Read novels set in Austria to get you excited about your trip or, even better, to read while you’re there. Numerous authors have been inspired to set novels in Austria, particularly novels inspired by Austria’s rich cultural heritage.
Each of the novels listed in this post relates in some way to the arts–from Klimt to Mozart to Beethoven. The rich cultural life of Vienna has inspired many authors (including me!). Many are set in the late 18th century when Mozart, Hadyn, and Beethoven walked the streets of Vienna, or at the end of the 19th century starring such luminaries as Klimt and Mahler.
Set in Vienna a century ago, this tale of Alma Mahler, wife of the composer Gustav Mahler and a composer herself, is part cautionary tale, part triumph of the feminist spirit.
In the dazzling glitter of Vienna at the turn of the last century, Adele Bloch-Bauer—young, beautiful, brilliant, and Jewish—meets painter Gustav Klimt and begins a passionate affair.
Photography illuminates this simple tale of a lonely man searching for his lover; a complex study of obsessions, set in Austria and spanning two centuries.
In 18th-century Vienna, Mozart’s estranged sister, Nannerl, stumbles into a world of ambition, conspiracy, and immortal music while trying to discover the truth about her brother’s death.
The great composer himself is cast as an amateur sleuth in 18th-century Vienna in this first in a series of Joseph Haydn mysteries. If you love this one, you’ll be glad to know there are two more!
In Book 2 of the Joseph Haydn mystery series, Kapellmeister Joseph Haydn receives a curious a message from Kaspar, an impoverished violinist with an ailing wife, asking Haydn to evaluate a collection of scores reputed to be the lost operas of Monteverdi. But before he can examine the works, Kaspar is murdered—beaten and left to die in front of a wine tavern.
In Book 3 of the Joseph Haydn mystery series, Hadyn receives an unexpected invitation from wily King Frederick. Worse still, the invitation appears to stir up suspicion in the highest quarters in Vienna—so much so that a mysterious cloaked lady visits Haydn’s Music Room and issues a thinly veiled threat.
The Woman in the Moonlight by Patricia Morrisroe
A stirring and romantic historical novel about 19th-century Vienna and the tragedy and dynamic passion that inspired Beethoven to write his beloved Moonlight Sonata.
When an English quartet, the Maggiore, undertakes a challenging work of Beethoven’s, violinist Michael Holme is overwhelmed by memories of mastering the piece as a student in Vienna. That’s also where he met Julia McNicholl, a pianist whose beauty was as mesmerizing as her musical genius and whom Michael loved with an intensity he never found again.
When the assistant manager of a hardware store in rural New Jersey shows up at the offices of Cubbage & Wakeham, an elite New York auction house, with a worn musical manuscript he hopes to sell for a small (or perhaps hefty) fortune, he is greeted with subdued snickers—not surprisingly. The title page of the document reads, “William Tell: A Dramatic Symphony” and is signed “Ludwig van Beethoven.”
Christopher Alt, piano maker, is the best in Vienna, probably in all of Austria and possibly the world. His piano keys have given life to melodies by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and many others. On his deathbed, he leaves a will specifying that his descendants, if they are to get their inheritance, must live together in the family home. Over successive generations of the Alt family, history itself passes through the doors, down the halls, and into the private rooms of the Alts’ building.
Want more novels set in Austria? You’ll find many more on Art In Fiction, the website I created to showcase novels inspired by the arts.
Guidebooks About Austria
My favorite travel writer, Rick Steves, of course has produced an excellent guidebook on Austria. Rick’s suggestions are pretty much always on the mark. I also enjoy Lonely Planet books for their comprehensive accommodation guides, particularly for budget places.
Conclusion
Have you read a novel set in Austria, particularly an arts-inspired one? Do you have a favorite guidebook? Share your recommendations with other Artsy Travelers in the Comments below.
Check out these posts that provide suggestions for what to read in other European countries:
The walnut tree is the reason the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo was built.
Every Roman citizen knew about the tree and the large number of black crows–an unnatural number–that clung to its branches every day. And it was common knowledge that the tree had everything to do with the Emperor Nero.
In the Renaissance, people wondered why the crows always flocked to that particular tree. It was unnerving, especially to the merchants and officials who used the Flaminia roadway which led north out of Rome. They had to pass right by the tree because the city’s walled gate was next to it.
They were convinced that the shiny, black, rustling tree caused bad luck. Mishaps on their various journeys only confirmed this. They became so fearful of the evil that inhabited the area that they finally demanded the Church fathers do something about it.
Every Roman citizen knew about the tree and the large number of black crows–an unnatural number–that clung to its branches every day. And it was common knowledge that the tree had everything to do with the Emperor Nero.
In the Renaissance, people wondered why the crows always flocked to that particular tree. It was unnerving, especially to the merchants and officials who used the Flaminia roadway which led north out of Rome. They had to pass right by the tree because the city’s walled gate was next to it. They were convinced that the shiny, black, rustling tree caused bad luck. Mishaps on their various journeys only confirmed this. They became so fearful of the evil that inhabited the area that they finally demanded the Church fathers do something about it.
Origins of Santa Maria del Popolo
There are many reasons why the churches in Rome were built and many reasons for their chosen locations. The church of Santa Maria del Popolo is located on the site of the walnut tree that grew over the very spot where the despised Nero’s body had been unceremoniously buried some 1500 years earlier. Nero obviously now haunted the place; people had seen him there. Only a church built on that spot would calm the populace. And it needed to be made important. If the Pope recognized the church, it would become a Basilica.
The order eventually came down from Pope Paschal II. The situation had become a social scandal, and this was his official solution. Important artists must be commissioned to decorate its side chapels and ceiling. The artistic works created for it would need to spring from such important themes that even God would notice it.
For the project, the Church recruited renowned artists Caravaggio, Raphael, and Bernini, who all enjoyed fame during their lifetimes. (Well, Caravaggio was definitely known, but not necessarily for his art.) If you’re unfamiliar with these gentlemen artists of the 16th century, I must tell you that they are very famous in the art world. Legendary, even.
What’s Special about Santa Maria del Popolo
In situ is Latin for “in place” and is the term given for paintings, mosaics, frescoes, and sculptures that are still in the exact spot for which they were commissioned, for where they were designed to be. It is always special when one views something in situ, especially a major work.
And that is why I love Santa Maria del Popolo. It lays claim to two Caravaggio paintings, sculptures by Bernini, and a mosaic ceiling designed by Raphael. These creations have remained undisturbed in their precise positions. They could have easily been moved to some world-class museum or other, to bolster their daily visitation numbers and be celebrated at members-only cocktail events that the press would cover with uneducated glee. But something even more amazing happened: the works stayed where they were and as a result are almost unknown.
Location of Santa Maria del Popolo on the Piazza del Popolo
Located a bit out of the way at the north end of Piazza del Popolo, Santa Maria del Popolo sits quietly, without banners or signs. One would never know that it displays mind-boggling, priceless art. The masterpieces are not featured in any special way. You must actually go looking for them.
In the Chigi Chapel, you’ll find products of the genius of both Raphael and Bernini. Raphael obviously based his mosaic ceiling on the most important theme he could think of, The Creation of the World. It is so incredible that even as you are staring at it, your eyes tell you that it’s a painting, not a mosaic.
Raphael, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Statues by Bernini
All the amazing statues in this chapel are by Bernini. If you’re not familiar with Bernini, you’ll want to check out more of his beautiful statues, mostly notably those in the Borghese Gallery in the lovely Borghese Gardens in Rome.
In the Cherasi chapel, you’ll find the two astounding canvas paintings by Caravaggio positioned directly opposite one another—the sensual Conversion on the Way to Damascus and the gut-wrenching Crucifixion of Saint Peter.
Conversion on the Way to Damascus, Caravaggio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The theme of Peter (as in the apostle Peter of Vatican fame) being crucified upside down in Rome as the Bible describes is not a theme that many artists favor. Perhaps that’s because it is simply too horrific. Caravaggio was not afraid of much, it appears, and clearly threw caution to the wind.
Crucifixion of Saint Peter, Caravaggio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Visiting Santa Maria del Popolo
You’ll be surprised at the lack of visitors inside the Basilica; you may well be the only one. The reason is simply that most people don’t know about the place or what makes it special, even after being featured in Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons.
The Church of Santa Maria del Popolo is located at 12 Piazza del Popolo, next to the north stone gate and is free to enter. It’s open daily with sporadic hours; check their website for the days of your visit: rome.net/santa-maria-del-popolo. Avoid visiting on a Sunday during Holy Mass because you won’t be allowed to freely wander. Phone: Intl. calling: (011) 39-06-631-0836 / Local calling: 06-631-0836
Happy travels,
Andie Easton
Read about Andie Easton and her wonderful series of books!
I love Paris so much that I set my fourth novel there. Love Among the Recipesis about a cookbook author who reinvents herself by moving to Paris. The novel is also my love letter to Paris–one of my favorite cities in the world.
In Love Among the Recipes, cookbook author Genna McGraw writes a cookbook/guidebook that matches Parisian sights such as the Eiffel Tower with recipes for bistro-style French dishes such as steak haché.
The next time you visit Paris, use this post to visit the places featured in Love Among the Recipes. Included are descriptions of the sights along with links to some of their matched recipes.
No visit to Paris is complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower! This iconic monument symbolizes the City of Light. For the most romantic experience, ascend the Eiffel Tower at night.
In Love Among the Recipes, the Eiffel Tower is the first sight Genna visits soon after her arrival in Paris. From the second level, she enjoys both the view and the passing parade of tourists. She also comes up with the idea for the first recipe for her cookbook/guidebook–Steak Haché et Frites.
Here’s how Genna describes this staple of the menu enfant–the children’s menu:
One beef patty, grilled and crispy, accompanied by a mound of light, hot, salty, and crunchy french fries—the best fries in the world. Steak haché et frites was as basic as cooking got in France.
The Eiffel Tower–the most iconic structure in Paris
Get tickets to the Eiffel Tower in advance to avoid very long lines. The Eiffel Tower is open year round from 10:30 am to 6:30 pm (9:30 am to 11:45 pm from June 1 to September 1).
Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe stands proudly in the middle of the Place Charles de Gaulle (formerly known as the Place de l’Étoile), oblivious to the traffic swirling around it. I know whereof I speak. In the days before Google Maps and GPS, we took a wrong turn and were swept into the Place Charles de Gaulle. Gregg had to circumnavigate the unusually large roundabout (twelve exits!) numerous times before finally crossing a frightening number of lanes to reach our exit. I still break out into a cold sweat when I think of that drive.
Begun in 1806, the Arc de Triomphe honors soldiers who fought in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Directly under the arch is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier who was killed in World War I.
You can wander around and under the Arc de Triomphe for free, but you’ll pay to climb the stairs to the top. The glorious view of the Place Charles de Gaulle, Champs-Élysées, the Tuileries, and the Eiffel Tower in the distance is well worth the price. WARNING: Don’t even think about trying to cross the Place Charles de Gaulle! Use the pedestrian tunnels located around its perimeter to lead you safely under the traffic.
The Arc de Triomphe marooned in the middle of a river of speeding cars
L’abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Dating from the 6th century, the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés is the oldest church in Paris and contains some notable frescoes. The current church was built in the 12th century, with the distinctive spire added in the 19th century. The abbey is also where the heart of philosopher René Descartes is buried.
In Love Among the Recipes, Genna rents an apartment on the top floor of a building steps from the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. I modeled her apartment on one I stayed in with my family in 1995. The needlepoint reproduction of La Grande Odalisque by Ingres that hangs in Genna’s apartment was inspired by a similar (and equally hideous) version that hung in the apartment we rented.
Close to the church are two famous cafés in which several scenes take place: Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore. While sitting at a table overlooking the church, Genna decides to pair it with a recipe for French Onion Soup. This version comes from My Parisian Kitchen.
The Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Les Invalides
Napoleon’s mammoth tomb and an impressive military museum (Musée de l’Armée) is housed in Les Invalides and is worth a look for Napoleon buffs.
When life starts to go sideways for Genna in Love Among the Recipes, she makes a tearful visit to her grizzled but kindly landlord and most loyal taste-tester. After pouring her heart out to him while savoring shots of fine Napoleon brandy, Genna pairs Les Invalides and its Napoleonic associations with Steak Diane Flambéed in Brandy. This recipe is created by Emeril Lagasse and comes from the Food & Wine website.
Les Invalides, home to the tomb of Napoleon
Les Invalides is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm, except for January 1, May 1, and December 25. Get priority entrance tickets here.
Notre-Dame Cathedral
The partial destruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral in 2019 broke the hearts of many cathedral lovers, including me. Some of my most memorable moments in Paris were spent in the vicinity of Notre-Dame. Several times, I attended music concerts in the cathedral and was blown away by the sublime sound and medieval atmosphere.
In Love Among the Recipes, which is set several years prior to the fire, Genna matches Notre-Dame Cathedral with Lemon Sole with Butter Sauce. Here’s the description she wrote for her cookbook/guidebook:
A visit to Notre-Dame Cathedral takes you into the heart and soul of France. Emerging from a recent cleaning, the cream-colored stone glows in the spring sunshine, much as it did when it was first built a millennium ago.The cathedral sits on an island in the middle of the Seine, until modern times the principal artery for commerce. For centuries, fish from the river nourished the well-fed clerics who kept the great cathedral running.From soul to sole, this recipe for grilled lemon sole swims in a light cream sauce made tart by thin slices of melted lemon. Serve with a fluffy rice pilaf studded with pistachio nuts for a heavenly experience.
Me in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral on a spring evening
Rose Window in Notre-Dame Cathedral
The rose window at Notre-Dame Cathedral is one of Europe’s most stunning examples of Gothic stained glass. Miraculously, the rose window survived the 2019 fire. In Love Among the Recipes, Genna pairs a classic Strawberry Tart with the rose window. This recipe comes from Recipe Girl.
Sainte-Chapelle
Sainte-Chapelle on the Île de la Cité ranks as my all-time favorite religious structure. I first visited when I was 14 years old while on my epic trip around Europe with my mom, and I always pop in every time I’m in Paris. The joyful release I experience when stepping from the dark, winding staircase into the bright and airy stained-glass heaven of the upper chapel never gets old. I include Sainte-Chapelle in my post about the top cathedrals in Europe.
Sainte-Chapelle is open from 11 am to 7 pm and reservations are required. Get tickets for priority access.
Tour Saint-Jacques
Located in the 4th arrondissement, the Tour Saint-Jacques is a fabulous example of the flamboyant Gothic style. It was originally part of a church built in the 16th century which was destroyed during the French Revolution. I always enjoy catching sight of the statue-encrusted Tour Saint-Jacques while walking around the area. The tower’s connection to butchers (the original church was called Eglise Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie) inspires Genna to pair it with homemade sausages.
Genna liked the contrast of the ornate tower with the lowly sausage, a dish perfect for an everyday dinner. She could include directions for making the actual sausage. A homemade sausage made from freshly ground meats in the cook’s own kitchen and blended with a rich mix of seasonings was surely one of life’s great gastronomic pleasures.
Viewing the eight giant canvases Claude Monet painted of the water lilies in his garden at Giverny never fails to exhilarate me. Two purpose-built rooms contain four canvases each. Stepping into the rooms is like stepping to the edge of a tranquil pond in a cool forest glade.
In Love Among the Recipes, the water lily paintings have a particularly dramatic effect on Marsha, a young woman whom Genna befriends from her French class. While Marsha blisses out in front of the paintings (collectively called Les Nymphéas), Genna settles onto a bench and thinks about Vichyssoise. Here’s what she writes:
Made with tender young leeks, pale yellow potatoes, heavy cream, and black pepper, a bowl of chilled Vichyssoise on a hot summer day will transport you to Monet’s world, where your soul receives the solace that only nature can supply.
Detail from a painting of water lilies by Claude Monet
Musée de Cluny
As I’ve written in my post Paris for Art Lovers: Cool Art Museums You May Not Know, the Cluny (otherwise known as Musée national du Moyen Âge) is my favorite art museum in Paris. I spend at least a few hours of every trip to Paris wandering through the dark rooms overflowing with medieval treasures. That’s my idea of paradise–that and stopping for a glass of wine at a local bistro after my visit.
Genna also loves the Cluny, particularly the stunning Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. While enjoying coffee with Parisian hottie Pierre Leblanc, Genna’s description of why she paired the famous tapestries with Duck Confit comes replete with some seriously suggestive double entendres.
This recipe for Duck Confit to match with the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries comes from Serious Eats.
The sixth tapestry: À mon seul désir Photo: Wikipedia
The Cluny Museum is open every day except Monday from 9:30 am to 6:15 pm. Ticket office closes at 5:30 pm. Evacuation of the rooms begins at 5:45 pm.
Musée Delacroix
The Musée Delacroix is housed in Delacroix’s former home and is considered a rare gem in the heart of the 6th arrondissement. The collection includes over a thousand artworks by Delacroix along with objects that belonged to him, and artworks created by artists who admired him.
In Love Among the Recipes, Genna visits the Musée Delacroix the day before she hosts a dinner party for her new friend Marsha and Marsha’s insufferable boyfriend. She pairs the Musée Delacroix with a rich and flavorful Bœuf Bourguignon:
The idea for bœuf bourguignon came to her as she was touring rooms that once housed Delacroix’s living quarters and studio. When she thought of Delacroix, she thought of clutter and heat, of fallen soldiers and distressed maidens densely painted in browns and ochers and reds. Delacroix’s large canvases were too big, too full, too heroic—and a good match for the richness of a well-cooked bœuf bourguignon.
The museum is open Wednesday to Monday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with a night opening until 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month.
Musée d’Orsay
I never tire of visiting the Musée d’Orsay. It teems with masterpieces created between 1848 and 1914, and includes scores of great paintings by Manet, Morisot, Monet and more. Genna matches three recipes to various aspects of the venerable museum.
To avoid the crowds, buy your tickets in advance and go early in the day. Head first for the fifth floor so you can enjoy the most popular paintings accompanied by few visitors. Take your time wandering from room to room and then stop by the café behind the large clock–the original from when the Musée d’Orsay was a train station.
Musée d’Orsay as a Whole
When Genna visits theMusée d’Orsay with her daughter, Becky, she pairs cassoulet with the museum. She explains her choice to Becky, who has arrived unexpectedly in Paris, bringing with her an attitude and a secret:
“I was watching all the people crowding into the galleries and I couldn’t help thinking of them as so many ball bearings all rolling along together, one indistinguishable from the next. Then from there I went to beans—white haricot beans that are smooth and round and meaty. And from there, I thought of richness—the paintings, which led me to think of chunks of homemade garlic sausage and duck confit legs simmered in wild garlic and . . .”
“Stop!” Becky held up her hand. “I get the picture. The cassoulet mixes all kind of colors and textures with herbs and beans, just like the museum combines paintings and people.”
“Exactly!” At this rate, they’d start wearing matching stretch pants and pink T-shirts with Mother on one and Daughter on the other.
Here’s a recipe for cassoulet, a tasty recipe from southwest France, on Jo Cooks.
Mère et enfant sur fond vert, Musée d’Orsay
Becky is fascinated by the painting Mère et enfant sur fond vert by Mary Cassatt. Later in the novel, Genna pairs the painting with clafoutis, a delicious and simple fruit pudding suitable for serving to children.
Mère et enfant sur fond vert by Mary Cassatt from Musée d’Orsay
Great Clock at the Musée d’Orsay
Genna pairs the great clock that dominates the façade of the Musée d’Orsay with a classic French apple tart–a tarte aux pommes. This recipe for Apple Tart comes from My Parisian Kitchen.
The clock in theMusée d’Orsay
Make sure to buy tickets to visit the Musée d’Orsay in advance so you can skip the line-up. The museum is open from 9:30 am to 6 pm daily except Mondays.
Musée du Louvre
The Louvre is massive, over-crowded, expensive, and magnificent. The key to visiting the Louvre with ease is to focus on one or two areas at most. There’s a great deal of art in the Louvre, and while all of it is amazing, some pieces are more amazing than others.
In Love Among the Recipes, Genna pairs recipes with three different parts of the Louvre: the Denon wing, La Grande Odalisque by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and a charming terra cotta piece from the antiquities exhibits in the Sully wing.
Denon Wing
When you enter the pyramid and descend the escalator to the center of the Louvre, you’re faced with three wings: Sully, Richelieu, and Denon. Most visitors make a beeline for the Denon wing because that’s where some of the most famous artworks in the world are displayed, including the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. Unless you have a burning desire to stand in a massive crowd bristling with pickpockets so you can peer over the tops of heads to see a tiny, glass-enclosed painting on a single wall, I’d give Mona a miss. If you do want to see her, arrive early, or drop by just before the museum closes.
Instead, head for the far end of the Denon wing and work your way back. You’ll pass several remarkable pieces, including:
The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Autumn by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix, Public domain, via Wikipedia Commons
Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The rich, deep-red walls of the Denon wing inspire Genna to match it with a recipe for Shrimp-Stuffed Salmon. When she serves the dish at a party, the consequences are devastating–and a pivotal moment in Love Among the Recipes. Here’s a link to a recipe for a similar dish on Jamie Oliver’s website.
La Grande Odalisque by Ingres
Your stroll through the French masterpieces in the Denon wing also takes you past La Grande Odalisque by Ingres. The enigmatic image of the nude courtesan plays a prominent role in Love Among the Recipes. In one of the final scenes of the novel, Genna matches the painting with a recipe for tagine–a warm and spicy Moroccan dish of lamb cooked with apricots and nuts. This recipe for Tagine and Couscous comes from Easy Peasy Foodie.
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Greek, Roman, and Egyptian Antiquities
While perusing the fabulous collection of antiquities in the Sully wing, Genna comes across a small terra-cotta carving depicting a row of bakers:
Genna trailed past glass cases brimming with cooking pots and spear tips, wrought gold bracelets and bronze helmets. Her attention was arrested by a roughly hewn terra-cotta piece showing a row of figures seated at a bench, kneading what appeared to be dough. Thanks to her progress in French class, she easily deciphered the description. The object represented bakers making bread. The preparation of food was rarely represented in art, and almost never in the art of antiquity. Genna tried to imagine the artisan who had sculpted the little piece and for what reason. It was neither well-formed nor beautiful. A child with Plasticine could have done better. But at over 2,500 years old, the piece was remarkable.
Take virtual tours of the Louvre. Make sure to buy tickets to visit the Louvre in advance so you can skip the line-up. The museum is open from 9 am to 6 pm daily except Tuesdays.
Quai Branly Museum
Also know as the Musée du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac, the Musée Quai Branly deserves a place on your Paris itinerary, particularly if you enjoy art and objects created by indigenous cultures from around the world. The collection is displayed in four distinct areas representing Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Read more about the Musée du Quai Branly in my post Paris for Art Lovers: Cool Art Museums You May Not Know.
Genna visits the Branly with Becky, just after Becky inadvertently shares news of a seriously life-altering event. While prowling the dimly lit exhibits, Genna decides on a recipe for Chocolate Mousse. This one comes from My Parisian Kitchen.
Here’s what Genna writes:
No one who has gazed awestruck at an intricately carved exorcism mask from Sri Lanka or the complex geometric rugs woven by Berber tribeswomen could doubt that the objects on display in the Musée du Quai Branly represent human ingenuity in all its diverse glory. Intrepid visitors glide from the Congo to the Sahara, across India and around Polynesia, into the vast lands of Asia and on across the Pacific to the plains of North America and the secret jungles of Brazil. A delicately constructed chocolate mousse should explode with flavor with the same intensity so richly captured in the Branly’s dark passageways.
Display in the Africa area in the Musée Quai Branly
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 am to 7:00 pm (Thursdays until 10:00 pm). Get tickets in advance to avoid lines.
Situated in the trendy Marais district, the Musée Picasso is close to the apartment Marsha buys in Love Among the Recipes. When Marsha takes Genna to see the apartment, Genna is bowled over by its size and elegance, while poor Marsha is distraught.
Genna pairs a recipe for bouillabaisse, the classic Mediterranean fish stew, with the museum devoted to the work of Picasso, who was born in Málaga on Spain’s Mediterranean coast. Her decision to include bouillabaisse in her cookbook/guidebook prompts her to host a dinner party for the new friends she’s made in Paris. The events at this party lead to the climax of the novel.
The Picasso Museum is open Tuesday to Friday from 10.30 am to 6 pm and weekends from 9.30 am to 6 pm. The museum is popular, so buy tickets in advance.
When Genna visits the Musée Rodin, she is entranced by the many large and small versions of Rodin’s famous Kiss sculpture and by the sophisticated beauty of the museum and its grounds. She contemplates The Thinker, admires the sculptures in the sumptuously appointed chandeliered rooms, and comes up with crème brûlée to match with the museum. Here’s what she writes:
A silky crème brûlée topped with a sheen of caramelized sugar cracked open by one smart rap of the spoon made the perfect ending to a meal. It combined hard and soft together in one dish, like one of Rodin’s sculptures. The cold marble came alive with the heat generated by the two bodies wrapped around each other. What looked solid became malleable and alive.
The Musée Rodin is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6:30 pm. Buy tickets in advance and skip the lines.
Pompidou Centre
The fourth floor of the Pompidou Centre houses an incredible collection of early-to-mid-20th-century modern art. It’s one of my husband Gregg’s favorite art museums. As a painter, he loves admiring the work of the artists who have inspired him–from Max Ernst to Matisse to Pollock.
Pompidou Centre is the most visited museum in Paris
Buy tickets to the Pompidou Centre in advance to avoid line-ups, open every day except Tuesdays from 11 am to 8 pm.
Stravinsky Fountain, Centre Pompidou
Adjacent to the Pompidou Centre is one of the most striking and fun fountains I’ve ever seen. Created by Niki de Saint Phalle, the Stravinsky fountain was a huge favorite with my daughter, Julia, when she was a child.
Immediately before her rose the whimsical Stravinsky Fountain—a favorite of her children on their family trip to Paris. Sixteen sculptures, including a treble clef, a pair of swollen red lips, and various brightly painted amorphous shapes, rotated, swiveled, and shot water at odd angles. Genna defied anyone to stand next to Niki de Saint Phalle’s extraordinary creation on a hot summer’s day and not smile.
The quirky, colorful cheeriness of the Stravinsky Fountain inspires Genna to pair it with a scrumptious fruit flan that she describes as: Slices of yellow peaches, green kiwis, and creamy white pears, glistening blueberries, and rosy-red strawberries and raspberries and cherries would be arranged in perfect spirals on top of a custard filling spread over a crunchy sugar crust, the whole creation bathed in a glaze of equal parts sherry and Cointreau.
The Jardin des Plantes in the 5th arrondissement is a marvelous place to spend an afternoon. If you enjoy prowling through natural history museums (as I do), then allocate a day to explore the Gallery of Evolution, the Gallery of Mineralogy and Geology, the Gallery of Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy, and the Gallery of Botany.
Le Jardin des Plantes is open from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm, with most of the galleries opening at 10 am.
Luxembourg Gardens
The Luxembourg Gardens holds a special place in the hearts of my family. We spent many happy hours at the awesome playground when our daughter was young, and in recent years have always enjoyed strolling through its shaded walkways and lounging by the round pool.
Genna also has very positive associations with the Luxembourg Gardens and goes there with her daughter, Becky. The variety of facilities within the gardens inspire Genna to create a recipe for pot-au-feu.
Fountain at the Luxembourg Gardens
Monet’s Garden at Giverny
An hour outside Paris is Giverny and the house that artist Claude Monet lived in for several decades. The garden he created–depicted in many of his paintings–attracts millions of visitors every year.
In Love Among the Recipes, Genna visits Giverny with Bill Turner. The first glimmer of romance is sparked amid the leafy green walkways and dreamy views of water-lily-studded ponds. While gazing over one of these ponds, Genna decides on a light and fluffy asparagus soufflé. This recipe comes from Simply Recipes.
One of the charming green bridges in Monet’s garden at Giverny
Parc Buttes Chaumont
This wonderful neighborhood park in the 19th arrondissement is the fifth largest park in Paris and almost completely bypassed by tourists. Wander several kilometers of pathways and admire the evocative Temple de la Sibylle perched on a cliff overlooking the lower garden.
In Love Among the Recipes, Genna pairs the park–a favorite with families–with a family-friendly recipe for Chicken & 40 Cloves of Garlic that she serves to an appreciative Monsieur Leblanc, her landlord. This version comes from Jo Cooks.
Temple de la Sibylle in Parc Buttes Chaumont
Parc de la Villette
This massive park, also in the 19th arrondissement, is full of interesting things to see and do. It’s home to one of the largest concentrations of cultural venues in Paris, including the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, Europe’s largest science museum; three major concert venues, including the Philharmonie de Paris; and La Géode, an Omnimax theater. Also in the park are ten themed gardens, including the Jardin du Dragon, along with 26 follies–large, bright red metal sculptures.
In Love Among the Recipes, Genna visits Parc de la Villette with Pierre Leblanc and later tells him she’s pairing the park with a Pork Terrine with Roasted Red Peppers and Hazelnuts. Here’s an excerpt from her conversation with Pierre:
“A layered terrine of pork pâté with roasted red peppers and a layer or two of nuts all pressed into a perfect rectangle. When you cut the terrine into thick slices, all the layers are exposed.”
“Like the structures of the park in nature.”
“Exactly!” Genna put down her fork and grinned at Pierre. “You are an amazing inspiration, Pierre. That’s the second good connection I’ve made, thanks to you.”
This delightful park in the 8th arrondissement contains a number of interesting follies, including a miniature ancient Egyptian pyramid, a Roman colonnade, antique statues, a pond full of water lilies, a Dutch windmill, a minaret, and an enchanted grotto. Far off the tourist path, the Parc Monceau is the perfect place for an after-lunch stroll.
The Paris Métro is efficient, fast, and cheap. You can’t beat it as the quickest way to cross the city when you don’t want to take a taxi driven by a French driver with a death wish. If you have more time to get where you’re going, take busses so that you can watch the passing parade of Parisian sights and people. But if you’re in a hurry, descend to the Métro, check your route on the illuminated maps, and enjoy the ride.
While waiting in the Métro, Genna is struck by its relationship to the humble pissaladière, a pizza-like flatbread criss-crossed with anchovies and studded with olives. This recipe comes from Serious Eats.
Île de la Cité
Before fire devastated Notre-Dame Cathedral in 2019, one of my favorite things to do on a warm evening was to stroll around the magical Île de la Cité. Repairs to the cathedral are progressing, but we likely won’t see the cathedral in all its floodlit glory for quite some time.
In Love Among the Recipes, Genna pairs Île de la Cité with Rainbow Trout as a result of a tip from the irascible but kind-hearted and seriously committed foodie, Monsieur Leblanc. The recipe is from Dinner with Julie.
Near the Île de la Cité on a chilly spring day
L’Opéra Bastille
I was fortunate to see a performance of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung at L’Opéra Bastille a few years ago. A remarkable structure, the opera house in the Place de la Bastille in the 12th arrondissement was inaugurated in 1989 and is the home of the Paris National Opera.
In Love Among the Recipes, Genna is inspired by the wrapped and layered exterior of the opera house to create a recipe for veal cutlets in parchment (Escalopes de veau en papillote).
L’Opéra Bastille
Les Halles
Back in the day (and as recently as 1971), Les Halles was Paris’s central fresh-food market. Now, the market is part of a massive underground shopping mall. Les Halles is usually an area I traverse through long tunnels when changing lines at the Châtelet–Les Halles Métro stop. It’s one of the largest underground stations in the world that connects three of five RER lines and five of the sixteen Métro lines.
Thanks once again to the refined palate of Monsieur Leblanc, Genna pairs Les Halles with a recipe for Rabbit in Mustard Sauce.
Plaza above Les Halles
Montmartre
Montmartre overlooks Paris atop a large hill in the 18th arrondisement. It’s dominated by the ice-cream-cone domes of the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur and includes plenty of charming cafés and an artsy atmosphere. However, each time I’ve visited, the crowds have been intense and so I usually haven’t stayed long. On the other hand, the views across the Paris skyline from Sacré-Cœur are magnificent, and I do remember our daughter at the age of nine enjoying the carousel at the base of the basilica.
Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur with the carousel at its base
Place du Tertre in Montmartre
The Place du Tertre teems with sidewalk cafés, street artists, locals, and tourists. At the beginning of the 20th century, the area was home to many famous painters, including Picasso and Modigliani. The home and studio of Renoir and Suzanne Valadon are also nearby.
The lively and cheerful area is a perfect match for macarons–the crispy, chewy, gloriously colorful confections that take pride of place in every French patisserie. This recipe comes from Serious Eats.
Place du Tertre in Montmartre
Place de la Concorde
The busy Place de la Concorde symbolizes monumental Paris. Stand in the middle of it and you can see many of the most famous sites in Paris, from the giant Ferris wheel to the Egyptian obelisk to the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Genna chooses the elegant French cookies called madeleines to pair with the Place de la Concorde.
Place de la Concorde
Tuileries Gardens
After trudging through the Louvre in search of great art, nothing beats taking some “me” time in one of the metal chairs arranged around fountains in the Tuileries Gardens. The flower beds overflow with color, the crowds swish past, and all is right with the world.
In Love Among the Recipes, Genna and Bill relax in the Tuileries before heading across the river to the Right Bank and Bill’s posh hotel on the Rue Saint-Honoré. Before they leave the gardens, Genna matches the Tuileries Gardens with Salade Niçoise, a hearty salad brimming with fresh anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, green beans, tuna, tomatoes, and potatoes. As Genna says, “every bite is a new combination of salty and crunchy.” This recipe comes from Serious Eats.
Gregg relaxing in one of the metal chairs in the Tuileries Gardens
Versailles
Versailles, the sumptuous palace of French kings and queens, is worth the day trip from Paris, but arrive early to avoid the crowds! Tour the palace first and then spend the rest of your time wandering around the grounds. You can easily walk all day and not come close to exploring all 2,000-plus acres of what is considered the world’s largest royal domain.
I find the interior of Versailles too over the top and opulent for my taste, but it is worth seeing. I remember experiencing terrible claustrophobia trapped in a heaving mass of tourists in the famous Hall of Mirrors, which is why I suggest getting to the palace as soon as it opens. Outside the palace, the grounds and fountains are truly spectacular. Schedule your visit on a day when the fountains are playing. Check the Versailles website for times.
Genna visits Versailles with Pierre Leblanc, and together they come up with Caesar Salad as the perfect dish to pair with the royal residence. This recipe comes from Serious Eats.
Hall of Mirrors in Versailles
Book your tickets well in advance and skip the line for the Palace of Versailles. The Palace is open every day except Monday from 9 am.
Have you read Love Among the Recipes? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
As the largest country in western Europe, France has more than its fair share of amazing places to visit.
I’ve been going to France since 1970 when, at the age of 14, I traveled around Europe with my mother on a budget of about $10 a day (you can read about that trip in My Story. This amount covered our hotels, city tours, meals, and probably even our Eurail passes. I don’t remember exactly because I wasn’t paying the bill.
Since then, I’ve returned to France numerous times—both alone and with Gregg (usually with Gregg). In the past ten years, we’ve visited France together eight times, bringing my lifetime total to 17 visits.
So if you’re wondering why I’m listing 17 places to visit in France, now you know! I want to celebrate my 17 visits to France by listing my 17 quirky, fascinating, amazing favorites. Each holds special memories for me that I want to share with other artsy travelers.
In the Normandy countryside about an hour south of Honfleur, one of my 17 Awesome Places in France
Map of France Showing My 17 Choices
The map below shows my 17 choices in the order in which I mention them, starting with Honfleur (#1) and ending with the Fontainebleau Forest (#17). If you have wheels, you could easily string together an around-France itinerary using these 17 places as stop-over points.
I also include a Google map showing the location of each individual place following its description in the post.
You may not have heard of all of theses places to visit in France, but each is worth a visit.
For a place to make my list, it needed to have an artsy component, be beautiful (not hard to do in France), and be off the beaten path. As a result, you won’t find the big name places like Paris, Nice, and Lyon on the list (fabulous though they are).
Ready to check out my 17 favorite places to visit in France? Here they are, starting with Honfleur on the Normandy coast northwest of Paris and going in a more or less counter-clockwise direction to take in Brittany, the Loire Valley, the Dordogne, the south of France, the east of France and ending at the Fontainebleau Forest just south of Paris.
#1: Honfleur, Normandy
A few years ago, Gregg and I were fortunate to be artists-in-residence at a gallery located in the Perche region of central Normandy. For two months when we weren’t painting (Gregg) and writing (me), we explored this beautiful and untrammeled area. Although close to Paris, peaceful rural Normandy feels like another country.
On one trip, we went north to the gorgeous little town of Honfleur on the Normandy coast. To our delight, Honfleur was packed with artsy sites.
What is Special About Honfleur as Place to Visit in France?
Art Galleries in Honfleur
First of all, if you’re looking to purchase art, Honfleur is renowned for its galleries. You can spend many happy hours browsing the offerings in the galleries lining the streets leading to the harbor.
From an architectural perspective, Honfleur has much to offer. The Church of St. Catherine on the town square was built entirely of wood in the late 15th century by shipwrights. Wander through the church to view its many decorative details.
Church of St. Catherine in Honfleur, Normandy
The Vieux-Bassin
You’ll eventually end up at the harbor (the vieux-bassin), surely one of the most stunning sights in Normandy. The distinctive high and narrow timber-frame houses are reflected in the still water of the boat-filled harbor.
We spent quite a bit of time walking along the harborfront enjoying the gorgeous views and stopping for a dinner of moules et frites (mussels and fries) along with local wine.
The Vieux-Bassin in Honfleur harbor is lined with wonderful cafés.
Museums in Honfleur
Two museums in Honfleur are particularly attractive to the Artsy Museum.
First up is the Musée Eugène Boudin, named after the painter Boudin who was born in Honfleur. The museum exhibits an impressive collection of Boudin’s paintings along with works by other artists who have visited or are closely associated with Honfleur, including some big names: Courbet, Dufy, and Monet (you’ve probably heard of him!).
As a side note, Honfleur is not far from Étretat which we also visited. Courbet, Boudin and Monet each painted these cliffs.
Alabaster Coast at Étretat. Aval cliff. Normandy, France.
But our favorite of the two museums we visited in Honfleur is the entrancingly eccentric Maisons Satie. Housed in the birthplace of the composer and darling of the Dadaists, Erik Satie (1866-1925), the museum takes you on an interactive tour of Satie’s music.
Armed with an audio guide, you prowl through dark rooms and activate various musical themes from Satie’s work. It’s a playhouse for music-loving grownups that puts the q in quirky.
If you love Satie’s music (Gymnopedies and Gnossienne are his most famous works), then don’t miss this wacky, wonderful museum.
Getting to Honfleur
Location of Honfleur northwest of Paris
Honfleur is about a two-hour drive northwest of Paris. The Normandy coast from Honfleur in the northeast to Mont St. Michel in the southwest on the border with Brittany is worth a good long stay.
In addition to Étretat, two other highlights of this fascinating section of coastline are the D-Day beaches and Bayeux. Both places witnessed invasions, a millennium apart.
D-Day Beaches in Normandy Near Honfleur
At the D-Day beaches, I was struck by the spectacular beauty of this stretch of coastline. That it was the scene of so much death and destruction in 1944 is sobering. We visited the marvelous museum and memorial at Juno Beach where the Canadians landed. The Caen Memorial Museum near Caen south of the beaches is also worth a visit.
You can take a guided tour of the area from Paris.
Omaha BeachPortion of the Bayeux tapestry showing Edward the Confessor who is looking a trifle bemused
Bayeux Tapestry
A millennium earlier, the French went in the opposite direction to invade England. At Bayeux, you can see the Bayeux tapestry that documents the invasion. The audio guide presentation of the tapestry is excellent–a definite must-see.
Honfleur makes a good home base for a few days while you tour the area. We stayed at the Hôtel L’Ecrin, a lovely old mansion house set in beautiful gardens that included a pool. Free parking was a bonus as was the location of the hotel, an easy stroll to the harbor.
Check the map below for other accommodation options in the area.
Gregg and I have visited the spectacular Côte de Granit Rose twice and hope to return. Thanks to its many plages (beaches), the area is a popular destination in the summer for French families. But the area doesn’t feel touristy or crowded.
What is Special About the Côte de Granit Rose as a Place to Visit in France?
The thirty-kilometer stretch of pink granite rocks twisted into fantastic shapes is considered one of the most outstanding coastlines in Europe. The marriage of pink rocks with turquoise ocean has inspired many artists, notably the French surrealist artist Yves Tanguy (1900-1955).
The Côte de Granit Rose in northern Brittany is a delight for the senses.
This area is perfect for walking and hiking. In fact, you can walk the sentier de douaniers, a former coastguard footpath, from Perros-Guirec via Ploumanac’h to Trégastel Plage. You’ll pass rocks that make you think of slabs of pink-tinted fudge huddled around invitingly sandy coves perfect for paddling in.
The last time we were in the area, a violent windstorm reminded us how nature is her own best artist, using wind and water to sculpt the rocks into such fantastic shapes.
Getting to the Côte de Granit Rose
The 30-kilometer stretch of coastline between Perros-Guirec and Trégastel is known as the Côte de Granit Rose.
You need a car to tour this area of northern Brittany. Consider allocating a week to enjoy two or three areas in Brittany–perhaps two nights in the Côte de Granit Rose, two nights farther west in Crozon in the Parc Naturel Regional d’Armorique, and then two nights farther south near Carnac.
For even more amazing coastline, go farther west to the Pointe de Pen-Hir on the Crozon peninsula in Brittany.
But even a week isn’t long enough. You could easily spend two weeks!
In Brittany, driving is slow along small country roads, and Brittany itself is surprisingly large and varied. Take your time to explore both the northern and the western/southern coasts of this spectacular peninsula.
Did you know that in Brittany, people consider themselves Bretons first, French second? You will occasionally see signs written in Breton–a language related to the Celtic languages of the British isles. After all, Brittany is not far from Cornwall in England.
Practical Tips for Your Visit to the Côte de Granit Rose
We always found delightful small hotels in Brittany. Another option is to rent a house for an extended stay. And while you’re in Brittany, make sure you sample plenty of galettes–the Breton crepes.
Towns to stay at in the area include Trégastel, Perros-Guirec, and Saint-Guirec.
Known as the island of ancient stones, tiny Gavrinis is located in the Gulf of Morbihan, renowned as one of the largest and most beautiful bodies of water in France.
In an area brimming with ancient burial sites, stone alignments, and other Neolithic sites, the burial chamber at Gavrinis is considered one of the most interesting.
What is Special about Gavrinis as a Place to Visit in France?
The Neolithic structure on the island of Gavrinis consists of a tumulus (earth mound) that covers a cairn (stone mound) that in turn covers a dolmen within which is the stone burial chamber. We were told that at Winter Solstice, the sun shines down the passageway and hits the back wall.
How did Neolithic people figure out how to do that? I haven’t a clue, but I love visiting neolithic sites, like Carnac in Brittany and of course, the big kahuna, Stonehenge in England, to try and find out.
What makes Gavrinis unique are the swirling patterns and symbols cut deep into 23 of the 29 rock slabs that form the 24-meter passageway leading to the burial chamber. The designs were cut into the stone over 5,500 years ago (3,500 BC) by some very artistic and amazing people.
[CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]–Gavrinis passage. Replica in the “Musée des tumulus de Bougon” (Deux-Sèvres), France.
Who were they and why did they make the carvings? You’ll find out on the 90-minute guided tour (including the boat trip) required to view the burial chamber.
The carved patterns are startling in their modernity—zigzag lines, swirls, lozenges, and circles. Some of the shapes appear to be non-abstract objects, such as axes and horns.
Getting To Gavrinis
Gavrinis is located in the Gulf of Morbihan in the southern area of Brittany in western France – Map data @ 2019 Google
The island is accessible by a guided tour from the small town of Larmor-Baden. The boat trip across the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Morbihan makes the 90-minute tour especially enjoyable.
Boat trip across the Gulf of Morbihan to the island of Gavrinis
Check the Brittany Tourism site for more information about touring Gavrinis.
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Gavrinis
The Gulf of Morbihan area is worth several days of your time so you can explore dozens more Neolithic sites and enjoy the marine scenery.
The island of Gavrinis is uninhabited and the village of Larmor-Baden where you catch the boat to tour Gavrinis doesn’t have much in the way of accommodations. However, you’ll find plenty of small, family-run hotels in the area. Zoom out the map below to find some options.
The Loire Valley is famous for its beauty, its wine, and its châteaux. It’s definitely a must-visit place in France! Even if you don’t have a week to explore, consider taking a day trip from Paris to at least see the highlights.
Back in the days before the French Revolution, kings and dukes and marquises and your basic blue-blood types built their summer cottages in the Loire Valley.
Château de Chenonceau is a French castle spanning the River Cher near Chenonceaux village, Loire valley in France
Okay, cottages is maybe a bit of a misnomer. The number, variety, size, and awesomeness of the châteaux in the Loire is astonishing. You won’t run out of architectural wonders to gawk at, ornamental gardens to wander through, and history to learn.
What is Special about Chenonceau as a Place to Visit in France?
The Château de Chenonceau is my favorite Loire Valley château.
A series of graceful arches supports the château across the river Cher. In World War II, Vichy France was on one side of the river and Free France was on the other. I wonder how many people used the château to escape to freedom.
The first château dated from the 12th and 13th centuries, of which only the dungeon remains: the Tour des Marques. The château in its current form was built between 1513 and 1517.
Women have played an outsized role in the development of Chenonceau. Henry II gave the château to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who, shortly after his death, was kicked out by his wife, Queen Catherine d’Medici. Catherine managed the Kingdom of France from her study, the Green Cabinet at Chenonceau.
In the 18th century, Louise Dupin, an exceptional woman who drafted a Code of Women’s Rights, entertained some of the biggest names of the Age of Enlightenment at Chenonceau.
During your visit through the sumptuous rooms, you’ll learn all about these remarkable women and a lot more. Also visit the formal gardens and imagine yourself in Renaissance dress taking your morning constitutional. There is even a maze!
If you had money back in those days, you sure had it made.
Getting to Chenonceau
Chenonceau is located on the Cher river 214 km west of Paris and 34 km east of Tours. If you don’t have time to stay in the Loire Valley, consider taking a tour from Paris. Here are some options.
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Chenonceau
Spend several days in the Loire Valley so you can visit more than one château, but limit yourself to two a day, at most. Château-visiting gets tiring after a while. Less is more.
To minimize driving, spend two or three days around Tours near Chenonceau and then another two or three days closer to Blois. You won’t run out of places to visit.
Another highlight of a visit to the Loire Valley and the area around Chenonceau is the opportunity to sample excellent wine and food. Of course, that’s true pretty much anywhere in France, but the Loire Valley is particularly blessed.
Zoom out the map below to find accommodation options in the Loire Valley.
For more information about visiting Chenonceau, check the website.
#5: Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, Dordogne, Aquitaine
I chose Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil (Les Eyzies for short) because it’s smack in the middle of some of the Dordogne’s most compelling prehistory attractions.
Houses in the town of Les Eyzies, Dordogne, France under the shadow of overhanging limestone cliffs
Gregg and I are suckers for prehistory–cave paintings, dolmens, megalithic monuments, archeological museums, the lot. If it’s really old, we like it. And if you are also that way inclined, head for this area of the Dordogne around Les Eyzies.
What is Special about Les Eyzies as a Place to Visit in France?
It’s small and charming and is the location of the wonderful Musée National de Préhistoire. Start your exploration here to discover the rich paleolithic heritage of the Vézère Valley, also known as the European “Valley of Man.”
Musée National de Préhistoire in Les Eyzies
Not far from Les Eyzies is the Grotte de Font-de-Gaume where you can view over 800 engravings and drawings of prehistoric horses, bison, aurochs, lions, reindeer, and more.
The Font-de-Gaume is one of the few extensive prehistoric caves still open to the public. Check online for information and to buy tickets. Admission is limited so make sure you buy your tickets well in advance of your visit.
You’ll find many more prehistoric sites in the area. Stay a few days around Les Eyzies and then drive about thirty minutes north to Montignac to visit Lascaux II. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit there and recommend it to anyone interested in prehistoric cave painting.
Yes, Lascaux II is a replica of 90% of the paintings found in the original cave, but it is still awe-inspiring. You must take the 40-minute guided tour. Check the website for information.
Getting to Les Eyzies
Les Eyzies is a two-hour drive east of Bordeaux in the Aquitaine region of southwest France. Consider staying for several days in the area. In addition to exploring prehistoric sites, châteaux. and super-charming villages, you will find many great restaurants.
We had one of the best meals we’ve enjoyed in France (and that’s saying something) at a restaurant overlooking a sleepy canal not far from Les Eyzies.
Dinner next to a canal in the DordogneL’Escargots
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Les Eyzies
You’ll find plenty of charming family-run places in the area. On one trip, we stayed in the tiny village of Thonac about halfway between Motignanc and Les Eyzies. The place was on the Vézère River, which we spent an afternoon canoeing down. Heavenly.
Zoom to see accommodation options in the Dordogne.
Albi in southwest France is a charmingly walkable city with a wonderful red brick cathedral and the world-class Musée Toulouse-Lautrec. If you’re on your way to the Pyrénées, take a day out for Albi.
What is Special about Albi as a Place to Visit in France?
It’s just so darned pretty with its red bricks glowing in the evening light, good restaurants, panoramas over the River Tarn, and laid-back atmosphere.
I also like that it’s steeped in the history of the Cathars–the enlightened sect that practiced a form of proto-Protestantism and refused to recognize the authority of the Catholic church. That didn’t go down too well with the Church (no surprise there) and led to the Cathars being cruelly wiped out in the Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229).
Dominating the ridge above the Tarn River, the cathedral was built a few decades after the conflict and looks more like a fortress than a church. It’s the only large gothic cathedral built out of bricks (pink ones at that) rather than stone.
Here’s a view of the cathedral from our bed-and-breakfast across the river.
Cathedral in Albi
In addition to the cathedral, the big attraction in Albi is the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec located in the also-pink-bricked medieval Palais de la Berbie next to the cathedral.
Albi is located 85 km northeast of Toulouse. I recommend staying the night so you can wander around the narrow cobbled streets in the evening and watch the sun as it sets over the cathedral.
Map showing the location of Albi in southwest France
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Albi
Albi makes a good stop either on your way east from the Dordogne or on your way west toward the Pyrenees and Spain. It’s far enough off the beaten track to retain its provincial feel while still maintaining good tourist services.
#7: Chaos of Montpellier-le-Vieux, Milau, Midi-Pyrénées
If you like weird rock formations, you must pay a visit to the Chaos of Montpellier-le-Vieux. Situated in the heart of the Grand Causses Regional Natural Park about 15 km from Milau and south of the Ardeche area of southwest France, the Chaos is far off the beaten path. You’ll need to plan a special trip.
Panorama at the Chaos of Montpellier-le-Vieux Photo Credit: La Cité de Pierres
What is Special about Chaos of Montpellier- le-Vieux as a Place to Visit in France?
The Chaos is nature’s art gallery–a maze of canyons bristling with tortured limestone formations. You’ll find over 30 natural works of art, the result of centuries of erosion, with fanciful names such as The Great Sphinx, L’Arc de Triomphe, The Crocodile, The Cathedral, and the Chair of the Devil.
The most accessible rock formations are contained within a 120-hectare area called La Cité de Pierres. On the website, you’ll find information and pictures about the geology, the 30 natural works of “roc-Art”, the 12 rock shelters showing evidence of human habitation from the Neolithic period to the Middle Ages, and some beautiful panoramas.
Getting to Chaos of Montpellier-le-Vieux
It’s pretty remote! We visited while enroute from the city of Montpellier on the Mediterranean northwest toward Albi.
Map showing the location of the Chaos de Montpellier-le-Vieux in southwest France
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Chaos of Montpellier-le-Vieux
The area is rugged with some of the most precipitous roads we’ve ever driven in Europe. Leave yourself plenty of time and consider staying the night in Milau.
South of Arles and bordering on the Mediterranean Sea is Europe’s largest river delta–the vast, flat, and wildlife-teeming Camargue. Every time we visit, we declare that we really need to stay longer to explore the lakes and marshlands.
The Parc naturel régional de Camargue protects the area and provides visitors with facilities such as observation towers, information boards, themed trails, and guided tours.
What is Special about the Camargue as a Place to Visit in France?
The wild and flat scenery is beautiful, but for me the big attraction of the Camargue is its wildlife–horses, bulls, and especially flamingos. I don’t know why, but it feels very exotic to come across flocks of flamingos in Europe. Even from the road, you can see them standing serenely in the marshes, looking pink and delightful. If you’re into birds, the Camargue is a must-see with more than 400 species of birds.
Pink flamingos in the Camargue
On one trip to the beach, we were surprised to look across the marsh from where we’d parked the car and see several very large, very horned grazing bulls. We stayed clear! Shortly after seeing the bulls, Gregg dove into a foot of water (he thought it was deeper) and smacked his head on the sea bottom. Fortunately, it was sand, but the bruise persisted for many days!
Black Camarguais bulls in swamp, southern France
And of course, if you’re lucky, you’ll see the famous Camargue horses galloping freely, white manes flowing. Riding stables are scattered throughout the area if you harbor fantasies of riding a horse along the beach. Here’s a TripAdvisor list of horseback riding tours accessible from Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
White Camargue horses running free
Getting to the Camargue
The Camargue is located between Montpellier in the west and Marseille in the east. Drive south from Arles and you’re in the Camargue.
Map showing the location of the Parc naturel régional de Camargue west of Marseille
A good strategy for exploring the area in a few days is to home base in either Arles or Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer. We like both places for different reasons. Arles has the Roman arena and, of course, its association with Vincent van Gogh. With its winding streets, good shopping, and outdoor cafes, it’s a very pleasant town to spend time in.
Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer is, as its name suggests, on the Mediterranean Sea. Bristling with boats, cute shops, and cafes, the town is well worth a visit. When we were last there, it was mid-springtime, and the place was virtually deserted.
On the beach near Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer
Practical Tips for Your Visit to the Camargue
Two words: mosquito repellent! We got caught without any while taking a stroll through the Camargue wetlands in mid-summer and oh, dear. It was not pretty. I tried counting how many mosquito bites I got and had to give up.
We discovered a brand of mosquito repellent in France called Le Camargue. That tells you something.
This relatively new attraction in a quarry near Les Baux-de-Provence brings you up close and personal with massive projections of artworks, particularly the art of Vincent van Gogh. Managed by CultureSpaces, the exhibition is a “digital immersive experience.”
Van Gogh Experience at Carrières de Lumières
We visited in June 2019 and saw two “experiences”: Van Gogh and Japanese Prints. Both ran about 30 minutes and were accompanied by music.
What is Special about Carrières de Lumières as a Place to Visit in France?
Digital immersive experiences are definitely becoming a thing. The CultureSpaces website list three digital art centres in France: The Carrières de Lumières in Les-Baux-de-Provence, the Atelier des Lumières in Paris, and the Bassins de Lumières in Bordeaux.
In the enormous interior space that was once a rock quarry, artworks are projected and duplicated. You are literally walking into the art. The experience is truly remarkable.
Here’s a video I took of the van Gogh performance when the sunflower paintings were being projected. The venue is dark, but you can get some idea of the scale of the projections.
Getting to Carrières de Lumières
The Carrières de Lumières is located 800 m from the Château des Baux-de-Provence, 15 km north-east of Arles and 30 km south of Avignon.
Map showing the location of Carrières de Lumières near Les-Baux-de-Provence
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Carrières de Lumières
Purchase your tickets in advance. Admission to the Carrières is strictly limited so if you don’t have advance tickets, you may be out of luck. Parking near the venue is also very limited. Check the website for details.
Once you’ve toured the Carrières de Lumières, spend some time exploring Les Baux-de-Provence, preferably in the late afternoon or early evening when the bus tours have pulled out. From the ramparts at the top of the village, you get a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside.
Each time we’ve stayed near Les Baux-de-Provence, we’ve found wonderful rural properties with pools. Here’s a video I shot on the grounds of the Domaine du Mas Foucray situated near the small town of Maussane-les-Alpilles and within sight of Les-Baux-de-Provence. Billed as an aparthotel, our one-bedroom suite included a kitchen and sitting area and a private terrace. In early July when we were there, we picked fresh apricots off the trees.
Roussillon has been a family favorite since we first discovered it 25 years ago. The red and ocher walls of the village houses distinguish it from other villages in the Luberon area.
The village itself is truly lovely in an area full of lovely villages, including Bonnieux, Ménerbes and Gordes. Pick any village in the Luberon and settle in for several days.
Colorful houses in the village of Roussillon
What is Special about Roussillon as a Place to Visit in France ?
What really distinguishes Roussillon are the ochre cliffs situated about 200 meters from the entrance to the village. Trails that make up the Le Sentier des Ocres wind through this magical area where the vivid oranges, yellows and reds of the ochre cliffs contrast with the green trees and brilliant blue Provençal sky.
Ochre landscape at Roussillon in Provence, France
When you arrive in Roussillon, leave your car in the main parking area and walk to where Le Sentier des Ocres starts. Visit Roussillon late in the day, say, about an hour before the quarry closes. Then you can enjoy it relatively crowd-free and take spectacular photographs of the ochre cliffs in the afternoon sun. After your stroll through the quarry, wander around the village and have dinner at one of the local restaurants.
Several shops sell locally produced ceramics (I have a piece on my desk as I write) and other Provence-themed products. End the day by dining at one of the many restaurants in the village. Most have terraces and beautiful views.
At the Le Sentier des Ocres near Roussillon
Getting to Roussillon
Roussillon is about an hour’s drive east of Avignon. The main villages–Gordes, Ménerbes, and Bonnieux– are close by. You need a car to enjoy the area.
Map showing the location of Roussillon in the Luberon region of Provence
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Roussillon
Here are two highly recommended hotels in the Luberon, one in Roussillon and one in Gordes.
Les Sables d’Ocre – A 15-minute walk from the village of Roussillon, this place sets the bar for what a country-style, family-run, low-key, easy-on-the-budget place should be. Book a room that includes a terrace. You’ll have your own private outdoor space and be steps from the pool.
Domaine de l’Enclos – This place close to Gordes–one of the most beautiful hill towns in the area–is wonderful. We snagged a room with a terrace which Gregg made use of to do some drawing. The views from the garden over the Luberon are spectacular.
For more accommodation options, check the map below.
On a beautiful May day in 2018, we drove into the hills behind Aix-en-Provence with no particular destination in mind. The day was gorgeous–fluffy white clouds, not too hot, fresh breeze. Perfection!
We hoped to stumble across a nice side-of-the-road restaurant to enjoy a hearty Provençal lunch, preferably overlooking the landscape that had inspired Cézanne.
Rounding a bend in the twisty secondary road, I saw a sign to Château La Coste. I didn’t know anything about the place, but in the vague hope that it would have a café attached to it, I told Gregg to turn left and follow the signs.
And so we discovered lovely and luscious Château La Coste with its gourmet lunch and, best of all, its several hectares of modern outdoor sculptures.
What is Special about Château La Coste as a Place to Visit in France?
Château La Coste is a vineyard that also features a fabulous art walk populated with modern sculpture. Artists and architects from around the world were invited to visit the domaine and choose a place in the landscape on which to create a sculpture or installation.
The resulting Art Walk is an eclectic array of pieces, many which move with the wind and can be pushed, sat upon, and walked through. The Art Walk is extensive and includes hills, so put on your walking shoes and bring water.
Here’s a selection of pieces we explored.
Gregg walking through a colorful sculptureSculpture by Calder at the entrance to the Château La CosteSculpture in front of the glorious Provence landscape at Château La Coste
Getting to Château La Coste
Château La Coste is about 15 km north of Aix-en-Provence along a beautiful winding secondary road with gorgeous views over the countryside. Drop in for lunch (the food was fabulous!), pick up a few bottles of wine, and do the Art Walk. You can easily spend an entire afternoon there.
Map showing the location of Château La Coste north of Aix-en-Provence
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Château La Coste
You can go all out and spend a night (or three) at the Villa La Coste, billed as a luxury hotel and spa. It’s way out of our price range, but wow – it looks amazing!
When you drive into Seillans, a hill town in the Var region of Provence, you are greeted by a sign announcing Seillans as among the Plus Beaux Villages de France; that is, one of the most beautiful villages in France.
You see these signs all over France at the entrance to villages. On the official website, 159 villages are currently listed. Follow the link above to view them. The website is in French, but the site includes plenty of pictures and maps.
What is Special about Seillans as a Place to Visit in France?
We don’t love Seillans because it’s beautiful (and it really is). We love it because of its association with Gregg’s favorite surrealist artist—Max Ernst.
From 1964 until his death in 1976, Max Ernst lived in Seillans with his wife, Dorothea Tanning, another noted surrealist artist. View a selection of their lithographs at the Seillans tourist office located in the main square about 100 meters from the parking area.
Large black-and-white photographs of Ernst are posted on the stone wall lining the cobbled street leading down to the square.
Max Ernst and Gregg, just before Gregg hangs an exhibition of his paintings in Seillans
Just past the square is the exhibition space—the Salle du Couvent (a former convent) in which Gregg has twice exhibited his work, most recently in June, 2019.
We spent two weeks in Seillans. While Gregg chatted with visitors to his exhibition, I wandered around Seillans, snapping pictures and communing with the ghosts of the centuries of humanity who made Seillans home.
Seillans was likely founded around 500 BC by the Saillens, a Celtic-Ligurian tribe. The village grew slowly with one of the oldest surviving structures, the castle from the 11th century, located at the top of the village.
You can only explore Seillans by foot. Drive up the steep road leading from the lower entrance to the village as far as you can go, then leave your car in the large and shady parking lot. From there, walk into the village to explore its quaint and shady streets.
Seillans is about a 30-minute drive from the A8 motorway that connects the Riviera with Aix-en-Provence, Marseille, and western France. You can choose to exit the motorway at two places. Coming from the west (Aix-en-Provence or Marseille), take Exit 36 and drive north toward Callas. You’ll pass gorgeous wineries sprawling across the rolling countryside.
Vineyards in the Var region of southern France
Coming from the east (Nice or Cannes), take Exit 39 and drive alongside the stunning Lac de Saint-Cassien that is actually reservoir and accessible at several points for water sports.
Map showing the location of Seillans in the Var region of Provence in southern France
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Seillans
Seillans is one of several appealing villages in the Var region of Provence. The region is perfect for a one-week stay to fully immerse yourself in the heat and beauty of this relatively under-touristed area. You are only about an hour from the glitz and galleries of the Cote d’Azur; about 40 minutes due south are Sainte-Raphael and Frejus where you can swim in the Mediterranean.
Overlooking the Mediterranean from Cap Esterel about 40 minutes south of Seillans
And if you go to Seillans even for a short visit, stay overnight in the area and have dinner at one of Seillans’ wonderful small restaurants. We enjoyed a marvelous meal at Chez Hugo which perches on the edge of Seillans overlooking the bucolic Var countryside.
You’ll find small B&B’s in the area along with several homestay options. We rented a house for two weeks through HomeAway. The house was about a 30-minute walk to the village of Seillans along a lovely country road.
To find other accommodation options in the area, zoom out on the map below.
Over the years, we’ve stayed in a few towns in the hills above Cannes and Nice in the Côte d’Azur. Our favorite is still Vence. It’s big enough to feel like a real town and old and quaint enough to be enjoyable to stroll around.
Whenever we fantasize about living in the south of France, we inevitably agree that Vence would be the perfect location.
What is Special about Vence as a Place to Visit in France?
The town itself is the attraction. Perched high above the Mediterranean Sea, it feels a world away from the glitz and bustle of cities like Canne and Nice. The pedestrian-only medieval streets are quiet and relatively crowd-free, certainly compared to the towns bordering the sea.
Enjoy lunch or dinner in a café, do some shopping, and take in an art exhibition
A highlight of a trip to Vence is touring the Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence, otherwise known as the Matisse Chapel. The stained glass and murals are spare and modern. Matisse himself considered the chapel his masterpiece.
Getting to Vence
You need a car to really enjoy Vence and the surrounding areas. Drive farther north up the Col de Vence to enjoy stunning views of the countryside and the Mediterranean. Also visit Saint-Paul-de-Vence a few kilometers south. The Fondation Maeght is the big attraction there. Read about it in Top Ten Modern Art Museums in Europe.
Map showing the location of Vence between Cannes and Nice
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Vence
In all the years we’ve been visiting the area, we’ve never not found great, family-run hotels to stay in. Here are some options.
The last time we visited Monte Carlo (which I know is technically not in France), we did so by mistake. The house we’d rented way up in the hills above Monaco turned out to not be available when we arrived, and we were obliged to find alternative accommodations.
We rolled down the very steep hills to the Mediterranean and for three nights stayed right on the harbor in Monte Carlo. To Gregg’s delight, our hotel overlooked not only the boats in the harbor but also part of the route of the Monaco Grand Prix. Preparations were underway for the 2018 race while we were there.
Our splurgeworthy 4-star hotel room would shoot from a relatively affordable 200 euros per night to 2000 euros per night on race days!
Harbor at Monte Carlo in Monaco
What is Special about Monte Carlo as a Place to Visit in France?
I never expected to like Monte Carlo so much. I’d visited before but only for a short time–just long enough to see where the casino was but not to go in since we were traveling with Julia.
Monte Carlo and Monaco (they kind of blend together) are compact and easy to walk around. Stay for a few days and just wander the narrow streets and quiet squares. Monaco’s old town up on a bluff overlooking the harbor includes the palace and plenty of charming little streets to get lost in.
Overlooking an interior harbor near the old town in Monaco
A highlight for us was the car museum, especially for Gregg who is a racing car enthusiast. While in Monte Carlo, he completed this piece as a homage to the Monaco Grand Prix.
Straightaway by Gregg Simpson
Getting to Monte Carlo
The area around Monaco is very, very tight. If you don’t have to drive, take the train from Nice. If you’re driving, get to your hotel, park the car, and then walk. On one of our days in Monte Carlo, we caught the train to Menton to visit friends, a much easier way to travel. The traffic on the Côte d’Azur is pretty much always dreadful.
Map showing the location of Monte Carlo and Monaco
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Monte Carlo
We stayed in the fabulous Port Palace Hotel right on the harbor. It was a splurge but worth every penny. The staff were friendly and the room huge, with a view over the boats. Here are other options.
In 1879, a postman named Ferdinand Cheval picked up a stone while on his rounds and over the next 33 years built a fantasy structure that can only be described as surreal. In fact, the surrealists led by André Breton consider postman Cheval’s Palais Idéal as the precursor of surrealistic architecture. Breton, along with other artists, including Max Ernst and Léonara Carington, visited and wrote about the Palais Idéal several times.
Palais Idéal – Source: Wikipedia
The Palais Idéal is also considered a premier example of Naïve art. Ferdinand Cheval, who had no training in art or architecture, is recognized as a pioneer of Naïve art.
The Palais Idéal may be off the beaten track for many tourists, but it is well known to French people. In fact, the day we visited, I wouldn’t be surprised if we were the only English speakers there. It was mobbed by French families eagerly enjoying the quirky melange of cement and rock.
What is Special about Palais Idéal as a Place to Visit in France?
The Palais Idéal is quite simply remarkable. It looks like a cross between Angkor Wat and a strangely ornate wedding cake. You really have to see it and wander through its passageways to admire the incredible details.
You are awestruck by Cheval’s dedication and imagination. If you’re feeling at all cynical about the power of one person’s commitment to fulfilling a dream, visit the Palais Idéal and have your faith in human ingenuity restored.
Getting to Palais Idéal
The Palais Idéal is located about an hour south of Lyon in the village of Hauterives in the Drôme Department of southeast France. Combine a trip to Palais Idéal with a drive through this beautiful area west of the Alps.
Map showing the location of the Palais Idéal in the Drôme Department of southeast France
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Palais Idéal
Check the Palais Idéal website for detailed information about ticket prices and location.
Here are accommodation options in the area of Hauterives.
The city of Strasbourg is not really off the beaten track, but I include it because for us it was a surprise. The Petite France area is utterly charming, with its waterside cafés and Alsatian architecture.
As the chief city of Alsace and a major business center, Strasbourg is also the seat of a number of the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, and the European Court of Human Rights. It’s a hopping place.
What is Special about Strasbourg as a Place to Visit in France?
Strasbourg is the center of Alsatian culture–a unique combination of French and German reflecting a 2000-year history during which custody of Strasbourg frequently changed. The city is also drop-dead gorgeous, with its maze of narrow streets and a melange of architectural styles, including the distinctive half-timbered houses, lining the canals in the Petite France area.
Half-timbered houses in Strasbourg, la Petite France in Alsace
The center of Strasbourg is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Another great attraction of Strasbourg is, predictably, the food! Alsatian cuisine is a unique and hearty combination of French and German, all accompanied with glasses of wine. Strasbourg is close to the Alsatian Wine Trail known for producing Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, and Riesling wines.
Also don’t miss Strasbourg Cathedral with its ornate Gothic facade framing a delicately stunning rose window.
Strasbourg Cathedral at sunrise
Getting to Strasbourg
If you’re coming from or going to Germany, stop a day or two in Strasbourg.
Map showing the location of Strasbourg in Alsace in northeast France
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Strasbourg
Strasbourg’s status as the location for the European Parliament means that it’s very well served by transportation, including an international airport and a TGV train that whisks you to Paris in under two hours.
The Forêt de Fontainebleau is an easy day trip from Paris, but do yourself a favor and settle in for at least one or two nights. That way, you’ll have time to explore both the Château of Fontainebleau and the vast forest, once the hunting grounds of the kings of France and the second-largest national forest in France.
View of the palace of Fontainebleau with White Horse Court
Kilometers of trails criss-cross the forest, taking you past sunlit glades and strange rock formations, many resembling animals, such as elephants, tortoises, and crocodiles.
What is Special about Fontainebleau Forest as a Place to Visit in France?
The Forêt de Fontainebleau has been a mecca for artists since the 19th century when it was the headquarters for the Barbizon group of painters. Gregg was in good company when he created his own series of paintings inspired by the strangely evocative forest. Here are two of his large canvases completed after our first visit to Fontainebleau.
66The Clearing by Gregg Simpson
Impressions of the Fontainebleau Forest by Gregg Simpson
In addition to spending time in the forest, you can’t miss the Palace at Fontainebleau. We were fortunate to visit it just after it opened in the morning and so were the first people to walk through its sumptuous rooms.
I enjoyed our visit to the palace much more than Versailles, which is overcrowded and overpriced. I’m not suggesting you give Versailles a miss—it’s definitely worth seeing. However, if you have time for only one day trip from Paris and you want to see a royal palace, consider the much less touristy, more authentic-feeling Palais de Fontainebleau.
Getting to Fontainebleau Forest
The last time we visited Fontainebleau, we took a train from the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris and then picked up our rental car near the train station at our destination. It’s much less stressful to pick up a rental car in a small town like Fontainebleau than in the middle of Paris (I don’t recommend doing that!).
After spending a day tootling around the forest, we headed south to begin our trip around France.
Allow forty minutes to take the train or drive from Paris to Fontainebleau.
Map showing the location of Fontainebleau south of Paris
Practical Tips for Your Visit to Fontainebleau Forest
The charming town of Fontainebleau contains several of the type of small hotels we favor when traveling in France. Check options on the map below.
Click the image below to discover lots more things to see and do in wonderful France.
Conclusion
Whew! That’s a lot of France! I hope you’ve discovered some new places to visit and re-acquainted yourself with some old favorites.
One of the many things I love about France is how incredibly diverse it is–from the rugged pink granite cliffs in Brittany to the pastoral, château-studded Loire Valley and south through the history-steeped Dordogne, the wild and wonderful chasms of the Cevennes and Ardeche, the rugged beauty of Provence and then back north alongside the Alps to the Germanic flavor of the Alsace, and finally to get royal in Fontainebleau.
I could easily write a post about another 17 awesome places, but these will do for now!
Have you visited any of the places featured in this post? Let other artsy travelers know about your experiences in the comments below.
Here are some more posts to read next to help you plan and enjoy your time in France:
One of the great joys of traveling in Europe as an Artsy Traveler is discovering amazing single-artist museums.
By single-artist museum, I mean a museum established to showcase the art of a specific artist, even if the museum also hosts exhibitions by other artists.
This post recommends lesser known single-artist museums in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, and Spain. I’ve visited all of them, with the exception of the Sorolla Museum in Madrid. Information about this luscious, single-artist museum comes from guest poster Liz Reding who visited the Sorolla Museum in March of 2020, just days before the pandemic shut down Europe.
Map of Europe Showing Museum Locations
The number assigned to each museum in this post corresponds to the number on the map below. For example #1, the Ernst Fuchs Museum is in Vienna (#1 on the map below).
Start in Austria with one of Europe’s weirdest single-artist museums!
If you’re in the mood for quirky and wonderful, then make your way to the Ernst Fuchs Museum in the Wien Hütteldorf, the 14th district of Vienna. You can drive there from central Vienna in about 25 minutes or hop on a bus.
Ernst Fuchs (1930-2015) was an extraordinarily prolific artist who created works infused with eroticism and myth. In the sixties, Fuchs became a style icon and designed architecture, furniture, tapestries, and jewelry. He was a founder of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism and was celebrated internationally.
History of the Ernst Fuchs Museum
Fuchs’s work is displayed in the fabulously restored Wagner House, designed and built in 1888 as a summer house by the renowned Jugendstil architect Otto Wagner. The place is, quite simply, spectacular. Inspired by Palladio, Wagner designed the house in the style of a Roman villa.
Back in the day, the design attracted international attention. The press wrote: “A strange allure is evoked by this peculiar villa . . .Completely deviating from the usual appearance of similar buildings, the frontal view of the house that sits on the flank of a hill only shows a large open hall between two side wings.”
Fuchs bought the villa in 1972 when it was derelict and scheduled for demolition. In two years, he restored the house to its original architectural glory and for many years used the house as his private studio. In 1988, the centenary of the building of the original villa, the Ernst Fuchs Museum opened.
Work of Ernst Fuchs
Fuchs’s work combines the fantastic with elements of the visionary and spiritual, all infused with a healthy dollop of sixties psychedelic and a lot of naked bodies.
You’ll find eroticism everywhere. Even if you’re not a big fan of the work, you will appreciate its complexity and awesome technique. You come away with a new appreciation for the heights made possible by the human imagination.
Although I wasn’t hugely taken by the overly florid and fantastical artworks, I loved the unique architecture, whimsical design elements, gorgeous mosaics, and above all, stunning stained-glass windows.
Images of Ernst Fuchs Museum
I highly recommend a visit to this unique museum that also includes beautifully landscaped gardens. Here are photographs of some of the rooms in the Ernst Fuchs Museum. Source: Ernst Fuchs official website.
Adolf Boehm Salon at the Ernst Fuchs Museum
Grand Salon at the Ernst Fuchs Museum
Roman Bath at the Ernst Fuchs Museum
Explore Ernst Fuchs Museum in 3D
This fantastic website allows you to walk through the museum and use your mouse to zoom in on every painting and design element. It’s one of the best virtual tours I’ve come across.
Visitor Information
The Ernst Fuchs Museum is located at Hüttelbergstraße 26, 1140 Wien and is from from Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. Tickets cost €11 for adults and €6 for students and seniors or €8 with the Wiencard. For more information, see the Ernst Fuchs Museum website.
#2: Musée Toulouse-Lautrec in Albi, France
Located in the charming town of Albi in southwest France, the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec is a total treat. If you’re in the area, put it on your list and leave yourself lots of time to tour the extensive collections.
Who is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec?
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) was a leading French artist famous for capturing the personalities of his subjects in loose, free-flowing lines. Born into a wealthy family in Albi, Toulouse-Lautrec’s interest in art flourished following accidents to his legs in his childhood that incapacitated him and resulted in permanent damage.
In the mid-1880s in Paris, Toulouse-Lautrec began his lifelong association with the bohemian life of the cafés, cabarets, entertainers, and artists in Montmartre.
Henri Toulouse-Lautrec Source: Wikipedia
History of the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec
The Musée Toulouse-Lautrec is housed in the Bishop’s Palace (Palais de la Berbie) next door to Albi Cathedral (also worth a visit). The original palace was built in the 13th-century as a fortress to house the bishops of Albi. The original medieval architecture has been maintained with high, thick walls, and a central courtyard.
Palais de la Berbie in Albi, France (Albi Cathedral to the left)
From the Renaissance to the 18th century, the fortress was transformed into a pleasure palace that included sumptuous state rooms and landscaped formal gardens which you can still visit today.
Overlooking the gardens at the Palais de la Berbie that houses the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec in Albi, France
When we visited the museum soon after it opened in the morning, we practically had the place to ourselves.
And it’s huge! Room after room feature the world’s largest public collection of Lautrec’s paintings, lithographs, drawings, and posters. The collection is laid out in chronological order, starting with Toulouse-Lautrec’s early work and leading to the massive posters for which he is most famous.
In addition to exhibiting Toulouse-Lautrec’s work, the museum includes a large collection of art from the early 20th century. You’ll also view a fine collection of art from earlier periods, displayed in the sumptuously restored palace rooms.
A visit to the museum includes access to the palace’s classical gardens and panoramic views over the Tarn River.
View over the Tarn River in Albi, France
Work of Toulouse-Lautrec
I was fascinated with the looseness of Toulouse-Lautrec’s work. He uses freely handled lines and colors to convey the idea of movement and to infuse his subjects with personality. You can imagine meeting the same people on the streets of Paris today.
Here are two of the works you’ll see in the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec. Both pictures are taken from the website of the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec.
You’ll likely recognize several of the posters that were used to advertise the Moulin Rouge and other popular entertainment venues in late-19th-century Paris.
Moulin Rouge: La Goulue (1981) by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec Photo: Wikipedia
Ambassadeurs – Aristide Bruant (1892) by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec Photo: Wikipedia
Visitor Information
Tickets for adults cost €10 and €5 for students. The address for the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec is Palais de la Berbie, Place Sainte-Cécile. Find the cathedral and you’ll find the adjacent palace. Hours vary depending on the time of year, but for most of the year, the museum is open from 10 am to noon and 2 pm to 6 pm. From June 21 to September 30, the museum is open from 9 am to 6 pm.
Both the cathedral and the palace are built from bricks that glow pink in the setting sun. Here’s a shot of the cathedral from across the river where we stayed in a bed-and-breakfast.
Albi Cathedral in the setting sun
#3: Musée National Fernand Léger in Biot, France
If you’re staying in the Côte d’Azur, put a visit to this museum on your list of must-sees. As the only museum in the world dedicated to the work of Fernand Léger, this purpose-built museum is truly delightful. You’ll see a fabulous collection of Léger’s paintings, sculptures, drawings, ceramics, and tapestries.
Musée National Fernand Léger Photo Credit: Hans G. Oberlack, Creative Commons
Who is Fernand Léger?
Fernand Léger (1881-1955) was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker known for his bright and colorful work–a personal form of cubism known as “tubism”. He often depicted industrial subjects and objects of the consumer age–an art ‘first’–and is considered the forerunner of the pop art movement.
Léger was born in Argentan in Normandy. I recently read that his childhood home is being turned into a museum. That will definitely be on our itinerary the next time we travel in northern France. Check out the article.
In 1955, not long before his death, Léger purchased a villa on the property upon which the museum now stands. Supervised by his widow, construction of the museum began in 1957 with the museum opening to great fanfare in 1960.
The museum exhibits Léger’s work in chronological order, beginning with his realist early work and progressing to his “tubism” period prior to World War I with its emphasis on cylindrical forms and then to his “mechanical period” that was heavily influenced by his war experiences. The collection includes over 450 pieces.
In addition to the collection inside the museum, you’ll want to linger awhile on the grounds to enjoy Léger’s massive sculptures and especially to view the huge murals that cover the outside of the museum.
If you’re traveling with children, the Léger Museum is an excellent stop.
We first visited the museum when Julia was nine years old. She loved it! I think her appreciation for modern art stems partially from that visit. Mind you, growing up surrounded by her dad’s work also likely played a role!
Work of Fernand Léger
Léger’s work is bright, bold, and beautiful. It’s impossible, I think, to tour this museum and not enjoy yourself. The more you study his work, the more you appreciate it.
Here are two works by Léger. Regrettably, I did not take pictures when I visited the museum, so these photos are from the WikiArt website.
“Contrast of Forms” (1918) by Fernand Léger Source: WikiArt
“The Man with the Cane” (1920) by Fernand Léger Source: WikiArt
Visitor Information
Visit the museum every day except Tuesdays, December 25, January 1, and May 1. From November to April, the museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm, and May to October from 10 am to 6 pm. Tickets cost €7.50. Admission is free on the first Sunday of the month. The museum is located at Chemin du Val de Pome, very close to Biot, a small village in the hills above the Côte d’Azur. If you’re traveling by car, you will find it easily. While you’re in the area, don’t miss several other wonderful museums showcasing the work of other 20th-century modern artists.
Two other single-artist museums—the Marc Chagall National Museum in Nice and the Musée National Pablo Picasso in Vallauris— are, like the Léger Museum, part of the network of French National museums in the Alpes-Maritimes department dedicated to 20th-century artists.
#4: Fondation Vasarely in Aix-en-Provence, France
On the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence (one of my favorite towns in the south of France), you’ll find the impressive and undervisited Fondation Vasarely. The museum showcases the massive artworks of Victor Vasarely, a Hungarian-French artist (1906-1997) considered the grandfather and leader of the op art movement.
Fondation Vasarely near Aix-en-Provence, France
Who is Victor Vasarely?
Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) was a French-Hungarian artist who used colorful geometric shapes to create compelling 3D optical illusions.
After settling in Paris in 1930, Vasarely experimented with Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism in the 1940s, then developed his hallmark checkerboard paintings.
Victor Vasarely Source: Wikipedia
History of the Fondation Vasarely
The Fondation Vasarely was opened in 1976 by French president Georges Pompidou.
Each of the seven hexagonal galleries contains six monumental works of art. On our most recent trip there in 2018, some of the artworks were in need of restoration, which is a shame.
Help support the continuation of this stunning museum by paying it a visit when you’re in the area.
Visiting here is like walking through posters from the swinging sixties, which is hardly surprising since the 3D optical illusions that characterize Vasarely’s work have graced the dorm rooms of students for decades.
Work of Victor Vasarely
Here are some of the massive pieces you’ll see at the Fondation Vasarely.
Visitor Information
Located at 1, Avenue Marcel Pagnol on the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence, the distinctive museum is easy to find. Admission is €9 for adults. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 6 pm.
#5: Max Ernst Museum near Cologne, Germany
The stylish Max Ernst Museum is located in Brühl, about a twenty-minute drive from Cologne on the way to Bonn. For Gregg, a visit there on a recent trip to the area was akin to a pilgrimage. Gregg has been a fan of surrealist Max Ernst for decades—pretty much since he first became an artist himself.
Gregg outside the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl near Cologne, Germany
Who is Max Ernst?
Max Ernst (1891-1976) was born in Germany and became a naturalised American in 1948 and a French citizen in 1958. He was a painter, sculptor, graphic artist, collagist, and poet, a pioneer of the Dada movement, and a member of the surrealist group.
Towards the end of his life, Max Ernst, along with his wife, noted painter Dorothea Tanning, moved to the charming village of Seillans in the Var region of Provence. We spent two weeks in Seillans in July 2019 where Gregg had an exhibition in a space close to where Ernst and Tanning lived.
The museum features a marvelous collection of Ernst’s work displayed in a thoughtfully renovated space. A modern glass pavilion is integrated into the horseshoe floor plan of the late-classicist Brühler Pavillon, a popular ballroom and social venue that was erected in 1844 and that Max Ernst himself visited in his youth.
Stylishly renovated Max Ernst Museum in Brühl, Germany Photo: Max Ernst Museum Website
You’ll find an extensive collection of paintings, drawings, frottages, collages, and sculptures spanning over 70 years of Ernst’s influential career, including his time in Brühl and Bonn, his Dadaist activities in the Rhineland, his contributions to the Surrealist movement in France, his exile in the United States during WWII, and finally his return to Europe in 1953.
I especially loved the sculptures on the grounds of the museum.
Work of Max Ernst
Max Ernst was a fabulously prolific artist with work that is detailed and complex and wholly distinctive. Here’s a selection of some of my favorite works by Max Ernst. Pictures are all from the max-ernst.com website.
The museum is located at Comesstraße 42 / Max-Ernst-Allee 1, 50321 Brühl and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. At present (May, 2020), admission to the museum is free. For current information, check the museum website.
#6: René Magritte Museum in Brussels, Belgium
The full name of the museum is the René Magritte Museum – Museum of Abstract Art, a double museum dedicated to Surrealism and Abstraction. Now that’s a double bill I can get behind.
On a recent short visit to Brussels, we made a beeline for the Magritte Museum and were not disappointed. As one of the most iconic figures in the surrealist movement, René Magritte deserves his own museum, and this one is first rate.
Who is René Magritte?
René Magritte (1898-1967) was a Belgian artist and probably one of the best-known surrealists after Salvador Dali. Back in the 1970s, I had a poster of his iconic painting of a massive dove called “The Large Family” on the wall of my student dorm–and I was not the only one.
In the 1920s, Magritte moved to Paris from Belgium and became involved with André Breton and the Surrealist group, of which he was a leading member. He exhibited in 1929 with several of the leading surrealists of the time, including Salvador Dalí, Jean Arp, de Chirico, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Picabia, Picasso, and Yves Tanguy.
In 1930, Magritte returned to Brussels and continued painting there until his death. His imagery has heavily influenced pop, minimalist, and conceptual art.
The museum is relatively new, opened in 1999 shortly after Magritte’s one hundredth birthday. It’s built inside a house that Magritte lived in with his wife and includes an adjoining building that was renovated to showcase 250 masterpieces of Belgian abstract art.
You’ll tour the reconstruction of Magritte’s apartment on the ground floor and then view artworks from a collection that includes over 400 archive documents, photos, and objects, as well as 30 original works. You won’t see some of his most famous works, but you will get a good overview of Magritte’s development.
We loved it!
Work of René Magritte
Magritte’s work is endlessly fascinating–both for its meticulous technique and for its subject matter. Bowler hats, floating rocks, figures that are half animal/half people, and strange juxtapositions of everyday logic. When you tour the museum, you never know what you’re going to see around the next dimly lit corner.
Take your time and enjoy! Here are some of Magritte’s the works from the collection. Photos are all from the Magritte Museum pages on the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium website (Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique)
L’empire des lumières by René Magritte Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Bruxelles / photo : J. Geleyns – Art PhotographyLe Domaine d’Arnheim (1962) by René Magritte – Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Bruxelles / photo : J. Geleyns – Art Photography
La magie noire (1945) by René Magritte Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Bruxelles / photo : J. Geleyns – Art PhotographyGolconde (1953) by René Magritte – Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Bruxelles / photo : J. Geleyns – Art Photography
Visitor Information
Located at Place Royale, Koningsplein 1 in Brussels, admission to the museum is €10 for adults, €8 for seniors, and €3 for students. Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and weekends from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm. Check the website for up-to-date information.
#7: Museo Sorolla in Madrid by Guest Poster Liz Reding
This description of the Sorolla Museum is written by guest poster Liz Reding. She and her husband visited in March, 2020, days before the museum closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Liz Reding: My husband and I have been admirers of the paintings of Joaquín Sorolla for many years, so on our recent trip to Madrid, a visit to the Museo Sorolla was top of our list.
Who is Joaquín Sorolla?
Born in Valencia, Spain, JoaquínSorolla y Bastida (1863-1923) received his art education in Madrid, Rome, and Paris and was a contemporary of Picasso, Matisse, John Singer Sargent, and Andreas Zorn. He and his wife, Clotilde, had three children.
He painted portraits, landscapes, and monumental works depicting social and historical themes.
The Museo Sorolla is located in the home that Sorolla shared with his family, and is considered one of the best-preserved artist houses in Europe. The collection of more than 1,200 pieces is displayed along with the house’s original furniture and objects.
The house is surrounded by a delightful garden, a real oasis from the rumble of the cars and buses just outside the gate.
Garden at the Museo Sorolla in Madrid, Spain Photo Credit: Liz Reding
By urban standards, this museum is relatively small, but packed with dozens of gorgeous paintings, as well as sculptures, sketches, photographs, water colors, and writings.
One noteworthy feature of this museum is that all the works are expertly hung and well lit. Most of the viewing rooms have deep colors that enhance the paintings with light-diffusing devices, such as a window shade or ceiling tapestry. What a pleasure!
Interior of the Museo Sorolla in Madrid, Spain Photo Credit: Liz Reding
Work of Joaquín Sorolla
Sorolla’s wife and children are featured in a significant number of Sorolla’s paintings, and his love and admiration for them clearly shows. In addition, Sorolla painted many portraits of important people, including U. S. President Taft, and is known for his masterful handling of light, as evidenced by his many beach-scene paintings.
Here are two of Sorolla’s works exhibited at the Museo Sorolla.
Painting by Joaquín Sorolla at the Museo Sorolla, Madrid Photo credit: Liz Reding
Painting by Joaquín Sorolla at the Museo Sorolla, Madrid Photo credit: Liz Reding
Visitor Information
Located at Paseo General Martínez Campos, 37, the Museo Sorolla is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 am to 8:00 pm and on Sundays and holidays from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Tickets cost €3.
Other Single-Artist Museums in Europe
I wish I could say that I’ve visited all the single-artist museums that I’d like to in Europe, but not yet!
Here are just some of the museums I look forward to visiting in the next few years. If you’ve been to any of them, add a comment to let other Artsy Travelers know what you think!
Fondation Jean Dubuffet
Located in Périgny-sur-Yerres in the department of Val-de-Marne, the Dubuffet Foundation includes paintings and massive outdoor sculptures by Jean Dubuffet. Many years ago, we went there only to find it closed, but we did manage to peek through the fence! It looked amazing!
Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland
I’m a big fan of the work of Paul Klee and have his museum on my list for the next time we drive through Switzerland. Check the website for details.
Franz Marc Museum in Kochel, Germany
A modern extension has extended the exhibition space of this beautifully-situated museum, It overlooks a lake near the little town of Kochel in Bavaria, about an hour west of Munich. Franz Marc’s colorful work makes me smile. Check the website for details.
Conclusion
Have you visited any of the museums listed in this post? If so, let Artsy Traveler readers know what you think.
To keep reading about art in Europe, check out these posts:
If you’re planning to visit Iceland, take time to circle this most amazing country on a ring road tour.
How about visiting in February? Yes, please! You have a good chance of seeing the northern lights, the days are getting long enough to allow for a good eight to ten hours of daylight sightseeing, the crowds are almost non-existent, and the weather is… Yeah, well, it’s cold. But it’s February. Dress warmly and you’ll be fine.
Scroll to the end of this post to view other tour ideas.
Day 1: The Golden Circle & Horseback Riding
Our Iceland Journey Begins
At eight o’clock on a dark, cold, wet, and very windy morning, we trundle our suitcases from Hotel Ódinsvé along quiet streets to the bus stop next to Hallgrimskirkja, the massive church that dominates the Reykjavik skyline (“kirkja” means church).
Along with dozens of other shivering tourists, we wait for
our tour bus to arrive.
Over the next forty minutes, bus after bus pulls up, a guide hops out, calls a few names, and then drives off to begin tours ranging from a day trip around the Golden Circle to a full-on ‘around Iceland’ tour.
After thirty minutes, I start to worry that I got the place
or the time wrong. Maybe we’ll be stranded here in the cold for the next eight
days. The crowd starts to thin. Just a handful of people remain when a bus
pulls up and out jumps a man about my age. He calls my name and I want to fall
into his arms and kiss him.
I don’t, of course. Which is just as well since later I find
out that he’s happily married with seven children.
Onto the Bus
We clamber onto the 16-seat bus, nod greetings to the few
people already on board and take the two seats three rows from the front.
We drive off into the darkness, stopping a few more times to pick up our tour mates. By the time we’re done, the bus contains 15 people, including us: six people from China (two other mother-daughter couples), one couple from India, one couple from Australia, and three single women—a fellow Canadian from Quebec, a woman from Norway, and one from Germany..
Julia and I, along with the two Aussies, are the only people on the bus for whom English is our first language, which I find interesting.
Leaving Reykjavik, the Capital of Iceland
The bus stops at a gas station on the outskirts of Reykjavik,
and our guide/driver, Jon, introduces himself. He’s a retired policeman and an experienced
driver. I get the sense that he’s not to be messed with. He tells us that the
road to Þingvellir (pronounced Thingvellir), our first stop on the Golden
Circle, is closed. Great! Maybe we shouldn’t have come to Iceland in February.
Will we spend our vacation sitting in a gas station parking
lot?
Jon tells us to relax and go with the flow. It’s Sunday
morning and cars routinely get stuck in the snow on the road going over the
mountain between Reykjavik and Þingvellir. He advises us to grab a coffee and
buy spikes if we haven’t already.
Spikes are steel-studded rubber slip-ons you pull over your boots to prevent falling on the ice. We already have our spikes, but most other people don’t. Jon also sternly warns us in what I take to be his policeman voice to NEVER wear spikes in the bus.
Julia and I chat with the women from Norway and Quebec. The Norwegian woman is writing a book about Iceland. Throughout the trip, she sits at the front of the bus eagerly questioning Jon and taking notes.
On the Road to Þingvellir
Jon gets word that the road to Þingvellir has opened so we
set off. It’s still pretty dark at about 9:30 am, but as we drive out of the
city and across rolling, icing-sugar hills, the sky begins to lighten.
To the east, a narrow slit of sun-tinged blue slices apart clouds the color of grey wool socks. The vistas are dreary and stunning at the same time.
We pass the largest freshwater lake in Iceland and are informed that we are driving on the North American side of the tectonic plates. Soon, we’ll cross to the Eurasian plate. At Þingvellir, the two plates rise above ground. You can walk (or snorkel) between them.
Jon tells us that at the time of Settlement (871±2), trees
covered 40% of Iceland. Within 200 years, most of the trees were cut down for
firewood and to make way for sheep. Now, only about 2% of Iceland is
tree-covered.
We stop for photos just as the sun blasts through the clouds. Julia takes her first of many (many) pictures featuring her crocheted dolls of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen of Game of Thrones fame.
Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow on the Golden Circle
Julia is a crochet artist who runs an online business selling her patterns and dolls. To learn more, check out Wayward Pineapple Creations. I’ll include more of her Jon and Daenerys photos in this post.
Iceland’s Famed Golden Circle
Three major sites comprise the Golden Circle: Þingvellir National Park, Geysir Thermal Area, and Gullfoss, a dramatic double waterfall. Pretty much every visitor to Iceland who stays more than a few hours makes the trip around the Golden Circle. As a result, the three sites are mobbed, even in February.
After our stop at stupendous Gullfoss, we head south toward the Ring Road. Our destination is a stable that offers rides on Icelandic horses. The horseback riding activity is one of the optional tours we’ve added to our main tour package. Julia and I have signed up for every optional tour with the exception of the whale watching. Julia gets seasick even on the dock, so we figured a boat ride was not advisable.
Icelandic horses are small, shaggy, sturdy, strong, and
absolutely adorable. The Icelandic horses you’ll see running across the
landscape all over the country are direct descendants of the horses the Vikings
brought to Iceland at the time of Settlement in 871±2.
Mounting the Horse
The young woman who will be our guide leads a beautifully disheveled,
long-maned horse towards me and introduces her as Heklava.
I put my foot into the stirrup, rise up, and then quickly realize I’m in trouble when my leg won’t respond to my command to throw itself over Heklava. What am I thinking? I’m no longer young and I’m definitely no longer light, even after shedding 17 pounds in preparation for this very thing.
For months, I’ve been motivated by the prospect of riding an
Icelandic horse. Every time I craved something fattening, I imagined the furry
little guys and how humiliated I’ll be if I’m unable to get on one, or worse, I
make it collapse under my weight. They are sturdy, but how sturdy?
In a momentary loss of confidence, I say to the guide “I
don’t think I can do this.”
She tells me to try again and with a clenching of abs that would make any Pilates instructor swoon, I hoist myself high enough to fling a leg over poor, unprotesting Heklava. I wonder what she’s thinking. Probably about the oats she’ll get in an hour after patiently trotting the chubby Canadian through hurricane-strength gusts.
I made it onto Heklava, but I don’t think she’s impressed.
I’m on top of the world! The guide tells me how to hold the
reins, says to pull left for left and right for right, and then tells me not to
worry about it. The horse will just follow the horse in front of her. Heklava
certainly seems very docile which is just fine with me.
Setting Off Across the Windy Valley
We set off. The wind sweeps across the valley, almost knocking me from Heklava who barely flinches. I wonder if it’s possible to be blown off a horse and renew my frantic clenching of abs and thighs.
A slight lull in the wind gives me time to snap a photo.
I start off right behind the guide as we head out along a path leading up a snowy ridge. My cheeks are burning with cold, but I’m too afraid to release my death grip on the reins to adjust my scarf—as if Heklava would make a run for it if I wasn’t hanging on for dear life. Somehow, I doubt it. She’s more interested in nuzzling the butt of the horse in front of her, probably in search of warmth.
I sympathize.
We walk at a sedate pace through glorious, snow-dusted
countryside flooded with golden afternoon light. During the few moments when
the wind gusts die, the experience is heavenly—a gentle, ambling stroll on a
Viking horse across land settled by Vikings.
I embrace my inner Norse person. Actually, I’m not sure I have any Norse DNA, but for one glorious hour atop Heklava, I am Freya, the ancient goddess of love, sex, beauty, and fertility.
Heading Back
On our way back to the stables, the guide turns around and
tells us that we’ll trot the rest of the way.
No!!
Heklava follows the lead of the horse ahead and soon I’m bouncing around like a demented rag doll. Will my health insurance cover a fall from a horse?
Back at the stables, I slide off Heklava and, losing my
balance for a few mortifying seconds, stagger across the corral—more a drunken
female Bacchus than a stately love goddess.
Heklava does not spare me a backward glance as she clomps
with gloomy forbearance into her stall and sets to work eating hay.
Evening at Fosshotel Hekla
On the way from the stables to our hotel near the small town
of Hella, we pass a point where the winds are said to be the strongest in
Iceland (which is saying something).
Wind is a constant in Iceland. It blasts your eyes, freezes
your skin, rips car doors off their hinges, and turns horseback riding into an
ordeal.
Fosshotel Hekla is a stylish place with a good restaurant and an outdoor hot tub. After dinner, we crunch through the snow under a full moon to reach the hot tub. Submerged to our necks in warmth, we stare up at the Icelandic sky with gratitude for a perfect Day 1 of our tour.
Our first day closes with a stay at Fosshotel Hekla.
We’re told that the northern lights are due for an
appearance around midnight. We try to stay up, but after getting to our room
glowing from the hot tub and post-horseback riding exhaustion, we are both fast
asleep by 10 pm.
Day 2: Iceland’s South Coast & Glacier Hike
Our first breakfast on the tour is a harbinger of breakfasts
to come. It’s fantastic! After avoiding bread for weeks prior to the trip so I
wouldn’t be in danger of injuring the Icelandic horse, I have to give in and
try the warm bread slathered with fresh Icelandic butter. Heaven!
It’s a very good thing that the horseback riding occurred on
Day 1. Now I can scarf down warm bread and butter every morning for the rest of
the tour.
The buffet also includes plenty of smoked fish, eggs, fresh
fruit, cereals, and oatmeal. No one is going to go hungry on this tour.
On to the Ring Road
We’re on the bus promptly at 8:00 am for the drive south to the Ring Road and then east toward the glaciers. The Ring Road connecting most of the coastal towns in Iceland was not completed until 1974. Before then, people could be pretty cut off, particularly during the winter. Even now, stretches of the road are often closed because of poor weather.
Land of Volcanoes
Looming in the distance as the sun rises is Mount Hekla, a stratovolcano and one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes. Over 20 eruptions have occurred since 874. In the Middle Ages, the volcano was called the Gateway to Hell. We’re told that she (they call her ‘she’) could erupt at any moment.
The volcano Hekla in Iceland
The south coast is bulwarked by mountains, all of which are active volcanoes covered with glaciers.
In 2010, the ice cap Eyjafjallajökull (“jökull” means glacier) that covers the caldera of a volcano, erupted. Air traffic was stalled for six days, and Iceland was put on the map.
Eyjafjallajökull eruption
In addition to seeing pictures of the devastation caused by
the eruption, the outside world was introduced to the stunning Icelandic
landscape. The secret was out. Since 2010, tourism to Iceland has exploded. The
country now welcomes well over two million visitors every year.
The weather is glorious—deep blue sky, sun bouncing off glittering glaciers, a bracing wind. We are driving along one of the most spectacular stretches of the Ring Road—glaciers to the left and the rolling Atlantic Ocean to the right. Our guide stops frequently so we can snap photos of the scenery.
Spectacular glaciers in the south of Iceland
Lava Center
We visit the newly built Lava Center to learn about volcanoes and earthquakes. I find the interactive exhibits fascinating and not a little unnerving. We learn that several volcanoes in the immediate vicinity (not just Hekla) could erupt “at any moment.”
The news is not reassuring.
Waterfalls Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss
On our way to the scheduled glacier hike, we visit two
spectacular waterfalls.
In the summer, Seljalandsfoss can be circled on a path that passes behind it. But in February, the ice on the parking lot poses a significant hazard even with our spikes. I am terrified of falling! Also, the entire waterfall is shrouded in frigid shadow. We take some quick photos and retreat to the bus.
Seljalandsfoss from behind taken during the summer
Seljalandsfoss in February – Brrrrr
Skógafoss is wider
and to my mind more spectacular. Rainbows play across the tumbling waters of
one of the largest waterfalls in the country.
We’re told about
the legend of Þrasi Þórólfsson, the first Viking settler in the area who buried
a treasure in a cave behind Skógafoss. Locals apparently found the chest years
later but were able to grasp only the ring on the side of the chest before it
disappeared. The ring was supposedly given to the local church and is displayed
in the Skógar Museum.
Even gorgeous Skógafoss doesn’t cheer up Jon Snow.
Glacier Hike on Sólheimajökull
A highlight of the day, if not the entire tour, is the
glacier hike on Sólheimajökull.
The glacier hike is the one activity I’ve not exactly been dreading, but I have worried whether my fitness level is up to it. I don’t want to be the person straggling along at the rear, too out of breath to put one spiked foot in front of the other.
Fortunately, I needn’t have worried.
Preparing for the Hike
We start by getting outfitted with glacier-trekking
equipment—a helmet, harness, ice axe and heavy-duty spikes that are grown-up
cousins of the regular ones we wear to navigate the parking lots.
On the glacier
We put on our helmets and harnesses then carry our axes and spikes across a lava field that in the 1990s was feet deep in glacier. The rapid rate at which the glacier has receded in the past twenty years is sobering, to say the least. What would have been a two-minute walk from the parking lot to the lip of the glacier in the 1990s is now a good twenty-minute trek alongside a glacier lagoon over a rough, lava-strewn field.
Walking toward Sólheimajökull
When we are almost to the glacier, we put on the spikes—a surprisingly involved process—and then hoist our ice axes. Feeling exceedingly rugged and outdoorsy, we set off toward a path cut into the side of the ice.
Climbing up the Glacier
Our guide, a delightful young Swedish woman named Sara, walks at a sedate pace that I find very manageable. So far so good. We begin our ascent of the glacier. She teaches us to “walk like an angry troll” in the spikes—feet well apart, each step strong and decisive. I keep saying “angry troll” to myself as I crash each foot down and feel the spikes dig reassuringly into the slush and ice.
Thanks to the spikes, I soon relax and marvel at the incredible otherworldly beauty rising all around us. The ice is sprayed with black volcanic ash in some places, white and tinged blue in others. I am very small against the immensity of ice rising all around me.
We stop frequently to take photos and to let the slower walkers catch up. I am relieved that I’m not one of them.
The paths we ascend are just steep enough to get the heart
thumping and breath coming in short gasps, but not so steep that I regret
coming. The exercise feels good after so much bus-sitting. Finally, we emerge
into brilliant sunshine on top of a world of vast, frozen magnificence.
We are extremely lucky with the weather. Sara tells us that it’s not uncommon for visitors to see nothing more than the back of the person walking in front of them.
We can see for miles!
Eating Ice on a Glacier
Sara applies her ice axe to a flank of the glacier and breaks off pieces of it that she hands around to us. Glacier water is the purest in the world—especially in Iceland. We hold the pieces up and take photos through it then suck the exquisite coldness.
We spend several minutes on the glacier, snapping photos and enjoying the spectacular view. Sara tells us that the day before, the group couldn’t see anything beyond the person directly in front of them. We can see for miles.
Going down the steep path cut into the ice is more
challenging than going up, but I learn that the spikes are to be trusted. I step
heavily and lean back as instructed. My knees and thighs get a wonderful
workout.
Reynisfjara Beach
Our last stop of
the day is world-famous Reynisfjara Beach. Here, tourists have been swept away
by the ferocious waves, often on days when the ocean appears calm. Our guide
warns us repeatedly to NEVER turn our back on the ocean no matter how calm it
looks. People have done so to take selfies and have been swept to their deaths.
Reynisfjara Beach – next stop: Antarctica
Thus soberly
warned, we don’t venture any closer than about 30 meters from the water’s edge.
Instead, we pose on the basalt columns and snap numerous photos of the sun
setting over jagged black rocks poking up from the sea.
Julia on the basalt columns at Reynisfjara Beach
Vik
As the sun sets on Day 2, we drive to the village of Vik where we stock up on snacks and souvenirs. A few of the people on our tour load up on bags full of groceries including cartons of eggs and even a large bottle of ketchup.
We can’t figure out
how they plan to cook their food since so far as we know, none of the hotels
have kitchens. I suppose they must have managed somehow. We never saw them in
the dining area for the entire duration of the tour.
Evening at Hotel Katla
The Hotel Katla is the most rustic of the hotels we stay in during the tour, but it’s clean and comfortable and includes a dining room with food that isn’t quite as pricey as we find in most of the other hotels.
We venture into the hot tub in the evening but it is unfortunately not quite hot enough to cancel out the freezing air temperature, so we retreat to our room for a quiet night.
Day 3: Jokulsarlon & Ice Caving
We’re pretty stoked
about our impending visit to an ice cave! I mean, how often do you get to visit
an ice cave carved into the side of a glacier? Not very.
On our way to
Skaftafell National Park and the Vatnajokull glacier—the largest in Europe—we travel
across the black sand desert of Skeiðarársandur. The weather is glorious—to our
left gleaming glaciers and steep ridges, and to our right the ocean waves
glinting under a blazing sun.
Daenerys and Jon in front of a landscape featured in Game of Thrones
Our guide again informs
us that we are very lucky to have sun. It’s not uncommon for trips along the
south coast to be cancelled because of “life-threatening weather.”
We stop frequently
to enjoy the views and take pictures. But each stop is a new exercise in
terror. One inattentive step lies between me and an extended stay in an
Icelandic hospital, not to mention inconveniencing the other 14 passengers.
360-degree view in southern Iceland
Sheets of ice
stretch in all directions in the parking lots—sometimes sprinkled with black
sand, but never enough to counteract the slick danger. I walk like a
penguin—each step carefully placed in a waddle of fear. Every so often, a
frisson of sheer terror vibrates from ice to leg to core when I feel my feet
slipping.
Historical Exhibitions
Kirkjubæjarklaustur
We stop by two visitor centers on our way to the ice caves. The first is an informative exhibition near the marvellously named Kirkjubæjarklaustur (often shortened to Klaustur) about the disastrous eruption of Lakagígaror Laki in 1783.
I’m fascinated by
the film called “The Fire Mass” that centers on the effect the eruption had on
the local farmers. The volcano erupted from June 1783 to February 1784, spewing
over 42 billion tons of lava into the air along with clouds of poisonous gasses
that led to the deaths of over 50% of Iceland’s livestock, not to mention 25%
of the human population.
The 1783 eruption
had far-reaching and global consequences. Among other things, the eruption
caused the famine in France that led to the French Revolution.
On both of our days in Iceland’s most volatile geologic region, I’m reminded how vulnerable we are as a species. If any one of the currently active volcanoes were to erupt, air traffic could be disrupted not for weeks, like it was during the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010, but for up to 18 months.
All communications
would be wiped out as the deadly ash spews into the upper atmosphere. The
effect on our food supply would be catastrophic. In some ways, the
hard-scrabble farmers who lived in the area in 1783 were better off. At least
they had crops and animals to eat for the first month or two before the
toxicity levels made everything inedible. In our modern, store-dependent lives,
we’d last maybe a week on canned goods before starvation set in.
And no Internet? It
doesn’t bear thinking about.
Vatnajokull Visitor Center
We also pop into the Vatnajokull Visitor Center to enjoy another informative film (I’m a sucker for them) about the area and how it changes from season to season. Several enticing trails start at the Visitor Center which we hope to explore when we return in summer.
When, not if!
Vatnajokull glacier during the summer
After a quick lunch of a fresh and delicious smoked salmon baguette, we press on to the ice cave experience, stopping at yet another ice-slick parking lot. This one is so bad that Jon pulls the bus to within two feet of the entrance to the glacier bus.
Even with just two feet spanning the distance between the two doors, everyone needs the help of both guides to jump across. This is one slippery country in winter!
Ice Caving
The glacier bus is about the same size as our tour bus, but with very large tires designed to get the bus up, onto, and over the glacier. Our new guide keeps up an interesting and amusing commentary while driving onto the glacier.
The drive to the
ice caves takes a good 15 minutes across a spectacular snowscape. Dazzling blue
sky above, turquoise-tinged ice below, massive fields of snow-covered moraine
all around. The bus lurches and rumbles along the track.
The view is beyond
belief—ice and snow, lava and glaciers, endless sky puffed with white clouds.
We’re on top of the
world.
Preparing for the Ice Cave
When we stop, the guide sternly reviews the drill. First, we are to put on our helmets in the bus. Not outside the bus. In the bus. We are not to step outside the bus until we have our helmets on. No exceptions.
He warns us, repeatedly, to NEVER take our helmets off from the moment we step from the vehicle onto the ice until we return. Like, NEVER. He is very, very insistent.
If we are caught
taking our helmet off, we will get a severe reprimand. If we do it twice, we
will be sent back to the bus, ice cave tour over. He repeats the directions so
many times that I’m wondering just how often people dare to defy him.
We comply, of course (hey, we’re Canadian), and firmly affix our helmets to our heads.
Stepping onto the Ice
With exquisite care, I step out of the bus onto sheer ice. No wonder the guide insisted we put on our helmets before getting off the bus. A fall would crack open a human head like it’s a watermelon. In this blue and white world, red would not be a good look.
I have to shuffle just three feet from the door of the bus to where the guide is handing out our heavy-duty, super-duper, industrial-strength spikes. I’m not sure I can make it and hug the side of the bus, taking tiny steps.
As the guide hands out the spikes, he exhorts us to hold them and do nothing. He breaks off to yell at a man in the group who has dared emerge onto the ice sans helmet. Boy, does the guy get a tongue-lashing. Being on the receiving end of an angry Icelander is not my idea of fun.
The ice cave guide tells
us later that he has five children and has absolutely no problem being the bad
guy if it means keeping everyone safe. I get it.
Our guide into the ice caves
Another person in
the group starts putting on the spikes after being told not to do anything
until directed. Sigh. There‘s one in every group. In our group, there are two.
She is told to remove the spikes and to listen to his directions.
Setting Off for the Ice Cave
Finally, we are all correctly helmeted and spiked. We set off across the glacier toward the ice cave, following the guide in single file.
The wind whips up with stinging efficiency. I dig in my spikes, walking like a mountain troll the way we were taught on the glacier the day before. Left, right, left, right—legs wide apart, feet planted with decisiveness. There’s no mincing about on a glacier.
Got my helmet and my spikes – I’m good!
The trek to the ice
cave takes only about ten minutes across a ridge from which we have a glorious
360-degree view of the glaciers. In the distance is the site of one of the Game
of Thrones scenes. Julia is impressed.
Entering the Ice Cave
We arrive at a set
of snow steps leading down to the ice cave. I have seen pictures but really
have no idea what to expect. We descend one by one into a land of such
pristine, crystalline beauty that I can only stare in awe.
The ice cave is white and light blue and gray and black-flecked and deep blue. The surfaces are smooth and pock-marked, bubbled and streaked. The guide tells us to touch the ice, to feel it melt under the heat of our fingertips. Everyone is snapping pictures, and I do too, pausing every so often to just stand and be one with the otherworldly beauty.
The cave is small – only about eight meters long and two meters wide, just big enough to comfortably fit fifteen people all taking pictures at the same time and to still be able to take pictures that include only ice.
The guide yells
again, this time even louder than before. Despite being warned earlier, one of
the women has removed her helmet for a photo op. Oh dear!
After the cave, we take turns sliding down a small hill. Here’s a video of Julia.
Julia sliding down a glacier in Iceland
Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
We visit the lagoon
and the black sand beach. Both are spectacular, particularly the lagoon, famed
as one of Iceland’s most iconic spots. Icebergs that have broken off from the
glacier Breiðamerkurjökull float into the lagoon and out to the ocean.
We spot seals
lounging on the icebergs and sliding in and out of the water like kids at a
waterpark.
Panorama at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Fosshótel Vatnajökull
Our night is spent at the lovely and very modern Fosshótel Vatnajökull, way out in the countryside. An early night is in order to recover from all the ice-caving excitement.
Fosshotel Vatnajökull in south Iceland
Day 4: The Eastfjords
After three days of glorious sunshine, we drive into rain on
Day 4. The Eastfjords are apparently spectacular—deep fjords carved into the
mountainsides, wild reindeer roaming the hills, charming coastal villages. We
don’t see much of the mountains, but we do see quite a few herds of wild
reindeer which is pretty exciting.
Reindeer in Iceland
I definitely want to return to this area when the weather is better. It’s one of the least-touristed areas in Iceland and still feels very wild. We wind around fjord after fjord, stopping in a few of the villages, including this one with an interesting art installation.
Art installation in a village in East Iceland
Lake Hótel Egilsstaðir
The sun bursts out just as we arrive at the charming Lake Hótel Egilsstaðir. As its name suggests, the hotel overlooks Lake Egilsstaðir which is ice-covered at this time of year. We enjoy a walk in the sunshine over crunchy snow.
Gorgeous sunset at Lake Egilsstaðir
After a gourmet dinner in the hotel restaurant, we hear that the northern lights are on! Everyone piles out into the snow to watch the sky. I see a few flashes and one dancing spiral, but that’s about it. We wait for a while and then return to our room.
No worries! We still have a few days more to see the lights.
Although sightings of the northern lights obviously can’t be
guaranteed, the guide does his best throughout the trip to inform us when the
lights might occur.
I download the app to my phone as well and keep an eye out.
Just the quick taste of them at the hotel is enough to excite us for how
amazing they could be.
Daenerys enjoys the sunset rays at Lake Egilsstaðir.
Day 5: Lake Mývatn and Dimmuborgir
So much to see today! Our destination is Lake Mývatn and a
late afternoon dip in the Mývatn Nature Baths—northern Iceland’s answer to the Blue
Lagoon.
Dimmuborgir
Rock Formations
Julia is really looking forward to visiting these strange rock formations. Dimmuborgir means “dark castles” and was the setting for several scenes in Game of Thrones. According to legend, this area is home to the hidden people whom many think still exist.
Learn more about Icelandic folklore and the elusive elves by
attending Elf School in Reykjavik. It’s on my list for my next trip.
Julia at Dimmuborgir
We are again lucky with the weather. The fantastical rock outcroppings, many dusted with fresh snow, rise starkly against a sparkling blue sky. The air is very cold and crisp, and the pathways winding around the formations are virtually tourist-free. We almost have the whole place to ourselves.
Beautiful Dimmuborgir
Námaskarð Thermal Area
I’m very taken with this geothermal area of bubbling mud
pools and steaming fumaroles. The rust-red earth is streaked with rainbow
colors under shifting clouds of steam. Blasts of warmth cut through the chilly
air.
Námaskarð Thermal Area in northern Iceland
In the summer, the area is crowded, but today, the parking lot contains just a few cars and small tour busses. Here’s a 360-degree view of the area. As you can see, it’s stunning!
Goðafoss
A foss is a waterfall and Goðafoss is one of Iceland’s finest. This Waterfall of the Gods (Goða means “gods”) tumbles over a wide escarpment.
Goðafoss Waterfall in Iceland
A legend published in the 19th century describes how in around the year 1000, the lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði made Christianity the official religion of Iceland. To seal the deal, he supposedly threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall.
Mývatn Nature Baths
We circle Lake Mývatn (“Fly Lake”). In the summer, the area
is hopping but is also, as the name suggests, a haven for flies. In February,
the flies are all sleeping so we can enjoy the dramatic volcanic scenery around
the lake in comfort.
The day ends with a visit to the Mývatn Nature Baths. This is an optional add-on – not everyone joins in, but most do.
The Mývatn Nature Baths are not particularly extensive and not
nearly as large as the Blue Lagoon. For that reason, I’m not sure I’d want to
visit in summer when the crowds get thick. But in winter, a visit there is a
fabulous experience.
The excitement starts in the changeroom when, along with
everyone else, I am required to strip naked and wash in the communal shower. A
diagram highlights the areas to wash—underarms, feet, and you-know-where. The
Icelandic people are not shy. Having a naked shower and then pulling on a dry
swimsuit is an exercise in contortion but I finally manage it and make my way
to the exit.
Entering the Mývatn Nature Baths
The distance from the warm interior to the warm pool is
about 10 meters—10 meters of frozen wasteland in a gusting wind. I take a deep
breath, fling open the door and tippy-toe as quickly as possible down the
incline and into the pool.
Ahhhhh.
The warmth! The wind! Oh no—the wind! It gusts across the
water, churning white caps and making us feel like we’re tossing on an angry
sea—which we kind of are.
From the neck down, all is warmth and happiness. But from
the neck up, exposed skin is blasted with a frigid squall. I don’t dare duck
under all the way. For one thing, I’m not sure that’s wise in a hot spring and
for another, I intuitively sense that exposing wet hair to cold wind might not
end well.
Enjoying the Mývatn Nature Baths
I am distracted by the view. Stretching before us for as far as we can see is a misty expanse of snow-dusted lava ringing a sheet-white lake. In the distance a perfect cone pierces a sky already edging toward sunset although it’s just 4 pm.
Steam rises from the baths and is blown away by the wind. We are in a science fiction world of ice and fire, hot and cold. We bob around in search of warm spots and end up hanging out with some other people from the tour near an intake point.
Mývatn nature baths in northern Iceland
The water in the Mývatn baths is 100% natural from the earth with no chemicals added. The water is not salty and thick like it is at the Blue lagoon. Although the pong of sulfur permeates the air, I find it less obnoxious than the heavy smell of the Blue Lagoon that eventually made me feel ill. For my account of our morning at the Blue Lagoon see Iceland’s Blue Lagoon: Should You Go?
Two waterfalls of warm water pound down close by. I bob over
and submit to a massage over my shoulders and let my head get wet. The wind has
died down and I no long feel in danger of contracting pneumonia.
Across a barrier is a second large pool of marginally cooler
water. We climb out of the hot pool and dash across the narrow barrier to the
cool pool just because we figure the warm pool will feel even warmer after the
cool pool.
Mývatn Nature Baths at sunset
The cool pool is closer to the view and feels like it drops
off into infinity. The snow-dusted lava rocks ringing it add drama to the
scene. This ain’t your normal swimming hole.
Our last stop is the hottest pool—a long, thin affair heated
to 41 degrees. We clamber in and give ourselves over to several more minutes of
bliss while the sun sets in earnest. By the time we get out, the setting sun is
coating the steaming water with gold. We struggle out of wet bathing suits and
into outdoor clothes, faces glowing red.
Mývatn vs. the Blue Lagoon
If Iceland can be said to have a tourist controversy it would be Mývatn versus the Blue Lagoon. Which is better? Should you go to both? Or should you go to just one—and if so, which one? Or neither?
My considered opinion, having gone to both, is to visit the Blue Lagoon first, just because it’s pretty amazing if you haven’t done Mývatn, and then do Mývatn second because it’s so much better than the Blue Lagoon.
On the other hand, if you go to Mývatn first, then don’t bother with the Blue Lagoon, because it’s more crowded, way more expensive, and just a tad overwhelming. That said, I’m very glad I experienced the Blue Lagoon fresh off the plane. It is an experience, for sure, whereas Mývatn is just good, clean fun.
Fosshotel Mývatn
The Fosshotel Mývatn is gorgeous. Perched high on a hill overlooking the lake, the place is modern and well appointed. In fact, every Fosshotel we’ve stayed at during the trip is wonderful. When I return to Iceland, I’ll be booking them again.
When we check in, we’re asked if we’d like a northern lights
wake-up call. We say yes and hope the call won’t come in the middle of the
night.
The Northern Lights
The call comes at 9 pm. Battle stations! We leap into our
warm clothes (it’s really cold out!) and clump out to the parking lot. The
hotel is perfectly situated for northern lights viewing. There are no other
structures within miles and it’s high on a hill.
The ice underfoot is black and slick and deadly. I pause to
put on my spikes and waddle out to be amazed. And yes, I am amazed—eventually.
At first, a faint band of pale green stretches across the sky. I think it’s a
cloud but am informed that no—it’s the northern lights. I am disappointed but
resolve to stay outside a little longer.
A few more glimmers of green appear in the sky—impressive
but not really blowing me away.
The Northern Lights Deliver
Several minutes later, the northern lights switch themselves
on in earnest, and the parking lot echoes with squeals of delight. iPhones click,
and the serious photographers with tripods and primed aperture settings bend to
their viewfinders. Julia sets up her mini tripod on a convenient ledge and
starts snapping.
I raise my iPhone to the lights and snap away but I get nothing. Apparently, my phone isn’t up to the task so I shove freezing fingers back into my gloves and resolve to just enjoy myself.
The lights begin to dance—swirling and spiraling and pulsing. The sky is alive with bright green and white and the occasional flashes of light pink at the base near the horizon. Halfway through the show, we join the woman from Quebec and set off across the frozen parking lot to slog up a snow-covered hill to a ridge.
We have a 360-degree view with a full moon shining behind us
and the lights sweeping in a broad arc in front of us. The cold brightens my
cheeks and slices through the thin material of my pants. We’d gotten ready in
such a hurry that I’d neglected to put on my usual two layers—long johns and
snow pants.
All the static shots I’ve seen of the northern lights have not prepared me for the movement. We stare awestruck at the gyrations. My pictures don’t even begin to do the show justice! Here are some stock pictures of the northern lights that give you some idea of their brilliance.
The Northern Lights in Norse Legend
At the Aurora Museum in Reykjavik, we’d read the scientific
explanations for why the sky bursts with joyful abandon at certain times of the
year. But I prefer to believe the ancient Norse explanations.
Here’s one of several.
Back in the day, Odin was the chief god and ruler of Asgard, revered by all Vikings. Odin’s task was to prepare for a series of events called Ragnarök that would presage the end of the gods. In Viking legend, Ragnarök was to be Odin’s greatest battle for which he needed the bravest warriors.
Enter the Valkyries – female warriors on horseback who wear armor and carry spears and shields. The northern lights are the reflections of the Valkyries’ armor as they lead Odin’s chosen warriors to Valhalla.
Isn’t that more interesting than charged particles from the
sun striking atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere, causing electrons in the atoms to
move to a higher-energy state, then dropping back to a lower-energy state and
releasing a photon: light to create the northern lights? Or so I’m told.
Day 6: Northern Iceland
Today, we drive to Akureyri, Iceland’s second city. On the way, we stop for coffee and waffles at a dairy farm. The friendly owner takes some of us into the barn to see the very well-fed and contented cows.
Akureyri
And then it’s off to Akureyri for an afternoon of wandering around the shops while some of the tour group go whale watching.
Typical street in downtown Akureyri
The weather is wet and dreary and there’s not much to see in
Akureyri so this day is the least exciting of the tour. I look forward to
returning in summer when we can explore more of the small coastal villages in
the area.
Kjarnalundur Hotel
Perched on a hill several kilometers outside Akureyri, the Kjarnalundur Hotel is not as well appointed as some of the other hotels we’ve stayed at. We eat take-out food bought in Akureyri and spend the evening doing not very much. No more northern lights!
Day 7: West Iceland and Snaefellsnes Peninsula
We start the day by driving along the north coast toward Snaefellsnes Peninsula.
Jon tells us about his extensive experience with Icelandic horses, and we stop
at a horse farm to get up close and snuggly with a few of the horses. I can’t
get enough of the endearing little guys.
Me with my new friend in northern Iceland.
Jon was born in the area and entertains us with plenty of stories from his youth. We also stop to view the statue of Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir who was born in Snæfellsnes in 980 and during her lifetime took eight sea voyages and traveled twice across Europe as far as Rome. Read more about her in Artsy Sightseeing on the Iceland page.
Deildartunguhver Hot Springs
We stop near Reykholtsdalur to view yet another wonderful thermal area at Deildartunguhver, the highest flowing hot springs in Europe. The water here is HOT—a constant 97 degrees Celsius (207 degrees Fahrenheit). Wooden walkways line the hot springs and we learn how much of the water is used to heat Icelandic homes.
More Waterfalls: Hraunfossar and Barnafoss
I’m not yet tired of waterfalls which is a good thing because Iceland sure has more than its share! Both of the waterfalls we visit are completely different and both are stunning.
Hraunfossar waterfallGlacial River Pool, Barnafoss, Iceland. Barnafoss, also known as Bjarnarfoss, is near Hraunfossar which bursts out of Hallmundarhraun, a great lava plain.
Reykholt
We stop for the night in Reykholt, home of the great Snorri Sturluson who in Iceland is as revered as Shakespeare is in the English-speaking world. Read more about him in Artsy Sightseeing on the Iceland page.
Fosshotel Reykholt
The Fosshotel Reykholt is one of the best—modern, well appointed, and efficiently staffed. In the evening, we enjoy drinks with some of our tour mates, something we haven’t done much of during the tour.
Day 8: Snæfellsnes Peninsula and Return to Reykjavik
Today, we head farther west to the fabled Snæfellsnes Peninsula for a full day of spectacular scenery. Snæfellsjökull, a massive glacier-capped volcano, dominates the skyline as we drive into the Snæfellsjökull National Park, one of only three national parks in Iceland. The stratovolcano beneath Snæfellsjökull is 700,000 years old.
Snæfellsjökull in western Iceland on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Kirkjufell
A highlight for Game of Thrones fans—and anyone, really—is the iconic Kirkjufell, otherwise known as Church Mountain. Note that “kirk” means church and “fell” means mountain.
Its distinctly shaped peak is probably the most photographed
mountain in all of Iceland. And no wonder!
Kirkjufell in western Iceland
We’re lucky to be able to park close by and snap several good photos. In the summer, the small parking lot gets overwhelmed with visitors, and the traffic is bumper to bumper along the road leading to it.
Jon gets us together for a group photo in front of Kirkjufell.
The group on the eight-day tour around Iceland
Vatnshellir Lava Cave
Our last add-on tour is of the Vatnshellir Lava Cave.
Wearing helmets and carrying small lanterns, we descend 35 meters into the
8,000-year-old lava cave created by a volcanic eruption in the nearby Purkholar
crater.
The entertaining guide leads us past rainbow-colored
volcanic rocks and petrified lava formations. At one point, we enter a side
cave and turn off our lanterns to experience a few moments of true darkness.
While the black presses into our eyes, the guide sings a haunting Icelandic
song.
Very evocative!
Outside, a ferocious, sleet-filled wind has whipped up, and we scurry back to the bus for the final drive to Reykjavik.
Conclusion
Our eight-day tour of Iceland provided an awesome
introduction to this wonderful country and thoroughly whetted our appetites to return.
On the next trip, we’ll rent a car and explore the Ring Road at a more leisurely pace. At least two weeks is needed so we can go on a few hikes and spend more time in the Eastfjords and the north.
I’d also like to explore some of the highlands, Iceland’s spectacular and vast interior hinterland that is closed during the winter. The Westfjords region in northwest Iceland is another remarkable area that even at the height of summer is sparsely visited.
Here are some tours to consider if you’re thinking about visiting Iceland.
At the Blue Lagoon, you’ll experience one of Iceland’s top places for enjoying the miraculous thermal waters that heat most of the country and make many of its surfaces bubble and gush.
Should you include a visit to the Blue Lagoon in your Iceland itinerary? It’s an expensive, slickly produced experience as far removed from jumping into a natural hot spring in the Icelandic hinterland as you can get.
But should you go? Definitely!
I visited
the Blue Lagoon on my first morning in Iceland on a February trip with my
daughter, Julia. Here are my impressions and my tips for making the most of the
€73 experience. That’s the cheapest rate, by the way. You can spend more
(and we did!).
Blue lagoon geothermal spa in Iceland
Entrance to
the Blue Lagoon is strictly regulated so it will never be bobbing room only.
But if possible, go in the early morning when the crowds are sparsest.
Enveloped in steam and warmth, you’ll feel like you’re the only person on Earth.
Purchasing Tickets
You must purchase tickets for the Blue Lagoon well in advance of your trip to Iceland. If you’re going in the busy summer months, purchase tickets several months ahead.
Although we were visiting in February, we found availability was already limited when we booked in November. And if you want to include a massage, don’t wait! We managed to snag two of the last spots.
At the same
time as you purchase your tickets to the Blue Lagoon, purchase bus tickets from
the airport to the Blue Lagoon and from the Blue Lagoon to Reykjavik (or the
other way around).
Here are some options for purchasing Blue Lagoon tickets through Tiquets.com:
Blue Lagoon Strategy
A good
strategy is to visit the Blue Lagoon just after you land in Iceland or, if your
flight time allows, on the morning you depart. The Blue Lagoon is situated in a
lava field near Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 20 minutes from Keflavík International
Airport and 50 minutes from Reykjavík.
Buy Blue Lagoon and bus tickets directly from the Blue Lagoon website if you’re traveling independently. Another idea is to combine your visit to the Blue Lagoon with a tour that includes transportation and other sightseeing. Here are some options:
Following
is my summary of a Blue Lagoon Experience in February.
Arriving in Iceland
We touch down at Keflavik International Airport at 6 am after an eight-hour overnight flight on Icelandair from Vancouver. We are not alone! Many flights from North America arrive early, so the stylishly designed airport is hopping.
Our first stop is the small convenience store outside Baggage Claim where we buy SIM cards and a snack.
TIP: A pre-paid Icelandic SIM card with about 5 GB of data for an unlocked GSM phone costs €15 to €20. We each bought SIM cards and had plenty of data for our ten days in Iceland. The cell coverage in Iceland is phenomenal. Even when perched atop a glacier, I was able to check email and scroll through Instagram. Apparently, cell coverage is so good in Iceland to facilitate emergency broadcasts about volcanic eruptions. Iceland is basically sitting atop a boiling cauldron of molten lava.
We wait
about thirty minutes inside the warm terminal for our pre-paid bus ride to the
Blue Lagoon. Ten minutes before it’s due to arrive, we venture out into an
Icelandic morning in February.
Cold? Yes,
very. But it’s definitely refreshing after eight hours on a plane.
Boarding the Bus for the Blue Lagoon
The bus arrives, and it’s a scramble as everyone surges forward to stow their luggage. We circle around to the other side and find room for our two suitcases and then present ourselves and our tickets to the driver. Ahead of us is a group of six people who don’t have the right tickets. The driver is unmoved by their pleas. Finally, they step aside, and we board. It’s 7:30 am and pitch dark.
The bus lumbers out to the road flanked on either side by desolate fields studded with rocks. We can’t see much and so both of us soon nod off. About twenty minutes later, we awaken to a slightly rockier landscape and a very faint glimmer of gray piercing the darkness. We’re close to the Blue Lagoon.
The first signs
of it are clouds of steam from the massive thermal power plant that is the
lagoon’s reason for existence. If you’re expecting a natural hot spring, you’ll
be disappointed. The Blue Lagoon is unashamedly man-made, although the hot,
mineral-laden water is natural. The lagoon evolved from the warm blue reservoir
that formed following the construction of the nearby Svartsengi geothermal
power plant.
Geothermal plant at the Blue Lagoon
Arriving at the Blue Lagoon
The bus stops and we join the large queue outside a small building containing lockers for our luggage. I’m surprised at how long we have to wait at only 8 am. But finally, we struggle through a narrow corridor to the lockers, hand over our suitcases, get our tags, and follow signs to the entrance to the Blue Lagoon complex.
TIP: Make sure you pack your bathing suit, flip flops, and any toiletries you need in your carry-on bag so you have them handy when you arrive at the Blue Lagoon. You don’t want to be digging through your suitcase while waiting in the very crowded line-up.
It’s still very dark and also very cold. This is our first taste of Iceland weather, and we’re very glad of our warm coats, snow boats, hats, and gloves. But we’ve come to Iceland in February. What did we expect?
Entering the Blue Lagoon Complex
Inside the reception building that contains the changing rooms and a cafeteria, we are efficiently processed – our reservation checked and our locker assigned. It’s incredibly well organized. The Blue Lagoon welcomes up to 4000 visitors per day year-round.
The crowds haven’t yet arrived at the Blue Lagoon reception area
I’m struck
by the cheerfulness of the attendant checking us in. She sees thousands of
guests a day and yet she knows how exciting the experience is for first-timers
and smiles at our enthusiasm.
She gives each of us a towel, a white robe and an electronically coded wristband. We must wear the wristbands at all times to get access to our lockers and to receive our free drink and face mud out in the lagoon. The wristbands are also encoded with the time of our scheduled massages.
We’ve paid
several hundred dollars for our Blue Lagoon experience that includes transportation
and in-water massages, so no wonder we’re excited. I’m determined to enjoy
every second!
Enjoying the Blue Lagoon
Preparing for the Blue Lagoon
Into the immaculately clean changeroom we go, where we divest ourselves of our heavy clothes and stuff them into the lockers which are not large. I’ve read that you’re expected to shower naked but everyone else is wearing a bathing suit as they enter the showers and so I do too. I don’t want to scare people this early in the morning.
Graphic
signs remind us to shower thoroughly and with soap. In Iceland, cleanliness at
thermal pools is taken very seriously. You are expected to wash your hair and all
parts of you. Shampoo and liquid soap are supplied.
Finally, showered and robed, we make our way to a glass-enclosed anteroom, hang up our robes on numbered hooks that we’ll hopefully remember, then get ready to exit to the great outdoors.
Dipping Into the Blue Lagoon
Ahead of us, we hear the squeals of guests as they expose flesh still dripping from their cleansing showers to the freezing air. I experience a moment of doubt. Who walks outside at 8:30 am in the pitch dark (yes, it’s still dark) in Iceland in February wearing only a wet bathing suit?
Apparently,
we do.
Our bare
feet encounter real, honest-to-goodness ice. I’m walking over ice in Iceland in
bare feet! This is really a stupid idea. Is it too late to turn back? Will they
refund my money?
We join the
squealers and pick up the pace to cover the ice-slick ground from the
entranceway into the water—a distance of maybe ten yards. It feels like ten
miles. We are so nuts.
A good inch
of fresh snow covers the railing at the top of the steps leading into the
steam-swathed lagoon. I grip it anyway rather than risk slipping and
ignominiously falling face first into the lagoon.
Our toes
reach the lapping waters which in the darkness look white under a heavy layer
of steam. Ahead, we glimpse a few bobbing heads. I feel like I’m about to
descend into the pit of Hell. At any moment, Pluto will swoop down and,
mistaking Julia for Persephone, carry her away forever.
The water
laps up to our ankles, shins, thighs, and then….
Ahhhhhhhh!
Bobbing Around the Blue Lagoon
We descend up to our necks into the most blissful warmth I’ve ever experienced. The few people we see have their faces covered in thick white, black, or green mud—golems and ghosts and goblins. We slosh slowly across the lagoon to one of the mud stations.
Included in
our admission to the Blue Lagoon is a nice big gloopy scoop of silica-laden mud.
Reputed to have healing properties and infused with minerals, the mud is to be
spread liberally over our faces and left on for about 30 minutes.
Entrance to the Blue Lagoon includes a mineral-enriched face mask
Dutifully, we hold out our cupped hands to receive a ladleful of goop from an attendant dressed head to toe in cold-weather gear. He or she (can’t tell) spends all day in the freezing cold air, doling goop out to half-naked people immersed in hot water. It’s not a job I would want.
To be
honest, the mud stings a bit, but it’s included in the price and I’m darned if
I’ll wash it off before it’s nourished my skin with its mineral goodness.
We bob
around some more as very slowly the sky lightens and glows pale pink in the
east. Dawn is breaking over southwest Iceland at 9:00 am.
Exploring the Blue Lagoon
The Blue
Lagoon is massive and includes large outcroppings of lava, arched bridges to
bob under, snow- covered hills emerging above the steam, and several steam
caves.
Blue Lagoon geothermal spa in Iceland.
Getting Your Free Drink
After exploring most of the attractively laid out complex of pools, we head over to the drinks bar. Included in the price of admission is a drink we can order from a surprising menu of choices that include alcohol. I don’t fancy beer or wine this early in the morning and so opt for a green health drink.
Later, my
choice would turn out to be a mistake, but the combination of spinach, ginger,
and banana goes down easy. Julia gets a strawberry smoothie that’s almost as
thick as the mud on her face.
Our
massages are scheduled for 10:30, still about 45 minutes away. We don’t like to
admit it, but the truth is that the bobbing about is starting to get a bit old.
We booked the 1:30 bus to Reykjavik. I’m hoping we can change the time because spending
another three hours splashing about the lagoon is beginning to lack appeal.
We return to the main building, retrieve our robes and towels and go upstairs to sit in one of the lounge chairs overlooking the lagoon. The crowds are thickening, and as the sky lightens, the lagoon is starting to look more like a regular swimming pool than the ethereal mist-shrouded wonderland it was when we first submerged. We settle into the loungers and nap for about half an hour, warmed to the bone and rubbery with relaxation.
View over the Blue Lagoon in the morning
Whatever is
in the Blue Lagoon is good stuff.
By the time
we go back downstairs to divest ourselves of our robes and return to the pool,
every hook is taken. I’m not sure if the lagoon is at capacity, but it feels
like it might be. We’re very glad we booked three months ahead.
Experiencing an In-Water Massage in the Blue Lagoon
Back out in
the lagoon we bob across to the cordoned-off area. An attendant sitting in a
booth tells us to wait by the entrance to the private area for our masseuse to
call our names. We are excited again. We’re having massages, in the water, in
Iceland!
Woo hoo!
A young woman wearing a wetsuit and with her hair under a cap comes over and cheerfully welcomes me. She asks where I’m from and tells me she’s spent time in Canada. She helps me onto a yoga mat. I stretch out on my back and she covers with me with a heavy sodden blanket, then pushes me across the water into the massage area.
For the next thirty minutes, she moves well-oiled hands between my back and the mat, kneading plane-stiffened muscles up my spine and to my neck and then along each arm.
I want to
relax. I really want to relax and enjoy this new form of ecstasy. But for some
reason, I can’t unclench my jaw. My masseur, in her lovely Icelandic accent,
encourages me to relax. I try, but I feel exposed staring up into the grey
void, still lightening with the coming day.
I close my
eyes, but then I worry I’ll roll off the mat and drown. Every so often, the
masseur shakes the mat to swoosh water up my back, warming me but not, unfortunately,
relaxing me.
At the end of 30 minutes, she casts me adrift into an adjacent holding pond with other floating lumps. I meet up with Julia who has managed to accomplish bliss, and we float for a while before finally deciding that we’ve had enough.
Ending Our Blue Lagoon Experience
Back out in
the main area, we agree that even though we’re supposed to stay another two
hours, we’re done. It’s time to get dry and catch the first bus to Reykjavik.
We head for
the changeroom. The combination of heat, the heavy mineral-sulfur smell of the
lagoon waters, and the rich, green drink hit my system in an unpleasant way. I suddenly
don’t feel at all well. I shall spare you the details.
Fortunately,
after a drink of water and a half hour of sitting in the cafeteria, I’m well
enough to stumble out into the cold to retrieve our luggage and wait for the
bus.
Blue Lagoon Recommendations
Our Blue Lagoon experience—anticipated for months—is over. Do I recommend it?
Absolutely!
I will say,
however, that you’re likely to want to spend less time than you think. Your
entrance allows you to stay for as long as you want, but I’d allocate about two
to three hours.
Even when it’s crowded, the steam partially obscures other people at the Blue Lagoon
The price
is steep for a few hours of watery bliss, but the Blue Lagoon is special. Even
though you’ll likely visit a few more thermal pools while in Iceland, I
recommend also enjoying the over-priced Blue Lagoon. It’s a marvel of
efficiency and really like nothing else I’ve ever experienced.
Massage?
Should you
shell out for the in-water massage? To be honest, I don’t think so. Julia
enjoyed herself, but I can’t say I did. It wasn’t awful—the masseuse did her
best. But for some reason, floating on a mat under a sodden blanket made me
more anxious than relaxed.
You’ll pay
about €120 for a thirty-minute massage.
Comfort vs. Premium
On the website, you’ll see two prices—Comfort and Premium. We chose Comfort at a cost of about €80 which includes use of a towel and robe, one dollop of goop, and a drink. So far as I can tell, the Premium package at €100 doesn’t offer that much more.
Note that prices vary
somewhat depending on exchange rates between Icelandic Kröna (ISK) and Euros.
Evening Visit
If you
visit the Blue Lagoon after 7 pm (it closes at 10 pm), you pay about €48 for Comfort and €68 for Premium. If you’re lucky
and visiting in the winter, you may see northern lights while you bask in the
warm waters.
Hotel and Restaurant
The Blue Lagoon
complex includes a hotel and a gourmet restaurant. While both are reputed to be
excellent, I wouldn’t want to spend a night at the Blue Lagoon. Apart from
splashing around the pools and eating, there’s not much else to do. The area
surrounding the Blue Lagoon is pretty much a barren wasteland. After your two
or three hours, take the bus into Reykjavik where you’ll find lots of good
hotels and restaurants, great shopping, and plenty of interesting sights.
Other Thermal Pools in Iceland
The Blue
Lagoon is not the only place in Iceland where you can dunk in a thermally
heated pool. You’ll find public swimming complexes, many including multiple pools,
steam rooms, and hot tubs, in most communities throughout Iceland.
You’ll pay
a fraction of the cost of the Blue Lagoon to warm yourself up, with the added
bonus of sharing the experience with locals rather than other tourists.
You won’t
find many locals at the expensive Blue Lagoon. The vast majority of your swim
mates will be tourists just like you.
If you
travel to the north, you won’t want to miss the Mývatn Nature Baths—another
awesome experience. But it’s very different from the Blue Lagoon.
Entry to the Myvatn nature baths in northern Iceland
My advice? Go to both and throw in a visit to a public swimming pool. You’re in Iceland!
Burgos is the provincial capital of Castilla y León in northern Spain. Its location on the Camino de Santiago route makes it a natural stopping point for pilgrims traveling the Way. This gorgeous medieval city is well worth a day or two of any traveler’s time.
If you’re traveling in northern Spain, put Burgos on your itinerary. Major sights include:
One of Spain’s most magnificent cathedrals
A castle
An atmospheric old city
Excellent museums, including the world-class Museo de Evolución Humana
The wonderfully photogenic Arco de Santa Maria
Wonderful food.
Museo de Evolución Humana
The Museo de Evolución Humana (#1) (Museum of Human Evolution) is simply terrific and a highlight of our travels in northern Spain. The modern glass construction with high open spaces houses three floors of authentic and reproduction artifacts, including bones, skulls, animal jaws, tools, and portable art.
Adults and kids alike enjoy the interactive displays and quizzes, the videoclips of recent discoveries, the various re-enactments and interpretations of early humans’ social behaviours, and marvellous representations of various members of Australopithecus and Homo.
The museum also includes exhibits on Atapuerca, the archaeological site north of Burgos. Here, Europe’s oldest human fossil remains were discovered in 2007. We walked past Atapuerca on our way into Burgos.
Standing stones near Atapuerca in the Province of Burgos and near the Way
Lucky for us, the museum was almost empty. We were able to spend as much time as we liked in front of the various displays and interactive activities.
Statue of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar
On your way from the museum back to the central plaza in Burgos, you pass a statue of hometown boy Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid, who was born in Burgos in 1043 and died in 1099.
Statue of El Cid mounted on horseback with sword in Burgos
El Cid was a Castilian knight and warlord who became a Spanish folk hero and national icon as a result of his service in the armies of both Christian and Muslim rulers, and his temporary conquest of Valencia. El Cid is the protagonist in the most significant medieval Spanish epic poem, El Cantar de Mio Cid.
The Cathedral of Burgos
The 13th-century Cathedral of Burgos (#2)—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—is massive, incorporating the church itself, the cloisters, the Bishop’s Palace, and part of the original city walls. The interior has three naves separated by rows of huge columns and flanked by fifteen side chapels containing altars, tombs, relics, and precious artifacts.
Burgos Cathedral is one of the most important cathedrals in Spain.
Everywhere you look, whether on the facades or inside the cathedral, you’ll see decoration or carving. The term “el horror del vacío” (“the horror of empty space”) was never so applicable as in the interior of Burgos Cathedral.
The magnificent star-vaulted dome and the spectacular rose windows are awe-inspiring. Also amazing are the gold plating and ornate carvings on the retablo of the high altar that depicts the life of the Virgin Mary.
Altar in the Cathedral of Burgos
Saints, angels, the nobility, important clergy, and the monarchs appear below the deities—a reminder of God’s absolute power.
One of the highlights in the cathedral is a portrait of Mary Magdalene by Leonardo da Vinci (~1515 ). We also saw one of El Cid’s trunks and a small wooden door with a carved face into whose mouth pilgrims inserted small coins.
If you go, rent the audio guide to learn about the art and architecture. The Cathedral of Burgos ranks alongside the likes of Westminster Abbey, Notre Dame in Paris, and Milan Cathedral—but without the crowds.
Burgos Castle
Include a visit to Burgos Castle (#3), with its original structure and fortifications dating to the 9th century. The small museum is interesting, but the real attraction is the spectacular view over the city of Burgos.
Arco de Santa Maria
The Arco de Santa Maria (#4) is one of the twelve medieval doors that led into the medieval city of Burgos. Rebuilt by Charles V in the 16th century, the structure is worth a stop to admire the carvings on the facade. You can go inside to view special exhibitions and a small museum. At night, the Arco de Santa Maria is beautifully illuminated.
Arco de Santa Maria in Burgos
Tours in Burgos
Here are some options for tours in Burgos through GetYourGuide:
León is a delightful small city that is a bit off the beaten path but worth a visit for its magnificent cathedral, beautiful old town, and the chance to stay in Parador de León, Hostal de San Marcos, Spain’s top parador (see description below).
We stayed two nights in León which, like Burgos, is situated on the Camino. In fact, the Camino crosses the large plaza in front of the parador. The distinctive concha design symbolizing the Camino is everywhere in León, including on the facades of the buildings.
Historic Center of León
The historic centre of León is utterly charming, with narrow streets and very old and historic buildings. Some of the architecture incorporates the city walls of Roman times. You’ll find plenty of small and large plazas lined with outdoor cafés and interesting shops.
Take time to wander around the town, even occasionally getting lost while appreciating the beauty of this wonderfully walkable city.
León Cathedral
Often dubbed La Casa de la Luz (House of Light), the 13th-century Catedral Santa María de León (#5) is magnificent. Soaring sandstone towers glow in the evening light, and the interior is breathtaking, with three rose windows instead of the usual one.
Cathedral of León in Spain
The cathedral was built on the site of the 2nd-century Roman baths, which were converted to a royal palace around the year 1000. A masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the cathedral consists of two towers with a large portal between them, and flying buttresses crusted with gargoyles on the exterior walls.
León is often referred to as the city of stained glass, and no wonder. Windows dating from the 13th to the 15th century contain over 1,800 square meters of stained glass. Also inside the cathedral are hundreds of pieces of sacred art, including examples from Romanesque to Neoclassical times.
León’s cathedral is one of the most important along the Way.
Basilica of San Isidro
Don’t miss the smaller but equally enchanting Basilica of San Isidro (#6). Located on the site of an ancient Roman temple, the church’s Christian roots extend to the early 10th century when a monastery for Saint John the Baptist was erected on the grounds.
Basilica of San Isidro, León – Spain
Built in the Romanesque style, the basilica also has elements of both Gothic and Islamic architecture. Check out the 12th-century painted murals in the funeral chapel of the kings of León. The exceptionally well-preserved murals present New Testament subjects as well as scenes of contemporary rural life.
Stay at the Parador de León
The Parador de León (#7) is one of the most luxurious places I’ve ever stayed. Sponsored by the Spanish government, the parador system of lodgings includes refurbished historic buildings, such as castles, monasteries, and royal residences. The system also includes some purpose-built, modern hotels.
Parador San Marcos in León
For five-star luxury, we paid about €170 each for two nights—a serious bargain, considering the service and surroundings.
King Ferdinand founded the Parador de León, Hostal de San Marcos in the early 16th century as a church and hospital for knights of the Order of Saint James. Some of the original staircase has been preserved, as have the curved ceilings, chandeliers, and cloister windows. Fabulous portraits and Renaissance artifacts and armour adorn the lobby and corridors.
Our room—which we accessed with a large skeleton key—was located in one of the converted monks’ cells in the cloister. The room was beautifully appointed with 1000-count monogrammed sheets, slippers, and luxury toiletries.
Museum at the Parador
Visit the church and museum attached to the parador. The original buildings were erected on the remains of a Roman fortress, and the church dates from the mid-12th century. Many sarcophagi and Roman stelae from ancient times dot the lovely cloister gardens. Sadly, parts of the church grounds have a darker past when they served as a prison for suspected or accused fighters in the Spanish Civil War.
Tours in León
Here are some options for tours in León through Tiqets.com:
Conclusion
Even if you’re not walking the Camino, put Burgos and León on your itinerary in northern Spain. For more information about places to visit in northern Spain, including both Santiago de Compostela and Bilbao, see Exploring Northern Spain and Basque Country.
Everyone I know who has walked the Camino of Santiago (the Way) to Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain raves about the experience.
My friend and guest poster Elizabeth Petrie is no exception. She and her friend, Cheri, walked the Camino from Pamplona to Burgos and from Sarria to Santiago, with train travel between Burgos, León, and Sarria.
Elizabeth shares her experiences and recommendations in three posts on Artsy Traveler. In this post, learn her top tips for enjoying the Camino of Santiago. To find out how Elizabeth and Cheri organized their walk, read A Camino Journal: Pamplona to Santiago de Compostela. Elizabeth’s recommendations for Burgos and León are included in Exploring Burgos and León.
Guest Poster Elizabeth Petrie
Retirement brings new opportunities, and one of my most cherished is having the chance to travel. New places, unique experiences, wonderful memories—what could be more enticing?
For a long time, walking across northern Spain on the Camino has topped my “bucket list.” My friend, Cheri, shared the same interest, so we decided to make plans to walk the Camino together.
Guest poster Elizabeth Petrie on the Camino of Santiago
Here are tips for helping you plan an awesome experience on the Camino of Santiago.
Prepare for the Camino of Santiago
Distance walking was new to me, so I started training about a year before leaving for Spain. Cheri and I began with modest treks of six to eight kilometers twice a week and worked up to walks of ten to twelve kilometers. By the time we left for Spain, we could comfortably walk about fourteen kilometers with our backpacks partially full.
Plan Your Itinerary
The Camino of Santiago extends across several countries and hundreds of kilometers. Start in France on the Camino Francés or complete all or a portion of the Camino del Norte like we did.
We put together an itinerary that included stays in four-star hotels in the cities we’d pass through: Pamplona, Burgos, León, and our final destination, Santiago de Compostela. We knew we’d appreciate a bit of luxury after days of slogging along and nights spent in the dormitory-like albergues.
An albergue is a hostel that provides accommodation only for pilgrims walking the Camino of Santiago. To stay in an albergue, you need to have a Pilgrims Passport.
Obtain a Pilgrims Passport
The Pilgrims Passport contains spaces for the sellos (stamps) that prove you’ve walked that day and are entitled to stay in one of the state-run albergues.
If you start the Camino from St. Jean in France or from Pamplona, like we did, you need to get one stamp per day. If you walk only the last 100 kilometers from Sarria, you need to get two stamps each day.
So long as you have sufficient stamps and you state at the Pilgrims Office in Santiago de Compostela that you’ve completed the Camino for religious or spiritual reasons, you’ll receive the Compostela at the end of the journey in Santiago.
If you state other reasons for completing the Camino, you receive a different certificate to commemorate your journey.
You can also get a passport at some albergues and pilgrims’ offices along the Way.
However, to save time, I recommend you obtain your Pilgrims Passport before you leave. To do so, connect with the Pilgrims’ Association in your home country.
For other organizations, search online for Pilgrims’ Association and the name of your country.
Choose When to Go
Consider walking the Camino in May or September. The weather from June to August is too hot, the hotel prices are higher, and the Way is much more crowded.
We found that May was perfect with regard to both the weather and the crowds (or lack of!). While you definitely won’t run into crowds in the winter months, be aware that many of the smaller albergues are closed from mid-October to mid-April.
Purchase a Guidebook
I recommend A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Camino de Santiago (Camino Francés): St. Jean – Roncesvalles – Santiago by John Brierley. The book includes all the information you’ll need: route and town maps, and the location of coffee shops, restaurants, and albergues. The book also lists telephone numbers of the albergues so that you can book ahead.
Plan Your Daily Walk Duration
Plan to walk no more than 15 to 18 kilometers in a day (about five hours), depending on the terrain.
This distance is long enough to give you a reasonable goal, time to stop for sightseeing and meals, and the best chance of finding accommodations. Also, we found that blisters started forming if we attempted to walk more than 22 kilometers in one day.
On most days, we left the albergue around 8 am and arrived at our next albergue in the mid-afternoon. The earlier you get to the albergue you plan to stay in, the better your chances of finding accommodations. Many albergues do not take reservations, although sometimes you can speak with the hospitalero and ask them to call ahead for you.
Book Accommodations for the Final 100 Kilometers
While you do not need to book accommodations along the early stretches of the Way (and often you cannot), you should book places to stay along the last 100 kilometers.
The Way becomes increasingly crowded the closer you get to Santiago. We used booking.com to book small hotels along the last stretch of the Way and were glad we did. Each place we booked was clean and conveniently located.
Here are some tips for helping you enjoy your time on the Camino.
Use the Send-Ahead Pack Service
Send your main pack ahead and hike with just a day pack. The send-ahead service was well worth the few extra euros (usually €3 to €5 per pack). You can send your pack from any Camino albergue in the morning to the albergue at your next stopping point. Call ahead to make sure the albergue you plan on staying at has available beds and will be open when the van arrives with your pack.
Take a Day Pack
Pack the following items in your day pack:
A full first-aid pack, complete with Compeed*and blister treatment, a needle and cotton thread, antibiotic ointment, Band-Aids, antiseptic spray, antihistamines, Afterbite, an elastic bandage, and sunscreen. You’ll find plenty of pharmacies along the Way in case you run out of anything.
A liter of water. If you sweat a lot, you will occasionally need to supplement your water with a local version of Gatorade.
A change of socks. Sweaty socks can bring on blisters.
A change of shirt and rain gear if rain threatens.
Fresh or dried fruit, nuts, protein, etc. Depending on your route for the day, you’ll usually find small coffee bars and restaurants along the Way where you can purchase lunch.
Your passport, credit cards, and other essential documents. Also, carry a day’s worth of currency and never flash around large amounts of cash.
*Compeed is a miracle blister treatment available in Spanish farmacias.
I suggest stocking up on Compeed before you leave by buying it online. As soon as you feel a friction blister coming on, put the clear plastic Compeed over it and leave it on. You’ll never have another blister!
Limit Technology
On the Way, consider forgoing technology as much as possible. If you take a SmartPhone to check weather reports and make hotel bookings, particularly in the last 100 kilometers, purchase a cell phone package for Europe from your service provider or pick up a SIM card at a local provider such as Vodafone or Orange.
Use your phone to take pictures instead of carrying a heavy, expensive camera. Also, I suggest not wearing earbuds while you’re walking or you’ll miss the bird song and conversation.
One of my lasting memories on the Way is the sound of an amazing variety of bird songs.
Enjoy the Pilgrim’s Dinner
Have the pilgrim’s dinner when it’s offered at the albergues. You’ll get a cheap and tasty meal that includes soup or salad, a fish or pork entrée, dessert, and a glass of local wine. The local soups are delicious and filling.
Use Other Transportation as Needed
Consider occasionally taking a taxi or public transit when you get tired rather than risking injury. Walking the Camino in short stages will help conserve your energy.
Take Good Footwear
Wear hiking boots that are well broken in. Also, pack a pair of lighter shoes, such as Teva sandals, to occasionally give your feet a rest. Wear flip flops in the shower and around the albergue at the end of the day.
Some markers are decorated imaginatively.
Enjoy Meeting New People on the Camino
A highlight of walking the Way is meeting many wonderful and interesting people. People in the albergues and elsewhere along the Camino could not do enough for us. We always left our packs closed, and they were never disturbed, even when we left them in dormitories to go sightseeing.
Slow Down
My best advice for walking the Camino is to slow down and savor the experience. In other words, stop and smell the roses!
Check out as many churches, shrines, historical sites, and civic plazas as you can. You’ll be amazed at the unexpected beauty and fascinating art and architecture.
Sign on the Camino de Santiago
Northern Spain has been home to human beings for tens of thousands of years, from Neanderthal times to the present. You can hardly take a step without passing a fascinating site of historical significance.
For example, on some sections of the Way, you’ll be following, if not actually walking on, the original Roman roads. And in some of the smaller villages where the Spanish Civil War was fought in the 1930s, you’ll still see bullet holes in the walls of old barns and houses.
Suggested Itinerary
For a detailed breakdown of our itinerary that started in Pamplona, Spain and included stops in Burgos and León,along with a few train journeys, see the post A Camino Journey: Pamplona to Santiago de Compostela.
I can’t imagine how our trip could have been any better. We enjoyed pretty much perfect weather, and we both kept well and healthy. In addition, we met interesting people, enjoyed delicious and reasonably-priced meals, and soaked up some of the rich history and culture of Navarra, La Rioja, and Galicia.
We also appreciated the spiritual nature of our journey to Santiago, taking time every day to reflect with humble gratitude upon our many blessings. Our trip was a pilgrimage in many senses of the word.
Is walking the Camino (walking the way) across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela on your travel wish list? Artsy Travelers who Walk the Way will view countless treasures, including the portrait of Mary Magdalene by Leonardo da Vinci in Burgos, tiny medieval churches steeped in history, and soaring architectural wonders, such as the cathedral at León.
I haven’t walked the Way, but I’m considering it! Fortunately, Elizabeth Petrie, my friend and an Artsy Traveler guest poster, walked the Camino with her friend, Cheri, and shares her experiences and insights.
Overview of Walking the Way from Pamplona to Santiago de Compostela Camino Route
Elizabeth and Cheri walked first from Pamplona to Burgos. After a few days sightseeing in Burgos, they took the train to León and then to Lugos. From Lugos, they rejoined the Way at Sarria and walked the last 120 kilometers to Santiago de Compostela.
Elizabeth shares her experiences and recommendations in three posts on Artsy Traveler.
Guest poster Elizabeth Petrie on the Camino of Santiago
Elizabeth’s lively description of her journey is excerpted from the journal she kept while walking the Way between May 3 and June 1, 2017.
Part 1: Walking the Camino from Pamplona to Burgos
Welcome to Pamplona
The capital of Navarra, Pamplona charms us with its pretty streets, attractive green spaces, and many historical buildings. From our window at the NH Pamplona Hotel, we enjoy a southeast view of a nearby quarry that glows in the evening sun.
A short stroll along the main boulevard brings us to La Cittadella, an old, star-shaped fortress with huge, thick walls. The fortress is situated in a large park through which the Camino passes.
On the day we start our Camino journey, we’ll only need to walk a short distance from our hotel to pick up the trail.
What to See in Pamplona
The central Plaza del Castillo is an attractive public square surrounded by beautiful old buildings. Pamplona is full of monuments, typical in a country with thousands of years of history. All the statues and monuments are well signed and beautifully maintained.
Especially interesting is the large bronze statue depicting the famous “running of the bulls” (elencierro de toros). The portrayal of some unfortunates being trampled or gored by the bulls looks very realistic. There’s not enough money in the world to convince me to do it, which is just as well since women typically don’t participate.
Running of the Bulls Monument in Pamplona, Spain
Walking Tour of Pamplona
Consider taking a free walking tour with Free Walking Tour Pamplona. You’ll explore the old town and visit the Gothic Cathedral of Santa Maria, the Plaza del Castillo, and the impressive fortifications that once protected the city. There’s a lot to see in Pamplona!
We’re On Our Way!
At the pilgrims’ albergue in front of the Gothic cathedral, we get our first stamp (estampilla) in our pilgrims’ passports (pasaportes de peregrinos).
We have officially begun walking the way from Pamplona to Santiago de Compostela!
Day 1: Walking the Way from Pamplona to Puente la Reina: 27 kilometers
After three nights in lovely Pamplona, we’re feeling well rested and ready to begin walking the way on our first stretch of the Camino.
Starting Out
As the sun rises in a clear blue sky, we walk through the beautiful grounds of the Universidad de Navarra and out into lovely rolling countryside. Wild poppies are scattered among fields of newly planted crops. We hear birds singing in the fields and hedgerows.
Setting off on the Way, west of Pamplona
We stop to get a stamp at a private albergue next to the 12th-century Iglesia de San Miguel. The fortified tower of the church was part of the Monasterio de los Hospitalarios de San Juan de Jerusalén.
The knights of the Hospitallers eventually became the Knights of St. John of Malta from which we get the St. John Ambulance service today.
Our First Steep Section
The Alto del Perdón—the first steep section we encounter on the trail—is described in our guidebook as “not as difficult as you will have heard” and is estimated to take “only a half-hour”.
Wrong on both counts!
The trail climbs pretty much straight up—the hardest ascent along the whole Camino. Whenever we start feeling weary, we chant “Alto del Perdón, Alto del Perdón! Nothing is as hard as Alto del Perdón” in rhythm with our steps.
Eventually, we make it to the top where the views are spectacular. Both nearby and in the distance we see one of the many wind farms that take advantage of the strong breezes coming from the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay.
Modern metal cut-outs describe the various methods that pilgrims used over the centuries to travel the Camino. One of the inscriptions reads, “where the road of the winds crosses the road of the stars.”
Cut-outs and view at the summit of the Alto del Perdón
Albergue de Santiago Apóstel in Puente la Reina
At our first albergue, we’re assigned two upper bunks (no ladders!) in a four-bunk room. After a hot shower, we enjoy a pilgrim’s dinner of salad, fish, water, and yogurt, all for just €20, including accommodation.
We’re gratified to have virtually no injuries or aches other than a couple of small blisters. I decide to alternate boots with shoes to avoid putting too much pressure on any one spot on my feet.
Bridge leading into Puente la Reina
Day 2: Puente la Reina to Ayeguí: 20 kilometers
The next morning, the owner kindly calls ahead to book beds at the albergue in Ayeguí. He also confirms transportation of our packs for only €5 each. Normally, albergues do not take advance reservations. I wonder whether the fact that I speak Spanish helped!
The second day of walking the way is much easier than the first, even with a few strenuous uphill stretches. (Altos del Perdón, Altos del Perdón…). The countryside continues to amaze us with its many crops, flowers, and birdsong. Small lizards sun themselves on the stone walls that mark the route.
Lorca
We stop for coffee in Lorca, a medieval hill town with a wonderful view of the surrounding valley. The route out of Lorca drops very steeply down what is little more than a slippery, rocky gully. After a few more hours of walking, I feel a blister starting on my heel. We decide to take a taxi the rest of the way to Ayeguí.
I recommend making occasional use of taxis and public transport to save your feet. A small blister can become a large one very quickly and make walking agony.
Day 3: Ayeguí to Torres del Río: 27 kilometers
Our third day walking the way is a long one! We take a break in Irache, where a fountain with a dual spigot offers both water and wine. We fill our water bottles from one and take a sip from the other.
The sign on the fountain reads Pilgrim! If you wish to arrive in Santiago full of strength and vigour, just take a drop of this great wine and jump for joy. Another sign notes We invite you to enjoy in moderation; if you wish to take some wine along, you will have to buy it!
The Camino winds past numerous churches and historical buildings—too many to count and, unfortunately, too many to visit. Many are Romanesque in style, reminding us again of the extent of the Roman Empire at its height.
Sometimes, we walk at the side of the local highway and at other times on gravel paths dating from ancient times. The Way between Villamayor de Monjardín and Los Arcos typifies the Camino. It’s a long, narrow road stretching into the distance between open fields, with very little shade and no place to fill our water bottles.
Los Arcos
Arriving in Los Arcos is a relief for our feet and our thirsty throats. It’s a beautiful old town that has been inhabited since Roman times. The Iglesia de Santa María has a mixture of architectural styles (Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque), and the series of arches along the walls of the original cloisters gives the town its name.
Los Arcos is a popular stopping point, but we decide to continue another six kilometers to Torres del Río. Hmm…perhaps not the best idea, as it turns out! The weather has warmed considerably, and there’s not a breath of wind. We sing, make lists of places we’d like to go someday, and generally distract ourselves from the trudge.
Some of the markers along the Way have been decorated by passing pilgrims
Finally, we arrive at the delightful little town of Sansol and take a taxi to Albergue La Pata de Oca at Torres del Río. What a treat! The main building is hundreds of years old, with thick stone walls and solid beams in the ceilings, all covered with plaster.
Our private room is upstairs under the rafters. The ceiling slopes so much that we have to stoop to open the window. The patio is lovely, with lots of flower pots filled with bright red geraniums.
We enjoy a delicious dinner of bean and chorizo soup, chicken, flan, and wine. After a long, hot day, we collapse into bed about 9:15.
Day 4: Torres del Río to Ventosa: 4 kilometers
We decide to take it easy after yesterday’s long walk and opt for a later start and a shorter walk with a taxi ride in between.
While relaxing over breakfast on the terrace, we meet Ian from Ireland. He tells us that he’s a former addict who has been clean for 26 years and has adopted his nephews (one of whom is on the autism spectrum) after the death of their parents.
Encounters with people like Ian and others from all over the world and with a variety of backgrounds is one of the most enjoyable aspects of our journey.
Before starting our walk, we visit the Romanesque Church of the Holy Sepulchre across the street from the albergue. Dating from the 12th century, the small, octagon-shaped church was founded by the Knights Templar during the time of the Crusades.
The dome’s ribbing forms the outline of an eight-sided star, typical of Moorish Spain. The 13th-century crucifix depicts Christ’s feet separately rather than crossed one over the other as is typical.
Day 5: Logroño to Ventosa: 21 kilometers
We stop for lunch in Navarrete, an attractive hill town with narrow cobblestoned streets leading to the town plaza. A small church–La Iglesia de la Asunción–doesn’t look particularly special from the outside. We almost don’t go in. Luckily, we did and found one of the most amazing Baroque retablos (altarpieces) in all of Spain.
Our albergue in the tiny village of Ventosa has a typical set-up, with ten bunks to the room, plenty of hot water and many modern conveniences. Again, our pilgrims’ meal is delicious and very reasonably priced. For €10, we dine on paella with chorizo along with salad and a beer.
Day 6: Ventosa to Nájera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada: 5 kilometers
Cheri’s blister and ankle are acting up, so we take a taxi and then a local bus to Santo Domingo where we stop for the night.
A rooster motif is everywhere in Santo Domingo, reflecting the legend of how a young man had been wrongly accused and executed for theft.
One version recounts that his parents had seen a vision of St. Dominic holding their son up alive. When they rushed to the magistrate to report this miracle, the judge laughed and said that the boy was as dead as the rooster and chicken on his plate. At that, the birds came alive and fluttered about the room, thereby “proving” that the young man was innocent.
To this day, a pen inside the cathedral holds a rooster and a hen (different ones every two weeks). It’s a sign of good luck if you hear the rooster crow.
Day 7: Santo Domingo de la Calzada to Belorado: 21 kilometers
On a day of mixed sun and cloud, we pass through the town of Viloria de Rioja, the birthplace of St. Dominic and from there into the province of Castilla y León.
At the albergue in the evening, we enjoy our €10 pilgrims’ dinner of two courses and wine and chat with Marcelo from Argentina and David from San Sebastián. Our pleasant conversation covers everything from politics, to films, to the various people we’ve met on the Way, to our common love of travel and adventure.
Day 8: Belorado to Cardeñuelo Río Pico: 9 kilometers
We carry our big packs today and find that after more than a week of walking the way on the Camino, we’re getting stronger.
The Albergue Santa Fe in Cardiñuela where we stop for the night has just one double room left, complete with a private bath, towels, soap and shower gel, and a television. With the pilgrims’ dinner included, the cost is about €55 each—another example of the excellent travel bargains to be found on the Camino.
Day 9: Cardeñuela Río Pico to Burgos: 17 kilometers
A strong, cool breeze in the morning makes for good walking weather. As we approach Burgos, we pass through several prosperous-looking neighbourhoods which likely are bedroom communities of the city itself.
The Camino enters Burgos via a pretty walk along the river. When we finally reach the center of town, we take a taxi to the AC Hotel which is perfectly situated about two blocks from the central plaza and the cathedral.
We enjoy tapas at one of the outdoor cafés in the colonnaded central plaza.
Part Two: Walking the Way from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela
Days 10 to 14: For the next several days, Elizabeth and Cheri tour Burgos and then León. Read Elizabeth’s suggestions about what to see there in the post Exploring Burgos and León.
Day 15: Samos to Sarria: 21 kilometers
After several days exploring Burgos, León , and Lugos (see Exploring Burgos and León ), we take the train to Sarria, drop off our packs at the albergue La Casona de Sarria and then take a taxi to Samos to explore the Benedictine Monastery.
Wow! The Benedictine monastery at Samos is stunning, with some sections dating back to the 6th century. Currently, only eight monks and two novices are in residence, with some of the original monks’ cells now serving as simple accommodations for people participating in organized religious retreats.
Benedictine monastery of San Julian de Samos located in Samos, Lugo, Galicia
The interior cloister at the monastery is the largest in Spain, and some of the walls display original frescoes.
Back on the Camino: Samos to Sarria
After a quick lunch, we resume walking after our days off for sightseeing in Burgos, León , and Lugo. We set off back to Sarria, a walk of about twelve kilometers and one of the most beautiful stages of our journey.
The route starts behind the monastery, winds past the kitchen gardens and along cool shaded paths alongside a small river, with some ascents and some descents but few signs of modern habitation. We pass a couple of 12th-century wayside chapels, small abandoned houses, wooden bridges, and old slate drystone walls.
You can almost imagine yourself a thousand miles from any center of population and thousands of years back in time. One farmer is repairing his drystone slate wall and lets us fill our water bottles from his well. We stop a bit farther on for a cold drink in a typical taberna do Camino.
Day 16: Sarria to Portomarín: 24 kilometers
We start our day by crossing the old Roman bridge just down from the albergue. The stela marker informs us that we are 113 kilometers from Santiago.
At this point of our walk, we’re encountering many more people on the Camino, particularly Europeans taking a week to do the minimum journey (100 kilometers). To receive the completion compostela in Santiago, pilgrims must present their passports bearing at least two stamps per day for the final 100 kilometers.
As we’ve come to expect, the countryside is absolutely beautiful, with rolling hills, manageable ascents, and plenty of lush vegetation providing shade in the increasingly hot weather. This region is quite well watered by rain, and there are lots more dairy cattle and other livestock grazing in green pastures.
Countryside along the Way in Galicia
At one short rest stop, we listen to a piper in Galician dress—a reminder of the strong Celtic influence in this part of Spain. Much of the day’s route follows the old Roman road, with some of the original Roman stone walls still marking out different pastures.
A very old church marks the beginning of the final 100 kilometers to Santiago.
Day 17: Portomarín to Palas de Rei: 26 kilometers
Today’s route includes ups and downs through rolling and beautiful countryside. We’re starting to become blasé about the medieval churches. Ho hum, 14th century.
We find a fair bit of traffic along the Camino and several small tour groups.
Part of the Camino passes through thick stands of eucalyptus trees, originally imported from Australia. The scent of the leaves that have fallen to the ground and crushed by passing feet is delightful.
Day 18: Palas de Rei to Melide to Arzúa: 17 kilometers
Despite the heat, we enjoy a good night’s sleep followed by an excellent breakfast.
In a small chapel along the route, I’m fascinated by a poster of a stunning Madonna and Child (Mater Divinae Providentiae) painted by Scipione Pulzone da Gaeta in the mid-16th century.
I’ve never seen a Madonna which so tenderly expresses the love of mother for child. How different from the usual dreamy, remote images of Mary and the baby Jesus. This one is all about maternal love and one of the loveliest I’ve ever seen. I’ve never heard of this artist, and I plan to learn more about him.
The Camino from Melide to Arzúa is not a difficult stage, but it does have ascents and descents virtually the entire way. Fortunately, the many groves of fragrant conifers and eucalyptus trees along the path are very pleasant and make the steeper inclines much more manageable. The official markers remind us that we’re getting closer to our final destination.
Later this afternoon, I suffer the only mishap of the entire trip when I stumble into a patch of nettles. Ouch! But Cheri quickly pulls out the antihistamine tablets and After Bite lotion, and, almost immediately, the rash subsides and the itch disappears.
Day 19: Arzúa to Pedrouzo: 22 kilometers
Our water and energy drinks at the ready, we set off early before the heat sets in and make pretty good time, even on the up and down stretches. The crowds are certainly growing.
At one stop, we purchase coffee, bananas, and small concha patches sold on the honor system/por donativo. Next to the building is a “wall of wisdom” (muro de la sabiduría) containing interesting quotes and reflections on travel. I’m sure the quotes keep conversation going among the pilgrims as they near the end of a long journey.
An interesting feature of the places we pass are the corn cribs—large covered storage areas on stilts. The walls are perforated to allow air circulation but not rodents, and their height prevents livestock from investigating too closely and knocking them over.
Day 20: Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela: 22 kilometers
Our last day of walking the Camino!
We’re up and away before sunrise on what promises to be another warm day. The crowds have become thick, and we sometimes have to jostle for room to manoeuvre around groups.
Approaching Santiago de Compostela, the Camino skirts the northern end of the airport, which is clean and modern. We encounter a couple more steep spots, and then, suddenly, we’ve reached the official city limits of Santiago.
To enter the city proper, we cross a rickety plank footbridge into a semi-residential area and up into the original medieval town. We descend a flight of stairs, walk through a large portal set into very thick stone walls, and enter the central plaza of Santiago de Compostela.
The scaffold-covered cathedral looms into the rapidly clouding sky. We’ve made it!
We head to the new tourist center to get our official completion credential. There’s a long queue, and for a while we wait outside in the patio area. Almost immediately after we enter the building, a big thunderstorm breaks, rain teeming down on the poor folks still out walking on the Camino or waiting outside to get their final stamp.
Arrival in Santiago de Compostela
We celebrate our achievement with an empanada and beer in the restaurant of the Santiago Parador—a former hospital founded by Ferdinand and Isabella in the 1490s.
We enjoy a deep, restful sleep, despite the thunderstorms. By mid-morning, the weather has cleared, and we return to the cathedral and tour the adjacent museum, timing it so that we can enter the cathedral itself from the cloister.
Visit to the Cathedral of Santiago
The entrance to the cathedral closes at 11:45 in preparation for the Pilgrims’ Mass, and by 11:15, it’s already filling up. We snag a spot on a small ledge at the base of one of the huge pillars near the back and have a reasonably good view.
The Cathedral at Santiago de Compostela
The service starts, and the nun leading the chants and responses has the most glorious voice. We recognize many of the service prayers, even though they are in Spanish: the collect, the Lord’s Prayer, the reading from the Old and New Testaments (Corinthians and John), the general confession, and so on.
The highlight of the service, and the reason that many people are there, is the swinging of the enormous censer across the transept. At least five or six deacons or lay brothers manoeuvre it into place and set it swinging, and the sweep of its pendulum action gets higher and higher. Ropes and pulleys are affixed to the ceiling, and the angle of the swing is maybe 120° or more.
After the service, people line up behind the main altar to hug a plaster statue of St. James. Meanwhile, there are practically no people lined up to descend to the crypt to see St. James’ ossuary, an amazing chest of embossed silver. If the bones of the saint are really contained within, it’s interesting to think that here was someone who actually knew Christ.
Back at the hotel after a bit of shopping, we calculate the distance we’ve walked. From our first day of walking on May 6 to our final day in Santiago de Compostela on May 26, we logged 338 kilometers!
Conclusion
Would I do the Camino again? Absolutely! Do I recommend it to anyone who is reasonably fit and looking for an adventure? Of course!
Something magical happens when you slow down to tread in the footsteps of the thousands of pilgrims who have walked the Way.
You hear birdsong, feel the sun warm your face, view stunning landscapes steeped in history, enjoy wonderful food, and meet people from all over the world.
