skip the capital

go here instead

I am irritated, in the UK, by people who have never really left London. I don’t mean the people who can’t, obviously. I mean the people who could and haven’t bothered: the many tedious Londoners who have been to Edinburgh, and Cornwall, and maybe even Norfolk, but nowhere else in between. Oxford students whose eyes would widen at the idea of me going ‘all the way home’ to Wolverhampton for a weekend, their sense of Geography so flimsy that they didn’t believe them when I told them it took less time to get there from college than it took them to get home to Dulwich. (I, of course, had counted). It annoyed me because there seemed to be so much about the country - their country - that they didn’t know. Would they believe me if I told them that Wolverhampton had neither a Pizza Express nor a Pret? Or that the canal network in the West Midlands was one of the most extensive and charming in Europe (and that Birmingham had more canals than Venice?). Did they even care? I was shocked then - and still am sometimes shocked now - by the dazzling lack of curiosity about other places that seemed to fester in people who had grown up believing that they were already in the ‘best’ place. I don’t want to be like that.

And so to travelling. Most capital cities are their country’s primary destination for a reason: whether by causation or correlation, they are hubs of cultural and historic interest, often beautiful or at the very least interesting, and with plenty to do. Often, I love them: there are few greater pleasures than sipping red wine outside a Parisian café or stumbling upon a Berlin flea market or strolling towards your next Strudel in elegant Vienna. I love London, too. I don’t think we should skip them entirely! But still: there’s so much more to a country than its capital.

Anyway, as every millennial knows, the best way to spend a dreary London February is dreaming up where you might escape to next. Here are ten ideas for European non-capital city breaks that will take you - at least slightly - off the most beaten of tracks.

(I’ve included brief notes on how to get to each without flying, but for many of these places there are several possible routes, so please consult the oracle of seat61.com for extensive options.)

France: Lyon

I spent a month in Lyon in 2016 as part of my year abroad. I was doing an intensive French course at a language school there to reset after a long stint in Germany, and Lyon was a revelation. It is the perfect size for a city: big enough to thrum with excitement; big enough to have several different arrondissements to discover; big enough to have a sophisticated public transport system; small enough that you’re never very far from where you need to be. It’s as beautiful as Paris but far friendlier, and there’s a real mediterranean, southern European feel in its colourful streets and wonky, winding alleys. It has two rivers, the Rhône and the Saône, both with gorgeous quais and riverfront walks, and at la confluence you can stand at the mesmerising point where the two rivers merge. It’s a hilly city, with steep steps up to expansive viewpoints - and on a clear day, you can see as far as the Alps. It’s one of my very favourite cities.

After my month in Lyon, I moved to Paris - but I often wished I’d stayed.

Getting there: Eurostar London to Paris (2h 20), metro across Paris, TGV train Paris to Lyon (2h 16).

Other strong contenders in France: Lille, Marseille

Belgium: Ghent

It’s strange and oddly comforting that somewhere so lovely can exist in such close proximity to the nightmarish hellscape that is Brussels-Midi station, but the less said about that the better. Ghent is beautiful: all of the red-brick, Flemish, waterway-enhanced charm of nearby Bruges without the coachloads of tourists. It reminded me a lot of Amsterdam, too - the bikes, the well-dressed locals, the way there’s a good view around every corner - but it was very much its own place. We drank Belgian beer in a stylish, softly-lit bar, one of many, many inviting places we could have chosen from. It’s also home to the mystic lamb alterpiece by Van Eyck - a masterpiece and very worth seeing.

Getting there: Eurostar London to Brussels (2h), train from Brussels to Ghent (30 minutes).

Other strong contenders in Belgium: Bruges if you don’t mind the tourists; I’ve heard great things about Antwerp

Germany: Dresden

Dresden is so beautiful that I think Germany is keeping it quiet on purpose. It’s got a grand, elegant old town to rival Vienna - even more remarkable when you realise that it was rebuilt, brick by brick, after being obliterated during the Second World War - and a fairytale skyline. The edgy, trendy Neustadt feels like the most stylish bits of Berlin in miniature: flea markets, vintage shops, low-key bars and coffee shops, plenty of graffiti (in a good way). It also has a world class opera house, a famed boys’ choir, and enviable art collections on display at the Zwinger. I’m more fond of nearby Leipzig for sentimental reasons, but I’d pick Dresden for a fun weekend away, any time of year.

Getting there: late afternoon Eurostar London to Brussels (2h), evening European Sleeper train overnight direct to Dresden (arrives around 8.30am).

Other strong contenders in Germany: Leipzig, Hamburg, Munich, Bonn, Nuremburg, Heidelberg