Krakow is in Pole position
than Poland’s second city . Former Iron Curtain cities take the top seven places, with Moscow up 10 places to sixth after a price fall of almost 10 per cent. Athens overtakes Lisbon as the cheapest in Western Europe, with Lille third. feeling brave you can join a bicycle tour of the city with the likes of long-standing operator Mike’s Bike Tours (mikesbiketoursamsterdam. com). Or more relaxing are the boat-based canal tours, giving the chance to grasp how Amsterdam has grown out of the water (lovers.nl).
To really taste life in the city’s parallel watery world, it’s easy to rent a houseboat, or a room in The infamous Red Light a houseboat, for a couple of nights. Airbnb has District – with its main plenty of choice, and there is also a specialist thoroughfare of Lange Niezel website (houseboatrental.amsterdam). (h in the lee of the 800-year-old If you’d you prefer something on dry land then Oude Kerk church – is an try CitizenM, Ci a hi-tech designer hotel which attraction in its own right, and is a touch hipsterish but which is most visitors to Amsterdam will come here sooner Besides the trams, there are nevertheless nev affordable, with doubles at or later to gawp at the girls in their windows. ar two other very distinctive around £110 (citizenm.com).
There’s little danger, the rowdiest element being transport options in the tourists (many Brits) who’ve had too much to Amsterdam’s cityscape – drink. Or, indeed, to smoke – because also here, bicycles and boats. and elsewhere in this city, are some 200 “coffee Lots of hotels have bikes shops” (not to be confused with cafes) which sell available for guests, or if you’re Vondelpark, the city’s best bit of green space and a welcome retreat for tired feet. CITY breaks are set to be even mor e popular this summer as prices in Eastern Europe p keep falling, according to Pos Post Office Travel Money. Krakow is cheapest of 36 c cities, overtaking Eastern E European capitals apitals that have t traditionally y been cheaper cannabis, either for smoking on the premises or for taking away. It’s all perfectly legitimate, and is one of the reasons why Amsterdam attracts so many young travellers.
If you’d rather have a less heady and more conventional form of nightlife – ie restaurants, cocktail bars and music – then Leidseplein is the buzzy place to be, with loads of outside seating on summer evenings and nightclubs for later on. Eu Eurostar’s service starts on April 4. Oneway fares from £35, eurostar.com. like to cruise on a yacht in Croatia but is there a way of avoiding the crowds? EMERALD Waterways this week announced its first foray into ocean cruising with a new yacht sailing Croatia’s Dalmatian coast.
Launching in 2019, the five-star Adriatic Princess II accommodates just 36 guests in 18 cabins.
Seven-night cruises will include seven excursions, seven breakfasts, six lunches and two dinners.
Adriatic Princess II will explore Split, Sibenik, Hvar, Korcula and Dubrovnik – and there will be swim stops at other idyllic locations.
There are 22 departures from April to October 2019. Prices start at £1,545pp. More information at emeraldwaterways.co.uk.