In the city breaks market, big-name destinations often eclipse smaller alternatives. For every crowded Paris, New York or Hong Kong there’s an underappreciated Lille, Washington DC or Macau.
So encouarge your clients to broaden their short break horizons with these city swaps in Europe, North Africa, Asia and the US. All prices shown are for April.
Swap Paris for Lille
The opening of Eurostar’s new terminal at St Pancras International has shaved off at least 20 minutes from journey times to Paris, but the same also goes for Lille.
European Capital of Culture in 2004, the former Flemish city is justifiably proud of its restored heritage and new cultural venues. Grand Place, also known as Place du General de Gaulle after Lille’s local hero, was built for wealthy merchants and is the city’s focal square.
For shoppers, the new Faubourg des Modes fashion district opened last year and the established Wazemmes Market – which attracts up to 50,000 people on Sundays – is one of the largest in France.
When it’s time to eat, the Flemish influence can be enjoyed in rich local cuisine with a wide range of Belgium’s famous beers available in bars.
Sample packages: Superbreak offers three-nights’ bed and breakfast at the three-star Mercure Lille Centre Opera from £105 per person. Return Eurostar fares start from £55.
For those who can’t resist Paris, Kirker Holidays offers three nights’ bed and breakfast at the three-star Quai Voltaire from £482 per person, including return first-class travel by Eurostar, a Seine river cruise and carnet of 10 Paris Metro tickets.
Swap New York for Washington DC
Washington DC has an undeserved reputation as a city populated by politicos in grey suits. While the White House, Capitol building and Washington Monument bear testament to the capital’s place in world history, it’s a fun destination for all age groups and less frenetic than New York.
The museums of the Smithsonian Institution are all free and a sightseeing tour on an amphibious vehicle takes visitors on and around the Potomac River. Also divided into neighbourhoods, Georgetown is DC’s most historic area.
For retail therapy, a new branch of New York’s flagship department store Bloomingdale’s has opened at Chevy Chase, and is accessible by the DC Metro.
Sample packages: Virgin Holidays USA has three nights’ room-only at the three-star Washington Plaza from £485 per person, with flights.
Still want a bite of the Big Apple? Hotels4u.com features a three-night room-only stay at the three-star Sohotel from £392, excluding flights.
Swap Hong Kong for Macau
Macua is just a 55-minute fast ferry ride away from Hong Kong, and just as dazzling.
Joined to southeast China at its northern tip, the peninsula of Macau occupies a total area of just eight sq miles, including the more tranquil islands of Taipa and Coloane, reached by bridges.
Beyond the high-rise buildings, hotels that occupy every piece of available space by the harbour and 24-hour casinos attracting hordes of gamblers, is a city steeped in history where Mediterranean and Chinese cultures live side by side.
Influences from the 16th-century Portuguese settlement, including the centrepiece Leal Senado Square, sit alongside ornate oriental temples. History also comes to life at the Museum of Macau, which occupies part of a fortress that dominated the inner harbour in the 17th century.
Sample packages: Kuoni offers four nights at the four-star Holiday Inn Hong Kong on a room-only basis from £698 per person, with flights and transfers via Hong Kong.
For those who still hanker after Hong Kong, Cosmos Tourama features four-nights’ bed and breakfast at the three-star Metropark Hotel Kowloon from £775 per person, with flights and a city tour.
Swap Marrakesh for Tunis
Tunis might not conjure up the same images of ochre buildings and exotic markets as Marrakesh, and it’s not the first choice for holidaymakers heading for Tunisia, but the capital city has many traditional attractions.
Like Marrakesh, the old town has grown up around a great mosque, in this case the Zitouna, and the colourful surrounding markets are equally enthralling.
As with Marrakesh, the French colonial influence can still be seen in cafes, restaurants and architecture. Cultural highlights include the Bardo Museum, with the world’s finest collection of mosaics; and the ruins of Carthage, founded by the Phoenicians and once one of the most powerful states in the western Mediterranean.
Sample packages: Indus Tours offers three-nights’ bed and breakfast at the four-star Hotel Mercure el Mechtel from £355 per person, with flights.
If clients still want to follow the road to Marrakesh, Tropical Locations has three nights’ bed and breakfast in one of the recently opened Angsana Riads from £424 per person, with flights.
Swap Miami for Fort Lauderdale
Miami has been dubbed the American Riviera, but its less hyped neighbour Fort Lauderdale – just 23 miles to the north – is emerging as a cool destination in its own right.
With a fashionably retro atmosphere it has a much calmer, friendlier feel than its glitzy neighbour, and its nickname, the Venice of America, is a nod to its 300 miles of navigable waterways.
Much of the action centres on the seven-mile waterfront, which has undergone a $26 million revamp, complete with wide walkways, lush landscaping and a ‘wave wall’ with neon lighting. This has breathed new life and sophistication into the beach area, with its hip restaurants and boutique hotels.
Fort Lauderdale has always been a favourite with the yachting and fishing crowd and, at the opposite end of the seafaring scale, Port Everglades remains a magnet for the world’s biggest cruise ships.
Sample packages: Funway Holidays offers four nights’ bed and breakfast at the two-star Travelodge Fort Lauderdale Beach from £546 per person, including flights.
For those who want to make tracks to Miami, Premier Holidays has four nights’ bed and breakfast at the two-star Ocean Surf Hotel from £539 per person with flights.
