Why I’d have another Helsinki city break

a cyclist pedals past some of Helsinki's street art

As someone who errs towards a degree of shabby chic when choosing city break destinations, I wasn’t sure how good a match me and Helsinki would be. I needn’t have worried. Helsinki managed that brilliant trick of balancing “everything just works”, without being glossed and polished to within an inch of its life. Here’s why […]

How to spend a full day walking York city walls

York Gatehouse Coffee - York city walls walk

This locals’ guide to York city walls features several hot spots that make this English city so special. Plus: I include some insider tips about the off-wall places you shouldn’t miss. You could walk the 3.4km around York city walls in an hour or so. But, take in sights and the occasional pub en-route, and that hour could […]

What to see on a self-guided Berlin architecture walk

Berlin architecture walk Karl-Marx Allee

Wow, Berlin’s got a tonne of fantastic buildings! Here’s my self-guided Berlin architecture walk that shows off the city’s eclectic side. There’s a load of glass, brick and render out there! 1. Modern Berlin architecture at the Hauptbahnhof A homage to glass, the multi-storey central train station (Hauptbahnhof) combines style and function and has itself become a […]

Day trips from Barcelona

The Catalan city by the sea isn’t just about stupendous Gaudí architecture. It also makes a wonderful base to explore the wider region. Rent a car or hop on a local train to head beyond the city limits on these day trips from Barcelona. Be king of the castle in Tossa de Mar Tossa de […]

DIY your Lisbon architecture tour with this guide

Lisbon architecture - azulejo tiles

The architecture of Lisbon has been influenced through history by its rulers, its seafaring exploits and a great big earthquake. DIY your own tour of Lisbon architecture by time-travelling through the Portuguese capital. The Moors – Arabic influence in the architecture of Lisbon Lisbon was under Moorish rule from the 8th-12th centuries. The current Castelo […]

How to spend 24 hours in Madrid

24 hours in Madrid: me at Plaza Mayor

With only 24 hours in this pulsating city, this guide helps you get to the beating heart of Madrid, Spain’s capital. A Modern-Art Morning Get your modern-art fix at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, housing four floors of works by famous names such as Miró, Dalí, and Picasso. The 1937 work, “Guernica,” […]

Barcelona: where ships, sculpture and the sea meet the city

Barcelona Face. Barcelona sculpture sea

Walking down the famed pedestrian walkway of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, the smell of salty sea air starts to pervade. Heading south-east, the old architecture of the city peters out, as the cityscape turns to the seascape of Port Vell at the Columbus Monument, smack in the middle of a wide breezy plaza. The vista […]