Travelling by ferry should be pretty simple and straight forward, right? Well, if you’re organised then yes, it is, but if you don’t make yourself aware of the many and varied ferry travel requirements, then it won’t be smooth sailing. Take my mum for example – back in the mid 80’s she rocked up to Portsmouth sans visa (as an Aussie...
There’s nothing like the adventure of taking a ferry to France, with its great food, wonderful history and scenic landscapes (just don’t tell ’em we said that). But with so many ferry ports in France and a range of cross-channel ferry routes to choose from, how do you know which one is best for you? And how do you find the cheapest ferry tickets...
Welcome to Spain’s geographically blessed, yet architecturally bereft underdog, Santander. The capital city of Cantabria on Spain’s northern coast hasn’t had the best of luck over the years, and as a result probably isn’t the first destination that you think of when planning a city break in Spain. But why? Well, the old town burnt down in a...
Here at The Travel Tortoise we value hotels with real character and authenticity. We’ve all stayed in those boring corporate business hotels before, with their beige walls, soulless corridors, and monotone staff. They’re all the same, and they add very little value. When I stay somewhere I want the hotel to be part of the experience, and I want to...
Vienna is blessed when it comes to art museums and galleries to visit, but, if like the Tortoise, you’re a bit of philistine when it comes to art, but you feel compelled to one day plug that gigantic chasm for high culture that exists in your life, then this guide is for you! Nobody here wants to give you ‘museum fatigue’ on your precious city...
Hmmm, a post about car rental in Austria…doesn’t sound much like slow travel to me? But hiring a car gives you absolute freedom to explore any country’s more off-the-beaten-path locations and regions. Despite Austria having a truly world-class public transport system, it is rather mountainous (perhaps you hadn’t heard), so in order to reach...
Having written a couple of posts about Austrian food, we now need something to wash it all down with. So, what better way to start than by introducing Austria’s most important Gruner Veltliner wine. In our sister company, Venture Vienna, we operate wine tours to some of Austria’s key wine producing regions and top wineries, so we’ve accumulated a...
This guide on things to eat in Vienna is definitely for the carnivores out there. As I continue in my vain attempt to lure people away from ubiquitous schnitzels, literally boring the vegetables off restaurant plates across Vienna, I now offer up another alternative: known locally as a ‘Stelze‘, English speakers would call it a Vienna pork knuckle. Yes...
Food in Austria - A Local's Guide to Avoiding Schnitzel The food in Austria isn’t the main reason why people come here. At the risk of being deported, compared with other national cuisines, Austrian food is really rather boring, samey, and extremely meat and potato dominant. Now to some, this may sound great, as it did to me when I first arrived here, but after...