City breaks

The travel expert highlighted one spot as a stunning and affordable autumn city break destination

For many people mapping out an autumn escape, short-haul European city breaks promising late-season sunshine tend to top the wishlist. But as one of Britain’s most respected travel journalists, Simon Calder, suggests a more affordable and “very exciting” destination.

During an appearance on Holly Rubenstein’s podcast ‘The Travel Diaries,’ Simon shone a spotlight on everything from ancient cities in Algeria to Cape Verde and the Azores. Another unexpected destination on his radar was Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, is becoming an increasingly popular choice for a city break, offering a mix of historic sights, delicious food, traditional wine, famous thermal baths and relatively affordable prices.

Why visit Tbilisi?

Tbilisi’s historic centre is packed with colourful wooden balconies, winding streets and beautiful churches, alongside architecture reflecting Georgian, Persian, Russian and European influences.

The city takes its name from its natural hot springs, and the Abanotubani district is home to traditional bathhouses where visitors can enjoy the famous sulphur-rich waters.

One of the must-visits in the city is a ride on the cable car towards Narikala Fortress offers impressive views across Tbilisi and the Mtkvari River. From the fortress, you can also glimpse the iconic “Mother of Georgia” statue.

Simon said: “It used to be the case that you couldn’t fly from Tbilisi in Georgia from the UK. And suddenly, within a couple of days, British Airways and easyJet launched flights to Tbilisi.”

The travel guru continued: “And that’s a very exciting part of the world. Central Asia, Uzbekistan, is very much getting back to being more mainstream as well. So much exciting stuff to do,” reports the Express.

What’s Tbilisi like in autumn?

Autumn can be an attractive time to visit Tbilisi. September is typically warm, while October brings cooler temperatures but can still offer pleasant days for exploring the city. Early autumn can also feel considerably warmer than the UK, making it an appealing option for travellers looking for a break from cooler weather.

Tbilisi comes into its own during autumn for a whole host of reasons. While temperatures back home in the UK begin to plummet, Georgia’s capital basks in a pleasant climate, with average highs of 19.5C in October.

This mild, sunny weather is perfectly suited to exploring on foot, and with very little rainfall to contend with, you can safely leave the waterproofs behind. Tbilisi has earned a reputation as a remarkably budget-friendly travel destination, especially for visitors from the UK and Western Europe.

While prices have risen slightly in recent years owing to increasing popularity, the city still offers exceptional value for money.

In the Georgian capital, a pint of local beer in a bar or pub will set you back around £1.75, while meals out typically cost between £8 and £15.

Tbilisi’s charm lies in its fusion of old and new. The city’s ancient heritage is prominently displayed in the delightful Old Town (Dzveli Tbilisi), where a maze of cobbled streets winds past traditional houses with characteristic wooden balconies.

You can explore this historic quarter and uncover the domed roofs of the renowned Sulfur Baths in the Abanotubani district.

For a modern architectural wonder, walk across the Bridge of Peace, a contemporary pedestrian crossing that illuminates with thousands of LED lights after nightfall.

Georgian cuisine is a standout feature of any visit, and Tbilisi is the ideal spot to sample it. From the warming comfort of khinkali (spiced meat or cheese dumplings) to the cheesy delight of khachapuri (bread with cheese), the local food is a hearty and flavoursome experience.

Wash it all down with a glass of locally produced wine from one of the oldest winemaking regions on the planet.

Travel Local reveals that Georgia is widely regarded as the birthplace of wine. Archaeological findings of winemaking activity stretch back more than 8,000 years, making it the oldest continuous winemaking tradition in the world.

Remarkably, the very word “wine” is thought to have originated from the Georgian term for it, ‘ghvino’.

Tbilisi boasts a fantastic selection of wine bars and tasting rooms throughout the city, but the most celebrated vineyards and wineries can be found in the Kakheti wine region, considered the heart of Georgian winemaking.

It’s a well-loved and straightforward day trip from Tbilisi, typically requiring around a 1.5 to two-hour drive to reach the region’s principal towns such as Sighnaghi or Telavi.

October is also a particularly vibrant time to visit the city, as it plays host to the Tbilisoba festival, a grand celebration of the city’s rich history and harvest season. The streets burst into life with music, folk dancing and food stalls, offering an unforgettable insight into Georgian culture.

If you love a pint after a long day of sightseeing then this city break is a must-visit for autumn. Its self-serve beer fountain means you can try beers from across the region for just a few Euros

After a long day of exploring a new destination, the highlight of a city break for many of us is sitting in the town square, enjoying a nice cold pint of local, reasonably-priced beer.

And if you visit a small, but charming Slovenian town, you can not only order a pint, but pour your own from a ‘beer fountain’ that offers a variety of local brews to sample.

Žalec in the Lower Savinja Valley is a town that’s beer-obsessed. Even its coat of arms features a beer hop. The region is known as the Valley of Green Gold, named for the color of hops as they ripen in the sun, and it has 150 years of beer-making experience.

Next to Žalec’s marketplace lies the Green Gold Fountain, a unique attraction composed of a variety of shiny silver beer taps. Visitors buy a small glass for €12, just over £10, which pays for the souvenir glass plus six 100ml tastings of various local beers. The cups come with a chip, which is scanned by the fountain, so you can serve yourself.

The fountain opened in March and is set to run through October, so visitors can make the most of the crisp autumn weather while they sample local beers. The 150-year anniversary means there will be a larger variety of ales this year, with 34 craft beers from 25 Slovenian breweries expected to be on tap.

Alex Dyer, a managing director at Ski Famille, highlighted the unusual spot. He said: “The fountain is memorable enough to be one part of the day without making beer the whole purpose of a family visit. I think parents will enjoy the stop more when younger travellers have something of their own to look forward to nearby, because that keeps the day balanced rather than leaving anyone waiting around.”

The town’s visitors can also follow an official tourist route called the Path from Hops to Beer, which is just over 3-miles long, taking in a Roman necropolis and caves along the way. Once you’re back in town, the Eco-Museum of Hop-Growing and Brewing Industry is an interactive way to learn about the town’s proud heritage.

Visitors from the UK can fly from London, Manchester, or Edinburgh to Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, which takes just two hours and 20 minutes, making it perfect for a short weekend break. EasyJet has flights in October to Ljubljana from £45.99 one-way.

Žalec is less than an hour from the capital by car, taking you down some seriously steep mountain roads and through the untouched Slovenian countryside. But a more relaxed alternative is the 90-minute train ride, which runs along the River Sava in parts, taking you past charming traditional villages as you head to beer country.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

We all want to experience those additional delightful perks when staying at a hotel, and there’s one sure way to bag a late check-out for free, and it’s all about timing

Checking into a hotel is a little slice of luxury, whether it’s for a quick city break or a rural escape in the countryside. So it’s no wonder that we want to make the most of every moment in our boutique abode or lavish room and take advantage of a late check-out, something you can often get for free. That’s if you know what to do, and believe it or not, timing is everything.

For several years, I worked as a hotel receptionist, managing room upgrades, check-ins, dinner reservations, special occasions, check-outs, and all the other guest perks that we could provide for free. One of which was a late check-out, and it became a frequent request. Even more so when guests have enjoyed cocktails in the hotel bar and need to vacate their rooms by 10am the following morning. But we wouldn’t and couldn’t hand out a free room update to everyone.

The housekeeping staff needs to access the rooms promptly so they can clean them all thoroughly before the next batch of guests arrives at 3pm, with time of the essence, particularly for Friday arrivals. This meant that we’d only allow a handful of late room check-outs each day, and there was a specific time to ask for the best chances of scooping one of these coveted perks.

Most guests would assume that asking for a late check-out on the morning of their departure was the best option. I can recall countless times when I’d receive a call from a guest at 9.55am asking for a late check-out, and most of the time my answer would be no. For one, it’s too last-minute, and there could be a guest checking into that specific room later that day. Secondly, by this time, I could have already dished out a few late check-outs to other guests, with no more wiggle room for any more, considering housekeeping time constraints.

So you need to plan ahead, and I don’t mean asking before you’ve even arrived. Instead, swing past reception on your way to dinner or afterwards on the way back to your room, the night before you check out. If you’re staying for a few days, wait until your last evening to ask for the request. This would always be the best time to hand out late check-outs, and I’ll explain why.

Typically, the reception desk is quieter in the evening, so staff have more time to handle requests and check the system to see how a late check-out can work in favour of the next day’s arrivals. They can check whether the room the guest has asked for a late check-out in has an arrival the next day; if not, a late check-out is super easy to offer. They can also check for any late arrivals into that room for the following day, move rooms around for the next arrivals, or simply check how many they’ve already dished out.

As mentioned, we would only offer a handful at a time, and the earliest we’d agree to a late check-out would be the night before their departure. Plus, room keys were not programmed until the morning of arrivals, so there’s a lot more flexibility in the evenings to move things around. It’s also worth noting that many hotels will prioritise requests from those celebrating a special occasion, so tick that box!

The worst time to ask for a late check-out is before you’ve even arrived at the hotel or checked into the room. There can be countless changes at hotels: reservations can be cancelled, people can switch rooms, and issues can arise, so it’s hard to predict what pressures the hotel might face to turn rooms around in time for the next arrivals. So always ask the night before you check out.

If you want to try your luck, you could politely request a late check-out on your booking notes. This way, the hotel will read it and deal with it appropriately and in their own time, most probably the night before. We would always do our best to meet requests, but sometimes our hands were tied. Just don’t ask when you check in, it’s the last thing on our mind to sort.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

Brussels is an ideal destination for a short city break, thanks to its impressive medieval architecture, relaxed atmosphere and more than 100 museums

A European city with a lot of history and beauty at odds with its negative reputation is quicker to get to from the UK via train than by plane.

New research from global travel booking site Omio has identified 25 European routes where travelling by train is actually faster than flying once airport transfers, security queues and boarding times are taken into account. While many holidaymakers automatically book flights for a weekend escape, the findings suggest they’re often overlooking rail journeys that are not only quicker, but also less stressful.

They’re also much less environmentally damaging, with the emissions per plane passenger typically several times higher than those of train passengers.

A trip from London to Brussels is one of the biggest examples of where rail beats air. The Eurostar takes just 125 minutes, making it 83 minutes faster than flying once airport transfers, security checks and boarding times are factored in. Tickets start from around £148, with passengers arriving directly in the heart of the Belgian capital.

Whether or not the city is worth a visit is a different matter. Brussels is, according to some people, a boring city.

“As much as I tried, I still could not shake the feeling that Brussels was undeniably boring,” one travel blogger recently wrote of Brussels following a trip there. Back in 2008, it was awarded the title of the world’s dullest city in a survey of international travelers, who judged it duller than Zurich and Warsaw.

Having made a short visit to the city in recent years, the criticism does seem a little just. Brussels does have a functional, workman-like feel to it, thanks to the huge number of governmental buildings. And yes, it does look like an AI picture generator’s attempt to ‘simulate a standard European capital’, as one online commenter complained.

However, there are plenty of redeemable qualities of Brussels. The atmosphere is pleasant enough, many of the buildings are beautiful, and it is home to two of the Continent’s great contributions to culinary culture – waffles and chips – even if there is a distinct Sunday afternoon feel to the place.

“Brussels is an ideal destination for a short city break, thanks to its impressive medieval architecture, relaxed atmosphere and more than 100 museums. Visitors can spend the day wandering the city’s historic streets before stopping for Belgian beer and world-famous chocolate. With average July temperatures of 23°C, it’s also an ideal city to explore on foot,” writes Omio.

Given Brussels’s closeness to the UK, a day trip is well on the cards. If you do go down that route, I suggest the following one-hour tour of the city:

Starting at the famed Manneken Pis statue depicting a urinating child (who had been dressed up in a miniature gown and hat to celebrate the city’s graduating students when I was there), dash to the Monument a Everard t’Serclaes, helping the reclining lady’s leg become even shinier with a quick, traditional good luck rub.

Pausing in the central Grand Place square for a moment, take in the opulent Baroque guildhalls and the neo-Gothic King’s House. Not wanting to waste any more time or spend six euros, read the first paragraph of the Grand City Museum’s Wikipedia entry while looking at its exterior.

Culturally enriched, next up was a portion of mayonnaise-covered frites eaten while looking at a René Magritte painting on the side of a house, before a crispy waffle powers you up the hill towards the Royal Palace. Glance back at the impressive view of the city’s rooftops as you barrel onto a coach and out of there, catching a glimpse of one of Auguste Rodin’s Thinkers through the window before quickly stopping to stand in front of ‘Belgium’s Eiffel Tower’, the futuristic Atomium statue.