Rotterdam
The Netherlands’ second city is a winner for those weary of its more famous (and oversubscribed) rival. Sure, there’s water – it’s Europe’s largest port, after all – with rivers, canals and harbours at every turn. But this sprawling metropolis doesn’t yield its pleasures as easily as Amsterdam, largely because second world war bombing destroyed most of the historic centre. Its pioneering postwar architecture is, however, what makes “Manhattan on the Maas” so fascinating.
Treasures include the 1970s Cube Houses designed by Piet Blom, the landmark cable-stayed Erasmus Bridge, the 1960 retro-futuristic Euromast and eclectic buildings in the leafily landscaped Museumpark. Alongside design museum Het Nieuwe Instituut and the Kunsthal gallery, a must-visit is The Depot, an ambitious €94m bowl-shaped “storage facility” for the city’s art collection, its rooftop cafe boasting panoramic views. Equally compelling is Delfshaven, which escaped bombing, and is now home to waterside pubs, a microbrewery and tucked-away restaurants.
Eat and drink
The imposing Markthal took five years to build and, with nearly 100 vendors, is a great place for anything from a pastel de nata to sushi: skewered tapas at 21 Pinchos are served at the counter with a chilled verdejo. The city’s 180 nationalities mean there’s a diverse food scene: a three-hour self-guided Food Tour takes in six off-the-beaten-track authentic joints, from chips at Dutch institution Bram Ladage to spicy jianbing crepes at Super Crepe in multicultural West-Kruiskade, Puglian snacks at Panzero and Surinamese curry chicken rolls at Chinny.
Up-and-coming neighbourhood Katendrecht is a must for both the Fenix Food Factory, a waterfront craft beer, street food and natural wine destination, and De Matroos En het Meisje (its name “The Sailor & The Girl” references the former red light district). The blind set menu comprises four or five creative courses with, on my visit, memorable dishes likesuch as slow-cooked egg with fennel and grapefruit, smoked tomato tarts, and turbot with girolles. Buzzy Witte de Withstraat is a good bet afterwards for a bar crawl, whether a beer at popular NRC or, just off the main drag, something gin-soaked at Spikizi.
Stay
Around the corner from Witte de Withstraat is the serenely stylish Hotel Âme (doubles from €140), while walking distance from Museumpark is the design-conscious Supernova (doubles from €136). The latest boutique hotel is Morgan & Mees, located across the street from The Depot (doubles from €116).
Get there Direct Eurostar all the way from London St Pancras, taking just 3h 49m.
Stephen Emms
Naples
If there was ever a time to visit Naples, it is now. The city is basking in the glory of being crowned Italy’s football league champions for the first time since the days of Maradona. The win proved to Neapolitans something they have long known: that Naples, with its warm spirit, art and architecture, chequered ancient history and natural beauty is unrivalled in Italy.
No one could be blamed for simply spending the day watching the world go by from one of the many cafes and bars in the historic centre. It’s like an enormous open-air theatre, with laundry-laced alleyways and piazzas teeming with life. But its centuries of history have bequeathed it a wealth of castles, churches, palaces and museums that are not to be missed.
Highlights are the National Archaeological Museum for its ancient marbles and mosaics, as well as the lesser-known Secret Room with its collection of ancient erotic art.
The San Severo chapel museum, just off Piazza San Domenico, houses the much celebrated life-size Veiled Christ sculpture in marble, while Caravaggio’s The Seven Works of Mercy, his first work made while on the run after killing a man, can be seen in the church of Pio Monte della Misericordia.
Lesser-known treasures are often hidden behind doorways, such as the whimsical cloistered gardens of San Gregorio Armeno or the frescoed Renaissance cloister, exhibition space and bar of Made in Cloister.
Days can be spent picnicking on the Lungomare, the promenade that skirts the bay, or sunbathing at one of the beach lidos, such as Bagni D’Elena, and lunching on seafood. It’s possible to rent boats to explore the nearby islands. Vast, grassy Capodimonte park is where you’ll find Neapolitans watching the sun set.
Eat and drink
The majolica-tiled Osteria della Mattonella in the Quartieri Spagnoli is the place to savour simple Neapolitan cuisine such as spaghetti with ragù stewed for eight hours. In the Chiaia district, Jus Enoteca Naturale has given local food a contemporary makeover, placing special emphasis on local wines and small organic producers. Bars such as Oak, Indovino and Antica Cantina Sepe (a wine shop by day) are run by a new generation of entrepreneurs and attract an arty crowd with their curated lists of craft beers and Vesuvian natural wines.
Stay
Atelier Inès (doubles from €130) is set back from the cacophonous streets of the Sanità district in a luscious garden. Each room is decorated with art and sculptures designed by the owner, artist Vincenzo Annibale. Casa D’Anna (doubles from €120), also in Sanità, feels like a sumptuous Italian home, filled with antiques. Its gorgeous terrace is the perfect respite after a long day’s sightseeing.
Get there
Eurostar from London, then a trains from Paris to Milan (about eight hours - direct routes, which would be about a seven-hour journey, are currently unavailable due to a landslide earlier this year). The high-speed Frecciarossa train from Milan to Naples takes five hours.
Sophia Seymour
Freiburg
Surrounded by forest, accessed by swift trains, and with a steepled skyline reaching to the heavens, the university city of Freiburg presents a side of Germany unfamiliar to many visitors. “Less stress, less panic,” says Ulrike Peissl, a tour guide for Discover Freiburg. “Bikes everywhere. Trams, not cars. Wine so good we don’t share it. Vegan cafes where dairy milk costs extra. The mentality is different.” The clincher? Few British visitors.
The traditional Freiburg experience begins outside the Minster, the Old Town’s anchor and a Gothic masterpiece. Its exterior is covered in nearly 100 screaming gargoyles and its interiors brim with centuries of symbols; the choir and apse revel in rainbow light from stained glass crowdfunded by medieval guilds.
Just outside, the car-free narrow lanes are paved with cobbles, and arcaded squares overflow with market stalls. Children race toy sailboats on the bächle, a network of 30cm-wide canals which channel water around the city.
For cooler days, the city’s fine double act comprises the Augustiner Museum, for medieval art in a monastery setting, and the more modern Museum für Neue Kunst. A ride on the Schauinslandbahn cable car or the Schlossberg funicular brings a lungful of the Black Forest, and a land of tall pine forests threaded by hiking trails.
Eat and drink
An autumn visit means savouring the Black Forest’s harvest. Alte Wache, once a barracks for Austrian soldiers, then a public toilet, now a wine bar and shop, is great for gutedel, a curiously unknown white wine grape from the area. It also sells Kalte Sofie, a boozy sorbet made from the same grape, which deserves similar fanfare.
As with all other German cities, Freiburg is big on beer. At Hausbrauerei Feierling, students clink heavy steins of pilsner and soak up the beer with pretzels. Gasthaus Roter Bären claims to be the oldest inn in Germany (since 1120, they’ll tell you), and serves Habsburg-era staples such as schnitzel with lingonberries.
Michelin-starred Wolfshöhle on characterful Konvictstrasse tops the list for splash-out options. And if you’re looking for the ultimate crowd-pleaser souvenir, check out the chocolate cuckoo clocks in Confiserie Rafael Mutter.
Stay
The well-stocked libraries and bookcase wallpaper of Park Hotel Post (doubles from €107) reflect the city’s academic vibe, but the feeling is anything but studious; it appeals also to couples and families using Freiburg as a basecamp for nearby Europa Park and Rulantica theme parks. For a Minster view, Hotel Oberkirch (doubles from €177) is the hot ticket.
Get there
Trains operated by Eurostar, TGV Lyria and Deutsche Bahn connect Freiburg to London in under seven hours.
Mike MacEacheran
Alicante
Best known for its whitewashed old town, castle and golden beaches, Alicante has been creating a culinary buzz in recent years, with smart new restaurants and bars. Sunny, strollable and surrounded by pine-clad hills, this pocket-sized city makes for a relaxed break. A good start is a walk along the tiled Explanada – an elegant promenade lined with palm trees and artisan stalls – before delving into the tangled streets of the medieval Santa Cruz neighbourhood, all colourful doorways and flower-filled balconies. Taking the zigzag path to Santa Barbara Castle brings coastal views aplenty as well as the Museum of the City of Alicante, and more of the city’s art scene is on show at the MUBAG fine arts museum in 18th-century Gravina Palace and the Museum of Contemporary Art. But with 320 sunny days a year, it’s lovely to simply wander the coastline, stopping for beachside drinks, or hike the nearby Sierra de San Julian hills.
Eat and drink
Sea-view spots and design-led tapas bars all serve fresh local produce. Simple La Taberna del Gourmet serves tasty tapas made with fresh fish and vegetables from its own farm. It’s run by chef María José San Román, who is also behind upmarket marina-side Monastrell, famous for its golden-crisp paellas. Tapas spot El Portal is all gold and black interiors with a menu of seafood and local cured meats. And Bar Manero combines mosaic floors and art deco design with tapas of seafood, plump sausages and rich cheeses. For dreamy views, La Ereta is halfway up the path to the castle with a wall of windows looking out to sea and a fixed menu that changes daily.
Stay
Set in a handsome modernist building in the old town, Hotel Les Monges Palace (doubles from €70) used to be a convent. Behind the spearmint-green façade, it has been restored to retain the stained glass, coloured tiles and heavy wooden beams, crowned by a sun-splashed roof terrace. As its name suggests, Hotel Boutique Alicante S XVII (doubles from €102) is a former palace dating back to the 17th century. Inside the metal-studded doors are honeyed stone walls with grand arched ceilings above modern furnishings. There is an atmospheric, low-lit bar and a roof terrace.
Get there
Eurostar to Gare du Nord, and transfer to Gare du Lyon for a train to Barcelona Sants. From Barcelona Sants there is a direct train to Alicante (renfe.com).
Sarah Gordon
Ghent
Often overlooked in favour of Brussels, Antwerp and Bruges, Ghent deserves a place among the best Belgian city breaks. Filled with pretty Flemish architecture, a bustling student population and a creative, vegetarian- and vegan-friendly restaurant scene, it offers plenty of ways to while away a fun weekend.
Wandering around the city’s cobbled streets, or perhaps taking a boat tour through its canals is a great way to get a feel for Ghent’s architectural grandeur, which reflects its status in medieval times as Europe’s biggest city after Paris. There are great views from the 15th-century Ghent Belfry, next to St Nicholas Church in the main square.
The number one cultural attraction is the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (the Ghent Altarpiece), a painting by the brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck in St Bavo’s cathedral. Right now, it’s looking its best as the 15th-century triptych was recently restored.
There’s plenty of less mainstream culture, too, from a thriving live music scene – Trefpunt and Bar Lume for bands and Kompass Klub has top techno and house DJs – to experimental arts venues in former dockland quarter Dok Nord.
The city is known for independent, socially conscious shopping. There’s Mieke and A.puur.a for sustainable fashion, and local sustainable lingerie maker La Fille D’o championed body positivity before everyone else. This being Flanders, there’s no shortage of bike shops, such as Bidon Coffee & Bicycle and Tuub.
Eat and drink
Ghent abounds with quality plant-based restaurants, such as Lokaal, a cooperatively run vegan cafe. One great example of Ghent’s young, creative food scene is Raaf, which serves natural wine and delicate small plates in an elegantly converted butcher’s storeroom. For something more traditional, ‘t Oud Clooster is a cosy spot, offering Gentse waterzooi, a creamy chicken stew, or North Sea prawn croquettes.
It wouldn’t be a trip to Belgium without some Trappist beers, which are available everywhere. The city’s own brews, sold at Gruut, include Roomer, a delicate local elderflower liqueur. On a sunny day, there’s nowhere better than Vooruit’s terrace.
Stay
The De Draecke is a basic but comfortable hostel in the centre, with dorms or private twin rooms from €40. For bigger budgets, Great (doubles from €160) is worth a look, with tastefully decorated rooms and apartments in a historic building.
Get there
Eurostar to Brussels, then a local train to Ghent. The first leg takes 1h 53min. From Brussels, the train to Ghent takes around 30 minutes.
Rachel Hall
Lyon
Founded in 43BC, Lugdunum, as it was known then, quickly became one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire. More than 2,000 years later it’s still evolving, adding cutting-edge architecture, giant street murals, warehouses-turned-nightclubs (Le Sucre), and cocktail bars to its rich array of historic sites.
To start, taking the funicular up to Fourvière hill brings a panoramic view of the city and the dazzling Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière.
A 10-minute walk away are the Roman amphitheatre and fantastic Gallo-Roman museum, in a cool (in every sense) concrete bunker built into the hillside. The Musée des Confluences in the revitalised industrial area where the Rhône meets the Saône is another architectural marvel – all shimmering curves and glass walls.
Art lovers will want to tick off the Musée des Beaux-Arts (Manet, Monet, Picasso, Matisse) too. Its shady courtyard is a lovely spot for a break between sites.
Weary limbs can be soothed with a dip at the Tony Bertrand Nautical Centre, a glorious 50-metre riverside pool on the bank of the Rhône (swimming hats obligatory, and men can’t wear baggy shorts). The Lyon City Card (from €26 for 24 hours) gives access to museums, some tours and public transport.
Eat and drink
The famous Bouchon traditional restaurants - inspired by Les Mères Lyonnaises, a group of female chefs who set up homely restaurants in the 18th to the 20th centuries – specialise in traditional Lyonnaise cuisine, so expect meat-heavy menus featuring sausage, coq-au-vin, pate and offal. One of the most renowned is Le Bistrot d’Abel with a beautiful period interior.
Vegetarians are better off heading to the indoor market, Les Halles de Paul Bocuse, which offers endless, neat rows of cheese and patisserie, gourmet takeaway food and a choice of seafood, French, Italian and Iberian restaurant stalls. Bellotta Bellotta is known for delicate, refreshing gazpacho and its pièce de résistance, the ham volcano: strips of the thinnest ibérico ham served on a cone-shaped plate with a candle inside to gently warm the fat.
Heat in La Confluence is a laid-back, funkier addition to the gastro offering, with street food, cocktails and pop-up vintage stores.
Stay
Inspired by the city’s silk trading history, boutique Hotel Silky in the central Presqu’île area has doubles from €101. Mob Hotel, opposite the Musée des Confluence, has an industrial vibe, with table football and nods to pop culture icons such as Frida Kahlo (doubles from €79). Note – it’s a tram-ride away from the centre.
Get there
Eurostar from London St Pancras and then TGV to Lyon from either Paris (with a transfer from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon) or Lille.
Isabel Choat
• This article was amended on 9 and 12 October 2023 to correct some details. There is a direct train to Alicante from Barcelona Sants, not from Barcelona Nord, which is a bus station. The journey time from London to Ghent is around 2h 49min in total, that is not the time for the first leg to Brussels, and the travel time from Brussels to Ghent is around 30min, not 48min. And there are no longer overnight sleeper trains from Paris to Milan as an earlier version could have implied; they were discontinued in 2020. Also, the article was amended to note that there isn’t currently a direct route between Paris and Milan, due to a landslide earlier this year.
