Eurostar breaks – a destination guide
Eurostar and city breaks are becoming ever more popular as the credit crunch bites hard and many in the UK are swapping long summer holidays for two or three well planned short breaks. You are probably know that Eurostar travel to Paris, Brussels, Lille, Amsterdam and Disneyland Paris but have you thought about travelling even further and visiting these Eurostar destinations:

Nice
Nice is situated on the French Riviera and is the ideal Eurostar destination to take it easy on the white, pebbly beaches or swim in the sparking blue waters of the Mediterranean. Nice is a blend of modern urban energy and old world decadence. It has the best restaurants, an old city harbour, modern art museum, baroque churches and wonderful markets.

Cologne (Köln)
Cologne is the fourth largest city in Germany and is situated in the North West on the Rhine. It is often referred to as the economic, historic and cultural capital of the Rhineland. Its famous cathedral took more than six hundred years to build and it is the largest one in Germany. Köln is known for its annual carnival celebrations and Karneval season starts on 11th November and doesn’t end until Ash Wednesday. The local beer, Kölsch has left its mark on Cologne and goes down well with a Halve Hahn cheese roll.

Biarritz
Biarritz became famous when the wife of Napoleon iii built a palace on the beach, now the Hotel du Palais and it is also a popular destination because of the Eugenie les Bains, natural springs. This is a great destination for the sports fans because of its excellent golf courses and surfing conditions – which are the best in France. The Musée de la Mer is a very interesting museum which houses twenty-four aquariums. A particular amusement not to be missed is seal feeding time. This destination has an active nightlife, a good mix of casual taverns, brassieres and formal dining. Souvenir hunters will delight in the hand made sandals (espadrilles), Basque tablecloths, jewellery and antiques. Walkers will love the Pyrenees.

Quimper
Quimper is in west France and is the capital of the Finisterre region in Brittany, almost four hundred miles from Paris for anyone seeking colon cleansers. A must-do for pottery collectors who will love the bold provincial designs of Quimperwear. Quimper is where the Steir and Odet rivers meet and it has narrow winding cobbled streets, soaring Gothic spires, half-timbered houses and sturdy medieval ramparts.

Bruges
Bruges in Belgium is the European Capital of Culture. This destination can easily be compared to Venice. It has low romatic bridges, a picturesque skyline and a labrinth of waterways. This medieval city is both beautiful and quaint with amazing architecture, cobbled streets, traditional souvenirs, hand made chocolates and inspiring canal cruises.

————————

Exciting Eurostar city breaks at http://www.directline-citybreaks.co.uk/ . All the latest prices & offers on Eurostar city breaks.

Historic Berlin Zoo

Cheap Hotels in Berlin
The cost of staying in hotels in Berlin can be high, but you can save money on your Berlin hotel room rate with a good hotel price comparison website like netflights.com, who have rooms on offer in Berlin for less than €100.

Getting around in Berlin
When you arrive in Berlin, you can buy a CityTourCard which gives you unlimited travel on Berlin buses, trams, U-Bahn (metro), S-Bahn (railway), and you can buy the Tourcard online before you arrive so it will cover your travel from the Schönefeld Airport or Tegel Airport on arrival. Prices start from €15.90 for 48 hours unlimited travel.  There is another bonus to the CityTourCard that makes Berlin extra cheap for you – your card gets you in free to all museums on the Museumsinsel of Berlin.

Cheap Berlin sightseeing
Berlin Zoo – Tierpark is unmissable, not just for kids.  The city zoo dates back 150 years and the architecture is unique.  Enter from Budapester Strasse through the reconstructed Elephant Gate of 1899 that was completely destroyed in the last war and resurrected in all its original detail in 1984.  Two recumbent elephants of Elbe sandstone bear a sweeping roof ornamented with elaborate carvings and East Asian paintings, making this one of the iconic images of Berlin.

There are plenty of free sights to see as well, like the infamous Checkpoint Charlie, one of the enduring symbols of the divided city.  This was the place where border guards checked the passports of foreign visitors lucky enough to be able to pass between the east and west parts of Berlin.  Another free Berlin sight is the Brandeburg Gate at the top of the Unter den Linden boulevard, which thrived in the 19th century. Now that Berlin is the seat of the German government this area is being restored to its proper glory.

Cheap restaurants in Berlin
It is easy to find cheap Berlin pubs, restaurants and cafes, many serving kebabs or the legendary Currywurst.
Try Zum Schusterjungen, serving traditional East German meals like Schnitzel and Bratkartoffeln since 1989. With main courses from E7, this pub-restaurant is almost always full so get there early. Zum Schusterjungen is off the tourist path in the old Easter sector – Danziger Strasse 9, nearest station is Eberswalder U-Bahn.

More central is Assel, situated on the busy Oranienburger Strasse. This excellent traditional German cellar restaurant’s signature dish is the Existentialist’s Breakfast at €2.50, with main meals from €6. If you are lucky they m ay allow you to play on the ping pong table after your meal. The nearest S-Bahn station is Oranienburger Strasse.
berlin cheap hotels
cheap to berlin