Chilling out at Crimbo
Malcolm Rogers investigates the best destinations for a white European
Christmas as well as looking at recent developments in air travel.
By Malcolm Rogers
Let’s face it, the chances of a white Christmas in Ireland or the
southerly parts of Britain this year are slim. A snowball’s chance
really — unless you’re a reader in Scotland you’re unlikely
to wake up on Christmas Day to a winter wonderland.
But no more than a few hours away in the middle of Europe a glittering
winter awaits the arrival of Santa Claus and his sleigh. To guarantee
a Frosty the Snowman Christmas experience you could of course head north
to Scandinavia. However the very short days in the high latitudes leave
little opportunity to marvel at the whiteness of it all. True the Northern
Lights are a huge compensation, but only three or four hours of daylight
takes some getting used to. It’s no surprise that the word “berserk”
is of Norwegian origin.
So if you want your snow to look like it does in those little glass paperweights
head for Mittel Europa and the cities of Vienna, Budapest, Prague or Moscow.
 Vienna
Mozart, hot chocolate, horse-drawn traps, cobbled streets and trams rattling
along elegant boulevards. You’ll be lucky not to wilt under the
sheer beauty of it all, especially with a dusting of snow to complete
the perfect Christmas card scene.
In the cracking cold of a Viennese Christmas the capital of Middle Europe
is almost impossibly romantic. The city on the Danube was home to Mahler,
Schubert, Strauss, Haydn and Beethoven while The Figarohaus (Domgasse
5) was the address of arguably the most musical person ever to grace this
planet, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Now the Mozart Museum is a good place to prepare yourself for a concert
by the Vienna Mozart Orchestra who stage Christmas concerts at the Staatsoper.
Tel 00 430 5059720, www.wiener-staatsoper.at
A Christmas visit to the Chapel of the Imperial Palace to hear the Vienna
Boys’ Choir singing Mass is also an essential treat.
White Christmas rating: Chances are excellent with average daytime temperatures
around the -1 degree mark.
Where to eat/drink
For some really special caffeine moments head for the Schleifmühlgasse
and the Alt Wien Kaffee, tel 00 430 15050800, where you can see, smell
and taste how coffee is freshly roasted and brewed. Cafe Mozart, close
to the State Opera, is one of Vienna’s revered institutes going
strong since 1794 and star of the legendary film The Third Man (Joseph
Cotton and Orson Welles). An essential destination.
Albertinaplatz 2 o 1010 Wien. Tel 00 430 24 100 210. E-mail: mozart@cafe-wien.at
Where to stay Luxury lodgings and dependable digs are readily available
in the Austrian capital.
The Hotel Bristol, Hotel Sacher and Hotel Imperial are still the city’s
grandest at around €360 per double room per night.
For a groovier sojourn try the Hotel Rathaus — Wein & Design.
Double room rates start at e148, rising to € 198 in high season although
if you make a pig of yourself at the minibar, the price racks up considerably.
If Wein & Design are full, aim for the Conran-designed Das Triest,
doubles around the €250 mark, or Hotel Tyrol which is around the
same price.
 Budapest
The beguiling city of Budapest with its Baroque churches, rich art nouveau
mansions and Gothic castles is a handsome, elegant city ideal for a Crimbo
visit.
As the tram rattles through the old cobbled streets along the Danube you
expect Greta Garbo to get on at every stop. A romantic, moonlit boat tour
when the Danube turns from its traditional blue to black and gold is an
unforgettable experience.
Budapest’s sights look even more spectacular at night particularly
as the snow fills up the city. The splendidly impressive Royal Palace,
the Géllert Hill Citadel, the ancient Chain Bridge and the white
fairytale towers of the Fisherman’s Bastion towering over the river
— all are lit up and shimmer in the icy reflection of the Danube.
White Christmas rating: The official Hungary Tourist Board website says:
“There is a strong chance of a white Christmas this year, which
helps give Budapest a magical atmosphere at this time of the year.”
Well they would, wouldn’t they.
But they’re spot on, with both the meteorology and the magic.
Where to eat/drink
Self-indulgence is not something which the Hungarians shrink from and
there’s no better place to put it to the test than Café Gerbeaud
on Vörösmarty Square. One of Budapest’s institutions,
go for the duvet-thick cake which made it famous, the eponymous ‘gerbeaud’
— apricot jam, walnut, pastry, chocolate on top and cream at the
bottom.
The Fakanal in the incredible Market Hall in Pest will also help to keep
the cold out. For e18 you can eat peninsulas of sausage, egg and potato
washed down with copious quantities of wine. Or sample the wondrouspudding
called mákos guba, a sweet roll saturated in cream, honey, poppy
seed and sugar. You could get fat here just by breathing the air.
Where to stay
Andrassy Hotel, 111, Budapest, e208 for a double room.
For much cheaper (although perfectly comfortable) try Hotel Bara, Hegyalja
út 34-36, Pest €49.
(Prices from www.centralr.com are quoted in euro and are per room and
per night and include all taxes and surcharges.)
 Moscow
Vast and imposing, Moscow is a banker for a white Christmas.
But although it’s so cold the air sparkles in front of you the Russian
capital is welcoming and vibrant. The old Intourist Hotel which closed
its doors in 2002 used to have a slogan: Coldest, slowest, lowest, thanks
to its deeply uncooperative staff. It’s all changed now and a whole
new generation of cafés, bars, clubs and restaurants are eager
to prove that Soviet service standards are a distant memory.
A walk through the winter wonderland of Red Square is your first obligation.
Top your best winter clothes with a fur hat and head for the Kremlin,
past GUM the giant shopping mall (everything from Benetton to La Perla)
and onto St. Basil’s Cathedral now home to a museum.
Central Moscow is best explored on foot but don’t miss the Metro
system with its astounding architecture, all chandeliers and stirring
mosaics.
To finish off your perfect winter trip, visit the world’s most famous
dance troupe (Riverdance included) the Bolshoi Theatre.
White Christmas rating: A white Christmas here is almost inevitable and
you could be really lucky with a cold snap plunging temperatures down
to -20.
Where to eat/drink
Krasnaya ploschad dom 1. Situated in the heart of Moscow on Red Square
by the Lenin Mausoleum. Quite expensive (eating out isn’t cheap
in Moscow) but this is a classy place.
Cheaper and more homely is Yelki Palki, Russian for “goodness gracious”
at Bolshaya Dmitrovka 23/8 — a simple, authentic Russian chain.
Where to stay
For a swanky hotel the Baltschug Kempinski Ulitsa Baltchug 1 is a must. Tel
007 095 230 6500 (yup, the international dialing code for Russia really
is 007) www.kempinski-moscow.com. Rooms from around e207 a night but sometimes
weekend deals are available. Luxurious, with great views just opposite
Red Square.
 Prague
More than any other European city Prague has kept its medieval street
pattern.
Indeed, if you’re in possession of a 13th Century map of the area
you’ll have no need to go splashing out on a new one.
Prague is described in many ways: City of a Hundred Spires, Paris of the
East or The Golden City, all of which admirably convey its true spirit.
One of the most beautiful and intimate cities in the world, the atmosphere
is enhanced in winter when the blackened Gothic skyline will be artistically
sprinkled with pure-white snow. You’ll think you’ve stepped
into a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale.
White Christmas rating: There’s a 50-50 chance of a white Christmas,
but even if you only get a light dusting, temperatures will be suitably
sub-zero to give a real seasonal feel.
Where to eat/drink
For a true Christmas experience in a 13th century building in the old
city, the 7 Angels restaurant serves traditional Czech Christmas dinner
(roasted goose is the local Crimbo delicacy). 7 Angels Restaurant, Jilska
20 Old Town, Prague 1 www.7angels.cz.
Tel 00 420 0 224 234 381
Where to stay
Aria Hotel, Tel 00 420 225 33411 wwww.ariahotel.net doubles from £144
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