Travel podcasts for city break fans. All the historical and cultural background you need to enjoy your visit.
Episodes
7 days ago
7 days ago
Ok, so Stratford-upon-Avon is not actually a city, but as a town which punches well above its weight historically and culturally, we’re giving it an honorary place in the City Breaks collection. This is the introductory episode, with a little geographical and historical context and an idea for a first get-your-bearings walk around Stratford. It will introduce you to Stratford's Tudor gabled houses, riverside setting, swans and boats and, of course, give a flavour of Stratford as Shakespeare's home town, where he was both born and buried and where he bought the town's second biggest house as a retirement pad. So, with no more ado and as the great man himself might have said, shall we wend?
Reading Suggestions
Stratford-upon-Avon Quick Trips by Cynthia Atkins
A-Z of Stratford-upon-Avon by Will Atkins
Secret Stratford by Nicholas Fogg
Shakespeare The Biography by Peter Ackroyd
Links for this Episode
Visit Stratford-upon-Avon
Guided walks around Stratford
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Stratford-Upon-Avon series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be very much appreciated!
Wednesday Mar 04, 2026
Wednesday Mar 04, 2026
Both Vincennes and St Germain-en-Laye make excellent days out from Paris, or even half days as both can be reached by public transport in less than half an hour. Each has a magnificent castle to visit, plus a range of other cultural, relaxation and shopping possibilities. So this episode tells you how to get to each place, following up with what there is to see and do there, plus – bien sûr! – a few of the interesting historical snippets which will inform your visit.
Links for this post
St Germain-en-Laye Tourist Office
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Paris series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Tuesday Feb 03, 2026
Tuesday Feb 03, 2026
This Paris episode covers two of the most beautiful châteaux in the Paris region. Both are easy to reach on public transport and both have fascinating stories to tell. We cover how to get there, what you can expect to see and make sure we cover the most interesting tales – François I’s show-off gallery, Napoleon’s refurbishment to impress the Pope and the party-to-end-all-parties which went ended in disaster and ruination.
Reading Suggestion
Francis I, The Maker of Modern France by Leonie Frieda
Useful Links
Château de Fontainebleau
Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Paris series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Wednesday Jan 07, 2026
Wednesday Jan 07, 2026
Our Amsterdam Anthology rounds off the series by offering some different perspectives on the city. Here, you’ll find Amsterdam seen through the eyes of writers, some from the past, many contemporary: travel writers, journalists, novelists and an author of short stories. Between them they provide lots of different ways to get to know – or reminisce about! – the city and, we hope, plenty of inspiration for further reading.
Reading Suggestions
My Dam Life by Sean Conlan
Amsterdam Stories by Nescio
Amsterdam by Ian McEwen
The Coffee Trader by David Liss
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton
Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Wednesday Dec 10, 2025
Wednesday Dec 10, 2025
This episode in two halves starts with food in Amsterdam; the street snacks you’ll want to try, the Dutch specialities to look out for in restaurants and a brief introduction to the city’s favourite ethnic cuisine, namely Indonesian. If you don’t know your drop from your rijsttafel, help is at hand. After a brief word on bier and jenever (Dutch gin) and a look at the Heineken Experience and the city’s Brown Cafes, it’s time for shopping: a tour of the best markets and a visit to the two best areas for wandering, browsing and maybe making a purchase or two.
LINKS FOR THIS POST
Kaaskamer
Amsterdam Foodie guide to Indonesian restaurants
I love Amsterdam post on pancakes
Van Wonderen Stroopwafel
Het Oud-Hollandsch Snoepwinkeltje
Café Chris
Café Hoppe
The Heineken Experience
I am Amsterdam post on the best breweries to visit in Amsterdam
Bloemenmarkt
Waterlooplein Flea Market
Previous Episode Tulips and diamonds
Next Episode coming very soon.
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Wednesday Nov 05, 2025
Wednesday Nov 05, 2025
Tulips and diamonds: both figure centrally in the story of Amsterdam. The Netherlands is known as the ‘flower shop of the world’ and a visit to Amsterdam’s flower market a must for any visit. Equally, you will surely want to explore Amsterdam’s heritage as the ‘City of Diamonds’. This episode brings a little background history on both topics, plus ideas for three places to visit to find out more.
Reading Suggestions
The Tulip by Anna Pavord
Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach
Links for this post
The Tulip Museum
The Diamond Museum
Royal Coster Diamonds
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Friday Aug 01, 2025
Friday Aug 01, 2025
This episode covers everything it's good to know before you visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam: a brief biography of Vincent himself, followed by tips on what to look out for in the museum dedicated to his work. To finish, there are ideas for 3 more arty venues to visit in Amsterdam if you want to investigate the city's modern art and street art offerings.
Reading Suggestions
Van Gogh The Life by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith
The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh The Complete Paintings by Ingo F. Walther and Rainer Metzger
Links for this post
Van Gogh Museum
Stedelijk Museum
NDSM Loods
Straat Museum
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Wednesday Jun 25, 2025
Wednesday Jun 25, 2025
This episode revolves around Amsterdam's top art gallery, the Rijksmuseum. It starts with a little history, explaining how art came to be of such importance in Amsterdam's Golden Age in the 17th century, then continues with some biographical details on the two top artists from the era, Rembrandt and Vermeer. It finishes with pointers to some of their best-known works, plus ideas for other highlights to look out for when visiting the gallery.
Reading Suggestions
Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach
Vermeer by Christopher Wright
Rijksmuseum guidebook
Links for this post
The Rijksmuseum
Rembrandt House Museum
Old World Voyages blog
Essential Vermeer
Simon Schama, Great Gallery Tours, the Rijksmuseum
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Wednesday May 28, 2025
Wednesday May 28, 2025
This episode on World War II in Amsterdam looks at how 5 years of German occupation affected everyone living there and suggests places to visit to find out more. We start with the population in general and the Dutch Resistance Museum, then look at the plight of the city’s Jewish population before finishing with a section on Anne Frank: her story and the museum now operating in the building where she and her family lived in hiding for 25 months.
Reading Suggestions
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The Dutch Resistance 1940-1945 by Klaas Kastlein and Michael Wenting
Links for this post
The Dutch Resistance Museum
The Hollandsche Schouwburg Memorial Site
The National Holocaust Museum
Anne Frank House
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!
Wednesday May 07, 2025
Wednesday May 07, 2025
This episode introduces Amsterdam's Jewish culture. There's a little historical context, beginning with the arrival of Jews fleeing from other parts of Europe in the 16th century and ending in today’s city where Jewish culture is centred around the Jewish Quarter. Then there's a description of some of the most significant places to visit, focussing especially on the Portugese Synagogue and the Jewish Museum. The holocaust will be dealt with in the next episode.
Links for this post
National Holocaust Museum
Hollandsche Schouwburg
Portuguese Synagogue
Jewish Museum
City Breaks: all the history and culture you'd research for yourself if you had the time!
Check our website to find more episodes from our Amsterdam series or to browse our back catalogue of other cities which are well worth visiting: https://www.citybreakspodcast.co.uk
We love to receive your comments and suggestions!
You can e mail us at citybreaks@citybreakspodcast.co.uk
And if you like what you hear, please do post comments or a review wherever you downloaded this episode. That would be a big help!