If you come and talk to us in our office, you'll soon discover that we all have our own particular favourite cities, and we can sometimes get into some heated discussions with each other when we are asked to make a recommendation for a particular client.
Of course, as ever, making the right recommendation comes back to us listening to what you have to tell us as to what you are looking for. You could be looking for a wonderfully romantic long weekend break, when Venice obviously fits the bill perfectly...but then again, so can Rome or Paris. Equally, however, less obvious choices such as Verona or Vienna.
Amongst our other favourites are Salzburg,Amsterdam, Brugges and Berlin, Lisbon and Dublin. All are easily accessible by rail or flight with airports or train stations which are close to the centre, so you don't wast precious time travelling from the airport to your hotel. All also offer reliable accommodation across all the different price bands. They have fascinating histories, great museums, art galleries and are easy places to find excellent food and wine, without breaking the bank.
Looking at other parts of Europe from north to south, the Scandinavian capitals - Copenghagen, Stockholm and Oslo are great - and can be visited on a much tighter budget than most people imagine...If you can abstain from drinking alcohol for the time that you are there, then they are not that much more expensive than London. The other northern cities, Helsinki, and Iceland's capital, Reykjavik are fascinating (Icelanders and Finns don't see themselves as Scandinavians), and are ideal for short breaks.
A wonderful two-centre city combination is Moscow and St Petersburg. These veritable Russian icons are completely different. They can be visited individually, but the contrast between the two makes a combined visit extremely rewarding, whether you do the connection between them by boat, train or flight.
Germany has numerous interesting cities, as does Switzerland, which are full of a lot more humour and fun than many people imagine from their stereotypical images. Of course, Italy is full of wonderful cities from Turin and Milan in the north to Naples in the south. Moving eastwards, the Baltic capitals and the great cities of Eastern Europe, for example, Prague and Budapest are becoming more and more popular, especially due to their price.
Moving further afield, New York and Dubai are now recognised city-break destinations, as well as the starting or stopping off points for longer jjournies. Even Cape Town can work extremely well for a short trip. You can leave London in the evening, arriving first thing the next morning after an overnight flight within roughly the same time zone. You can enjoy a couple of full days exploring Table Mountain, the Stellenbosch winelands, down to Cape Point...even swimming with the great white sharks in Hermanus, before flying back overnight, with a good sleep on your flight and you can start your Monday morning fresh and inspired...and positively relishing the question "And what did you get up to over the weekend ?".
Cities come in all shapes and sizes. We will love to help you find the one that really suits what you want to do and see...Even if we have a bit of an argument about it.
