There are many beautiful cities close to home and what better than a special Valentine’s City Break to explore them!

Take your loved one to one of the world’s most romantic cities, Paris. Travel direct from central London or Kent by Eurostar, hop in a Paris cab or jump on the Metro and you could be strolling hand in hand along the River Seine gazing at the Eiffel Tower, meandering through the Louvre or gazing into each other’s eyes over a cup of steaming hot coffee in a tiny French Bistro or café!  This trip could be done in a day, as can Eurostar trips to Lille in northern France if you want to cut costs.

The Spanish cities of Barcelona and Madrid are simply gorgeous. In a little more than two hours, fly from the UK to Madrid, Spain’s romantic capital city.  Take a pleasant walk through Buen Retiro Park or discover the delights of the El Prado Museum and many stunning Madrid art museums.  On the Mediterranean Sea, is Barcelona, a stunning cosmopolitan city; perfect for a dreamy Valentine’s holiday. Stunning architecture, nonstop entertainment, a cultural delight to explore!

Prague in the Czech Republic is alight with fairytale buildings, and its historic surroundings ensure the city is one of the top romantic holiday hotspots.  Enjoy a candlelit valentine’s meal on a cruise along the Vltava River then wind through Prague’s beautiful streets in a horse drawn carriage.

For cheap February flights throughout Europe, Ryanair have a seat sale that finishes at midnight tonight (4 Jan 10). Fares start from £5 per person each way excluding taxes and the choice of locations to fly to is endless. Sadly the Valentines weekend is a blackout period, but travel from Stansted to Malaga in Southern Spain on Friday 12th February and return on Monday 15 February and the flight only price is under £160 for two inclusive of taxes and online check in. Book accommodation with lowcostholidays and you could stay in the Hotel Los Arcos, Torremolinos (about 15 minutes from the airport) in a twin room with balcony/terrace for 3 nights self catering for a total cost of £89.00 (price quoted on 4 Jan10).

October is ideal for city break holidays throughout Europe and North America, but where to go?

A weekend of two or three days in either Paris or New York really isn’t long enough, but you are guaranteed a fantastic time full of activities, beautiful scenery and architecture, outstanding major attractions (Empire State Building or Eiffel Tower for example), incredible shopping and the most fabulous restaurants and cafes.

A city break in New York is never to be forgotten, and in the fall, Central Park is presented in a fine display of gold, russet and reds. Around Halloween (31st October) is the perfect time to take the family on holiday to The Big Apple, as all the shops and houses are beautifully decorated with cobwebs and pumpkins, or the 2nd Monday of October (12th in 2009) when the spectacular Columbus Day Parade with over 35,000 participants starts on Fifth Avenue at 44th Street at 11.45am following a route taking around 3 hours to 79th Street.

Paris in October is delightful as the city quietens in the lull before Christmas, making for leisurely and enjoyable visits to the French capital’s many fantastic museums and galleries such as the famous Louvre (Musée du Louvre) near the Palais Royal Mussee du Louvre metro station on Line 1 or the Musee d’Orsay in the Saint Germain des Pres area on the metro Line 12 at Solferino station or RER Line C; Musee d’Orsay station. The shops are more accessible without the crowds, so be sure to head to Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore and Rue de la Paix for chic Paris designer stores and around Boulevard Haussmann for department shops galore, or Avenue des Champs Elysees and Les Halles for trendy shops and chain stores.

By October British summer time is generally over! The temperature has dropped but the variety of places to visit hasn’t decreased, you just have to be a little more inventive!

European beaches are generally very quiet as the weather can be a little unpredictable, but if you choose a city break destination that is close to a beach, then you may enjoy the best of both worlds; quiet beaches if the weather is warm and dry, and cultural visits and shopping if it is too chilly or wet!  Barcelona and Malaga in Spain both boast historic cities by the sea, or how about Faro in Portugal or Athens in Greece both of which are short distances from beaches and islands, or you could head to the south of France to Nice or Cannes? See our separate blog on more October City Breaks.

If you are thinking of travelling further afield during October, then how about Hawaii, may be with a stop off in either Los Angeles or San Francisco?  A tropical paradise, the island of Kaua’i is north of Ahu where Honolulu is located.  Giant ficus trees, the beautiful Hanakapi’ai Falls, colourful flowers, dramatic rainforest; an island perfect for surfers and walkers!

October holidays exploring the Great Barrier Reef off the east coast of Australia is perfect, staying either in Brisbane or on Hayman Island – or both!  Visit the Koala Sanctuary, take a jeep safari along the Gold Coast, relax on one of the world’s most fabulous beaches on the Whitsunday Islands, snorkel, scuba dive, bungy, kayak…

If the other side of the world is too far, Africa is of course warmer than Europe although October can be very wet especially in Morocco; however the hot and sunny climes of the Red Sea resorts in Egypt such as Sharm El Sheik, Hurghada and Taba boast a very low annual rain fall and can generally be relied on for warm weather, although there may be strong winds.   Should you prefer to holiday in October away from well know resorts, then consider Tanzania and the islands of Mafia or Zanzibar.

Closer to home, and with the October half term holidays approaching, renting a cottage in England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales is worth considering.  Take t-shirts and jumpers, flip flops and wellies, and always waterproof clothes, but if you’re strolling in the Brecon Beacons or dipping your toes in the sea along the Cornish coast, there will always be plenty to do, especially if you take the car or hire car!

If you board the Eurostar train from London St Pancras or Ashford International (Kent) to Paris, you will arrive at Paris’ Gare du Nord (North Station) – unless of course, you are heading on the direct train to Disneyland Paris!

One of the six main stations on Paris’ SNCF network, Gare du Nord is the busiest station in France and Europe.

As well as being the London Eurostar terminal in Paris (platforms 3 to 6), the Paris Metro (Line 4 and 5, next stop, Gare de l’Est) and RER trains (platforms 41 to 44 – lines B, D and E), Gare du Nord is also used by mainline trains, TGV trains to the north and the Picard TER depart from platforms 9 to 29 with trains to Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands departing either platforms 7 or 8. Gare de l’Est however is only a few streets away and can easily be walked to although buses also connect the neighbouring stations.

In the basement of Paris’ busiest station, line B goes to Charles de Gaulle airport (Roissy) and D to Gare de Lyon. B and D both travel to Stade de France in Saint Denis. If hiring a car from Gare du Nord, the car rental desks are on Level 1 and can be accessed from rue de Compiegne and rue Amboise Pare. Car hire may be prebooked from any number of car hire locations throughout France, including numerous rail way stations too.

Movie fans will have spotted Gare du Nord featured in the films Mr Bean’s Holiday, The Bourne Ultimatum and Ocean’s Twelve.

Travelling at speeds of up to 200 mph, the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) is definitely a fast way to travel through France.   These passenger trains are modern and comfy, and seats should be prebooked. The popularity of the TGV has lead to the development of the double decker train or TGV Duplex which can seat over 500 passengers. Not all the TGV’s depart from Gare du Nord, so make sure you check exactly which Paris train station you are due to depart from or arrive into. Rail tickets may be booked with RailEurope or SNCF online.

As temperatures start to rise, July is the perfect month to discover Europe.

Why not fly to one of Greece’s many beautiful islands, pick up a hire car from easyCar and head to the beach? The Greek Ionian island of Kefalonia (or Cephalonia) is ideal for exploring by car as there are many hidden beaches only accessible by sea or road! One of the most photographed beaches in Greece is Myrtos beach near the pretty town of Argostoli on the north west coast of the island, although the south coast and the Blue Flag beach of Skala is a sand lover’s dream and ideal for snorkelling. In contrast to these “white” beaches, head to Kefalonia’s peninsula by car and discover the “red” coast around Lixouri and Xi beach.

Then there is southern Portugal – The Algarve! Take a low cost or charter flight to Faro airport, ensuring that car rental has been booked for a great driving holiday and follow the winding azure coastline easy or west.. Lagos, Albufeira, Vilamoura or Tavira? Don’t forget to leave the gorgeous sandy beaches and head into the hills – a trip to the pretty village of Monchique is not to be missed!

Or how about starting the month of July off with a trip to one of Europe’s beautiful cities?

Fly to the French capital of Paris and explore the stunning chateaux located around the outskirts of the city such as Chateau de Chantilly and the popular Chateau de Versailles. You could even extend your stay by driving down to the French Riviera for a little shopping in Nice or Cannes!

And how about prebooking car hire in Brussels and discovering this sophisticated and well preserved city, followed by the short trip to beautiful Bruges, then onto fascinating Flanders and the stunning long sandy Belgium beaches?

The schools will start breaking up for the long summer holidays soon, so make a choice now and explore by car to your heart’s content!