Go Citybreaks: With the credit crunch affecting our spending power, prices are falling - so next year should offer some irresistible bargains, writes Tony Clayton-Lea
SOME MIGHT wish to deny the realities of this darned recession, but facts are facts and figures are figures. The result is that we will be more selective about where we travel next year and about how long we stay.
In 2007 a third of us took four or more overseas trips, according to Ebookers. That changed in 2008 "almost exclusively as a result of the credit crunch", says Steven Rice, Ebooker's manager for Ireland. In 2009, he believes, Irish people will be even more economical about their holiday bookings.
"The one or two citybreaks on top of the main holidays tended to be the icing on the cake rather than the mainstay," he says. "Where people would visit New York for a three- or four-day citybreak in 2007, in 2008 they tended to stretch a NYC trip into anything from seven to 14 days, and combine the city break experience with a main holiday. That's the type of pattern we have been seeing."
That means a citybreak will have to offer exceptional value, or exceptional experiences, to make us part with our money. On the opposite page we suggest the best places in Europe for citybreaks. Not all are cheap, but all are worth visiting.
Fortunately, fares to most cities in Europe are within reach of most budgets. But what about accommodation? Many hotels are dropping their rates. There's also the self- catering option. "Hotel accommodation can often be cramped in city-centre locations, and one hotel so often looks like another," says Suzanne Quinn of Holiday Homes Direct.
"Due to this, self-catering accommodation is increasingly becoming more popular than a hotel room. Properties in very central locations range from studio or condo-style spaces and provide a perfect base from which guests can spend their time away from the apartment, exploring the city."
Cheap flights and even cheaper accommodation: what are you waiting for?
The hottest citybreak destinations for the 12 months to come
Credit ratings
€ Cheap and cheerful
€€ A tad pricey
€€€ What recession?
Best for romance
Paris
Why go?You'd have to have a very good reason not to go: the City of Light is an electric destination. Its appeal is timeless, and its unbeatable sense of romance would leave a stone weeping quietly to itself in a corner of the Jardins des Tuileries. Two must-dos: walk through the courtyard of the Musée du Louvre in early morning, in order to catch the sun glinting off the glass pyramids, and climb the streets of Montmarte, the most hopelessly romantic neighbourhood in the city.
How to get thereAer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) flies to Paris-Charles de Gaulle from Dublin, Cork and Belfast; Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies to Beauvais, a coach ride from the city, from Dublin and Shannon. Air France (www.air france.ie) flies to Paris-Charles de Gaulle from Dublin and Shannon.
• Credit rating €€€
Best for families
London
Why go?London is one of the world's most accommodating cities for young visitors. For starters, you have the breadth of museums and attractions (most of which have free admission), as well as new attractions that seem to spring up virtually every month. There are also the street performers of Covent Garden and Leicester Square to watch. Older children might like to wander around Camden High Street Market and Camden Stables, one of the capital's top five visitor attractions.
How to get thereAer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com), British Airways (www.ba.com), BMI (www.flybmi.com), Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) and Aer Arann (www.aerarann.com) fly to London's five airports from Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Belfast, Galway, Waterford and Knock.
• Credit rating €€
Best for discovering
Bordeaux, France
Why go?Don't look now, but Bordeaux is getting trendy: the grande dameof French cities is stepping out of her 18th-century corset and into a pair of designer jeans. The change started in the mid-1990s, when former French prime minister Alain Juppé became mayor. His mission was to loosen the buttons on the city's jacket. Fast-forward almost 15 years and you have a city that is not just a byword for elegance but is also ripe for discovery. Just don't tell too many people about it.
How to get thereAer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) flies from Dublin to Bordeaux (from March 29th).
• Credit rating €€
Best for culture
Amsterdam
Why go?In 2009 and 2010, the four largest cities in The Netherlands will be taking part in a cultural event called Holland Art Cities. Museums in Amsterdam (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh, Hermitage, Stedelijk), Rotterdam (Boijmans van Beuningen, Kunsthal), The Hague (Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, Gemeentemuseum) and Utrecht (Centraal, Catharijneconvent) will be joining forces to put together an unprecedented art spectacle.
The Hermitage and Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam will also be celebrating their (re)opening during Holland Art Cities, and the first exhibition to focus on Van Gogh's twilight and nocturnal scenes - Van Gogh and the Colours of the Night- will open at the titular museum in Amsterdam on February 13th.
How to get thereAer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) flies to Amsterdam from Dublin, Cork and Belfast.
• Credit rating €€
Best for shopping
Milan
Why go?You have the somewhat gaudy extravagance of the Gothic 13th-century cathedral and the elegant Renaissance beauty of Galleria Vittorio Emanuel II, and between the pair you have the heart of Milan, a city loved by the international fashion brigade, and whose people know their Prada from their Primark. Consumption is conspicuous here - notably in the Golden Triangle of Via della Spiga, Via San'Andrea and Via Montenapoleone - and even if you think you won't spend money, you will.
How to get thereAer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) flies to Milan (Malpensa and Linate) from Dublin and Belfast. Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies from to Milan (Orlo al Serlo) from Dublin.
• Credit rating €€€
Best for quirkiness
Vilnius
Why go?Next year the Lithuanian capital will be crowned European Capital of Culture, which is enough reason to head there. Vilnius is also the kind of picture-postcard city that grabs kudos from having a blend of Old Town charm (cobbled streets, frayed-at-the-edges buildings, delicate courtyards) with revitalised areas (such as Uzupis, a region across the River Vilnia that was formerly a red-light district, but which is now the city's hippest spot). The mix shouldn't work, but it does - brilliantly.
How to get thereAer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) and Lithuanian Airlines (www.flylal.com) fly to Vilnius from Dublin.
• Credit rating €€
Best for value
Palma
Why go?If you're looking to combine good winter weather with reasonable prices, then the Majorcan city fits the, er, bill. Just think: until April Palma is pretty much bereft of tourists, so you'll be paying native prices, as well as having the chance to chat properly with the island's sophisticated, hardy and ever-so-slightly cynical inhabitants. Palma is also a perfect winter-sun urban base from which to explore the rest of this vastly under-rated island - particularly the less populated east and south, where rural inns and country restaurants don't cost as much as they do in the summer months.
How to get thereAer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) flies to Palma from Dublin (from May 2nd).
• Credit rating €
Best for music
Berlin
Why go?Distinctive, well-funded and with a political and cultural overtone that marks it out from the rest, Berlin's music scene attracts musicians drawn by the low costing of living and a thriving arts scene. Regarded by many as being the world capital of experimental and "noise" music, the city boasts renowned clubs such as Ausland and Stralau 68, and fairly out-there festivals such as UltraSchall and Maerz Muzik.
How to get thereAer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) fly to the city from Dublin.
• Credit rating €
Best for food
Madrid
Why go?Hugo Arnold, the Irish Timesfood writer, is right when he says Spain is at the head of the race to embrace the new dining culture of the 21st century. Since the arrival of a handful of chefs (notably Ferran Adrià, Santi Santamaria, Andres Mariscal, Paco Morales and Sergi Arola), and with a growing taste for the flavours of the east, Madrid has stepped up to the mark. The old Madrid food staples, typified by the cocido madrileño, are still to be found, of course, but the fashion for fusion is everywhere.
How to get thereAer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com), Iberia (www.iberia.com) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) fly to Madrid from Dublin.
• Credit rating €€
Best for art
Glasgow
Why go?Other European cities have more museums and galleries, but if you don't want to walk your legs off, then the compact city of Glasgow is the best option. From the central Gallery of Modern Art (Royal Exchange Square, www.glasgowmuseums.com) to the likes of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Hunterian Museum Art Gallery (www.hunterian.gla. ac.uk) and the Transport Museum (www.glasgow museums.com), the city has all bases covered. Five kilometres southwest of the city, in Pollock Country Park, is the popular Burrell Collection (www.glasgowmuseums.com).
How to get thereAer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) fly to Glasgow from Dublin.
• Credit rating €€