Gaze at the reflections of ancient cathedrals in polished skyscrapers while laid-back locals stroll from piazza to gallery to street café on European city breaks.
European city breaks are a happy jumble of lively piazzas and rambling waterways, fairy-tale spires and steel-and-glass towers, bustling markets and shiny malls. Mediterranean cities like Madrid and Pisa are heady with suntraps and siestas, while Oslo and Copenhagen in the north showcase cutting edge design and culture. The cobbled streets and ancient architecture of the cities of Eastern Europe, from Budapest to Warsaw, are a display cabinet of a Europe untouched by the ravages of war. To the west, cosmopolitan metropolises like Berlin and London lead the way with world-class nightlife, museums and galleries.
Top European city breaks for...
- Families: Go straight to Guell Park for an in-at-the-deep-end introduction to Barcelona's most outrageous architecture. The dragon fountains, colourful mosaics and serpentine benches capture the imaginations of all ages.
- Free & cheap: Marvel as even Rome's pavements fall away to reveal layer upon layer of ancient history. Stop by the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Roman Forum, Pantheon and St Peter's Basilica to see the best preserved architecture for free.
- Romance: Take your loved one to the Eiffel Tower on romantic trips to Paris, but don't stop there. Read “Je t'aime” to each other in over 300 languages from the “I love you” wall, then kiss under the Pont-Marie, known as the “bridge of lovers”, whilst wishing for eternal love.
- Relaxing: No trip to Venice is complete without a gondola ride. Escape the tourists crowding the bridges and piazzas and glide peacefully between crumbling terracotta houses and grand Venetian buildings.
- Active types: Pedal through Amsterdam for a unique perspective on the Netherlands' city of waterways. Energetic types can join the locals in the cycle lanes or hop on a pedalo to see the city from its 100kms of canals. Bet you can't pedal under or over all 1000 of the city's bridges!
- Nightlife: Nowhere has the craic quite like Dublin! For a night on the town that throbs with pure Irish jollity, head for Temple Bar, where laughter and live music overflow into the cobbled streets.
- Shopping: From designer boutiques to craft markets, quaint Prague is a shopaholic's dream. The capital of the Czech Republic is the place to stock up on red garnet jewellery, exquisite glass and crystal as well as a huge range of clothing, from Hermès to H&M.
