Archive for ‘city breaks’
Karen’s Malaga Moments
Malaga is a fabulous city if you want a bit of beach, a bit of culture and plenty of good food and drink. Here’s some highlights I loved!
The botanical gardens of Malaga are about 3 miles from the city centre on the 91 special bus service from the bus station (or about €12-15 each way in a taxi). The gardens are huge, offering plenty of shade from the sun and are a tranquil oasis from the bustling city centre. The onsite cafe allows you to make a day of it.
Take a taxi up to the Castillo Gibralfaro and save yourself the hot slog up the hill! The ruins are fun to explore and the views are beautiful. The walk down the hill to the Alcazaba is much nicer than the walk up! You can get a combination ticket for the castle and the Alcazaba that is valid for 48 hours so you can visit them on consecutive days.
Get out of town and experience Spain’s ‘Most Dangerous Hike’. The 8.7km Caminito Del Rey is a spectacular day trip and since they refurbished the boardwalk in 2015 it’s no longer hazardous, though you are supplied with a hard hat to wear while walking to protect against rockfall. While a reasonable level of fitness is required, it’s not a difficult hike and the scenery is incredible. Day trips with transportation from Malaga can be arranged.
Bring your appetite: Enjoy authentic Andalucian tapas and locally made sherry: My favourite bars were La Campana (speciality is fried fish) and La Rubia where local vermouth and sherry are served straight from the barrel. The Atarazanas market is a hub for visitors and locals and is busy, but well worth jostling with the crowd for the freshest fish, meat, fruit and veg, as well as tapas and beer.
The Alcazaba and Castillo Gibralfaro are lit up at night and the views are stunning. The Jardines de Pedro Luis Alfonso is a great place to get a good view from – and the roses and jasmine smell amazing in the evenings.
If you’re debating whether you want a beach break or a city break, save yourself the headache and head for Malaga – I loved it!
To find out more about Karen’s visit to Malaga, or if you’re interested in a similar trip,
give the team a call on 0131 243 8098 or send us an email.
Stephanie’s Sweet Escape to Geneva
I was lucky to be invited to Geneva by the team at Switzerland Tourism. It was a fantastic trip and really changed my thoughts on Geneva as a city break. I always thought Geneva looked beautiful and we all know about Swiss chocolate… but I didn’t know the city would have such a relaxed vibe and such friendly people!
I arrived from Edinburgh and headed straight for the hotel to drop off bags and have lunch with the rest of the group. It couldn’t be easier getting into central Geneva, the train is 7mins and it’s 1 stop – we had the Geneva City pass so this was included in the card benefits. Once in central Geneva it was about a 10min walk to The MGallery Rotary (4*+). I really liked this hotel and the rooms were huge (they do seem to be larger all over Geneva in comparison to other cities), lovely sitting area in the reception and the breakfast was also great, lots of continental options and cooked options made to order too. The pancakes are especially good!
Lunch was out on the terrace at L’Artisan and we could have happily stayed there all afternoon! It was a pretty terrace in the shade with delicious food and tasty cocktails. Alas, we had a Wine and Heritage tour to get to so we dragged ourselves away to meet our guide.
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Stephanie Visits Porto & Aveiro
Porto and Lisbon is the usual combo people think of when deciding what cities to do on a twin centre Portugal trip. I love Lisbon, but have been a few times already so I decided to look and see if there were any other options. Just 1h 20mins on a train from Porto Sao Bento station is Aveiro, marketed as the “Venice of Portugal”, with colourful boats sailing past the traditional buildings, it looked like a great alternative.
We landed in Porto early afternoon, the tram from the airport is very cheap (€2.90each*). We took the tram all the way to Sao Bento, 1 change, and then purchased our tickets to Aveiro. In case of flight delays I hadn’t pre-booked these tickets, but there’s 1 train per hour and the cost was €4.50pp, we just missed the 13:55 train so stopped in the station café for a coffee. Sao Bento station is one of the sites you want to see in Porto anyway, covered in beautiful blue tiles it’s stunning – so waiting the hour with a coffee was no hardship at all!
Osprey joins TMS
We’ve got some exciting news to share at Osprey Holidays!
We’ve recently joined Travel Marketing Systems (TMS), a fantastic platform that’s going to help us bring you even more inspiration, offers and updates to share with your clients.
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Foodie Favourites: Osprey’s Guide to the Best European Foodie Capitals
If you’re planning a short break with unforgettable meals at the heart of it, Europe is packed with some real foodie gems. From pastry-lined boulevards to buzzing food markets and family-run trattorias, these destinations are perfect for travellers who explore through taste.
Paris – A Capital of Classic Cuisine
Paris is the gold standard of European food culture. Meals are more than sustenance, they’re a social ritual, often long, leisurely, and savoured with conversation. From buttery croissants at corner bakeries, to cosy bistros serving steak frites and world-class cheese boards, eating here feels like an experience every time.
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Destination Copenhagen: with Steph and Diane
Day 1: Arrival & First Impressions
We arrived in Copenhagen and were pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get into the city by train or metro. The station is under Terminal 3 and tickets are available from the machines. The journey from the airport took around 15 minutes. From our stop it was a 10-minute walk to the Hotel Kong Arthur where we were staying. The hotel is located over 5 buildings but has a real boutique feel to it. There are great indoor and outdoor seating areas, and we really enjoyed the “cosy hour” every night between 5-6 where you can have a free drink and chill out before heading out for dinner.
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Exploring Luxembourg: Irene’s Guide to the Hidden Heart of Europe
I was very lucky to be invited on a fam trip to Luxembourg by Visit Luxembourg. Luxembourg is not the first city you think of for a short break so I was interested to see what there was to do there.
On arrival at Luxembourg airport I took the tram into Luxembourg City Centre. It’s very straightforward with one line in and one line out and the best part is that all public transport is free in Luxembourg (apart from first class rail), no need to get a ticket, just jump on. It took about 30 minutes to the nearest stop for my hotel and although it was late and dark I never felt unsafe on my own.
Our Top Picks for Spring
As winter turns to spring it’s a great time to get a trip in, shake off the long dark nights and explore a destination full of new life. Have a look at the guide below to some of our recommended destinations:
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Michael’s 48 Hours in Berlin
My last trip to Berlin was almost 20 years ago as part of a corporate group for the 2006 World Cup, so I’d been looking for an excuse to go back and explore the city on my own terms and in particular, the history of Berlin leading up to and including the Second World War, the subsequent Cold War and the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall. The tourist trail in Berlin is heavily focused on these three things, with constant reminders around the city of the pivotal role Berlin played in world events at various points throughout the last century.
Getting There
Travelling from a UK airport to Berlin is simple. Our short, 2-night stay meant we only needed a carry-on bag, so no bag drops on departure and no wait for luggage on arrival. The new Berlin Brandenburg Airport is a modern marvel, run with friendly efficiency, getting passengers through the airport as quickly and as smoothly as possible.
To get into the City Centre, you can take the Airport Express train, leaving every 30 minutes for Berlin Central Station, a regional train, or a taxi, all of which take around 35 minutes. After a quick taxi ride to our hotel and dropping our bags, we headed to Berlin’s best-known and prettiest street, Unter der Linden, both to get our bearings and to see the Brandenberg Gate, Berlin’s most photographed landmark. It’s also close to the 5-Star Adlon Hotel, scene of Michael Jackson’s infamous baby-dangling-off-balcony episode. We headed for a quick bite to eat, then back to the hotel to prepare for what would be two busy and thought-provoking days.
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Stephanie’s Top Tips for Multi-Centre Adventures
Our Senior Short Break Specialist, Stephanie went on an incredible holiday that’s left us all envious! She came back with so many tips that we’ve decided to compile them all for you. Read on for some amazing hints and tips when visiting Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Salzburg & Munich!
Berlin
Berlin’s a very large city, so I’d recommend getting the Berlin card. This gives you free transport and discounts on museums. If you’re not here for long, the hop on hop off bus is a great idea and it’s easy to knock off all the big sights in one day. If you’re staying longer, it really helps to get your bearings. You can stay on the bus for the full 2 hour tour or as the name suggests hop off and on. We would get off at one stop, see what we wanted and then instead of waiting for the next bus (only 20mins) make our way to the next stop and hop back on, so we saw not only the big ticket places but plenty of charming places in between. We used the Big Red bus tour and their App was very helpful, you can see exactly where all the buses are and the directions between stops is really clear.
