Five cultural European city break destinations you might not have considered

Forget Paris, Amsterdam’s over and Berlin? Yawn. Just kidding – there’s a reason these capital cities continue to attract travellers from all over the world – but it can sometimes be worth your while to deviate from the classic city break blueprint.

Imagine strolling down boulevards without having to jostle for pavement space, gaily entering a museum without needing to book weeks in advance for a ticket, or even just getting a seat in a restaurant or bar. Underrated bliss!

Destinations that haven’t fallen victim to overtourism are also more likely to retain the original character that makes them so appealing to begin with, plus often offer better value for money and more space to breathe. It’s a win-win situation.

Not convinced? Read on for our selection of some of the best cultural European city breaks you might not have considered.

Antwerp, Belgium

Fashionistas assemble: Antwerp is, like, hot. Home of the international diamond industry and the world’s fifth largest port, this second city has long been associated with the avant garde creations of the Antwerp Six. This group of six fashion designers – including Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester – who graduated from the city’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the 1980s, changed the course of high fashion and their influence can still be felt throughout the city in pop-ups, boutiques and concept stores. Visitors looking to flex their plastic should make a beeline for Nationalestraat and Kammenstraat for up and coming designers and haute couture, while high-street and luxury labels are represented in Meir and Schuttershofstraat respectively.

Creativity continues to have currency in Antwerp, with the city’s Museum of Contemporary Art (known locally as M HKA) exhibiting visual arts, sculpture and video installations, while the thread of fashion continues over at MoMu, the city’s fashion museum, which reopened in 2022 after a four-year closure. Elsewhere, MAS – the Museum Aan de Stroom – is the city’s largest museum. This 60m high tower of galleries focuses on the global connectedness between people, while the city’s most famous son Peter Paul Rubens is celebrated at Rubenshuis, the 17th century family home of the Flemish baroque artist (currently under renovation). The cherry on top? After 11 years and a €100m…