Ideas please: Anniversary dinner in Europe, July 2020

[Katie]

I'm seeking inspiration and ideas. Mr Katie and I are joining a friend's birthday celebration and following the last week of the Tour de France next year. Our tour finishes on a Monday; two days later, on the Wednesday, is our 20th wedding anniversary. We can either come straight home, and have a jet lagged meal in Brisvegas after our arrival on our anniversary. OR maybe we could spend a few extra days in Europe, have a lovely dinner/day on the Wednesday, and start making our way home on the Thursday. Likely to be flying AY.

We don't feel we have to stay in Paris - it's a nice city, but there's plenty of other options between Paris and Helsinki.

We've been to Noma and went to the Fat Duck when it was open in Melbourne (and El Bulli is closed ). I'm sure there are some other nice restaurants in Europe.

Where would you go? What would you do? The only real restriction would be that we're in/very close to a city where we can fly AY to HEL the next day.

 

[Antoallison]

I don’t have any suggestions as to the perfect venue - but I will check my back copies of “Gourmet and Traveller magazine”, but main advice I would give is please don’t fly straight back after the tour finishes.

Stay on in Europe anywhere ...for a few more days and have a really special 20th wedding anniversary !

 

[Pushka]

We celebrated our 40th at The Lido on Champs Elysees. We booked the full dinner package that we very much liked and loved the show. If booking the dinner you get the best seats. And a bottle of Champagne was included. We also purchased photos. Tres Risqué! We were going down to Epernay for the day for a deluxe Champagne Experience but there was one of those pesky train strikes on.

 

[drron]

Convenient to LHR is Bray.No not the Fat Duck but the Waterside Inn.We loved the place.stay the night and have dinner there.

The Waterside Inn "restaurant with rooms"

Alain Roux's 3 Michelin starred restaurant has held this award since 1985. The Waterside Inn is a "restaurant with rooms" on the banks of the River Thames in Bray, Berkshire and home to his eponymous Culinary School.

www.waterside-inn.co.uk

And the TR.Post 137 and following.

In Royal Footsteps-southern England and the long way home.

It's good to catch up on your TR. Over the past weeks I've been consumed with watching Vikings on netflix, so your Winchester visit is good timing.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[offshore171]

What’s the budget?

 

[albatross710]

a couple of thoughts about milestone anniversary.

make it somewhere unique and you haven't been before
take a good pic for the mantle
no need to blow the budget (as you are already locked into the marriage. )

our 20th we stayed at Sydney Harbour Hyatt with a free room won in the GFC.

As you will have already been in Paris for a few days maybe Paris wont be so exciting. As Helsinki is on your route, have you been in that city before? If not, go there for the day/night and stay somewhere nice in the city.

If Helsinki is not new then choose another un-visited European city

Also tell AY it's your anniversary. We told SQ, who told NZ and we were then served a very special anniversary cake in-flight. That was memorable.

Alby

 

[Cossie]

If Helsinki doesn't appeal, Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius are all close, you'll get great value for money there.

 

[LadyC]

Hotel Kamp in Helsinki is really nice and the restaurant there wasn't bad (we got a free dinner when we booked then). There have been a few votes for Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris. I went there for NYE on my honeymoon 7 years ago and it was fabulous but I also recall that @amaroo was there earlier this year I think.

Alternatively Vienna is gorgeous and you could have a fabulous meal at Steirereck or the more casual Meierei. Their cheese cart/plates are amazing.

 

[offshore171]

Hotel Kamp in Helsinki is really nice and the restaurant there wasn't bad (we got a free dinner when we booked then). There have been a few votes for Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris. I went there for NYE on my honeymoon 7 years ago and it was fabulous but I also recall that @amaroo was there earlier this year I think.

Alternatively Vienna is gorgeous and you could have a fabulous meal at Steirereck or the more casual Meierei. Their cheese cart/plates are amazing.

These are great suggestions. I was also thinking the Hotel Kamp. A great hotel in a lovely location on the Esplanadi. Particularly nice at that time of year when the days in Helsinki seem to be endless.

Vienna another great suggestion. Try Restaurant Grune Bar

Wildcard option, Veranda Restaurant at Villa d'Este, Lake Como. About 40 mins from Milan Malpensa airport. Breathtaking location.

 

[craven morehead]

Very happy to recommend this place in Helsinki if you decide it's easier as you're already heading that way. I'm not as cultured as some on here but really enjoyed the ambiance, food & wine at Ravintola Nokka :

 

[Matt_01]

McDonalds .

Being a little more serious, congratulations on your milestone, it's your anniversary so my advice is enjoy whatever activity you like to do together. We spent our 20th wedding anniversary in Japan.

 

[offshore171]

Very happy to recommend this place in Helsinki if you decide it's easier as you're already heading that way. I'm not as cultured as some on here but really enjoyed the ambiance and food at Ravintola Nokka :

View attachment 197526

Seconded. Went there midwinter. Wonderful atmosphere.

 

[Katie]

What’s the budget?

Ummm, not set, but we're happy for a fabulous meal to cost up to AUD 800-1000, including drinks. (Also happy for fabulous meal to be cheese, bread, and wine and cost under AUD 80!!)

 

[Katie]

Thanks for all of the ideas so far! You're giving me/us many things to think about.
I have been trying to not go back to CPH, BER, and other locations we've been to before, and more than once, so I like the idea of somewhere new. We're also probably spending about three nights in Paris already (1 before the tour, 2 with the tour at the end of the bike race), so I think it would be nice to see somewhere new. Although it will be novel to be in Paris without the kid in tow.

Lake Como would be bucket list stuff, great idea.
We've only ever transited in Helsinki, so it would be cool to spend a couple of days there.

 

[Katie]

Being a little more serious, congratulations on your milestone, it's your anniversary so my advice is enjoy whatever activity you like to do together. We spent our 20th wedding anniversary in Japan.

Well, we like travelling, eating and drinking, so we're off to a good start.
The other main thing we like to do together (apart from sit next to each other reading ) would be going to the theatre, so that gives me a different angle to think about. We had been thinking of a separate trip later next year to New York for a week of yummy lunches, then theatre at night. Not sure if we'll do that trip now. So many travel decisions to make!

 

[amaroo]

There have been a few votes for Pavillon Ledoyen in Paris. I went there for NYE on my honeymoon 7 years ago and it was fabulous but I also recall that @amaroo was there earlier this year I think.

Terrific meal, and highly recommended..... not much use if you want to avoid Paris though.

Pity you don't have a few extra days as Basque is a terrific place to visit with many sensational restaurants. You can fly from Bilbao to Helsinki in 5.5 hours with one stop.

 

[Pushka]

Thanks for all of the ideas so far! You're giving me/us many things to think about.
I have been trying to not go back to CPH, BER, and other locations we've been to before, and more than once, so I like the idea of somewhere new. We're also probably spending about three nights in Paris already (1 before the tour, 2 with the tour at the end of the bike race), so I think it would be nice to see somewhere new. Although it will be novel to be in Paris without the kid in tow.

Lake Como would be bucket list stuff, great idea.
We've only ever transited in Helsinki, so it would be cool to spend a couple of days there.

We travelled to Lake Como by train from Venice. The train trip is fantastic. We then went on to St Moritz. Even better. You can also get off at one of the Peaks for a view and then get onto the next train. Swiss trains are wonderful. Where you will eat depends on the time of the year as we managed to travel at a time when the whole place shut down between winter season and summer. I did a trip report and will try find it.

Here tis - starts from post 167

Dalmatian Coast cruising without a dog in sight

Enjoyable day on the bus. Not crowded at all and traffic didn’t impede us at all. The rain of last night gave way to a mix of heavy cloud, bright sun and heat, rinse and repeat. And just now around 5pm a torrential downpour. It’s sunny again by 6pm. Milan is interesting but 2 days is enough...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Townsend]

Unsure if you have been to the old or new Noma. As someone who loved the old Noma I would think your Twentieth Anniversary would be a great reason to try the new one! Denmark is on the way to Helsinki!

 

[Milboo]

I second Steirereck at Stadtpark in Vienna. Amazing meal there and yes...the cheese cart! And the bread cart!

I also had an excellent meal at Jules Verne up the Eiffel Tower a few years ago. It’s Alain Ducasse.

 

[robtemt]

I'd recommend:

Le Cinq (Paris)
La Pergola (Rome)
The Ledbury (London)

We have been to all three and rank them all in our top 10 that we've been to.