Cheaper, crazier and cooler than ever: The ultimate guide to Las Vegas

Why go now?

Seeing as a visit to Vegas traditionally means frittering away wads of cash (the house always wins, people), Norwegian’s (norwegian.com) launch in October of the UK’s cheapest direct flight to Sin City could come in handy. Norwegian has been quietly establishing itself as a surprisingly brilliant budget long-haul airline, and Vegas is the latest addition to its ridiculously cheap transatlantic stable, with one-way fares starting at £179. The route niftily flies on Thursdays and Mondays – perfect for a weekend blowout.

But if you’re curious about more than a “big one” on the Strip, it’s also a fascinating time to visit the Downtown area, which is shrugging off decades as a prohibitively dodgy neighbourhood to emerge as a hip, cultural alternative to the Strip’s bawdy brash and flash. 

Get your bearings

Mind-blowing fact alert: it's estimated that around half of visitors never stray from the Strip – the 4.2-mile concentration of famous hotels and casinos on Las Vegas Boulevard – which means they’ve never actually visited the city of Las Vegas. The Strip, in fact, lies south of the Las Vegas city limits, and within the city of Paradise, Clark County.

The Las Vegas Strip’s mega-resorts at dusk

Though many are content to stick to this neon-lit stretch of naughtiness, keep heading north and you’ll find the historic centre of the actual Las Vegas around Fremont Street in Downtown. The Arts District, just south-west of Downtown, is also an area of rejuvenation, where a new crop of galleries and arts festivals strive to tempt visitors into the city proper.

For the perfect 48 hours, then, spend a day in each area. We’ll start with the must-dos of the Strip and then head into less familiar territory. 

Currently £1 = approximately US$1.25.

Day one

Take a hike

As a parched railroad town stranded in the Nevada desert and thirsting for tourism, in 1931 plucky little Las Vegas realised providing a hub for gambling and quickie marriages would do the trick. It’s been a magnet for those looking to escape humdrum reality and let loose ever since. To get a good feel for the Strip’s hedonistic pull, walking a few miles along this audacious artery provides an instant immersion into its anything goes, alternate universe. 

The fantasy land that is Vegas is embodied by its themed hotels; you can take a round-the-world trip in a few paces. Start at the Luxor hotel and casino (1) at the south end, a giant Egyptian pyramid that, at night, shines the world’s strongest beam of light into the sky (it can be seen by aircraft at cruising altitude). Walk north past Excalibur (2) (decked out like a medieval castle), which brings you to the Statue of Liberty – or, rather, New York New York (3), a hotel built to resemble a mini Manhattan. Along with the torch-bearing icon, there’s a rollercoaster looping around the Empire State and the Chrysler, a teeny Brooklyn Bridge and, adjacent to the casino, a replica of Greenwich Village.

New New New York Hotel & Casino imitates the Big Apple’s skyline

If the hotels weren’t boggling enough, the people-watching along this route should entertain – expect the likes of painted naked ladies hustling you to pose for photos, deliriously happy tourists toting half-yards of booze, and silver-painted performers dancing to Enya.

The next big stop is Paris (4) – with its mock Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe – and after that, The Venetian (5), where you’ll spot the Rialto Bridge and canals paddled by stripy-T-shirt-clad gondoliers. If there’s enough room on your camera roll after this lot, and it happens to be night time, continue on to The Mirage (6). At 8pm and 9pm on Saturdays and Sundays, the ominous beat of jungle drums strikes up, heralding the eruption of the resident volcano. 

Lunch on the run

You’ll be hard pushed to find an authentic locals’ favourite on the Strip, but it’s definitely worth dipping into The Venetian (5) to seek out the Southern-style fare at Yardbird. The fried chicken with honey hot sauce and the five-cheese mac and cheese are outstanding; wash it all down with a dangerously gluggable Southern Peach cocktail (with bourbon, Aperol, sweet tea and thyme). 

The High Roller is the world's tallest observation wheel

Take a view 

They’ve nicked the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower, so why not the London Eye? The 550ft-tall High Roller (7), which opened in 2014, is the world’s tallest observation wheel. This being Vegas, you can book the ‘Happy Half Hour’ option, wherein your pod includes a straight-talkin’ bar wench who’ll ply you with shots for the rotation’s duration. By day, the vista of the red-streaked Spring Mountains that surround the bizarre mirage that is Las Vegas is really quite something. 

Just won big? A 15-minute flight over the Strip with Maverick Helicopters (8) gives an unforgettable bird’s eye view of the biggest and brightest mega-resorts. 

Those who do well at the casinos might want to splash out on a helicopter ride

Window shopping

You’ll never be stuck for a mall in Vegas, but for 540,000 square feet of bargain designer goods, head to Las Vegas Premium Outlets North (9). Here, brands including Saks Fifth Avenue, Armani and Kate Spade ply their wares at (relatively) affordable prices. 

Want something a bit quirkier? Head Downtown to Retro Vegas (10), an antique store selling impossibly cool wares from the city’s Fifties heyday – think entire pastel-pink kitchens and vintage dinettes. 

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An aperitif

If you’re gunning for something glamorous, the Skyfall Lounge at the Delano (11) gives the best view of the Strip we’ve seen anywhere, and mixes a mean espresso martini. Or try The Chandelier bar at The Cosmopolitan (12), a three-floor poser wrapped inside glittering beaded curtains. It’s just as ridiculous as it sounds – making it a must-stop – and offers the verbena cocktail with ‘buzz button’ flower garnish, sure to set your tongue a-tingle. 

If you’d rather a laugh with the locals, swerve off-Strip to the Golden Tiki (13), an enjoyably garish, 24-hour tropical paradise serving all manner of “rum”-bunctious concoctions.

The three-storey Chandelier bar encased in beaded curtains (Laura Chubb)

Dine with the locals

The latest outpost of London’s high-end Chinese eatery Mr Chow (14) opened in Caesar’s Palace late last year. If you’re celebrating a big win, this is the spot – with its decadent champagne trolley and outrageous prices, there’s no better place to show off. Most interesting is the bizarre, spaceship-esque art installation that springs to life every hour or so – we’re told Mr Chow had become obsessed with Close Encounters of the Third Kind when he devised it. 

For something more authentic, old-school Vickie's Diner (15), heading north towards Downtown (just past the Stratosphere), is much-loved for its classic red booths and fuss-free, 24-hour food – think corned beef hash with three eggs for $8.95.

The Downtown Container Park proffers hip food and fashion

Day two

Sunday morning: out to brunch

Bid farewell to the Strip with great views and even better food at Giada (16), a bright and chic little spot owned by Italian-born Food Network chef Giada De Laurentiis. The bottomless mimosas go great alongside a strawberry polenta waffle with pineapple and Nutella, or if you’re more of a savoury bruncher, lobster hash with bacon and eggs. 

A walk in the park

Time to head Downtown. For an instant vibe shift, have a wander around the Downtown Container Park (17), a hipster-by-numbers complex of shipping containers offering everything from art and fashion boutiques to upmarket hot dogs and filthy loaded fries at Cheffini’s. And hey, it’s Vegas, so there’s even a wedding chapel. Not to be outdone by the Strip, in the evenings a giant praying mantis sculpture starts dancing to disco music and breathing fire. 

Desperate for some actual nature? The Springs Preserve (18), three miles west of Downtown, offers nature walks and a butterfly house. 

Loaded fries from Cheffini’s at Downtown Container Park (Laura Chubb)

Cultural afternoon

Just five minutes on foot from the container park, housed in the former, 1930s-era Las Vegas Post Office and Courthouse, The Mob Museum (19) is an utterly fascinating – and impressively thorough – account of not only how the mafia ran Vegas in the Thirties and Forties, but the history of organised crime itself. To get the most out of it, you need about three hours. General admission from $23.95.

Find another brilliant bit of Vegas history at the Neon Museum (20), where you’ll wander around an outdoor exhibition (the “Neon Boneyard”) of more than 200 rescued signs from the city’s earliest hotels and casinos. As our guide put it, this is the city’s “native art form”, and there are loads of little nuggets to learn here – the original sign from Liberace’s favourite dry cleaners led to the story of how they would remove all the rhinestones from his outfits before cleaning, and then painstakingly reattach them. Guided tours only, from $19.

The original sign from Fifties casino Stardust at the Neon Boneyard (Laura Chubb)

The shirt once advertised Liberace’s favourite dry cleaners (Laura Chubb)

Time for one more? Back towards the Strip in Paradise, the National Atomic Testing Museum (21), admission $22, explores the story of the Nevada Test Site, where nuclear weapons were – and still are – developed. In the early Fifties, the huge mushroom clouds that billowed from the site became a tourist attraction – afterwards, swing by Downtown’s Atomic Liquors bar (22), where people would come to watch explosions from the roof while sipping an “atomic cocktail”. All red light and black leather, it’s enjoyably seedy, and the smoked melon beer cocktail (with mescal and habanero) is a winner.  

The Atomic Liquors bar was popular with tourists who came to Nevada to watch nuclear explosions (Laura Chubb)

Take a ride

Fremont Street is where Las Vegas started, and today the Fremont Street Experience (23) offers a sort of charmingly downmarket version of the Strip – lined with old-school casinos like the Golden Nugget, “only in America” restaurants such as the Heart Attack Grill (where staff spank you if you fail to finish your ticker-testing meal), and bars selling super-sized cups of beer. The best view of it all is undoubtedly from SlotZilla (24) – a zip-wire ride that takes off from a giant slot machine and, if you opt for the higher, 114ft option, whizzes you along the entire length of the Experience. 

The Fremont Street Experience lies at the historical heart of the city

The SlotZilla zip line takes off from a giant slot machine – obviously

The icing on the cake

This depends on which day you liked most. If the Strip is your thing, find more Las Vegas pizzazz at a show. Cirque du Soleil has seven different themed extravaganzas on the Strip at the moment, or for something more intimate, BAZ at The Venetian (5) is a glittery, musical mash-up of Baz Luhrmann movies.

More into Downtown culture? First Friday in the Arts District (25), on the first Friday of every month, offers free art shows and live music, with food trucks supplying the sustenance. If you want to see more art, take a car south of Paradise to find Seven Magic Mountains (26), a trippy art installation by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone, where towers of colourful boulders have been stacked in the lonely Nevada desert. Unveiled in May, it will stay put for two years. 

Getting there

Touch down is at McCarran airport (27), which is just a 15-minute cab ride from the Strip. According to the Nevada Taxicab Authority, it should cost around $21.95 to reach the Bellagio, which is roughly the mid-point of the Strip. Bus 108 from Terminal 1 runs to Downtown in about half an hour for $2.

The RTCSNV runs the Deuce bus between Fremont Street and Mandalay Bay at the south of the Strip 24/7. Tickets cost $6 for two hours, $8 for 24 hours and $20 for three days. It also operates the SDX bus which, with fewer stops, is a quicker way to get from the Strip to Downtown and also swings by the Arts District. It runs 9am to midnight and fares are the same. 

Staying there

Vegas is known for its mega-resorts, so The Cromwell’s (28) claim to be a “boutique hotel” should be taken relatively – it has 188 rooms, compared with 3,976 at Caesars Palace. There’s a smattering of a decadent Parisian theme – sultry rooms decked out in purple and black – and at around $148 a night (inclusive of tax and resort fee), and smack-bang in the middle of the Strip, it’s a deal.

Party poseurs will love The Cosmopolitan (12), which has massive, apartment-style rooms (there’s even a microwave for late-night snacking) and great views of the Strip. Milk and cookies at bedtime is a nice touch. Starting rates from $246 per night, including tax and resort fee.

For something more sophisticated, the Mandarin Oriental (29) is without doubt the classiest broad in Vegas. Its Asian-accented, non-gaming environment provides a Zen oasis away from all those bright lights and slot machines, and rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows proffering knockout views – even in the toilet (fret not, there’s a sheer modesty blind to keep your bathroom activities private). Rooms from $300 per night, including tax and resort fee.

More information

lasvegas.com/uk

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Christmas markets, a red light district and the world's most expensive concert hall: A winter weekend in Hamburg

Why go now?

Hamburg, that red-bricked port forever associated with ground beef sandwiches and The Beatles, is a fine prospect in winter. This time of year sees the return of the beer-fuelled Hamburger Dom funfair (on until 4 December), while the Reeperbahn’s (1) cafes and bars spark to life in the dark nights under a neon glow. On 11 January the city’s new cultural landmark, the Elbphilharmonie (2), will officially open to great fanfare as the world’s most expensive concert hall. The final bill after construction ended in October was said to total €860m.

Get your bearings

Hamburg is easy to get around. The egg-shaped centre is squeezed between the main rail lines to the east, the Alster lake (3) to the north-east, the gardens (4) that follow the line of the old city walls to the north and west, and the broad River Elbe (5) to the south. The southern part of the city comprises the old docks, magnificently reborn as HafenCity (6).

Day one

Take a hike

Begin a morning stroll when it’s quiet and the porticoed shopfronts along the Colonnaden (7) are still thick with shadows. Wander south, past the Alster lake (3), a silvery bowl popular for year-round pleasure boating, before turning right, past the boutiques and renaissance arches of Alsterarkaden (8). The city’s oldest shopping arcade, it is hung with creaky lanterns, gilded fish and tridents. Cross the Reesendamm bridge for views of the Kleine Alster basin, then follow the ghost of empire to the Hamburg Rathaus (9). Once the seat of the Hanseatic League, its classic gingerbread house facade trumps every other city hall across Germany. Outside, it’s awash in baroque splendour; inside its beehive interiors compel you to explore (11am-4pm daily, weekend hours vary; €4). 

Hamburg's photogenic city hall

From here, the Rathausmarktplatz cuts west through the Altstadt to a series of deep waterways that fan out from the Alster Canal. You’ll find more of the same as you continue south-west towards the red-brick buildings of Speicherstadt (10), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest warehouse district on earth. It’s framed by the wizard-hat spires of the St-Nikolai Memorial (11) and St Catherine’s Church (12), where Johann Sebastian Bach once pedalled away on the organ (katharinen-hamburg.de; 11am-5pm at weekends, other days vary; free).

Lunch on the run

In Berlin they swear by currywurst, but in Hamburg locals argue about where to get the crumbliest fish fingers. It’s a winning formula the closer you get to the sea, with grab-and-go sandwich counters lining the wharves from Speicherstadt’s timber-pile foundations to the St Pauli Pier (13). Dinky pitstop and local favourite Brücke 10 (bruecke-10.de; open 10am-10pm daily) serves a variety of buttery herring and salmon buns (from €3), as well as local speciality krabbenbrötchen – North Sea brown shrimps on rye, €9.50. 

Seafood sandwiches are a speciality of the city's food markets

A walk in the park

Weave through the streets of the St Pauli district from here to Planten ind Blomen (14), the green lung of the city. Its first seeds were planted in 1821 and the garden has dug in its roots to form a parkland belt that curves round the city centre’s midriff. It’s open from 7am to 8pm in winter and until 11pm in summer (plantenunblomen.hamburg.de).

An aperitif

Beat the work-day rush from the park to a 23rd-floor perch at Clouds (15) (clouds-hamburg.de; dishes from €10) atop the Dancing Towers, a pair of wonky skyscrapers designed to look like tangoing lovers. The highest bar in the city, it struts above St Pauli, and has a rooftop party deck one floor up. While nursing a biscuit-brown Krombacher wheat beer (€4.50), you’ll spy the stone-faced Otto von Bismarck monument (16) in Alterelb park below and count more bridges than you’d cross in Amsterdam and Venice combined. 

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Dine with the locals

The Gröninger Braukeller (17) (groeninger-hamburg.de; dishes from €9.30) across town clings to beer hall tradition with all the trimmings you’d expect: cellar-aged casks; gigantic copper stills; a naughty anything-goes weekend atmosphere. Besides that, on the oak-stained tables you’ll find mountainous plates of suckling pig and sausages to soak up all those thick-foamed home brew pilsners (€2.40).

Day two

Sunday morning: out to brunch

Rise early and follow the cry of gulls to the ornately-domed Fish Market on Grosse Elbstrasse (18) (fischauktionshalle.com). It’s only open on Sundays (5am to 9.30am, 6am in winter), but don’t expect it to be quiet. It’s also the time when pie-eyed stragglers from the clubs in the nearby Reeperbahn red-light district (19) find themselves sobering up in wait for the shutters to roll open for breakfast. Order a fresh fish sandwich or quarkballchen (doughy cheese bites). 

Window shopping

Locals flit between the gallerias and passages of Neuer Wall (20) and Grosse Bleichen (21), a canal-lined rectangle of streets where you can pick up the latest high street fashions cheaper than you ever could at home. 

For something more seasonal, amble along the Kunst Meile (22) (kunstmeile-hamburg.de), past the city’s most influential galleries to HafenCity (6) for one of Hamburg’s spectacular Christmas markets (until 30 December; 11am to 10pm at weekends, other days vary). Tradition seeps from the waterfront, where antique boats are festooned with lights and stalls sell bratwursts big enough to sink a ship. 

The city gets especially festive for Christmas

Cultural afternoon

At the crossroads of antiquity and modernity, the Elbphilarmonie concert hall (2) (countdown.elbphilharmonie.de) is becoming a hub for harbour regeneration. When it finally opens in January (10 times over-budget and nine years late), the gigantic crest-shaped glass wave will reimagine the dockside quarter as a cultural zone. Until then, it’s possible to listen to electro pioneer Brian Eno’s walk-through sound installation (2pm-8pm, until 4 December; €3). It also houses the Plaza, a viewing gallery from where you can breathe in the salt-tanged maritime history and watch cargo ships shuttle up and down the Elbe. 

The icing on the cake

The city has Miniatur Wunderland (23) (miniatur-wunderland.com), the world’s largest model railway, and Knust (24) (knusthamburg.de), a slaughterhouse-turned-live-music-venue. But few oddities beat the eccentricity of the nuttily-bonkers German Food Additives Museum (25) (zusatzstoffmuseum.de; open 11am-5pm Wednesday to Sunday, Thursday 2pm-8pm). Dedicated to emulsifiers, stabilisers, sweeteners, and preservatives, a trip here guarantees you’ll never look at a German cookie the same way again.

The new Elbphilharmonie is the world's most expensive concert hall (Thies Raetzke)

Getting there

You can fly to Hamburg Airport (26), 9km north of the city centre, with easyJet (from Gatwick, Luton, Manchester and Edinburgh), British Airways (from Heathrow) and Ryanair (from Stansted).  

The suburban rail link (S-Bahn line 1) runs from the airport every 10 minutes for a fare of €3.20 (hvv.de). It takes 25 minutes to reach Hamburg's vast main station, the Hauptbahnhof (27). Taxis make the same journey for between €25-35 depending on your final destination.

Staying there

The Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (28) (fairmont.com/vier-jahreszeiten-hamburg) opened in 1897 and is a grand old dame with 156 wrinkle-free rooms and more five-star pomp than anywhere else in Hamburg. If splashing out, request a lake view and try the two Michelin-starred Haerlin Restaurant. Doubles from €225, room only. 

The Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten is Hamburg's most exclusive address

With cabins (not rooms), the 25hours Hotel Hamburg HafenCity (29) (25hours-hotels.com) has the harbour spirit in its bones. The seafaring decor is held together by vintage sailing accessories, bunk beds, and logbooks to leaf through, while there’s a handy kiosk on the ground floor selling Hamburg originals. Doubles from €124, room only. 

Superbude has two offbeat hostels in the city, including a corker in St Pauli (30) (superbude.de). It’s heavy on hipster attitude and up-cycled furniture, with doubles from €60, room only. 

More information

hamburg-travel.com

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48 hours in Wellington: Hotels, restaurants and places to visit

Why go now?

Thriving Wellington is a perfect city to escape to during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter. January features international cricket, while 6 February is Waitangi Day – which commemorates the ratification of the Waitangi Treaty, which enshrined citizenship rights for Maori people and is a de facto national day for celebrating New Zealand’s European and Pacific heritage. And until 2018 the acclaimed Gallipoli – The Scale of Our War exhibition at the Te Papa Museum (1) (tepapa.govt.nz) looks in detail at the Anzac’s role in this bloody battle in the First World War.

Te Papa Museum

Get your bearings

New Zealand’s capital is at the very southern tip of the North Island. This is a small city and practically everything in the downtown district is in a stright line between the mountains that rise to the west and the bay to the east. The suburbs spread as the bay widens out, with the airport (2) on a small flat plate of land to the south east. Ferries to Picton on South Island run from the ferry port (3) just north-east of the city centre.

Trolleybuses run in central Wellington, but the chances are you won’t need to use them much as it’s so walkable. You can get a Snapper card from newsagents (snapper.co.nz) to reduce a central bus zone ride from NZ$2 (£1.18) to NZ$1.66 (£0.98) and top it up at will.

The main tourist information centre is called i-Site (4) (wellingtonnz.com), and is located on the corner of Victoria and Wakefield Streets in the city centre. Open 8.30am-5pm daily.

Day one

Take a view

Follow the curve of the bay down to the small beach at Oriental Bay (5) and from there you’ll see Mount Victoria (6) rising above the city. If you’re feeling fit, you can yomp up to the summit; there are various bike and walking routes, including pleasant woodland strolls. 

Mount Victoria also gives its name to the neighbourhood of streets to the west of the mountain that are home to Wellington’s cool crowd, including comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, who you can still see out and about in town.

The view from Mount Victoria (Rob Suisted/New Zealand Tourism)

Take a hike

A northern arc of a stroll allows you to take in practically all of central Wellington’s main sights. After descending Mount Victoria and checking out the colonial houses on Marjoribanks Street, you can see the Art Deco Embassy Theatre (7) on the corner with Kent Terrace. Turn right on to Oriental Parade and you’ll come across the graceful heft of the Wellington City Fire Station (8). 

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Continue straight ahead to Clyde Quay Wharf (9), where you’ll find a pop-up sauna in an old shipping container with a diving board that lets you launch yourself straight into the freezing cold sea after your 15 minutes of heat.

Double back and turn right along Wellington Waterfront Walk, following it until you cross a bridge, turning left immediately afterwards and joining Harris Street. To your left are steps, which will take you to Civic Square (10), one of Wellington’s main public meeting spots. 

'The Beehive' (Shutterstock)

Exit on to Victoria Street and cut down Chews Lane to Willis Street, which, if you head right along it, becomes Custom House Quay. You’ll pass many of the city’s skyscrapers along this street. Go left at Bunny Street and you’ll see the city’s fine old railway station (11). 

Diagonally opposite is the unmistakable sight of the Parliament building (12). There’s an original colonial building connected to a dramatic 1960s extension affectionately called "the Beehive" by Wellingtonians, and designed by a Scot, Sir Basil Spence. Tours of Parliament are available daily (10am to 4pm; parliament.nz).

Lunch on the run

Various Kiwi celebs have signed the plates that hang on the wall at Monsoon Poon (13) at 12 Blair Street, though to be perfectly honest I was pushed to recognise the names of any of them. No matter, it’s an informal and fun lunch joint proferring an odd but enjoyable mix of Indian, Thai, Malaysian and Chinese food. The beef rendang is very good, likewise the butter chicken (moonsoonpoon.co.nz; open daily 11am to 10pm).

Dining at Monsoon Poon

Window shopping

Wellington Underground Market (14), under Frank Kitts Park at Jervois Quay, runs officially from 10am to 4pm every Saturday, though in practice it stays open later, so you’ll have plenty of time for an afternoon shop (undergroundmarket.co.nz). You can pick up clothes, jewellery, ornaments and food – and there are live tunes.

Wellington Underground Market

An aperitif

Kiwis are crackers for craft beers, and the hottest name on everyone’s lips right now is The Garage Project (15) at 68 Aro Street (garageproject.co.nz), where they brew everything from IPA to pilsener, and you can sip it all in a default hipster setting (found furniture, white tiles, exposed steel and wood, lots of beards). Open Friday and Saturday 10am-9pm, Sunday to 7pm, Monday 2pm-6pm, Tuesday-Thursday 12pm-8pm.

The Garage Project

Dine with the locals

Some restaurant reviews can be rather off in real life but if you don’t like the whole lamb shoulder (find some friends to share with) at The Bresolin (16) at 278 Willis Street (thebresolin.co.nz) I’ll eat my hat – or maybe just the rest of your dinner. Cooked for 12 hours by a team led by Wellington superchefs Leonardo and Lorenzo Bresolin, it’s some of the best lamb I’ve ever stuck a fork into. Book ahead for Saturday nights – and dress up. Open weekdays 7am-11pm, weekends 9am-11pm.

Day two

Sunday morning: out to brunch

Olive (17) at 170 Cuba Street (oliverestaurant.co.nz) is popular among Wellintonians for its extravagant brunches (tiramisu waffles with boysenberry compote, vanilla mascarpone and coffee syrup) and sophisticated air.

A walk in the park

A cross betweena a zoo and a park, Zealandia’s (18) aim is to preserve the landscape of Wellington in a time capsule before settlers arrived here and changed the natural set up. A beautiful place for a walk, its 225 hectares are packed with plants. You’ll find it on Waiapu Rd (visitzealandia.com).

Zealandia (Howard/Harriet Greenwood/Flickr)

Alternatively, hire a car and head out of town to the Wairarapa, a region of spectacular scenery, with vineyards, fields and walks along the river valleys. It’s all sheltered by the Rimutaka Mountains, which locals comically refer to as “the hill”. creating a warm, dry microclimate a world away from “Windy Welly”. Don’t want to drive? No problem. There’s a cycle trail running from Wellington to the Wairarapa over the Rimutaka mountains (wairarapanz.com/rimutakacycletrail).

Cultural afternoon

Wellington is famous for its films, comedy and literature. Visit the Tinakori Road home of one of the city’s most talented scribes, Katherine Mansfield (19), known for writing The Woman At The Store and Prelude (katherinemansfield.com). It was built in 1888 and has been restored to how it would have looked back in Mansfield’s day.

Katherine Mansfield House (Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society Inc)

The icing on the cake

Chances are if you’ve come all the way to New Zealand, you’re not just spending time in Wellington. The railway journey north from the city is one of the world’s greatest, packed with tunnels that plough through mountains and tracks that wend their way round cliffs and thread between valleys over huge viaducts. 

Kiwirail’s Northern Explorer service (kiwirailscenic.co.nz) runs four times a week as far as Auckland (12 hours; singles from NZ$179/£106), or you could hop off at Ohakune for the spectacular mountains, Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, and return to Wellington the following day.

Travel essentials

Getting there

The writer flew with Singapore Airlines (singaporeairlines.com), which serves Wellington from Heathrow via Singapore and Canberra four times a week. It also flies from Manchester.

There are no one-stop flights from the UK to Wellington. Other carriers offering two-stop services include Air New Zealand (airnewzealand.co.uk), Qantas (qantas.com.au) and Emirates (emirates.com).

From the airport (2) a taxi takes 20 minutes into town NZ$44 (£26) – though ask for the scenic route via the bay rather than the tunnel (NZ$9/£5.30 extra and 10 mins longer) – while the Airport Flyer bus takes around 45 minutes to get to the stop on Queensgate (NZ$9/£5.30; metlink.org.nz). 

Staying there

QT Museum Wellington (20) at 90 Cable St (qthotels.com.au) is about to launch as the Aussie design-focused brand’s first overseas venture. It’s set within the old Museum Hotel building, a local landmark which was jacked up and moved 100 yards on rails from its original home when the Te Papa Museum (1) was being built. Wellington’s hippest hotel by miles. Doubles from NZ$250 (£147), room only.

QT Museum Wellington

Quest on Thorndon (21) (questonthorndon.co.nz) is a cool little hotel on Thorndon Quay, a stone’s throw from Wellington’s waterside, with a friendly vibe. Doubles from NZ$222 (£131), room only

Halswell Lodge (22) at 21 Kent Terrace (halswell.co.nz) is an affordable option in the centre of town with free wi-fi and parking. It’s within walking distance of all the major attractions. Doubles from NZ$100 (£59), room only.

Click here to view our New Zealand Tour, with Independent Holidays

48 hours in Washington DC: Hotels, restaurants and places to visit

Why go now?

A nation is many things: its people, its politics, its art, its architecture and its memories. In the US, all of these elements can be found in the nation’s small but palpably powerful capital, Washington DC.

Nowhere else in the Union are the nation’s ideals expressed so hopefully and its darkest moments remembered so poignantly than in the monuments and museums along the Mall. The latest addition, a long time in coming, is the National Museum of African American History and Culture (1), which opened in September. And now is an especially significant time to visit, as the nation prepares to swear in its 45th president.

Get your bearings

DC is a small city, just 60sq miles; a tenth the size of London. A new Circulator Bus (decirculator.com; tickets $1) loops around the main attractions along the Mall, as well as servicing upmarket Georgetown and lively Adams Morgan to the north.

The Mall, as seen from the Lincoln Memorial (Mihoko Owada)

To get further afield use the metro (wmata.com; fares from $1.75 to $5.90 depending on distance). Penn Quarter, where the main train station is located, lies to the north-east of the Mall around Pennsylvania Ave as it runs between the White House (2) and Capitol Hill (3). Surprisingly, the legislative heart of the city is a popular residential quarter and is full of good restaurants and nightlife. West, across the river, and you’re in Virginia, where you’ll find the vast Arlington National Cemetery (4) and the Pentagon (5). 

The tourist information centre (6) can be found at 506 9th St (dcchamber.org; open 9am-5pm weekdays, closed weekends).

Day one

Take a view

Climb the steps of Henry Bacon’s 1922 Lincoln Memorial (7) for the defining DC view down the Mall. It’s here that Martin Luther King Jr stood when he called down the moral authority of the great sculpted colossus and the famous words of the Gettysburg Address. In the pink light of dawn no view in the city is more lovely.

Lincoln Memorial (Kevin Labianco)

A walk in the park

America’s most famous lawn, the Mall, is just two miles from tip to toe. Start at Lincoln’s great Greek temple (7) before moving on to the contrasting Vietnam Veterans Memorial (8) and the Korean War Veterans Memorial (9) either side of the reflecting pool. While the former is pure abstraction, a deep V-shaped granite gash in the ground, the latter depicts a life-sized platoon striding across the juniper bushes. As winter hastens and snow falls on their field coats it is particularly evocative. 

Southeast, beside the Tidal Basin, is the 30ft tall memorial to Martin Luther King Jr (10). He stands side on to the aspiring 555ft obelisk that is the Washington Monument (11), the marble blocks of which were quarried by slaves in Maryland mines. Reserve a ticket in advance (recreation.gov) to ride the elevator to the top for a bird’s eye view of Capitol Hill (3) flanked on either side by the extraordinary collection of ten Smithsonian Museums.

The Martin Luther King Jr Memorial

Lunch on the run

The best lunch option on the Mall is the Mitsitam Native Foods Café (12) (mitsitamcafe.com) in the National Museum of the American Indian (corner of 4th St and Independence Ave SW), which attracts office workers and tourists alike with its cedar-planked wild salmon and Great Plains buffalo burgers. 

Otherwise, follow the Capitol crowd to 20 Pennsylvania Ave SE where you’ll find Sushi Capitol (13) (sushicapitol.com) run by Minoru Ogawa, the man previously behind the Mandarin Oriental kitchen. 

Righteous Cheese, one of the stalls at Union Market (Alex Proimos/Flickr)

More adventurous eaters should make the worthwhile trek to the sunlit warehouse of Union Market (14) (unionmarketdc.com) at 1309 5th St NE, where pop-up restaurants try out all the latest DC food trends, such as TaKorean (Korean-inspired tacos) and DC-adapted, gluten-free Indian dosas.

Cultural afternoon

The National Museum of African American History (1) (nmaahc.si.edu; 10am-5.30pm daily) opened this autumn, more than 100 years after it was first proposed by black veterans of the Civil War. The inaugural exhibition features 34,000 fascinating artefacts that move from the literal and metaphorical darkness of slavery – located 80-feet below ground level – through exhibits exploring the Jim Crow era and the Civil Rights movement to the light-filled top floor galleries showcasing the African American contribution to the country’s music, dance and popular culture. Given high demand, visits are currently by free timed pass, issued at 9.15am everyday at the Constitution Avenue entrance. 

The striking new National Museum of African American History (Smithsonian)

An aperitif

Head to Gallery Place where you’ll find the cosy brick-lined Partisan (15) (thepartisandc.com) at 709 D St NW. As the name suggests, the men behind the bar – Jeff Faile, Brent Kroll and Greg Engert – have strong opinions on cocktails, beer and wine. Aside from dozens of sour ales there are biodynamic orange wines and Faile’s smoky rye- and mescal-based cocktails with chilli oil and chocolate twists that suit the colder weather. 

Read more

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• George Washington and the slaves who ran his estate in Virginia
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Dine with the locals 

With its comic book wallpaper, cafeteria chairs and paper lanterns, Bantam King (16) (bantamking.com) at 501 G St NW is a fun and informal Chinatown option, dedicated to chicken ramen and Japanese fried chicken.  

Alternatively, book ahead for Jeremiah Langhorne’s mid-Atlantic focused restaurant, The Dabney (17) (thedabney.com) at 122 Blagden Alley NW. With no gas in the kitchen, Langhorne’s heritage Maryland and Virginia dishes of rock fish, pork belly, quail and sweet potato rolls are all cooked over an open fire. If you can’t get a reservation, come at 5.30pm for one of the few walk-in tables or lie in wait in the gorgeous Columbia Room bar next door.

The Dabney (The Dabney/Facebook)

Day two

Sunday Morning: Out to brunch

Join sweat-soaked joggers and Sunday cyclists for small-batch baked goods and a cup of silky smooth Stumptown coffee at Baked & Wired (18) (bakedandwired.com) at 1052 Thomas Jefferson St NW in preppy Georgetown. While the counter is lined with pretty cupcakes beneath glass cloches, the weekends are the best time to sample traditional pies stuffed with peaches, mixed berries and pecans. Sunday hours are from 8am-8pm.

Take a hike

Filled with Washington’s best Federal American and Victorian architecture, Georgetown is made for ambling, especially in late autumn when the neighbourhood is at its most atmospheric. From Baked & Wired (18) you can wander down the banks of the 19th-century C&O Canal (19), before heading north up Wisconsin Avenue NW, where JFK proposed to Jackie at Martin’s Tavern (20). Further north, at 3001 R St NW you’ll find DC’s great and good interred beneath the brooding Victorian memorials and obelisks in the historic Oak Hill Cemetery (21) (oakhillcemeterydc.org), which is open from 1-4pm on Sunday.

The C&O Canal

Take a ride 

As well as walking, Georgetown is a great cycling spot, particularly along the C&O Canal Towpath, a flat, tree-lined route that runs 185 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland. The 14-mile ride to Great Falls (22), just outside the city, is the most popular. Find trail maps at Bike Washington (bikewashington.org/canal) and hire bikes at Big Wheel Bikes (23) (bigwheelbikes.com) next to the canal at 1034 33rd St NW. The cost is $21/35 per half-/full-day.

Window shopping

Book Hill is a Parisian-style row of antique stores, art galleries and independent stores like Lynn Louisa (24) (lynnlouisa.com) at 1631 Wisconsin Ave NW. For the perfectly polished DC look, book into the homegrown beauty spa Bluemercury (25) (bluemercury.com) at 3059 M St NW; and if you’re off to a function but don’t want to lash out the cash, hire your formalwear from Rent the Runway (26) (renttherunway.com) at 3336 M St NW. 

Book Hill (Rudi Riet/Flickr)

Icing on the cake

Still one of America’s finest jazz supper clubs, Blues Alley (27) (bluesalley.com) at 1073 Wisconsin Ave NW is a venerable DC institution housed in an 18th-century, red-brick carriage house. Dine on Creole cuisine and book ahead if a big name is on the billing. 

Travel essentials

Getting there

Washington Dulles Airport (28) is served from Heathrow by British Airways (ba.com), Virgin Atlantic (virgin-atlantic.com), American Airlines (aa.com) and United Airlines (united.com).

The airport is 26 miles west of the city centre. Between 6am and 10.40pm Silver Line Express buses leave every 15 to 20 minutes for Wiehle-Reston East station (29) ($5 one way), from where you can continue your journey into the city by metro. A taxi costs between $65 and $75.

Staying there 

For budget accommodation, try HI Washington DC (30) (hiwashingtondc.org) at 1009 11th St NW, which has dorm beds starting at $32 including breakfast, and private rooms from $92. It’s staffed by friendly volunteers who organise tours, pub crawls and dance classes. 

Those in the know make a beeline for the handsome rooms at the art deco Carlyle Dupont Circle (31) (carlylehoteldc.com) at 1731 New Hampshire Ave NW. It was refurbished in 2015 when it became part of the Kimpton brand. Deluxe king rooms from $170, room only.

Kimpton Carlyle Dupont Circle

Arguably the best address in Washington DC is the Beaux Arts beauty, The Jefferson (32) (jeffersondc.com) at 1200 16th St NW. Rooms are full of antiques and Gilded Age luxury, and the on-site cocktail bar is superb. Classic rooms start at $372, room only.

More information

capitalregionusa.co.uk

Wroclaw: Where to go and what to see in 48 hours

Travel essentials

Why go now?

Winter is easing its grip on this fascinating city in south-west Poland – and Wroclaw's status as European Capital of Culture makes this the ideal year to visit, with a wide range of events (wroclaw2016.pl). Besides the current cultural surge, the capital of Lower Silesia has an architectural repertoire that fills a spectrum from Silicon Valley to Stalingrad.

As German-held Breslau, the city suffered widespread destruction in the Second World War. It was the unrestored post-war cityscapes that persuaded Steven Spielberg to choose Wroclaw as a location for his Oscar-winning Cold War thriller, Bridge of Spies, as a stand-in for East Berlin in 1960.

Touch down

Fly to Nicolas Copernicus airport, 12km west of the city centre, from one of seven UK airports. Ryanair flies from Bristol, East Midlands, Glasgow, Liverpool and Stansted, while Wizz Air flies from Doncaster/Sheffield and Luton.

The tourist desk in Arrivals opens 8am to 8pm daily. The only bureau de change offers poor rates for sterling – wait until you reach the city to change money. 

Bus 406 runs every 20 minutes and takes 40 to 60 minutes to reach the city centre, depending on traffic. Pay on board using the machine which accepts only cards – not cash. Choose between a single ticket costing 3 zlotys (zl3/50p) or a pass valid for 24 hours (zl11/£2), 48 hours (zl20/£3.60) or 72 hours (zl26/£4.80). 

For the city centre get off either at Plac Orlat Lwowskich (1) or the Renoma shopping centre (2).

A taxi from the airport to the centre will cost at least zl50 (£9).

Get your bearings

If the map of Poland were a clock face, Wroclaw would be at eight o'clock, just north of the Sudeten mountains that divide Poland from the Czech Republic. It is where the Oder river splits into several channels to create 12 islands. One of the isles contains the Old Town, with the medieval Rynek – a market square so vast that it has an entire city block's worth of buildings in the middle. The tourist office (3) is at the south-west corner (00 48 71 3443 111; wroclaw-info.pl), open 9am to 7pm, daily.

The Jewish quarter occupies the south-west quadrant of the Old Town. Wroclaw's Jewish history dates from the 12th century. To the south, is the more modern commercial centre.

As you wander through the city, look down to pavement level, for some of the 300 or so gnomes that decorate the streets; the first appeared in the 1980s as Poland's democracy movement unfolded. 

Check in

Hotel Dwor Polski (4) at Kielbasnicza 2 (00 48 71 372 34 15; dworpolski.wroclaw.pl) is a century-old four-star that is ageing elegantly. Rooms are comfortably furnished, with high-speed wi-fi the only modern dimension. I paid zl290 (£53) for a twin including breakfast. Opposite is the Czesk Film Pub (00 48 71 342 25 49), with a warren of caves, and a succession of spaces with old armchairs and cheap beer.

For a 21st-century experience, the Puro Hotel (5) at Pawla Wlodkowica 6 (00 48 71 772 51 00; purohotel.pl) in the Jewish quarter is stylish and well-appointed. Doubles from zl250 (£54) to zl500 (£90), depending on demand.

At the colourful and welcoming Bemma Hostel (6) at Kazimierska 15 (00 48 531 531 598; hostelbemma.pl), dorm beds start at zl35 (£6.50), with doubles for zl100 (£18) midweek and zl120 (£22) at weekends, excluding breakfast.

Day one

Take a hike

Start in the middle of Rynek, surveying the exuberant façades of the Town Hall (7). At the north-west corner of the square walk between the “Hansel and Gretel” townhouses into the churchyard of St Elizabeth's (8). See the austere interior; for another perspective on the city climb the 90 metres to the top of the tower (5zl/£1; erratic opening hours).

Walk north along Odrzanska, diverting west a block later to the former meat market (9), which is now a row of art galleries. Go two blocks east to the former city prison (10) where these days you can pause for a coffee. 

North along Wiezienna takes you into the University area; bear right to survey the dazzling Baroque main building, now the University Museum (11) (00 48 71 375 26 18; muzeum.uni.wroc.pl; 10am to 3.30pm, daily except Wednesday, zl12/£2).

Go through the arch and over University Bridge (12). Follow Dubois across a couple of traffic junctions, and turn sharp right into Kurkowa (13).

Devastated buildings such as No 34 (on then left as you walk north) provide a chilling reminder that Wroclaw was the last city to fall as the Second World War ended in Europe. Not everything was destroyed; along the broad, cobbled Tomasza (14) you can even see the faded signs of German-era merchants. Turn right at the end and a memorial (15) awaits – a cross slicing through a concrete wall, dedicated to those Poles deported to Siberia in Soviet times. 

Lunch on the run

The Central Café (16) at ul Sw Antoniego 10 (centralcafe.pl; 7am to 9pm) calls itself a “Nice Place & Deli” serving a formidable range of soups, bagels, eggs, juices and coffee at prices that would put any Manhattan diner out of business. Soup, a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel and coffee come in at around zl28 (£5).

Window shopping

The value continues at Galeria Dominikanska (17), the biggest city-centre mall, with 100-plus stores including international brands at low prices.

For something more vernacular, the Polish Poster Gallery (18) at ul Sw Mikolaja 54 (00 48 71 780 4911; polishposter.com; noon to 6pm, Tuesday to Saturday) is a gallery of graphic arts – as well as a shop selling postcards and books.

The century-old market hall (19), north-east of the Old Town, provides a glimpse of daily life in Poland.

An aperitif

The Vinyl Cafe (20) at Kotlarska 35 (00 48 508 260 28) is a gem. The long, intimate interior is decorated with album art, and customers sip beer or wine while music (lots by David Bowie currently) is delivered at 33rpm.

Dine with the locals

Book in advance for jaDka (21) at ul Rzeznicza 24 (00 48 71 343 64 61; jadka.pl). Try to forget it was once an abattoir. Amid handsome redbrick surroundings, try wild boar loin in cranberry with dumplings and cabbage (zl73/£13) or pork knuckle roasted in honey and beer with potato pancakes, horseradish sauce and fried cabbage (zl58/£10.40). Room for dessert? Try the gooseberry pie (zl28/£5). 

Wroclaw Cathedral

Day two

Sunday morning: go to church

Ostrow Tumski, north-east of the Old Town, is a quiet and pretty area dominated by St John's Cathedral (22), which was badly damaged in the Second World War but restored to its 13th-century glory, with the west portico a work of spiritual art.

A walk in the park

Just north, the first green shoots are visible in the Botanical Gardens (23) after a tough winter. 

Out to brunch

Since the reopening of the 19th-century White Stork Synagogue (24) in 2010, Jewish restaurants are now flourishing. The CIZ cafe (25) at Ulica Wlodkowica 9 serves up snacks such as hummus, and apple pie – and tells the story of Wroclaw's Jewish community.

Cultural afternoon

The Panorama of Raclawice (26) is a circular depiction of the battle for independence fought at Raclawice in 1794 between Polish militias and the Russian army. Your ticket, price zl30 (£5.50) for the Panorama (00 48 71 344 16 61; panorama raclawicka.pl; 9am to 4pm, daily except Monday) includes an English audio guide – and also provides admission to the National Museum (27) on Plac Powstancow (en.mnwr.art.pl; 10am to 5pm weekends, zl15/£2.75, free on Saturdays). A late 19th-century mansion has a fine collection of Polish art, Flemish works and an impressive Canaletto.

Take a ride Trams 3, 10, 20, 23, 31, 32 or 33, west from central Wroclaw, take you 2km west to Plac Strzegomska and the MWW (28) – the Wroclaw Contemporary Museum (00 48 784 973 213; muzeumwspolczesne.pl; noon to 8pm Sunday, 4 to 8pm other days, closed Tuesday; zl10/£2). Avant-garde Polish artists have created thought-provoking exhibitions in a multi-layered space. 

Icing on the cake

Outside the MWW, the Train to Heaven is an old steam locomotive raised almost vertically, as though soaring skyward.

48 hours in Gothenburg: hotels, restaurants and places to visit

Why go now?

Sweden’s second city, a civilised, stylish port on the south-west coast, is worth visiting at any time of year but comes alive in autumn with festivals and Halloween excess. Hem, Villa & Bostadstratt (goteborg.hemochvilla.se), 28-30 October - a sort of Scandinavian Ideal Home Exhibition - showcases the best of interior design, encompassing Mitt Kok, an immersive food fair with cookery demonstrations. For fright-seekers young and old, Halloween events at the expansive Liseberg amusement park (liseberg.com) draw over 200,000 visitors in search of ghoulish fun. Head to zombie-prone District Z for a night of the living dead.

Get your bearings

Gothenburg is situated at the mouth of the Gota River on Sweden’s south-west coast, with most of the points of interest conveniently located within the compact heart of the city, with the port to the north.

Trams are a great way of getting around the city (Dick Gillberg/Goteborg & Co)

The main tourist centre (1) can be found at Kungsportsplatsen 2 (00 46 31 368 4200; gothenburg.com). It opens Monday 9.30am-5pm Monday-Friday, 10am-2pm Saturday, closed Sunday; opening hours change after 1 May.

There is very little traffic in the city centre, although trams (Gothenberg has the largest system in Scandinavia) and buses slice through the streets with precise regularity. It’s wise to invest in a Goteborg card (335 krona/£31 for 48 hours, October-April; 525 krona/£50 May-September) for unlimited rides on all public transport (including ferries), free entry to museums, art galleries and the Liseburg amusement park. Cards can be purchased online (gothenburg.com) or at Gothenburg Tourist Offices. Single transport tickets cost 25 krona (£2.30) and are valid for any number of interchanges within 90 minutes.

Day One

Take a hike

Start at Stenpiren terminal (2) and catch the “criss-cross” ferry west down Gota alv, taking in the brutish Goteborgs Energi plant and – by contrast – the elegant south bank, lined by handsome history and centuries of architecture. 

Unboard at the Alvsborg bridge (3) and visit art space Roda Sten Konsthall (4) (rodastenkonsthall.se; 40 krona, under-26 free) for bold, contemporary work, and coffee on its harbour-front terrace. 

Roda Sten Konsthall (Dick Gillberg/Goteborg & Co)

Walk the short distance up Mariaplan to Majorna, a working class district on the rise, where, along Mariagatan, you’ll find vintage treasures at Fabriken (5) (fabrikengbg.se), alfresco beers at Olstugen Tullen (6) (olstugen.se), and Tapasbaren (7) (tapasbaren.se), purportedly the best tapas in the city.

Lunch on the run

Take Tram 9 back to Central Station (8) and head for the herd of food trucks that converge in the small square off Magasinsgaten. Strommingsluckan (9) (strommingsluckan.se) offers hearty local food, such as local fried herring with mashed potatoes and lingonberries. 

For delicate pizza, freshly baked sourdough, and pour-over coffee, adjacent hipster bolthole, Da Matteo (10) (damatteo.se), is hard to beat; while Gabriel (11) (restauranggabriel.se), housed in the charming Feskekorka (Fish Church) market hall, at Rosenlundsvagen 411 25, is the go-to place for catch of the day.

Da Matteo (Beatrice Tornros/Goteborg & Co)

Window shopping

On and around Magasinsgaten independent retailers rub shoulders with hip bars and off-beat restaurants. Highlights include Acne (12) the pricy but oh-so-stylish Swedish fashion label that has a store at No 19 (acnestudios.com), and another local brand, Nudie Jeans (13), which has its repair station around the corner at Vallhaten 15 (nudiejeans.com) – you can have alterations done here, or pick up recycled denim. Vallgaten 12 (14) at (of course) Vallgaten 12 (vallgaten12.se) houses furniture, food and art all under one stylish roof.

Read more

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An aperitif

The opulent Puta Madre (15) at Magasinsgatan 3 (putamadre.se) is a wonderful hybrid: a tequila bar dressed in fin-de-siècle brothel style, brought to life by a ragtime soundtrack and dapper-looking waiting staff. Sip on mescal cocktails in the amber glow, or kick back with gum-singeing Swedish vodka shots.

Dine with the locals

Slip through Puta Madre’s secret door to Basque (basque.se), a buzzing, tiled bar serving perfectly curated pintxos, quality wines and ice-cold cava. 

Familjen (restaurangfamiljen.se)

For local flavour - and larger portions - head to the award-winning Familjen (16) at Arkivgatan 7 (restaurangfamiljen.se) for slow west Swedish dining in an unpretentious setting.

Day Two

Sunday morning: out to brunch

Le Petit Café (17) at Haga Nygata 2 (lepetitcafe.se), in the fashionable district of Haga, is a multicultural gem, run by Iranians and styled in candle-lit, “hygge” style. Choose from two main dishes, normally roast chicken or seasonal pasta. with a good salad bar, free bread and mountains of butter. On brighter days there are rickety iron tables lining the building outside, and Sunday opening hours are a generous 8am-8pm.

A walk in the park

Slottsskogen park (18) is a green oasis in the Linne district, where locals converge to stroll and socialise around its well-kept lawns. A small zoo is home to a variety of animals and birds, including Nordic species of elk and moose, and there are ancient trees, forest paths and waterways to discover at every turn.

Slottsskogen is Gothenburg's main park (Per Pixel Petersson/Goteborg & Co)

Take a ride

Bikes loom large here, and the relatively flat landscape makes it easy to traverse the city. The Styr & Stall cycle-share scheme (styrochstall.se) is available at more than 50 sites, and bikes are free with a Goteborg card. 

Take a short ride along the river and cross Gota alv bridge (19) to the regenerating harbour district of Frihamnen. The oncoming chill at this time of year makes a sauna particularly inviting, and the public one, Almanna Badet (20), is among the world’s most spectacular, rising from the bank of the river with its obtuse angles and corrugated steel exterior (timecenter.se; free, but online booking is essential).

Allmanna Badet (Beatrice Tornros/Goteborg & Co)

Cultural afternoon

For superlative Nordic painting, the Gothenburg Museum of Art (21) on Gotaplatsen (goteborgskonstmuseum.se) is world class. Open from 11am Tuesday-Sunday with various closing times between 5pm and 8pm, closed Mondays.

Or head to the nearby Rohsska Museum (22) at Vasagaten 39 (rohsska.se) for design and decorative arts, from contemporary Scandinavian fashion to ancient Chinese ceramics. Open 12pm-8pm Wednesday, to 5pm Thursday-Friday, 11am-5pm Saturday-Wunday, closed Monday-Tuesday.

Rhosska Museum (Beatrice Tornros/Goteborg & Co)

The icing on the cake

No trip to Gothenburg is complete without sailing to the city’s impressive archipelago - a constellation of car-free islands and fishing communities offering wild nature and postcard good looks. Take the ferry from Saltholmen (22) to Styrso (23), considered the hub of the southern part, for fishing, swimming and seal watching.

Travel Essentials

Getting there

The writer flew with Norwegian (norwegian.com), which operates six flights a week to Gothenburg from Gatwick. Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies from Stansted and Edinburgh, while British Airways (ba.com) flies from Heathrow.

All flights from the UK serve Landvetter airport (24), 30km east of the city centre. Buses from Landvetter leave about every 12 minutes from 4.15am-9pm and take half an hour. A return ticket from the airport to Nils Ericson Terminal (25) costs 185 krone (£17) when booked online in advance (flygbussarna.se), or an extra 10 krone on the day. A one-way taxi will set you back 400 krone (£39).

Staying there

For basic accomodation, the STD Goteborg City Hostel (26) at Drottninggaten 63-65 (swedishtouristassociation.com) has double rooms starting at 1,046 krona (£97) including breakfast, or 946 (£87) krona if you don’t mind making your own bed on arrival. A welcoming lobby strewn with old tin lanterns and fireplaces elevates the place from budget to boho.

Hotel Riverton (27) at Stora Badhusgatan 26 (riverton.se) is crisp, modern and well located, and its Sky Bar and restaurant on the 12th floor offers one of the best views in the city. A Superior Queen Room starts at 1,295 krona (£120), including breakfast and use of the spa.

Hotel Riverton (riverton.se)

Hotel Pigalle (28) at Sodra Hamngatan 2 (hotelpigalle.se) evokes La Belle Epoque with its rich, decorative rooms and charming bar and restaurant. Double rooms start at 2,954 krona (£273) including breakfast.

Cape Town travel tips: Where to go and what to see in 48 hours

Travel essentials

Why go now?

Economic turmoil in South Africa has made something of a basket case of the rand – you currently get twice the ZAR for your pound than you did 10 years ago. In addition, new air connections spell lower fares.

Autumn is on the way, so the occasionally punishing temperatures of the Western Cape are on the wane. It's still, however, beach weather, even if the sea is perennially freezing and far friendlier to seals and surfers than swimmers.

Touch down

British Airways (0344 493 0787; ba.com) flies non-stop from Heathrow twice a day. A new Ethiopian Airlines connection via Addis Ababa is barely half the fare; seats next month areavailable at around £500 return (0800 635 0644; flyethiopian.com). From other UK airports, good connections are available with Air France (0871 663 3777; airfrance.co.uk) and its partner KLM, Etihad (020 3450 7300; etihadairways.com), Qatar Airways (0844 846 8380; qatarairways.com) and Turkish (0844 800 6666; turkishairlines.com),

Cape Town airport (acsa.co.za) sits 12 miles east of the centre in Matroosfontein. The MyCiTi (myciti.org.za) bus departs from the airport for the city centre every 20 minutes (R81.20/£4), taking around an hour to reach the pleasant megamall of the V&A Waterfront (1). Far more convenient is a metered taxi (R200-R300/£9.30-£14). 

Get your bearings

Cape Town sprawls – largely because of the immense Table Mountain that sits at its centre. The Atlantic coastal resort spots of Camps Bay et al on the west side of Lion's Head feel like they belong to a different town – but are just minutes away from Green Point and the V&A Waterfront (1). The latter is where you'll find the main Cape Town Tourist Office (00 27 21 408 7600; capetown.travel; daily 9am to 6pm, to 5pm May to September). 

The shopping, museum and hotel areas of Long Street and the centre are east of Signal Hill, south of the Waterfront. Further east, you'll find bohemian Woodstock. Be cautious when walking around areas away from the Waterfront after dark – Cape Town is much safer than it used to be, but common sense should prevail. 

Taxis are convenient for getting around. A 20-minute ride will cost you under R100 (£4.50), and you can get to the cellar doors of wine country, in Stellenbosch, for less than R400 (£18). 

Check in

You'd pay at least twice the rate (from R6,441/£290, with breakfast) for the same level of luxury offered by Cape Grace (2), W Quay Road, V&A Waterfront (00 27 21 410 7100; capegrace.com) if it was located in Paris or London. The furnishings are nautical-themed and occasionally eccentric.

The Belmond Mount Nelson (3), 76 Orange Street (00 27 21 483 1000; belmond.com) is the most famous hotel in town. The gardens and outdoor pool are grand, and afternoon tea is an institution. It's also one of the few five-star hotels within walking distance of the main shopping and dining areas. Doubles from R4,985 (£224), including breakfast.

The view, as you'd expect, is the thing at Cape View Clifton (4), 232 Kloof Road (00 27 21 438 8748; capeviewclifton.co.za). Everything in this tiered, cliff-side, glass box of a beach house is white-on-white. Doubles from R3,780 (£168), B&B.

The Daddy Long Legs Art Hotel (5), 134 Long Street (00 27 21 422 3074; daddylonglegs.co.za) has budget, themed rooms from R925 (£42), room only.

Day one

Cultural morning

Skip the hotel breakfast buffet. Instead, go for the perfect latte at a branch of Cape Town's finest caffeine vendor, Deluxe Coffeeworks (6) at 25 Church Street (00 27 79 416 1109; deluxecoffeeworks.co.za), followed by an omelette on the terrace of The Company's Garden Restaurant (7), 19 Queen Victoria Street (00 27 21 423 2919; thecompanysgarden.com). 

Leave the garden and check out the dinosaurs at the neighbouring Iziko South African Museum (8) and attached Planet- arium (00 27 21 481 3800; iziko.org.za; 10am to 5pm daily; R30/£1.40). On the other side of the gardens you'll see two benches outside the High Court (9) on Keerom Street – historic objects that serve as an arresting snapshot of South Africa's uncomfortable past. One is marked “Whites Only”, the other “Non-Whites Only”.

Nearby, the South African National Gallery (10) at Government Avenue (00 27 21 481 3970; iziko.org.za; 10am to 5pm daily; R30/£1.40) is an Art Deco landmark that houses a definitive retrospective of African art.

Window shopping

Seek out local designers in the Centre – the intricate leather bags at Missibaba (11) at 229 Bree Street (00 27 21 424 8127; missibaba.com) are unique, while Merchants on Long (12) at 34 Long Street (00 27 21 422 2828; merchantsonlong.com) is the city's top concept store. 

The Old Biscuit Mill (13) at 373-375 Albert Road in Woodstock, which is full of indie designers and interesting interiors and wine stores, could easily be a whole day out in itself (00 27 21 447 8194; theoldbiscuitmill.co.za), although stalls and stores close relatively early in the afternoon, around 2pm. Most shops close on Sundays.

Lunch on the run

Get to the tiny restaurant and deli Chef's Warehouse (14) at 92 Bree Street (00 27 21 422 0128; chefswarehouse.co.za) early – it takes no reservations, and fills up shortly after midday with locals who love the set menu of tapas. Order the Oysters Vietnamese, loaded with garnish and full of zest.

Take a view

The furry dassies (which look like bunnies but are actually related to elephants) are as good a reason for heading to the top of Table Mountain (00 27 21 424 8181; tablemountain.net) as the view. But the view is amazing. Catch the cableway (R240/£11) from the lower station (15) on Tafelberg Road. In March the first car of the day ascends at 8am, the last car is 6.30pm.

An aperitif

Opt for one of two very different styles – sink a bottle of sparkling Methode Cap at sundown on the terrace at the Mount Nelson (3), or book a bar stool at Outrage of Modesty (16) hidden away at 88 Market Street (00 27 21 422 2902; anoutrage.com) – an edgy new cocktail bar. Order a Rock & Rye with stone fruit, or the Snow – milk-based amasi (fermented milk), white chocolate and toasted rice. Cocktails from R70 (£3).

Dine with the locals

Arrive at The Roundhouse (17) on Round House Road, Camps Bay (00 27 21 438 4347; theroundhouserestaurant.com) an hour before sunset to enjoy the views from the foot of Table Mountain. The recently launched Bistronomy menu (R665/£32 for five courses) is a marvel – kicking off with a delicious dish of watermelon that has been wrangled into the texture of tartare. 

Book far, far ahead for a table at The Test Kitchen in The Old Biscuit Mill (13) (00 27 21 447 2337; thetestkitchen.co.za). Luke Dale-Roberts is the most celebrated chef on the continent, and has futuristic technique to burn. The spectacular degustation (R1,200/£58) is never anything less than outstanding. 

Breakfast club: The Pot Luck Club

Day two

Sunday morning: take a ride 

Every visitor to Cape Town should feel duty-bound to sail to Robben Island (18) to see where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for nearly two decades. Tours leave three times a day, at 9am, 11am and 1pm from the Nelson Mandela Gateway (19) at the V&A Waterfront (00 27 21 413 4200; robben-island.org.za; R300/£14) and return around four hours later.

Out to brunch

The Pot Luck Club (00 27 21 447 0804; thepotluckclub.za), set inside a spacious loft at the Old Biscuit Mill (13), still represents the ultimate Cape Town brunch scene. The look is industrial, with great views across the city, while the huge open kitchen (an offshoot of Test Kitchen) is full of techno know-how and wizardry. Small (and not so small) bites arrive on platters covering salt, sweet and umami – the set menu is R400/£19. For an extra R150/£7 on Sundays you get “bottomless bubbles”. 

A walk in the park

Kirstenbosch (20) on Rhodes Drive (00 27 21 799 8763; sanbi.org; 8am to 6pm winter, 8am to 7pm summer; R50/£2.50) is one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world. The Tree Canopy Walkway, high above the ground, flanked by the silhouette of Table Mountain with the sun behind, is a camera-ready highlight. Check out the concert schedules, or come for a picnic.

Icing on the cake

Going for a Turkish bath at the Long Street Baths (21) on Long Street is a unique timewarp experience (00 27 21 422 0100; from R48-R101/£2.20-£4.60). 

The building dates back to 1908. Don't expect a five-star spa; instead come for the crumbling visual history as much as the experience. The lettering on the façade is an elegant bit of Art Nouveau, and local artist Gregg Smith added murals inside in the late 1990s. Get steamed, pummelled and plunge yourself into icy water in the buff. Or just come for a swim and soak up the retro ambience.