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London – Around Town : South and West (part 1)

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The palaces that once graced London’s river to the south and west of the city centre were built in places that remain popular today, from Hampton Court and Richmond in the west, downriver to Greenwich. There, on a deep meander in the Thames, a vast Tudor palace was the dramatic first sight of the city … Read more

Paris – Around Town : Montmartre and Pigalle (part 1)

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Painters and poets, from Picasso to Apollinaire, put the “art” in Montmartre, and it will forever be associated with their Bohemian lifestyles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There are plenty of artists around today too, painting quick-fire portraits of tourists in the place du Tertre. The area’s name comes from “Mount of … Read more

London – Around Town : Heading North (part 1)

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Beyond Regent’s Park and the railway termini of Euston, King’s Cross and St Pancras, North London drifts up into areas that were once distant villages where the rich built their country mansions to escape the city. Many of these houses remain and several are open for the public to wander around and imagine a bygone … Read more

New York – Around Town : Upper East Side (part 2) – Madison Avenue Boutiques, Restaurants

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A Day Exploring the Upper East Side Morning Start at the Guggenheim and admire Frank Lloyd Wright’s great architectural achievement before seeing the fine modern art collection. “Must sees” include Chagall’s Paris Through the Window, Modigliani’s Nude, and Picasso’s Woman Ironing. Stop for coffee at the café on the main floor of the museum before … Read more

New York – Around Town : Upper East Side (part 1)

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When New York’s upper crust moved uptown a century ago, their destination was the Upper East Side, and it is still the address of choice for many wealthy families. Most of the older Beaux Arts mansions around 5th Avenue are now occupied by embassies or museums; today’s elite live in the solid apartment buildings that … Read more

Paris – Around Town : Chaillot Quarter (part 1)

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Chaillot was a separate village until the 19th century, when it was swallowed up by the growing city and bestowed with wide avenues and lavish mansions during the Second Empire building spree. Its centrepiece is the glorious Palais de Chaillot which stands on top of the small Chaillot hill, its wide white-stone wings embracing the … Read more

London – Around Town : The City (part 2) – City Churches to Visit, Eating and Drinking

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City Churches to Visit St Paul’s Cathedral St Paul’s Cathedral St Bartholomew-the-Great One of London’s oldest churches, St Bartholomew, was built in the 12th century. Several Norman architectural details may be seen. West Smithfield EC1 Open 8:30am–5pm (4pm in winter) Mon–Fri, 10:30am–4pm Sat, 8:30am–8pm Sun Adm St Mary-le-Bow Located in Cheapside, St Mary-le-Bow was rebuilt … Read more

London – Around Town : The City (part 1)

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The ancient square mile of London, defined roughly by the walls of the Roman city, is a curious mixture of streets and lanes with medieval names, state-of-the-art finance houses and no fewer than 38 churches, many of them, including St Paul’s Cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Don’t miss the City’s old markets: Smithfield still … Read more

Berlin – Around Town : Potsdam & Sanssouci (part 1)

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Potsdam is an important part of European cultural history – a splendid centre of European Enlightenment, which reached its climax in the 18th century in the architectural and artistic design of Frederick the Great’s palace. The palace complex of Sanssouci, with its beautiful, extensive park, is both magnificent and playful and has been designated a … Read more

Rome – Around Town : Beyond the City Walls (part 1)

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The 3rd-century Aurelian walls are still largely intact and served as the defence of the city for 1,600 years until Italian Unification was achieved in 1870. After that, the walls were pierced in several places so that traffic could bypass the old gates and the modern city quickly sprawled far and wide in every direction. … Read more

New York – Around Town : Midtown (part 1)

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The lights of Times Square, The Spires of the Empire State and Chrysler buildings, Rockefeller Center, the United Nations Headquarters, stores on 5th Avenue, museums, theaters, and grand buildings galore – all are found in the midtown area between 34th and 59th streets, extending from the East River as far as Broadway. The concentration of … Read more