After spending a few days in big, bold Boston, Providence in Rhode Island comes as a bit of a relief. The capital of the USA’s smallest state has a population of fewer than 200,000 souls and is pleasant and walkable, full of street art and history. It’s also an example of urban regeneration done well….
Tag: City breaks
Madeira – island of gardens and mountains
You’ve got to be fit to live in Funchal, the capital of Madeira. Befitting an island that’s actually the peak of massive summit volcano, it’s all hills and challenging terrain. The setting is spectacular but going for a walk can be tough. For every stretch downhill there’s a climb back up. We stayed in the…
Antwerp and its fascinating architecture
Antwerp is a feast for the eyes if, like me, you’re a fan of great architecture. And its bars and restaurants are pretty good too. The Belgian city lies on the River Scheldt, remains a bustling port and has long been at the heart of the diamond trade. It’s a great place to spend a…
Utrecht and a visit to de Haar Castle
Utrecht is the fourth-largest city in the Netherlands, and a joy to visit. It’s full of life, is blessed with a wide range of beautiful buildings and isn’t inundated with [drunk British] tourists. The ancient and atmospheric city centre is built around a network of canals, reminiscent of Amsterdam but without the masses of people…
Oaxaca – creativity and colour
Oaxaca must rank as one of the most colourful cities on earth, offering rewards with every step. Its buildings are painted a multitude of glorious shades and it has some of the best street art in Mexico. Famous for its Day of the Dead celebrations at the beginning of November, in the weeks leading up…
Mexico City – that sinking feeling
There aren’t many cities in the world I’ve struggled to like but Mexico’s capital is one. Perhaps it’s my age? These days I find it harder to cope with chaos, noise and millions upon millions of people all being in the same place at the same time. It’s one reason I went off London. Mexico…
Mérida – colonial capital of the Yucatán
It’s hot in Mérida. And very humid. Mould clings to the stucco on its colourful buildings, mosquitoes bite and I cross the road to find a spot of shade whenever I can. After the relative cool of Mexico city, it comes as a bit of a shock. The capital of the Yucatán Peninsula, it was…
The city of Salta and its Inca children
Salta in the north west of Argentina is a jumping off point for adventures in the Andes, but there’s more to the city than tour operators competing for tourist pesos and coaches heading west. True, we used it as a base for a trip to the Salinas Grandes salt flats but we also found interesting…
A week in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina
I expected many things of Buenos Aires, Argentina’s sprawling capital, but I didn’t expect it to be quite so grand. It’s a city of epic public buildings, grand mansions, wide boulevards and generous public squares. Perhaps I’d been put off the scent by all the economic traumas, dictatorships, persecutions and politically-motivated murders that Argentina has…
History and waterfalls in Quebec City
If Montreal is the brazen youth of the French-Canadian province of Quebec, the capital Quebec City is the maiden aunt. Staid, proper and well turned out, it’s also packed with history and great architecture. At times it’s got the look and feel of an ancient French village. But this is also where the indigenous people…
A spring break in Montreal
Quebec’s largest and most energetic city has a charming old town, great bars and restaurants, but also a touch of the chaotic about it. It’s not a city that’s easy to fall in love with. Much like Toronto, it feels like it’s been thrown together with little thought to the whole. A motorway ploughs through…
Cologne and its Christmas markets
Nobody does Christmas or Christmas markets quite like Germany. So when I asked my friend and expert Nicky for tips on where to find the best, I wasn’t surprised when she recommended Cologne. The largest city in North-Rhine Westphalia may be best known for its imposing Gothic cathedral but, having spent a December weekend there,…
A weekend in Belfast
Belfast was synonymous with bomb blasts and shootings in my youth, a city where Ireland’s Unionist and Nationalist traditions clashed violently. Today, thanks to the peace process, it’s very much on the tourist trail and not shy about being the birth place of the Titanic. The conflict that raged for around 50 years, called The…
24 hours in Malaga
Malaga has a reputation for being a jumping off point for holidays elsewhere in Andalusia rather than a destination in itself. But it was bonkers when we visited, full of tourists who’d decided it was worth a day or two of their precious vacations. And while it doesn’t have a wealth of things to see,…
Granada: Beyond the Alhambra
The Emirate of Granada was the last bastion of the Arabs who ruled much of the Iberian Peninsula from the 8th century until 1492. In January that year the sultan surrendered to the Christian forces and the Alhambra fell. It may have been the end of the Moorish rulers but much of what they built,…