City Breaks
Episodes
Amsterdam Episode 11 Food and Shopping
10 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode in two halves starts with food in Amsterdam; the street snacks you’ll want to try, the Dutch specialities to look out for in restaurant...
Amsterdam Episode 10 Tulips and Diamonds
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tulips and diamonds: both figure centrally in the story of Amsterdam. The Netherlands is known as the ‘flower shop of the world’ and a visit to ...
Amsterdam Episode 09 Van Gogh, the Man and the Museum
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode covers everything it's good to know before you visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam: a brief biography of Vincent himself, followed by ...
Amsterdam Episode 08 Rembrandt, Vermeer and the Rijksmuseum
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode revolves around Amsterdam's top art gallery, the Rijksmuseum. It starts with a little history, explaining how art came to be of such ...
Amsterdam Episode 07 Anne Frank and World War II in Amsterdam
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode on World War II in Amsterdam looks at how 5 years of German occupation affected everyone living there and suggests places to visit to fin...
Amsterdam Episode 06 Jewish Amsterdam
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode introduces Amsterdam's Jewish culture. There's a little historical context, beginning with the arrival of Jews fleeing from other parts o...
Amsterdam Episode 05 The Golden Age
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode takes you to Amsterdam's Golden Age, the era when, as the Encyclopaedia Britannica puts it, ‘the little nation on the North Sea was one...
Amsterdam Episode 04 The Churches of Amsterdam
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The churches of Amsterdam are not always what they seem. One is more of a national memorial, another is an art gallery and concert venue. A third ...
Amsterdam Episode 03 The Canals of Amsterdam
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The canals ARE Amsterdam and Amsterdam IS its canals. This episode is all about them, covering both the engineering genius which gave them their UNE...
Amsterdam Episode 02 5 Walks Around Amsterdam
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here are 5 suggestions for walks around Amsterdam. They include possible stopping places and between them they offer a way to see something of all o...
Amsterdam Episode 01 Introduction
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welkom in Amsterdam! This introduction to our Amsterdam series brings you the basic facts - geographical, historical, cultural - which underpin everyt...
Valletta Episode 08 Stories from Malta
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This last episode on the Valletta series brings you lots of different stories from Malta. We start with a little descriptive writing, factual and fict...
Valletta Episode 07 Easy Days out from Valletta
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Here are our ideas for easy days out from Valletta if you want to explore some of the rest of Malta. We start with the two most popular day trips, t...
Valletta Episode 06 Food and Festivities
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is dedicated to two topics which are very important in Malta - food and festivities. Malta has more public holidays – 14 – than mos...
Valletta Episode 05 Art, Architecture and Archaeology
01 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a pot-pourri episode, beginning with a look at Valletta’s art scene: the National Art Gallery, 3 artists linked to the island and the orator...
Valletta Episode 04 Finding World War II in Valletta
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are traces of World War II everywhere in Valletta. This episode begins with a little history from the period and explains why the island of Ma...
Valletta Episode 03 Finding the Knights of Malta in Valletta
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode gives a little history on the Knights of Malta and explains where to 'find' them in Valletta today. In fact they’re everywhere, no...
Valletta Episode 02 Three Walks around Valletta
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Valletta is a very walkable city and this episode offers three walking routes for exploring it. They could be done in a day if you want to see all t...
Valletta Episode 01 Introduction
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Merħba il-Valletta: welcome to Valletta, the capital of Malta. Valletta is a World Heritage Site, small in scale, easy to explore and known for its...
Marseille Episode 10 A Marseille Anthology
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our Marseille Anthology includes some travel writing, plus a range of fiction pieces set in the city. Extracts include Simone de Beauvoir hiking in ...
Marseille Episode 09 In the Footsteps of Marcel Pagnol
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The author and film-maker Marcel Pagnol is inextricably linked with Marseille – where he lived, set some of his early works and is buried – and wi...
Marseille Episode 08 Food and Shopping
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This post introduces you to two great pleasures in this Provencal city: Marseille food and Marseille shopping, beginning with the signature dishes and...
Marseille Episode 07 Boat Trips, Beaches and the Chateau d'If
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Marseille boat trips – those words belong together. But beaches and the Château d’If are also great ideas for trips out from Marseille and so t...
Marseille Episode 06 Art in Marseille
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode covers two main Marseille art galleries, the Musée des Beaux Arts and Regards de Provence, and focuses particularly on work on local the...
Marseille Episode 05 La Joliette, the Mucem and the Cosquer Museum
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This post takes you around La Joliette, the new port area in Marseille and looks at what there is to do there. That includes the city’s two newest m...
Marseille Episode 04 The Le Panier District
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This post focuses on the Le Panier district of Marseille, the oldest and most atmospheric part of the city: think hills, narrow roads, colourful house...
Marseille Episode 03 The Old Port, the Canebiere and Notre Dame de la Garde
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode centres on Marseille’s most popular sights, the Old Port, the hilltop church of Notre Dame de la Garde, and the Canebière, the wide av...
Marseille Episode 02 10 Places to Find History in Marseille
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are 26 centuries of history in Marseille, which is the oldest city in France! This episode runs through 10 places where you can find traces of...
Marseille Episode 01 Introduction to Marseille
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bienvenue à Marseille. Welcome to Marseille, the lively southern French city whose name rhymes with 'soleil'. There's beauty in the Old Port and t...
Bordeaux Episode 10 Literary Bordeaux: an Anthology
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our introduction to literary Bordeaux begins with the 3 most famous Bordeaux authors, the ‘3 Ms’, that is the philosophers Montaigne and Montesqui...
Bordeaux Episode 09 St Emilion and other Day Trips from Bordeaux
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This post gives ideas for day trips from Bordeaux, focussing first on nearby St Émilion, attractive both for its history and its world-renowned wine ...
Bordeaux Episode 08 Food and Shopping
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Food and Shopping: two of the major reasons for visiting Bordeaux! This episode lists some of top-notch products from Bordeaux’s Atlantic coastline ...
Bordeaux Episode 07 3 Bordeaux Art Galleries
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This post introduces 3 Bordeaux art galleries, the long-standing Museum des Beaux Arts (Museum of Fine Arts), the always surprising Musée des Arts Co...
Bordeaux Episode 06 Wine in Bordeaux
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bordeaux wine – could two words be more inextricably linked? No, said the author Henry James: ‘Bordeaux is dedicated to the worship of Bacchus’...
Bordeaux Episode 05 Finding World War II in Bordeaux Today
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Strolling through Bordeaux today, you can be largely unaware of the fascinating story of the city under German Occupation between 1940 and 1944. Thi...
Bordeaux Episode 04 Riverside Heritage
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This post is all about Bordeaux's riverside heritage. We’ll be looking at a number of museums which explore the links between Bordeaux, the River ...
Bordeaux Episode 03 Roman and Medieval Bordeaux
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode 'visits' the Bordeaux of two important past eras: the Roman and the medieval. A little history, plus lots of ideas for places to visit ...
Bordeaux Episode 02 A Stroll around Central Bordeaux
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode takes you on a stroll through central Bordeaux, introducing the highlights and giving a little background history. Key moments from the...
Bordeaux Episode 01 Introduction
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bienvenue à Bordeaux. Welcome to Bordeaux. This relaxed, elegant city is famous for its wine, for its delightful riverside quays and for its layers o...
Berlin Episode 18 Novels set in Berlin
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eight inspirational ideas for novels set in Berlin, all of which bring their own distinctive view of the city. Read them to inform an upcoming trip, t...
Berlin Episode 17 Writers on Berlin
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We open with some quotes on Berlin from the likes of David Bowie ('the greatest cultural extravaganza anyone could imagine') and Nikita Khrushchev ('t...
Berlin Episode 16 A Day at the Lakes
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ideas for a day trip from Berlin to Lake Wannsee, where Berliners love to swim and enjoy the lakeside beach and surrounding forest. Plus what to vis...
Berlin Episode 15 The Palace of Charlottenburg
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A visit to Charlottenburg, once the summer palace of the Hohenzollerns who ruled Prussia for 5 centuries. Tips on what to look out for, plus stories o...
Berlin Episode 14 Jewish Culture in Berlin
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jewish culture in Berlin goes back hundreds of years and we visit the places where you can discover it. The New Synagogue, also known as the Centrum J...
Berlin Episode 13 Film and Cinema
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
An exploration of Berlin as a city of film and cinema. Two museums, a look back at Berlin cinema history and a visit to the Berlinale, the city's an...
Berlin Episode 12 Music and Theatre
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Fancy adding a theatre or concert visit to your Berlin itinerary? Here's a look at music in Berlin, with snippets of history, from Frederick the Gre...
Berlin Episode 11 More Berlin Art
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There’s so much more to art in Berlin than the Top 3 Galleries from our last episode. So here’s a look at an artist who has a museum dedicated to ...
Berlin Episode 10 Berlin’s Top 3 Art Galleries
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are so many art galleries in Berlin that it's difficult to choose which to visit. We provide a run-down of the top three in this episode and sav...
Berlin Episode 09 In Search of East Berlin
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What has happened to the GDR (German Democratic Republic), the country which was created when the Berlin Wall went up and which then disappeared when ...
Berlin Episode 08 In Search of the Berlin Wall
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The story of the Berlin Wall will always fascinate. And here it is, along with ideas for three places in Berlin you can visit to see the remaining s...
Berlin Episode 07 Holocaust and Remembrance
24 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Holocaust Memorial is deliberately sited right in the heart of Berlin because this is a city which does all it can to make sure the horrors of t...
Berlin Episode 06 Finding World War 2 in Berlin today
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we take a tour of places in Berlin connected to World War 2; the square where the Nazis burned books, the stadium where they held the...
Berlin Episode 05 Four Berlin Squares
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A tour of four main squares in Berlin: a little history and tips on what to look out for in each. Baroque beauty in Gendarmenmarkt, the book-burning...
Berlin Episode 04 The Tiergarten and the Ku’Damm
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There might be fewer 'must-sees' in the western half of Berlin than further east, but they are winners: a glorious park which began life as a 16th cen...
Berlin Episode 03 Unter den Linden
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A wander down Berlin's most elegant street, Unter den Linden, to see its baroque splendour, its iconic buildings - think cathedrals, the opera house a...
Berlin Episode 02 The Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On a first trip to Berlin you'll probably head straight for the Parliament or the Brandenburg Gate. We're doing the same, and handily, they are clos...
Berlin Episode 01 Introduction
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There's nowhere like Berlin. A turbulent history, an unrivalled cultural richness, green and modern and laid back all at once, truly a city break dest...
Edinburgh Episode 16 Anthology
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A tour of Edinburgh through the eyes of the travellers, poets and novelists who captured its essence. London, compared to Edinburgh, wrote Charlotte...
Edinburgh Episode 15 Food
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A chance to dream of wonderful Scottish produce (think highland beef, Scottish salmon, raspberries), to unravel some mysteries (What are rumbledethump...
Edinburgh Episode 14 Art
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A tour of Edinburgh's galleries and a chance to get to know some of Scotland's best-known artists and paintings. That includes portraits of royalty ...
Edinburgh Episode 13 Witches, Cemeteries and Ghosts
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Not an episode for the faint-hearted! We have collected together a host of Edinburgh's stories on witches, grave-robbers, spectres and apparitions. ...
Edinburgh Episode 12 More Edinburgh Writers
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
'It's impossible to live in Edinburgh without sensing its literary heritage everywhere' said J K Rowling and that's why we need a second episode on Ed...
Edinburgh Episode 11 Edinburgh Writers - the big 3
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Edinburgh was the first city to be designated a UNESCO City of Literature and whole books have been written about its writers and their legacy. The ci...
Edinburgh Episode 10 Leith and the Royal Yacht Britannia
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A short bus ride from Edinburgh city centre will take you to Leith, the city's port, or you can go on foot along the mile-long Leith Walk from Princes...
Edinburgh Episode 09 Museums
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is our round-up of Edinburgh's history museums. We point you towards lots of goodies; the original National Covenant document, (4000 signatures...
Edinburgh Episode 08 Parks and Walks
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Suggested walks, starting in the Old Town, with tales from Cowgate and the Grassmarket, Greyfriar's Bobby and J K Rowling's Hogwarts. In the New Tow...
Update January 2022
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Update: From now on, City Breaks episodes will go out on a fortnightly basis. Episode 08 of the Edinburgh series will be made available next week, o...
Edinburgh Episode 07 Two Scottish Parliaments
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The highlight of this episode is a visit to the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood. But first, the colourful story of who ruled Scotland over the centuri...
City Break Ideas Episode 20
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Four travel bloggers share their inspirational city break ideas, covering everything from the quirky to the practical. The seven cities featured range...
Edinburgh Episode 06 The New Town
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A visit to Edinburgh's New Town, with its elegant Georgian streets and squares, to linger a little in the Georgian Museum and to hear tales of the Sco...
Edinburgh Episode 05 The Old Town
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We visit Edinburgh's Old Town, or 'Auld Reekie' as the poet Robert Fergusson called it. Thankfully, Daniel Defoe's 18th century warning that when walk...
Edinburgh Episode 04 The Royal Mile
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Royal Mile in Edinburgh is 'one of the fairest streets I ever saw', wrote James Howell in the 17th century. We explore it from top to bottom, hi...
City Break Ideas Episode 19
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Six more intriguing city break ideas from guest travel bloggers. This month, we cover a couple of European favourites, take in both NYC and Mexico C...
Edinburgh Episode 03 The Palace of Holyroodhouse
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tales from the history of Holyrood in Edinburgh: King David's escape from death while out hunting in the 12th century, inspiring him to found the abbe...
Edinburgh Episode 02 The Castle
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A stroll through the history of Edinburgh Castle takes in kings and sieges, feasting, battles, murders and plots. There are plenty of tales of captu...
Edinburgh Episode 01 Introduction
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Walk the ghostly narrow closes of the old town, visit the elegant Georgian streets of the new town, tour that glorious castle, sample the whisky, the ...
Update November 2021
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There will be no episode this week, but the new series, City Breaks Edinburgh, will begin next week. www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
Munich Extra 03 Keksliebe
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our interview with Stefanie Schnellhammer of Keksliebe covers all things culinary: The difference between Keks and Kuchen, how to eat a Weisswurst (an...
Munich Extra 02 Heart of Munich Tours and the 3rd Reich
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We welcome Jax Slisz back for a second week in order to hear about the 2 Munich tours he runs which help him explain some of the darker aspects of Mun...
Munich Extra 01 Heart of Munich Tours
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After 5 years in Munich, Jax has founded his own tour guiding company, Heart of Munich Tours, and here he tells us what's on offer and shares lots of ...
City Break Ideas Episode 18
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Three great travel bloggers share their city break ideas with us: we explore the world from Athens to Kochi and the alphabet from Auckland to Vilniu...
Florence Extra 04 Dante and The Divine Comedy
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2 of our interview with Andrea Giordani from Feel Florence, the city's official tourism website, in which he takes us on a journey through some o...
Florence Extra 03 700 Years of Dante
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The first of a two-part interview with Andrea Giordani from Feel Florence, the city's official tourism website. The 14th of this month is the centra...
Florence Extra 02 The Florentine
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We interview Helen Farrell, editor of The Florentine, to find out how this publication and website can enhance your knowledge of Florence. She expla...
Florence Extra 01 Ciao Florence
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our very first Florence Extra episode with guest Danielle from the Florence-based tour company Ciao Florence who tells us all about the various tours ...
City Break Ideas Episode 17
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
More inspiration from three great travel blogs: a Bulgarian city you may not have heard of, (but definitely should not miss), a round-up of Italian ci...
London Episode 27 Our London Bucket List
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our London Bucket List features a wide range of must-do ideas, some of our own and lots more from our contributors: travel bloggers, historians and a ...
London Episode 26 Literary London
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A set-in-London booklist, four reading anthologies based on London and four walking tours focussed on the capital's best-known authors. Plus, a whol...
London Episode 25 Diarists and Travel Writers
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A selection of readings from diarists who have written about London across the centuries and from travel writers who came to visit. Everything from ...
City Break Ideas 16
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We bring you another selection of City Break Ideas: Boston, USA on the 4th July; art and bubbling mud pools in Reykjavik; ruin bars and Turkish bathin...
London Episode 24 Shops and Markets
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We cover every kind of London shopping experience, popping into some globally recognised department stores, including Selfridges on its opening day in...
London Episode 23 Windsor and Eton
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Windsor: a thousand years of English history. We discuss everything from Edward III's Order of the Garter to Edward VII's new bathrooms, via the pur...
London Episode 22 Kew and Richmond
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A trip a little way down the Thames for a wander round two of London's classiest areas. Firstly, Kew, with its world-famous botanic gardens and, tuc...
City Break Ideas Episode15
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Five travel bloggers, four continents, three blogs with intriguing names, this episode offers a goodie-bag of city break ideas, plus the chance to mee...
London Episode 21 Hampton Court Palace
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hear about the great Tudor feasts held at Hampton Court Palace, plus tales of Henry VIII, his various wives, his courtiers and his great friend - and ...
London Episode 20 The River Thames
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A review of moments of history which have taken place on the River Thames - think Henry VIII and his river pageants or the cranes dipping their heads ...
London Episode 19 The Royal Parks
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A tour of the five Royal Parks in central London, each with its own history and particular atmosphere. Hear where Charles II got into trouble for pi...
London Episode 18 Greenwich
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Greenwich is real day out territory from central London, except that one day won't be enough for all there is to see! Hear about lots of Tudor explo...
City Break Ideas Episode14
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Lots of city break inspiration this month, as we feature three more guest websites and bring you ideas from four continents. Everything from an old ...
London Episode 17 Hampstead and Highgate
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A two-stop tour of north London. Firstly, pretty Hampstead, where Virginia Woolf thought 'it is always spring': lanes and cottages, cafes, antique s...