Do you foresee travelling around Europe in your Future (Nostalgia), but you’re not sure where to head? Then you might just want to take a look at Dua Lipa’s newly unveiled travel recommendations.
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It’s a long-running joke that the English singer is constantly on holiday, and the New Rules hitmaker is now putting her extensive knowledge to good use by partnering with Google Maps to create Dua’s Lists.
Go girl, give us everything.
Created in collaboration with Service95, the global editorial and cultural platform co-founded by Dua Lipa, the selections include where to splash out on a romantic dinner or grab quick street bites, buy a good read, soak up art and culture or even Dance The Night away.
“I’ve been making lists and sharing travel recs with my friends for years. Now, I’m sharing them with you on Google Maps,” the star said.
Dua’s Lists, which are 12 in total, also come with the launch of her personalised Google Maps Pegman. Instead of the familiar yellow icon, users will spot a blinged-out Lipa donning sunglasses gliding through her favourite cities alongside them.
Tech-savvy Google Maps users can also build their own Lipa-inspired trip by saving the destinations they want to visit from the list to their own map.
In Europe, her favourite spots span Paris, London, Barcelona, and her hometown of Prishtina in Kosovo. Born in London to Kosovan-Albanian parents, Lipa briefly lived in the Kosovan capital at the age of 11, and she was granted citizenship last year.
From lowkey food gems to museums and cosy bookshops to scenic city corners worth getting lost in, here are Dua Lipa’s top picks in Europe.
On Lipa’s dining table
If you’re stumped on where to take your “sugarboo” for a memorable dinner out this summer then look no further than Lipa’s Date Nights to Remember List.
For candlelight romance, the newlywed recommends Bistro Des Tournelles which serves up traditional French cuisine in Paris. Dishes such as pan-fried oyster mushrooms, beef tenderloin with pepper sauce and green asparagus ravioli accompanied with ricotta and hazelnuts are paired with the bistro’s rustic decor and warm atmosphere.
For travellers in Italy, Lipa points to Dal Bolognese Milano for where to go “when you want to feel Italian for an evening”. The singer lauds the restaurant’s tagliatelle al ragu as the single best rendition of the dish she’s ever had.
However, if couples, or even families and friends, are after a more relaxed vibe, Lipa’s Chill Dinners and Snacks’ recommendations include Proper Pizza, from her hometown in Prishtina, Kosovo.
“Proper Pizza is exactly what it says it is,” the star said. “The crust is right, the toppings are good, and it’s always full of people having a great time.”
While for travellers with sweet teeth, Lipa suggests the San Ginés Chocolate Shop. Open 24-hours a day for whenever your confection cravings kick in, she says the best time to go is after midnight, adding that their must-try churros with hot chocolate is one of the “great food rituals” of the world.
Explore her hometown
Lipa’s The Perfect Pristhtina List walks users gives an insight into her hometown through her eyes. Although born in London, the city always feels like home: “It’s a place that shaped not just who I am as a person, but who I am as a musician,” she said in a post on Service95.
One location that draws her back every single homecoming is the National Gallery of Kosovo, located within the University of Prestina. Established as a comprehensive hub in 1979 for Kosovar painters, sculptors and graphics designers to reignite the local art scene after many ateliers were destroyed during war, Lipa says the institution is very important to the community.
For a peek into the day-to-day hustle of Kosovar life, she suggests adding the Old Green Market to travellers’ itineraries. An integral part of the singer’s hometown, it’s one of the city’s oldest trading areas and the best way to understand the city during a first time visit, she says.
The bazaar is also nearby to the Ethnographic Museum – the country’s 18th-century landmark that highlights Kosovar history and heritage.
When hunger strikes, and you’re in the mood for Albanian cuisine, Tiffany is where you can get your fix. Described by Lipa as a “homey restaurant in the middle of the city”, the dining spot serves a mix of local and international dishes – from kajmak, which is a traditional double cream to seasonal ajvar, a relish of smokey red bell peppers and aubergines, to pleskavica, a minced meat dish, pizzas and wood oven specialities.
Where to browse for a good book
If you’re on the hunt for a unique independent book store, Rare Birds Book Shop in Edinburgh champions women authors and its shelves exclusively stock fiction written by women.
Founded by Rachel Wood, Lipa explains that the name comes from a saying by Wood: “a rare bird being described as an exceptional person or thing, a rarity – so it refers to both the books and the people who wrote them.”
Another spot on her list to find page turners is Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal.
Known for details such as its carved wooden staircase and stained glass ceiling, the bookshop is a destination for both bookworms and culture enthusiasts alike. The space is set to host an exhibition curated around the work of Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei to mark the launch of BABELL, a literary and cultural initiative by Livraria Lello.
She also recommends Ensemble in Marseille, describing its beautifully curated collection as a reflection of the vibrant port city it calls home. The reading nook is dedicated to contemporary photography and doubles as a gallery.
There, you will find an array of titles exploring cinema, fashion, landscape and identity, as well as zines and furniture. As a cultural hub, Ensemble also regularly hosts exhibitions.
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