Ask Lonely Planet: Superb spot for a grub crawl

I'll have four days of freedom in Madrid after attending a conference, and would love to experience the best tapas the city has to offer. Where would you suggest I visit?
Jim Fettle

Increasingly, Madrid has become a magnet for outstanding cuisine. Foodie hubs include the districts of Chueca, La Latina and Huertas for boutique bars and traditional tabernas; and Paseo del Pardo, El Retiro and Salamanca for more sophisticated tapas.

While the cuisine is delicious, it's the passion and warmth displayed when dining out in Spain that elevates the city into the ranks of the great culinary capitals of the world. Eating is not merely a functional pastime here, it's one of life's great pleasures, an essential delight to be savoured like all good things in life.

Start your tapas tour in Huertas, the bohemian quarter in central Madrid that many writers over the decades have called home. Begin with traditional tapas at La Casa del Abuelo, perhaps sipping a glass of sweet El Abuelo red wine accompanied by grilled prawns.

For the most authentic patatas bravas (delicious fried potatoes slathered with spicy sauce), visit nearby Las Bravas (Calle de Alvarez Gato 3). Bacalao (cod) is another tapas speciality, which you can try at Casa Labra, accompanied by the ghost of Federico Garcia Lorca. To sample Basque-style tapas, drop into Taberna Algorta (Calle de la Cava Baja 26).

Over in Chueca, order an empanada (savoury meat pie) at classic Antigua Casa Angel Sierra (Calle de Gravina 11), the local haunt of filmmaker Pedro Almodovar. For more traditional atmosphere, savour Galician-style octopus at Casa do Companeiro (Calle de San Vicente Ferrer 44).

The best tapas in Salamanca is served at Biotza (Calle de Claudio Coello 27) - order a tasting menu to sample a range of its Basque pintxos-style tapas. And to finish your tapas crawl, make your way to Bar Melo's (Calle del Ave Maria) in Lavapies for a hearty bocadillo sandwich filled with pork and cheese.

Routes to raw splendour

I'm interested in going to Antarctica. Are there tours from New Zealand or do you have to get there from South America? Is it as expensive as everyone tells me?
Myla Pearson

No place on earth compares to the vast white wilderness of rock, ice, snow and water that is Antarctica. It is simply stunning but it is a delicate environment. So everyone who comes to this isolated continent must earn it, either by making an often-difficult sea voyage or a very costly flight.

Most people visit Antarctica as part of a cruise where your transportation, meals and accommodation are all in the one vessel. This means that no infrastructure for tourists needs to be built ashore.

Nearly all visitors arrive by ship from Ushuaia on the southern tip of Argentina, simply because it is much closer to the icy continent than New Zealand.

However, Heritage Expeditions offers month-long tours to the Subantarctic Islands, the Ross Sea and East Antarctica from Invercargill. Quark Expeditions offers a number of different types of trips from Ushuaia, some disembarking in Lyttelton Harbour, south of Christchurch. Expect to pay from $8000 to $30,000, depending on the type of ship, the length of cruise, other activities involved and the standard of accommodation.

Other companies departing from South America include Abercrombie & Kent, Aurora Expeditions and Lindblad Expeditions. Those offering trips on smaller ships include Fathom Expeditions and Oceanwide Expeditions.

For more choices visit the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators.

Qantas operates day-long flights over the continent on a Boeing 747-400 once or twice a year between December and February. These flights leave from Sydney or Melbourne, take about four hours to travel there and you have about four hours' flying time over East Antarctica. Prices begin at $1260 for an economy central cabin seat. Contact Croydon Travel for more information.

Other options for getting to the ice include flying with Aerovias DAP, Chile's regional airline, for an overnight stay at its own facility in Frei, which is made from modified shipping containers with five rooms, a bathroom and a kitchen. This trip begins at around $6150.

There are also a number of private yachts that sail to Antarctica, though this is very expensive, can be dangerous and should not be undertaken by anyone who does not have at least some knowledge of sailing in such harsh conditions.

High times with the kids

We're planning a trip to Machu Picchu for later this year and are a little concerned as to how our two children (8 and 10) will fare. Can you tell us about what hiking will be involved, and if the children will be able to cope with any altitude problems?
Melissa Wilson

For many visitors to South America, a visit to the lost Incan city of Machu Picchu is the cherry on the top of their trip. With its spectacular location, it's the best-known archaeological site on the continent.

Machu Picchu is 2430m above sea level, so you and your family will need to be prepared for any problems posed by high altitude. See your doctor for advice and altitude sickness medication.

For all visitors, regardless of age and fitness, acclimatisation is the key to dealing with higher altitudes. You will most likely arrive in Cusco (1000m higher than Machu Picchu), where oxygen will be freely available in hotels, as will cocoa-leaf tea, which prevents the onset of symptoms. Your best approach is to take it easy while you become acclimatised.

It's also extremely important to drink plenty of water, try not to eat heavy meals and avoid alcohol. For a full description of altitude sickness and its symptoms, see http://www.nevdgp.org.au.

If you follow the correct procedures, your visit should pose no problems for healthy, active kids.

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