City Breaks

As a destination for a city break, Tallinn has become very popular for many wanting a weekend break.  The Estonian capital’s old fishing district, Kalamaja, is has become one of the city’s coolest haunt. Come and explore the medieval Old Town’s cobbled streets, easy-on-the-eye architecture and colourful squares, the galleries (such as Kadriorg Art museum) and the churches (St Olav’s Gothic church and tower) – St Alexander Nevsky Cathedaral, built during the reign of the Russian tsars in 1900, it’s the most opulent Orthodox church in the city and its pop-up bars and warehouse parties.

Overlooked by an active volcano, perched on a port, and full of shabbily beautiful streets housing ancient pizzerias and buzzing bars. Naples' scruffily beautiful streets are refreshingly ungentrified: no chance of finding a chain coffee shop here. Every nook and cranny holds a baroque courtyard or a lush, leafy garden, and walls are adorned with cool street art, posters advertising all-night parties in tumble-down abandoned renaissance prisons or a flyer letting the community know a loved one has passed away.

Dubbed the 'jewel of the Adriatic', Dubrovnik's old town (or Stari Grad) is set within city walls built from the 13th century onwards. A Unesco World Heritage listed site, it is made up of cobblestone streets, forts and museums. Despite being bombed heavily by Yugoslav forces in 1991, the city has been well preserved and is Croatia's prime tourist destination.

Daylight hours might be scarce and temperatures below freezing, but when Stockholm puts on her white winter coat, the whole city glitters more than Tinseltown itself, transforming into a magical winter wonderland.  The capital of Sweden spans 14 islands, and although you may not have time to visit them all, you can easily do a bit of island hopping on foot or via public transport while soaking up the spectacular views of bridges, waterways, and the medieval Old Town.  Besides marvelling at its snow-covered beauty, here are the top five reasons to visit Stockholm in winter.

Although most of Warsaw was tragically raved to the ground during the Second World War, the Polish capital was given a nip 'n' tuck by architects who used artwork by 18th century court painter Bellotto to try to recapture its former glory. Even so, Warsaw will never win a pretty city award, but its historic centre has clusters of handsome buildings, as well as a rich offering in terms of art, culture and nightlife.

Hailed the UK's friendliest city, Newcastle has pristine pavements, shiny buildings, pricey drinks and lost of regeneration funding, which has seen it attracting cultural recognition.  Whether it's the Angel of the North, the Blue (but it's grey) Carpet or Sir Norman Foster's Sage Music Centre, Newcastle has developed an identity beyond football and short-skirted ladies. But don't despair - the city is still as much about having a good time as ever.

Dubliners are never short of an excuse for a party – but, March 17 each year the city erupts into an all-out celebration of Saint Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint.  A Welsh-speaking Scott, Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland back in the 15th century. Legend has it he also raided the island nation of its snake population. Whatever the truth shrouded in the mouth of the man, his first day marks a must do on the Irish calendar, and it’s an excellent time to visit the capital.

The arrival of budget airline flights and its buzzing nightlife scene have given Tallinn a bit of a reputation as a stag and hen party zone in a recent years, but look beyond the drinks specials and you'll find more to this min-Prague, which has had the badge of a 'European Capital of Culture'.

There it was again. A streak of colour and a scurry in the tiny alleyway up ahead. I crept forward, treading lightly past wooden facades and unmarked doors, careful not to knock the red lanterns that cast an atmospheric glow across the cobbled path. A sharp turn to the left, and there she is: a geisha.  A quick glance over her shoulder, her white made-up face contrasting with the elaborate design of her kimono - and she's gone.

While we all know that geishas' inherent beauty, grace and charm have been admired for centuries, the same could be said of Kyoto. Like waiting for a glimpse of a shy nocturnal creature, you can wait all day for the city to reveal its secrets, and just as you're about to give up in favour of fast food and a night at karaoke, Kyoto's discrete world will reveal itself.

"Drive it like you stole it," reads the slogan on the barman's t-shirt, a message that seems to sum up Beirut's chaotic driving culture, where traffic lights are ignored and seatbelts are for wimps.  Traffic-choked it might be but the multi-laned highways are loaded with flashy and retro rides: think Ferraris, Lamborghinis, 1960s Cadillac's and Chevys.