underrated

“THIS can’t be it, can it?” I thought as I gazed up and down the road.

Instead of the ornate Athens streets I’d become used to, here were rundown second-hand electrical shops, smashed windows and crude graffiti.

I checked my phone map.

Sure enough, tucked beneath a battered cellar door, flush in the pavement, was the entrance to Diporto, one of the city’s best-kept culinary secrets.

Friends had tipped me off about this basement taverna in the Omonia district, serving real-deal Greek soul food and wine and, despite its dodgy entrance, it delivered in spades.

When most people think of Greek food, light salad dishes and dips spring to mind.

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But in the winter months, the menu transforms.

Out go the chilled dips, replaced by steaming pots of revithia (rich chickpea stew simmered with olive oil and lemon), piping-hot tomato and potato soups, grilled fish straight off the coals, and thick slabs of crusty sourdough.

Sitting next to massive vintage wine barrels, sipping house red from a metal jug, I was in food heaven.

Family-run bakery Feyrouz was another amazing spot secreted away down an alleyway, the heady scent of cumin, za’atar and toasted pine nuts wafting into the street.

Its signature street food includes lahmacun, a crispy spiced flatbread and peynirli, sourdough pasties stuffed with halloumi and spices.

It’s no wonder Time Out crowned Athens the most underrated winter city break in Europe.

With temperatures back in the UK plummeting, I was grateful for the relative warmth of 15C during my January trip.

Winter had clearly chased the tourists away.

Gone were the packed market streets and endless crowds.

I was free to roam around the Acropolis unfettered by the masses that gather in the summer heat and able to really appreciate just how awesome a spot it truly is.

The columns of the Parthenon rise almost 50ft while the view from the hill it stands on is spectacular.

Without the summer heat haze, the crisp sunshine reveals Mount Lycabettus towering next to it and the Aegean Sea visible behind the urban sprawl that lies at its base.

Thousands of years on, this ancient wonder hasn’t lost its magic.

Such remains are commonplace throughout Athens, with Hadrian’s Library, the Ancient Agora and the Temple of Olympian Zeus just some of the amazing ancient spots you find yourself wandering around, just a stone’s throw from the city centre.

Even in January, cafe culture is alive and kicking.

Wrapped in fleece blankets, locals huddle under outdoor patio heaters, sipping hot rakomelo (honeyed spiced brandy) in the historic Plaka quarter.

I climbed Mars Hill to catch the sunset over the city — an experience that’s usually a shoulder-to-shoulder fight in July, but in winter felt like my own private viewing platform.

What’s more, hotels are far cheaper in the winter, the lack of demand stretching your money much further than in the busier months.

This gave me the opportunity to try out a hotel chain I’d never used before and I was once again pleasantly surprised.

Bob W, which stands for “best of both worlds”, markets itself as somewhere between a local homestay and a lifestyle hotel.

They team up with nearby restaurants and cafes to bring locally produced food to your door in the morning for breakfast, while partnerships with local gyms mean guests have access included in the price of their stay, as well as the chance to join in with yoga classes and other sessions.

For just £40 a night at Bob W Akadimia, I had a sizeable design-conscious modern apartment, complete with a comfy double bed, living room area, huge bathroom with rainfall shower and a kitchenette.

It’s very tech forward — with check-in and even access to your room done via mobile phone — and all apartments feature high-speed wifi and smart TVs.

I would definitely recommend spending a night or two with Bob, much as I would visiting Athens for a little winter break.

Its combination of hearty winter stews, incredible archaeology, warmer weather and quiet, tourist-free streets means you can have a wonderful time getting to know the city properly before the summer rush transforms it into almost a different place.

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.

A BELOVED UK seaside town is set to get a new, faster train to London – slashing journey times by 15 minutes.

Visitors and commuters travelling to and from the coastal area will soon be able to make it to London in just over an hour.

The new rail service will connect the capital with the East Sussex town of Hastings and its set to launch in December of this year.

Hastings boasts a charming shingle and pebble beach and plenty of pubs, cafes and restaurants.

Journeys from London to the quaint seaside town can currently take as long as 1 hour and 47 minutes.

The new Southeastern Railway service will connect the two locations with a train that takes just 1 hour and 18 minutes to get to London Bridge.

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The new service will depart from London’s Charing Cross before calling at Waterloo East, London Bridge, Tunbridge Wells, Battle, St Leonards Warrior Square before arriving in Hastings.

The new transport project has been described as being in a “pilot” phase – and demand for the service will have to be shown for it to be made permanent.

It comes as part of an upcoming timetable shakeup that aims to better connect South East London, Kent and East Sussex.

The new service will run to London once in the morning, with a further return journey scheduled in the evening.

The morning train is set to depart Hastings at 8:05am and arrive at Charing Cross at 09:33am.

The evening train journey will set off from Charing Cross at 4:11pm and arrive in Hastings at 5:42pm.

Speaking about the introduction of the speedier service, Helena Dollimore, MP for Hastings, Rye and the villages, said: “Securing a faster train service for our town has been one of my top priorities as our local MP. When we are almost the same distance from London as Brighton, why should our train take twice as long?”

Highlighting the importance of the trains that serve both commuters and tourists, she added: “This new service is great news for commuters and for our local shops, hotels, pubs, and restaurants that rely on tourists coming down to visit us.

“This new fast train will be a pilot service. If we want it to stay, we all must use it to show the demand.”