How to find the perfect summer city break for under £350

Times

2 days ago

July is the perfect time to snap up a city break. While holidaymakers flock to the Med, prices in northern Europe can remain surprisingly reasonable and the good weather makes it easy to enjoy sightseeing, alfresco lunches at pavement cafés and picnics in city parks. Less than two hours' flight away, Berlin has toasty temperatures in the mid-20s, ideal for discovering the capital's pop-up beach bars, lake swimming and beer gardens.
You'll stay in five-star style at the privately run Hotel Palace Berlin in the heart of City West. Three nights' room only, including flights from Luton, costs £338pp with easyJet, departing on July 13. A small under-seat bag is included — you can add a 15kg checked bag for an extra £57 return and add breakfast for £50pp. The S-Bahn S9 train runs every 20 minutes from Berlin Brandenburg airport and takes about an hour to Zoologischer Garten station, a five-minute walk from the hotel (£4; sbahn.berlin).
The hotel has an upmarket meat-focused restaurant, an in-house patisserie and a lobby lounge serving local specialities including Wiener schnitzel, and a gin bar with 150 gins and DJs performing each weekend. An 800 sq m spa has a Finnish sauna and large swimming pool, while modern rooms are decorated in shades of blue-grey and chocolate brown with statement leather headboards, large desks and smart tiled bathrooms.
The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and the Bikini Berlin concept mall, with its up-and-coming brands, international food market and art exhibitions, are both on the hotel's doorstep (bikiniberlin.de), while all the main sights are within a 45-minute walk away. And you can hop on the Line 100 bus to Alexanderplatz to reach the iconic Brandenburg Gate (£10 for one day's travel; bvg.de). The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the lavish Berlin Cathedral and the Fernsehturm — the distinctive TV tower that looms over the city — are all walkable from there (£21; tv-turm.de).
The domed Reichstag Building designed by Norman Foster also has knockout city views, but visits should be booked in advance (free; bundestag.de). From there, stroll down the grand boulevard Unter den Linden to the Unesco-listed Museum Island, which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year and is home to five museums, including the Alte Nationalgalerie for works by Monet and Renoir (£10; smb.museum).
If it gets too hot for sightseeing, grab supplies from the deli at Fredericks (fredericksberlin.com) then find a shady spot in the 519-acre Tiergarten Park where you can rent rowing boats or order a German lager in the fairylight-adorned lakeside beer garden. Other great suntrap spots across the city include Ku'damm Beach on Halensee Lake, which has cocktails, sun loungers and wild swimming, and Badeschiff, a 30m-long barge-turned-outdoor pool floating in the middle of the Spree River with city views, hammocks and an adjoining sandy beach (£7; en.arena.berlin).
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• Return Luton-Berlin flights, departing on July 13• Three nights' room-only at Hotel Palace Berlin (easyjet.com)
Feeling flush? If you're inspired but you've got more cash to splash, you could try:
Located in a former 19th-century bank on a quiet street in Mitte, Hotel de Rome, a Rocco Forte hotel, has bags of character, with a spa and 20m lap pool in the basement bank vaults and an opulent ballroom in the cashier's hall. Rooms are more simple and neutral, with dark wooden furniture, navy accents and mosaic-tiled showers. There's an excellent Italian restaurant on the ground floor with a candlelit terrace, plus one of the city's best (weather-dependent) rooftop bars offering spectacular views over the river and city skyline beyond. Museum Island and the Brandenburg Gate are both within a 15-minute walk. Details Three nights' room-only from £637pp, including flights and hold luggage (britishairways.com)
The privately run 41-room boutique hotel Orania.Berlin is on busy Oranienplatz in the heart of the city's Kreuzberg district, known for its creative history and now home to several galleries, music venues and theatres. The hotel continues the tradition with its own stage and literary salon, and hosts free performances from Berlin artists most nights. Rooms have solid hardwood floors, silk curtains and handwoven Iranian rugs, and some have views of Oranienplatz. An all-day restaurant with a fireplace and open kitchen is a popular spot with locals, while the bar serves soul food dishes and spirits from local Berlin distilleries.Details Three nights' B&B from £905pp, including flights and hold luggage (booking.com)