Capital gains

Some capital cities don’t get a fair crack of the whip when travellers want a city break – these should

1 BERN, SWITZERLAND B&B doubles from £125

The prettiest of the cities on this list, Switzerland’s capital maybe the top dog but it is considerably smaller than

Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Lausanne. Its best bit, most of it Unesco preserved, is a tongue of land in a loop of the Aare river where the sandstone buildings date back to the early 15th century. This is a place of cobbled streets studded with fountains, lined with boutiques and little restaurants in arcades. In summer, locals dive into the clean river. Bern’s biggest issue for Brits is that there are no direct flights, although there are direct trains from Zurich airport. THE DEAL Stay in the peaceful Hotel Alpenblick, just across the river from downtown. Doubles from £125 B&B including Bern Ticket (free public transport and travel to the airport, bern.com). welcomehotels.ch

2 OTTAWA, CANADA

Doubles from £93 Rivals Montreal and Toronto were outraged when a small town called Ottawa was chosen (by Queen Victoria) as a “Westminster in the Wilderness”, but its riverside setting is compelling and it has a walkable downtown, where politicians provide a steady clientele for a clutch of excellent restaurants. Ottawa’s Museum of Civilisation tells the whole story of Canadian settlement, which you can also see in microcosm in Ottawa’s Byward Market, once a shanty-town where the lumber men would come for beer and girls, and today suffused with bars, restaurants and unusual boutiques (ottawatourism.ca). THE DEAL Stay in the Lord Elgin, a venerable property just down the road from Parliament Hill, doubles from £93. lordelginhotel.ca

3 BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA Doubles from £82

Slovakia is one of the world’s youngest countries, after separating from the Czech Republic 25 years ago. Its capital, on the Danube between Vienna and Budapest, still has the feel of a new nation’s front room, freshly decorated and eagerly awaiting visitors. It ticks all the boxes a capital should: it has a cathedral, a castle on a hill, and a proper carbuncle of a river crossing (nicknamed the UFO bridge). Its

mix of concrete Stalinist cultural institutions with sophisticated cafés serving Hungarian goulash means that it’s a place to taste east and west, still with a frisson of communism in the air (visitbratislava.com).

THE DEAL Stay in the lovely Loft Hotel, doubles from £82.

lofthotel.sk

4 VALLETTA, MALTA B&B doubles from £94

A new parliament building by Renzo Piano, lots of new restaurants and boutique hotels, and being 2018’s European

Capital of Culture, have put Malta on the map. Its mix of palaces and churches sits on the end of a peninsula overlooking one of the world’s finest natural harbours, filled with superyachts. Its story is best told in Fort St Elmo, the fortress on the harbour, from the time when Malta was a bulwark against the Ottoman empire, to its sanctuary role in World War II (visitmalta. com). THE DEAL Stay in the Vincent, a converted townhouse, B&B doubles from £94.

thevincenthotelmalta.com

5 ZAGREB, CROATIA Doubles from £126

Zagreb is nowhere near Croatia’s stunning island-rich coast – yet it’s a genteel place, with more than hint of Vienna about it. Mostly built by the Habsburgs, it comes in two main parts: Gornji Grad, the old town and home to the parliament, sits atop a hill and feels like a sleepy village. Donji Grad, the lower town, is where the theatres and museums (try the quirky Museum of Broken Relationships) are. Tkalciceva street is great for eating and people-watching (zagrebtouristinfo.hr). THE DEAL The Esplanade is the grand dame of hotels – Agatha Christie stayed. Doubles from £126. esplanade.hr

6 BELGRADE,

SERBIA Doubles from £86

The last in a line of capitals on the Danube as it heads for the Black Sea, Belgrade is out for a good time. What it lacks in looks it makes up

for in liveliness, particularly along the pedestrianised main drag of Old Town, Knez Mihailova. The party continues in floating bars along the Sava river. More sedate visitors can watch from the ruins of the fortress of Kalmegdan, and then head across the Sava to

dine in the waterside village

of Zemun (serbia.travel). THE DEAL Stay in the Old Mill Hotel, a restored 19th-century mill down by the Sava, doubles from £86. radissoncollection.com

7 TUNIS, TUNISIA Doubles from £65 Tunis is where Paris meets Arabian Nights.

Its magical, mystical, Unescolisted medina is charming and traffic-tree. Wander through its 1,300-year-old maze of intricate lanes, rich with smells of leather and perfume. Pop your head into the Great Mosque, sip mint tea in a traditional café and try the brik a l’oeuf – an egg fried in pastry. Delicious.

(discovertunisia.com) THE DEAL Stay in the ornamental Hotel Royal Victoria, the former British embassy, right outside the medina. Doubles from £65. hotel-royalvictoria.com

8 TIRANA, ALBANIA Doubles from £44

Since the end of Communism in 1992, Albania has had a rollercoaster ride into modern-day Europe. It’s a mix of squares and markets, of decaying Communist buildings and a gossipy café culture, heavily influenced by Italy. The imperious old government district (Blloku) is now the going-out part of town, with

fancy restaurants at good prices. The giant Et’hem Bey Mosque brings a touch of Istanbul to the main Skanderbeg Square (visittirana.com). THE DEAL Stay in the Dinasty Hotel, walking distance from the centre and the main park. Doubles from £44. dinastyhotel.al

9 LJUBLJANA,

SLOVENIA Doubles from £74 B&B

The Slovenian capital is like an overgrown village – one of the most peaceful capitals in Europe. Its cobbled centre is cultural and traffic-free, with flurries of Art Nouveau lorded over by a castle on a rock. It is threaded by the Ljubljanica river, and every Saturday a market takes place along its banks, where chic Slovenes come to browse, and pose in the cafés (visitljubljana.com).

THE DEAL Stay in the Four Points hotel, B&B from £74.

four-points.marriott.com