On Trails Less Traveled in Europe

Walking trips are the ultimate in slow travel, allowing tourists to take well-trod paths through Cinque Terre in Italy or around the Ring of Kerry in Ireland at their own pace. Strollers seeking more solitude who try Europe's less celebrated regions often find that the trade-off is less service. But that doesn't have to be the case. For explorers seeking quiet pathways, a few outfitters offer pioneering routes and a comfortable place for you to put up your feet at day's end. Here are a few.

Portugal

THE ROUTE Rota Vicentina, a 210-mile-long Atlantic coastal path from Santiago do Cacém in Alentejo to Cape St. Vincent in the Algarve, was completed last May. It connected local footpaths that trace rural clifftops and empty beaches.

THE OUTFITTER The England-based company InnTravel organizes self-guided inn-to-inn walks on the Rota Vicentina over seven nights. The route passes small villages, offshore sea stacks, wave-bashed headlands, sand dunes and fishing harbors. Hikers travel 6 to 11 miles a day, averaging about four to six and a half hours on foot. Each morning the service sends your luggage forward to the hotel where you'll stay that night, freeing you to amble with just a day pack.

DATES AND RATES Anytime until June 9, resuming Sept. 7 to Nov. 3; from £625, about $937 at $1.50 to the pound, per person, double occupancy, including hotel, seven breakfasts, four dinners, five picnic lunches and luggage shuttles. (44-1653) 617-000; inntravel.co.uk.

Spain

THE ROUTE The northwest region of Asturias encompasses the rocky highs and river valleys of the Cantabrian Mountains and lush pastures and lakes protected by Somiedo Natural Park.

THE OUTFITTER Judy Colaneri of Spanish Steps, who divides her time between Aspen and Spain, has been leading trips along Spain's long-distance Camino de Santiago route for nearly 17 years. She now also operates a guesthouse in rural Asturias that serves as the base of "walk and talk" language-learning vacations. Instructors begin the day with a lesson over breakfast highlighting terms that might be encountered (from "walking sticks" and "boats" to "blisters") followed by 8 to 10 miles of hiking (usually three to five hours). Overnight stays at the eight-room converted farmhouse, Hotel Fuentes de Lucia, include cooking classes and trails outside your doorstep. There are also hiking programs for yoga aficionados and painters.

DATES AND RATES May 11 to 18 and June 15 to 22; 1,200 euros, about $1,535 at $1.28 to the euro, per person, double occupancy, including breakfasts and dinners. (877) 787-9255; spanishstepsretreats.com.

France

THE ROUTE Walks in the Mediterranean island of Corsica cover diverse terrain, from rugged mountains and pine forests to pocket beaches.

THE OUTFITTER Intrepid Travel's new walking trip focuses on nature from a highland base in the central Corsica village of Bocognano. Five days of the eight-day trip are taken up by guided walks in the Corsica Regional Nature Park that may include treks beneath granite peaks, through chestnut forests or across mountain meadows, depending on the group's interest and the conditions. Most walks depart from the village itself, though they occasionally begin with a mountain railway ride in order to reach more remote areas of the island. Participants, a maximum of 16, spend each night at the family-run Hotel Beausejour that overlooks a river valley and the imposing Monte d'Oro range.

DATES AND RATES Departures June 2, 9 and 16 and Sept. 1 and 8; from $1,230, including breakfasts, dinners and five lunches. (800) 970-7299; intrepidtravel.com.

Croatia

THE ROUTE The Istrian Peninsula in northern Croatia, across the Adriatic from Venice, includes Roman ruins and hill towns encircled by vineyards that bring Tuscany to mind.

THE OUTFITTER Vermont-based CW (formerly Country Walkers) offers a new walk on the Istrian Peninsula designed for independent travelers who seek control over their itinerary but don't want the hassle of planning hotels, guides and transfers. Based at the seaside Hotel Monte Mulini in Rovinj, travelers spend four days exploring the peninsula, beginning with a two-hour guided tour of the historic port, once a part of the Venetian Republic. A driver-guide spends the next day and a half with travelers, visiting interior hill towns, a winery and the Roman amphitheater in Pula and arranging optional coastal, vineyard or mountain walks like one on Mount Ucka whose summit offers panoramic views of Kvarner Bay.

DATES AND RATES Anytime; from $1,998 per person, double occupancy, including breakfasts. (800) 464-9255; cwadventure.com.

Romania

THE ROUTE Maramures, the rugged northwestern region that borders Ukraine, has dense woodlands, rustic farms and traditional villages with wooden churches and houses trimmed in elaborate wood carvings.

THE OUTFITTER Ramona Cazacu, an independent Romanian guide, leads custom-designed English-speaking village-to-village tours throughout the country, though she says she particularly likes remote Maramures, where walks offer opportunities to meet the locals out raking hay or wearing folk costumes en route to church on Sundays. Though none of the walks are extreme and they largely take place amid rolling hills, most of the paths are unmarked, making a guide vital. A week's tour of Maramures for up to 14 travelers involves walking and occasional driving between rural villages with stops to meet a wood carver and visit churches or cafes. Travelers mainly lodge in private guesthouses that serve traditional homemade meals.

DATES AND RATES Departures continuous, based on availability; seven-day trips, 990 euros a person, including lodging and most meals. (40-723) 191-755; myromania.com.ro.

Czech Republic/Germany

THE ROUTE From Prague to Dresden, the mountainous Czech-German border area contains lightly traveled historic regions and dramatic scenery of Bohemia and Saxony between its urban end points.

THE OUTFITTER This new eight-day itinerary from Wayfarers Walking Vacations travels through regions variably called Czech Switzerland or Saxon Switzerland, depending on which side of the border you're on. Paths pass timber-frame houses, medieval monastery ruins and the haunting towers, arches and gorges of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains that inspired artists of the Romantic Movement. Jana Kotalikova, who is an art historian, leads groups of up to 16, covering seven to nine miles per day. Though the heart of the trip involves walking, the group travels roughly 75 miles north by car from Prague to start the walk in rural Jitrava, and later enters Dresden by boat on the River Elbe.

DATES AND RATES Departures are June 15 and 22, and Sept. 14 and 21; $4,295 per person, double occupancy, all-inclusive. (800) 249-4620; thewayfarers.com.

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T Magazine: Paris Takes a Crack at Lobster Rolls

This spring, another iconic American comfort food is taking Paris by storm. On the edge of Les Halles, the former screenwriter Mathieu Mercier's Lobster Bar has been packed ever since it opened on April 2, with stylish young Parisians who are showing off their amour for the Eastern Seaboard by knowing what a lobster roll is without being told. Mercier, an amiable Swiss guy married to a New Yorker, first found lobster love during a holiday in Maine as a boy. At a beach shack, he wanted a burger, but they were sold out — so he reluctantly settled for a lobster roll and immediately got bitten.

"From one visit to America to the next, I craved a good lobster roll," says Mercier, who finally decided to make himself happy and deliver Paris from its obsession with burgers by tempting the locals with lobster instead. The rolls he serves are made with Brittany lobster, bien sûr, although he confides that he doesn't taste a huge difference between the Old World (Homarus gammarus) and New World (Homarus americanus) lobsters. "The best method is to steam the lobster for a minute, so that the meat doesn't stick to the shell, and then grill it," says Mercier, who consulted New York's Mary's Fish Camp and Pearl Oyster Bar for tips on how best to make a lobster roll.

To my Connecticut-reared taste buds, the only thing American about Mercier's riff is the slightly sweet and caky oblong roll the lobster meat is daintily piled into. Otherwise, in another swell example of how one culture improves on the cuisine of another, this baby is as French as Charles de Gaulle's nose, since it's lightly dressed in a tarragon-bright vinaigrette. And while Mercier's take on New England-style claws-and-tails is good, he's not the only one in Paris these days with lobster on his mind.

The "lobster croque" served at the just-opened Jeanne B bistro in Montmartre is drop-dead good, too. The creation of the restaurateur Frederic Hubig-Schall, it's an elegant and original riff on lobster sandwiches with focaccia-like bread spread with Mornay sauce and grated Parmesan, which is then grilled, garnished with herbs and served with a light tomato-and-lobster-tamale vinaigrette.

The lobster club sandwich served at Ralph's, the in-store eatery at Ralph Lauren's Saint-Germain-des-Près boutique, is excellent, too. And if you're coming to Paris before April 30, you will want to taste the lobster sandwich at Café Prunier. (This is a special offer sandwich, but may be continued if Parisians take to it.) Created by the Polish-born chef Renata Dominik, it's the best lobster sandwich I've ever eaten on either side of the Atlantic. Why? It's made with toasted, freshly made Moroccan flatbread, impeccably cooked lobster tossed in a light honey-and-Xeres vinegar sauce, fresh herbs, including dill and chervil, fresh grapes, and orange and pink grapefruit sections. Unlike the mayonnaise-slathered lobster rolls I grew up on, everything about this sandwich is there to showcase the taste of the lobster itself, which is why this one is just as perfect as a pearl.

Café Prunier, 15 Place de la Madeleine, Eighth Arrondissement; 011-33-01-47-42-98-91; prunier.com.

Jeanne B, Jeanne B, 61 rue Lepic, 18th Arrondissement; 011-33-01-42-51-17-53; jeanne-b-comestibles.com.
The Lobster Bar, 41 rue Coquillière, First Arrondissement; lobsterbar.fr.

Ralph's, 173 boulevard Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Sixth Arrondissement; 011-33-01-44-77-76-00; ralphlaurenstgermain.com.

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Brazil, Where the Beautiful Game Struts

Lalo de Almeida for The New York Times; Lianne Milton for The New York Times

Clockwise from top left: Fans in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo; Pacaembu Stadium in São Paulo; fans in Santos; on the beach in Rio; Museum of Football in São Paulo. More Photos »

The banner-waving, anthem-singing fans of Rio de Janeiro's Flamengo club formed a billowing mass of ruby-and — black-clad humanity. They moved not only in reaction to the ebbs and flows on the field far below, but also to the samba beat pounded out by musicians in the midst of the grandstand mayhem around me and my friend Doug. The bands had not stopped playing, and fans had not stopped chanting, in the 18 minutes since the game began.

Then, on the field far below, a precision passer on the rival team Fluminense launched the ball straight for their top scorer. As nonchalantly as flipping a light switch, he scissor-kicked a strike past the keeper into the far left corner of the goal. Or as it is known locally:

"Goooooooooooool!"

On the other side of the stadium, the Fluminense fans — outfitted in green, grenadine and white — erupted, but they were so isolated, so far away, that they looked and sounded like television static with the volume turned way up. On our side, the samba ceased. The fans slumped — for about 10 seconds.

Then the Flamengo samba machine swung back into action. The fans started singing again, a love song to their team. Their banners waved like mainsails in a storm. Mourning would wait for later: Flamengo eventually lost 1-0. But in Brazil, telling fans to stop cheering because the opposing team scored would be like telling a D.J. to stop the party because someone danced badly.

In Brazil, soccer is not just a game, it's a national drama. One of Brazil's great 20th-century playwrights and novelists, Nelson Rodrigues, recognized that the sport trumped even his own craft in defining the nation. "Abroad, when you want to learn about a people, you examine their fiction," he wrote. "In Brazil, football plays the role of fiction."

You can find variations on that particular brand of drama across the Brazilian soccer scene, almost all year round, in Rio and São Paulo and at smaller stadiums in lesser-known cities.

Here's when you probably won't find it: during the World Cup, which Brazil will host from June 12 to July 13, 2014. It won't be in the stands when, say, Cameroon plays Serbia, or when France squares off against the Uzbeks. The World Cup will be a good party, guaranteed — and the handful of games the Brazilian side plays will be all-out spectacles. (Good luck getting tickets for those matches.) But the best time to experience true Brazilian soccer — or, more accurately, futebol (foo-tchee-BOW) — will be outside the parameters of the Cup.

That said, it is not simple to plan a soccer trip to Brazil. I had an advantage as a Portuguese speaker who had lived in the country for two years. Others might find it more difficult. The complex league schedules are largely unavailable in English. You'll have to find your way to the stadium, choosing between public transportation and sometimes pricey taxis. Even where to sit can be a consequential decision.

And you'll always have to be ready for the unexpected: Engenhão, the very stadium where Doug and I watched the Flamengo-Fluminense game, was closed last month for structural repairs. And there have been other black eyes for the country as it ramps up to the Cup. At the end of last month, an American woman was abducted and gang-raped in the popular Rio district of Copacabana. Police had to use tear gas recently after fans clashed when tickets ran out for the inaugural match of the new World Cup stadium in Salvador. (Six people reportedly sustained minor injuries.) As is often the case with travel in developing countries, things can be less predictable and more chaotic than you may be used to at home.

But none of those should dissuade you from experiencing soccer in Brazil. The phrase "the beautiful game" did not originate in the country, but it accurately describes the fluid and frequently dazzling play you'll see. After attending six games last fall, I concluded that Brazilians speak soccer fluently, while everyone else has an accent.

My guess is that many Americans (and other travelers) don't explore the admittedly complicated world of Brazilian soccer because they think it's too dangerous or, more likely, have no idea how. Here, then, is a guide on the whens, wheres and how-tos.

When to Go

The first thing you have to know about Brazilian soccer is that it is played nearly year-round. There's no spring training or long, wait-till-next-year periods of inactivity. Between two consecutive league seasons and a handful of national and international tournaments, the biggest teams play virtually nonstop, except for about a month in late December and early January. The first few months of the year are dominated by state leagues: all 26 Brazilian states, as well as the Federal District in and around Brasília, have them. (Games are generally on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.) By May or June, the more exciting four-tiered national league starts. By the time the season ends in December, there's a national champion.

But the action doesn't end there. Top finishers in the national tournament earn berths in the next year's Libertadores Cup and South American Cup, two regional tournaments that run concurrently with parts of the state and national seasons. There's also the Brazil Cup, a separate national competition with a knockout tournament format. And occasionally, the national team (that is, the one that goes to the World Cup) will play a "friendly" match against visiting foreign squads. (This year, from June 15 to 30, Brazil hosts the Confederations Cup, stopping league play.)

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: April 19, 2013

An earlier version of this article misstated the number of starting players from Santos in Brazil's World Cup winning teams in 1962 and 1970. The 1962 team had 4 starters, including Pelé, who was injured early on in the tournament; and the 1970 team had 3.

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From Their Mouth to Your Ears

If you're the sort of traveler who avoids group walking tours because they're not to your liking or not in your budget, it doesn't mean you have to wander the ruins of Pompeii without hearing how the city perished, or visit London Bridge without being told of its roots in Roman times. You don't need a group tour; you just need a smartphone.

Many local government Web sites offer free audio walking tours that you can download. In Bath, England, there's the Jane Austen tour created by Bath Tourism Plus. (Austen lived in Bath and two of her novels, "Northanger Abbey" and "Persuasion," are set there.) Failte Ireland, which promotes tourism, offers free audio tours of Dublin's castles, cultural institutions, Croke Park Stadium (home of the Gaelic Games) and, of course, the Guinness Storehouse. And if you're going to Amsterdam, the city's tourism Web site, I Amsterdam, has free audio tours that will take you to neighborhoods beyond the city's center.

Heading to London? Check out the free maps and audio tours from The Guardian newspaper. There are podcast walks of Kensington Gardens, the Thames and Oxford Circus, as well as ghostly haunts. To celebrate the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens last year, themed tours were added, including the city of London as it appeared to Dickens; sites from the London of David Copperfield; and a stroll that retraces Oliver Twist's walking route from Angel Islington to the courthouse of Mr. Fang.

Some London attractions also have free tours, like the London Bridge Audio Tour, which includes the bridge, Southwark Cathedral, Borough Market, the London Dungeons, HMS Belfast, City Hall, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.

Searching for podcasts on iTunes will turn up several itineraries, like Frommer's Day by Day Audio Walking Tours, self-guided strolls from the travel guide company, which are about $5, though the 15-minute Da Vinci's Paris tour is free. Beginning in the Louvre, it leads listeners through a few of the spots mentioned in "The Da Vinci Code."

Speaking of the Louvre, museum lovers should check the Web sites of the museums they plan to visit because many of them — including the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Museu Picasso in Barcelona — have their own apps with art and explanations that you can download free to your phone.

And then there are the free apps (some use sound; others use text):

City Walk. The "lite" version of this app from GPSmycity.com is free and includes a city map, photos and attraction details that you can read, yet no tour map or turn-by-turn navigation (for that you'll have to spend a few dollars to upgrade). The series is available for major cities including Paris, Florence, Rome, London, Barcelona, Dublin and Prague. Information: search the iTunes store for "city walk."

HearPlanet (Lite): Audio Guide to the World. This app is not a traditional audio walking tour. Rather, it uses your phone's GPS system to identify nearby landmarks; then the app tells you all about them — just as a flesh-and-blood guide would. Information: Hearplanet.com/app.

Rick Steves' Audio Europe. The veteran travel show host leaps off the television and into your ear, leading you through museums and historic streets in cities in Austria, Germany, Greece, England, France, Turkey and Italy, among others. He'll even escort you on a stroll through Amsterdam's red light district. Information: Ricksteves.com/news/audio-tours.htm

TripAdvisor Offline City Guides. The hotel review site's travel app includes self-guided tours (under "suggested itineraries") through beloved neighborhoods in more than a dozen European cities using your phone's GPS system. Information: Tripadvisor.com/apps-icityguides.

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On Trails Less Traveled in Europe

Walking trips are the ultimate in slow travel, allowing tourists to take well-trod paths through Cinque Terre in Italy or around the Ring of Kerry in Ireland at their own pace. Strollers seeking more solitude who try Europe's less celebrated regions often find that the trade-off is less service. But that doesn't have to be the case. For explorers seeking quiet pathways, a few outfitters offer pioneering routes and a comfortable place for you to put up your feet at day's end. Here are a few.

Portugal

THE ROUTE Rota Vicentina, a 210-mile-long Atlantic coastal path from Santiago do Cacém in Alentejo to Cape St. Vincent in the Algarve, was completed last May. It connected local footpaths that trace rural clifftops and empty beaches.

THE OUTFITTER The England-based company InnTravel organizes self-guided inn-to-inn walks on the Rota Vicentina over seven nights. The route passes small villages, offshore sea stacks, wave-bashed headlands, sand dunes and fishing harbors. Hikers travel 6 to 11 miles a day, averaging about four to six and a half hours on foot. Each morning the service sends your luggage forward to the hotel where you'll stay that night, freeing you to amble with just a day pack.

DATES AND RATES Anytime until June 9, resuming Sept. 7 to Nov. 3; from £625, about $937 at $1.50 to the pound, per person, double occupancy, including hotel, seven breakfasts, four dinners, five picnic lunches and luggage shuttles. (44-1653) 617-000; inntravel.co.uk.

Spain

THE ROUTE The northwest region of Asturias encompasses the rocky highs and river valleys of the Cantabrian Mountains and lush pastures and lakes protected by Somiedo Natural Park.

THE OUTFITTER Judy Colaneri of Spanish Steps, who divides her time between Aspen and Spain, has been leading trips along Spain's long-distance Camino de Santiago route for nearly 17 years. She now also operates a guesthouse in rural Asturias that serves as the base of "walk and talk" language-learning vacations. Instructors begin the day with a lesson over breakfast highlighting terms that might be encountered (from "walking sticks" and "boats" to "blisters") followed by 8 to 10 miles of hiking (usually three to five hours). Overnight stays at the eight-room converted farmhouse, Hotel Fuentes de Lucia, include cooking classes and trails outside your doorstep. There are also hiking programs for yoga aficionados and painters.

DATES AND RATES May 11 to 18 and June 15 to 22; 1,200 euros, about $1,535 at $1.28 to the euro, per person, double occupancy, including breakfasts and dinners. (877) 787-9255; spanishstepsretreats.com.

France

THE ROUTE Walks in the Mediterranean island of Corsica cover diverse terrain, from rugged mountains and pine forests to pocket beaches.

THE OUTFITTER Intrepid Travel's new walking trip focuses on nature from a highland base in the central Corsica village of Bocognano. Five days of the eight-day trip are taken up by guided walks in the Corsica Regional Nature Park that may include treks beneath granite peaks, through chestnut forests or across mountain meadows, depending on the group's interest and the conditions. Most walks depart from the village itself, though they occasionally begin with a mountain railway ride in order to reach more remote areas of the island. Participants, a maximum of 16, spend each night at the family-run Hotel Beausejour that overlooks a river valley and the imposing Monte d'Oro range.

DATES AND RATES Departures June 2, 9 and 16 and Sept. 1 and 8; from $1,230, including breakfasts, dinners and five lunches. (800) 970-7299; intrepidtravel.com.

Croatia

THE ROUTE The Istrian Peninsula in northern Croatia, across the Adriatic from Venice, includes Roman ruins and hill towns encircled by vineyards that bring Tuscany to mind.

THE OUTFITTER Vermont-based CW (formerly Country Walkers) offers a new walk on the Istrian Peninsula designed for independent travelers who seek control over their itinerary but don't want the hassle of planning hotels, guides and transfers. Based at the seaside Hotel Monte Mulini in Rovinj, travelers spend four days exploring the peninsula, beginning with a two-hour guided tour of the historic port, once a part of the Venetian Republic. A driver-guide spends the next day and a half with travelers, visiting interior hill towns, a winery and the Roman amphitheater in Pula and arranging optional coastal, vineyard or mountain walks like one on Mount Ucka whose summit offers panoramic views of Kvarner Bay.

DATES AND RATES Anytime; from $1,998 per person, double occupancy, including breakfasts. (800) 464-9255; cwadventure.com.

Romania

THE ROUTE Maramures, the rugged northwestern region that borders Ukraine, has dense woodlands, rustic farms and traditional villages with wooden churches and houses trimmed in elaborate wood carvings.

THE OUTFITTER Ramona Cazacu, an independent Romanian guide, leads custom-designed English-speaking village-to-village tours throughout the country, though she says she particularly likes remote Maramures, where walks offer opportunities to meet the locals out raking hay or wearing folk costumes en route to church on Sundays. Though none of the walks are extreme and they largely take place amid rolling hills, most of the paths are unmarked, making a guide vital. A week's tour of Maramures for up to 14 travelers involves walking and occasional driving between rural villages with stops to meet a wood carver and visit churches or cafes. Travelers mainly lodge in private guesthouses that serve traditional homemade meals.

DATES AND RATES Departures continuous, based on availability; seven-day trips, 990 euros a person, including lodging and most meals. (40-723) 191-755; myromania.com.ro.

Czech Republic/Germany

THE ROUTE From Prague to Dresden, the mountainous Czech-German border area contains lightly traveled historic regions and dramatic scenery of Bohemia and Saxony between its urban end points.

THE OUTFITTER This new eight-day itinerary from Wayfarers Walking Vacations travels through regions variably called Czech Switzerland or Saxon Switzerland, depending on which side of the border you're on. Paths pass timber-frame houses, medieval monastery ruins and the haunting towers, arches and gorges of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains that inspired artists of the Romantic Movement. Jana Kotalikova, who is an art historian, leads groups of up to 16, covering seven to nine miles per day. Though the heart of the trip involves walking, the group travels roughly 75 miles north by car from Prague to start the walk in rural Jitrava, and later enters Dresden by boat on the River Elbe.

DATES AND RATES Departures are June 15 and 22, and Sept. 14 and 21; $4,295 per person, double occupancy, all-inclusive. (800) 249-4620; thewayfarers.com.

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T Magazine: Paris Takes a Crack at Lobster Rolls

This spring, another iconic American comfort food is taking Paris by storm. On the edge of Les Halles, the former screenwriter Mathieu Mercier's Lobster Bar has been packed ever since it opened on April 2, with stylish young Parisians who are showing off their amour for the Eastern Seaboard by knowing what a lobster roll is without being told. Mercier, an amiable Swiss guy married to a New Yorker, first found lobster love during a holiday in Maine as a boy. At a beach shack, he wanted a burger, but they were sold out — so he reluctantly settled for a lobster roll and immediately got bitten.

"From one visit to America to the next, I craved a good lobster roll," says Mercier, who finally decided to make himself happy and deliver Paris from its obsession with burgers by tempting the locals with lobster instead. The rolls he serves are made with Brittany lobster, bien sûr, although he confides that he doesn't taste a huge difference between the Old World (Homarus gammarus) and New World (Homarus americanus) lobsters. "The best method is to steam the lobster for a minute, so that the meat doesn't stick to the shell, and then grill it," says Mercier, who consulted New York's Mary's Fish Camp and Pearl Oyster Bar for tips on how best to make a lobster roll.

To my Connecticut-reared taste buds, the only thing American about Mercier's riff is the slightly sweet and caky oblong roll the lobster meat is daintily piled into. Otherwise, in another swell example of how one culture improves on the cuisine of another, this baby is as French as Charles de Gaulle's nose, since it's lightly dressed in a tarragon-bright vinaigrette. And while Mercier's take on New England-style claws-and-tails is good, he's not the only one in Paris these days with lobster on his mind.

The "lobster croque" served at the just-opened Jeanne B bistro in Montmartre is drop-dead good, too. The creation of the restaurateur Frederic Hubig-Schall, it's an elegant and original riff on lobster sandwiches with focaccia-like bread spread with Mornay sauce and grated Parmesan, which is then grilled, garnished with herbs and served with a light tomato-and-lobster-tamale vinaigrette.

The lobster club sandwich served at Ralph's, the in-store eatery at Ralph Lauren's Saint-Germain-des-Près boutique, is excellent, too. And if you're coming to Paris before April 30, you will want to taste the lobster sandwich at Café Prunier. (This is a special offer sandwich, but may be continued if Parisians take to it.) Created by the Polish-born chef Renata Dominik, it's the best lobster sandwich I've ever eaten on either side of the Atlantic. Why? It's made with toasted, freshly made Moroccan flatbread, impeccably cooked lobster tossed in a light honey-and-Xeres vinegar sauce, fresh herbs, including dill and chervil, fresh grapes, and orange and pink grapefruit sections. Unlike the mayonnaise-slathered lobster rolls I grew up on, everything about this sandwich is there to showcase the taste of the lobster itself, which is why this one is just as perfect as a pearl.

Café Prunier, 15 Place de la Madeleine, Eighth Arrondissement; 011-33-01-47-42-98-91; prunier.com.

Jeanne B, Jeanne B, 61 rue Lepic, 18th Arrondissement; 011-33-01-42-51-17-53; jeanne-b-comestibles.com.
The Lobster Bar, 41 rue Coquillière, First Arrondissement; lobsterbar.fr.

Ralph's, 173 boulevard Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Sixth Arrondissement; 011-33-01-44-77-76-00; ralphlaurenstgermain.com.

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Brazil, Where the Beautiful Game Struts

Lalo de Almeida for The New York Times; Lianne Milton for The New York Times

Clockwise from top left: Fans in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo; Pacaembu Stadium in São Paulo; fans in Santos; on the beach in Rio; Museum of Football in São Paulo. More Photos »

The banner-waving, anthem-singing fans of Rio de Janeiro's Flamengo club formed a billowing mass of ruby-and — black-clad humanity. They moved not only in reaction to the ebbs and flows on the field far below, but also to the samba beat pounded out by musicians in the midst of the grandstand mayhem around me and my friend Doug. The bands had not stopped playing, and fans had not stopped chanting, in the 18 minutes since the game began.

Then, on the field far below, a precision passer on the rival team Fluminense launched the ball straight for their top scorer. As nonchalantly as flipping a light switch, he scissor-kicked a strike past the keeper into the far left corner of the goal. Or as it is known locally:

"Goooooooooooool!"

On the other side of the stadium, the Fluminense fans — outfitted in green, grenadine and white — erupted, but they were so isolated, so far away, that they looked and sounded like television static with the volume turned way up. On our side, the samba ceased. The fans slumped — for about 10 seconds.

Then the Flamengo samba machine swung back into action. The fans started singing again, a love song to their team. Their banners waved like mainsails in a storm. Mourning would wait for later: Flamengo eventually lost 1-0. But in Brazil, telling fans to stop cheering because the opposing team scored would be like telling a D.J. to stop the party because someone danced badly.

In Brazil, soccer is not just a game, it's a national drama. One of Brazil's great 20th-century playwrights and novelists, Nelson Rodrigues, recognized that the sport trumped even his own craft in defining the nation. "Abroad, when you want to learn about a people, you examine their fiction," he wrote. "In Brazil, football plays the role of fiction."

You can find variations on that particular brand of drama across the Brazilian soccer scene, almost all year round, in Rio and São Paulo and at smaller stadiums in lesser-known cities.

Here's when you probably won't find it: during the World Cup, which Brazil will host from June 12 to July 13, 2014. It won't be in the stands when, say, Cameroon plays Serbia, or when France squares off against the Uzbeks. The World Cup will be a good party, guaranteed — and the handful of games the Brazilian side plays will be all-out spectacles. (Good luck getting tickets for those matches.) But the best time to experience true Brazilian soccer — or, more accurately, futebol (foo-tchee-BOW) — will be outside the parameters of the Cup.

That said, it is not simple to plan a soccer trip to Brazil. I had an advantage as a Portuguese speaker who had lived in the country for two years. Others might find it more difficult. The complex league schedules are largely unavailable in English. You'll have to find your way to the stadium, choosing between public transportation and sometimes pricey taxis. Even where to sit can be a consequential decision.

And you'll always have to be ready for the unexpected: Engenhão, the very stadium where Doug and I watched the Flamengo-Fluminense game, was closed last month for structural repairs. And there have been other black eyes for the country as it ramps up to the Cup. At the end of last month, an American woman was abducted and gang-raped in the popular Rio district of Copacabana. Police had to use tear gas recently after fans clashed when tickets ran out for the inaugural match of the new World Cup stadium in Salvador. (Six people reportedly sustained minor injuries.) As is often the case with travel in developing countries, things can be less predictable and more chaotic than you may be used to at home.

But none of those should dissuade you from experiencing soccer in Brazil. The phrase "the beautiful game" did not originate in the country, but it accurately describes the fluid and frequently dazzling play you'll see. After attending six games last fall, I concluded that Brazilians speak soccer fluently, while everyone else has an accent.

My guess is that many Americans (and other travelers) don't explore the admittedly complicated world of Brazilian soccer because they think it's too dangerous or, more likely, have no idea how. Here, then, is a guide on the whens, wheres and how-tos.

When to Go

The first thing you have to know about Brazilian soccer is that it is played nearly year-round. There's no spring training or long, wait-till-next-year periods of inactivity. Between two consecutive league seasons and a handful of national and international tournaments, the biggest teams play virtually nonstop, except for about a month in late December and early January. The first few months of the year are dominated by state leagues: all 26 Brazilian states, as well as the Federal District in and around Brasília, have them. (Games are generally on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.) By May or June, the more exciting four-tiered national league starts. By the time the season ends in December, there's a national champion.

But the action doesn't end there. Top finishers in the national tournament earn berths in the next year's Libertadores Cup and South American Cup, two regional tournaments that run concurrently with parts of the state and national seasons. There's also the Brazil Cup, a separate national competition with a knockout tournament format. And occasionally, the national team (that is, the one that goes to the World Cup) will play a "friendly" match against visiting foreign squads. (This year, from June 15 to 30, Brazil hosts the Confederations Cup, stopping league play.)

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: April 19, 2013

An earlier version of this article misstated the number of starting players from Santos in Brazil's World Cup winning teams in 1962 and 1970. The 1962 team had 4 starters, including Pelé, who was injured and didn't play in the final few games; and the 1970 team had 3.

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From Their Mouth to Your Ears

If you're the sort of traveler who avoids group walking tours because they're not to your liking or not in your budget, it doesn't mean you have to wander the ruins of Pompeii without hearing how the city perished, or visit London Bridge without being told of its roots in Roman times. You don't need a group tour; you just need a smartphone.

Many local government Web sites offer free audio walking tours that you can download. In Bath, England, there's the Jane Austen tour created by Bath Tourism Plus. (Austen lived in Bath and two of her novels, "Northanger Abbey" and "Persuasion," are set there.) Failte Ireland, which promotes tourism, offers free audio tours of Dublin's castles, cultural institutions, Croke Park Stadium (home of the Gaelic Games) and, of course, the Guinness Storehouse. And if you're going to Amsterdam, the city's tourism Web site, I Amsterdam, has free audio tours that will take you to neighborhoods beyond the city's center.

Heading to London? Check out the free maps and audio tours from The Guardian newspaper. There are podcast walks of Kensington Gardens, the Thames and Oxford Circus, as well as ghostly haunts. To celebrate the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens last year, themed tours were added, including the city of London as it appeared to Dickens; sites from the London of David Copperfield; and a stroll that retraces Oliver Twist's walking route from Angel Islington to the courthouse of Mr. Fang.

Some London attractions also have free tours, like the London Bridge Audio Tour, which includes the bridge, Southwark Cathedral, Borough Market, the London Dungeons, HMS Belfast, City Hall, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.

Searching for podcasts on iTunes will turn up several itineraries, like Frommer's Day by Day Audio Walking Tours, self-guided strolls from the travel guide company, which are about $5, though the 15-minute Da Vinci's Paris tour is free. Beginning in the Louvre, it leads listeners through a few of the spots mentioned in "The Da Vinci Code."

Speaking of the Louvre, museum lovers should check the Web sites of the museums they plan to visit because many of them — including the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Museu Picasso in Barcelona — have their own apps with art and explanations that you can download free to your phone.

And then there are the free apps (some use sound; others use text):

City Walk. The "lite" version of this app from GPSmycity.com is free and includes a city map, photos and attraction details that you can read, yet no tour map or turn-by-turn navigation (for that you'll have to spend a few dollars to upgrade). The series is available for major cities including Paris, Florence, Rome, London, Barcelona, Dublin and Prague. Information: search the iTunes store for "city walk."

HearPlanet (Lite): Audio Guide to the World. This app is not a traditional audio walking tour. Rather, it uses your phone's GPS system to identify nearby landmarks; then the app tells you all about them — just as a flesh-and-blood guide would. Information: Hearplanet.com/app.

Rick Steves' Audio Europe. The veteran travel show host leaps off the television and into your ear, leading you through museums and historic streets in cities in Austria, Germany, Greece, England, France, Turkey and Italy, among others. He'll even escort you on a stroll through Amsterdam's red light district. Information: Ricksteves.com/news/audio-tours.htm

TripAdvisor Offline City Guides. The hotel review site's travel app includes self-guided tours (under "suggested itineraries") through beloved neighborhoods in more than a dozen European cities using your phone's GPS system. Information: Tripadvisor.com/apps-icityguides.

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Choice Tables: Strolling in Paris, With Menus in Mind

Ed Alcock for The New York Times

Clockwise from top left: eating at Le Pantruche; Argentine beef entrecôte at Pulperia; inside Septime; ceviche of bream at Semilla.

Paris is, of course, a walker's city. But which direction to take? And to what destinations? With previously unknown (to me, at least) restaurants as my end points, I started at Notre Dame (essentially the center of town; all time allotments below are from there) and headed in different directions for different lengths of time.

After a few attempts, I found myself drawn toward the Marais and the 11th Arrondissement, where I was eating best. When I walked west, I was disappointed. With one exception, I had to walk north (and usually east) in order to find food that thrilled me.

Here, then, are the four winners.

Septime (35 minutes from Notre Dame)

Especially in daylight, Septime may be the most pleasant Parisian restaurant I know. There are big north-facing front windows; a bright, open kitchen; and simple, beautiful filament bulbs and lamps over tables of rough-hewed wood. The result is an overall glow that quickly becomes internal.

This is among the most successful of a current generation of restaurants that is sometimes called neo-bistro. The cooking is subtle, the food is served leisurely and informally. Lunch is relatively (one needs the qualifier, here in Paris more than most places) inexpensive: 28 euros ($35.60 at $1.28 to the euro) for three courses (for 55 euros you get what is essentially the day's dinner menu of two starters, two main courses and a dessert).

The small lunch and dinner menus change daily. I tried an exciting white asparagus with an anchovy dressing; a fine "salad" of leeks, smoked duck breast and ricotta; and cuttlefish with creamy potatoes and pancetta. These were followed by a nicely done piece of sautéed lieu jaune (pollock) with chard and greens, and the most professionally cooked pieces of chicken — crisp skin, supermoist, well seasoned — that I ate all week. (There were three others.)

Portions were beyond generous; it was only because it was included that my companion and I ordered dessert. That was lucky: a perfect piece of Cantal cheese was served next to a decent Camembert-style chèvre (I am not a fan of goat cheese in general, so it may have been better than that), and a bowl of wonderfully slow-cooked apple with thin raw apple slices and ice cream made from woodruff, a subtle herb, was polished off quickly.

Unsurprisingly, reservations are hard to obtain, which is why we wound up at lunch, and you may well also. Nothing wrong with that.

Septime, 80, rue de Charonne; (33-1) 43-67-38-29; septime-charonne.fr.

Le Pantruche (45 minutes)

Le Pantruche serves bolder, heartier and more traditional food than Septime, and the menu is bigger. Still, the chef has the "right" pedigree (he worked for the famed Parisian chef Christian Constant), and the place is more destination than neighborhood joint. It's in a great neighborhood, too: the Ninth Arrondissement, just down the hill from Montmartre — I think you could literally roll if you were so inclined.

At lunch, Le Pantruche is downright cheap: 18 euros for the day's special, and either a starter or dessert; at dinner it's 34 euros for pretty much any combo of three things on the menu. (There are supplements for some.) Blanquette de veau was a special when I was there (again, for lunch), and since it's a dish I have trouble turning down for purely sentimental reasons, I ordered it. It's not easy to prepare, and they nailed it: tender, creamy, well seasoned, with loads of carrots.

Really, I could have ordered half the menu: there was braised veal breast, another favorite, and lamb shoulder (just writing the words makes me hungry). We settled on coucou de Rennes (a type of chicken), served with vegetable ravioli that outshined the meat by a long shot. (If the dish had been sold as ravioli with a side of chicken, I'd have had no complaints.) For starters, I sampled lobster bisque with a fair amount of nearly raw lobster in it, and that special crab-gut flavor, nicely done, and an ultra-creamy soup of Jerusalem artichokes.

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In Transit Blog | Q&A: Placing Your Travel Bet on Europe

Bank closings in Cyprus. Labor protests in Greece. Government spending cuts in Portugal. Surging unemployment in Spain.

Instability in the wake of Europe's fiscal crisis has made some travelers think twice about visiting the Continent. While much of what tourists will face is more inconvenient than traumatic, few want to spend a vacation trying to figure out how to get around town during a strike, or, in the case of Cyprus, how to circumvent a 100-euro-a-day A.T.M. limit. But Rick Steves, the guidebook author and host of the public television series "Rick Steves' Europe," said that a trip there is still a safe bet.

"Exchange rates are stable, airports are open, trains are running, hotels are welcoming visitors," he said. If travelers should be mindful of anything, he added, it's where they spend their euros.

Below are edited excerpts from a conversation with Mr. Steves on a strategy for visiting Europe.

Q. Have prices gone down anywhere because of the crisis?

A. On the whole, I have not found economic desperation driving down prices that much anywhere in Europe. But if you've always dreamed of going to Greece, you'll find that many hotels and package tours are cheaper this year because of low demand, and they need to attract the business.

Q. Is it ethical to seek out such deals?

A. It's unethical to kick people when they're down. But if hotels or local tour guides cut prices to get your business, that's smart marketing on their part and you're doing them a favor by buying what they're selling.

Q. What's the best approach to spending money in a country in fiscal straits?

A. Spend locally. For my guidebooks I look for hotels, restaurants and small businesses that cater to locals, because what's the point of going halfway across the world to feel at home? When there is an economic downturn, those same mom-and-pop businesses are the most vulnerable.

Q. How can a traveler find out about unexpected demonstrations or strikes?

A. Just about all I ever need to know about potential problems where I'm traveling — everything from strikes to crime — I can learn from my hotelier. These people stay informed because they want their guests to have a smooth stay in their city. The Internet is also handy; the English-language press in a country will often cover an issue with more detail and less of a crisis focus than coverage back in the States.

Q. And what should a tourist do if there is one?

A. If you are traveling in Cyprus and your hotelier tells you that a demonstration will take place in front of the parliament building in Nicosia at noon today — demonstrations in Europe are generally publicized in advance — all you need to do is go out and enjoy the rest of the city, steering clear of the couple of blocks around the parliament building.

Few demonstrations are dangerous or prone to violence. And if you do encounter a demonstration that feels edgy, turn around and walk a different way.

Q. Do you steer clear of such protests?

A. I stop at a bar or cafe nearby and ask about what's going on. A protest is a great opportunity for a traveler to learn about what matters to local people.

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