Discover the best European weekend breaks
Your Weekend Starts Here
Whether you've got 48 hours or a long weekend, a city break can be the perfect reset. My guides cover everything you need to know: the top sights you have to see, the local dishes you have to try, and the souvenirs worth taking home.
I’m Janine and over the years I’ve visited some of the most vibrant cities in Europe. In my guides I’ve pulled together the information you need to help you plan your own trips.
So whether you want to visit the Colosseum in Rome, go shopping in Paris or have a budget break in Prague, I'll show you exactly where to go, what to eat, and the best souvenirs to bring home.
Featured Guides Autumn Picks
⚓ Oslo
Sitting between the Oslo fjord and lush green forests, Oslo effortlessly combines urban life with the best that nature has to offer. Explore museums, try new flavours in Nordic cuisine or take a ferry or train and be at one with nature in minutes.
🗺 Tours Worth Booking
The best way to see Oslo is by walking round its compact city centre. Stroll along the 5 mile promenade, stop for lunch in bustling Aker Brygge or take in the views from the rooftop of the Oslo Opera House.
Top picks:
- Munch Museum
- Oslo Opera House
- Vigeland Sculpture Park
- Take a ferry ride out onto the Fjords
🍽 Local Cuisine
Norwegian cuisine is hearty and wholesome and suited to the cooler climate. Think rich meat stews, waffles and, with proximity to the sea, lots of fresh seafood.
Don't miss:
- Norwegian meatballs with brown sauce
- Farikal - slow-cooked mutton and cabbage stew with whole peppercorns
- Creamy fish soup
🛍 Best Local Buys
In keeping with the history and folklore of Norway, there are some traditional souvenirs to be found that are sure to be noticed back home.
Great souvenirs:
- Norwegian Wool Sweaters - keep warm in the winter with these beautifully designed woollen sweaters.
Viking-Inspired Jewellery - inspired by ancient Norse artifacts and crafted by local silversmiths.
Troll Figurines: Popular in Norwegian folklore, these ceramic or carved wooden trolls make unusual gifts
⚓ Stockholm
Stockholm sits across 14 islands, and every single one of them is worth exploring. It's clean, it's gorgeous, it's effortlessly stylish, and it has some of the best design shopping in Europe.
🗺 Tours Worth Booking
The best way to understand Stockholm is to see it from the water. A boat tour through the archipelago gives you a completely different perspective on the city. On land, the old town (Gamla Stan) is compact enough to explore on foot. Don’t miss the Vasa Museum, a 17th-century warship that sank on its maiden voyage and was salvaged almost entirely intact. It's extraordinary.
Top picks:
- Stockholm Archipelago boat tour
- Gamla Stan guided walking tour
- Vasa Museum (allow 2–3 hours)
- ABBA The Museum, genuinely fun even if you're not a superfan
🍽 Local Cuisine
A traditional husmanskost lunch, usually meatballs, lingonberry sauce, and creamy gravy, is a must. For something more modern, the city's smörgåsbord brunches are a brilliant introduction to new Nordic cooking. And no trip to Stockholm is complete without a proper fika: coffee and a kanelbulle (cinnamon bun) at a classic bakery.
Don't miss:
- Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce at a traditional restaurant
- Fika at a cosy café in Södermalm
- Gravlax (cured salmon) on rye bread
🛍 Best Local Buys
The city is famous for clean Scandinavian design, and you'll find it everywhere from flagship stores on Biblioteksgatan to indie boutiques in Södermalm. Swedish glassware, particularly from brands like Kosta Boda, makes a beautiful gift. For edible souvenirs, pick up cloudberry jam or a tin of Swedish crispbreads from a deli.
Great souvenirs:
- Swedish glassware or ceramics (Kosta Boda, Iittala)
- Dala horse, the classic hand-painted wooden folk figure
- Cloudberry or lingonberry jam
- Design pieces from Södermalm boutiques
🌷 Amsterdam
Amsterdam packs an enormous amount into a compact city. Stroll past Golden Age mansions, explore world-class museums, and discover a diverse food scene that reflects Amsterdams history as an international trading port and gateway to new worlds.
🗺 Tours Worth Booking
A guided canal boat tour gives you a view of Amsterdam’s merchant houses from the water, and the commentary will tell you everything you want to know about the history of the city. For art lovers, a skip-the-line Rijksmuseum tour is a definite must do. If you want something a bit different, take a street food walking tour through the Jordaan neighbourhood where you can combine sightseeing and eating.
Top picks:
- Canal boat tour (evening for the best light)
- Rijksmuseum skip-the-line guided visit
- Jordaan street food walking tour
- Anne Frank House, book tickets weeks ahead
🍽 Local Cuisine
Amsterdam's food scene is wonderfully eclectic, but don't leave without trying the classics. Grab some raw herring with pickles from a street stall, it sounds intimidating, it's delicious. Order bitterballen (crispy fried snacks) at a brown café with a cold Heineken. And if you have a sweet tooth, stroopwafels fresh from a market stall are a completely different experience from the shop bought ones you get at home.
Don't miss:
- Herring from the Albert Cuyp Market
- Bitterballen at any traditional bruin café
- Poffertjes (mini fluffy pancakes) with butter and icing sugar
- Indonesian rijsttafel, Amsterdam's colonial history shaped its food, and this feast reflects that beautifully.
🛍 Best Local Buys
Amsterdam is a brilliant city for picking up things you'll actually use. Head to the Spiegelkwartier for antique Delftware and vintage Dutch prints. The Albert Cuyp Market is perfect for affordable ceramics, fresh cheese, and local snacks to take home. For something a bit more contemporary, the Jordaan neighbourhood is dotted with independent boutiques selling Dutch design pieces.
Great souvenirs:
- Hand-painted Delftware (mugs, tiles, or small vases)
- Aged Gouda or Edam from a market cheese stall
- Dutch gin (*jenever*) from a traditional distillery
- Vintage maps or prints from the antiques quarter
🏰 Prague
Prague might be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, and it's still one of the best value, which makes it almost too good to be true. Gothic towers, baroque churches, and an atmospheric old town make Prague a city well worth a visit.
🗺 Tours Worth Booking
Prague Castle is the obvious starting point, it's the largest ancient castle complex in the world and the views over the city are spectacular. A guided tour makes all the difference here; there's centuries of history in every room. For something more unusual, take an evening ghost tour of the Old Town. River cruises on the Vltava are also a great way to see the Charles Bridge and city skyline.
Top picks:
- Prague Castle guided tour
- Old Town ghost tour
- Vltava River evening cruise
- Jewish Quarter walking tour, historically significant and deeply moving
🍽 Local Cuisine
Czech food is hearty, comforting, and very good value. Svíčková, beef sirloin in a creamy root vegetable sauce, served with bread dumplings, is the national comfort food. Wash it down with some Czech lager, ideally a Pilsner Urquell or local Staropramen. For something sweet, trdelník (a warm, cinnamon-sugar spiral pastry) is sold at almost every market stall in the Old Town.
Don't miss:
- Svíčková with bread dumplings at a traditional Czech restaurant
- Czech lager at a local pub
- Palačinky (Czech crepes) with fruit and cream for dessert
🛍 Best Local Buys
Prague is excellent for affordable, beautiful souvenirs. Bohemian crystal and glassware are the obvious highlights, you can find stunning pieces at much lower prices than you'd pay anywhere else in Europe. The Havelské Tržiště open-air market is a good spot for wooden toys, ceramics, and artwork.
Great souvenirs:
- Bohemian crystal glasses or a decorative vase
- Hand-painted wooden puppets or marionettes
- Czech garnet jewellery, the deep red stones are mined locally
Not Seeing Your City?
I've covered over 20 European cities, from Dublin to Bratislava, Barcelona to Vienna. Whether you're looking for the best beach cities, Europe's top foodie destinations, or the most budget-friendly breaks, there's a guide for you.