied some mussels or chowder, even after finishing your dessert, you only had to ask for more.)
(We did choose the snow crab here, because we had eaten a lot of lobster by the time we reached Baddeck. And it was sublime.)
The food of Nova Scotia was an absolute delight and we thoroughly enjoyed our tasty road trip exploring all that this marvellous province had to offer. But it was the unpretentious deliciousness of the cuisine that stole our hearts. Food isn’t meant to be showy, it’s meant to be savoured.
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Is the Copenhagen Card Worth It?
City cards are a popular way of sightseeing in many European cities – they often offer free or discounted entry to various attractions and also transportation. But they aren’t always cheap, so it’s worth considering whether they offer genuinely good value. We thoroughly researched our trip to Copenhagen to see whether the city’s tourism card was worth investing in. Is the Copenhagen Card worth it? We think it’s one of the best city cards around, and we have some handy hints on to get the very best value from it.
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.
Different Types of Copenhagen Card
There are two flavours of card:
The Hop Card – this gives you access to the main attractions within the city centre. You travel around using the hop-on, hop-off buses. You can visit up to 40 places free of charge. The hop-on, hop-off buses take you around the city with common sites of interest.
The Discover Card – offers unlimited public transport (including the train from the airport), so you can use the buses and trains but you cannot use the hop-on, hop-off buses. Travelling around Copenhagen and also further outside the city is included. The Discover Card offers you far more attractions that you can go to see too, twice as many as the Hop Card.
Extra Benefits – if you are travelling with children, both the Discover and Hop cards allow two children to travel and visit the attractions for free with every adult card purchased. This is a fantastic deal.
In our opinion the Discover Card offers better value – there are more places you can visit and you have a greater amount of flexibility using transportation to reach them. But the Hop may be more convenient for you.
Practicalities of Using Your Card
You can buy your card online any time before your visit to Copenhagen.
There are various options for the length of time you wish your card to be active for:
Hop Card: 24, 48, 72 hours
Discover Card: 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 hours
There are a number of things to take into account when you use your card. The first is the misnomer that it’s actually a card because it is electronic, so you will need a mobile phone or another portable device in order to use it.
It’s fine to download multiple cards on the same device.
Your card is activated as soon as you enter the first attraction or use the transportation system. You will need a wifi signal or mobile signal for the activation. Most museums we visited had wi-fi which we could connect to.
You are allowed to visit as many attractions as you can each day. But you can only visit each attraction once, with the exception of the Tivoli Gardens where you can re-enter the park on the same day only. If you exit the garden and wish to return you need to make sure that you get a stamp from the security guards. Also, while entry to Tivoli is free using the card, you will need to pay to go on individual rides. Just queue and tap your credit/debit card at the entrance to the ride. Or you can buy multiple ride passes at the ticket machines which can be found around the park.
Pro tip: If you’re worried that you might not have enough data on your phone or can’t get a wi-fi signal on public transport, take a screenshot of the cards and you can show these as a photo whenever you need to enter any of the places you want to visit.
The card will count down the time until it expires, so you can always check how long you have left.
Choosing the Attractions
Copenhagen has an enormous number of fantastic places to visit. From a canal boat tour to historic palaces and castles, art and design galleries, science museums and the wonderful Tivoli Gardens, the city will have something to suit everyone.
In order to maximise your use of the Copenhagen card, have a think about what you would like to see and do. Copenhagen is delightful but it is an expensive city so we wanted to see as many attractions as we could. We did some research to find out which attractions were located close to each other and targeted those, so that we could maximise the number of places we could see in each day.
There are also a number of the attractions in the city that are free to visit and made plans to visit those after our cards had expired.
We spent one of our days outside Copenhagen city visiting Hamlet’s Castle at Elsinor and the fabulous Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. The train transportation was included on the card – we just had to show it to the train conductor – as was entrance to both of these fabulous places. So for us, the Discover Card made a lot more sense as we could use it outside the city.
Like many locations across the world, museums are often closed on Mondays so, if the timing of your visit includes a Monday, we recommend checking that the places you visit will be open on that day and plan accordingly.
Choosing When To Activate Your Card
We chose the 72 hour Discover card. We arrived at Copenhagen’s international airport in the afternoon and, although we could have activated it to allow us to travel into the city centre on the train, we decided to buy train tickets at the airport, not only because they are cheap (30DKK, or ~$4 each), but we knew that many museums would be closing by the time we had arrived at our hotel and settled in.
So we waited until the following morning before we activated the cards. We noticed that some museums local to our hotel opened at 9am and some at 10am. We had a leisurely breakfast on our first full day in the city and decided to visit the National Museum which opened at 10am. This initiated the 72 hour countdown. But on day four of our trip (71 hours in) we could still enter the nearby Museum of Copenhagen which opened at 9am. We were able to stay inside and enjoy the exhibitions, even though the cards officially deactivated at 10am.
Note: It’s fine to enter attractions just before your card expires – you won’t get ejected when the time is up. However, you can’t use your card if it is due to expire while you are using public transport – it should be valid for the full length of the trip.
How Much Can You Save?
Of course the saving you make depends on how many attractions you visit – the more you see, the greater the savings.
We did a calculation of how much money we saved with the card. Our 72 hour cards cost us just over £100 (~$120) each. It’s a fair amount to lay out. However, with all the transportation and places we visited, we managed to save well over £330 (~$400) in total! You can read about our trip to Copenhagen which shows the places that we visited, including those using the card.
We hope you found these insights useful. Below is a link to the Copenhagen card if you would like to consider buying one for your trip. (We may get a small commission at no extra charge to you.)
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Busan in Winter – Cold But Cool!
Busan is South Korea’s second largest city and also its southernmost on the Korean mainland. It is known as a summer city because it is located on the coast and has some fabulous beaches. But there are plenty of things to do in Busan in winter and many of the tourist attractions will be less crowded. Although the temperature can get pretty cold, the weather is often sunny, so we have both indoor and outdoor activities on offer here. So wrap up warm, here’s our guide.
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.
Getting to Busan
South Korea’s rail network is fast and efficient and a good way to get around the country. If you are planning to travel by train through South Korea you might want to consider buying a KoRail Pass. These are passes that allow foreign visitors unlimited journeys on the rail network on particular days, either consecutive days or individual days within a defined time period.
If you’re into zombie movies, you’ll know the film Train to Busan. It gave us great joy to catch a train to Busan but we can confirm that no zombies were encountered along the way.
Where to Stay in Busan
The main station is central to the city. In the summertime many people will head to the resorts to stay in lovely hotels overlooking the beach. We chose to stay in a hotel near the station. It wasn’t the best area and didn’t have the greatest view but at less than $50 a night for large room with kitchen facilities, it was amazing value. And… who wants to spend all their time in their hotel when there’s a large and exciting city to explore? But, if you still want a winter sea view, the seaside hotels will still be open. There are plenty of accommodation options in the city.
Getting Around Busan
Busan is a large city and many of the attractions are located several kilometres from each other. Busan has an integrated transport system and we recommend using the metro or buses. For some of the locations further out of the city you will almost certainly need to use buses. If you are spending time in a particular part of the city you can walk between attractions.
We have given directions from Busan station for all the attractions we mention here.
We recommend getting a T-money card when you arrive in Korea. This link is for a T-money card which you can buy in advance means that you don’t have to queue. It means you can tap in and out of all public transport and also use it at convenience stores. There are machines available to charge up your card and you can also do this at convenience stores. Note you will need to use cash to charge your card.
If you don’t wish to use public transport you could hire a car. This would give you flexibility to travel between the various attractions more easily. However, we recommend checking parking availability.
Attractions to Visit in Busan in Winter
Nampo-dong Area
The Nampo-dong area is very central and has many things to see. We have a combination of indoor and outdoor activities.
Busan Museum of Movies
We love Korean cinema and adored the Busan Museum of Movies. We had so much fun in what is probably the most interactive museum we have ever visited. You don’t have to be a fan of Korean films but, if you are, it truly is a place of joy.
There are various types of ticket – you can get one that includes the optical illusions exhibition (fun if you have kids) or a ticket simply for the main movie museum.
The exhibits are largely in Korean but are highly visual. There is a history of the national cinema as well as the movie making process.
On entry you are given a plastic card which you can scan at various locations throughout the museum. This means that you can get involved in the filmmaking process yourself: want to fight a monster against a green screen? Knock yourself out! (Or, if you’re really good, you could try knocking the monster out!) Appear in a movie poster? Or maybe dub your own dialogue onto a classic movie scene and then add your own sound effects? Don’t worry if you can’t speak Korean – we created some very silly dubs in English. All your efforts will be recorded onto the card and at the end of your visit you can download them onto a memory stick.
You can reach the museum Exit 5 of Jungang Station Metro Line 1. Or, if you like walking, it’s only a 2km walk from Busan station which is perfectly doable, if a bit hilly.
Yongdusan Park and Busan Tower
You can reach the tower using Line 1 to Nampo Station, Exit 7 and then it’s a short walk to the pretty garden and tower.
There is a fee to climb the tower, just buy a ticket at the machines outside the entrance. The tower visit is highly interactive and you can download an app: if you solve all the clues in a quiz, you can win a prize. And even if not, the views from the top are spectacular.
Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) BIFF Square
If you are a movie fan, you can walk the street to see the handprints and footprints of many Korean and international directors and actors.
And if you’re not a movie fan, there are some fantastic street food stalls in the area. Make sure you try hottoek – a sweet pancake with azuki beans and seeds. Perfect for a cold winter’s day.
And if there’s any reason to return to Busan in the summertime, it’s the Busan Film and Food Festival. It’s like someone designed a festival especially for us!
Gwangbok-ro, or Fashion Street, is a pedestrianised street where you can explore a variety of establishments and shop till you drop.
Jalgachi Fish Market
The largest fish market in South Korea this is the place to discover the fruits of the ocean.
The ground (first) floor houses the extensive market, which is chock full of fishy goodies. Upstairs you can find restaurants which cook the seafood.
Special foodie tip: Don’t forget to check out the nearby fisheries street, where you can also pick up other foodie souvenirs such as gim (seaweed, like Japanese nori) and lots of dried seafood.
Lotte Department Store
If you like shopping, this department store has a huge variety of products from clothing to kitchenware to toys. You might not find a bargain but there is plenty of browsing to be had. You can go out onto the roof for views across the city. There’s no charge for this. And, if you’re feeling like your talents need to shine in the world of K-pop you can also sign up for audition training. We were tempted to pop our heads round the door – there’s definitely an untapped market for a couple of oldies becoming K-pop superstars, right?
And the Nampo Winter Lights festival runs from mid-December to mid-January where the Gwangbok-ro and Gwangbokjungang-ro streets are lit up with festive lighting.
Western Busan Attractions
Gamcheon Culture Village
This is becoming one of Busan’s major tourist attractions largely because it is delightful. Originally this was a part of the city where the local authority located working class people following the Korean War. It became a deprived area where poverty was rife. However, in 2009 it was revived as a cultural centre when the department of culture invited artists and residents to spruce up the area.
Nowadays you can visit this colourful town, with the buildings nestled into the mountainside. It’s a place of discovery where you can spend hours exploring to seek out artworks.
If you like collecting stamps (and who doesn’t?) you can get a map and find particular artworks and get a stamp to prove you found them.
Some of the artworks are really admired and you may have to queue to have your photo taken. The Little Prince and the Fox are particularly popular – with many young ladies sitting demurely alongside the prince and gazing at him adoringly.
And fans of K-Pop legends BTS will also enjoy murals of their favourite local lads.
From Busan Station take Line 1 in the direction of Dadaepo Beach to Toseong Station. Use exit 6. The village is around 1km away. You can either walk up a steep hill to the entrance or take a bus: , Seogu 2 or Seogu 2-2 will get you there.
Taejongdae Park
This delightful coastal route is named for King Taejong Muyeol of the Silla people who loved visiting the area.
You can buy a ticket to ride the cute hop-on, hop-off Danubi Train which makes several stops for you to admire views of the magnificent rocky seaside cliffs.
Or, if you just fancy walking, that’s fine too and the area is free to visit. The train stops at various locations including the Observatory Rest Area where you can view as far as Oryukdo Islets and Tsushima Island on a clear day.
Yeongdo Lighthouse is one of the most popular views. This lighthouse has been in service since 1906. There are some exhibits to visit here.
Bus 88 or 101 from Busan Station will take you to the Taejongdae Cliff bus stop. There are a whole bunch of restaurants close by where you can get a delicious and cheap meal.
Songdo Skywalk and Cable Car
As the winter evenings draw in and the sun sets earlier in the day, grab a ride on the Songdo Cable car and enjoy the breathtaking views of the city and coastline at sunset.
The other station is on an island with a park, which has some fun and eclectic sculptures – a great place to visit for kids and big kids.
There is a fee to ride the cable car. It costs a little more if you choose a car with a glass-bottomed floor.
If you don’t fancy taking the cable car, there is a skywalk that extends out to the sea and affords lovely views of the beach. This is free to use. It’s beautifully lit at night.
Take bus 27 from Busan station or Buses 6, 26, 30 or 71 from Nampo station (Line 1).
Further Out
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
Located in the northeast of the city, this 14th century temple, located on the coast, is a must-see. Most temples are located in the mountains so the seaside setting of this gorgeous temple is not only beautiful, it’s very rare within South Korea.
The original temple was apparently built in 1376 by the Buddhist teacher Naong Hyegeun, but was sadly destroyed following the Japanese invasion of Korea in the 16th century. The temple is dedicated to the Sea Goddess Buddha of Mercy, Haesu Gwaneum Daebul.
On arrival you pass by statues representing signs of the zodiac until you reach a pagoda.
Then you descend 108 steps, passing by stone sculptures and lanterns to view the temple itself.
You may have seen this temple in Korean movies or dramas.
Because it is so famous and beautiful it is quite touristy, even out of season, so there are lots of stalls selling souvenirs and street food by the car park.
While you’re in the area, you could also visit the National Fisheries Science Museum or the Lotte World theme park, which is open all year round.
And if you are around in the evening during December and January you’ll be able to enjoy the Haeundae winter lights festival from Haeundae Beach to Gunam-ro main road.
It’s a bit of an effort to reach the temple: To get there from Busan Station, take Line 1 to Busan National University Education, change for Line 4 to Bexco, then take Line 2 to Haeundae. At exit 7 find the bus stop for Bus 181.
It’s about three quarters of an hour to get to the Haedong Yonggungsa stop on the bus – and the temple is a short walk away. Alternatively you could get a taxi from Haeundae which will be more expensive.
Indoor Activities in Busan
There are loads of other museums and art galleries to explore in Busan. Note that most of these are closed on Mondays.
Museum of Contemporary Art Busan (Metro Line 1, BEXCO) offers a large number of exhibits spread across multiple floors. If you’re interested in modern art from both Korean and international artists, this will definitely keep you occupied. It’s located next to the Busan Exhibition & Convention Centre.
Busan Museum (Metro Line 2, Daeyon) offers a history of the city and local area.
MUSEUM 1 (Metro Line 2, Centum City) is a digital contemporary art museum, a place where you will get fully immersed within the art.
Busan National Maritime Museum (Metro Line 1, Nampo ) Busan is a major port and it truly feels as though the ocean is a fundamental part of the city itself. This museum offers a highly interactive exploration of all elements of the ocean.
Day Trips
Because Busan is very large, and many of the sights so far away from each other, there are a number of companies that offer tours to the city’s main attractions. You will join a bunch of friendly people on a coach and be driven to many of the locations we’ve mentioned here, which is a great option if you are short on time.
Day Trip to Gyeongju
It is possible to visit the delightful city of Gyeongju from Busan. Although we recommend spending at least a couple of days in this fabulous historic city, if you are short on time, a day trip from Busan will ensure you see the main sites.
Busan For Foodies
Jalgachi Fish Market If you’re feeling brave you can buy live fish from the first floor (ground) of the market and then take it upstairs where one of the many restaurants can cook it for you. Alternatively, the restaurants have a menu (they are all the same) and you can order a meal from there.
We enjoyed blue crab spicy stew and grilled rock fish which was utterly delicious – it had such a sweet flavour. Saengseonhoe is sliced raw wild fish. The saengseonhoe was incredibly fresh but it had surprisingly firm flesh which gave an unexpected texture in the mouth. It didn’t have the melt-in-the-mouth softness that you would expect from sashimi.
Samjin Eomuk Busan Station Square Eomuk are fish cakes and they come in a variety of shapes, sizes and flavours. One of the oldest and most famous fish cake restaurants is Samjin Eomuk, located just outside the main station.
Just grab a tray and fill it with all sorts of fishy goodness. Pay at the counter. There is seating upstairs so you can eat in and they also provide microwaves for heating up the fish cakes. We don’t own a microwave at home so using one in Korean was a bit much for us!
Chickmaek What could be more comforting on a cold winter’s evening than fried chicken and beer? Chikmaek is a popular chicken and beer combo – hearty, filling, naughty and, of course, utterly scrumptious!
Dwaeji gukbap is another comfort food, perfect for colder days. It’s a pork and rice stew – the name translates as ‘pork, soup, rice’ – it does exactly as the name suggests. Another winter warmer, this is a popular Busan dish.
We loved our time in Busan and very much recommend it as a place to visit in all seasons. But, even though it’s ostensibly a summer city there are plenty of things to do in Busan in winter. We can’t wait to return!
Resources To Help You Plan Your Trip
Accommodation Options In Busan
Travel by train using a KoRail Pass
Transportation using a T-money card, which also comes with a SIM
Tours Available in Busan
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Cheers! A Guide To British Pub Culture
A major part of British life, pubs – or public houses to give them their proper names – are places where you can enjoy a tipple and socialise with your friends. They are licensed premises which can serve alcoholic drinks to the public. They are informal and relaxed – going to a pub is a bit like joining your friends in a cosy living room and enjoying a variety of beers together. Here is our guide to British pub culture and etiquette.
‘There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern.’ Samuel Johnson
Pubs differ from restaurants, where food is served, and bars, which are generally livelier, sometimes flashier and offer a greater variety of alcoholic drinks, such as cocktails. Although many pubs serve a reasonable range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, you would always expect beers and ciders to be served. If you don’t drink alcohol, soft drinks are always available at the pub and it’s often possible to get a cup of tea as well!
A Very Brief History of the Public House
The history of the pub derives from taverns, which date as far back as Roman tabernae from the 1st century CE, and alehouses from the Anglo Saxon era, both of which would offer food and drink to visitors. The term ‘public house’ appeared in the late 17th century but this name largely described a house that was simply open to the public, as opposed to a private residence. In the 17th century, people started to move around the country using stagecoaches, and inns were established to provide convenient accommodation on major routes. It was in the 19th century that public houses mainly became associated with drinking.
Community
In smaller neighbourhoods, pubs are often the heart of the community. It’s not uncommon to find tiny villages in the English countryside that don’t have shops but do have a pub.
Historically, pubs weren’t simply social drinking places, they were also venues where local people could do business. The Chapelfields district of Coventry has a surprising number of pubs for such a small area – just six short roads. But in the 19th century this was where local watchmakers lived and worked. The pubs were places where the gentry could meet the watchmakers and order their pocket watches.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, there weren’t many public venues outside major towns and cities and so pubs were also used to host auctions and even courts, where a local judge would hold ‘petty sessions’, prior to the instigation of magistrates courts. And, somewhat gruesomely, if a local resident died, their corpse would often be taken to the pub where the coroner’s inquest would take place.
‘In the end, in England, when you want to find out how people are feeling, you always go to the pubs.’ Martha Gellhorn
Some pubs are tied to a brewery so will have to sell at least some beer from that brewery, others are known as ‘free houses’ and they can source their beer from anywhere. For a beer connoisseur, the free houses are more likely to have a greater variety of good beers.
Pubs have evolved over the years and these days they may be also connected with brewhouses.
So, What is A Local?
‘A good local pub has much in common with a church, except that a pub is warmer, and there’s more conversation.’ William Blake
If you hear British people talking about their local, they’ll be referring to (one of) their favourite pub(s). It may be the pub most local to their home or it may just be a pub in their area which sells their preferred beer, or has a good range of beers, or the nicest atmosphere. It’s basically a pub that you attend regularly.
We meet our friends at our local every week. The staff know us and they also know what we like to drink so can make suggestions for good beer. And there will be other regulars who we don’t really know but we will see them often and so make small talk. And, because we’re British, it’s usually about the weather.
British Pub Etiquette
Ordering
Unlike many European bars and cafes you don’t enter a pub, find a table and sit down. If you do, you’ll be waiting for a very long time indeed. You order your drinks at the bar and pay immediately. Then find a seat and enjoy your drink. Or find your seat and then go to the bar to order – that’s fine too.
If you are well known at the pub it is sometimes possible to open a ‘tab’, which means that the bar will log the cost of all the drinks over the course of the evening and you pay the bill at the end.
Beers, ciders (apple wine) and perries (pear cider) are served in pints (568ml) or half pints. Sometimes beers are sold in 1/3 pint, especially if they are strong in terms of alcohol content.
Wines and spirits will also be available. Wine measures range from 125ml, 175ml or 250ml (a third of a bottle). Spirits such as vodka, whisky, rum or gin are sold in 25ml or 35ml measures.
It’s Your Round…
Sometimes everyone in a group will buy their own drinks, which is absolutely fine. If you’re drinking with friends then it’s common to buy the drinks in rounds. This means that one person buys all the drinks for the group and then, when the glasses are empty, someone else will buy the next round. And so on.
If someone buys you a drink it is polite to reciprocate. If you’d rather not get into buying rounds (which can get expensive if it’s a large group), that’s okay, just let people know you’ll be drinking at your own pace.
Last Orders!
Although pubs can be licenced to sell alcohol for 24 hours a day, many pubs shut up shop in the late evening, usually around 11pm. Last orders are called when you hear the bell ring. It means you can stagger to the bar and get the final round in – one for the road. You’ll then have around half an hour of drinking up time before being politely ejected and the pub will close.
If you return your empty glasses to the bar it will be appreciated but isn’t absolutely necessary.
Children and Dogs
Alcohol can only be served to adults over the age of 18. But many pubs are family friendly these days and children are allowed to enter pubs.
For older children, 16 and 17 year olds are allowed to consume (but not buy) beer or wine if they are eating a meal at the pub.
These days, if you are lucky enough to look young you may be asked for ID to prove that you are over 18. And if you are much older than 18, view it as a compliment if you are asked to prove your age!
Many pubs are dog-friendly and will welcome your pooch when you come in for a pint. They often have water available and some even have doggie biccies.
What Is Real Ale?
‘I would give all of my fame for a pot of ale and safety.’ William Shakespeare
The CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ales) society defines real ale as ‘beer…brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide.’ Which all sounds a bit formal but does reflect the quality of the beer offered.
You would expect pubs to sell a variety of draught beers, that is beer that has been pulled from a cask or keg, as well as bottled beers.
‘Good people drink good beer.’ Hunter S. Thompson
Beers generally fall into two categories: ales and lagers, but these have many, many variations. Pubs will generally serve both. There are a huge variety of beers available. British ales range from pale ales, bitters and IPAs (India Pale Ale, which has bitterness from hops), to dark brown beers such as milds, stouts and porters.
Lagers are not traditionally British, they originated from Bavaria in Germany. But they are very popular in the UK and are hugely refreshing on a hot day (if we ever get a hot day). Most British pubs sell lager as well as real ale.
And these days many pubs will sell also craft beers, ensuring that there are plenty of options for beer drinkers.
Feeling Fruity?
You would also expect alcoholic fruit drinks, such as cider (brewed from apples), less common perry (brewed from pears) or very unusual but quite delicious pyder (brewed from apples and pears) to be served. These will range from super-sweet to bone-dry, fizzy to flat, clear to cloudy.
Pub Grub
Some pubs don’t serve food but many do. Traditionally pubs would serve British fare such as fish and chips, a roast lunch/dinner, pie and mash.
The Ploughman’s Lunch is a traditional dish offered in pubs. It is a rustic lunch which comprises crusty bread, a variety of good cheeses, pickles and maybe a pork pie. It’s very evocative of a farmer’s meal as he takes a break from toiling in the rolling English countryside bringing home the harvest. But actually it’s not a traditional farmer’s meal at all! It was apparently dreamed up in the 1950s by a cheese marketing board as a way of selling more cheese! That said, a Ploughman’s is a cracking lunch and works very well with a pint – or two – of ale or cider.
Many pubs have diversified and often sell really good quality food as well. One of our favourite pubs has cheese night each month where they invite a local cheesemonger to set up shop and display a large variety of delicious cheeses. The pub provides a platter of biscuits, bread and fruit then you can buy whatever cheese you desire. We always buy extra to take home!
If you are ordering food, while some pubs have table service, most will take your order at the bar. Your table will usually have a number associated with it. It may be embossed into the table itself, so take a note of the number when ordering, or you may be given a table number with your order.
Posh Nosh
Some pubs have set themselves up as gastro-pubs, where they offer a variety of great food and are effectively a restaurant with beer. The food may be high-quality traditional British food or may offer different cuisines. Some of the best Indian or Thai meals we’ve eaten in the UK have been enjoyed at pubs where chefs take over the kitchen. A roast dinner is still one of the most popular pub offerings.
Pub Crawl
A pub crawl is a rite of passage for many students and younger drinkers. Find an area with a lot of pubs, then visit all of them, enjoying a drink at each before moving onto the next… and so on until the pubs close or everyone falls over. These days, more health-conscious students sometimes do pub runs whereby they sprint between pubs. Of course, there is still usually lots of beer involved.
‘Drinking beer doesn’t make you fat, it makes you lean…Against bars, tables, chairs, and poles.’ Gerard Way
Pub Games
Pubs are great places to interact with your friends or fellow drinkers. There are usually games to play – such as darts, dominoes or pub skittles. Many pubs host quiz nights to encourage punters to spend the evening drinking and answering fiendish questions. Some pubs also host regular music events where local bands play. You don’t usually have to pay to hear the music, as the pub will be quite happy selling beers throughout the evening.
‘If you can play your stuff in a pub, then you´re a good band.’ Paul McCartney
Pub Names
Another characteristic of pubs is that they have a distinctive name and a sign outside. In 1393 King Richard II passed a law requiring pub owners to display a sign outside the premises to indicate that this was a place for drinking and tasting ales.
Pubs can be named for many things. You often see ‘colour and animal’ combinations, like the Red Lion, the Black Horse, the Iridescent Chameleon (we made that one up). Names with ‘arms’ are often associated with occupations, so the Dyer’s Arms, Blacksmith Arms, Brewer’s Arms are generally named for the traders who used to frequent them. Myths, legends and literature are also good sources of pub names, as are heraldry coats of arms and even local landowners.
Pub Cricket
If you’re ever on a road trip through the English countryside (driving through lovely country lanes, not on the motorway) you can play the game of pub cricket with your fellow passengers.
The game approximates the rules of actual cricket, so one passenger is deemed to be ‘in’. They count the legs on pub signs until they reach a pub with the word ‘head’ or ‘arms’ in the name, in which case they are ‘out’ and the next passenger has a go at being ‘in’. So, the Red Lion will score 4, the Dog and Parrot will score 6. You might get lucky with The George and Dragon (2 for George, plus 4 if he’s on a horse and who knows how many for the Dragon?)! Tally up the number of legs at the end of the journey and the winner is the one with the highest score.
British pub culture is a major part of society in the UK. If you visit, and enjoy a tipple, do make sure you get a chance to visit a pub and enjoy a pint or more…
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Is Kanazawa Worth Visiting?
Kanazawa, on the west coast of Japan, became much more accessible to visitors when shinkansen (bullet train) construction reached the city in 2015. The city is now easily accessible from Tokyo. So, is Kanazawa worth visiting? We absolutely think it is. It’s has plenty of things to see – a lively market (which has some amazing seafood restaurants), interesting museums, a castle, a koji park and one of the top three gardens in Japan.
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Where Is Kanazawa?
Kanazawa is located on the west coast of Japan’s largest island Honshu.
How To Get To Kanazawa
Kanazawa is easily reachable on the shinkansen (bullet train). There are direct trains from Tokyo which take around 2.5-3 hours. You can also travel from Kyoto or Osaka, changing at Tsuruga.
Where to Stay in Kanazawa
Kanazawa has plenty of accommodation options for any budgets. We tend to stay in cheap business hotels so the APA Hotel Ekimae was located bang next to the railway station, which was perfect for us. The room was tiny but had all the facilities we needed, including a fridge, so we could go to the local konbini (convenience store), pick up a cheap breakfast box and store it for the morning.
Is Kanazawa Worth Visiting – Things To See
Omicho Market
Stroll down Kanazawa Ekidori Avenue from the main railway station for around 15 minutes and you’ll reach Omicho market. This extensive food market has been operating since 1721 and sells all sorts of exciting foodie ingredients. Fresh fish, meat and vegetables are the star attractions here and there are also opportunities to taste some local specialities.
It’s fascinating wandering through the stalls to see the various products on display. There are lots of snacks and goodies to taste on the go. We enjoyed loach cooked in sweet soy sauce on a stick as a snack.
Beware, some of the stall holders are understandably not fond of a constant parade of tourists taking photos of their wares and there are ‘no photography’ signs on some of the stalls. We suggest that you enjoy the experience of observing delicious ingredients rather than try to snap that perfect market food shot.
Kanazawa Castle
You can walk to the castle from the centre of Kanazawa, beyond Omicho market, and through the castle gardens.
It’s only fair to point out that many of Japan’s castles are reconstructions, the original buildings having been destroyed (sometimes several times) by fire over the centuries and Kanazawa’s is particularly modern. Originally completed in 1583, the Maeda Clan ruled from this castle. The oldest part of the castle here is the gate, which dates from 1788. The rest of the building has been rebuilt over the years, some even in this century!
The castle is mainly free to visit (some of the turrets have a fee) and has some interesting exhibitions.
Walking further past the castle gates leads to the Kenrokuen gardens.
Kenrokuen Gardens
Japan has many ‘best 3’ attractions, the most well-known is the ‘top 3 views in Japan’. Japanese gardens are wonderful places to visit and Kenrokuen Garden is one of the country’s top three. We visited in winter, just after the New Year holiday and, although we probably didn’t see it at its most glorious, it was still a delightful garden to visit. The admission fee is 320 Yen (about $2).
It is huge and beautifully designed, with large lakes, rippling streams, hidden paths and stone lanterns. Kenrokuen means “The garden of six sublimities”, which are characteristics that define the perfect garden. The sublimities are: artifice (curiously), antiquity, spaciousness, seclusion, water courses and wide panoramas.
Visit Ohno Port
A little way out of town is a toy museum and miso factory, located at Ohno machi (Ohno port), which is a bit of a journey; you can catch a bus from the Kanazawa station area (ask for the location of the bus stop at the tourist information centre inside the station concourse – it’s a five minute walk away, actually just down the road from the Apa hotel) and the port will be the very last stop. When you arrive at the sea you are there. You’ll likely be the last people on the bus.
Alternatively, you can get a taxi. The journey from the station takes around 20 minutes but the cost is considerably higher than the bus. Then just walk over the bridge to the little island.
A Delightful Toy Museum
At the far end of the island is a charming museum of mechanical toys which has a brilliant hands-on exhibition where you can spend hours playing games and enjoy viewing antique toys. The staff were absolutely delightful and very much wanted to make sure we enjoyed the exhibits. They were also very helpful when it came to supplying a timetable for the bus journey back into the centre of Kanazawa.
There are many historic mechanical puppets – karakuri – on display. The museum is a memorial to Benkichi Ohno,a master craftsman who lived in the area from 1831. Many of his creations can be seen at the museum.
Some exhibits show you how the puppet mechanisms work.
Some dolls are cute(ish) which turn into scary. (Incidentally these words are, respectively, kawaii and kowaii in Japanese, be careful not to confuse the two!)
Around the circumference of the main building there are tables and chairs set out with all sorts of puzzles that you can try to solve.
It’s a really hands-on museum and it was lovely to see families with children of all ages sitting together and working out solutions to some of the puzzles.
This doll is 300 years old, from the Edo period. The craftsmanship is exquisite.
Just as we were leaving the park, the heavens opened and the rain started lashing down. We started to make a dash to our next destination, but a lovely staff member ran after us, brandishing an umbrella. We thanked her kindly but explained that we were British and were used to lots of rain. No, they insisted, and gave us a brolly so that we wouldn’t get wet. We’ve experienced this sort of kindness all over Japan, a welcoming generosity that just makes us love the country more and more.
A Delicious Koji Park
So, after a lovely diversion, it was on to the Yamato koji park, just a 10 minute walk (or 5 minute trot in the rain) away at the other end of the island. It’s part factory, part museum, part shop and part café. There weren’t any specific tours when we visited but the staff were super-helpful and directed us to a display where we could understand how miso is made.
Miso basically contains five ingredients: water, koji, soy beans, rice, salt. Koji thrives on the rice. Then it is mashed with the soy beans, salt and water. After about six months yeast forms. The miso flavour develops thanks to the interactions between the yeast and the koji. Fermentation can take as long as three years.
Soy sauce is made using a very similar process and ingredients to miso but uses wheat instead of rice. A mash is formed and then it’s pressed (like olives for olive oil). After fermentation, the resulting liquid is soy sauce. It was fascinating to taste the difference between pasteurised and unpasteurised soy sauce. Unpasteurised soy has a more complex flavour because some of the heady aromas are lost in the pasteurization process.
Some the the traditional fermentation vessels are enormous. This was over two metres in height.
You can also dip your hands into a koji hand bath which will, apparently, give your skin a soft and delicate sheen. It’s quite nice to be able to dip your hands into a warm bath, especially on a cold, wet day. Apparently two minutes is the optimum time – there is a timer so you can check. And yes, we can confirm that our hands did emerge from the bath silky-smooth.
Foodie Souvenirs
There is a shop with an extensive variety of products and you are able to sample before you buy. It was particularly interesting to be able to taste different sauces and compare the flavours.
Amazake is a sweet, low alcohol drink made from fermented rice and koji. Amazake literally means ‘sweet’ (ama) ‘sake’ (sake, which can be used to describe alcohol). You can buy the paste, mix with hot water and drink. It tastes sweet and has a smooth, creamy texture. And for a delicious dressing, you can mix amazake with ponzu soy sauce (ponzu is a citrus juice comprising Japanese fruits sudachi, yuzu, and kabosu and vinegar mixed with soy sauce to give an amazingly tangy, salty flavour) in the ratio 1:1.
And one of the best foodie souvenirs ever – for the adventurer who cannot travel without seasoning – portable spray soy sauce, conveniently packaged in a container that would even fit into your hand-baggage.
They also have a café and ice-cream maker. Amazake and soy sauce ice-cream were on offer and we tried both. Soy sauce ice cream sounds so wrong but it was delicious, full of rich umami flavour that complemented the creamy sweet ice-cream.
What was also rather lovely was that the CEO, Mr Yamato, was on site that day and came to say ‘hello.’ We can’t think of many companies where the boss would greet some very enthusiastic, albeit extremely damp, tourists.
We shopped for as many products as we could fit into our luggage. One particular packet that we were very happy to find was that of inoculated rice koji. It was also conveniently flat for packing and much cheaper than koji that we can purchase in Europe.
Making our very own miso was most definitely going to be one of our foodie missions on our return home. And this is how we made it…
Kanazawa For Foodies
Kanazawa is a fantastic location for foodies. Not only are the market and koji park great fun to visit, there are plenty of restaurants to suit all budgets, so eating out is a joy. Because Kanazawa is a port city the seafood is sublime – totally fresh and utterly delicious. We often find that you get the best quality – and often cheaper – seafood if you eat at a market.
We recommend visiting Omicho Market in the evening, after the stalls have closed. There are a number of restaurants which offer kaisendon sashimi bowls which are as beautiful as they are delicious. They comprise the freshest seafood, delicately arranged atop a bowl of rice. We ate at Yutaka which has a reputation as being one of the best in the area and it didn’t disappoint. It was extremely good value as well. This delightful bowl consisted of crab, prawn, squid, sea urchin, salmon roe, tamago, maguro, mackerel. To season, mix wasabi into a teeny bit of soy sauce, then pour it over the fish. It was accompanied by miso soup with fish and prawn heads.
Ice cream with gold leaf is another foodie treat. Why have an ordinary soft whip ice cream when you can cover it in gold leaf? We visited in winter, so didn’t indulge but we did bring home a great foodie souvenir of some gold leaf to adorn our ice creams at home.
When catching the shinkansen for onward travel don’t forget to pick up an ekiben – a bento lunchbox. Many ekiben are specific to the station you are travelling from. Kanazawa has a specialty seafood box. A thing of beauty and deliciousness!
Other Attractions in Kanazawa
The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art exhibits modern art in an incredibly cool building.
Ninjadera is a Ninja Temple complete with hidden rooms, secret tunnels, traps and labyrinthine corridors. Naruto fans will love this!
Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum. Kanazawa has been producing gold leaf since 1593. This material is often used to adorn temples. It is real gold, beaten so thin that you can tear it apart just by touching it. This is a skilled craft. The museum offers a history of gold leaf craftsmanship in the area. If you are interested there are shops in Kanazawa that will offer the chance for visitors to have a go at applying gold leaf to various objects.
Out of Town
Kanazawa is located close to the Japanese Alps and, if you have a Japan Rail Pass, you can easily get around the region, although to get right into the countryside you will need to use buses or hire a car. We left our luggage at our business hotel, packed an overnight bag, and enjoyed a night away from the city in a traditional gassho farmhouse in the delightful country village of Ainokura. You can read about our gassho farmhouse stay in rural Japan.
Alternatively, day trips to these lovely villages are also available.
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Best of Beijing – A 3-day Beijing Itinerary
China’s capital city is a huge, sprawling metropolis but it still embraces and celebrates the country’s long and fascinating history. Our 3-day Beijing itinerary will ensure you see the essential sights of this remarkable city, so many of which are UNESCO listed. We also have some suggestions for things to do in the evenings.
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When To Visit Beijing
Beijing can be visited all year round, although some times will be busier than others. Lunar New Year, also known as Spring Festival, will be very busy for travelling around China. Also, the first week in October is National Week holiday, so transportation is likely to be busy then as well. We travelled in the winter – just after the main New Year celebration but towards the end of the Spring Festival fortnight. New Year is a lunar event and its timing will vary from year to year. The first day falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, usually between 21st January and 20th February.
Travelling in winter was fantastic because the attractions were less crowded. Also, at the time of our visit, the air pollution wasn’t too bad (and Beijing is notorious for its poor air quality). But it was very cold so we recommend wrapping up warmly.
3-Day Beijing Itinerary – Day 1
Summer Palace and Hutong Alleys
Take the metro or a bus to the Summer Palace, a gorgeous landscaped garden and park that is a UNESCO heritage site. It was constructed as an imperial garden during the Qing Dynasty and completed in 1764.
The garden is formed around Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill. Although the vast lake looks natural it is completely artificial.
Highlights include the Tower of Buddhist Incense at Longevity Hill, a beautiful octagonal structure used as a place of prayer for the emperors and empresses.
The Seventeen Arch Bridge links to Nanhu Island. It’s the largest bridge in the palace grounds and is highly decorated, notably with beautiful carved lions.
The Long Corridor is 728m long and dates from the 18th century. It is a beautifully decorated covered walkway with artwork inspired by literature, folk stories, legendary heroes, historic figures, enhanced by intricate images of flora and fauna.
The Summer Palace is located around 15km from the city centre. You can take Line 4 to Beigongmen Station or a bus to Xin Jian Gong Men (Yiheyuan New Palace Gate).
Return to Beijing and spend the afternoon exploring the hutongs. These give a real insight into old Beijing. Dating back to the 13th century, they comprise a maze of winding alleyways behind which are single-storey houses set within courtyards. It’s possible to take a rickshaw ride through these areas. Some houses are open to the public so that you can peep inside and get to understand local life. Although modern architecture dominates the city a fair few hutongs remain and you can choose which you wish to visit.
3-Day Beijing Itinerary Day 2 – Great Wall of China
No trip to Beijing would be complete without visiting the Great Wall of China. One of the seven wonders of the modern world, this UNESCO heritage site is a triumph of engineering. The wall runs almost 20,000km from Gansu to southern Manchuria and was built over many centuries by successive Chinese emperors. It’s a myth that the construction can be seen from space, but who cares? It’s still unbelievably impressive.
The most popular sections of the wall that are easily accessible from Beijing are at Mutianyu and Badaling. We visited Mutianyu, which is about 45km away from the city. It takes an hour or two to reach it depending on the traffic (which can be congested in Beijing). You can catch a bus, get a taxi or go on an organised day trip. These days, the numbers of visitors are restricted to 30,000 each day, so pre-booking is essential.
At Mutianyu you ascend to the wall by cable car and can then walk along it. The views are nothing short of spectacular as you view it snaking across the undulating mountains as far as the eye can see.
When you’ve finished admiring the sheer magnificence of this amazing structure, you descend again by cable car. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can take a slide to the bottom.
3-Day Beijing Itinerary Day 3
Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City
Slap bang in the heart of Beijing is Tianenamen Square, Square of the Gate of Heavenly Peace. It is one of the largest public squares in the world. Tiananmen Square is big. Really big. Big enough to fit 1,000,000 people.
To those outside China the square is best known for the student democracy protests that ended with a catastrophic military intervention and massacre in 1989. Although the world was watching, many people within China are still unaware of what happened. There are often several plainclothes security officers in the square.
You can reach the square on Subway Line 1 – Tiananmen East or Tiananmen West. Entrance is free but there are fixed entrance locations. Security checks will take place, bags will be searched and we advise keeping your documentation with you. It is really important not to talk about the events of 1989 while visiting the square. We also recommend not wearing clothes that have political messages.
There are various monuments around the square, including the Monument to People’s Heroes and the Monument to Revolutionary Struggle at Mao Zedong’s mausoleum.
The China National Museum, which exhibits precious cultural artefacts, lies to the east of Tiananmen Square and the Great Hall of the People is on the western side.
To the north of the square is the Forbidden City.
This enormous complex is the former imperial palace of Chinese Emperors, from the Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty until the end of the Qing Dynasty. Constructed between 1406 and 1420, it boasts 9,999 rooms (although they have since been counted and the total came to 8,886, which is still pretty impressive). It has a rectangular form, nearly 970m long on a north-south orientation and 750m wide.
Even though the site is huge, visitor numbers are now restricted to 40,000 per day so we recommend prebooking tickets for your visit.
The details in the architecture are remarkable. Many of the rooftops have a series of animals striding across them. Each animal represents something different – lions stand for power, dragons protect against fire and the phoenix should bring good fortune. The quantity of animals indicates the status of the building – the most important will have nine.
Many of the the gate entrances are protected by guardian lions – the male lion places his left paw on an orb and the female places hers on her cub.
And the imperial garden has lovely pavilions.
The Temple of Heaven
In the afternoon we recommend a visit to the delightful Temple of Heaven complex. The purpose of the beautiful buildings, set within a lovely garden, was for the Emperor to pray for good harvests. From the Forbidden City/Tiananmen Square, Line 1 then Line 5 to Tiantan Dongmen Station, Exit A, will get you to the East gate.
The Circular Mound Altar comprises three beautiful terraces, built for the Emperor to pray for good weather.
The Imperial Vault of Heaven was the repository for the tablets of the gods, used when making prayers.
The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests which, as the name suggests, was a place of prayer as the emperor would ask the gods for bountiful yields of food.
There are tea houses close by and this is a great opportunity to learn about Chinese teas and to have a taste. We have a post with more detail about the Temple of Heaven and tasting heavenly tea. Although beware, there are sometimes scams surrounding tea houses where a friendly local person may approach you and invite you to drink tea with them and they can practice their English. But then they disappear and you end up with a very expensive bill. Most establishments are absolutely respectable, but always check the menu and pricing!
Suggestions for Evening Entertainment
Visit A Food Street Or Night Market.
Wangfujing Food Market is one of the largest and most famous in Beijing. Located close to the Forbidden City, there are all sorts of delicacies on offer, including some that could be a challenge! Bugs and scorpions, anyone? Or maybe some wiggly seafood?
Guijie Night Market, in Dongzhimen, is open 24 hours and offers a huge range of traditional Chinese delicacies.
See An Acrobatics Show
Chinese acrobats are jaw-droppingly skilled. For a spectacular evening of thrills, we recommend an acrobatic show. From balancing acts to juggling to contortion to multiple crazy motorcycles zooming inside spherical cages (which had us on the edge of our seats) you are sure to be entertained.
Watch A Beijing Opera Performance
It has to be said that Beijing Opera can be a little challenging to the inexperienced ear. However, there is no doubt as to the skill of the performers, who can sing, dance, stage fight with weapons and perform amazing acrobatics. The costumes and make-up are flamboyant and the performance is highly stylised. This really does represent the best of traditional Chinese entertainment.
Beijing for Foodies
Beijing’s most famous dish is, of course, Beijing Duck (formerly known as Peking Duck). Most Chinese restaurants in the UK when we were growing up were actually Cantonese (Hong Kong) and hence the aromatic crispy duck we ate when growing up is very different to authentic Beijing Duck. Beijing duck’s skin is crispy-thin, almost glassy, and a bronzed orange in colour. It has been a popular dish for many centuries and was one of the dishes that had a predominant place on imperial menus.
A great deal of preparation goes into this dish. After the duck has been plucked and entrails removed, air is pumped under the skin to separate the skin from the fat. The skin becomes tightened when the duck is blanched in boiling water. A marinade comprising honey, soy sauce and five spice is applied and the duck left to hang for at least 24 hours. Then it is roasted in an oven. It is usually served in pancakes with juliennes of cucumber and spring onion. We most definitely recommend trying Beijing duck in Beijing.
Beijing has so much to offer the visitor, from the history spanning millennia to the high-tech modern cityscapes. This three day Beijing itinerary will ensure you see the very best that the city has to offer.
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