The 5 Best Locations for a Decelerating Long Stay Workation in Europe {Reader Travel Tip}

Working where others go on holiday, as a workation, and slowing down at the same time? We present the best locations.

1. Bern: Workation in the Swiss capital with numerous excursion possibilities

A great location for a workation in the city, e.g. also as an extended stay in Combination with a business trip, is Bern. Surrounded by mountains and lakes, the Swiss capital not only attracts with a beautiful historic old town that dates back to the 12th century and with its colorful fountains and arcades has rightly been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983: it has also arrived in the digital age. We pay in supermarkets, for example, at self-service checkouts, the public transport ticket or the check-in at the hotel including the room key - all of this is easily possible with a cell phone.

A pair of Concept, which also accommodated the SV Group, based in Dübendorf in the canton of Zurich, when they opened their first extended-stay hotel in Bern’s Wankdorf district under the Brand Stay KooooK, for which she has already received several awards. The name Stay KooooK is supposed to remind of a cuckoo that leaves its nest, but always likes to come back. Accordingly, the concept combines four modern forms of accommodation: the hospitality and authenticity of Airbnb, the strong community of hostels, the security and professionalism of a hotel and the intelligent use of space by Microliving. Unfortunately, guests only have to do without breakfast or even gastronomy, but there is a supermarket directly in the house.

The offer is primarily intended to appeal to guests who are spending a longer period of time for a work or an extended stay in Bern and are able to eat for themselves. Therefore, the 59 fully equipped studios on 22 square meters and three family studios on 45 m² with their own kitchenette are comfortable bath and Workplace Loudspeakers that can be connected via Bluetooth. The outstanding feature of the room concept is the sliding living module "The Slide", which can be pushed back and forth with a slight pull on the lever, leaving space for either the luxurious free bed or the fully equipped kitchenette with dishwasher and, in some cases, its own washing machine.

The common area of ​​the hotel is the living room, also known as the backyard: The open, creative space is a meeting zone, work space and retreat, the open common kitchen with a long table invites you to linger and work. Greenhouse, fireplace, pool table and comfortable seating are reminiscent of the hustle and bustle in urban courtyards. The Hamburg interior design company JOI-Design was brought in for the interior design. This is also where the hosts are at home, who take care of the well-being of the residents. Because there is no reception at Stay Kooook: Check-in and check-out is done via mobile phone, which also acts as a room key. This requires a good internet connection and sufficient battery capacity. Another highlight is the roof terrace with a view of the Alps.

The location is the highlight at the train station in Bern Wankersdorf: it does seem modern Office – and new development quarters are not very inviting at first glance, but it is the perfect starting point for excursions and activities of all kinds. How practical that the Bern Welcome Card, which can also be called up via mobile phone, is included in the hotel stay and allows free use of local transport in Bern and made possible in the immediate vicinity. In 5 minutes you can take the S-Bahn to the main train station in Bern and be right in the middle of the action. In less than 30 minutes, the S-Bahn takes you directly to Thun and the lake, which offers numerous leisure activities, especially in summer. Halfway there you can make a detour to Bern's local mountain, the Gurten, and enjoy the magnificent Alpine panorama. But the Emmental or the historic upper town of Burgdorf with the Franz Gertsch Museum and the “Castle for All” are definitely worth a visit. You can also swim in the Aare, which flows around Bern's old town with its clear, cool water.

2. Danube: Travel and work at a leisurely pace on a river cruise

Thanks to low-cost airlines and high-speed trains, we now hop from one city to the next at breakneck speed, and verlieren but there is a lot of time between lugging your suitcases and checking into the hotel. A river cruise on the Danube, on the other hand, offers more comfort and deceleration, which incidentally shows that the way is much better Objective is. Because thanks Internet and in a relaxed atmosphere you can also work excellently.

The Danube is the longest river in Europe. It flows 6.109 km from Switzerland through Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary and further through the Balkans to the Black Sea. Its length makes it one of the longest and most important rivers in the world Welt, and it is an important economic, cultural and geopolitical artery.

I spent a week on the Danube with the cruise specialist Nicko Tours - and was delighted with the excellent Organization, the always friendly, committed employees and the really relaxed and at the same time eventful way of traveling. Our ship, the MS Heidelberg, acted as a floating grand hotel measuring 109 by 11 meters. Fine woods and high-quality details determine the elegant furnishings, the staircase is even a little based on the Titanic. The cabins of 13 to 18 square meters, which are quite large for a river ship, offer space and storage space. The large floor-to-ceiling windows with French balconies invite you to linger on the bed, while the waves play around the ship right outside the window and the landscape slowly passes by. An almost meditative process that is complemented by the small but fine wellness area with sauna and steam bath.

3. South Tyrol: Workation on the farm

Enjoy breakfast in the morning at sunrise with a mountain panorama and a view of the vineyard and then write or concentrate on the spacious terrace for a while Online-Meetings before you take the bus up to 2400 meters in the afternoon and go hiking for a few hours - that works with a workation on a farm of the Roter Hahn umbrella brand, which also acts as a seal of quality.

My accommodation, the Öhlackerhof, was a good 4 km north of Brixen in the middle of the vineyards, just below in the valley was the historic Neustift monastery. The location, close to town and yet in nature, was the perfect starting point for excursions in the area, because there is a comparatively well-developed bus system in South Tyrol, with which you can not only go shopping and into the city, but also to the surrounding areas Mountain peaks such as the Rodenecker Alm in the nearby Pusta Valley or the Plose, the 2400 meter high ski and hiking area of ​​Brixen.

The 50 square meter apartment was modern and minimalist, but had everything you need: a small, well-insulated bedroom with automatic blinds, a cozy TV corner, a fully equipped, ultra-modern kitchen with an induction hob, refrigerator and dishwasher, a glazed window wall and of course the terrace, where you can work and, of course, eat, thanks to the socket and well-functioning WiFi that can be switched off. For breakfast there was a basket with fresh delicacies from the farm, tea herbs and apple juice from our own cultivation directly in the apartment.

4. Europe: Working on the rails with the Interrail ticket

If you want to be mobile in Europe and still work at a slower pace, an Interrail ticket is recommended. This is now available for all age groups, in second and first class, as a global pass for 33 countries, but also in the cheaper version only for individual countries. I got a passport for all of Europe for my research, which I could use for 10 days within two months and was in England, Benelux, Northern Italy, Denmark and Slovenia, among other places. The special feature: with each passport you can only leave your home country and re-enter once.

The decelerating aspect is that you can use the roads through Europe to work on the computer or mobile phone while enjoying the beautiful landscapes or eating and drinking. When you arrive at your destination, you have much more time to immerse yourself in the cultural diversity of Europe. Of course, this works best if you don't just move from hotel to hotel, but visit friends or stay with locals.

It is practical that with the Interrail or Eurail ticket (Interrail for non-Europeans) you can theoretically board any train very spontaneously, as you happen to be Lust has. In the Implementation you have to make reservations for high-speed trains. Interrail pass holders often only have certain contingents available, and once these have been used up, they cannot take the corresponding high-speed train.

Nevertheless, Interrail is a great thing: I lived on a farm in South Tyrol, for example, and hiked at 2400 meters, spent a week sightseeing in London, drove to Greenwich or Richmond or went to the beach in The Hague. I have exciting, interesting things People met and was still able to work in a relaxed manner while driving the train. For me a highly recommended type of workation.

5. Nature, art and deceleration on Amrum

The island of Amrum has been with me since I was a child Term, when I read Nestäckchen by Else Ury. However, I have only managed to visit this unique island now and was immediately enthusiastic about the relaxed, friendly atmosphere and the great, in places untouched nature. With an area of ​​20,46 km² - without the 10 km² Kniepsand, an extremely slowly moving sandbank off the west coast of the island - Amrum is the fourth largest of the North Frisian islands after Sylt, Föhr and Pellworm and is located in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park.

Relaxation begins with the pleasant, two-hour ferry crossing, because unlike neighboring Sylt, Amrum cannot be reached directly by train. The island bus takes me to the historic center of Norddorf to the Hotel Pension Flor, which is obviously run with a lot of love by Anne and Freddy Flor. No wonder that many regular guests have been enthusiastically returning for years, even for longer stays.

The 13 country-style rooms and the maritime-style guest room are extremely comfortable, there are numerous beautiful places in the house and in the spacious garden, which invite you to work in a relaxed manner with good WiFi coverage. Telephone conferences and meetings are also not technically possible Problem. For breakfast, landlady Anne Flor offers a small but all the more exquisite selection, including excellent bread from the bakery next door and fresh fruit. The numerous excellent restaurants in Norddorf also ensure that your physical well-being is well taken care of, but if that is not enough, you can shop at Edeka and prepare cold dishes yourself - a small tea kitchen offers this option even for guests who do not have an apartment but only one rented rooms.

Of course, numerous leisure activities are also available in the area: the beach is 1,2 km away. Sports enthusiasts can swim, surf or kite here, for nature lovers there is a guided mudflat hike, where you can learn a lot about the flora and fauna of the Wadden Sea. In addition, the island offers an excellently developed network of cycle paths. Nature lovers will also get their fill in the dunes of Amrum, the largest nature reserve on the island Costs: It is around eight kilometers long and up to one kilometer wide. The dunes can only be crossed on boardwalks. In the south of Amrum there is the only dune hiking trail on the island. It leads through the dunes near the lighthouse to the freshwater lake Wriakhörn. The Amrum Norddorf nature center and the Vogelkoje Meeram provide much more information.

You can also find out about local history and culture, for example in the Frisian village of Nebel with its windmill, "narrative tombstones", Frisian houses worth seeing and the replica of an Iron Age house in the Vogelkoje archaeological area based on the model of an Iron Age settlement consisting of more than ten buildings from that time around the birth of Christ. And the well-known painter Kai Quedens talks about his childhood and the history of the island in lectures.

However, the strong stimulating climate with sometimes violent wind and UV radiation can take some getting used to and is due to its circulatory stimulating effect Effect not suitable for everyone. Therefore, a longer stay is recommended. After a relaxing walk by the sea, however, one succeeds all the better Stress to leave behind.

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