I’ve been plotting a Zürich to Lisbon road trip for the better part of six months. In its original form, it was going to be something of a delivery mission to transfer fragile objects from various lockers in my Swiss apartment to shelves and assorted surfaces in the Portuguese capital. It would be a three- to four-night journey with stops at various wineries and a night here and there with friends in and around Marseille. It was also going to be the first grand tour for the Toyota Land Cruiser and the plan was to turn it into a 10-day adventure.

A couple of months ago, however, it was decided that the diary wasn’t going to allow for such driving decadence and a new plan needed to be hatched. Do we skip the road trip altogether? Perhaps it’s better to let a gentle shipping company deal with the fragile objects? Or what about a one-way trip and basing one car in Lisbon for a stretch? After a bit more diary consultation and a conversation with the little Suzuki Jimny that’s been living a very comfortable life on Zürich’s Gold Coast, we landed on this past Saturday as the departure date for a three-day, two-night drive to Lisbon. Here’s a brief play-by-play peppered with a few observations:
 
Saturday 07.45 
The plan was to be on the road at 06.30 but the most magical dinner the night before at Alex, across the lake, meant that the start wasn’t quite as sharp. Nevertheless, Zürich was in holiday mode so we were quickly on the highway. Destination: Geneva.
 
Mats played navigator and chief steward on the journey. As the Jimny is rather basic on tech, there was no need for a deejay. Radio would have to do and thanks to a bit of Chérie FM, France Inter and Los40, we did just fine.
 
France might be home to some of the world’s most admired retail brands and Spain to some of the world’s best chefs but you’d never know it based on the roadside hospitality offering. France and Spain have some serious work to do when it comes to polishing this part of their tourism infrastructure. There’s much to be learned from the Swiss, Austrians and Japanese in this territory. Toilet seats would also be a nice touch.

The Jimny’s speedometer shows the number 180 at the top end but the car is most comfortable at 110km/h or slower. At the last minute, we decided to cut the trip to one night and the most sensible (and perhaps most comfortable) stop was San Sebastián. We rebooked the Hotel Arbaso and, based on a Google estimate of 11 hours on the road, made plans for a lovely dinner around 21.00. In the end we dined very well but closer to 23.00; the total drive almost 14 hours.

Sunday 10.00
On Sunday morning we made a grocery, wine and coffee stop at Lukas Gourmet Shop in San Sebastián. If you’re not familiar, it’s worth a small detour. It’s just the right mix of the daily and more refined essentials that every neighbourhood needs. The extra boxes of wine helped steady the vehicle for a day on the road.

The Jimny is not the most aerodynamic vehicle in Suzuki’s line-up but it’s certainly cute to look at and under the right circumstances a treat to drive. Highways are another matter. Under windy conditions it’s essentially a cardboard box atop a skateboard and blows all over the place. Passing trucks and buses in 90km/h crosswinds near Burgos proved one of the trickier parts of the journey. 
 
Who has Europe’s best highways and infrastructure? It must be the Basques. The region not only has exceptional roads and impressive tunnels, they’ve also done a decent job of keeping much of it graffiti-free, which is saying something in Europe these days.
 
Who has the worst highways? Salamanca. Shame on you. Absolutely dreadful.
 
After a 10-hour drive we reached Lisbon last Sunday at around 20.00. The Jimny is now adjusting to a slightly different pace from Zürich and enjoyed its first jaunt down to the beach. Soon we’ll do a spin around some neighbourhoods I’ve been wanting to scout. Beep-beep!

Travelling to Zürich or Lisbon? For everything that you need to know and everywhere that you need to go, consult our City Guides.

Mexican food makes best use of everything that the country’s fertile soil provides (writes Claudia Jacob). From limes and corn to cacti and chillies, “farm to table” isn’t a fad here – it’s a credo to live by. Yet zero-waste restaurant Baldío in Mexico City is the first in the country to take this resourceful approach a step further with locally sourced ingredients. Lucio Usobiaga co-founded the restaurant with his brother Pablo and the guidance of British chef Douglas McMaster. The latter is a pioneer of the global zero-waste movement: his London restaurant Silo has been operating on a closed-loop food-production system since it opened in 2019.

At Baldío, there isn’t a taco in sight. Instead, the menu offers corn focaccia, peanut mole and beetroot ice cream with a Scandinavian touch (chef Laura Cabrera is an alumna of Copenhagen’s Noma). “In Mexico City, you find out quickly if a concept is working,” says Usobiaga. Risk takers such as the Baldío team are edging Mexico’s culinary scene into thrillingly uncharted territory.       
baldio.mx
 
Thinking of setting up a business south of the US border? Our Mexico Survey is part of our annual business special, ‘Monocle: The Entrepreneurs’. Pick up a copy to read more.

Serbian-Albanian entrepreneur Sofija Mehta founded Island Hospitality in 2024 to showcase a different side of Ibiza and the Balearics through unique dining experiences and elevated entertainment. Here, she tells us about craving a holiday away from the coast, the hidden-away beaches where she strolls on Sundays and why a savoury breakfast trumps a sweet one.

Where do we find you this weekend?
I like to start with a wander through Ibiza’s Mercadillo de Sant Jordi in search of something beautiful for our garden. Then it’s coffee at Pantastic for a tostada with almond ricotta.
 
What’s for breakfast?        
The chickpea curry at Beachhouse Ibiza, one of Island Hospitality’s venues. I always say that I must have been Indian in another life. Salty breakfasts have become my thing.
 
Where will you be spending your summer holidays?
In the mountains. Especially in August, we love to escape the heat and head north in a caravan to Germany, Austria and, this year, Norway. Since we live on an island, we don’t crave the beach when we travel.
 
Your Sunday soundtrack?
“Sodade” by Cesária Évora. Her voice feels like home: soft, steady and a little nostalgic.
 
What’s in your summer wardrobe?
I love mixing soft cottons with more structured, minimal pieces. You could call it a blend of Indian soul and German precision.
 
A Sunday culture must?
We take it slowly on Sundays. We walk towards the lighthouse and along the quiet secret beaches near Las Salinas – the kind of places that don’t have names.
 
What’s on the menu?
Masala chai and poha [South Asian flattened rice]. It’s simple, comforting and full of flavour. In the evening, we head to our beloved Finca La Plaza restaurant.

In Monocle’s July/August issue, you’ll find our suggestions for an Japanese-inspired picnic courtesy of our recipe writer Aya Nishimura. We’re kicking this series off with two pre-dinner cocktails crafted using umeshu (Japanese plum liqueur) and melon syrup.

Shiso ‘umeshu’ sour

Serves 1
 
Ingredients
50ml umeshu (Japanese plum liqueur)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1½  shiso leaves
Egg white from a medium egg
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Ice cubes
 
Method

1. 
Blend the umeshu, lemon juice and a shiso leaf until smooth.

2.
Add the egg white to your shaker and shake vigorously. Top tip: if you have a Hawthorne strainer handy, remove the coil spring and dry shake it with your egg white for the perfect frothy texture. 

3.
Add a handful of ice cubes to the shaker along with the blended mixture and Angostura bitters. Shake until chilled.

4.
Strain into a glass over fresh ice. 

5.
Slice the remaining ½ shiso leaf lengthwise and place it on top as a garnish. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Melon-soda float

Serves 1

Ingredients
3 tbsps melon syrup (ideally the bright-green kind used for Japanese shaved ice, kakigori. If this isn’t available or lacks the classic colour, add a dash of green food colouring.)
150ml unsweetened soda water
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
1 tinned cherry in syrup or maraschino cherry
Ice cubes

Method

1.
Fill a tall glass with ice cubes and pour in the melon syrup.

2.
Add the soda water and stir gently with a muddler.

3.
Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and place the cherry on the side.

4.
Serve immediately with a straw or a long spoon.

The roots of Le Hameau de Saparale, a hotel located between Bonifacio and Sartène, go all the way back to 1845 (writes Annick Weber). That year, Corsican entrepreneur Philippe de Rocca Serra started cultivating olives and endemic grape varieties on his 100-hectare domaine to make oil and wine. Almost two centuries later, Le Hameau de Saparale still does just that – with one key difference. Rather than housing farm workers, the hamlet’s buildings and bergeries now welcome guests.

The property, which offers 16 rooms and suites, is owned by Julie and Philippe Farinelli. “We wanted to breathe new life into a magnificent piece of Corsican heritage,” says Julie. “This region is forgotten about all too often.”        
lehameaudesaparale.com
 
Going on a rustic retreat? Our summer newspaper, ‘Monocle Mediterraneo’, is your ideal travel companion.