Go Advice:From a visit to Vienna for a birthday treat to getting to the Costa Brava by train, JOAN SCALESanswers your questions
Birthday treat in Vienna
We are hoping to go to Vienna to celebrate my husband’s 90th birthday on March 26th. We were wondering if you could recommend two top-class restaurants for lunch on March 25th and 26th and also a safe website to book opera tickets.
BJ, Longford
The weekend you are planning on going to Vienna, you have a choice of operas from Arabella, Elektra, Rodelinda, Turandot, Nabucco and Rigoletto. You can see what is on and book tickets on wien.info. You can also contact the Vienna Tourist Board on 00-43-1-24555. I have also used the Classic Tickets site for bookings, classictic.com.
Restaurants that you may like are Plachutta, plachutta.at. You will need to book as this is a popular place. Plachutta is famous for the traditional Austrian dish Tafelspitz, which is a type of boiled beef with broth, fries and vegetables served in copper pots. You can make a reservation online or by phone on 00-43-1-512-1577.
The other restaurant is Steirereck and here you will find more modern Austrian cuisine with French-style service. It is rated as the top restaurant in Vienna, and you will definitely need a reservation. Make sure to ask for a good table. You can book by e-mail on its website, steirereck.at or by phone on 00-43-1-713-3168.
Costa Brava by train
My four siblings and I have an annual get-together with our own families every May. Whoever’s turn it is to arrange the gathering picks the location, so my brother has chosen the Costa Brava where he has a holiday house.
I live in Belfast, and in an attempt to be green I’ve tried to organise rail/ferry travel but am finding it very difficult. I will be travelling with my husband and two of my children. Ideally if we were travelling by rail through Britain, we would be joined by our other children, who are in Newcastle and Ipswich. The get-together is planned for Easter.
NMC, Belfast
Travelling by road, rail and ferry from Belfast will be quite a journey and one you should enjoy as part of the trip. It will take you at least two days each way to get to the Costa Brava, so plan for a few stops on the way.
Ferry options from Belfast are with Stena Line, stenaline.co.uk and PO Irish Sea services, poferries.com. You can combine the ferry and rail travel to London in the one ticket and this will keep the costs down – ask for sail/rail tickets.
London would be a good point to meet up with your other children and then travel onwards from there by rail or coach. Prices with Eurostar can be good value if you are prepared to travel at off-peak times and be flexible. A return to Paris will cost from £79 (€94), eurostar.co.uk.
In Paris, you change stations to the Gare d’Austerlitz for the Barcelona train. The journey is about 11-12 hours and you can opt to travel overnight. You can buy a combined ticket that will take you from London to Barcelona for around €330.
Rail and bus companies tend to issue timetables only two to three months ahead of travel. Check out schedules and fares on raileurope.co.uk. For planning rail travel, the seat61.com website is also very useful.
The cheapest way to get to Barcelona from London is by coach, and Eurolines has a service from Victoria that takes around 27 hours and costs from £125 (€148) return. The timetable for April will be available from mid-February, see eurolines.co.uk or phone 00-44-8717-818181. For local train information in Spain, see renfe.com.
Passport stamp worry
We are planning a cruise to the Holy Land. I have heard or read somewhere that if there is an Israeli stamp on your passport, you cannot enter the US. Is this correct? I have a son in California whom I visit often. Does this mean I would have to get a new passport before I go again?
KMC, Leitrim
An Israel stamp on your Irish passport will not affect your entry into the United States, so go ahead and enjoy your trip to the Holy Land. You can also ask Israel immigration to stamp your boarding card rather than your passport, which they will do sometimes. In general, the countries that do not allow entry with an Israel stamp on your passport are usually Islamic states, including Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Pakistan and Syria.
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com