Five more great City Breaks (2)

Following on from our previous post, here are some more photos from five more great City Break destinations. Five cities which are perhaps, less known and less visited than those featured in our previous post, but which are still really worth visting.

Valencia is Spain's third largest city, sitiated in the middle of the  huerta, a fertile plain of orange groves and maket gardens. With its warm coastal climate, Valencia is known for its outdoor living and nightlife. Its a perfect city for wandering round with a map in hand, as most of the monuments are in easy walking distance from Plaza del Ayuntamiento, the triangular main square where you will find the town hall. Great places to visit include the City of Arts & Science and the mouth watering Mercado Central.

Plaza de la Reina

City of Arts & Science

Mercado Central

Next on our list is Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg. The main attraction, the Vielle Ville (Old City) is perched high on an escarpment over the rivers Alzette and Petrusse. Down in the valley you'll find the three Villes Basses (Lower Towns) of Grund, Clausen and Pfaffenthal.  If you're looking for a destination for a relaxed weekend break, Luxembourg city is ideal. Its a compact city with no need to hop in the car or take public transport to see the old town.

Place Guillaume II

View over Grund

The Casemates du Bock

As a tourist destination, the city of Ghent has long been overshadowed by its neighbour, Bruges. In our opinion Ghent is just attractive to visit if not more. In fact, the best option is to visit both and decide for yourself. This can easily be done over a long weekend as neither city is too big to enjoy in a relatively short period of time. The main sites in Ghent include; the Design Museum, Graslei and St-Baafskathedraal.

Graslei

St-Baafskathedraal

Het Gravensteen

Next stop, Seville. The Catehdral and the Alcazar of Seville are perhaps the two most famous tourist destinations in Seville. The immense cathedral with its five naves is the largest Gothic edifice in Europe, it is home to the tomb of Christopher Columbus.  Another site not to miss during a visit to Seville is the Plaza de Espana. Representative of much of the regional architecture, this magnificent construction is highlighted with polychromatic ceramic tiles. For those of you who have seen the film, The Dictator, you'll recognise it as the location used as the Dictator's palace. To get the most from a visit to Seville you need some sun, so April & May before the real heat of the summer sets in, should be good months to visit. 

Plaza de Espana

Seville's cathedral

City view over Seville's bullring

Finally, Delft, a city and municipality in the province of South Holland(Zuid-Holland), the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague. Delft is primarily known for its typically Dutch town centre (with canals); also for the painter Vermeer, Delft pottery (Delftware) and its association with the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange-Nassau. As with Luxembourg city, it is small, compact and very relaxed. A great place to visit to get a real feel for a typical Dutch city. Close by you will find the city of Leiden, you can easily visit both during one short trip.

A typical Delft street scene

Delft's Oude Kerk, in the background

Delft's Stadhuis, stands at one end of the Markt

You'll find more on these great city break destinations by simply clicking on one of the following links; Valencia, Luxembourg, Ghent, Seville and Delft