Everyone raves about Scotland’s alternative capital, Glasgow – its down-to-earth locals, grand civic buildings from the days of the British Empire and tucked-away inner-city squares and gardens. Let’s put this city on the Clyde to the test and see what it has to offer during a day out on the town.

Morning

We’ve put on our shiniest walking shoes to explore the Merchant City – better still, we might buy a brand-new pair while we’re walking through this revamped district of shops and restaurants. Just entering Merchant City is a grandiose affair, as we walk under grand classical archways east of Buchanan Street. The imposing city chambers, former Royal Exchange (now the Gallery of Modern Art – pop inside to see the latest installation of kinetic sculptures), Robert Adam’s Trades Hall, the statue-bedecked Italian Centre – this affluent area makes surrounding parts of Glasgow look decidedly shabby.

Glasgow School of Art - photo courtesy of Steve Cadman via Flickr

The Glasgow School of Art restores our faith in Glasgow’s glory. To get to this Art Nouveau masterpiece by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, we first head west up Sauchiehall Street to Number 217 and stop off for tea and cakes at the Willow Tea Rooms.

Feeling sustained and relaxed by the café’s cool white interior of purple and white stripes, we continue up Sauchiehall to the art school at 167 Renfrew Street. We’ve timed our visit for the morning tour of the buildings and their Mackintosh-designed furnishings. The tour is led by the students who study here, so the feeling of visiting a living and breathing youthful institution is quite thrilling. It almost makes me wish I could start over again and relive those student years. Almost.

Afternoon

After grabbing a bite to eat at a high street sandwich bar, we jump on a city bus heading east to visit Glasgow’s historic cathedral precinct. Some of the city’s oldest buildings are preserved here, most famously the quaint stone house called Provand’s Lordship opposite the cathedral. It was built back in 1471, and Mary Queen of Scots and several King Jameses have been said to have visited. It’s closed when we pop our heads in, but we peer into the rear of the property to glimpse the medieval-themed herb garden and a ginger cat washing its whiskers.

Provand's Lordship - photo courtesy of LordHorst via Flickr

Then it’s into the cathedral, the only Scottish cathedral on the mainland to have survived the Reformation intact. We visit St Mungo’s Tomb, which is surrounded by sturdy squat pillars in the 13th-century lower church, then return upstairs to admire the cathedral’s timber roof and stone choir screen, a real rarity apparently. It’s interesting reading the plaques lining the cathedral’s walls, tracing the lives of former Glaswegians who led imperial troops to battle in colonial India, South Africa and the Crimea.

More gravestones lie at an angle in the churchyard outside, but for the mother lode of tombs and memorials we take a walk up to the hilltop Necropolis overlooking the cathedral. It’s like a treeless Highgate Cemetery, with crumbling but still grandiose Victorian-era crypts built into the rock and lines of impressive monuments to famous Glaswegians from the past. There’s a monument on a column to Scottish Protestant John Knox, and poignant epitaphs for the too-brief lives of children amongst the carved stone memorials.

As it’s summer, and the sun doesn’t go down till after 10pm, we’ve still got time to visit one of Glasgow’s highest-scoring gems, the Burrell Collection. The bus takes us through Glasgow’s inner-southern suburbs, past local shops, streets of terrace houses and public parks. The thing that astounds us about the Burrell Collection is its eclectic exhibits – there’s everything here from reconstructed doorways from Romanesque castles, paintings of ballerinas by Degas, Restoration-era needlework and Georgian glassware to Chinese sculptures, ancient Egyptian funerary figures and stained-glass windows from long-gone European churches.

Burrell Collection - photo courtesy of dalbera via Flickr

The collection of Sir William Burrell is housed in a specially constructed gallery in Pollok Country Park, where auburn-furred highland cattle graze in paddocks shaded by oak trees. We found it well worth detouring along a country lane to nearby Pollok House, a Georgian mansion with clipped lawns overlooking a tumbling stream. There’s more art inside this imposing grey-stone manor, including paintings by El Greco, Goya and Murillo, but we enjoyed the surrounding park and gardens where local families come to picnic and walk their dogs on these long summer evenings.

Evening

We’ve admired the looming classical columns and arches of the Merchant City by day, but come nightfall the area morphs into a night-time hub of restaurants and bars. We’ve booked into the Italian Café on Albion Street in the Merchant City, an authentic enoteca style restaurant serving a must-share tasting menu of tapas-like nibbles such as creamy mozzarella and basil-infused tomatoes, mushroom penne and marinated artichokes.

Fully refueled, we’re off to end our long day in Glasgow at Arta with some Spanish-style salsa dancing in the Mediterranean-themed Hacienda Bar, staying refreshed with fruity sangria and sparkling cava wine.

- Janet Austin

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Scotland tours and things to do, Scotland attractions, and Scotland travel recommendations, or book a private tour guide in the United Kingdom for a customized tour!

A Day in Glasgow by Janet Austin from Viator Travel Blog

Editor’s Note: This post is from Diana Edelman, a travel writer and PR professional. Her popular blog, d travels ’round, shares entertaining stories from her travels, along with travel tips and photos from all over the world. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook for travel stories, news and more.

Europe is full of romantic spots. With castles, winding paths through medieval cities, views of sparkling water from cliffs and intimate cafes in which to sip coffee with your significant other, it’s easy to plan a Valentine’s Day holiday anywhere on the continent.

Need some destination ideas?

1. Amalfi Coast, Italy

The Amalfi Coast is one of the top romantic spots in Italy

Located on the south coast of the Sorrentine Peninsula, the Amalfi Coast is one of those sigh-inducing spots complete with picturesque and colorful villages set against a 43-mile stretch of coastline. Valentine’s Day is the off-season, and with a mild winter, it makes it a perfect spot for romance. Stay in Positano and take trips down to Naples, Pompeii or even a boat to Capri. Be sure to take time to sip limoncello, a strong liqueur the area is known for making.

2. Dubrovnik, Croatia

The weather may not be warm, the sun may not always be out, but Dubrovnik is romantic year-round. The old city, surrounded by ancient walls, provides plenty of opportunities to get lost in little side streets. For amazing views of the Adriatic, head up to walk the walls of the city.

3. Paris, France

Of course, no “romantic spots in Europe” list is complete without a mention for Paris. The architecture, River Seine, cafes that line the streets … they’re all reasons to spend some time in this beautiful city, even in the middle of winter. Bundle up and head to the top of the Eiffel Towerfor a breathtaking panorama of the city, then head out to wander the streets of Montmartre hand-in-hand. No Valentine’s Day is complete without trying some of the city’s world-famous chocolates.

No romantic trip to Paris would be complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower

4. Lake Lucerne, Switzerland

With the snow-capped Alps and medieval buildings as a backdrop, it’s easy for romance to be inspired. Located in north central Switzerland, Lake Lucerne is the place to get bundled up and stroll hand-in-hand around the old city. Be sure to check out the Chapel Bridge and the Lion Monument.

5. Santorini, Greece

The Aegean Sea paradise of Santorini regularly makes the list as one of the most romantic spots in the world. With its whitewashed buildings, blue-capped churches and stunning views of the sea from a top Fira’s caldera, it’s easy to see why. Take a donkey ride or hop on a boat to check out a steaming volcano, and then unwind in hot springs and tour a vineyard.

6. Venice, Italy

Another must on any romantic list; Venice is perfect for Valentine’s Day. Take a romantic gondola ride through the canals to see the colorful aged homes, and then wander the streets, stopping in Saint Mark’s Square.

Get serenaded on a gondola in Venice

7. Prague, Czech Republic

Bundle up and explore the gorgeous city of Prague in the Czech Republic. Colorful buildings, Gothic churches, a castle and little, intimate restaurants await couples in search of a perfect Valentine’s Day.

8. Budapest, Hungary

Located on the banks of the River Danube, Budapest and its gorgeous buildings alone make it romantic. Add in the allure of the Széchenyi Thermal Bath – an indoor and outdoor area with pools, saunas and spas, plus the old Castle District with spots to take in the dramatic city split by the river, and the stage is set for love. Known as the “Pearl of the Danube”, book a cruise to see Buda and Pest from an entirely different vantage point.

9. Sintra, Portugal

Visiting Sintra makes for a great romantic day trip from Lisbon

Sintra, a quick train ride from Lisbon, takes couples into a fairytale world where views of the Atlantic are as mesmerizing as views from the top of the hilltop castle. Take some time and explore the little streets of town that are packed with cafes, restaurants and shops.

10. Hamburg, Germany

Oft referred to as the “Venice of the North,” Hamburg has more bridges than Venice and Amsterdam and plenty of romantic spots to cuddle up and take in the view of its numerous canals and lakes. Walk along the harbor promenade, Landungsbrücken and then visit St. Michaelis Church.

- Diana Edelman

Editor’s Note: This post is from Diana Edelman, a travel writer and PR professional. Her popular blog, d travels ’round, shares entertaining stories from her travels, along with travel tips and photos from all over the world. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook for travel stories, news and more.

Top 10 Romantic Destinations in Europe for Valentine’s Day by Diana Edelman from Viator Travel Blog

If you feel the need for a taste of Mediterranean island life, then maybe the Capri Day Trip from Rome is the tour for you!

The Capri tour begins in Rome where the bus sets off through the early morning city traffic and then down onto the autostrada del sole–‘ the motorway of the sun’–past green olive groves and mountains finally arriving at the port of Naples. Amongst the huge cruise ships you will take a small but swift ferry to Capri.

The cabin is enclosed and a little stuffy but if you feel like air or unwell you can sit outside and get some fresh sea air. The port of Capri is small but really quite scenic, in fact the whole island (although quite busy with tourists) is really very scenic.

A bus took us up to a higher town called Anacapri where we were served a three course lunch. For an extra ten euros I took the chairlift up to the highest point on Capri, the view was stunning and there is a good bar with the Roman ruins of a temple lying about. If the weather  is very very calm you can visit the blue grotto. If not then get on a boat for a tour of the island, which will give you a paparazzi’s view of the villas of the rich of famous, such as Sophia Loren, whose home is perched high on the coastline, a tradition begun by the Emperor Tiberius who ruled from Capri towards the end of his life.

And finally you take a bus back to Rome!

-Laurence

Planning a Trip? Browse Viator’s Rome tours and things to do, Rome attractions, and Rome travel recommendations. Or book a private tour guide in Rome for a customized tour!

[VIDEO] Capri Day Trip from Rome by Laurence from Viator Travel Blog

It’s never easy trying to make sense of Venice’s meandering backstreets and dead-end alleys, but who in their right mind would try to follow a map in this famously confusing city? When you make it your mission to visit as many churches as you can squeeze into your five-day Venice itinerary, sometimes you just have to put on your reading glasses and do the hard yards.

There are around 150 churches scattered across this sprawling city. Having run the gamut of Byzantine and medieval, Renaissance and Baroque, here is my selection of Top 5 Venice churches. And if you’re planning on visiting more than half a dozen churches, pick up a Chorus Pass at the first church you visit and save plenty of Euros on entry to Venice’s most famous 16 churches.

1. Frari

Inside the Frari

The massive red brick church known as the Frari – or Chiesa di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, to give it its full name – is synonymous with one Venetian artist in particular: Titian. All eyes are drawn to the red and gold altar painting of the Assumption, depicting an ecstatic Mary rising skywards on fluffy clouds supported by dimpled cherubs.

Tear your eyes away to look around the huge Franciscan church, and you notice the funerary monuments of Venetian Doges like Foscari and Dandolo. You’ll find the elaborate tomb of Titian himself near another of his masterpieces, the Pesaro Madonna; look for the young page in the painting’s right-hand corner whose gaze is turned away from the Madonna, looking directly out at you.

Titian’s tomb is topped with the Venetian lion, and was carved centuries after his death by Canova, whose heart is interred in the eerie triangular vault directly opposite.

The Frari is in San Polo, opposite the stunning Scuole Grande di San Rocco – step inside to be wowed by Tintoretto’s awe-inspiring cycle of 50 paintings covering the walls and ceilings.

2. Madonna dell’Orto

One of Venice’s gems is tucked away in the boondocks of northern Venice. The red-brick Gothic Madonna dell’Orto just happened to be the parish church of Renaissance artist Tintoretto, and over the course of several years he decorated the church with sumptuous paintings. Standouts are his Presentation of the Virgin and Last Judgement, but most poignant is the blank space that once held a Madonna and Child by Bellini, removed by a light-fingered art thief in 1993. Pay your respects at Tintoretto’s tomb, then cross the bridge to Fondamente Mori and look for the plaque pointing out the home studio where the artist lived and painted.

The Chiesa della Madonna dell’Orto is in Cannaregio, near the Fondamente Nuove.

3. Santa Maria della Salute

The white marble Santa Maria della Salute. Photo courtesy of Mircea Turcan via Flickr.

The Salute has been welcoming visitors to Venice since the 1650s, and is included here as much for its baroque beauty as for its location on the entrance to the Grand Canal. With its many doors opening onto the canal, there’s a feeling of openness and lightness to this baroque masterpiece by Longhena. You can sense the architectural legacy of Palladio in the building’s classical pediments and columns, ringed by eight chapels and altars. Look for the Byzantine icon hidden at the heart of the high altar.

The white marble domed church was built in thanks for Venice’s victory over the Black Death in 1630. More artworks by Titian and Tintoretto lie inside, including The Wedding of Cana.

The Salute is in Dorsoduro, across the Grand Canal from San Marco and next to the Punda della Dogana, another iconic Venetian building that now houses an annex of the cutting-edge contemporary collection of French zillionaire industrialist Francois Pinault (for more contemporary art with wow factor, visit the main collection at Palazzo Grassi on the Grand Canal).

4. Santa Maria dei Miracoli

Everyone loves a miracle, none more so than the Venetians who built this marble jewel box of a church to house a painting of the Virgin that caused a sensation when it began to weep tears in the 1480s. You can still see the painting today – just walk up the red-carpeted steps to the altar, and there she is – and don’t miss the balustrades’ carved animals and angels.

The tiny church is squeezed beside a canal, so that you almost stumble upon it when you round the corner. Shaped like a casket with a rounded lid, the barrel-vaulted church is an early example of Venetian Renaissance architecture, with carved columns and different coloured marbles dividing the exterior into panels. Who says perfection has to be large scale?

The Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli is on the eastern edge of Cannaregio, on the border with Castello.

Outside the Santa Maria dei Miracoli. Photo courtesy of HarshLight via Flickr.

5. Santo Stefano

In a quiet campo near the Accademia Bridge, the Gothic Chiesa di Santo Stefano has a prime example of a ship’s keel roof. Outlined in a checkerboard pattern of grey and gold, the wooden beams look just like an upturned boat.

Less busy than many of Venice’s churches, Santo Stefano is a tranquil setting to rest your feet before admiring yet more paintings by Titian and Tintoretto in the adjoining cloisters. Seek out the Hollywood Gothic sculptures of women weeping by Canova, then step outside to gasp at the bell tower’s gravity-defying angle.

Santo Stefano is in San Marco, in the campo leading to the Accademia bridge.

- Janet Austin

Planning a Trip? Browse Viator’s Venice tours and things to do, Venice attractions, and Venice travel recommendations. Or book a private tour guide in Venice for a customized tour!

Top 5 Venice Churches by Janet Austin from Viator Travel Blog

Looking for something new and fun to do while traveling this week? Check out the Viator Member-Only Deals available around the globe this week and make the most of your travel budget!

Member-Only Deals provide exclusive access to deeply discounted travel deals you won’t find on any other website, with savings ranging from 20% to 75%! Viator members can enjoy instant, on-the-spot availability – but remember, these travel discounts are date-specific and go quickly – so when they’re gone, they’re gone!

Choose from a wide array of activities each week in destinations from San Francisco to Paris, Rome to Dubai and save money on your next trip – including our Top Travel Deals for the week. Best of all, Viator membership is FREE!

Here are the top Viator Member-Only Deals through February 15, 2012:

Australia

Go sailing on Sydney Harbour!

America’s Cup Sailing on Sydney Harbour – Save 20%: Match Racing on February 10, 2012

Trim the sails, work the winch and take the helm of a state-of-the-art match racing yacht as you sail Sydney Harbour. Become part of the crew and feel the thrill and exhilaration of yachting at its best. Or just sit back, relax and soak up the atmosphere and stunning harbor scenery!

Melbourne Outlet Shopping Tour – Save 20% on February 13, 2012

Enjoy a full day of retail therapy in Melbourne on this outlet shopping tour and discover some of the city’s best discounts and hard-to-find warehouse sales. Accompanied by a local host, you’ll find big savings on clothing and accessories, home-wares, shoes and handbags and more!

Sports Lovers Tours of Melbourne, Australia – Save 20%: Tour including MCG on February 14, 2012

Sports lovers have a choice of a half- or full-day Australian Sports Tour, showcasing Melbourne as the Sports Capital of Australia. You’ll visit Melbourne’s famous sporting venues on your Australian Sports Tour and explore the history and excitement of Australian sports.

Europe

Save on a Paris City Segway Tour!

Paris City Segway Tour - Save 20%: 9:30am Departure on February 09, 2012

Cruise effortlessly through the parks and sidewalks of Paris while receiving a great orientation, informative historical and current-day information, heaps of unique and fascinating stories, great photo opportunities and superb personal service from your guide!

Tuscany in One Day Sightseeing Tour – Save 20%: Tour Only on February 10, 2012

Famous for a wealth of art, history, striking landscapes and outstanding produce, Tuscany really does have the best of all worlds! With only a day to spare, see the best Tuscany has to offer on this full-day guided coach trip from Florence.

Oxford, Cotswolds, Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick Castle Day Trip from London – Save 20% on February 13, 2012

On this 10-hour day trip from London, you’ll visit this so-named English area, the Cotswolds, as well as Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle!

USA

Ride into the sunset!

Parasailing at Disney’s Contemporary Resort - Save 20%: Single Deluxe Flight on February 9, 2012

Get a bird’s-eye view of the Walt Disney World® Resort while parasailing at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The feeling of flying is peaceful and exhilarating – all at the same time!

Best of Brooklyn Sightseeing, Food and Culture Tour – Save 40% on February 10, 2012

What better way to explore the ethnic diversity of New York City than this exclusive history, culture and gastronomy lesson on a varied international bus and walking tour of Brooklyn!

Wild West Sunset Horseback Ride with Dinner – Save 20% on February 12, 2012

Leaving your morning free to explore Las Vegas, ride into the sunset on an afternoon horseback riding adventure. Discover lands once used by Indians and legendary cowboys as you spot big horn sheep, jack rabbits and road runners. Your all inclusive horseback adventure includes a cowboy BBQ dinner and roundtrip transportation from Las Vegas.

– Viator Travel Team

To take advantage of Member-Only Deals exclusive discounts, simply sign up (or log in) to browse the week’s deals. Look for the ‘Deals’ tab in your next travel destination. When you see the ‘Member-Only Deals’ link, you know the deals are on!

Top Travel Deals of the Week by Viator Travel Team from Viator Travel Blog

In many ways, Budapest is a perfect city break destination. Like many perennial favourites, it is pretty – there are numerous spots for the postcard shot – but there’s also plenty to do. The city has two distinctive characters, split by the River Danube.

On the western bank there is staid, leafy and traditional Buda. This is where a lot of the eye candy – such as the Castle District, Matthias Church and Citadel – can be found. Pest, on the eastern bank of the Danube, is where the city’s action and life is to be found. There are some pretty impressive tourist attractions here too, but it’s shopping, eating and drinking that give Pest its hugely enjoyable edge.

Perhaps Budapest’s best quality, however, is that you never feel like you’ve ‘done’ it.  Spend a long weekend there, and you’ll probably only get a fraction of the way down the list of things that grab your interest and attention. That’s no bad thing, and there are a few things about Budapest that may come as a rather pleasant surprise. These include:

1. The Great Market Hall

The Great Market Hall

It would be fair to say that markets can be of variable quality across the world. For every one bursting with life gem, full of fresh gourmet treats and skilfully made handcrafts, there’s another sad barn of bleak, smelly utilitarianism. Budapest’s is mercifully at the more impressive end of the scale. Part of this is down to the building – it looks like one of the world’s grandest railway stations. Even empty, it’d be worth a visit. But the food quality is high too.

The main floor is largely dedicated to food. There are massive salami sausages dangling down, cheeses sourced from across Europe, goose and duck liver patés and multi-coloured paprika peppers. It’s also the right spot to buy seasoning packets of dried paprika.

The upper floor is more for arts, crafts and clothing. You do have to sift amongst the tat for the good stuff, but it’s still a good spot to get gifts and souvenirs for relatively little expenditure.

If downstairs has got you hungry, then the upstairs food stalls are the place to indulge. Sandwiches and crepes are amongst the obvious options, but it’s worth trying the special Hungarian hamburgers, goulashes and something unique – the langos. A langos is somewhere between a pizza and a doughnut – the garlic ones are something of an acquired taste, but become rather moreish. They’ll ruin a diet, keep in mind.

Paprika peppers in the Great Market Hall

2. Wine-tasting

The Great Market Hall is the first stop on Viator’s Budapest Wine Tasting and Lunch tour, which then heads farther into Pest to an underground cellar. This is where the wine comes in. It might not be what instantly comes to mind when you think of Hungary, but the country is rather proud of its wines. It’s certainly a grape rather than grain kinda place, and there are 22 wine regions across Hungary. Whites predominate over reds, although the Bikaver blends (known as Bull’s Blood) are enjoyably meaty.

The real stars are the Tokaji wines, however. French kings raved about these sweet – but not overly sticky – dessert wines as being the best in the world. Have a sip, and you can begin to see their point.

Wines from the tasting

3. Food

Central European fare has an unfortunate (and often entirely justified) reputation for being hearty stodge with an obsession with pork and dumplings. Whilst you’ll not struggle for that in Budapest if you want it, the city has a genuinely international culinary outlook. You’ll find French cuisine, Argentinean steaks and Indian curries without having to look too hard, whilst the top end restaurants take their influences from across the planet.

But the one dish that Hungary is best known for is goulash soup, and it’s fairly ubiquitous in Budapest. You get to try it on the last stop of the Wine Tasting and Lunch tour. In many tourist-focused restaurants, the goulash soup can be watery and bland, but at Kiado Kocsma it’s delicious. Arriving with large hunks of bread and a side dish of peppers with which you can spice things up to your own personal level of bravery, the paprika-heavy dish is delicious – more stew than soup, and warming without being artery-clogging.

4. The kerts

Budapest is one of those cities that feels both safe and fun to stroll through at night. The Buda side of the Danube is rather sleepy, but Pest is full of life. To get a good look, a night time walking tour is a good way of checking out Pest’s main areas, while an hour-long Danube cruise allows you to see the city’s most prominent buildings, bridges and churches lit up spectacularly. Do both on a Budapest Night Walking Tour and River Cruise.

See Budapest at night on a Danube cruise!

That’s fine as an orientation evening, but to enjoy the nightlife fully, it’s an idea to hit the kerts. These ‘garden bars’ are often only temporary affairs, but some are open year-round. Some of them are essentially beer gardens tacked onto already existing bars, but the true spirit remains in the standalone affairs that have been built into abandoned courtyards. Décor tends to be rough and ready, furniture utterly random and floors left as bumpy and debris-strewn as they were initially found. This leads to some quirky personalisations, however, and the atmosphere in the kerts tends to be one of great community. A number of them are clustered on Kazinczy utca, with the Szimpla kert being both one of the scene’s stalwarts and one of its most enjoyable examples.

5. The Vasarely Museum

There are plenty of other art museums and galleries in Budapest, but none are quite as interesting or as focused as the Vasarely Museum. It’s a bit of a trek to get to – you’ll find it in the northern suburb of Obuda – but it’s unquestionably worth it.

Victor Vasarely was a pioneer of Op Art, and many of the works on display will seem strangely familiar. Op Art is a rather design-led and mathematical approach to art – using colour and pattern to make the image look slightly different from wherever you’re standing. The geometry, repetition and use of 2D to 3D techniques play with your perception – and there are over 400 of Vasarely’s paintings, tapestries and sculptures on display.

- David Whitley

Planning a Trip? Browse Viator’s Budapest tours and things to do, Budapest attractions, and Budapest travel recommendations. Or book a private tour guide in Budapest for a customized tour!

5 Unexpected Highlights of Budapest, Hungary by David Whitley from Viator Travel Blog

One of the world’s famous cuisines, nothing spells delicious like a knowledgeable tour of Greece’s authentic food vendors and eateries. On the Athens Small-Group Food Tour, you will get a chance to walk around the beautiful and historic streets of Athens, savoring a plethora of amazing local delicacies ranging from pastourma to traditional obugatsa.

Take up to 12 of your friends and family on this intimate group tour, learning the heritage and background of vibrant and vegetable friendly Greek eats. This fully guided tour around one of Greece’s most famous landmarks, the Acropolis, gives you not only a full-on experience for your palate, but for your eyes as well, walking about in one of Europe’s oldest and most profound civilizations.

Visit a variety of bakeries, spice merchants, groceries, restaurants, and delicatessens as your licensed guide lets you in on all the nooks, crannies and little-known facts about the day-to-day food intake of Greeks.

The cherry on top of this tour is the trip your guide will be escorting you to the vibrant and energetic Varvakeios food market, where you will not only experience the daily lives of Greek shopping, but get a quick lesson in the culinary mastery of the local produce.

Starting at 10:00am outside the Panepistimio Metro station on Korai Street, this tour is available year round, so there is no rush to book too far in advance, just make sure you do book this informative and yummy 3 hour tour. It is a culinary experience you will not want to pass up on.

- Viator Travel Team

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Athens tours and things to do, Athens attractions, and Athens travel recommendations, or book a private tour guide in Athens for a customized tour!

[VIDEO] Athens Food Tour by Viator Travel Team from Viator Travel Blog

Last June I went on what’s become (close to) an annual trip to Provence. Because it was early summer, the weather allowed for a lot of outdoor activity. As seems to be the case with every visit, I had some new experiences and, of course, enjoyed some of the old. Here is a sampling.

Porquerolles Island

Porquerolles, an island right off the Southern coast between Saint Tropezand Toulon, is a great place to spend a day or two. Folks seeking activity can enjoy the bike riding, hiking trails, sailing and scuba diving, and relax while sipping a local, dry rosé and taking in the beautiful views of the Mediterranean.

Lunch at Porquerolles

We parked our car (along with everyone else, as there are no cars on the island, with a few exceptions), and rode the ferry across to the island port. Once there, we walked the short distance to the center of town and rented bikes for the day. The island has really well marked trails, so it is easy to navigate. We rode our bikes several kilometers through vineyards to Le Mas du Langoustier, a hotel perched high on the island with great views. There we had a Panaché (a cocktail of lemonade and lager—a great option if you’re getting back on your bike) while looking out at the Mediterranean.

After walking down to look at the cove near the hotel, we rode a different trail above the water until we came across a café on the water—a perfect lunch spot. While we caught a late afternoon ferry back to mainland, if you have the time, I’d recommend doing at least an overnight. There are lots of restaurants in town, and the trails allow for exploring of the island.

Lavender Fields

For a lovely day trip, head to Sault (pronounced “sew”), a town known for its surrounding lavender fields. There are several roads that lead to Sault, including the Nes Gorge route (see below), all of which provide slightly different but equally charming views of the countryside. Plan your trip to arrive in Sault just before lunch and take a few minutes to soak in the views of the lavender fields, set against golden wheat fields. Wander into the town and walk along the cobble-stoned streets–it will not take long for you to find a restaurant offering a delicious Provencal menu. After lunch check out the local lavender cooperative, where you can stock up on all your lavender goods. Note: The fields are in high bloom in July, so that is when you will get the richest color in the fields.

Lavender fields around Sault in June before full bloom

Your very own Tour de France experience: If you spend any time in Provence, especially in the warmer months, you’ll see cyclist after cyclist on the country roads (if you’re driving a car, you’d better be aware of the fact that the cyclists have the right of way). The route for the Tour de France varies year-to-year, and some years Mount Ventoux is included (as it was in 2009).

Many of the towns in the region offer a plethora of bike rental shops. Bédoin, a town in the shadow of Mount Ventoux, is a great place to pick up a bike. The ride to the summit from Bédoin is just over 21 kilometers and the paint from the Tour de France is still on the road, so you can track your kilometric progress as you go. Along this road you can stop off at Roman ruins—what was once a Roman Villa. You have to use your imagination somewhat, but you can definitely see why they chose to build at that location!

If you can, plan your visit to Bédoin for a Monday to take advantage of the open-air market (ends at noon). You can also rent bikes in Malaucene and Sault.

Just Gorges!

Near Sault is the Nes Gorge. If you take the tourist route from roughly Bédoin to Sault, you will be on the Nes Gorge route. While someone with a fear of heights may be a bit terrified, the dramatic ravine is spectacular and the road well maintained. Along the road there are several safe viewing points. Go during the week and there will be less car traffic, although you will still come across groups of cyclists, so take those curves slowly. The road through the Nes Gorge is a great and less steep alternative to riding bikes up Mount Ventoux.

And of course, in this region, you should always set aside time to stop at the local wineries to sample the regional selections. Most wineries now are clearly marked and welcome tourists.

Cyclist returning to Bedoin from Ventoux

View from Lunch on Porquerolles

Nes Gorge Tunnel Shot

- Anne Stiles Davis

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[PHOTOS] Things to Do in and around Provence by Anne Stiles Davis from Viator Travel Blog

There’s not too much glamour in travel these days. Crowded waiting rooms, endless queues, lost luggage, missed flights – it’s no wonder you hear the word ‘cattle’ on your fellow travellers’ lips.

There’s one way to glimpse something of travel’s former glory, and that’s by taking an overnight European train journey in a self-contained sleeper. For an optimum taste of train travel’s glamour and romance, upgrade to premier Gran Clase or first class for extra privacy, perks and comfort.

Choo choo! Photo courtesy of Shannon Kringen via Flickr

Sleeper cabins come in single, two- and three-bed configurations, with an attached bathroom ensuite with washbasin, toilet and perhaps even a shower on deluxe routes (eg, Paris to Barcelona or Madrid). Double and triple sleeper cabins have bunk beds.

Welcome aboard!

At first sight, you might think your overnight compartment seems a little, er, tight. Once you’ve worked out how to hitch your suitcase up into the luggage rack, sorted out your reading material and snacks etc, your little cabin will begin to feel like home. There’s a freebie bag of essentials to sort through – toothbrush, comb, slippers, soap etc – plus bottled water in the bathroom.

Uniformed staff are at the train to greet you, check your ticket and reservation, give you your hotel-style card-key and help you settle in. They’ll take your passport to handle the customs formalities, and also note your preferred time for dinner in the restaurant car. Your meal might be included in your first-class deal, and even if it’s not, it’s worth adding to the overall experience by dining on board. You might even be served a welcoming aperitif!

The tables in the restaurant car look just like something out of a Hercule Poirot story, with tiny lamps and vases of flowers, waiter service and napkins. The meal might reflect your destination or departure point, maybe a Mediterranean salad and paella rice dish if you’re leaving Barcelona, pasta and fish if you’ve just said goodbye to Venice. Wine and mineral water are served, and nightcaps are poured in the bar.

Where does everyone sleep?

When you return to your cabin – voila! Your seats have disappeared and your bed has miraculously been turned down for the night, with crisp linen sheets and, perhaps, a cosy checked wool blanket to snuggle up in. You’ll promise yourself that you’ll stay awake when you get into bed, so you can turn off the reading light and watch the lights of quaint little towns and train stations pass by in the night. But no matter how hard you try, before you know it the rhythm of the rails and the gentle motion of the train soon send you to sleep.

During the night you might feel the train rumble to a halt at a station, or hear the uncoupling of cars as the train is split to head off into different directions. You might hear the muffled voices of guards on the platform, or notice the station lights flicker on and off as you glide in and out of the town. Then again, you might hear none of this and be totally unaware of the minutiae of your journey as you sleep into the night.

In the morning, a tap on the door reminds you that breakfast is being prepared in the dining car. Coffee and croissants, omelette and fruit are served while you watch the countryside flash by outside your window and you prepare yourself for your next destination – will it be Paris, Rome or Madrid?

Don't forget to check the schedule! Photo courtesy of fmpgoh via Flickr

Practicalities

• Spending the night on the train while you zip long distances between and across countries is a great way to combine travel and your night’s accommodation. If you’re keen on seeing the scenery though, you might want to split the journey into smaller daytime trips.
• If you don’t have a Gran Clase or first-class booking, a standard sleeper has a washbasin. Dinner won’t be included, but you will be served a simple breakfast in the morning. There are bathrooms and toilets at the end of each car, and light snacks and drinks are available for sale.
• Firm favourite overnight train routes include Paris–Rome, Paris–Venice and Berlin–Zurich.
• Night train names to look out for: Artesia (Paris–Italy), Elipsos (France–Spain–Italy), Lusitania (Lisbon–Madrid) and City Night Line (Germany).
• For the best deal, book up to 120 days in advance. Booking online is easy, either via the train company’s website or a user-friendly site such as Seat61 (www.seat61.com).
• If you have a rail pass, you’ll need to pay an additional supplement and reservation fee to book a sleeper cabin.

- Janet Austin

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Riding overnight trains in Europe by Janet Austin from Viator Travel Blog

So you’ve trawled the British Museum for Egyptian relics, the Science Museum for dinosaur bones and the V&A for Art Nouveau designer flair, but now you’d like to visit something a little different… London’s top-drawer museums are just the tip of the iceberg in this huge metropolis, and there are scores of tucked-away gems in this English capital of all things eccentric. To get you started, here is our list of London’s most idiosyncratic museum experiences.

1. Dennis Severs House

Inside the Dennis Severs House - photo courtesy of Tom Jenkins via Flickr

Dennis Severs House is not a museum at all – rather, it’s like entering a time and imagination capsule that’s quite unlike anything else in London.

The Georgian terrace house at 18 Folgate Street in Spitalfields re-creates the imagined life of a house and its silk-weaver occupants over the centuries. Only candlelight illuminates your path as you make your way from one room to the next, one floor to the next. Adding to the sensorial experience are whispered voices and subtle sound effects, as if the occupants of the empty room you stand in have only just left.

The scents of wine, tobacco, scones and potpourri fill the air as candles light up each tableau: an unfinished 18th-century feast of bread and fruit in the living room, a half-eaten breakfast of boiled eggs and toast in the bedroom.

It’s almost impossible to convey the magic of a visit to Dennis Severs House: the experience embraces poetry, history, drama and art. The motto of the house is ‘you either see it or you don’t’, and when you visit (on Sunday afternoons only), you’ll appreciate the requests for silence so the atmosphere and your imagination can take hold.

2. Old Operating Theatre Museum

Museums don’t get much quirkier or gorier than the Old Operating Theatre Museum, at the top of a winding staircase in the rooftop garret of St Thomas Church. Before being used as an operating theatre, the garret was used to store and cure medicinal herbs used by the hospital.

A semicircular ring of seats looks over the operating theatre, lit by a skylight for maximum light. Students and apprentice apothecaries would look on as surgeons performed speedy and painful operations on the unfortunate patients, in a time well before antiseptics and anaesthetics.

Display cases in the attic reveal the painful realities of life in days gone by, with all sorts of scalpels and hammers and forceps on display. The smell of dried herbs and the attic’s old beams add to the atmosphere.

St Thomas Church is on the south bank of the Thames in Southwark, on the former site of St Thomas’ Hospital.

3. Geffrye Museum

History buffs and interior designers alike will love the Geffrye Museum, on Kingsland Road in Shoreditch in London’s East End. The museum buildings are special enough, a rare survivor of a low row of almshouses from 1714.

The long succession of rooms is ideal for the museum’s contents, taking you on a room by room stroll through English history as you take in a series of domestic interiors.

The 11 period parlours begin at around 1600, and end with a funky warehouse apartment typical of the present day. The rooms’ vintage furnishings, decor, details and ornaments evoke the various eras, revealing the possessions and traditions their middle-class occupants held dear. The living rooms are especially evocative if you visit at Christmas, when each is decorated in period fashion for the festive season.

Don’t miss the shop at the end of the room displays – it has a great selection of books if you’re interested in domestic architecture and interiors, plus a small range of London gifts.

4. Pollock’s Toy Museum

Find every kind of toy you can think of at Pollock's Toy Museum - photo courtesy of Hannah Simpson via Flickr

Board games, dolls, teddy bears, tin cars, puppets, doll’s houses, toy theatres – big and little kids will love the array of children’s toys on display in at the Pollock’s Toy Museum. Pollock was a maker of toy theatres, and the collection of cardboard theatres brought together here is especially fine. Narrow winding stairs lead to tiny rooms filled to the brim with every toy imaginable, divertingly displayed to provide a surprise around every corner.

As well as much-loved childhood toys from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, there are English dolls and European folk toys, plus, of course, a toyshop on the ground floor. The museum is housed in twin terrace houses, one dating from the 18th century and the other from the 19th century, adding a special atmosphere to this fun, quirky museum.

5. Twinings Museum

When it’s time for tea in London, make your way to the Twinings tea shop on the Strand. It’s tucked away but easy to find – just look for the white pediment dating from 1787, topped by the Twinings gold lion flanked by two brightly painted Chinese purveyors of tea.

Inside you’ll find an extraordinary array of different teas, loose leaf and bagged. Keep walking through this narrow shop until you come to a small museum at the end, where you can hear more about the Twinings Company and their famous teas, learn tea preparation techniques and compare tea-making paraphernalia past and present.

- Janet Austin

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Top 5 Unusual Museums in London by Janet Austin from Viator Travel Blog

Rome – like most Old World cities – is notoriously difficult to navigate because of its many intertwined layers of urban design, stretching back from antiquity to today. This is part charm, part treachery, for while it is certainly a thrill to wander in a place so beautiful and rich in history, it is also common to find distraught travelers bickering in the heat over wrinkled maps.

In fact, the centro storico (historic center) is not so sprawling or unpatterned as it first appears. I found this Hop-on Hop-off Double Decker Bus Tour to be an excellent orientation guide to the city, providing a pleasurable overview of key sites, with an insightful audio commentary and fresh breeze to boot. The following video gives you a taste of the many places you can see and visit easily and quickly.

It tackles oppressive stretches like Via Nazionale in minutes, delivering us from Stazione Termini to the more central Piazza Venezia, where it stops by the foot of Capitoline Hill. Highlights include a circling of the ancient “Horse Tamers” and their obelisk at the lofty Quirinal Hill; the Colosseum; the Circus Maximus and its view of Palatine Hill, difficult to reach comfortably by foot, and St Peter’s Basilica.

Many streets – designed as they were for pedestrians and horses – are too narrow for a double decker bus; it cannot pass directly by the Pantheon or the Spanish Steps or the Trevi Fountain, but it does stop near these essential sites (which are always an easy walking-distance away).

It is a very popular tour and the top deck is often filled to capacity; however, there is usually a quick turn-around as each stop presents us with still more impressive sites to charm us out of the bus.

- Lucas Miller

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[VIDEO] Rome Hop-on Hop-off Double-Decker Bus Tour by Lucas Miller from Viator Travel Blog

On a rainy weekend in London during August (the rumour was it was summer but clearly the sun has missed that memo), I headed downriver to Greenwich to where east meets west at 0 degrees of longitude, the Greenwich Meridian. Perhaps I was hoping the weather would be better on the other side. It wasn’t.

Once I’d actually found the right train (apparently they only go from Charing Cross and Waterloo East during weekday rushhour – a trap for us tourists), it only took about ten minutes to get there from London Bridge station. I’d always though it was much further, perhaps because the last time I went it was by riverboat and the Thames will twist and turn making everything take longer. But by river is a great way to first approach Greenwich because, after all, the place is famous for its maritime and royal history. I’m sure the kings and queens who came here travelled on royal barges and not the train to Slade Green.

The second trap for tourists is that Greenwich station is actually not the best stop for Greenwich proper, so I jumped on the DLR to Greenwich Cutty Sark which took me right to the heart of history.

We made it to Greenwich!

Greenwich is gorgeous. Even in the rain and cold, its beauty couldn’t be diminished. It feels much further out of London than it is. All green trees, smooth lawns, old buildings, churches, palaces, ships and riverfront.

As the rain poured down I took refuge first in the Greenwich Market, a proper undercover market of stalls, edged with shops. There was food and hand-made jewellery and leather goods, clothes, secondhand books, things that smell nice for the bath and house – everything you’d expect. I liked it a lot. And the shops in the streets surrounding the market aren’t the usual high street chains which can make everywhere in London feel a bit too the same. Greenwich has character. I tried on excellent dresses – and with great restraint bought none – until the rain stopped, then I headed across the road and into the Old Royal Naval College.

The college was once the Greenwich Hospital, built in the early 18th century for injured seamen returning from battle. Before that this was the site of the Palace of Placentia dating from 1447. In true English historical style, it was built by a Duke who then fell out of favour with the Queen who had him imprisoned where he died. She then took over the palace. King Henry VIII was born there, as were Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I.

The Queen’s House just across the road from the site was built in the early 17th century, designed by famous architect Inigo Jones, and was the first really classical building in England, setting a trend that continued for centuries. The fabulous spiral staircase, the Tulip Stairs, was the first unsupported staircase like it in the world. The house was built for Queen Henrietta Maria (Charles I’s wife) and her inner circle of courtiers, but this only lasted a few decades as the English Civil War broke out in 1642 and the monarchy was gone –then the palace was turned into a biscuit factory! Then Cromwell’s Commonwealth was overthrown and the monarchy returned in 1660 with King Charles II. But the Palace of Placentia was in such a state of disrepair by then that in 1694 it was demolished. In 1688 the new monarchs William and Mary had chosen Hampton Court as their palace and they decided to build the hospital at Greenwich.

Greenwich Hospital

The grand symmetrical design of the hospital with its open center is largely due to Queen Mary II’s insistence that the new building, which she was a patron of, not block her view of the river from The Queen’s House. Today the Queen’s House is part of the National Maritime Museum and houses the museum’s fine art collection. During the 2012 Olympics it will be a VIP center.

When I was there, a wedding was going on in the Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval College so I couldn’t go in to look at the fabulous ceiling – next time. But the women in their bright dresses and fabulous hats looked so wonderful drinking champagne under the long colonnades that I forgave them.

The Queen's House

I wandered around the grand buildings for a while, headed down to the river to imagine what it looked like full of sailing ships, then went to see the 19th century clipper ship Cutty Sark, one of Greenwich’s favourite attractions until it was gutted by fire in 2007. It’s still undergoing restoration.

If the day had been finer, I would have plunged through the nearby Greenwich Foot Tunnel which leads under the river to the Isle of Dogs to get that famous view of Greenwich Hospital painted by Canaletto in 1752 and now in the National Maritime Museum. But I was cold. And despite the long daylight of English summer it was threatening to get dark at 5pm. I was beginning to wish I’d come on a different day.

Nevertheless, I bravely headed out the gates, along the side of the busy road and up towards Greenwich Park and the observatory. Like all of London’s great parks, Greenwich Park was once a royal hunting ground and it’s huge: 183 acres. If the sun ever comes out again, I will definitely be bringing a picnic here: the Queen’s House on one side, the Royal Greenwich Observatory on the other – fabulous.

Greenwich Park

Climbing the damp hill I reached the small observatory building, built by Charles II in 1675, once the center of everything astronomical and navigational. It’s a gorgeous little building and although its function has been superseded by technology, it’s still the beginning and ending of time in my book. Standing astride the prime meridian, despite the fact it wasn’t New Year’s Eve, I made a few resolutions: a before and after moment. The timing ball installed in 1833 still drops at 1300 hours every day to help synchronise our watches. The place is full of fascinating old instruments and clocks and there’s now a planetarium off to one side: London’s only planetarium. Just to really mess with your sense of time, there’s also a meteorite that is 4.5 billion years old.

On the way back!

Then it was back down the hill to take refuge and warm up in a little pub nearby. Greenwich is full of excellent little pubs and cafes.

After a fine evening of pasta, wine and song, we headed back out into the cold summer’s night to catch the last boat back up the Thames to central London. This turned out to be an excellent decision. My confusion about the trains aside, I still maintain that Greenwich is a riverside village and should be travelled to and from by water when at all possible.

The last boat leaves at 10.30pm (but there is the back up of the train and the DLR train which also goes to central London). We ran onto the dock through the finally ceasing rain just as the boat came in to dock. There are a few different boats which head up and down to Greenwich but this one, the Thames Clipper, seems to be more of a commuter ferry than tourist trip. It stopped a several docks on the way up and people got on with high heels, high hair, suitcases, and baby strollers. Clearly for some it was the end of a long day, for others the beginning of a long night.

We took full advantage of the novelty and stood outside at the back of the boat and enjoyed the wind in our hair – the boat moves really fast! – and the view of London lit up at night. We passed Canary Wharf and lots of riverside apartments. Then the bridges began. Tower Bridge looks fabulous at night. London Bridge had festooned itself in red lights. The Millennium Bridge looked as pretty as ever. And Embankment Bridge, where the boat trip ended, looked pretty good too though it would have been nice to head beneath it and up as far as Big Ben and the blue circled London Eye. Still, we could see it all from where we were. The trip took about half an hour and we loved ever minute of it, boring the oh-so-cool regulars on the ferry with our yelps at every sighting of a landmark.

- Philippa Burne

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[PHOTOS] Greenwich by Philippa Burne from Viator Travel Blog

Editor’s Note: Viator is proud to introduce some of our new local experts. This network of licensed tour guides covers most every destination you can imagine, so check ‘em out the next time you’re looking for a private tour guide – or simply looking to explore a destination from a local’s perspective.

Meet Christine Segall, one of Viator’s local experts in Paris (and a highly rated licensed tour guide you’ll find at Viator Private Tour Guides).

Meet Private Guide Christine!

If you’re traveling in Paris with children or just want to practice your French, book a tour with private guide Christine! With 7 years of guide experience, she will show you around her city with her high energy and enthusiasm. She’s fluent in French, Spanish, and English, so you can also let her help you brush up on your language skills!

Christine focuses on creating tours with a personal touch and is able to customize any tour to fit your wants and your budget. She can also adapt itineraries for families with children so that the whole family can have fun and learn together. Some of her tours include: Paris’ major Catholic sites; Louvre museum, Orsay museum and river cruise; and the 4 senses tour.

Want to find out more? Check out Christine’s Viator Private Tour Guide profile for more details of her private Paris tours and further information on how to contact and book with Christine.

-Viator Travel Team

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Paris tours and things to do, Paris attractions, and Paris travel recommendations, or book a private tour guide in Paris for a customized tour!

Meet Private Guide Christine in Paris by Viator Travel Team from Viator Travel Blog

Follow Tintin throughout Brussels! photo courtesy of Koocheekoo via Flickr

Editor’s Note: This post is from Joyce Mousny, an experience Viator guide in Brussels, Belgium. She will enthusiastically organize a customized tour for you and make sure that you have the best and most authentic Belgian experience! Find out more about Joyce’s tours on her Viator Private Tour Guide profile.

Tintin was a big part of my childhood. On special occasions my parents would buy the latest book and I became totally absorbed by the great adventures of the Belgian reporter and his snowy dog. I remember the story was always set around the world and it brought great opportunities to learn about geography and cultures in a fun way! Tintin took me to Egypt, to America, to Congo, to the Himalayan mountains…

Time has flown by and I have become a tour guide, but at age 52, I still enjoy Tintin’s subtle ideas and jokes. I love taking visitors along the comic strip trail in Brussels to show them the cartoon murals and then having a snack at a Tintin-themed café. Next we walk to the flea market featured in the 1943 story The Secret of the Unicorn, which is where Tintin found the model ship containing the map to the buried treasure of Sir Francis Haddock! At the Belgian Comic strip centre, located in a gem of Art Nouveau, you will discover original comic strip drawings and unique objects. The Hergé museum offers a comprehensive journey through the life of Hergé, one of the greatest artists in the 20^th century.

Follow me in the footsteps of Tintin and bring the timeless, youthful child within to life!

Joyce Mousny is an experienced Viator guide and offers tours all throughout Brussels, Belguim. Learn more about Brussels Expert Joyce.

Planning a Trip? Browse Viator’s Brussels tours and things to do, Brussels attractions, and Brussels travel recommendations. Or book a private tour guide in Brussels for a customized tour!

Tintin in Brussels by Joyce Mousny from Viator Travel Blog

The Moulin Rouge – just the name conjures up a wonderful image of Paris at its most elegant, scandalous and entertaining. These days it is a magnet for travellers to Paris just as it was a magnet for the rich and cultured of the city when it first opened during the Belle Epoque in 1889.

Situated in the Pigalle district near Montmartre, back then it offered a place that people from all walks of society could meet for some song and dance. Cabaret really had its birth here in the dancing girls and singing – light operetta and showgirls. In 1915 it was destroyed by fire and in 1921 it was rebuilt. After the second world war when Paris was liberated, Edith Piaf sang there. The Moulin Rouge has a long and wonderful history and is deservedly a Paris icon.

These days, with its distinctive red windmill on the roof and the richly elegant turn-of-the-century decor, it’s the perfect place for a night’s entertainment. And right now, it has the extra attraction of a new, special menu until the end of March 2012.

Elegant dining at Moulin Rouge

The kitchens have been put in the safe hands of an equally historic gastronomic house famous in France called Maison Dalloyau. Established in 1682, Dalloyou is known throughout France for its pastries, chocolates and dinners and has been in the same family for its whole 300-plus year history, and they used to prepare banquets for Louis XIV. Because Dalloyau are joining forces with the Moulin Rouge for these special few months it is causing quite a stir in Paris and makes a visit during this time even more special.

There are several menus available including the ‘Toulouse-Lautrec’, the ‘Mistinguett’, and the ‘Belle Epoque’ involving duck, lobster, steak and wonderful desserts. Make sure you book well in advance. And leave room for the chocolate wings or crispy chocolate pearls – Maison Dalloyau’s sweet treats are not to be missed.

New menus at the Moulin Rouge!

Moulin Rouge Dinner Menu Options:

MISTINGUETT MENU:

• Terrine of duck foie gras Montmartre with fruit chutney OR Mistinguett king prawns with smoked spices, vegetable vartar, vinaigrette with herbs
• Sauteed corn-fed Chicken Supreme, morel cream and fresh pasta OR Cabaret baked salmon fillet, french white butter, boiled potatoes and grape Tomatoes on the Vine
• Tendresse of red berries, fruity marshmallows and raspberry sauce OR Gourmandise of three chocolates Echiquier pastry and crispy chocolate pearls

TOULOUSE LAUTREC MENU:

• Festival of Norwegian smoked salmon, Tarama, Trout Roe and Avruga, grilled toast OR Stuffed dover sole, tangy cream and young shoots in salad
• Steamed gilt head sea bream, Champagne sauce, creamed potatoes OR Valentin” Sauté of Veal, white Supreme sauce, Pilaf rice and small white onions
• Moulin Rouge Opera pastry, chocolate wings, chocolate hazelnut sauce OR Tendresse of red berries, fruity marshmallows and raspberry sauce

Watch a show & enjoy the new menu!

BELLE EPOQUE MENU:

• Mise en Bouche
• Duck foie gras with sea salt, mango vinaigrette, “Roquette” salad and grilled toast OR Lobster thin Pie à la Parisienne, crushed tomato and lobster chiboust cream, herbs salad
• Fried sea bass fillet, creamy risotto with wood mushrooms, Meadow mushroom cream OR Sirloin steak, small fried potatoes with thyme, French Beans with fresh butter, pepper sauce
• Saint Honoré with raspberries, light whipped cream, crunchy caramel pastry
• Moulin Rouge Opera pastry, chocolate wings, chocolate hazelnut sauce OR Gourmandise of three chocolates Echiquier pastry and crispy chocolate pearls

5-COURSE CHRISTMAS MENU:

• Kir Royal
• Mise en Bouche
• Duck foie gras with sea salt, mango vinaigrette, Roquette salad and grilled toast
• Christmas Turkey, Chestnut Jus, creamed potatoes and celeriac
• Bûche de Noël Dalloyau (Traditional Yule-Log cake)

5-COURSE NEW YEAR’S EVE MENU:

• Carrés feuilletés Pastry Starters
• Scrambled egg cup with black truffle and bread fingers
• Spit-roasted lobster and scallops, polenta finger, bisque mousse with olive oil drops
• Duck foie gras with sea salt and golden flakes, mango vinaigrette and French toasts
• Roasted veal medallion with fried foie gras, roasted potatoes and green beans in a Veal Jus
• Ripened Saint Marcellin cheese, young shoots mesclun salad with crispy nut bread
• The Moulin Rouge Golden Star: Caramel sweetness and traditional chocolate mousse, vanilla and orange cream, Golden Stars and Pearls
• Mignardises petit fours

MATINEE MENU:
Kir Royal

• Delight of foie gras and dry ham
• Leg of young rabbit “Grand-Mère”, potatoes gnocchi
• Meringue cake filled with ice cream

Cancan!

Green lady

Red ladies

Dance!

Moulin Rouge!

Find Moulin Rouge show and dinner tickets at Viator.com.

- Philippa Burne

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Paris tours and things to do, Paris attractions, and Paris travel recommendations, or book a private tour guide in Paris for a customized tour!

New Menu at Moulin Rouge by Philippa Burne from Viator Travel Blog