Lauren Tabbron shares her favourite things to do in Manchester
Jess Astbury regales tales of festivities in warmer climates.
So, who watched Eurovision? Were you marvelling at the outfits, the signing, the utterly mediocre songs? Did you feel a little shame as the UK fell, yet again, to the power of tactical voting? Not me. I sat there yearning for a city break to one of the green screen backdrops the “Hello Oslo!” presenters proudly sat in front of.
I have always been on city breaks. My mother has the attention span of a goldfish, so being somewhere lying on the beach is not my idea of a good time when she’s around. Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Bruges, Rome, Barcelona. Yes, I was a very lucky child. Holidays in cities are amazing thing.
Some top tips for city tourism:
1. In terms of accommodation, youth hostels are a good plan. Especially if you have an International Student Card tagged onto your NUS card (at only £1 extra it becomes invaluable if you travel a lot). Stay with friends abroad if you’re lucky enough to have them. Otherwise, in Europe there are a few grades of hotel in between hostel and 5-star. A few offer cheap rooms without ensuites alongside more expensive ones. Shop around: check on lastminute.com and other travel sites, because they usually do have the best deals.
2. Buy a DK guide. They’ve got absolutely everything in them, from local customs to local English-style pubs. Not to mention weird 3D maps of the city that make it easier to find your way around. For my mother, they have walking tours. For me, they have a rating system for the places to visit that makes it easy to plan everything.
3. It’s probably not the best idea to carry around your nicest, slouchy, unzipped handbag. It may look gorgeous, but you can’t just bat your eyelashes and hope the security will let you through on style alone when you don’t have a passport or any money on the way back home. (And don’t keep things in your back pockets, guys.) A bumbag, whilst a fashion no-no can be a good idea. If you can get one of those discreet ones that go under your top, super. If you can’t, make somewhere else be the fashion victim.
4. Be aware that Spain, Italy and Portugal are Catholic countries, and won’t expect the same standard of behaviour and dress that we do (although times are a-changing). If you’re going to a church or cathedral, wear sleeves and cover the top half of your legs. It’s just respectful.
5. Art galleries, museums and churches are great. But have fun. Sit in the park, eat locally and try to go out a couple of times at night. Don’t restrict yourself to a Saga holiday for the over 50s. Have fun.
6. But don’t have too much fun. Believe me, waking up in a foreign city not knowing where you are is MUCH scarier than back at home.
So there we are. I’ve had the best holidays of my life hopping across Europe. Best cities? Well, Istanbul, Rome and Bruges are my favourites, for differing reasons.
Istanbul is an explosion of colour, religion, history, street sellers, kebabs, mosques, ice cream and everything in between. If you’ve never been, it’s worth going. I can’t explain exactly why, but it’s one of the most amazing places I’ve ever seen. Rome is picturesque, old-fashioned but very expensive if you don’t seek out the best deals. If you like history AT ALL then it’s the place to be: Romans, the mafia et al. Bruges is Amsterdam without the stag parties. Of course, the red light district is sometimes the main selling point of aforesaid city, but Bruges has the nightlife, the canals, the old-style merchant buildings, the chocolate and the bikes for hire all in one compact place. It took me fifteen minutes to cycle from one side of the city to the other, and I loved every second.
If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, try Cape Town. Not strictly Europe but it’s still a beautiful and vibrant city. Plus you can get a local train for about £2 that will take you to Boulders Beach where there is a colony of African penguins. Quite possibly the funniest and most adorable thing I have ever seen.
So do it. Make the most of Europe. And if there’s another volcanic ash cloud from Iceland at least you can make use of an Interrail pass, right?
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