Best City Breaks Podcasts (2024)

1
Valletta Episode 01 Introduction 26:48

8d ago26:48

26:48

Merħba il-Valletta: welcome to Valletta, the capital of Malta. Valletta is a World Heritage Site, small in scale, easy to explore and known for its stunning coastal views and gorgeous architecture. Here you can 'meet' such varied characters from history as St Paul, Caravaggio and the Knights of St John and learn some of the island's most inspiring …

1
Marseille Episode 10 A Marseille Anthology 24:12

1M ago24:12

24:12

Our Marseille Anthology includes some travel writing, plus a range of fiction pieces set in the city. Extracts include Simone de Beauvoir hiking in the surrounding countryside and Jean-Claude Izzo's description of the Italian immigrant community in Le Panier in the 1930s. The Count of Monte Cristo's daring escape from the Château d'If is here, as a…

1
Marseille Episode 09 In the Footsteps of Marcel Pagnol 24:47

2M ago24:47

24:47

The author and film-maker Marcel Pagnol is inextricably linked with Marseille – where he lived, set some of his early works and is buried – and with the Provencal countryside around the city. The area's garrigue landscape provides the backdrop to his popular autobiographical works, La Gloire de Mon Père (My Father's Glory) and Le Château de Ma Mère…

1
Marseille Episode 08 Food and Shopping 31:47

4M ago31:47

31:47

This post introduces you to two great pleasures in this Provencal city: Marseille food and Marseille shopping, beginning with the signature dishes and key ingredients of the city's cuisine, plus a few ideas on where to look for restaurants. Then, we outline key items to buy as souvenirs of Marseille, followed by a rundown of the city's main shoppin…

1
Marseille Episode 07 Boat Trips, Beaches and the Chateau d'If 25:03

5M ago25:03

25:03

Marseille boat trips – those words belong together. But beaches and the Château d’If are also great ideas for trips out from Marseille and so this episode covers all three. Then there are suggestions for other little excursions, to l’Estaque and Cassis, which both mix boating and arty vibes, plus a trip on a coastal train with views a-plenty and id…

1
Marseille Episode 06 Art in Marseille 22:58

6M ago22:58

22:58

This episode covers two main Marseille art galleries, the Musée des Beaux Arts and Regards de Provence, and focuses particularly on work on local themes - Marseille itself, and the provençal hinterland. Then there are pointers to 4 more galleries in the city, featuring ethnic, modern and decorative arts, plus a little coverage of some of the most f…

1
Marseille Episode 05 La Joliette, the Mucem and the Cosquer Museum 24:12

7M ago24:12

24:12

This post takes you around La Joliette, the new port area in Marseille and looks at what there is to do there. That includes the city’s two newest must-see museums – one gives you a tour of Mediterranean culture, the other takes you on a virtual exploration of the incredible caves discovered nearby, where the artwork dates back 30,000 years. We als…

1
Marseille Episode 04 The Le Panier District 29:26

8M ago29:26

29:26

This post focuses on the Le Panier district of Marseille, the oldest and most atmospheric part of the city: think hills, narrow roads, colourful houses, flowers, little restaurants in pretty squares, artisan shops and plenty of street art. Plus two of the city’s big sights, La Charité, the former poorhouse, now a museum centre and the stunning 'Maj…

1
Marseille Episode 03 The Old Port, the Canebiere and Notre Dame de la Garde 31:03

9M ago31:03

31:03

This episode centres on Marseille’s most popular sights, the Old Port, the hilltop church of Notre Dame de la Garde, and the Canebière, the wide avenue leading back from the port into the heart of the city. After a few snippets of history, we tour such sights as the fish market, the iconic canopy built to mark Marseille's year as a City of European…

1
Marseille Episode 02 10 Places to Find History in Marseille 26:52

10M ago26:52

26:52

There are 26 centuries of history in Marseille, which is the oldest city in France! This episode runs through 10 places where you can find traces of key moments in the city's past. They range from the plaque commemorating the founding of Marseille in about 600 BC to the site where you can still see bullet holes from the fight to liberate the city f…

1
Marseille Episode 01 Introduction to Marseille 25:21

11M ago25:21

25:21

Bienvenue à Marseille. Welcome to Marseille, the lively southern French city whose name rhymes with 'soleil'. There's beauty in the Old Port and the stunning coastline, there's history and culture a-plenty in the museums, there's a Provencal feel - boules and bouillabaisse - overlaid with a vibrant multi-ethnic mix. There's a little grit too, for t…

1
Bordeaux Episode 10 Literary Bordeaux: an Anthology 36:08

12M ago36:08

36:08

Our introduction to literary Bordeaux begins with the 3 most famous Bordeaux authors, the ‘3 Ms’, that is the philosophers Montaigne and Montesquieu and the novelist François Mauriac. There are statues of them all in the city. There are mini biographies and pointers to their works. Then we follow up with more books set in and around Bordeaux - hist…

1
Bordeaux Episode 09 St Emilion and other Day Trips from Bordeaux 24:56

1y ago24:56

24:56

This post gives ideas for day trips from Bordeaux, focussing first on nearby St Émilion, attractive both for its history and its world-renowned wine industry. To wander its cobbled streets is to find photo opportunities on every corner, both architectural gems and splendid scenery. Then we cover ways to explore the countryside around Bordeaux and a…

1
Bordeaux Episode 08 Food and Shopping 32:26

1y ago32:26

32:26

Food and Shopping: two of the major reasons for visiting Bordeaux! This episode lists some of top-notch products from Bordeaux’s Atlantic coastline and the rich agricultural land surrounding it and highlights the areas of the city and some of the restaurants where you can enjoy them. Then we do the same for shopping, listing specialities and highli…

1
Bordeaux Episode 07 3 Bordeaux Art Galleries 23:57

1y ago23:57

23:57

This post introduces 3 Bordeaux art galleries, the long-standing Museum des Beaux Arts (Museum of Fine Arts), the always surprising Musée des Arts Contemporains (Museum of Modern Art) and the Bassin des Lumières, France’s largest digital art gallery where parts of the World War II submarine base have been re-purposed to provide a new way of enjoyin…

1
Bordeaux Episode 06 Wine in Bordeaux 31:52

1+ y ago31:52

31:52

Bordeaux wine – could two words be more inextricably linked? No, said the author Henry James: ‘Bordeaux is dedicated to the worship of Bacchus’. This post gives a little background, then focuses on where in the city to find out all about this most important product, whether than is learning about it, buying it, drinking it. We finish with 5 quirky …

1
Bordeaux Episode 05 Finding World War II in Bordeaux Today 28:00

1+ y ago28:00

28:00

Strolling through Bordeaux today, you can be largely unaware of the fascinating story of the city under German Occupation between 1940 and 1944. This episode recounts a little of the history and highlights three places to visit in the city today to find out more. Prepare for tales of hardship, persecution, courage, betrayal, resistance and, eventua…

1
Llandudno og Conwy i Wales 37:25

1+ y ago37:25

37:25

Episode 4 går til Llandudno og Conwy i Wales i denne virtuelle rejse. Velkommen til en rejsepodcast serie, der primært fokuserer på at bidrage med inspiration til, at du på egen hånd får lyst til at udforske dele af Europa. Det kan ske i form af City Breaks, weekendture og ferier. Links: Nem rejseplanlægning 24/7: https://book24h.online Denne podca…

1
Bordeaux Episode 04 Riverside Heritage 25:37

1+ y ago25:37

25:37

This post is all about Bordeaux's riverside heritage. We’ll be looking at a number of museums which explore the links between Bordeaux, the River Garonne and its trading prosperity, including the dark stain of slavery and how that is remembered in the city today. We end with ideas for the many ways to enjoy the riverside in Bordeaux, plus ideas for…

1
Llandudno and Conwy in Wales 35:10

1+ y ago35:10

35:10

Episode 4 goes to Llandudno and Conwy in Wales in this virtual journey. Welcome to a travel podcast series that primarily focuses on providing inspiration to make you want to explore parts of Europe on your own. This can take the form of City Breaks, weekend getaways, and holidays. Links: Easy travel planning 24/7 on the website: https://book24h.on…

1
Wales (alias Cymru) 25:32

1+ y ago25:32

25:32

Episode 3 går til Wales i denne virtuelle rejse. Velkommen til en rejsepodcast serie, der primært fokuserer på at bidrage med inspiration til, at du på egen hånd får lyst til at udforske dele af Europa. Det kan ske i form af City Breaks, weekendture og ferier. Links: Nem rejseplanlægning 24/7: https://book24h.online Denne podcast serie er også udgi…

1
Wales (aka Cymru) 24:57

1+ y ago24:57

24:57

Episode 3 goes to Wales in this virtual journey. Welcome to a travel podcast series that primarily focuses on providing inspiration to make you want to explore parts of Europe on your own. This can take the form of City Breaks, weekend getaways, and holidays. Links: Easy travel planning 24/7 on the website: https://book24h.online Enjoy this podcast…

1
Wrocław in Poland 15:18

1+ y ago15:18

15:18

Episode 2 goes to Wrocław in Poland in this virtual journey. Welcome to a travel podcast series that primarily focuses on providing inspiration to make you want to explore parts of Europe on your own. This can take the form of City Breaks, weekend getaways, and holidays. Links: Easy travel planning 24/7 on the website: https://book24h.online Enjoy …

1
Wrocław i Polen 17:14

1+ y ago17:14

17:14

Episode 2 går til Wrocław i Polen i denne virtuelle rejse. Velkommen til en rejsepodcast serie, der primært fokuserer på at bidrage med inspiration til, at du på egen hånd får lyst til at udforske dele af Europa. Det kan ske i form af City Breaks, weekendture og ferier. Links: Nem rejseplanlægning 24/7: https://book24h.online Denne podcast serie er…

1
Poland 26:56

1+ y ago26:56

26:56

Episode 1 goes to Poland in this virtual journey. Welcome to a travel podcast series that primarily focuses on providing inspiration to make you want to explore parts of Europe on your own. This can take the form of City Breaks, weekend getaways, and holidays. Links: Easy travel planning 24/7 on the website: https://book24h.online Enjoy this podcas…

1
Polen 29:42

1+ y ago29:42

29:42

Episode 1 går til Polen i denne virtuelle rejse. Velkommen til en rejsepodcast serie, der primært fokuserer på at bidrage med inspiration til, at du på egen hånd får lyst til at udforske dele af Europa. Det kan ske i form af City Breaks, weekendture og ferier. Links: Nem rejseplanlægning 24/7: https://book24h.online Denne podcast serie er også udgi…

1
Prolog 3:22

1+ y ago3:22

3:22

I denne Prolog bydes der velkommen til en rejsepodcast serie, der primært fokuserer på at bidrage med inspiration til, at du på egen hånd får lyst til at udforske dele af Europa. Det kan ske i form af City Breaks, weekendture og ferier. Links: Nem rejseplanlægning 24/7: https://book24h.online Denne podcast serie er også udgivet på engelsk: https://…

1
Prologue 1:25

1+ y ago1:25

1:25

Welcome to a travel podcast series that primarily focuses on inspiring to make you want to explore parts of Europe on your own. This can take the form of City Breaks, weekend getaways, and holidays. Links: Easy travel planning 24/7 on the website: https://book24h.online Enjoy this podcast series in Danish: https://podopshost.com/europa…

1
Bordeaux Episode 03 Roman and Medieval Bordeaux 27:37

1+ y ago27:37

27:37

This episode 'visits' the Bordeaux of two important past eras: the Roman and the medieval. A little history, plus lots of ideas for places to visit today: the remains of a Roman amphitheatre, turretted towers and the churches which became stopping points on the pilgrims' route to Santiago de Compostela. Plus, of course, the story of Eleanor of Aqui…

1
Bordeaux Episode 02 A Stroll around Central Bordeaux 30:12

1+ y ago30:12

30:12

This episode takes you on a stroll through central Bordeaux, introducing the highlights and giving a little background history. Key moments from the past include a 12th century royal wedding and the demise of revolutionary heroes who died for Republican values. The architectural highlights include medieval turrets, 18th century mansions and a quays…

1
Bordeaux Episode 01 Introduction 22:50

1+ y ago22:50

22:50

Bienvenue à Bordeaux. Welcome to Bordeaux. This relaxed, elegant city is famous for its wine, for its delightful riverside quays and for its layers of history from Roman remains and medieval towers to 21st century stunners like the Miroir d’Eau and the Cité du Vin. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a centre of gastronomy and culture. This intro…

1
Berlin Episode 18 Novels set in Berlin 29:43

2y ago29:43

29:43

Eight inspirational ideas for novels set in Berlin, all of which bring their own distinctive view of the city. Read them to inform an upcoming trip, to reminisce about the Berlin you have visited or simply to see the city from lots of different perspectives. Useful Links The 8 featured novels Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane The Luminous Life of Lily…

1
Berlin Episode 17 Writers on Berlin 29:36

2y ago29:36

29:36

We open with some quotes on Berlin from the likes of David Bowie ('the greatest cultural extravaganza anyone could imagine') and Nikita Khrushchev ('the testicle of the west'), then follows the main content: reviews of 4 non-fiction books which tell the story of Berlin and its residents from different angles. They include a family history, the hist…

1
Berlin Episode 16 A Day at the Lakes 26:27

2y ago26:27

26:27

Ideas for a day trip from Berlin to Lake Wannsee, where Berliners love to swim and enjoy the lakeside beach and surrounding forest. Plus what to visit nearby - an exotic island, a couple of royal castles, an artist's hideaway, a villa steeped in WW2 history and the real Bridge of Spies. Maybe you need longer than a day to visit, but you can get all…

1
Berlin Episode 15 The Palace of Charlottenburg 27:17

2y ago27:17

27:17

A visit to Charlottenburg, once the summer palace of the Hohenzollerns who ruled Prussia for 5 centuries. Tips on what to look out for, plus stories of those connected with it: Sophie Charlotte, for whom the original palace was built, Frederick the Great who built a fancy new wing, and the popular Queen Luisa, around whom court life revolved in the…

1
Berlin Episode 14 Jewish Culture in Berlin 29:08

2y ago29:08

29:08

Jewish culture in Berlin goes back hundreds of years and we visit the places where you can discover it. The New Synagogue, also known as the Centrum Judaicum, and the Jewish Museum are the two main centres of Jewish heritage in the city today, but there are others too, plus Jewish cemeteries and memorials and two ideas for guided walking tours. Rea…

1
Berlin Episode 13 Film and Cinema 32:56

2y ago32:56

32:56

An exploration of Berlin as a city of film and cinema. Two museums, a look back at Berlin cinema history and a visit to the Berlinale, the city's annual highly influential film festival. Plus tips on which Berlin cinemas to try out and suggestions for films set in Berlin, some German language (available with English subtitles) and some in English. …

1
Berlin Episode 12 Music and Theatre 25:59

2y ago25:59

25:59

Fancy adding a theatre or concert visit to your Berlin itinerary? Here's a look at music in Berlin, with snippets of history, from Frederick the Great to Marlene Dietrich, plus a rundown of the main venues where you'll find all best concerts, operas and musicals. Then, an overview of theatre in Berlin, and advice on finding performances to enjoy ev…

1
Berlin Episode 11 More Berlin Art 27:09

2y ago27:09

27:09

There’s so much more to art in Berlin than the Top 3 Galleries from our last episode. So here’s a look at an artist who has a museum dedicated to her (Käthe Kollwitz), a 20th century art movement with strong links to Berlin (Bauhaus) and the best of the rest: where to find specialist galleries, modern art and street art in Berlin. Useful links Käth…

1
Berlin Episode 10 Berlin’s Top 3 Art Galleries 25:24

2y ago25:24

25:24

There are so many art galleries in Berlin that it's difficult to choose which to visit. We provide a run-down of the top three in this episode and save the best of the rest for next time! So here's what you need to know about the Gemäldegalerie, the Alte Nationalgalerie and the Neue Nationalgalerie which between them cover everything from the Middl…

1
Berlin Episode 09 In Search of East Berlin 33:16

2y ago33:16

33:16

What has happened to the GDR (German Democratic Republic), the country which was created when the Berlin Wall went up and which then disappeared when it came down? What was life in East Berlin like between August 1961 and November 1989? And where in today’s Berlin can you find out all about it? Here are three museum suggestions, plus a little of wh…

1
Berlin Episode 08 In Search of the Berlin Wall 32:13

2y ago32:13

32:13

The story of the Berlin Wall will always fascinate. And here it is, along with ideas for three places in Berlin you can visit to see the remaining sections and find out more. Author Rory MacLean summed up the impact first seeing the wall had on him: 'At the heart of the continent were watchtowers, barbed wire and border guards, instructed to shoot …

1
Berlin Episode 07 Holocaust and Remembrance 29:08

2y ago29:08

29:08

The Holocaust Memorial is deliberately sited right in the heart of Berlin because this is a city which does all it can to make sure the horrors of the holocaust are understood by each new generation. This episode begins with the main facts, then focuses on the places you can visit in Berlin today to learn more and to remember the victims, collectiv…

1
Berlin Episode 06 Finding World War 2 in Berlin today 28:20

2+ y ago28:20

28:20

On this episode, we take a tour of places in Berlin connected to World War 2; the square where the Nazis burned books, the stadium where they held their showpiece Olympics in 1936, the sites of their HQ and of Hitler's bunker and the museums which tell tell the story of war, devastation and resistance. A little history and a lot of tips on what to …

1
Berlin Episode 05 Four Berlin Squares 29:35

2+ y ago29:35

29:35

A tour of four main squares in Berlin: a little history and tips on what to look out for in each. Baroque beauty in Gendarmenmarkt, the book-burning memorial on Bebelplatz, finding the old East Germany at Alexanderplatz and lastly Potsdamer Platz, the heart of pre-war Berlin which is now an architectural showpiece, and a shopping and cultural hub. …

1
Berlin Episode 04 The Tiergarten and the Ku’Damm 27:01

2+ y ago27:01

27:01

There might be fewer 'must-sees' in the western half of Berlin than further east, but they are winners: a glorious park which began life as a 16th century royal hunting ground and is today the green heart of everyone's Berlin; and a fascinating church, rebuilt after the devastation of World War II, combining the remains with a beautiful new church,…

1
Berlin Episode 03 Unter den Linden 28:00

2+ y ago28:00

28:00

A wander down Berlin's most elegant street, Unter den Linden, to see its baroque splendour, its iconic buildings - think cathedrals, the opera house and the poignant war memorial, the Neue Wache - and maybe visit a museum or two on an island which is packed full of antiquities and art. Here is a little history, plus lots of tips on how to make the …

1
Berlin Episode 02 The Reichstag and the Brandenburg Gate 27:00

2+ y ago27:00

27:00

On a first trip to Berlin you'll probably head straight for the Parliament or the Brandenburg Gate. We're doing the same, and handily, they are close together and near to lots of other top sites. We bring you a little history to explain why these two iconic monuments represent everything dear to today's Berliners - lessons from history and the free…

1
Berlin Episode 01 Introduction 27:08

2+ y ago27:08

27:08

There's nowhere like Berlin. A turbulent history, an unrivalled cultural richness, green and modern and laid back all at once, truly a city break destination with plenty for everyone. Here is an overview of the series, offering some geographical, historical and cultural details to set the scene for the remaining 19 episodes when we will tour all th…

1
Edinburgh Episode 16 Anthology 33:12

2+ y ago33:12

33:12

A tour of Edinburgh through the eyes of the travellers, poets and novelists who captured its essence. London, compared to Edinburgh, wrote Charlotte Bronte, is as 'prose compared to poetry.' Well, we bring you lots of both, from centuries past and right up to the present day. Useful links: https://edinburgh.org City Breaks: all the history and cult…

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