Ever gone on a weekend getaway only to find you can’t get away from the crowds? When it comes to city breaks, it’s often wise to take the path less travelled. And with so many alternatives to choose from, you’ve really no excuse – especially when we’ve laid out some of Europe’s finest right here.
SAN SEBASTIÁN
Spain
It takes a special kind of city to have the world’s highest concentration of Michelin stars, and still be renowned for the humble pintxo – cocktail-stick-skewered tapas for the uninitiated. If the dining alone isn’t enough to draw you to this food-lover’s fantasia, the Atlantic resort town is home to the vast and golden ear-shaped bay of La Concha.
Reliable swells and foamy breaks at neighbouring Zurriola beach mean surfier elements swoop in when the summer crowds have thinned. And wedged between San Sebastián’s sandy bits and at the foot of leafy Monte Urgull is its charming old town, whose medieval lanes are the scene of a favourite local pastime – the pintxo bar crawl.
Where to stay With its lofty hillside setting presiding over San Sebastián’s Atlantic wilds, it would have been a shame not to build a hotel around the three Michelin-starred Akelarre restaurant that first claimed the position.
When your senses are not being wooed by oh-so-elegant attention-grabbing design or bucket-list-worthy dining, your gaze is constantly pulled back to the sweeping sea vistas of this dramatic coast.
ANTWERP
Belgium
Admit it, Antwerp isn’t a destination that rides high on your must-visit list. But when it comes to your next alternative European city break, this de facto capital of Flemish Belgium is more than worthy of consideration.
It’s a city flush from the diamond trade that fuses rough-around-the-edges urban sprawl with cutting-edge cultural cachet. Streets scented with hot waffles and steaming moules are also dotted with elegant remnants of Antwerp’s 16th-century golden age – the same lanes once trod by Baroque-star Rubens.
As Belgium’s biggest port, the air still fizzes with commerce and cosmopolitanism, too, manifesting in a fashion scene and nightlife to rival any of its European counterparts.
Where to stay A monastery-turned-hospital-turned hotel, the Botanic Sanctuary Antwerp was once run by a sisterhood who drew on the healing qualities of botanical florae from the adjoining gardens. Although wabi-sabi interiors display many a remnant of its more ascetic past, there’s certainly nothing abstemious about today’s incarnation.
This five-star Flanders hideaway boasts three (yes three) Michelin-garlanded restaurants, champagne and lobster brunches, and a medical-grade spa that’s as voluminous as it is gorgeous – complete with in-house apothecary, of course.
TREVISO
Italy
With its mediaeval palazzos, network of pretty canals and maze of cobbled streets, comparisons to Venice are inevitable. But there’s something appealing that Treviso doesn’t share with its bigger sibling – a surplus of souvenir shops.
You can still stroll around picturesque arcade-lined piazzas and poke your nose into frescoed churches, but untroubled by tourist throngs.
Do a little trout-spotting while strolling the gondola-free mountain-fed waterways; join the locals sipping crayola-coloured spritzes made with Prosecco produced in the surrounding hills; round off a meal with the world’s finest tiramisu – Treviso is its legendary birthplace after all. For an alternative city break to the renowned Venetian capital, Treviso is sure to tirarti su.
Where to stay Sitting somewhere between bijou B&B and boutique hotel, Maison Matilda is an intimate Italian affair in Treviso’s historical centre. Each of its six rooms has been lovingly crafted with a personality that ranges from La Musica (with a top-range music system) to La Romantica (with a huge four-poster bed and shower for two).
REYKJAVÍK
Iceland
Welcoming, open-minded, fiercely creative… The Icelandic capital mirrors the character of its people in many ways. Unlike most European capitals, Reykjavík’s diminutive size also makes it supremely navigable on foot, especially its compact centre packed with ice-cool boutiques, cutting-edge art galleries and colourful bars.
And this offbeat city knows how to party, too, with a well-earned reputation for wild nightlife – especially during the summer when the sun barely sets. Not only is a city break to Reykjavík a beguiling experience, it also makes an ideal springboard for diving into the country’s Instagram-famous geography of explosive geysers, crashing waterfalls and steaming springs.
Where to stay Take a deep breath at Sandhotel and chances are you’ll be treated to the warming scent of fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon buns from the neighbouring bakery. In fact, this boutique stay was originally opened by the eponymous – and famous – dough-slingers next door.
Their brand of chic is Scandi without the minimalism, combining tailored art decor touches with an at-home atmosphere. Plus, step outside, and you’re bang-on Reykjavík’s Laugavegur main drag, lined with cheery bars, outdoorsy shops and two museums – one of phalli the other of punk. How very Icelandic.
PORTO
Portugal
Portugal’s unofficial ‘second city’ Porto has been quietly making a name for itself as a more-than-worthy alternative to Lisbon. Rising up from the broad expanse of the Douro River, well-preserved terracotta-topped neighbourhoods are threaded with charming cobbled streets.
The city’s once-booming sea-facing commerce is evidenced in eye-catching azulejo-clad buildings and elaborate Baroque churches. The buzz of rejuvenated riverside barrios is fuelled by local wines and the city’s namesake tipple, made just across the water. And we haven’t even started on the city’s clutch of golden-sand beaches and their spectacular Atlantic sunsets.
Where to stay As you might expect from a former graphic arts workshop, every corner of Tipografia do Conto will delight the most demanding of design geeks. An elegantly understated art decor facade is perfectly preserved and behind it, interiors have been restored with nods aplenty to the building’s early-20th-century incarnation.
And when you want a rest from all this Wallpaper*-worthy design, there’s a peaceful garden where palm trees throw dappled shade on hammocks and poolside loungers.
BIARRITZ
France
Biarritz’s ritzy resort status may have lost some ground since its Belle Époque heyday when patronised by French royalty, but today it has an altogether more balanced appeal. Grand houses are still employed as summer retreats by the vieux riche, but the Pays Basque town’s standing as a surfing hotspot has brought earthier elements to its shores – half of the six beaches are surfable.
A grand 1930s casino still stands over Grande Plage, where numbers swell and striped beach tents add a touch of the vintage postcard vignette over the summer months.
Where to stay No prizes for guessing what Hôtel le Garage was in a previous life, though only its elegant old-school facade was left intact. Inside, revved-up design combines plush art deco trimmings with retro-tinged furnishings and comfort where it counts.
Where once stood a petrol pump is now a shimmering pool in manicured gardens. Order your chilled Campari cocktail poolside, or head up to an elevated terrace for nibbles while gazing over the neighbouring Atlantic.
ŠIBENIK
Croatia
Dubrovnik may get all the limelight, but many a savvy traveller is aiming elsewhere in the Adriatic for an alternative city break – and drawing a bead on Šibenik.
It certainly ticks off many of its rival’s highlights, from gleaming medieval old town complete with Unesco nod (check) to shimmering stretch of cerulean coast (check), even a pretty pebble beach or two. Easy ferry connections to offshore islands make for top day trips, as does venturing inland to the spectacular network of waterfalls within Krka National Park.
Where to stay Occupying a finger-like peninsula poking into Šibenik Bay, the nod-to-the-nautical D-Resort feels completely surrounded by water. Bold contemporary architecture pulls it back from too much cruise-ship chic, together with a wrapping of floor-to-ceiling glass.
A pick of pools, multiple restaurants and parent-pleasing kids’ club lend a self-contained resort-like feel. And when you want to jump ship, water taxis will whisk you to the mediaeval charms of Šibenik.
Want some sunbathing with your urban escape? Here’s our pick of Europe’s best city breaks with beaches…