Eurostar, how can we love thee? Allow us to depend the methods. For one, a beneficiant baggage allowance frees your procuring hauls from the tyranny of flying’s one cabin-bag restrict; liquids are very a lot allowed (BYOB, child); and travelling by practice is much extra eco-friendly than jetting off – so it’s full-steam (or a extra Earth-kind gas) forward on the feel-good issue.
If you happen to’re satisfied that seeing the Continent by practice is simply the ticket, depart London behind with our whistle-stop tour of one of the best Eurostar locations.
PARIS
Excellent news, all-gloomed-out Londoners – due to the direct line from St Pancras to Gare du Nord, you may leg it to the City of Lights in simply over two hours. And standard-class tickets begin from simply £51 every means (relying on how far prematurely you ebook), so that you’ll have some Euros to spare for the Champs-Élysées, too.
DO
Musée de l’Orangerie
See Monet’s Water Lilies because the artist supposed – in oval rooms constructed to the directions of monsieur Claude himself – on the Musée de l’Orangerie. It’s rather more intimate than town’s headline museums, however the powerhouse assortment is stuffed with Impressionist and Submit-Impressionist VIPs: Renoir, Cézanne, Picasso and Matisse, to call a number of. You’ll must ebook forward, however queues listed here are rather more manageable than these for a sure enigmatically smiling woman within the Louvre.
Promenade Plantée
Paris’s finest views typically come at a premium, however alongside the Promenade Plantée – a leafy, loved-by-locals retreat set 10 metres above bustling boulevards – you’ll discover swoonsome sights totally free. A hand-in-hand stroll alongside its three-mile stretch reveals rooftop panoramas, romantic arbours and architectural intrigues; and at one level, the walkway appears to slice a contemporary constructing in two.
EAT
Robert et Louise
If you happen to’re au fait with Paris journey guides, you’ll know {that a} shout-out for Robert et Louise is de rigueur. Wooden-fired French delicacies, as beneficiant as it’s carnivorous, has secured this family-run spot its cult standing. Add within the restaurant’s charmingly rustic interiors and affordable (for the Marais) costs, and it gained’t be lengthy earlier than you catch your self saying: ‘oh, there’s this little place on the Rue Vieille-du-Temple…’
DRINK
Sherry Butt
If you happen to take your spirits severely, suave Marais hangout the Sherry Butt is a should. Whisky buffs can select from over 100 globe-trotting labels – or go the entire hog, hangover be damned, with a full flight. Plus, there’s a curated record of cocktails, every that includes house-made syrups and unique aromatics, so indecisive drinkers can depend on the ‘shut your eyes and level’ methodology.
STAY
Hôtel Monte Cristo Paris
Proper at house among the many vintage shops, legendary bookshops and leafy squares of the Left Financial institution, Hôtel Monte Cristo Paris is a feast of literary references and retro aptitude. Impressed by Dumas’ journeying hero, rooms would make a dapper Nineteenth-century explorer swoon – anticipate deep velvets, dark-wood panelling and partitions hung with bespoke tapestries. Additional tropical treasures embrace a palm-flanked indoor pool, sauna and clubby bar with the most important number of rums in Paris – santé to that.
LYON
Attain France’s culinary capital by practice in as little as 5 hours – simply sufficient time to work up an applicable urge for food. For probably the most laidback route, take a Eurostar practice from London to Lille then change platforms for the TGV service to Lyon. Eurostar tickets to Lille begin from £51 one-way; the TGV leg can begin as little as £15 every means.
DO
Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière
The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière is Lyon’s headline act – though it’s onerous to not be while you dominate the skyline; looming excessive above town, it’s not often out of eyeshot. However you gained’t get sick of it, so observe in two centuries’ value of pilgrims’ footsteps to the highest of ‘praying hill’ to see this show of Nineteenth-century splendour up shut and private – these mural mosaics, Gothic arches and kaleidoscopic domed ceilings are definitely well worth the hike.
Monitor down the traboules
Lyon has 40 secret hidden passageways scattered throughout town, criss-crossing courtyards, scaling towers and diving under historic buildings, every marked merely with a lion-head seal. Sound like your form of quest? Set out alongside the cobbled lanes of La Croix-Rousse neighbourhood and the previous city to hunt out every mysterious traboule.
EAT
Bulle
Set within the shadow of the basilica, Bulle’s storied environment and breathtaking views would possibly simply be the principle occasion at a lesser restaurant. However Michelin-starred chef Man Lassausaie’s menu is greater than a match, respiratory new life into Lyon’s conventional flavours and firmly cementing town’s rep as a connoisseur go-to. A lingering lunch right here would possibly characteristic veal fillet with root greens, hazelnut and meadowsweet jus; or turbot stew with citrus and cauliflower mousseline; and – this being France – save room for the number of native cheeses.
DRINK
Odessa Comptoir
Calling all oenophiles – Odessa Comptoir is the place you’ll need to wind up, come night. The house owners journey the nation seeking the easiest pure vins, which Lyon’s most trendy locals pattern over dainty tartines and steak frites – superb for buffering the results of that injudicious third glass.
STAY
Villa Maïa
Design followers, Villa Maïa would possibly simply steal your hearts. Excessive on Lyon’s historic Fourvière Hill, the resort counts Roman ruins and town’s towering Gothic basilica as neighbours. However Jean-Michel Wilmotte’s structure holds its personal, as do interiors by Jacques Grange, model guru to Saint Laurent and Lagerfeld. Plus, there’s a manicured backyard, spa and grand indoor pool; and – one other name-drop incoming – celebrity chef Christian Têtedoie helms a trio of eating places, together with one with a Michelin nod.
AMSTERDAM
The journey from London St Pancras Worldwide to Amsterdam Centraal clocks in at round 4 hours – ample time to brush up on the distinction between a espresso store and a bruin café (the Netherlands’ cosy wood-panelled counterpart). Tickets begin from £74 one-way. Heads up: direct companies from Amsterdam to London gained’t be working from June 2024 to January 2025. As a substitute, hop on a Thalys or InterCity practice to Brussels Midi/Zuid and trip the Eurostar from there.
DO
Canal tour
This can be a mainstay of must-do ‘Dam checklists for a motive – gliding previous infinite gingerbread townhouses, there’s no higher technique to get your bearings within the metropolis. However not all canal excursions are created equal, and by that we imply some serve decadent cheese boards and Dutch apple cake as you sail. On-board treats apart, slender down the (frankly overwhelming) choices additional by most popular route. Many excursions absorb simply the principle sights, however go for a meander via the quieter neighbourhoods for just-as-picturesque photo-ops, plus nuggets of lesser-known native historical past from the skipper.
Moco Museum
The town’s well-known Museum Quarter is an apparent should. However for those who fancy hanging out past the Previous Masters (or if the Van Gogh Museum has offered out, which it does ceaselessly) strive the Moco Museum. Set in a historic townhouse simply off Museumplein, the thoughtfully curated assortment consists of iconic names like Warhol, Haring and Banksy, however exhibitions frequently swing the highlight onto up-and-coming artists, too.
EAT
Restaurant de Struisvogel
Cosy and convivial, Restaurant de Struisvogel is what the Dutch phrase gezellig was coined for. This bijou basement spot, on an atmospheric canalside road nook, is simple to overlook; however pleasant waiters, flickering candles and a really affordable French-accented set menu make it a secret value understanding – so ebook forward and duck under road degree carrying your smuggest ‘I do know one thing you don’t’ smile.
Albert Cuypmarket
For a street-food feast, stroll the Cuyp. Amongst peddlers of touristy t-shirts and Van Gogh-print-sporting totes, conventional Dutch treats and delicacies from world wide are ready at rows of inviting stalls. Clear a morning and provides your self carte blanche to strive the whole lot – the ensuing brunch would possibly encompass Filipino spring rolls and crispy kibbeling (fried fish), adopted up by fluffy poffertjes and a recent stroopwafel the dimensions of your face. Or, on a sunny day, choose up picnic provides and pedal off to discover a leafy spot in Vondelpark.
DRINK
Café de Dokter
Drop in for a medicinal dram at Café de Dokter, a conventional bruin café the place comfortable candlelight, vintage curiosities and jazz drifting up from the file participant within the nook present a satisfying distinction to Centrum’s busy thrum. Whisky and Limburg beer are the specialties right here, however there’s a formidable wine and gin assortment, too. It’s comfortable (actually, it’s town’s smallest pub) and seats are restricted, so that you’ll need to get there early – however when you’ve secured your barstool, don’t be shocked for those who keep all night time.
STAY
Canal Home
Set throughout a number of Seventeenth-century retailers’ homes in achingly fairly Jordaan, boutique keep Canal House’s moody lighting, deep hues and decadent textiles are straight from the Dutch Previous Masters’ playbook. However this boutique keep’s design sensibilities swing distinctly Twenty first-century, with modern artwork hanging alongside antique-stuffed cupboards and sultry rooms sporting cool modernist furnishings. Throw in a romantic courtyard backyard and a come-hither cocktail record, and you’ve got the makings of a contemporary masterpiece.
Plus, you’d be hard-pushed to discover a higher pied-à-terre postcode – all of Amsterdam’s hotspots are a tram trip away, the 9 Streets’ world-beating design shops are close by and you may set out on among the metropolis’s most picturesque canalside cycle routes from the entrance door.
BARCELONA
It would sound daunting, however London to Barcelona by practice in a day is doable and – accomplished proper – rather more leisurely than flying. You’ll trip the Eurostar from St Pancras Worldwide to Paris Gare du Nord, then hop on the RER (or hail a taxi) throughout city to Gare de Lyon – pausing for lunch at Le Train Bleu – earlier than boarding a six- to seven-hour direct TGV practice to Barcelona, so that you’ll arrive simply in dinner time and a Smith-approved night time’s sleep. Eurostar fares from London to Paris begin from £51 one-way, and the common value for the Paris to Barcelona leg is £69 one-way.
DO
La Boqueria Market
Catalonia’s best produce has been traded at La Boqueria for greater than 800 years, and there’s no signal of town’s oldest market packing it in any time quickly. Stalls, some family-run for generations, are laden with cheeses, recent fruit, olives, seafood, and kaleidoscopic confections (for among the finest finds, burrow to the again of the market). Arrive with empty luggage and stomachs – that is the place for scouting out better-than-a-fridge-magnet souvenirs, with plentiful pintxos pit-stops.
Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau
Positive, first-timers to town ought to in all probability familiarise themselves with La Sagrada Família. However don’t be shocked if, after a go to to Lluís Domènech i Montaner’s artwork nouveau marvel Recinte Modernista Sant Pau Barcelona, chances are you’ll end up considering ‘Gaudí, shmaudi’. Forgive us our heresy, structure buffs, however Montaner’s stained glass, jewel-toned tiles and towering, technicolour domes severely up the aesthetic stakes.
EAT
Bar Cañete
When in Barça, wager on Bar Cañete. This legendary El Raval restaurant is that uncommon factor, a recommended-to-death spot that lives as much as the hype and is, in some way, nonetheless a neighborhood favorite. The important thing to its longevity? Easy – these are the best, freshest tapas on the town.
DRINK
Paradiso
Move speakeasy-style via a fridge in what looks like a pastrami store, and also you’ll end up in Paradiso, a comfortable bar the place a multi-award-winning workforce make an artwork type of mixology and the annual menu reveal is a much-anticipated occasion. Highlights have included a fiery bourbon, sesame and smoked-milk concoction for 2 and a negroni curiously impressed by the invention of the wheel – hey, give it a spin. Lofty ideas apart, these cocktails are severely tasty, and make the prolonged queues for entry effectively value it.
Eldiset
A too-cool tapas bar in buzzy El Born, Eldiset is the place the in-crowd head after darkish for good dialog and even higher Catalan wine. The record of native labels may appear slightly intimidating, so quiz the super-knowledgeable employees, cave when somebody suggests ceviche to share, and settle in for some severe people-watching.
STAY
Wittmore Resort
A grown-up keep within the coronary heart of the Gothic Quarter, Wittmore Hotel has pulled off a coup – someplace between the country-house-inspired furnishings and calmingly low gentle, the resort captures the rarefied air and respectful hush of a personal members’ membership, steps from among the metropolis’s liveliest streets. Dine on refined Catalan delicacies within the leafy courtyard, which looks like a neighborhood secret. One which – after a sunny afternoon spent landmark-spotting, cocktail-in-hand, from the sting of the rooftop plunge pool – you’ll be inclined to maintain.
BERLIN
The celebs have aligned, and so they’ve made travelling from London to Berlin by practice a doddle. European Sleeper have handily deliberate their service from Brussels to Berlin round Eurostar’s London schedule. So you may zip from St Pancras Worldwide to Brussels Midi/Zuid on Eurostar (from £51 one-way), arriving in time for a leisurely switch to the Good Night time Prepare, which runs two to a few occasions per week, arriving in Berlin vibrant and early in round 11 hours. You’ll sleep sounder in a personal cabin; fares begin from €129 an individual for a two-bed, €159 for a one-bed.
DO
Muse on town’s museums
Spree Island’s 5 treasure-stuffed museums are spectacular, and highlights embrace the Bode-Museum’s Renaissance sculptures and the Alte Nationalgalerie’s Nineteenth-century artwork assortment. However modern structure buffs ought to take a look at the Bauhaus Archive. The space-age constructing was designed by motion pioneer Walter Gropius, and exhibitions supply fascinating insights into work by influential figures.
Discover treasure on the flea markets
Sundays in Berlin ought to imply two issues – a hangover-banishing brunch, and a restorative rummage via a flea market. Arkonaplatz is a neighborhood favorite, Boxhagener Platz is the place to select up books and vinyl, and the cool children thrift their wardrobe at RAW. Wherever you find yourself, let town encourage your procuring record: structure tomes, an experimental jazz file and a few ‘can I get away with this?’ classic threads.
EAT
Lokal
At Lokal, you’ll discover a daily-changing menu of elevated German staples, all sustainably and (therefore the identify) hyper-locally sourced. Interiors is likely to be soothingly Scandi, however at coronary heart, this buzzy Mitte spot is all Berlin – work by native artists strains the partitions, and every rustic desk is handmade from salvaged wooden by town’s best artisans.
Have a kartoffelpuffer feast
Enjoyable to say, much more enjoyable to eat: kartoffelpuffer are crispy potato pancakes, fried until golden and devoured up with herby cheese, or apple sauce, or something you fancy, actually. They’re, in essence, large hash browns, and we’ll take 12, thanks. A Berlin street-food staple, you’ll discover these unhealthy boys all around the metropolis; however phrase on the road is that Puffer–Imbiss (1–4 Hasenheide) in up-and-coming Neukölln make one of the best.
DRINK
Bar 3
Brush shoulders with Berlin’s artistic crowd at Bar 3, set on a Mitte backstreet (at 20 Weydingerstrasse). Consider this because the buttoned-down little bro of Soho Home (which is simply down the street), the place wine, whisky and conventional Kölsch beer are the specialties. Snag a barstool and settle in for a night’s eavesdropping, as artsy locals extol the virtues of 35mm movie and deconstruct a pal’s exhibition.
STAY
Sir Savigny
Set in a leafy sq. in upscale Charlottenburg, Sir Savigny cuts a refined determine. Interiors sport artwork deco touches, the library is stacked with intellectual tomes, and bespoke items by a neighborhood artist pay homage to town’s literary greats. To this point, so subtle; however a buzzy burger joint and gin-slinging bar maintain issues from feeling too scholarly. The neighbourhood’s a favorite hang-out of Berlin’s tradition hounds, so distinctive boutiques and cafés abound. Plus, the resort has bikes to hire, so helmet up and get gallery-hopping – sir, sure sir.
BRUGES
Fleeing London for Bruges’ fairy-tale charms is miraculously faff-free, due to Eurostar’s Any Belgian Station ticket. Begin with a practice from St Pancras Worldwide to Brussels Midi/Zuid, then zip alongside on a neighborhood service to Bruges. All in all, it’ll take round three-and-a-half hours. Each legs of the journey are included within the ticket value, and fares can begin at round £67 one-way.
DO
Scale the Belfry
Work up an urge for food for waffles with the 366-step climb to the highest of Bruges’ mediaeval Belfry. The panoramic views of town from the highest are well worth the work-out any day of the week, however go on a Wednesday and all method of treats might be ready on the weekly farmers’ market while you descend.
Rosary Quay
Instagram star, guidebook covergirl: Rosary Quay is Bruges’ most-photographed spot for good motive. Mediaeval homes crowd across the canal, boats putter previous and the Belfry teeters above all of it; spend some time sitting right here (having snapped all of the points, in fact) and shortly town’s nickname ‘Venice of the north’ will appear apt certainly.
EAT
Bistro Bruut
Flemish eating will get mighty advantageous at Bistro Bruut. Taking a quaint canalside home as his base, chef Bruno Timperman has made a splash together with his gutsy, attention-grabbing flavours and imaginative use of elements. There’s an emphasis on recent, ethically sourced and seasonal produce, so the set lunch and dinner menus change every day primarily based on what regional delicacies the kitchen has acquired, however anticipate plates of Zeebrugge seafood, wild recreation and foraged fancies, all as dainty as they’re daring.
DRINK
Le Trappiste
A pilgrimage to Le Trappiste is a should for followers of a conventional Belgian brew. Set in an atmospheric mediaeval cellar, the bar specialises in beer made by Trappist monks – and people bros have been busy. Sort out the 100-strong choice with a tasting flight, overlaying native favourites and rarer worldwide finds. For confirmed beer buffs, this place is a no brainer; however even lay drinkers will love the cosy, candlelit ambiance.
STAY
Boutique Resort Sablon
Behind Boutique Hotel Sablon’s Sixteenth-century façade, frills are decidedly out. As a substitute, pared-back interiors draw focus to items by native modern artists, and partitions are inscribed with the poetry of one-time visitor Paul Verlaine. Channel the resort’s previous bohemian set with a jenever-based cocktail, then meander merrily out to the Grote Markt, barely a five-minute stroll away.
(Please word, the quoted costs differ relying on while you ebook and while you need to journey.)
And, discover extra of the Continent with our resorts for city breaks in Europe.
