Hotels, B&B's, Restaurants, Activities in Europe

There are many many restaurants that we are still trying to remember. Here's what we have so far and we'll add to it as we remember more.

France:

Paris:

- Hotels: 

Royal Magda Etoile Hotel: Nice boutique hotel in a fantastic location! Our room was very small, but I think there might be bigger ones. Around 200 euros a night. Good hotel

- Restaurants:

Paul Chene: For a special occasion. It is very expensive, but the service is impeccable, the food is outstanding, and the ambiance is very cozy and romantic.  A Special Night

Le Chat qui Peche: Right near Notre Dame, this is a quaint restaurant that we went to for lunch. It was a welcomed surprise in a touristy area with excellent food and friendly service. The only place in Europe so far that offered free water.

La Lorraine: Big restaurant specializing in seafood. Excellent food! La Lorraine


Nice:

- Hotels:

Hotel Massenet: Great budget friendly hotel in an excellent location. Down a quiet street of the main drag so close to a ton of restaurants and only a block or two from the beach. They have parking for 10 euros a day. Hotel Massenet

Restaurants:

Le Comptoir: This was basically the only French restaurant around. Everything was Italian so we had to really seek out a French restaurant It was very good. Le Comptoir

Beaune:

- Hotels:

Ibis Style: Excellent location, very quiet and comfortable rooms (though pretty small), nice breakfast, friendly staff, and easy on the wallet. Would definitely stay here again. Has it's own parking garage.  Ibis

- Restaurants:

Caveau des Arches: Excellent food! Good for a nice dinner out. Situated in a cave! Cave restaurant

Le Carnot: Delicious lunch place serving classic French appetizers, sandwiches, and pizzas. Le Carnot

-Wine Tasting:

La Cave de l'Ange Gardien: A great experience with very friendly people! We did a blind tasting of 5-6 wines and had so much fun. Located right in the town. Make an appointment. Yum!

Marche aux Vins: This was a self-guided tour in old caves from 1200 by dim light. It was fun and different! It is in the town as well. We didn't need an appointment, but we also visited during low season. Cave wine


Chamonix:

Hotels:

Les Aiglons: Great spa/ski hotel. About a 5 minute walk to the center of town. The bus stop for skiing is right across the street. Nice sized rooms and bathrooms. There's a locker room downstairs for your skis and boots and a spa and pool on the premises. Excellent staff. Good breakfast. We paid about 230 EUR a night. Skiing!

Restaurants:

Atmosphere: This was our favorite restaurant of the whole trip. Fantastic service and food. Try to get a seat right by the window so you can look out onto the river. Make reservations. Yum!

Panier des 4 Saisons: Another delicious restaurant. The service was great and the food was excellent! We walked in without a reservation, but we were lucky. Try to make one ahead of time. Yum!

La Cremerie du Glacier: This isn't in Chamonix, but about 10 minutes away in Argentiere. The fondue is excellent! Nothing fancy, but the food was great! Make a reservation. Yum!

Germany:

Munich:

- Hotels:

Torbrau Hotel: We loved both of our stays here. Excellent location, the staff is friendly, the standard room is big, the deluxe room is even bigger with an awesome shower, and breakfast has a great selection. It will be the only hotel we'll stay at in Munich.  Hotel Torbrau

- Restaurants:

Pfistermuhle: Solid restaurant with good food and atmosphere. Can be a little pricey, but we thought it was worth it. Pfistermuhle

Weinhaus Schneider: Great fondue restaurant. We've eaten here twice and both times it was really good. The second time we were there the service wasn't the best, but it was still a good meal.

Shoya (am Platzl): Had to have sushi on our trip since it was so close. Good sushi, reasonably priced. Sushi!


England:

London:

- Hotels:

Premier Inn: This hotel is huge... I almost felt like we were cattle being herded to the check in line, down to breakfast, and so on. But we didn't have a bad stay at all, it was quiet, breakfast was good, and it was in a great location! Premier Inn

- Restaurants: We used our time in London to get some much needed cuisines from around the world. Naples doesn't have much variety :)

Sheraz: Great no frills Indian restaurant. Indian food

Chelsea Brasserie & Bar: Great French restaurant! French food


- Activities:

Fat Tyre Bicycle Tours: A 4 hour bike tour covering most of the city with a break for lunch. Almost all of the biking is on paths that have no cars on it. It was a great way to see the city and we had a fun time! Have fun!

Jack the Ripper Tour: Fun, intriguing, and just a little bit eerie, this two hour night tour takes you through the streets where Jack the Ripper did his killings. Jack the Ripper


Belgium:

Brussels:

- Hotels:


Marivaux Hotel: Nice hotel near a main shopping street, about a 5-10 minute walk from the center area. Nice lobby and our room was big. Most of the staff was friendly. Good breakfast in the morning. Hotel Marivaux

- Restaurants:



Switzerland:

Zermatt:

- Hotels:

Hotel Bella Vista: Great family run inn with gorgeous views of the Matterhorn. The family that runs it is so nice. Breakfast in the morning was delicious... a variety of Swiss cheese, meats, oatmeal, etc. It was about 200 E a night. Bella Vista


- Restaurants

Whymper-Stube: The fondue here was excellent. Dinner is pricey, but so is everything in Zermatt. Fondue!

-Activities

Our first night in Zermatt we stayed in an igloo halfway up the mountain. The whole thing is made of ice and snow. You sleep on a bed of ice with some padding in a sleeping bag. Some rooms have toilets and some don't. A cheese fondue dinner is included with hot spiced wine to start. We went snowshoeing at night and took individual small sleds to breakfast in the morning. There are also two outdoor hot tubs. I don't recommend it if you don't like the cold! A once in a lifetime experience! Igloo!
 
Croatia:

Dubrovnik:

Hotels:

Importanne Suites Dubrovnik: Great hotel (resort) with gorgeous rooms. We had a one bedroom on a high floor looking out over the sea. Breakfast was large with a lot of hot and cold variety. The resort had 2 pools, and a large area with chaise lounges right by the sea. It also had cliffs where you could jump into the sea... simply amazing. It was around 310 E a night, but well worth it. There are other hotels that are part of this resort where you get the same amenities, but the rooms are cheaper. Paradise!

Restaurants:

Hotel More: Great restaurant! We liked it so much that we wanted to go back another night, but they had no availability. Definitely make a reservation. The cave bar below the restaurant is a nice place to have drinks and wait for a table. Hotel More

Restaurant Komin: Good restaurant with decent food. We weren't overly impressed, but it wasn't a bad meal. Komin

Levanat: This was pretty average for the price. There wasn't anything special here... the food was just okay, the service wasn't the best, and the price was too expensive for just an okay meal. Meh, I could have done without it.

The restaurant at the hotel was very good too, with great views. I just can't remember the name of it.

Activities: 

Kayaking: I don't know the specific company we used because we booked it through viator, but this was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. You don't need to book ahead.. there are people that stand by the old town with kayaks if you want to go. This company looks good, as does this one, but I don't think we used them.

Czech Republic:

Prague:

Hotels:

Golden Well Hotel: Fabulous luxury hotel! I can't say enough good things. It's located on the palace side of the river (in fact, right next to the palace) so it's quiet during the day and night. It's about a 5-10 minute walk to the Charles Bridge and 5 minutes to restaurants. Private entrance to a quiet road leading to the castle. Very attentive staff, desserts at turn down service, and nice views. Around 280-300 a night. Golden Well

Restaurants:


Terasa u Zlate Studne: First, this is a very expensive restaurant... very! I'm not sure we would have eaten here had we known it was so expensive. Our meal was around $310! But, we also ordered some of the more expensive items. It's the restaurant that is associated with the hotel we stayed in. It was an excellent meal, with excellent service, and excellent views of Prague. Terasa

Waldstjnska Hospoda: Great meal, reasonable prices, and friendly service! Within walking distance from our hotel. Waldstejnska Hospoda

Spain:

Barcelona:

Hotels:

Room Mate Pau: Very comfortable, modern hotel in a great location. Breakfast was delicious each morning and the staff was very friendly. Nice bar/lounge area. First floor rooms are too noisy from the street noise... get something on a high floor. Room mate

Hotel Denit: Located down a small, car free street in a great location. Friendly staff, but didn't like the room. Very small, not enough outside light, and looked like a college dorm room. Big bathroom though. Breakfast was good and staff was friendly. They have bigger rooms than what we had so it might work out for someone else. Denit

Restaurants:

Pla: Fantastic meal! Everything from ambiance, service, and especially the food was spectacular! My favorite meal in Barcelona! Need reservations. YUM!

Txapela: Great pintxos restaurant... a lot of different choices with pictures on the menu so you know what you're getting. We went here for lunch in between sightseeing and it was delicious! Pintxos

Toledo:

Hotels: 

Hotel Pintor El Greco: Lovely, comfortable hotel in an excellent location, but in a quiet area. The decor of the hotel was beautiful, breakfast was great, and the staff friendly.  Pintor El Greco

Restaurants: 

La Orza: Delicious meal... the fois gras was out of this world!!! Friendly staff, and overall great meal! Yum!

Madrid:

Hotels:

Restaurants:

Lieu: Fabulous restaurant, nice ambiance, great service. The chef lived in New Jersey for a long time. They serve on the house small specialties for the table. For a nice night out. Lieu

Valencia:

Restaurants:

Raco del Turia: Decent restaurant, friendly staff. They have about 10 different paellas and they are large servings. Not the best paella we had during the trip, but it was decent. paella

Grenada:

Hotel Casa 1800: Lovely hotel down a quiet street. Nice sized rooms and beautiful decor. Hotel Casa 1800

Cordoba:

Restaurants:

Regadera: Fantastic restaurant! They only have six tables so you need to make a reservation. Everything is homemade and home grown. Excellent service. Highly recommend. Delicious!

Seville:

Hotel Vertice: Comfortable and clean hotel in a good location. Vertice


Restaurants:




Luxembourg:

Luxembourg City

Hotels:

Park Inn by Radisson: Nice sized rooms, very friendly staff, very clean, and big, delicious breakfast! It's about a 10 minute walk from the center of town. Paid only 68 euros for the room, plus 15 for parking (Has its own safe lot). Park Inn


Austria:

Vienna: 

Hotels: 

Hotel Kaiserhof Best Western Premier: Perfect accommodations! Extremely comfortable rooms, nice size, great location, friendly reception (they upgraded us without us even asking), and the best breakfast we've ever had at a hotel! Not a bad price for Vienna either... about 175 euros a night. Fantastic!


Salzburg:

Restaurant:

Goldene Ente: Very good meal. The soups were delicious! Ente

Hungary: 

Budapest: 

Hotels :

Opera Garden Hotel and Apartments: Nice hotel with good sized rooms. We had a small kitchenette in ours. Breakfast was good, but the room was tiny for the amount of people there. Great location. Ask the hotel to call a taxi to pick you up from the train station or airport as they will be the hotels fixed prices... otherwise you will get ripped off. Opera Garden

Restaurants:

Dio: Excellent meal consisting of typical Hungarian cuisine. Dio

Kyoto: Couldn't resist the sushi! Very good! Kyoto

Wine tasting:

Faust Wine Cellar: Set in a cave by candlelight underneath the Buda part of the city. Very cool experience and good wines too! Make an appointment. Faust

Netherlands:

Amsterdam:

Hotels:

Hotel Pulitzer: Nice, higher-end hotel located down the street from the Anne Frank House. Great service, friendly staff, comfortable rooms, and good location. Pretty pricey at around 250 euros a night with no wifi or breakfast included in the rate. Pulitzer

Restaurants: 

Pancakes!: Excellent pancake house! We ate here twice for breakfast and thoroughly enjoyed our meals. The restaurant is TINY and very popular so be prepared to wait or go on a weekday instead (we did both). Yum!

Daalder: Excellent restaurant with delicious food. Daalder


Slovenia:

Ljubljana: 

Hotels:

B&B Slamic: Great hotel near the center of the city. Very friendly staff, big and comfortable rooms, standard meat and cheese breakfast. Has parking for 10 EUR a night. Paid 89 euros a night. Slamic

Restaurants:

Most: Very good restaurant, great potato soup with truffles and lovely pasta dishes.

Bled:

Hotels: 

Penzion Mayer: Fantastic small hotel with nice sized rooms. The family who owns this were so friendly and very helpful. The location is quiet and is a 5 minute walk down to the town. We paid 82 EUR per night. Mayer

Restaurants:

Ostarija Peglez'n: Located right across the street from the lake, the restaurant has a nice menu and a great ambiance. We ended up getting the fajitas here and while they put their own spin on them, they were fantastic!

Mayer Penzion: This restaurant is attached to the hotel we stayed in. It was the best meal of our Slovenia trip. They gave us a liver pate to start, and then we had deer carpaccio, lamb ribs, wild boar filet, a fantastic bottle of wine, and apple struedel for dessert. They gave us two dessert wines on the house as well. Excellent meal!


Activities:

Skiing in Kranjska Gora: Located around 40 minutes from Bled. The skiing is similar to that of east coast USA. Skiing

Postojna Caves: Spectacular network of caves similar to Luray Caverns in Virginia. Highly recommended! Caves

Finland:

Saariselka:

Log Cabins:

North Village: They have a variety of log cabins to rent ranging from sleeping 6 people to 20+. A lot of room, nice facilities, and close to the center of the village. Ours was 200 euro a night so split between two couples it only equaled 100 a night. They are a great company to deal with. North Village

Activities:

Lapland Safaris: We booked all of our activities through this company. Very professional, punctual, and fun! We had some awesome experiences with them! Lapland

North Village: We didn't use them for any activities, but they have a variety of similar activities as Lapland Safaris. Fun!


Iceland: 

Westman Islands:

Vik:


Near Reykjavik: 


Poland:

Krakow:

Hotels: 

Cracowdays: I can't say enough good things about this place. It's more like a B&B as it only has 8 rooms, but the staff is soooo friendly and helpful. The rooms are a nice size and it's about a 5-10 minute walk to the city center. Breakfast is good. They can arrange a taxi to pick you up from the airport and they can also arrange different tours for you to go on (like to the Salt Mines or Auschwitz). It was about 75 EUR a night. Cracowdays

Restaurants:

Cimera: Great place for lunch or dinner. In a cute setting downstairs. Chimera

Restauracja Piwnice Patacu Pokutynskich: Excellent restaurant serving typical Polish cuisine. Restauracja PPP

Greece:

Athens: 

Private Greece Tours: Great company- They took us around Athens privately for the day and tailored our itinerary to first time Athens visitors. They have many other options available and will tailor the day to however you want. 240 euros. Private Greece Tours

Turkey:

Istanbul: 


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