Starwood Hotels Starwood Hotels, Paris
Where to go, stay and eat in three European cities, while staying environmentally conscious.
See our Eco-Friendly Guide to Paris, London and Stockholm slideshow.
With some of the most progressive capitals in the world, Europe makes eco-travel easy—provided you know where to look. For this new series, T+L partnered with Greenopia, the leading publisher of eco-guides to U.S. cities (greenopia.com), applying Greenopia’s environmental criteria to hotels, restaurants, stores, and sites in Paris, London, and Stockholm.
A 1990s-era Sir Terence Conran-designed hideaway at the edge of baroque Karlsplatz, Das Triest *** (doubles from $212) is emblematic of the city’s no-frills, economic approach to environmentalism. A keycard system turns off electricity and climate control when guests are out (non-air-conditioned rooms are also available), and candles are recycled to reduce waste. The hotel hardly feels like an ashram, however: rooms are warmly modern, with big blocks of wood paneling and quirky touches like now-retro Philippe Starck lamps.
Gabarage Upcycling Design, **** located on one of Vienna’s chicest streets, repurposes household and office items into furniture, including lamps made of used celluloid and a funky chaise longue created from old three-ring binders.
At Naschmarkt ** open market, stick to the northern end for farmer produce and fancy offerings, including Gegenbauer, with casks of homemade oils and vinegars, and Alles Seife’s handmade soap.
Tucked in a courtyard behind busy Stephansplatz, Hollmann’s Salon **** (dinner for two $100) serves exquisite portions of updated Viennese specials, including regional sheep and goat cheeses at long communal tables. Wrenkh *** (lunch for two $40), a wood-paneled place with a busy sidewalk annex, serves light, creative foods sourced from the Naschmarkt, like local venison and a smoked tofu steak atop a bed of polenta.
Grinzing is where the city’s vineyards start. Yellow Hapsburg-era houses with gothic signage and the inevitable strolling violinists provide a slightly kitschy 19th-century backdrop, but an influx of young vintners like Stefan Hajszan are transforming viniculture with 100 percent organic methods. Hajszan’s eponymous Heurige, a renovated grape-pressing house, has become one of the city’s hippest destinations. Downtown, the Contemporary Art Tower (open Sundays, May through November), a World War II anti-aircraft tower with concrete walls thicker than most sidewalks, has been converted to a showroom for projects by James Turrell and Jenny Holzer, among others. Minimal fluorescent lighting and nonexistent heating and cooling systems keep gallery spaces eco-friendly.
* Meets at least 25% of Greenopia’s criteria
** Meets at least 50% of Greenopia’s criteria
*** Meets at least 75% of Greenopia’s criteria
**** Meets at least 90% of Greenopia’s criteria
