Best City Breaks: From Classics Like New York City, To New Favourite Lisbon, The Coolest Cities to Explore

Berlin has it all: Hours of history (the DDR museum is a must), a world famous nightlife (need we mention Berghain?), super cool food scene (if you're in the area, Berlin Burger International is a must visit) and beautiful gardens and buildings - like in the city's Museum Quarter - to marvel at.

If you're looking for an ELLE hotel recommendation, might we push you to check out theatre-turned-boutique Ellington Hotel? A unique, but 100% chic place to stay, with spacious rooms and wall-to-ceiling windows, cream upholstery and cool minimalism. It's a different vibe to what you'll see in a lot of Berlin's dark, arty (and naughty) corners. So you'll have yourself a bit of both - quirky places to explore by day, and a stylish place to lay your head by night.

Find out more about the Ellington Hotel

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Ah, Rome - where an ancient ruin is on every corner, the Aperol Spritz is delicious and cheap, the sun shines and the pasta is in abundance. If you haven't visited the Eternal City yet, add it to your bucket list pronto. Be sure to visit the Colosseum and Vatican, eat at Per Me - Giulio Terrinoni and drink at Salotto 42. Our top tip: Grab a Roma pass so you can travel around the city on the public transport system and skip the queues at the Colosseum.

In terms of places to stay, there is of course a Soho House Rome, so put your membership to good use and bag yourself a room next to La Sapienza university.

But if you want some thing a little bit off the beaten path, you'd do well to check out The Corner Townhouse. Located near Viale Aventino, you'll be walking distance from the River Tiber, and situated in a beautiful art nouveau villa, which dates back to the early 1900s. It's fashionable, cool, and the place has a cacophony of hidden doors, terraces, speakeasies and the like. It's a true treasure. Find out more.

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From the vibrant Las Ramblas and delicious hidden tapas restaurants, to the city's famous art and architecture (Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia, most notably), Barcelona is forever a favourite for a city break.

Ranked number #3 in a list of the world's best cocktail bars, you absolutely have to visit Paradiso, in Barcelona's ultra cool El Born area. Complex, performance-led drinks created in front of your eyes. The Volcano Negroni is a must.

And in terms of an ELLE-approved place to stay? Try Sir Victor Barcelona, which is a design focussed hotel from the Amsterdam hotel group in a civilised part of town (Eixample) and away from the bustle of the shore. To tempt you: the hotel has a rooftop bar with a pool and terrific views across the city, which often books great DJs for summer parties (so bagsy a place while you still can). The women-only library turns tradition on its head, appealing to the learned of our readership.

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Denmark's capital offers a vibrant restaurant scene, hours of fun in the city's famous Tivoli gardens and the beautifully colourful Nyhavn canal to wander up and down.

If you're madly into luxury living, but you're of a conscientious, sustainability-minded disposition, book a stay at Villa Cophenagen, a beautiful, grand hotel that has made every design choice with conscious, eco-friendliness in mind.

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Aside from being beautiful, Budapest is just a bucket of fun. From the outdoor Szechenyi baths, which are as good for people watching as they are for re-setting your body and soul with warm spring water (and massages, should you book one) to the ruin bars ( a selection of cool watering holes in an abandoned building) head to Hungary's capital to learn and indulge.

In terms of places to stay, for 2022 there's only one place that should sit at the top of your list: part of Marriott'sLuxury Collection, te incredible, and newly re-vamped Matild Palace.

A landmark of the Belle Époque era, originally a vision of Her Imperial and Royal Highness Maria Klotild (wife of Archduke Joseph Carl), the palace has lain dormant for a number of years as a raft of specialists worked tirelessly and delicately to restore it to its former glory. And for summer 2022, it is now open for visitors.

As well as the simply glorious early 1900s architecture, which sits in Budapest's epicentre, the hotel also boasts brand-new culinary concepts like Spago by Wolfgang Puck, The Duchess rooftop bar and Matild Café & Cabaret - a reimagination of the renowned “Belvárosi Kávéház” - which has freshly opened its doors as of May.

A once in a lifetime opportunity, make sure you don't miss out.

BOOK MATILD PALACE

There is tonnes to do in this southern Spanish city but on our tick list is walking up the Giralda Bell Tower at the Cathedral, having tapas at Bar Alfalfa, visiting the Plaza de España where if you're lucky you can catch local flamenco dancers performing and hitting up a number of the city's rooftop bars like bar Garlochi and Pura Vida Terraza.

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First things first, food. Head to local bakeries for an espresso and a pastel del nata, go to the Time Out market for swanky street food and then hit Pink street for bars aplenty. Rent an electric scooter to head down to the coast and if the sun gets a tad too much, the botanical gardens provide a nice shady escape.

As Lisbon is such a popular destination for 2022, ELLE has compiled a whole guide to Lisbon hotels, which you can check out below.

GUIDE TO LISBON HOTELS

Go on a three hour night time boat tour and try to see the northern lights - but make sure you wrap up! Also, head to the Blue Lagoon which is about 45 minutes outside of the city. Our top tip: Hang around for happy hour to make the most of the only time drinks are affordable and do a bar crawl up the main high street.

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The Moroccan city is home to yummy tagine, ornate and cosy Riads and, usually, pretty good weather. Our recommendations include visiting Yves Saint Laurent's Majorelle gardens, heading to Pepe Nero for dinner and enjoying rooftop drinks at Le Salama.

For those that want to dip back out of the hectic atmosphere of the Medina and calm their minds somewhere truly luxurious, book a stay the Royal Mansour, a palatial hotel owned by King Mohammed VI .

Its cavernous hallways and ostentatious design will have you feeling like royalty in no time.

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The picturesque Slovenian capital is accessible from the UK in just over two hours and, upon arrival, greets you with great food, drink, architecture and culture. It's also just a 45 minute drive from the beautiful Lake Bled, which we're guessing you've definitely seen on Instagram.

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The city that never sleeps obviously has an endless list of things to do. You've got Chelsea Market, MoMA, Central Park, dinner in Little Italy (head to Rubirosa for incredible pizza), lots of speakeasy bars and, of course, the countless sights to see like the Empire State Building, Rockerfeller Centre and Statue of Liberty. What are you waiting for?

It is incredibly hard to recommend a hotel in New York, without understanding a little bit about the traveller's specific sensibility. You see, New York has something spectacular for just about anyone's proclivities

For those that want something hip, luxe and fashiony, book a stay at The Hudson hotel in the Upper West side. With a reception area that feels like something from Alice in Wonderland (due to the carpet of foliage on the ceiling and the curious objets d'art), through to the uber cool library bar, this place is a top stay. The rooms might be matchbox sized, but it's worth it.

Bear in mind, though, that Manhattan isn't the only place that's hip and happening. Many more than ever before will be wanting a Brooklyn location, for which there is, of course, the Ace Hotel Brooklyn.

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Our tips for the Scottish capital include learning about the rich history of Mary Queen of Scots at Edinburgh Castle, feasting on incredible Scottish cuisine at The Outsider restaurant and enjoying drinks at the Dome or cocktail bar Bramble.

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While Majorca tends to be associated with week-long beach holidays and, well, Love Island, Palma is the lovely medieval capital city of the Balearic island. Our favourite haunt is Bar Abaco for cocktails.

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What can we possibly start with London? From east London's Colombia Road flower market to south's Tooting Market to the bars of Soho to walks on Hampstead Heath to listening to buskers on Brick Lane to the endless free galleries and museums open across the city. Honestly, our list is endless and the UK capital is also worth a city break.

Again, with London being one of our favourite cities the world over, we couldn't possibly limit our recommendations to just one hotel. We've compiled many different London guides, such as a list of the best luxury hotels to book.

BEST LUXURY LONDON HOTELS

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The historic English city is an ideal place for a quick weekend trip, where you can go punting either down the backs (of the university's colleges) or to Grantchester meadows where you can have lunch at The Punter Pub and then head to Kettle's Yard art gallery.

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Our top tips for this French city include dinner at La Bellezza, testing out the cakes from Aux Merveilleaux de Fred, visiting the Palais des Beaux Arts museum and enjoying plenty of delicious French food and drink on Canard Street.

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Rated as the number one city destination in the world to visit this year by Lonely Planet, the home to The Sound Of Music is bursting with cultural and historic monuments like the Mozart museum. There is also a bike tour where you can recreate the steps of the famous musical.

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Not only is the Scandi city a must for culture and outdoorsy dwellers with its Grand Palace, many galleries and the opportunity for wild swimming, it's fast becoming a fashion hub too thanks to its great shopping like the Acne studios outlet store and impressive H&Ms (with cafés in them!)

If you're as obsessed with Scandinavian interior design as we are, then you simply must book a stay at Ett Hem. A boutique hotel, which gives the impression you're staying in somebody's extremely well curated home, rather than anything cold or corporate - the place has some of the most extraordinary design touches we've ever seen.

It even has a secret garden bar.

BOOK ETT HEM

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There's so much culture in Paris that it's no wonder the city of love is always a bucket list staple. Just a handful of must-visits we can recommend include the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, the Louvre, the Love Lock bridge, the Arc de Triomphe... the list goes on.

If you're a fashion lover, wanting to make like an editor at the shows, we've compiled five of the best Paris hotels that the fashion set love, here.

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Brighton has garnered a reputation for being the most fun destination on the south coast and we're tempted to agree. There's the pebble beach, the iconic lanes full to the brim of vintage shops to the nightlife scene which is, quite literally, on the beach.

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