Notes on Prague and Munich

Before returning to the USA from Europe, I had the opportunity to visit Munich and Prague. I had been to both cities, but had not returned in quite some time. Here are my notes from the trip, and information I thought would be helpful for you and your clients:

Munich: I flew into MUC airport, which is ultra-modern, efficient, well laid out. The airport is quite a distance from downtown Munich. A taxi is usualy the quickest way in, but the cost is about $100, (around 65E). There is frequent bus service to the main train station (Hauptbanhof) which is the hub for subway, metro, and local transportation. From the train station, take a taxi to your hotel/destination. Munich is a fantastic city, well worth a visit. It is also a great 'base camp' from which to explore the area, visiting places such as Salzburg (less than one hour by train), the castles in the Bavaria region, and charming villages at the foot of the Alps. Munich is a great city for walking, but spread out over various neighborhoods on both sides of the Isar river. My advice is to use the great U-bahn (subway) system. Buy a one day unlimited card for 5 Euro, good for 24 hours on the entire system within the central zone of Munich, where most of the main attractions are. Munich has a long tradition of art, and there are over twenty world-class art museums. A few favorites: For Modern art and design - the Pinakothek der Moderne and Neue Pinakothek; for Classic art of the 16-17-18th centuries, the Alte Pinakothek is a good bet; for Art Nouveau lovers, visit the Villa Stuck interiors, now open to the public; for fans of Roman and Greek art, the Glyptothek is a great option; and for enthusiasts of over-the-top Baroque architecture, my favorite church by far is the Asam church, near the town hall, a small jewel that must be seen to be believed. If you have time, visit the royal apartments at the Residenz, which go on for miles (or so it seems!).

I visited the Rocco Forte Charles Hotel, which is located two blocks from main train station and across from a beautiful park that used to be the botanical gardens of Munich. This is a new hotel, now four years old, which has redefined luxury in Munich for several reasons: first, it offers the largest sleeping rooms in the entry level category (smallest room is 400 sq feet); secondly it has a superb spa/gym/pool area which are a welcome oasis after a day of sightseeing; the restaurant Davvero is excellent and the breakfast buffet will blow you away, but most of all - what impresses is the staff: helpful, caring, efficient, on top of things. I visited various rooms categories. MY favorite were the rooms facing the park, with direct views of beautiful trees right across the street. The hotel has an entire floor of suites, many with terraces with amazing views. Note - the suites connect, so if you have a family this may be a good option to offer. Contacts on property are Sarah Drecoll at sdrecoll@roccofortecollection.com or Holger Flory, Director of sales at hflory@roccofortecollection.com both very supportive of our network.

From Munich I went to Prague, my last stop on the continent. In my humble opinion, Prague is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, right up there with Paris and Venice. Prague was not bombed during WWII, so the quality and quantity of original, spectacular architecture from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque and Art Nouveau periods is without peer. For lovers of art and architecture, Prague is Mecca. The setting of the city is also magical. The Vltava river runs through Prague and cuts the city into left bank (Mala Strana, Hradcany areas) and right bank (Stare Mesto and the 'New City"). There are endless sites to see on both sides. My advice is to stay on one side one day, switch to the other another day, to avoid going back and forth. The metro is not very developed in Prague and not convenient to most tourist sites, so my advice is to get an unlimited tram ticket (buy at any Tabak shop) for 100 Crowns, about $6.25. This is the best and cheapest way to get around, and trams are very frequent. On the 'left bank' do not miss Prague Castle (especially the church of St Vitus), Strahov Monastery (do not miss the historical libraries, now re-opened to the public and more beautiful than ever) and St Nicholas church (buy a ticket to see the church from the upper gallery for a superb,closer view of the painted ceilings). On the 'right bank' you should see the Old Town Square (wait for the hour to strike in front of the astronomical clock, an event in an of itself), Municipal building (a landmark of Art Nouveau - buy tickets early in the morning for the guided/timed visits to see all the stunning interiors - sells out daily), and of course the Charles Bridge, which connects both sides of Prague with a series of great sculptures on either side of the bridge.

In Prague, I visited the Mandarin Oriental Prague Hotel. This is a beautiful, iconic hotel, offering 99 rooms inside the walls of a 14th century monastery. The hotel's structure was added on over the centuries, so you have a renaissance wing, a baroque wing, and a more modern wing recently added before the opening. The hotel is an oasis of calm within the walls of the monastery. You walk in and immediately greeted by the friendly staff. There is no lobby per se- just a check-in desk and a bar to the left, famous for the best martinis in Prague. The feeling is upscale, relaxed, intimate, cozy. Dining is either inside the beautiful restaurant with high ceilings, or outside on the terrace in the entry courtyard of the hotel. The hotel took 3.5 years to build as all the various buildings had to be connected and harmonized, The halls are a simple white, with high ceilings. My favorite rooms were the Baroque wing or Renaissance wing, for their high ceilings and spacious feeling. There are also rooms over the spa (Spa wing) or in the new Modern Wing, overloooking a garden. For your top clients, book the stunnning Presidential suite, with a terrace overlooking the castle. Overall, I was impressed with the appointments and the service at the hotel. Contact Gabriela Markova who is the director of sales at gmarkova@mohg.com so she can help you find the right room for your clients. Gabriela can also give you great restaurant recommendations. While in Prague, I had dinner with Jana Frintova and her son Jakub, who run Patriot Travels Prague, the destination specialist. Jana is a gem of a resource, and knows everyone in the city (or so it seems!). Jana can make special arrangements for your clients with private visits, arrange special events, get concert and opera tickets, and also arrange visits outside Prague to castles, Unesco world heritage sites, palaces, and much more. A last word of advice on Prague - Prague is more expensive than Germany. The exchange rate is 16Crowns to 1USD and the money goes like water! Meals, site tickets, etc can be expensive compared to other parts of Europe. But- Prague is well worth the investment. Truly, the best thing to do in Prague is just to walk around, take in all the architecture of the city, and watch the sunset or sunrise from the Charles Bridge.

Art and Culture in London

While World Travel Market took up most of my time in London, I did manage to get in some cultural experiences that no other city offers.

First on my list, as a tried-and-true theater nerd, was seeing a West End show. I hear tell that Andrew Lloyd Webber and his team are shutting down Love Never Dies for a few performances to do some rewrites and edits. This is a very good thing. And that’s all I’m saying about that.

For my second show, I headed out to Hoxton just north of the city’s financial district, which has some of the rough-and-tumble style of New York City’s East Village. In Hoxton Hall, a genuine Victorian music hall that has been maintained throughout the decades, I caught the London premiere of Bright Lights, Big City, Paul Scott Goodman’s rock musical adaptation of Jay McInerney’s novel and the popular movie starring Michael J. Fox. In this intimate old theater, watching an intense and thrilling rock musical, one gets a sense of what early audiences of Rent must have experienced when that show was off-Broadway at New York Theater Workshop. It’s a very powerful and emotional show sung by a wonderfully talented cast, and makes for a wonderful break from West End grandeur. Great theater doesn’t need lavish sets or costumes or even a huge stage. If your clients enjoy Rent or Hair or other rock musicals, encourage them to check this show out. It’s a limited run (through the end of November only), so tell them to go now.

 For my last day in the city, I met up with Sue Hillman of It’s Your London, a city tour operator who works on a one-on-one basis with visitors to give them a bespoke view of the city. We went to the Tower of London (which is not just one building but a complex of several) where we saw both the Crown Jewels (amazing to behold—and just think, those massive diamonds were cut down from larger ones!) and the courtyard where Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, Lady Jane Grey and other unlucky nobles and royals lost their lives. A memorial is set up outside, and there is more information inside the actual former prison building. Visitors can also see the notorious Traitors’ Gate, which numerous condemned prisoners passed through, or go shopping in Traders’ Gate (pun absolutely intended). Bonus: Admission to the Tower is complimentary with a London Pass, and visitors can skip the main line (sorry, I mean “queue”) to get in.

From there, I ran to the British Museum, which requires at least several days to explore properly, but I made do with just a few hours. (Be sure your clients see the Rosetta Stone, and encourage them to check out the Egyptian mummies upstairs.)

From there, and with dwindling time before the museums closed, I hurried over to the National Gallery to look at some masterpiece paintings, and ran around the corner to the National Portrait Gallery, where I hurried through the Tudor gallery. Plenty of the pictures in the exhibit are well known, but the real benefit of seeing them in the gallery is the analysis of each painting and its symbolism (e.g., a famous portrait of Elizabeth I was commissioned to celebrate her forgiveness of a disgraced nobleman, as evidenced by the parting clouds behind her). For history buffs (and fans of the Showtime’s The Tudors TV series), a tour through the Gallery is wonderful, and a great way to learn about these legendary people. Be sure to encourage your clients to spend more time in there than the measly hour I spent.

Finally, I went over to Café Koha just off of Leicester Square for Show Off!, a biweekly sing-along piano bar modeled after the popular piano bars of New York. With a focus on showtunes, jazz and standards (think just about anything by Sinatra), the venue is a great value for entertainment and dinner in one, and guests are welcome to get up and sing along with the piano player. (Admit it; you’ve always wanted to try your hand at “As Long As He Needs Me,” haven’t you?)

Stompin' at the Savoy

A few days in London seemed like the ideal time to visit one of the city’s most iconic hotels—a hotel that only just reopened after more than two years of extensive, massive renovations; reportedly, the most expensive hotel renovations in the business.

And, I’m happy to report, the Savoy is in fine form. The polished wood gleams, just like the gold leaf on the columns. The marble tiles on the floor are not the uniform black-and-white of plastic, but genuine stone with complex gradients of color. And, perhaps most importantly, the rooms are divided into two unique styles to cater to different tastes.

An Art Deco room at the Savoy

Those who like over-the-top old-world opulence will love the Edwardian rooms, filled with era-appropriate touches like overstuffed chairs and cushions and crystal chandeliers. Those with more streamlined tastes will like the Art Deco rooms, which conjure the elegance of the 1920s.

An Edwardian Room at the Savoy

Cool Touch: The rooms are divided not by floor, but by a central small lounge area on each floor where one style begins and the other ends. (One can just picture a flapper and her parents choosing rooms on either side of the divide.) Another Cool Touch: Each room has a framed photograph of a celebrity who once stayed at the hotel. (Memo to self: Find the Noel Coward room next time I’m in London. This is a must.)

Sadly, the nine Signature Suites were booked and unavailable for touring, but we hear they’re amazing—especially the two-bedroom Royal Suite.

A bathroom in an Art Deco room

The public spaces in the hotel are gorgeous as well. Notably, a glass dome that was covered over during World War II has been restored in the main restaurant. (Alas, it was raining when I toured, so I couldn’t see how sunlight changes the room, but it certainly made for a great focal point in the room.) Off to the side, a cabaret room is paneled all in black for a very dramatic effect—it just screams “jazz.” A chocolaterie is just off the main lounge, and passers-by can watch truffles be prepared by hand. Later this month, Gordon Ramsey will reopen the Savoy Grill. (With luck, patrons won’t hear too much bellowing and cursing when he does.)

But perhaps the nicest aspect of the renovations is how understated the luxury is. Whether one’s tastes tends towards Edwardian or Art Deco, the elegance seems effortless and almost casual, making the space at once classy and comfortable at the same time.

World Travel Market in London: A Night at the Ritz

After a single night at the Athenaeum (not nearly enough to properly explore it), I headed up Piccadilly to the legendary, iconic Ritz hotel. It's easily the most opulent hotel I've ever seen, much less stayed in: The columns and cornices have real gold leaf, and the windows are covered in curtains so voluminous they could nearly be tapestries. And that’s just in the reception area.

Amber Aldred, from the hotel's PR team, took me on a tour of the building and pointed out some cool details (for example, the main hallway, which connects the Palm Court, the dining room and the main reception area, has a formal dress code). Tea at the Ritz is so popular that they have five seatings per day, beginning at 11 a.m., and reservations must be made months in advance. 

In 2006, the hotel annexed the William Kent House next door, and the hotel now uses the house for formal functions. Of course, when the Ritz says “functions” they mean “Her Majesty celebrated her 80th birthday here.” The house also features three notable suites--the Marie Antoinette Suite, the Royal Suite and the Prince of Wales Suite. I got to see the latter two, and they are just as opulent as you would hope, with lots of light and space and plenty of rooms for any kind of use. (His-n-hers dressing rooms? Of course!) 

Cool touch: Chinese artist Mao Wen Biao painted a huge mural in the house’s Grand Hall that depicts a personalities from London society during the William Kent period. Even cooler: One of them is using an iPhone. I hear they were very popular in the 1740s.

My room was no slouch, either, with all the over-the-top-ness one would want. From the curtains to the carpet to the overstuffed chairs and pillows, the room was a lovely mix of 1906 style and 2010 savvy. Even breakfast was over the top the next morning. I'd never had hard-boiled duck eggs or quail eggs before. They're actually very tasty.

Next: Around the corner to the Stafford!

A Perfect Itinerary for Highlights of Great Britain

Maureen Jones of All Horizons Travel in Los Altos, CA is an expert in Great Britain; here, she shares her top tips for seeing the most important sites in style.

I write a weekly travel column for a newspaper and the Editor asked me to write an article with the five perfect itineraries for a one week trip in the countries I specialize in, namely the British Isles, France, Australia, New Zealand and Italy.  I will share a favorite of mine from my homeland, and a route which I repeat every year to see family and friends.

Young women in Edinburgh walk to the Castle for the annual Tattoo.

My Heart—and Art—Belong in Paris

Maureen Jones of All Horizons Travel in Los Altos, CA, shares her tips on visiting the City of Light.

Paris’s reputation as the arts capital of Europe is well deserved.  The city housed more influential painters in the last century than any other in the world and the very idea of the Bohemian artistic lifestyle is inextricably bound with Parisian life.  Art and Paris go so hand in hand without art, Paris would be just another small, snobby European capital with wonderfully expensive shopping and when the wind is in a certain direction, a distinct whiff of drains. 

Art gives Paris its soul and its pedigree. This was where the French invented Impressionism, Cubism, Fauvism and just about every other important artistic “ism” of the last century.  Foreign artists like Picasso, Modigliani, and Chagall, to name but three, came together as the legendary School of Paris between 1910 and 1940.

Now in the city of two million, an estimated 10,000 artists work hoping their paintings will achieve the fame of the Mona Lisa hanging in the Louvre. I saw so much of Paris when I was growing up, that I said I would never return. My younger sister was at university there and my parents and I visited her every month to make sure she was eating.

With some six million visitors a year, all wanting to visit the Louvre, it is wise to make a list of what you want to see and plan your attack to try and avoid the long queues. Turn up at 8.55 a.m. (five minutes before the doors open) or at 8.00 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday nights (open until 9.45 p.m.) and you will miss the long wait.   

How to make the most out of Paris:

Avoid the first Sunday in each month. Many of the museums offer free entrance so there is always a long queue. Buying bulk saves money and hassle. Get a Museum Pass (Le Carte Musees et Monuments) which covers most of Paris’s main attractions, valid for one to five days. You won’t have to join a queue, the pass gets you immediate access. If you want to avoid museumitis, why not hire a guide who will take you through the collection of your choice in vivid detail?  Both the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay do this. All cultured out, then go window shopping or better still, take a four-hour shopping tour with Chic Shopping Paris and don’t keep converting the euro into the Dollar, you will get an ulcer. Late night taxis are elusive at best. Get the restaurant to ring one for you.

My favorite part is the l8eme arrondissement, Montmarte and Pigalle.  It gets more seedy every time I go but there are some great bistros and lots of artists selling their work at the Montmarte cemetery.

The hotels I use offer our clients free breakfast which is a nice bonus.  Several favorites are Hotel de Crillon, Esprit Saint Germain, Plaza Athenee and Le Bristol. There are so many to choose from. This is an exciting city to visit!

In Bruges

If any city can make a visitor feel like a youngster in a sweet shop, it has to be Bruges, Belgium.

This postcard pretty city upholds a luscious reputation as one of the world’s finest chocolate centers. Death by chocolate: You've no doubt heard the term and scoffed at the notion, but if there is one place where the concept would be plausible it would have to be in Belgium.

The Belgians are famous for producing the world's finest chocolate and have been doing so for more than a century. Jean Neuhaus opened the country's first chocolate shop in Brussels in 1857. While Brussels is often touted as the chocolate capital, the pretty Flemish city of Bruges is emerging as a major chocolate player and where I headed for my chocolate fix.

The World Heritage listed city centre is picture perfect with a moat surrounding the old town and willow-lined canals snaking throughout the city. Gliding past tilting Gothic buildings on a canal cruise is an essential way to experience the atmosphere, even though you'll have to line up in summer when it seems every tourist in Europe descends on the place. Around three million people visit Bruges each year, but don't let that put you off. This is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe and well worth seeing.

Bruges is lucky enough to have more than 40 specialist chocolate shops, an annual chocolate festival and other special chocolate promotions. They even have a museum dedicated to the sweet goodness. If ever there was a place to test your self control, this is it. Around every cobblestone corner lurks a chocolate shop. There are also lots of lovely little coffee and pastry shops in historic buildings where you can sit and sample everything that looks good. The antique shops here are extremely interesting and the street markets are fun to browse in.

Bruges is a must see on any European itinerary. I recommend staying at the Prinsenhof Hotel or the Bourgondisch Cruyce in Bruges, and in Brussels, the Royal Windsor or Rocco Forte's Hotel Amigo.

Ed. Note: If you haven't yet seen the movie "In Bruges" starring Colin Farrell, check out the trailer. It might just wet your Bruges appetite.