European Cities

Even the curmudgeonliest of hermits have probably heard about the £1 flight deals available from the UK to almost any city in Europe. While taxes and other fees usually make these small fairs cost more than you may at first expect, they are still cheap enough (even the oh-so-expensive £11 flights) to make Berlin, Amsterdam, or Seville easily within most of our budgets, and grasps.

When deciding where to go for a short break, or even a longer trip, consider yourself personally before deciding which city you wish to explore. Do you love the cold weather or the hot? Is it art or music that pulls you in? If architecture is your bag, then which will it be, historical or modern. Once you have answered a few of these questions, an ideal urban grid may have formed in your head. Now it's time to match real world cities to your cultural Mecca.

If it's art and architecture with an historical perspective that you are after, then Rome is definitely the place to visit. Combining the ancient (think Latin and togas) with the somewhat ancient (gold plated Vatican sculptures and renaissance paintings of iconic religious imagery), Rome is a town that bustles with energy from dawn until dusk and back until dawn. The roof of the Sistine Chapel, for which Michelangelo gave his eyesight to finish, is a definite highlight.

For something a little more modern, try Berlin on for size. After the fall of the Berlin wall in 1991, architects and developers have rushed together to create a vision of the future as modern, in its own way, as any part of Tokyo . With neon coated monoliths reaching to the sky all around you, it may be hard to take time away to think of the museums and monuments dedicated to the memory of the war and all the people who lost their lives. Still, in a fast-paced, ultra-futuristic city like Berlin , it's important to take time to reflect back on the past.

Other highlights of a longer trip would have to include Barcelona , with its (half nude) beaches and all-night nightlife, and Vienna , with its amazing modern art pedigree and access to music ranging from opera to punk. Hold off on buying that new album and buy a plane ticket instead, you'll be giving yourself the chance to find and fall in love with the best of Europe's finest cities, from Amsterdam to Prague, and maybe meet some new friends along the way.