Cities, by nature, are big. Unless you’re there for weeks you’ll never really get the lay of the land, never mind discover the quirks and curiosities, local eccentricities and hidden delights. Take a guided travel break and your expert companion will make the magic happen for you, while you relax and enjoy the ride.
No messing around, no getting lost or stressed or cross. You’ll see the best bits, the most unusual bits, and the off-the-beaten-path bits along with the world class sights and experiences you’ve been looking forward to.
Here are three of the European cities we rate highest for ambience, personality, and excitement, each an inspiring destination for guided city travel.
Explore cordial, independent, creative Berlin
Berlin is a city that values liberty more than most, split in two by the Berlin Wall for decades. The Berliners are a feisty lot in the best possible way. They will not be oppressed and they won’t be silenced. Freedom is the name of the game here and it permeates city life. While the streets are immaculate, the locals polite and warm and the big city amenities are all in place, the rebellious edge is always there. Bist du ein Berliner? If you love this place, it’s a yes!
Walk around a corner on a smart street of posh houses to find an unexpected tumbledown mish-mash of hand-built buildings set in a green space within a high mesh fences in the centre of a square. They’re brightly painted, some with graffiti, and are surrounded by small gardens of flowers and veg. They’re all over the place, these little jewels, these tiny pockets of hippy happiness hemmed in by the tall stone buildings.
Wherever you go the ghost of the wall hovers over your shoulder. You can still see where it shoved its way brutally down the middle of streets, cut city squares in half, split communities and separated families. The remaining bits stand out like broken teeth, usually smothered in colourful graffiti as a mark of hope. Walking the wall’s old route gives you an intimate feel for how awful things must have been before it was torn down.
Being a capital city there’s every kind of cuisine available. The beer cellars and pubs are friendly, the shopping is world-class. Vintage Trabant cars pootle the gracious, broad avenues in the city centre, a popular driving experience for visitors. The Brandenburg Gate is literally breathtaking, a golden masterpiece set in an enormous, airy open space. The Tiergarten park is a marvel, a lushly-welcome escape from the crowds and just one of more than 2000 green city spaces to relax in. The nightlife is vibrant, often eccentric, and always colourful. And the sombre memorials to the Holocaust and other WW2 atrocities are subtle, powerful, and unforgettable.
Make the most of London’s countless curiosities
Multi-cultural London’s shopping streets are busy, bustling and vibrant but like Berlin, sometimes all you need to do is walk a hundred metres and you may as well be in a different world. International cuisine, world-class shopping, and a host of tourist magnets to choose from make central London a city to remember. The hidden gems make it even more memorable.
Guided travel gives you the confidence as well as the free time to explore beyond the obvious, and in London there’s a wealth of secrets to discover. Pop into the quiet streets behind the shops to find delights like St Christopher’s Place, just off Oxford Street. It’s a lovely place for coffee, lunch and watching the world go by, and a great way to get the flavour of the real London.
Hampstead Hill Garden and Pergola is a lovely and peaceful as is Nunhead Cemetery, now a wildlife reserve. It feels a million miles from city life. Climb One Tree Hill for views rivalling Primrose Hill and Hampstead Heath. Admire the fabulous graffiti along Leake Street Tunnel.
Seymour Place is the lesser-known sister of Marylebone’s famous Chiltern Street, and the shops are just as tasty. Pickering Place takes you back to the past with its super-pretty buildings, famed for being the smallest square in England. Ancient Lambs Conduit Street is round the corner from the British Museum. Leadenhall Market is full of deliciously expensive shops and St Dunstan in the East, perhaps London’s oddest park, is perfect when you fancy sitting amongst the romantic ruins of a medieval church, ruminating on life.
Love the Amsterdam guided travel experience
Amsterdam is such a fun, mellow place, the epitome of the Netherlands personality. The stately beauty of the centuries-old canals, the ancient terraced merchant houses, it all speaks to Dutch people’s characteristically straightforward, calm, pragmatic outlook.
This is a green place compared to many city centres, with its excellent tram, bus and train systems and thousands of cyclists. The city is airy and clean and in the oldest part, criss-crossed with bridges over canal waters shimmering with light, you could be back in the 1400s. The infamous red light area is harmless enough as are the coffee shops, where locals and visitors spend time peacefully smoking, chatting, and drinking hot chocolate.
Head for the Vondelpark for cool greenery and a beautiful bird sculpture by Picasso. Visit the city’s many amazing museums for powerful injections of culture. The Van Gogh museum is a treat all on its own. Buy yourself some vintage Gouda pottery as a souvenir. Rummage the thrilling Antiekcentrum in Amsterdam, a vast Antique Centre packed with treasures and just one of many great Amsterdam markets.
Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank House, and the Dam Square are on most people’s itinerary. But what about hidden Amsterdam? The beach at Blijburg is the locals’ favourite in hot weather. The Maker Store is your source of artisan creations made by talented people. The Hortus Botanicus botanical garden, along the riverbank, is a lesser-known destination and Mezrab, where there’s storytelling nights, comedy and live music, is a cultural treat way off the beaten track. Or head out to sea at Houthhaven Harbour to eat out on REM Eiland, an offshore platform once owned by a Dutch pirate radio station.
Take a tour of the tiny Teapot Museum. Visit the old prison to eat well at the Beautiful Mess cafe. Nieuwendammerdijk is the city’s most attractive street, lined with lush metre-wide gardens. There’s even a vineyard to visit, called Amsteltuin. For a zoo that isn’t just a zoo, make your way to Zootje Petit Zoo’s sculpture garden.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg…
Barcelona, Paris or Madrid. Venice, Rome, Prague and Budapest. Bergen and Copenhagen. Stop for a litre of cold lager in the Grand Place, Brussels. Watch the world go by in a trendy Budapest cafe. Marvel at the Big Apple and aim for the stars in LA. Krakow is cool, Moscow is marvellous. Guided city breaks are a great way to escape, refresh, and dial back on everyday life.
Love guided travel with magical guided city breaks
Name a city and we’ll probably have guided travel opportunities to match. Whether you spend a week in a city of four weeks in four, you’ll go home feeling you’ve done a lot more than discover the city. You’ve made friends with it. See which of these makes your heart beat faster.
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