facttime

Last month, I left behind the grey, wintry skies of London and jetted off to Athens for four days of sun, sightseeing and great food and drink. Planning a trip to the Greek capital? My Athens city guide has all of my recommendations for things to do and places to eat, drink, shop and stay. Like most people, I had a lot of trips cancelled in 2020 and I've been trying to recreate them all, as I did in  Malta and New York . I'd wanted to spend my November birthday somewhere sunny in 2020 and, worried about cancellations, I only booked my city break in Athens ten days before my departure. I found a great hotel and did a lot of research. And then three days later, the UK went into full lockdown and I had to cancel. Almost exactly two years later, I finally made it to the City of the Violet Crown (well, the other one ). THINGS TO DO Acropolis now . The Acropolis , the UNESCO-listed ancient citadel perched on a rocky outcrop above the city, is, of course, the main event when it come...

There's something about Bristol. Although the long weekend I spent there recently was only the third time I've been in two decades, both of my previous visits made me fall for the place enough to seriously consider going to university there and moving there , respectively. With a population of around 470,000, Bristol feels like a proper city, with great food and culture, but parts of it still retain a relaxed, villagey feel and it has a fantastic alternative scene too. I've always blamed expensive rail fares and hotel rates for not travelling very much within the UK but with Bristol only being a 1h30 train ride from London, I really have no excuse for visiting so infrequently. Here's what I got up to on my recent city break. THINGS TO DO Exploring Bristol's history . The city centre is compact and easily explored on foot or by bike (watch out for the hills, though). I usually like to take a walking tour when I'm in a city I don't know that well, but as it wa...