Travel podcasts for city break fans. All the historical and cultural background you need to enjoy your visit.
Episodes
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
This post is all about Bordeaux's riverside heritage. We’ll be looking at a number of museums which explore the links between Bordeaux, the River Garonne and its trading prosperity, including the dark stain of slavery and how that is remembered in the city today. We end with ideas for the many ways to enjoy the riverside in Bordeaux, plus ideas for exploring the Gironde Estuary and its unique history and wildlife more widely.
Useful Links
Musée d’Aquitaine
Museum of Bordeaux Maritime History
Wine and Trade Museum
National Customs Museum
Museum of the Sea and Marine Life
Tour of the Bridges Walk (self-guided)
Bordeaux Tourist Office: ideas for enjoying the River Garonne
Boat Trips on the Garonne
Bordeaux Tourist Office: Visiting the Gironde Estuary
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 Bordeaux 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 May 03, 2023
Wednesday May 03, 2023
This episode 'visits' the Bordeaux of two important past eras: the Roman and the medieval. A little history, plus lots of ideas for places to visit today: the remains of a Roman amphitheatre, turretted towers and the churches which became stopping points on the pilgrims' route to Santiago de Compostela. Plus, of course, the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Reading Suggestions
Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir
The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick
Links for this post
The Musée d’Aquitaine
The Palais Galien
The Grosse Cloche
The Porte Cailhau
Saint Seurin Church
Saint André Cathedral
Saint Michel Church
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 Bordeaux 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 Apr 05, 2023
Wednesday Apr 05, 2023
This episode takes you on a stroll through central Bordeaux, introducing the highlights and giving a little background history. Key moments from the past include a 12th century royal wedding and the demise of revolutionary heroes who died for Republican values. The architectural highlights include medieval turrets, 18th century mansions and a quayside 21st century stunner.
Reading Suggestion
Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir
Useful Links
Tour of Grand Théâtre
Tickets for the Grand Théâtre
Book ahead to climb the Tour Pey-Berland
Musée d’Aquitaine
The Grosse Cloche
The Porte Cailhau
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 Berlin 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 01, 2023
Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
Bienvenue à Bordeaux. Welcome to Bordeaux. This relaxed, elegant city is famous for its wine, for its delightful riverside quays and for its layers of history from Roman remains and medieval towers to 21st century stunners like the Miroir d’Eau and the Cité du Vin. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a centre of gastronomy and culture. This introductory episode will help you get your bearings and pick up the basic facts which underpin everything. As the French say, 'On y va!' - Let's go!
2 useful websites
Bordeaux Tourist Office
Visit Bordeaux
2 Guide Books
Lonely Planet Pocket Bordeaux
Bordeaux France by P G Preston
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 Berlin 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!
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Eight inspirational ideas for novels set in Berlin, all of which bring their own distinctive view of the city. Read them to inform an upcoming trip, to reminisce about the Berlin you have visited or simply to see the city from lots of different perspectives.
Useful Links
The 8 featured novels
Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane
The Luminous Life of Lily Aphrodite by Beatrice Collin
Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood
Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada
Fatherland by Robert Harris
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carré
Friedrichstrasse 19 by Emma Harding
Book of Clouds by Chloe Aridjis
2 Berlin anthologies
City Lit Berlin Edited by Heather Reyes
Berlin, A Literary Guide for Travellers by Paul Sullivan and Marcel Krueger
Berlin Tourist Information Offices
Inspiring Germany Tourist Information
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 Berlin 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 Jan 18, 2023
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
We open with some quotes on Berlin from the likes of David Bowie ('the greatest cultural extravaganza anyone could imagine') and Nikita Khrushchev ('the testicle of the west'), then follows the main content: reviews of 4 non-fiction books which tell the story of Berlin and its residents from different angles. They include a family history, the history of a house, an escape story and an investigation into the inner workings of East Germany.
Reading for this post
The House by the Lake by Thomas Harding
Stasiland by Anna Funder
Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman
Red Love by Maxim Leo
Two Berlin Anthologies
City Lit Berlin Edited by Heather Reyes
Berlin, A Traveller's Guide by Paul Sullivan and Marcel Krueger
Tourist Information
Berlin Tourist Information Offices
Inspiring Germany Tourist Information
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 Berlin 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 Jan 04, 2023
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
Ideas for a day trip from Berlin to Lake Wannsee, where Berliners love to swim and enjoy the lakeside beach and surrounding forest. Plus what to visit nearby - an exotic island, a couple of royal castles, an artist's hideaway, a villa steeped in WW2 history and the real Bridge of Spies. Maybe you need longer than a day to visit, but you can get all the info here in under half an hour!
Useful Links
Lake Wannsee Lido
Peacock Island Castle
Glienicke Palace
Glienicke Bridge (The Bridge of Spies)
Wannsee Conference House
Max Liebermann House
Lakes mentioned
Wannsee - Dämeritzsee - Schlachtensee - Müggelsee - Tegeler See
Berlin Tourist Information Offices
Inspiring Germany Tourist Information
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 Berlin 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 Dec 14, 2022
Wednesday Dec 14, 2022
A visit to Charlottenburg, once the summer palace of the Hohenzollerns who ruled Prussia for 5 centuries. Tips on what to look out for, plus stories of those connected with it: Sophie Charlotte, for whom the original palace was built, Frederick the Great who built a fancy new wing, and the popular Queen Luisa, around whom court life revolved in the early 19th century.
Reading suggestion
Frederick the Great: King of Prussia by Tim Blanning
Useful links
Charlottenburg Old Palace
Charlottenburg Palace New Wing
Charlottenburg Palace New Pavilion
Charlottenburg Palace Belvedere
Charlottenburg Palace Mausoleum
Berlin Tourist Information Offices
Inspiring Germany Tourist Information
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 Berlin 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 Nov 30, 2022
Wednesday Nov 30, 2022
Jewish culture in Berlin goes back hundreds of years and we visit the places where you can discover it. The New Synagogue, also known as the Centrum Judaicum, and the Jewish Museum are the two main centres of Jewish heritage in the city today, but there are others too, plus Jewish cemeteries and memorials and two ideas for guided walking tours.
Reading suggestions
The Wandering Jews by Joseph Roth
Jews in Berlin by Andreas Nachama
Useful links
The New Synagogue
The Jewish Museum
The Old Jewish Cemetery
The Jewish Cemetery
The Otto Weidt Museum
Walking Tour Discovering Traces of Jewish Life
Walking Tour Jewish Berlin Heritage Tour
Berlin Tourist Information Offices
Inspiring Germany Tourist Information
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 Berlin 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 Nov 16, 2022
Wednesday Nov 16, 2022
An exploration of Berlin as a city of film and cinema. Two museums, a look back at Berlin cinema history and a visit to the Berlinale, the city's annual highly influential film festival. Plus tips on which Berlin cinemas to try out and suggestions for films set in Berlin, some German language (available with English subtitles) and some in English.
Film suggestions In German (all available with English subtitles)
The Blue Angel
Wings of Desire
Run Lola Run
Goodbye, Lenin
Downfall
The Lives of Others
In English
Cabaret
Bridge of Spies
Alone in Berlin
Useful links
The Museum for Film and Television
The Film Park Babelsberg
Berlinale Festival Programme
General Information on Berlin Cinemas
CinemaxX
Odeon
Kulturbrauererei Cinema
Spandau Open Air Cinema
Berlin Tourist Information Offices
Inspiring Germany Tourist Information
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 Berlin 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!