Stroll in the shade of orange groves through the cobbled streets of Seville, discover 16th-century palaces in the heart of Toulouse, the Pink City, or spend evenings in the harbour clubs of Hamburg where the Beatles began their career in the 1960s.
We take you on a trip to the perfect European cities for a three-day getaway, where life is good and escapism is guaranteed. Getting your list ready for Easter and 25 April?
The perfect cities for a three-day trip
Toulouse, France
Hamburg, Germany
Trieste, Italy
Oxford, UK
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Copenhagen, Denmark
Krakow, Poland
Oslo, Norway
Seville, Spain
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Toulouse, France
The capital of the Occitane region and the fourth largest city in France presents its modern and dynamic face to those who see its large industries, Cité de l'Espace, media library and recent metro.
But Toulouse is also a labyrinth of ancient, narrow, reddish-brick streets that dye the city infinite shades of pink. For this reason nicknamed the Pink City, Toulouse will let you discover a city where living is a pleasure. Lose yourself in the historical centre where wonderful churches, enchanting alleyways, sumptuous palaces and a rich historical heritage that has been spared from inordinate modernism are hidden.
Did you know that Toulouse holds the French record for the number of 16th century palaces? Try to enter the pretty courtyards from which to admire them. From the Place du Capitole, lined with historic cafés, to the less formal Place Saint-Georges or Place des Carmes, to the Place Saint-Pierre, which is the hub of student festivities at weekends, all the liveliness of Toulouse is expressed. Visit the Saint Sernin basilica, the largest preserved Romanesque building and one of the most beautiful churches in France, as well as the Saint-Étienne cathedral, which mixes Romanesque, Southern Gothic and Northern Gothic styles.
Find peace at the Ensemble Conventuel des Jacobins, a Languedoc Gothic masterpiece, or immerse yourself in the archaeological finds at the Musée Saint-Raymond. The banks of the Garonne River invite for romantic strolls, or if you really feel like sport, take a walk along the Canal du Midi, which stretches 241 kilometres between the cities of Toulouse and Sète. Three days is therefore the perfect number to discover this fascinating city with its sparkling life and great cultural dynamism.
Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany after Berlin and one of the largest ports in the world. Hamburg has been trading since it joined the Hanseatic League in the Middle Ages. More than 80 per cent destroyed during World War II, Hamburg was later rebuilt and is today a rich and interesting city with a vibrant nightlife, Germany's publishing and media capital and the greenest city in the country.
Hamburg's maritime spirit pervades the entire city: from the architecture to the restaurant menus everything reminds you that you are close to the water. Start discovering it from the Rathaus, the Baroque town hall and one of the most sumptuous civic administration buildings in Europe with 647 rooms, including the spectacular Emperor's Hall and Great Hall. The Protestant St Michael's Cathedral is one of the most beautiful Baroque churches in Germany. Visit Hamburg's Kunsthalle where you can admire the quintessential Romantic painting, The Wayfarer on the Sea of Fog by Caspar David Friedrich, among other masterpieces. In the evening, head to the harbour to discover the clubs where the Beatles started their career in the 1960s, but also take a tour of the red light district Reeperbahn.
Also worth a visit at the harbour are the old warehouses, which now house several museums, including the Speicherstadtmuseum, the spice museum, the Hamburg history museum and a museum dedicated to Afghan culture. Finally, take a trip to the Speicherstadt, Hamburg's new district where you can stroll through green spaces, cycle paths along the river and futuristic buildings.
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Trieste, Italy
Trieste is another perfect city for a three-day trip. A seaside and frontier city, facing the Adriatic Sea and protected by the Karst plateau, it has been a bridge between Western and Central-Southern Europe for centuries, mixing Mediterranean, Central European and Slavic features. Its Piazza Unità d'Italia is one of the most beautiful in our country. Elegant and scenic, the large sandstone square opens onto the Gulf of Trieste like a living room by the sea. In the centre of the square you will see the fountain of the Four Continents, on the sides, among the many sumptuous palaces, stands the Caffè degli Specchi, an institution of Trieste, and behind it the San Giusto hill on which the castle stands.
Continue for a walk along the Molo Audace, a tongue of stone stretching 246 metres into the sea from which to watch the city at sunset. At the foot of the San Giusto hill is the Roman Theatre, dating back to the 1st century BC. Then head towards the Grand Canal, a navigable canal in the heart of the Borgo Teresiano, overlooked by historical palaces. Finally, don't miss the wonderful Miramare Castle, overlooking the Gulf of Trieste, just outside the city. It was the residence of the Habsburg court with its eclectic style and Italian-style garden, as well as the nest of the ill-fated love affair between Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Habsburg and Charlotte of Belgium.
20 km from Trieste is Portopiccolo, the exclusive seaside village built in the former limestone quarry of Sistiana, overlooking the Gulf of Trieste. The ideal occasion to discover it is 14 October, when the world's largest sailing regatta is celebrated.
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Oxford, UK
It is known as 'the city of dreaming spires', a term coined by Matthew Arnold for the harmonious architecture of its university, the oldest in Britain. Oxford University was supposedly founded in the 11th century and currently comprises 44 colleges that have welcomed Britain's greatest personalities, including fictional characters such as Harry Potter. In fact, several scenes from the film saga about the famous wizard were filmed in Oxford: for example, the Bodleian Library became the Hogwarts Library. Founded by Anglo-Saxons in the 9th century, Oxford is a prestigious city that fascinates with its long history.
For a journey through the centuries visit the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, the first museum founded in Britain, which dates back to 1683, or the Pitt Rivers Museum where you can discover archaeological and ethnographic treasures. And you only have to leave its ancient centre to find yourself in the English countryside, amidst the picture-postcard villages of the Cotswolds, Gothic churches, thatched cottages and dense woods of the Chilterns. Finally, north of Oxford, don't miss the extraordinary Blenheim Palace, a monumental English country residence located at Woodstock in Oxfordshire.
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sarajevo is a fascinating city, full of contrasts and history, representing the spirit of the Balkans: minarets and mosques, Christian and Orthodox churches, mixed cemeteries, neighbourhoods of Bosnian Serbs, defence lines, a historical centre with Muslims, Serbs, Bosnians, Croats and other ethnic minorities.
Always a meeting point between East and West, Sarajevo is a city where Ottoman and Habsburg architecture coexist. A city that has known destruction but also rebirth.
The symbol of this is Vijećnica, the National Library, which went up in flames in 1993 after a targeted bombing, but which came back to life in 2014 after more than two decades of restoration. Among minarets, domes, spires, Art Nouveau buildings and palaces of socialist rationalism, you will discover a city where you can walk through ancient and recent history.
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Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik, once called Ragusa in Italian, is the elegantly beautiful Adriatic pearl in southern Dalmatia in Croatia. Dubrovnik impresses with its marble streets, baroque palaces and ancient walls that protected the Republic of Dubrovnik.
Start discovering the centre by visiting the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin, built on the site of a 7th-century basilica enlarged in the 12th century, then see the Gothic-Renaissance Rector's Palace and the 16th-century Sponza Palace. You can then retrace the rise and fall of its commercial empire in museums full of art and artefacts, ride the restored cable car up Mount Srđ and take a dip in the azure waters of the sea.
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Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen is one of Europe's most eco-friendly cities, declared European Green Capital 2014 by the European Commission. Its network of cycle paths and free city bikes make the Danish capital the perfect city to discover in three days, perhaps by bicycle. Quiet yet lively, Copenhagen combines the vitality of a merchant city flourishing on a group of islands in the Øresund with Nordic sobriety. The most cosmopolitan and accessible of the Scandinavian capitals, Copenhagen is an urban paradise of peace, culture and conviviality, where you can discover ancient streets, charming neighbourhoods and the fairy-tale atmosphere that inspired Hans Christian Andersen, the Danish writer famous for his fairy tales, who spent almost his entire life here.
The statue of the Little Mermaid, Copenhagen's landmark, represents the protagonist of one of his best-known fairy tales, Den lille Havfrue, The Little Mermaid. Another place to see is the picturesque Nyhavn canal, which has always been a refuge for sailors and writers, including Hans Christian Andersen who lived at number 67.
Charlottenborg, on the other hand, is the royal palace built in 1683 that houses the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Then visit the Nationalmuseet to discover Danish history and culture. You'll be impressed by Copenhagen's Royal Library, the largest in Northern Europe. Then explore the unique Christiania district created by a group of hippies and self-proclaimed independence. And definitely don't miss the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, one of the most fascinating museums in the world, on Copenhagen's north coast, which has a collection of artworks including masterpieces by Picasso, Giacometti and Danish masters such as Asger Jorn, and is surrounded by a beautiful park with sculptures by Alexander Calder.
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Krakow, Poland
Kraków is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland. From 1038 to 1596 it was the royal capital, while today it is the capital of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. As an ancient city whose origins date back to the 7th century, it boasts numerous buildings, historical monuments and a vast collection of artwork like no other Polish city, miraculously saved from the destruction of World War II.
Kraków is also home to an important and ancient university where figures such as Copernicus and Josef Conrad studied. Then visit the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you can stroll among Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque palaces. You will see the beautiful Market Square, the heart of the city and, on the hill overlooking Kraków, Wawel Castle, the former royal residence.
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Oslo, Norway
Capital of Norway, European Green Capital 2019 and gateway to the country, Oslo is also one of Europe's fastest growing capitals. Framed by mountains and the sea, Oslo is a city surrounded by lush and varied nature, where you can go skiing in the morning and swim in the sea in the afternoon.
Always the beating heart of Scandinavia, not least because of its strategic location, Oslo has become a world-renowned technology hub. The city is also interesting for its innovative architecture, intense cultural life and amazing nightlife.
Oslo's main attractions are the cathedral, Slottsparken Park and the Royal Palace. Among the museums, visit the National Gallery which houses Norway's largest art collection, the Astrup Fearnley Museet where you can see Jeff Koons' gilded ceramic sculpture Michael Jackson and Bubbles and erotic-themed exhibitions, as well as the Frammuseet, dedicated to the polar ship Fram, designed by renowned naval engineer Colin Archer to withstand the impact of polar ice. Don't miss the Munchmuseet, the new museum dedicated to the famous Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch, which opened last October. It is a 60-metre, 13-storey arcuate tower on the fjord, clad in reflective, perforated panels of recycled aluminium, giving an ultra-modern touch to the Oslo skyline. You could also embark on one of the many mini-cruises along the Oslofjord, which depart from the Aker Brygge area, the beating heart of the city, especially in summer, when people flock to the many outdoor bars and restaurants. Conclude your visit to Oslo with a stroll through the beautiful Vigeland Park, where an open-air museum dedicated to the famous Norwegian sculptor of the same name has been created.
Seville, Spain
If, on the other hand, you belong to that category of travellers who don't plan anything, like to follow their instincts and be overwhelmed by eventualities, then Seville is the city for you. The capital of Andalusia seduces with the Moorish ambience of the Real Alcázar, the Gothic architecture of its immense cathedral and the quintessence of Spain enclosed in the Plaza de Toros.
Seville is a city to be discovered slowly, wandering through stately palaces, cobbled streets and orange trees.
It may seem sleepy on muggy summer days when the locals reminisce in the shade of houses, courtyards and patios, but when evening falls, the tapas circuit begins and the rhythm of flamenco rises. All you need is a copa de vino tinto and let the evening take you away.
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