The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Europe’s classic city breaks (and how to do them better)
Another side of Amsterdam, Berlin’s pioneering food scene or Rome’s revival – let our experts be your guide
Holidays really only come in two varieties. Tour operators tell you that there’s world of choice but, once you boil things down, you travel either to escape humanity – to sizzle on beaches or drift through scenery – or to embrace it. We all need time out from hectic lives, but a beach remains a beach: unchanging, ultimately boring. That’s why we visit with books to entertain ourselves. A far better option is to rediscover the city break.
The joy of a city is that you can never know it. Not really. Rome’s sobriquet as the Eternal City suggests permanence; certainly, the Colosseum isn’t going anywhere. Yet the true interest of Rome, like all classic city-break destinations, is that it exists in a permanent state of reinvention. You may say you’ve “done” Paris: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, onion soup in traditional bouillons; all are still there if you want them. But right now, the city positively hums with pre-Olympic buzz.
Then there is cost. A report by Bloomberg in July discovered that Britons were trading a fortnight on the beach for shorter, cheaper city trips. I’ll bet arrival for each was a cinch too. No destination listed here is more than three hours from the UK. Instead of facing a schlep to a distant beach resort, you’ll step from the airport into your destination; no hire cars, no insurance rip-offs.
But foolish is the first-time visitor who attempts to “do” a city in one visit. Ultimately, you never can. Unlike a beach, a city exists as the hive-mind of its inhabitants; a physical manifestation of their hopes and interests, whims and values, realised through art and music and food and booze. Cities are somewhere to feel the energy and excitement of humanity. They are our greatest achievement. Who wouldn’t want to experience that? Beats reading a thriller on a sunlounger any day.
In the pages that follow, our experts on the ground reveal what’s new in their particular slice of Europe, and how to “do” the city better than ever before.
You know Paris well: the beautiful architecture, the Seine and its bridges, the Louvre and the fashion boutiques, the bustling café-terraces and picturesque parks. The French capital is one of the most visited destinations in the world (some 44 million tourists were welcomed in 2022), so it feels a little odd to say it’s having “a moment”, but, bed bugs aside, it sort of is. From cycle paths to immersive art, urban beaches to destination restaurants, Paris has more to offer than ever, and with the Olympic Games arriving next year, there’s a buzz in the air.
You don’t have to do any of the most famous attractions at all, especially if it’s not your first time, but an ascent of the Eiffel Tower is worth trying once – book ahead and, if you’re en famille, be sure to spend some extra time on the first level with its interactive exhibits. Notre-Dame is under renovation before the big reopening next year; until then, visit The Treasury of Notre-Dame exhibit at the Louvre (October 18 to January 29) to chart 800 years of ecclesiastical history.
It’s an exciting time for culture in the city. Cécile Debray, the new director of the Marais’ Picasso Museum, pairs the fascinating permanent collection with more contemporary exhibitions, often from female artists. Smaller museums are well worth a visit too, like the elegant Musée de la Vie Romantique in the 9th arrondissement, a hidden gem with a fabulous little tea room from the Franco-British Rose Bakery, or the Musée de Montmartre that punches above its dinky size with the ambition of its exhibitions. In the cool Oberkampf district, the Atelier des Lumières is getting a whole new crowd interested in art with its immersive themed projections.
Paris restaurants were once known for their homogeneity, but for more than a decade now the food scene has been reinvented thanks to the bistronomie (laid-back gastronomy) movement, which has morphed in recent years into the cult of natural wines, small plates and celebrity chefs. The trick is to sort the hyped and hip from the deliciously original. Best-in-class in the latter category: understated gastronomic address
La Condesa, featuring the wizard-like creations of Indra Carrillo; and the uneatable Greek-inspired mezze at Etsi in Montmartre (book ahead for both). For classic French fare, the old-fashioned bouillons, serving hearty classics at affordable prices, have had a resurgence in the last few years. I like the Montparnasse version, less busy than Pigalle and in a charming historic area. For an elevated take on the classic bistro, try Café Max near the Eiffel Tower or the Belle Epoque brasserie near the Palais Garnier. And when it comes to libations, Paris now matches up with other world cities with both its coffee and cocktail offerings (try Café Kitsuné for coffee and Le Syndicat for cocktails).
For lovers of the finer things in life, Paris now houses a dozen ultra-luxury palace-grade hotels. If a £1,000-pernight price tag seems a bit de trop, you can still visit – try afternoon tea at the Butterfly Patisserie at Rosewood Hôtel de Crillon (double rooms from £1,360; rosewoodhotels.com) or a fancy cocktail at Bar Joséphine at the Lutetia (double rooms from £1,134; hotellutetia. com), named after the famous Ms Baker. Shoppers will appreciate the revamped Printemps department store (enjoy wraparound views at the café on the seventh floor) and the reopened Samaritaine, once a down-to-earth bazar, now reinvented as a temple to luxury – be sure to check out the restored Art Deco peacock mural on the top floor.
In the run-up to the Olympics, Paris’s green-leaning mayor Anne Hidalgo is transforming the way Parisians get around the city. In the last few years, hundreds of miles of cycle lanes have been installed; use your debit card to get a day pass for the Vélib rental bikes and zip up the newly pedestrianised Rue de Rivoli. The whizzy new Line 14 Metro and a revamp of the northern canalside are helping to breathe new life into areas once (unfairly) dubbed no-go zones. Rent an electric boat with Marin d’eau douce and pootle up the canal to discover once-industrial suburb Pantin, fast becoming Paris’s answer to Brooklyn.