Great city breaks on the cheap

Locanda ai Santa Apostoli
Just a few minutes’ walk from the Rialto Bridge on the bustling Strada Nuova is this fantastic B&B on the fourth floor of the historic Palazzo Michiel dal Brusà, some of whose rooms overlook the Grand Canal. It’s a family-run place — the rooms are traditional, smart and bright, mostly with terrazzo flooring, and breakfast is included. There is a gorgeous gated garden and a balcony overlooking the canal for everyone’s use.
Details: B&B doubles are from €69 (locandasantiapostoli.com); Cannaregio

Novecento
This family-run boutique B&B is only a hop from Dorsoduro, a great area for bars, food and the Peggy Guggenheim museum. It’s also near Venice’s historic centre. Near by, the Ponte dell’Accademia is a wonderful spot at dusk for a view up the Grand Canal. The rooms at Novecento are luxurious, sexy and opulent; if the sun shines there’s a lovely private courtyard and garden where you can have breakfast, which is a treat of home-made cakes, great coffee and a sweet and savoury buffet.
Details B&B doubles are from €115 (novecento.biz); Calle del Dose da Ponte, San Marco

Residenza de l’Osmarin
In the east of the city is Castello, the “local’s Venice”, where this great-value, elegant B&B is located. It has a roof terrace with great views of the rio dell’Osmarin below; all the well-sized rooms have views of the canal and across the rooftops to the belltower of St Mark’s. Breakfast is included, with the usual hams, cheeses and delicious home-made cakes.
Details: B&B doubles are from €100 (residenzadelosmarin.com); di Maria Elisabetta Maniscalco, Castello
By Harriet Addison
Harriet Addison was a guest of easyJet, which has flights to Venice from £23.24pp (one-way, including taxes and based on two people on the same booking), easyjet.com

Where to eat

Muro Frari
This is possibly the best pizzeria in Venice — the gorgonzola, radicchio and Italian sausage and calzone were superb.
Details: Pizzas are about €13, half a litre of great house white is €7 (murovenezia.com); Sestiere San Polo, San Polo

Osteria ai 40 Ladroni
Brilliantly kitsch, this has a seascape mural on the wall and noisy locals propping up the bar — always a good sign. The spaghetti vongole is fantastic; or try the locally caught sea bass. The seasonal salads and vegetables are grown near by on Sant’Erasmo island.
Details: Two courses are about €25 (no website, 00 39 041 715 736); Fondamenta della Sensa, Cannaregio

Osteria al Squero, Fondamenta Nani, Dorsoduro
In Dorsoduro, a mix of Venetians of all ages can be found in the bacari (bars), grazing on cicchetti, which are bar snacks costing €1-€2 each. Four or five cicchetti would typically replace an evening meal — they could be crostini topped with creamy gorgonzola, fig and roasted walnuts or arancini balls. They are eaten standing up, washed down with an aperol spritz (€2.50). Linger outside, perched beside the canal, overlooking the city’s oldest (17th-century) working gondola yard. Along the street is Cantine del vino gia schiavi, a high-end wine shop that, come evening, is packed with elegant Italian men and women eating bargain €1.50 cicchetti and drinking €2 glasses of delicious wine.
Details: Cicchetti are from €1, wine is from €1.20 a glass (no website, 00 39 335 600 7513)

Trattoria da bepi gia, Campo SS Apostoli, Cannaregio
A traditional Venetian trattoria, with a wood-panelled interior and wonderfully welcoming staff. The primi are outstanding and well-sized (try the tagliatelle with garlic, fresh mushrooms and porcini), the secondi (steamed spider crabs, Venetian-style liver with polenta) are also great whether you opt for meat or seafood (but are a little pricier than the primi); the tiramisu is worth saving space for.
Details: Primi are €12, three courses cost €35 (dabepi.it; 00 39 041 528 5031); closed on Thursdays

Osteria la bottega ai Promessi Sposi
La bottega, almost hidden on a quiet back street, is romanticly lit, unpretentious and welcoming. Either eat cicchetti (hearty bar snacks) standing at the bar, or sit down for a constantly changing seafood menu.
Details: Three courses are €30-€35 (no website, 00 39 041 241 2747), closed on Wednesdays, reservations essential; Calle dell’Oca, Cannaregio

Budget tip
Buy a church pass (Chorus Venezia) for €12, which gives entry to 18 churches in Venice, including the jaw-dropping Basilica dei Frari and more intimate churches such as the Church of San Vidal (chorusvenezia.org).

Paris

Where to stay

Hotel Phileas
Next to Saint Lazare train station, this new, well-run little hotel opens through automatic sliding doors that lead to a corridor decorated with candy-coloured striped wallpaper. The 39 reasonably sized rooms are over six floors, with a vibrant-but-tasteful colour scheme, wide beds, free wi-fi and electric blinds. Some rooms suit families because two can be booked with a private door entrance. Free afternoon coffee and tea are served in a pleasant lounge. Expect decent scrambled eggs and coffee at breakfast.
Details: B&B doubles are from €100 (phileashotel.com); rue d’Amsterdam, 9th arrondissement

Hotel Villathéna
A few streets north of the Phileas, Hotel Villathéna is in a distinguished 19th-century building on a quiet side street. The reception opens on to a ruby-red and pink breakfast room and lounge, with modern art and a retro look. Beyond is a marvellous corkscrew staircase with a wrought-iron balustrade — and upstairs are 43 smart rooms with low-slung beds, little shower rooms and room service (delivered from a brasserie around the corner). Upgrade to a top-floor “executive” room (€50 extra) for more space.
Details: B&B doubles are from €100 (villathena.com); rue d’Athènes, 9th arrondissement

Hotel Design Sorbonne
Striking pattern wallpaper, avant-garde modern art and French antique chairs painted silver with bold upholstery . . . Hotel Design Sorbonne, a short walk from the Jardin du Luxembourg, is chic and well positioned, with tempting room rates. The 38 arty rooms are reached along darkened corridors with black and white pictures of Paris in colourful frames adorning the walls. Breakfast is served in a bright and airy room by a courtyard.
Details: B&B doubles are from €100 (hotelsorbonne.com); rue Victor Cousin, 5th arrondissement

Hotel Mayet
About half-an-hour’s stroll southwest of Île de la Cité, Hotel Mayet is a jolly hotel with street-art-style murals in the lobby and a little bar with wine for €4 a glass (or €19 a bottle). The staff are upbeat, and give good recommendations on nearby restaurants. The rooms come with sisal carpets, blown-up black and white pictures of actors and models from the early-20th century and vibrant colours. You can upgrade to a more spacious “superior double” for €10.
Details: Doubles are from €82; breakfast is €13pp extra (mayet.com); rue Mayet, 6th arrondissement

Hotel Le Pavillon
In the Invalides district, not far from the Eiffel Tower, this charming 15-room eco-hotel is set off a short alleyway that runs off rue St Dominique. There’s a little sun-trap courtyard with multicoloured tables and chairs (where drinks are served in warmer months), plus a lovely basement breakfast room with exposed stone walls and beams. The style in the rooms is quirky and slightly kitsch: abstract art, silvery bedcovers and ruby-red leather sofas.
Details: Doubles are from €80; breakfast is €14pp extra (green-spirit-hotels.com); rue St Dominique, 7th arrondissement
By Tom Chesshyre
Tom Chesshyre was a guest of Eurostar and Atout France (france.fr). Eurostar (eurostar.com) has London St Pancras-Paris returns from £58

Where to eat

Sésame Café
This laid-back café — popular with art students — has simple tables on an old stone floor and a small bar with cocktails served by dancing waitresses. Soups, curries, bagels, bruschetta and salads make up the menu; the vegetarian curry and lasagne are especially popular.
Details: Three courses are about €25 (au-sesame.com); quai de Valmy, 10th arrondissement

Le Petit Lyon
Le Petit Lyon is a friendly café popular with actors, musicians and writers. Simple dishes include salmon with penne or tomato salad with prawns; all washed down with €3 glasses of wine.
Details: Three courses are about €20 (00 33 1 45 26 31 19); rue de Vintimille, 9th arrondissement

Bourgogne Sud
If you enjoy food from Burgundy, book a table here. Starters include Burgundy snails, poached eggs in a delicious meurette-style sauce and chicken livers. The rum baba cake is great.
Details: The three-course set menu is €26.50 (bourgogne-sud.fr); rue de Clichy, 9th arrondissement

Thoumieux
This hip gourmet brasserie has red leather banquettes, mirrored columns and swift service. The new head chef, Sylvestre Wahid, has created a light menu: salmon with steamed seaweed, beef tartare, chicken with truffles, salads and pumpkin soup.
Details: Three-course set lunch menu €29; must book (thoumieux.com); rue St Dominique, 7th arrondissement

Allard
This wonderful restaurant is in Saint Germain-des-Prés. Traditional French dishes are prepared by head chef Laëtitia Rouabah. Opt for the lunch set menu with dishes such as French onion soup, veal blanquette with pilau rice and vanilla-coffee composition.
Details: Three-course set lunch menu €34; must book (chateauxhotels.com,restaurant-allard.fr/en); rue Saint-André des Arts, 6th arrondissement

Budget tip
Check Eurostar’s website for its two-for-one deals for some sights such as the Musée d’Orsay, when you show your Eurostar ticket at the door.

Berlin

The Spree river and TV Tower in Berlin

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Where to stay

The Johann
An oasis of calm, the Johann is down a side street in edgy Kreuzberg. Cosy, quiet and very welcoming, its rooms are decorated in typical Berlin Altbauflair style and are minimalist but comfortable, with parquet floors, high ceilings and exposed brick walls; bathrooms have heated floors. There’s a courtyard garden for summer breakfasts (all organic), as well as an elegant bar for a late-night tipple. It’s within walking distance of several metro stops and you can hire bikes if you fancy a jaunt along the canal.
Details: Doubles are from €84, breakfast €7.50 (hotel-johann-berlin.de); Johanniterstrasse, Kreuzberg

Adina Apartment Hotel Berlin Checkpoint Charlie
This apartment hotel, just off Leipzigerstrasse, is in a brilliant location, a short walk from Unter den Linden, the Brandenburg Gate and the smart shops on Friedrichstrasse. Even the smallest studio apartments, decorated in red and grey, are roomy, all have kitchenettes, there’s a small indoor pool and gym, and while breakfast is not cheap, it’s a great spread.
Details: Studio doubles are from €87, breakfast €15 (tfehotels.com); Krausenstrasse, Mitte

Michelberger
Hipsters are the core clientele at the supremely relaxed Michelberger, an old factory with a funky design aesthetic, surrounded by bars and clubs. Boho rooms range from cosy doubles (which really are tiny) to The Big One, with six single beds. The 24-hour bar/café is wonderful (the breakfast buffet is a thing of beauty), there’s table tennis in the courtyard and a beer garden in the summer, as well as stacks of paperbacks to browse through on the huge sofas in the lobby. It’s opposite the Warschauer Strasse U-bahn station and is a favourite with musicians, so get a room facing the courtyard and bring earplugs just in case.
Details: Doubles are from €70; breakfast is €16pp (michelbergerhotel.com); Warschauer Strasse, Friedrichshain

The Circus

The Circus
This is probably the best hostel/hotel hybrid in the city, offering everything from dorm rooms to penthouse studio apartments with a kitchen and balcony in three buildings on and around Rosenthaler Platz. Hotel rooms are bright, some with huge pop art prints, and spotlessly clean. With a great restaurant (see panel, right) and a micro-brewery, it would be easy to stay put, but there are also free walking tours, museum trips and the U-bahn is on the doorstep. Staff are friendly and helpful.
Details: Doubles are from €85; breakfast is €9pp extra; dorm beds are from €19 (circus-berlin.de); Rosenthaler Strasse, Mitte

Amano
A two-minute stroll from the trendy restaurants and shops of Hackescher Markt, the three-star Amano is smart and stylish but not snooty and has a luxe vibe in the lobby and bistro with its brushed copper walls, velvet sofas and contemporary artworks. Rooms are compact and functional, soberly decorated with white walls, charcoal grey furnishings and wooden floors, and are seriously soundproofed. Its rooftop terrace bar is a favourite with hip locals and you can rent bikes and Xbox games.
Details: Doubles are from €70; breakfast is €15pp extra (amanogroup.de); Auguststrasse, Mitte
By Julia Brookes
Julia Brookes was a guest of the Berlin tourist board (visitberlin.de). EasyJet has flights to Berlin from seven airports from £27.49pp one way.

Where to eat

Asian tapas at Transit

Transit
Loud, dark and always packed (so book), Transit serves Asian tapas. There’s not a duff dish here. The Thai curry is particularly fine, as is the chicken satay and duck with plum sauce. There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options and cocktails are great. Try a Hugo; the prosecco, elderflower syrup and mint concoction is €7.
Details: Small dishes are €3 each, rice or noodles are €1 each (transit-restaurants.com); Rosenthaler Strasse, Mitte

Milja and Schäfa
Right by Ostkreuz station, this new timber-clad café is a great spot for brunch — avocado on toast and truffled scrambled eggs should set you up for the day. The handmade pasta is excellent, as are the coffee and cakes.
Details: Three courses are from €25 (00 49 30 5266 2094); Sonntagstrasse, Friedrichshain

Curry Mitte
You can’t leave Berlin without trying its favourite fast food — currywurst (hot dog with curry sauce) — and this is one of the best spots. The sausages are tender (go for the charolais beef version, 80 cents extra), the house sauce is excellent (30 cents extra), and the fries are deliciously crispy.
Details: Currywurst, fries and soft drink €4.90 (currymitte.de); Torstrasse, Mitte

La Premiata Ditta
This place is tiny, so be prepared to snuggle up to your neighbours; but it’s worth it for the wonderful ravioli and gnocchi, deli platters, early evening aperitivo — when bar snacks are included in the price of a cocktail — and great selection of Italian wines.
Details: Three courses are from about €20 (lapremiataditta.com); Weinsbergweg, Mitte

Fabisch
Start with a gin and tonic (from the huge menu of gins), then move on to modern German dishes such as pork schnitzel in an organic wholemeal crust with a warm potato; bacon salad with Spreewald gherkins; and Winter Magic, a black forest gateau in a sundae. Try the delicious house red: Aufwind — Redwine-Cuvée, €19.50 a bottle.
Details: Three courses are from €30 (circus-berlin.de); Rosenthaler Strasse, Mitte

Budget tip
Book in advance to visit the dome of the Reichstag, seat of the German parliament. It’s free (bundestag.de).

Rome

The Forum in Rome

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Where to stay

Casa Montani
Rome has plenty of boutique hotels but few that are quite as good value as the five rooms at Casa Montani. It doesn’t look much from the outside but this converted townhouse is a swanky affair with custom-made furniture and Hermès toiletries. A ten-minute stroll from the Spanish Steps, the location is great — and there are Metro and tram stops right outside if you’ve overdone it on the cannolis. Casa Montani also has a two-bedroom apartment near by if you want to do your own thing.
Details: B&B doubles are from £100 (i-escape.com); Piazzale Flaminio, Tridente

1880 Atypical Rooms
A mere gelato’s worth of strolling from the Trevi Fountain, this funked-up boutique hotel has original exposed brickwork (dating from . . . well, guess) blended with super-slick modern stylings. Rooms have high ceilings and are very open plan (rooms one and eight have showers in the bedroom) and there is a cool little communal breakfast bar. Reception staff are there only during the daytime but are extremely helpful with tips for restaurants in the creative hub and gourmand’s playground that is Monti.
Details: B&B doubles are from €125 (dorisanddicky.com); Via Nazionale, Monti

Hotel Santa Maria
You’re not fussy but you want to stay in a 17th-century convent in the middle of Rome and have your morning cappuccino in a garden surrounded by orange trees, right? Well, here you go. Wind on down through the backstreets of gorgeous Trastevere through ridiculously pretty squares to this cosy hotel staffed by the friendliest people in Rome — and a shaggy golden retriever. Rooms are cosy rather than flash but the vibe is everything here.
Details: B&B doubles are from €116 (hotelsantamariatrastevere.it); Vicolo del Piede, Trastevere

Le Clarisse a Trastevere
If you prefer your former convents to come with olive trees, Le Clarisse could be for you. The building dates back to 1122 and the rooms on higher floors — which were nuns’ cells — have beautiful, original exposed beams. The breakfast room is a bit meh but there are so many beguiling cafés near by that you’re as well to venture out — and Campo de’ Fiori market is an easy stroll.
Details: B&B doubles are from €108, breakfast is €6 extra (leclarissetrastevere.com); Via Cardinale Merry del Val, Trastevere

The Beehive
A proper budget option, this is a funky little flowerchild of a hotel with dorm beds available as well as a handful of en suite options. Run by an American couple, the Beehive covers the basics well, with wi-fi, a vegetarian café (breakfast is not included) and a little garden. It’s a mere olive’s throw from Termini station (perfect for airport connections) and although the area is nothing special, the Metro is close and it’s only a 20-minute walk to the heart of the city.
Details: En suite doubles are from €80 (the-beehive.com); Via Marghera, Termini
By Mike Atkins
Mike Atkins was a guest of i-escape.com, dorisanddicky.com and British Airways (ba.com), which has flights to Rome from Gatwick and Heathrow from £41 one-way.

Where to eat

Il Leoncino
Oh, Roman pizza, how I love you. Thin and crispy and salty and simple and . . . I just bloody love you, all right. I would have fallen for this place for the framed photos of the Italian air force alone, but the pizzas they serve are bang on. The waiters are all grumpy old blokes with big moustaches and tatty bow ties — and to be fair, the pizzas themselves look sloppy — but this joint knows its cipolle. It’s closed on Wednesdays.
Details: €10 for a pizza (00 39 333 271 0039); Via del Leoncino, Tridente

Matricianella
You know that image you’ve got of what a city centre Italian restaurant should be? Well, this is it. Down a side street and packed with Italian families passing bottles of wine and bread across wooden tables and stuffing their faces with wonderful, hearty Roman grub, this simple trattoria is a joy. Don’t get clever; order a simple dish such as a spaghetti cacio e pepe and weep because it’s so good. Make sure you book ahead; and it’s closed on Sundays.
Details: Two courses are about €25 (matricianella.it); Via del Leone, Tridente

Tiberino
Small, friendly and modern, this cracking spot sits on a little island in the River Tiber. It’s open for breakfast and does great coffee and pastries but I think it works best as a lunch stop for pasta and salad — try the tortellini in chicken broth with cinnamon and pecorino. Oh, and round off your meal with the superb home-made ice cream; that’s an order.
Details: Two courses for about €20 (tiberino.eu); Via Ponte Quattro Capi, Isola Tiberino

Ditirambo
This lovely little restaurant makes you feel so welcome and has such a fun menu, it demands repeat visits. The mains include suckling pig and beef cheeks with liquorice, but the real killer is a starter: the trio of zucchini flowers with ricotta, beef tartare with black truffle and smoked duck with toasted almonds — bravo! If the city comes under siege, there’s also a wine cellar big enough to keep you going for years.
Details: Two courses for about €25 (ristoranteditirambo.it); Piazza della Cancelleria, Campo de’ Fiori

La Fraschetta
This little Italian restaurant has checked tablecloths and garlic hanging from the ceiling. It’s a rock-solid dining option with a rustic vibe and a kitchen that specialises in classic Roman fare such as oxtail, deep-fried artichokes and (cough) tripe. Fear not though, gentle reader, the classics are here too, with top-notch pasta and a wood-fired oven that pumps out some damn fine pizzas.
Details: Two courses for about €20 (lafraschetta.com); Via di San Francesco a Ripa, Trastevere

Budget tip
The Vatican museums are free on the last Sunday morning of the month (but arrive early as the queues can be horrendous).

Amsterdam

An Amsterdam canal

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Where to stay

Hotel de Hallen
Set within a converted tram depot in a vibrant neighbourhood in the west of the city (with plenty of nearby galleries and restaurants), Hotel de Hallen combines industrial elements of the building with modern Scandi decor and original art. The space is also home to an indoor streetfood market, restaurants and a cinema. Rooms range from smaller doubles to suites, but all include walk-in showers (some also have a bath), smart TVs and Nespresso coffee machines. Breakfasts include omelettes, pancakes and smoked salmon with rösti (€19.95).
Details: Doubles are from €70 (hoteldehallen.com); Bellamyplein, 1053 AT

The Hoxton
This is part of the cool chain of the same name, which has two hotels in London. Downstairs there are hang-out areas with sofas, a café-bar and a restaurant with dark velvet banquettes. The bedrooms are split into Shoebox, Cosy and Roomy categories, but all have comfortable beds and a stylish 1950s decor: vintage furniture, parquet floors and Roberts radios. Each room receives a breakfast bag of yoghurt, granola, fruit and orange juice — or you can eat in Lotti’s restaurant, which offers poached eggs and avocado on toast and sourdough pancakes with pineapple. Lotti’s also does great evening food.
Details: B&B doubles are from €89 (thehoxton.com); Herengracht, 1016 BJ

Hotel V Frederiksplein
The rooms of this central townhouse hotel — only a ten-minute walk from the main museums — feel airy and bright thanks to large windows overlooking leafy streets. The decor is modern, with dark wood panelling, flatscreen TVs, copper lampshades and exposed brick. Rooms vary from small doubles to large loft suites for four people, which come with a fully equipped kitchen. Bikes can be hired from the hotel.
Details: B&B doubles are from €69 (hotelvfrederiksplein.nl); Weteringschans, 1017 XV

Volkshotel
Set in a large building that used to be a newspaper office, Volkshotel has an arty feel, with a buzzing ground-floor café that attracts the creative local crowd. Some rooms sleep up to four adults, while nine “special” rooms have been decorated by artists, with “treehouse” beds and a giant blind in each that turns into your own private cinema screen. The rooftop restaurant boasts 360-degree views and serves good food in the evening (three courses are €31), as well as tasty breakfasts of fresh pastries and bread, scrambled eggs and crispy bacon (€10).
Details: Doubles are from €69 (volkshotel.nl); Wibautstraat, 1091 GR

CitizenM
At this modern, no-frills hotel, bedroom space is geared towards a really comfortable sleep. So while rooms are small, they have plush king-size beds, blackout blinds to cover the wall-to-wall windows, and are done out with calming, minimalist decor. They also come with televisions that include a free library of films and music. The downstairs lobby is sleek, with pods that allow you to check yourself in and out, and a bar serving food all day. Breakfast includes fresh pastries, fruit and cereal (€13.95 if booked in advance, €15.95 on the day).
Details: Doubles are from €89 (citizenm.com); Prinses Irenestraat, 1077 WX
By Emily Sargent
Emily Sargent was a guest of Volkshotel and EasyJet, which flies from Gatwick to Amsterdam, with prices starting from £26.24pp one way, based on two people on the same booking (easyjet.com).

Where to eat

Buffet van Odette
This delightful brasserie is in a small low-lit room with glass pendant lamps above wooden tables, attracting an arty crowd. Breakfast might include truffle cheese omelette or grapefruit brûlée; for dinner, start with crab mayonnaise and chickpeas, then half-rooster, yoghurt sauce and couscous, or mussels in harissa.
Details: Three courses are about €30 (english.buffet-amsterdam.nl); Prinsengracht, 1017 KS

Kees
No two menus are the same at Kees. Each day a different five-course meal is served, which remains a mystery until you arrive. Expect fresh bread served with dips, a starter, salads, a fish dish followed by a meat dish, and a dessert. The emphasis is on groups of friends sharing food.
Details: Five courses are €29.50 (by-kees.nl); Weesperzijde, 1091 EE

De Ysbreeker
The large, domed windows and high ceilings of this canalside restaurant create a grand feeling, but De Ysbreeker is relaxed with starters including salads, soups, charcuterie and shellfish, while mains might include duck confit or moules frites. The desserts are enticing, but if you want something smaller you can order chocolate truffles for €2.
Details: Three courses are about €35 (deysbreeker.nl); Weesperzijde, 1091 EC

Winkel 43
This café serves Amsterdam’s best apple pie. Winkel 43 also offers soups and sandwiches.
Details: Sandwiches are about €6; apple pie is €4 (winkel43.nl); Noordermarkt, 1015 NA

Bazar
In a former church, Bazar is a buzzing Middle Eastern restaurant decorated with mosaic tiles, stained glass and ornate chandeliers. Starters include boregi (filo parcels filled with feta, mint and parsley), home-made bread, hummus, spiced feta and falafel, while mains include grilled kebabs.
Details: Three courses are €20 (hotelbazar.nl); Albert Cuypstraat, 1073 BL

Budget tip
Every Tuesday, free lunchtime concerts are put on between noon and 1pm in the foyer of Dutch National Opera & Ballet (operaballet.nl)

Barcelona

Parc Guell, Barcelona

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Where to stay

Barceló Raval
A squat 11-floor tower wrapped in metal mesh only five minutes from the Ramblas, the Barceló Raval is modern and slick. Walk into reception and you’re immediately distracted by the funky ceiling and the bar, with its black, white and fuchsia colour scheme. This strong palette extends to its 186 bedrooms — but the floor-to-ceiling windows provide ample sunlight to handle the reds, limes and purples. It’s all spick and span and very inviting. The crowning glory is the roof terrace, which has 360-degree views of the city.
Details: B&B doubles are from €110 (barceloraval.com); Rambla del Raval, Raval

Hotel Astoria
The serene marble reception area sets the tone for this old-school hotel. There are 117 simple, spacious and well-equipped rooms. Two things set Hotel Astoria apart: the terrific roof terrace with a plunge pool and the hotel’s art, which includes a collection of Opisso, a contemporary of Picasso. Don’t miss his portraits of the young Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec in the ground-floor gallery.
Details: Doubles are from €70, with breakfast €15pp extra (hotelastoria-barcelona.com); Carrer de París 203

Chic & Basic Born
El Born is Barcelona’s hippest neighbourhood, and Chic & Basic fits right in. It’s a hotel in two parts, literally and visually; darkened corridors that are decorated with curtains of LED lights in green, purple and pink give way to 31 bright white, minimalist rooms, again with LED curtains (which you can switch off). The shower cubicle is in the room (with a modesty curtain). Breakfast is served beside reception — the croissants are excellent — and the staff are lovely and helpful.
Details: Doubles are from €51 room only (i-escape.com); Calle Princesa 50, El Born

Generator
OK, so it’s not actually a hotel. The Generator is a 720-bed hostel in studenty Gràcia, yet the only things halls-of-residence about it are the zingy colour schemes and the odd guest sprawled out having a kip. The rooms are clean and fresh, all with private showers. The 50 doubles are spacious and there are also four, six and eight-bunk-bed dorms, which are popular with families. There’s a cool lounge with mesmerising orange lanterns and a café/bar. If you feel like splurging, book the fab penthouse with a view of Gaudí’s Sagrada Família.
Details: Doubles are from €89; four-bed dorms from €102. Continental breakfast is €4.50 (generatorhostels.com); Carrer de Còrsega, Gràcia

Casa Mathilda
This brilliant little B&B — more like a chic boutique hotel — is a 20-minute walk from the old town. Assumpta Baldó opened this 14-room place 18 months ago, on the first floor of a 1920s building. The interior is contemporary, with comfortable rooms that are a good size. There’s a sunny lounge where breakfast is served, plus a decked terrace. Baldó named her new business after her mother and wanted to create a homely feel. She succeeded.
Details: B&B doubles are from €115 (casamathilda.com); Carrer de Roger de Llúria, L’Eixample
By Amanda Linfoot
Amanda Linfoot was a guest of Chic & Basic Born, EasyJet and Voyages-scnf. EasyJet has flights to Barcelona from £19.74pp, based on two travelling. From Madrid to Barcelona by train, the fares start at £30.50 one way in standard class (voyages-sncf.com; 0844 8485848).

Where to eat

Les Quinze Nits
A cut-price lunchtime menú del día is a great way to try a top restaurant. Les Quinze Nits is in a palm tree-filled square. My lunch (from a choice of three for each course) consisted of olives, bread, salad niçoise, grilled chicken and aubergines, walnut cake, a coffee and glass of wine.
Details A three-course set lunch menu is about €12 (grupandilana.com); Plaza Real, Barri Gòtic

Bodega 1900
Albert Adrià used to cook the desserts for his brother Ferran at el Bulli. In his own low-key restaurant, Albert has created a fabulous menu. With a glass of crisp Catalan white, Xarel-lo, I enjoyed crab mayo on toast, delicious stewed lamb, cheese, then the triumph: orange jelly, with pesto, baby mint and a sprinkle of salt on top. Other dishes include mussels, clams, squid, jamón ibérico and steak.
Details Five tapas dishes cost €35 (bodega1900.com); Calle Tamarit, St Antoni

Petra
With its stained glass, mosaic tiles and lampshades made from cutlery, Petra has a great setting. The menu includes salads for €5, pasta (€6) and mains (€8.85). Courgette carpaccio with guacamole was super-fresh; a “casserole” of butifarra (Catalan sausage) with mushrooms turned out not to be a stew, but a moreish pile of fried mixed mushrooms and delicately flavoured meat with a fried egg on top.
Details: Dinner is from about €20 (restaurantpetra.com); Carrer dels Sombrerers, El Born

L’Òstia
In a square near the waterfront, L’Òstia is a family-run restaurant with a tiled bar and industrial concrete walls. The menu features “Pepa’s bomb”, a meat-filled croquette covered in pepper sauce. My pork chop was great, followed by carquinyolis (Catalan biscotti), doused with dessert wine.
Details: Dinner is from €20 (lostiabarceloneta.com); Plaza de la Barceloneta

Bar del Pla
The menu at this tiny, friendly, walk-in restaurant showcases classic Catalan ingredients (fish, seafood, game) and the tapas are imaginative — a super-beefy spring roll with foie on top is best accompanied by a robust red.
Details: Dinner is from €15 (bardelpla.cat); Carrer de Montcada, El Born

Budget tip
A return trip on the cable car across the harbour is €16 — but you can get a better view from the 26th-floor Eclipse bar of the W hotel (and, for that money, buy two glasses of cava; opens 6pm).

Madrid

Metropolis Building, Madrid

CORBIS

Where to stay

Praktik Metropol
On a corner of Gran Vía (Madrid’s equivalent of London’s Oxford Street), this is in one of the city’s busiest spots. Inside, though, all is calm. The 68 rooms are done out in white panelling with sculptural lighting and walk-in showers. There’s a comfy lounge with a communal table to bring your own food (they don’t do breakfast but there’s tea and coffee for €1). If the city roar might keep you awake, try a courtyard room.
Details: Doubles are from €69 (praktikmetropol.com); Calle Montera, Sol

Urban Sea Atocha 113
Three minutes’ walk from Atocha station, this minimalist 36-room hotel is good value. The rooms are all-white and simple but comfortable. Breakfast is not provided but there’s free tea and coffee in reception. Some rooms have privacy curtains, not doors, to the loo. If that sounds like hell, book a superior double.
Details: Doubles are from €62 (urbanseahotels.com); Calle de Atocha, Huertas

Eric Vökel
Serviced apartments make great financial sense if you’re travelling in a group. Eric is an architect from Copenhagen who has turned a 19th-century building into 16 swish two-bed suites and one three-bed suite. The kitchens have every conceivable gadget, the lounges have a cool Nordic feel and the apartments are in the hippest part of town. Eric also has a building in Atocha with one-bed apartments and a pool.
Details: A two-bedroom apartment (two doubles) is from €152, which works out at €76 a room (ericvokel.com); Calle de San Bernardo, Malasaña

Hotel Artrip
With only 17 rooms, this 19th-century house is a quiet retreat. The reception doubles as a gallery — the hotel is located in arty Lavapiés, and the big three galleries (Prado, Reina Sofia, Thyssen) are an easy walk away. Rooms are tasteful and have a fridge and a rain shower. A continental breakfast and free tea and coffee are included.
Details: B&B doubles are from £76 (dorisanddicky.com); Calle Valencia, Lavapiés

Room Mate Óscar
Two blocks back from Gran Vía, Room Mate Óscar is a hip but friendly 74-room hotel. My room was dominated by an enormous orange velour installation, part sitting space, part statement, but I slept like a log thanks to formidable double glazing. Breakfast is great, they lend you a mifi pack for internet access on the go, plus there’s a fab rooftop bar (and pool, open in summer).
Details B&B doubles are from €99 (room-matehotels.com); Plaza Vázquez de Mella, Chueca
By Amanda Linfoot
Amanda Linfoot was a guest of easyJet and Room Mate Óscar. EasyJet flies to Madrid from five UK airports, from £20.24pp one way, based on two people travelling.

Where to eat

Taberna Malaspina
In a side street, this atmospheric bar is all ochre walls, dark wood and bare brick. There’s nothing frou-frou about it; huevos estrellados (ham, egg and chips) was enormous and satisfying. The menu includes salads, burgers, calamari and tortillas. The (decent) fino is €1.60 a glass.
Details: Two courses cost about €11 (00 34 915 23 4024); Calle de Cádiz, Sol

Platea
The approach to Platea, via a dowdy shopping centre, is unpromising. Inside, there’s a gourmet tapas mart with 12 food outlets (the chefs have six Michelin stars). Create a cheese board at Aires A Dehesa or choose tapas at Pintxoteca. Sinergias is all about hot food: croquetas, tortilla, calamari sandwiches.
Details: Dinner is €20-30 (plateamadrid.com); Calle de Goya, Salamanca

Emma Cocina
Guide books tell you to go to San Miguel market, but nearby Emma Cocina is a superior experience. I loved the salmorejo (creamy cold tomato soup with hardboiled egg and iberico ham, and toast). This was served with a plate of pork loin and fried aubergine. Meat and fish mains are €12-14.
Details: Three courses cost €20-25 (00 34 913 54 6013); Plaza de San Miguel, Los Austrias

Casa Mingo
Casa Mingo is an Asturian cider house, a masculine place full of dark wood that feels like a saloon. As you walk in the roast chicken aroma hits you, because that’s pretty much all there is on the menu — a whole bird is €10.60. The cider itself is light and refreshing.
Details: Two courses cost €12-15 (casamingo.es); Paseo de la Florida, near Príncipe Pío

La Otra Casa
Great tapas, including mushroom risotto and oxtail hamburgers. Pudding was simple but superb: a big orange and bourbon chocolate truffle.
Details: Three courses cost €20 (00 34 810 52 0773); Calle Olivar, Lavapiés

Budget tip
Entrance to the Prado is free after 6pm (5pm on Sundays). You’ll have only two hours so focus on the masterpieces listed on the floorplan.