With its twisting canals and bobbing gondolas, its Renaissance church domes and coffee-clinking piazzas by the Adriatic, Venice reigns as one of the most iconic cityscapes on the planet. It’s amazing, but not just because it’s built on water! A onetime trading empire that spread to China and India found its epicentre here, which explains … Read more
Millions upon millions of travelers are drawn to Tenerife each year. Some come simply for the guaranteed winter sun in December and January. Others are allured by the gorgeous, glinting, gold-sand beaches that string around Costa Adeje in the south. Then you get the partiers and the cocktail drinkers, who infuse Los Cristianos with all-night … Read more
Free-living and downright fun, but also brimming with Golden Age art and fantabulous Flemish architecture, Amsterdam is a corker of an urban break destination. Strolling the UNESCO-tagged canals, you just get the feeling that the Dutch really know how to live. They’re either munching on caramel-glazed stroopwafel or glugging a cold beer by the tram … Read more
Fairy-tale architecture joins hands with a rambunctious nightlife scene right on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea to make Barcelona one of the most attractive city break destinations in the world. There’s a little bit of everything here. Your culture comes from the glut of museums that showcase everything from Catalan painting to Picasso. Your … Read more
It’s not big, but it’s darn enthralling – that’s the mantra down in Malta, a diminutive archipelago nation that’s washed by the warm waters of the southern Mediterranean right on the fringes of Europe. History in these parts talks of Turkish sieges and zealous Knights Hospitaller fighters. The cities – mainly Valletta, the capital – … Read more
Strung like a tiara around the glistening Bay of Naples, this southern Italian jewel has been a favourite holiday retreat since the times of the Romans. It was rocked by the eruption of smoking Mount Vesuvius – the hulking volcano that overlooks the town – back in 79 AD, and you can still seek out … Read more
Big, boisterous and bold, Hamburg is the largest port city in Germany, and boy does it show! This is a metropolis with plenty of attitude, not to mention history, up its sleeve. Once the epicentre of the powerful Hanseatic League, its trading tendrils swallowed up the whole of the Baltic basin, and then Europe, and … Read more
Madrid is the sleepless, spirited capital of Spain. Rolling out in the shadow of the Sierra de Guadarrama in the geographical centre of the country, it flits from moody medieval districts to chic modern areas that bustle with big business. The main attractions are vignettes of the Baroque and the beautiful, from the statue-topped Puerta … Read more
As the Vltava River snakes its way through the heart of Prague, it passes the great Gothic rises of one of Europe’s largest castles, countless church spires, and the haunting saintly statues of Charles Bridge. And that’s just the beginning. This bucket-list city conceals beer taverns that slosh with Czech brews and bagel joints and … Read more
Ah, New York. This land of bright lights and Broadway, of bagels and beeping taxis, has long inspired travelers to city breaks in the USA. Whether you come for a quick bout of shopping down 5th Avenue or a longer sojourn to explore the crevices of Midtown Manhattan and the beaches of Long Island, you’re … Read more
The gateway to the sun-splashed Costa del Sol is a fascinating city of Moorish spires and majestic Christian churches, hugging a wide bay and harbour that are threaded by energetic fishing ports and glinting beaches alike. This is not your usual sand and sea Spanish destination. It might be surrounded by good-time resorts, but Malaga … Read more
Straddling seven hills above the Tagus estuary, Portugal’s fun-loving capital remains one of the top city break destinations on the continent. It’s easy to see why. There’s fantastic seafood straight from the Atlantic. There are enchanting medieval sights like the Moorish São Jorge Castle. There are neighbourhoods of winding lanes and sardine-sizzling cantinas. Topping it … Read more
Draped over the hills and plains that roll around the Danube as it snakes through central-north Hungary, Budapest is the only real metropolis in the country. It’s the heart and soul of the Magyar nation; a town of rambunctious ruin bars and wild nocturnal districts, of grand Habsburg-era palaces and stoic castles. The whole place … Read more
Mallorca sits like a pearl in the tiara of islands that is the Spanish Balearics. Rolling down from the craggy tops of the Serra de Tramantura, it drops to gorgeous bays of white pebbles and rugged headlands topped by stone pines. The waters are famously blue and clear. The beach towns are every inch the … Read more