Dr Charlotte Russell, Clinical Psychologist & Founder
I’m a huge fan of city breaks. They’re a great way to experience different cultures in bitesize chunks and to relax and restore without needing to take a lot of time off. There are so many psychological benefits to city breaks, but what are the best European cities to visit? Well of course the ‘best’ is a subjective question and I can only share my personal experiences. However, to show you my workings out, I’ll start by sharing my criteria for a great city break. Then we’ll move on to my favourite European city breaks, based on these criteria.
What makes a good city break?
Interesting things to do
City breaks are about exploring new cultures, doing novel and interesting things, and taking a break from our routine. A great city break offers all these things. For me there also needs to be excellent local restaurants with traditional and more upmarket options. It’s also important to have a range of things to do; cultural activities, interesting architecture and museums, live performances and unique sights. All of this helps to keep us entertained and to help us feel restored and revitalised when we return home a few days later.
Sunshine
For me, the perfect city break also involves sunshine. I know other people will disagree with me on this one as there are some brilliant city breaks that aren’t typically sunny places; Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin are great examples. However if we are thinking about the best city breaks, in my view a little bit of sunshine is a must.
We all instinctively know that sunshine makes us feel good but there is actually scientific evidence to back this up. A recent study including more than 500,00 participants found a link between sunshine and improved mental health. Getting out in the sunshine can improve our mood and our sleep. As if you didn’t need another reason to book a trip!
I find that city breaks in the Spring are a great way to get some early sunshine and to start preparing your body clock for the summer months. For that reason I like to travel to places that are a little warmer and sunnier than here in the UK.
Aesthetic appeal and difference
Pretty streets, interesting architecture and the incorporation of trees and flowers can make a city break feel like you are visiting somewhere special and different. In my experience, I always feel that this can make a break feel more restorative. There isn’t any research available to support this. However there is some evidence that living in a beautiful place is associated with increased levels of satisfaction.
As an example, several times a year I visit the city of Chester, which is less than an hour from where I live. I usually travel by train, which involves arriving in the historic station building. As a stroll around the historic ‘rows’ it makes me feel as though I am a million miles away from my home city of Manchester. I believe that this beauty and contrast from what I see at home is part of what can make a city break feel restorative.
As well as being pretty, there is something abut the streets looking ‘different’ to the streets of our hometown. Perhaps this is why city breaks to cities like Chester and York are so popular as staycations in the UK. The architecture is a very obvious indicator that we are somewhere different and in the case of these two cities, we might even be able to imagine that we are in a time gone by.
For cities outside of our own country, we are often reminded that there are different ways of living and being. Perhaps a slower pace of life or different priorities. A long lunch in a square in the South of France is very different to a sandwich meal deal at our desk.
Ease of getting from the airport into the city
City breaks are typically short and so you don’t want to spend a lot of time commuting a long distance from the airport.
Mr Travel Psychologist and I quite often experience what we call the ‘first night feeling’ when arriving on a city break. This is when you arrive and quickly get to the hotel to drop your bags. Then you emerge from the hotel while feeling both a little tired from the flight but super excited to start exploring. You know you have a whole few days of exploring ahead of you and that gives you a sense of freedom and excitement. This process is so much more fun when you just have a short hop from the airport!
A longer commute from the airport is not a deal breaker for me. However when I’ve needed to commute more for more than an hour, I’d probably opt to include the city in a multi-stop trip rather than a short city break.
A hotel with a central location
People vary a lot in their attitude to spending on hotels. My personal view is that it is worth spending more on a central location because it is important to me to walk out of the hotel and to be able to explore on foot easily. I actually like walking, but I certainly don’t want to be walking a long distance in the dark after an evening out. I also don’t want to be spending a lot of time commuting in and out the city that I’ve chosen to visit. So for me personally, I am certainly willing to pay a bit more for a great location.
Affordability
On a city break you want to feel like you can go out and enjoy what the city has to offer. If it is super expensive then this can be a barrier. Whilst this isn’t usually my biggest consideration for where I travel, it’s certainly a consideration. I’m sure this is the case for most people!
The best European city breaks
So with the above criteria in mind, here are my recommendations for the best city breaks. Each recommendation is linked to my full guide to each place, so do click through if you want to learn more.
For the foodies and wine lovers
I’m a huge foodie and there is nothing quite like a city break where you can totally immerse yourself in the local cuisine. Here are my favourite foodie city breaks from the last few years.
Firstly Palma de Mallorca which exceeded my expectations for a city break. There were lots of great options for restaurants in the Old Town with a good mix of traditional and upmarket. This trip hit all of my criteria with a beautiful hotel, a great location, a short hop from the airport and lots of sunshine. Palma certainly isn’t the place to go if you want to sight-see until you drop. However there are things to do if you are there for a few days and it’s a nice relaxing break. My particular highlight was Jardin D’alfabia which is definitely worth a visit if you like a tropical plant or two.
Bordeaux is another great city break if you are interested in and enjoy wine. It has not one, but two wine museums, and the option of visiting countless vineyards and chateaus nearby. Even beyond the wine it has plenty to do for a city break, including a great (non-wine) museum and lots of options for day trips. The food was really top notch here so I’d certainly recommend it if you enjoy good food.
Last but not least, Chania Town is another great option. Crete is also known for wine and you’ll have the option of vineyard visits here too. Traditional food in Greece is always a pleasure and I always love visiting fish and garden restaurants that seemingly haven’t changed for decades. I love that they are so good that they don’t need to! In Chania there are also newer ‘kids on the block’, with more upmarket choices available, so you can try a mix on your break. To top it off, Chania has the most amazing sunset which you will get to enjoy each night. It’s so good that I’ve visited twice and FYI, I’ve only visited Santorini and Ibiza once!
Best for a winter break
There is nothing like the grey, cold and drizzly British weather to make you want to find a little sun!
My first recommendation is another city that totally exceeded my expectations Marrakesh. Now I know what you are going to think: Marrakesh is not in Europe! Yes, I am aware of that but it is so close and so amazing as a city break that it felt wrong not to include it. Let’s just say it’s a great city break from anywhere in Europe.
I visited in late November and it was beautifully sunny everyday. A little chilly in the mornings and evenings but so much nicer than back home. What I loved about Marrakesh is that there was so much to do, and the people were so welcoming and lovely. We ate in some gorgeous restaurants where the food and service really blew me away. On the affordability side, a high-end meal in Marrakesh was similar in price to a mid-range restaurant here in Manchester. So we really felt we could have a bit of luxury as well as a bit of sun.
My second winter break recommendation is Funchal in Madeira. The island has year-round sunshine and warm temperatures so it’s great for a winter break. I actually spent two weeks here, so it was much more than a short city break, and there was so much to do.
The highlights for me were the Famous Monte Toboggan and the palace gardens. The walk from Funchal to Camara de Lobos, a fishing village was also lovely. I found the food to be great in Funchal and the people were just so welcoming. For me, the only slight area where Funchal didn’t score highly was on the pretty-ness factor. Nonetheless, I would still recommend it if you are looking for a winter break.
Best all-round city breaks
Let’s save the best until last. Of course, Rome known as the eternal city is an amazing city break. It has some of the most iconic and interesting sights in the world. The food is also the best that you can possibly get! Rome, like London, is a place you can visit many times, staying in and exploring new areas of the city each visit. According to my criteria, the only area where Rome can fall down is affordability, especially if you want to enjoy eating out. It is however a special place to visit, so it’s something to be aware of and prepare for, rather than allowing it to put you off.
My other absolute favourite recommendation is Seville. Andalucía is known for being the sunniest place in Europe, and so you will find that the sun is out in Seville for most of the year round. Not only that, it’s a fantastic city for food and has so much to do. Of course, the iconic Plaza de Espana is what most people think about when it comes to Seville. However there are many more things to see and do here. It also scores full marks when it comes to aesthetics. The historic buildings are beautiful and many of the streets are lined with orange trees. I always feel that I’ve been transported somewhere special when I arrive there.
The small size of the city also makes it an absolute winner for me, and it’s easy to navigate to the city from the airport. What’s more Seville well connected by rail and so it’s very easy to travel to other amazing places in Andalucía on your trip.
I hope you liked my recommendations for the best European city breaks. If you liked this article check out the psychology behind our love of city breaks.