recommendations fit for the best cities in Europe

Offering recommendations can always be a tricky thing. They are never just recommendations. They are memories, walks of life, intimate moments that you pass on to another person, hoping they’ll understand.

I myself have passed on over a hundred recommendations. I have lived in over a dozen countries and visited over a dozen more. I often catch myself beginning a story with, “when I lived in…” realising only by the surpise of their faces that I might have not mentioned those few years of my life on a map. That I will be asked to retrace my steps and highlight them on the sand.

I have always taken recommendations highly seriously. Almost too seriously. I have once gathered an hour worth of voice notes, each dedicated to one spot they just had to know about. So, as promised to some of you, here are my recommendations to two of my favourite European cities.

As my mother’s hometown, Marseille has a particular place in my heart. It is a place where I spent every summer, bouncing between the couches of different relatives each day. It is a place I learnt to swim well, to eat better, and to love best. As a rising tourist destination over the past few years, it is a place I wish to hold close to me, but it is also a place that I want people to get. To go past the few dirty streets and busy crowds to enjoy the best the Mediterean culture has to offer.

The Food

Alivetu (Table Méditerranéene): an excellent restaurant if you wish to impress the in-laws with excellent produce (and wine). perfect for a nicer restaurant feeling, without breaking the bank to much (see their special lunch offer).

Le Café de la Banque: perhaps one of the best kept secrets yet. an excellent place for the typical breakfast experience in the quiet, or the high-paced lunch amonst the bankers and businessmen of the area.

Boulangerie Latil: now, every French person has their favourite bakery they swear has the best pain au chocolat. this is mine, and I will happily die on my hill.

Le Bon Air (at Notre-Dame de la Garde): why have an apéro in the city when you can have one on top of it. come for the views, stay for the ambiance.

Le Four des Navettes: the oldest bakery in the city, famous for the Marseillais navettes (pro tip: navettes are naturally dry, go down the street and get yourself a coffee or tea to dip in and thank me later)

L’Eau à la Bouche: again, I will happily die on my hill of “best pizza in the city”. I almost always take it away at eat it on the seaside.

Au Falafel: for a quick bite in the center, this small eatery has delicious food all around. the falefel and fries, and don’t forget the lemonade!

The Activities

Notre-Dame de la Garde: whether you believe in a higher being or not, any lover of culture and art appreciates a Catholic Church. this one is particularly special for its offerings: ship models, plane models… all of it a reminder of hope (please make sure to tour it from the outside the notice the damage done during WWII and learn its history)

Grande Pharmacie de Marseille (Boticinal): for those of you bringing an empty suitcase, this is the biggest pharmacy of the city. it also always has 2 for 1 deals you won’t want to miss.

Maison Empereur: whether you plan on buying anything or not, Maison Empereur is one of the oldest shops of the city, and has remained almost entirely the same throughout the decades. walk through a moment in time looking at home items. (also one of the only places to sell real Savon de Marseille as most places are scams)

Plage de Maldormé: one of my favourite beaches. you’ll have to be there early the find a comfortable spots amongst the rocks, but well worth it.

Museum of European Meditarranean Civilisations: part of offering honest recommendations is admitting one’s failures. and, well, Marseille isn’t the city I would go for museums. this museum would be my favourite, but mostly for the views from walking around it (which is free).

Palais du Pharo: a gift from the emperor Napoléon to his wife Joséphine, which she never went to. a beautiful place to wander around and see the Vieux Port as a whole.

Krakow

Krakow remains one of my favourite cities to date. With two suitcases filled to the brim, and a shady email exchange with my landlord who spoke barely any English, I found myself moving to the city for my master’s degree because “well… why not?” It remains one of the best decisions of my life. Krakow is a wonderful city, full of life and meaning. A not-so-hidden gem that deserves to make it on any list of European cities to recommend.

The Food

Milk Bars: for the truly authentic Polish cuisine, milk bars are the place to go. there will be no English menus, or English staff - but if you write down what you would like in Polish they will be happy to accomodate you. I spent the better part of my Wednesdays at the Bar Uniwersytecki myself.

Chimera: the perfect place to experience a selection of flavours (buffet style) in a beautiful setting.

Magia Cafe and Bar: another favourite spots of mine as a student. great hot chocolates when essay writting, and lovely quiet atmosphere when you need a break of the city centre, right in the city centre.

Hamsa: my recommendation for a place to try delicious authentic food on the Jewish Square. bursting with flavours, this is the place you want to go for when you aren’t craving traditional Polish food.

Wisniowy Sad (Cherry Garden): a small hidden garden where handmade traditional dumpings are made fresh. excellent spot for a more down to earth feeling.

The Activities

(A key location during the Second World War, in close proximity to Aushwitz, Krakow is a city that holds its own through past, present and future. A city packed with medieval and contemporary history you might almost miss while wondering around culinary and culture spots.)

St. Mary’s Basilica: again, the Catholics strike again. while I am not one to rank, this is truly the most beautiful church I have ever seen. lathered in paintings and sculptures and all other forms of art, this basilica is truly something outerworldly.

Schindler’s Factory (free on Mondays): an important visit, especially for those who will not go all the way to Aushwitz. Schindler’s Factory is less about the factory and the man you may see on screen, and much more about the lives of Jewish Poles before and during the war. a extremelly thourough narration that goes through history step by step.

The Botanic Garden: now, as a lover of nature, this botanical garden is filled with wonder. I have often spent hours roaming around both its indoor and outdoor gardens, never once failing to be amazed. if the weather is nice, do not miss out.

The Princes Czartoryski Museum: the largest museum in Krakow, filled with the art collection of the wealthy Czartoryski family. a wonderful place for those who enjoy spending their time travelling in time through art.

Eagle Pharmacy: the smallest museum of this list as it is confined to the size of a pharmacy that remained in the Jewish Ghetto during the war. much less of an overview, and much more in the details of specific stories and lives.

Enjoyed your stay? Let me know what European city I should recommend next!

Love,

Anastasia