Compare cities: which city for the trip you want

💡 The Short Version: These guides set the cities we cover against each other for one purpose, and say which suits whom. Each city has its own guide for tickets, day trips and where to stay; the comparison links to it. For Christmas, start with the Christmas market cities: the organisers’ 2026 dates and hours city by city, what to eat and drink, and the one thing that decides a visit in each. For two cities head to head, see Prague vs Budapest: the sights, fares, tourist tax, baths and nightlife side by side, and which suits couples, first-timers, groups, families and a tight budget. For Italy, see Rome vs Florence: what to book, the closed days, entry prices, passes and tourist tax, how many days each city needs, and the 1 hour 36 minute train between them. For Spain, see Barcelona vs Madrid: the bookings, closed days, free hours, entry prices and tourist tax side by side, how many days each city needs, and the high-speed train between them. For a stag weekend, see best cities for a stag do: cities with group activity prices in local currency, the city rules on pub crawls and street drinking, and where a group can stay together. For a hen weekend, see best cities for a hen do: eight cities with boats, classes, spa days and afternoon teas priced in local currency, the city rules on drinking, and where a group can stay together. For a trip with young children, see best city breaks with kids: eight cities with the child price and free age at the zoo or science museum, which metro stations are step-free, what a child pays on public transport and where to stay near green space. For a trip for two, see romantic city breaks for couples: each city with an evening plan and its price in local currency, a table to book and how, the best season and the one thing that decides a visit. For New Year’s Eve, see best New Year’s Eve city breaks: cities with midnight celebrations, ticket requirements, 1 January openings and closures, and where to stay. For travelling on a budget, see cheap city breaks in Europe: Eurostat price levels, the 24-hour transport pass, the tourist tax a night and the sights that cost nothing, city by city. For winter sunshine, see winter sun city breaks: December to February highs, rain days and sunshine hours for the warm cities, from Bangkok and Singapore to Marrakech, Seville and Lisbon. For solo travel, see solo city breaks: where eating alone is easy, where to meet people, and what the Foreign Office says about each city. For food lovers, see best food city breaks: the dish each city does best, the booking rules, the closed days and the prices, from Naples and Rome to Osaka, Bangkok and Singapore. Where a comparison is our judgement rather than a figure, the guide says so. For a first trip to Asia, see best Asian cities for a first trip: the Asian cities we cover with the entry rule and arrival card, how easy each is to get around, cash or cards, the transit price in local currency, the best months and the one thing that decides a visit. For wheelchair users and reduced mobility, see accessible city breaks: eight cities with how much of each metro is step-free, the buses and trams, which top sights have no step-free route, companion rules and where the cobbles and hills make a city hard. For two or three days, see long weekend city breaks: cities with what fits, the airport-to-centre time and fare, the sights to book before you fly and the Monday or Friday closures to avoid. For Valentine’s Day 2027, see Valentine’s city breaks: seven cities for Sunday 14 February, the February weather, which starred restaurants are shut on a Sunday and the dates when tables and tickets open. For Easter 2027, see Easter city breaks: eight cities for Sunday 28 March, with the Holy Week processions in Seville and Granada, the papal Masses in Rome, Florence’s cart of fire, the Easter markets in Vienna and Prague, Greek Easter on 2 May and what closes on Good Friday and Easter Monday. For museums and history, see museum city breaks: cities with the tickets that must be booked, the free hours and free days, the closed day in each city and the museum passes that pay, with the sums. Where a comparison is our judgement rather than a figure, the guide says so. For Japan, see Tokyo vs Osaka: the bookings, closed days, entry prices, passes and airport trains side by side, how many days each city needs, and the Shinkansen between them. For Finland and Estonia, see Helsinki vs Tallinn: sights, fares, airport trains and trams, saunas, closed days and the two Christmas markets side by side, which suits first visits, art, saunas and a tight budget, and the two-hour ferry between them. For Estonia and Latvia, see Tallinn vs Riga: sights, fares, airport links, tourist tax, craft beer and Black Balsam, closed days and the two Christmas markets side by side, which suits first visits, groups, a tight budget and a winter trip. For Belgium, see Bruges vs Brussels: the sights and entry prices, closed days, passes, accommodation tax, beer and chocolate and the Christmas markets side by side, and which suits first-timers, couples and families. For the northern capitals, see Scandinavian city breaks: Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo with Helsinki and Reykjavik side by side, with the airport journey and fare, the 24-hour ticket, whether each city pass pays, the Monday closures and the December daylight. For a swim, see beach city breaks: eight cities with the beach, the fare, the months the sea reaches 20 °C, the lifeguard season and the official water quality class, and where the city beach is not worth it. Where a comparison is our judgement rather than a figure, the guide says so.

A comparison answers “which city?”. For “when?”, see where to go each month, which gives the weather and the big events month by month. For the rules and costs that are the same in every city, see Plan your trip.