Barcelona never sleeps, not even in the summer, quite the opposite in fact. In July, the city dances to its very own soundtrack as it becomes the venue for a whole host of top musical events. So as you can see, July is not just about sun and beach, it's also the month of music in Barcelona.

Plenty of things to do with children, such as the Poble Espanyol, Parc de la Ciutadella, L’Aquàrium Barcelona… the list goes on and on. But it's also a city designed to be enjoyed as a family, with hundreds of restaurants to please the tastes of adults and children alike. Plus, the size of the city means that it's easy to get around, whether by public transport or even on foot.

There’s a lot more to Munich than the Oktoberfest beer festival and a legendary football team –this city of 1.5 million people is one of Europe’s most important cultural centres, while also boasting a very complete menu of entertainment and recreational options, every day of the year. Here are a few proposals for a weekend getaway to this liveliest of German cities.

Amongst it many attractions, Munich is easy to get to and to get around in, thanks to its huge international airport, excellent rail connection, and the super-modern public transport systems serving the city and its outskirts. Most of the key places for sightseers are concentrated in a relatively small area, and the city is thronged with visitors all year round. Keep in mind that the Alps are nearby, and the city is a staging point for skiers in winter and for climbers, hikers, mountain bikers, and paragliders in summer.

The city’s cultural life is intense, and no tourist should neglect to visits the cluster of three classical art museums collectively known as the Pinakothek –a show of El Greco is now in progress in one of them and will remain open until 12^th April. Not far away is the Brandhorst museum of modern art. On the bank of the Isar river is the fascinating Deutsches Museum of science and technology. It has a branch in Schleissheim to the north of the city that specialises in airplanes, and another in Theresienhöhe dedicated to every imaginable type of land transport vehicle. You may also enjoy the recently opened ZNT, New Technologies Centre, with its focus on nanotechnology and biotechnology. Car aficionados will love the BMW Welt museum –BMW is a Bavarian brand, afer all! To learn more about Munich itself, and its long and curious history, check out the Stadtmuseum, and don’t miss the permanent “Typically Munich” exhibition. For insights into the Bavarian people, there’s the incredible Residenz, the old palace of the Bavarian royal family, located in the city centre, and Germany’s largest urban palace. Today it is one of Europe’s leading museums of decorative arts, and its richly furnished and adorned spaces evoke many centuries of history under the Wittelsbach dynasty (1180-1918). At a short distance is the dynasty’s first Munich home, the Alter Hof, later used as law courts, and now the site of the Bavarian Museums Information Office and of a small museum devoted to the Wittelbachs, whose most famous king, Ludwig II, was born in the Nymphenburg castle standing in the western part of the city, next to the entrance to the Nymphenburg park. But just two hours southwest of Munich is one of Germany’s most celebrated castles, Neuschwanstein, at the foot of the Alps, which was Walt Disney’s inspiration for the castle in the cartoon classic Sleepìng Beauty.

Munich, by the way, has three top-ranked orchestras, numerous music festivals in many genres, and dozens of concert halls.

Design
Design is something else Munich is famous for, and this is evident in the way people dress –in style and good taste, like the people of Milan. The city centre is the best place to shop for designer clothes and decorative items, for antiques, and for books. For luxury goods, jewellery, silverware, etc., look for shops labelled as Königlich Bayerischen Hoflieferanten, or “suppliers to the royal household of Bavaria”.

A Bite to Eat, Sports…
It’s almost impossible not to eat well wherever you go in Bavaria, and Munich’s dining is unrivalled for quality and variety. Local specialities include the famous Weisswurst or veal sausages, accompanied by a salty soft or crisp pretzel and sweet mustard; a ration of pork or beef with mash; and a spicy Obatzder cheese sauce with black bread. When it comes to eating, the locals prefer the biergärten –especially in summer—and the friendly beer halls found throughout the city.

For the sports-minded, we recommend a tour of the Olimpiastadion stadium where the main events of the 1972 Olympic Games were held, a milestone in stadium architecture, and still in almost continual use, as is the Allianz Arena, built for the 2006 World Football Cup, and now home to FC Bayern -a team with five Champions League titles to its credit- and the less well-known TSV 1860.

Munich awaits! Check out our fares here!

Text: Isabel y Luis Comunicación

Photos: Deutschland Tourismus, Haydar Koyupinar/ Museum Brandhorst

The first thing that struck us at the Port of Hamburg and, apparently it’s really trendy at the moment, are the so-called beach parties. On the terraces and in the bars close to the port they have set up hammocks, palm trees and spread the floors with sand. All of thiswith a view to replicating, as far as the cold climate of this city will permit, the cafés of Ibiza and their sunsets. Chill-out lounges, mojitos and caipiriñas in bars such asHamburg del Mar (in St.-Pauli-Landungsbrücken/Parkdeck) or the HCBC.

One of Hamburg’s best attractions is its Fischmarkt, or the Hamburg Fish Market (at Große Elbstraße 137). This is a huge, bustling open-air market that is set up beside the historic covered fish market where they also hold concerts you can go to with the whole family. It will call for an early rise if you want to pick up the best produce, as it only opens on Sunday mornings between 0500 and 0900.

Wandering through the port you will come across the huge ‘City of Warehouses’ or Warehouse District of Hamburg, the Speicherstadt, with its cobbled streets, criss-crossed by canals and red brick buildings. It was built between 1883 and 1927 and in its early days it had one of the biggest warehouses in the world, where merchandise arriving from at the port was dealt with. Now you will find it home to restaurants and museums.

The Port of Hamburg is undergoing big changes. In one huge area still under development, a key urban planning programme has been designed to rebuild the zone, called HafenCity and where they are building homes and offices. Rising above all these buildings will be the Elbphilharmonie, the impressiveElba Philharmonic that is expected to be inaugurated in 2014. On top of one of the old port warehouses they are building what looks like a glass crown that will be home to a concert hall with room for more than 2,000 spectators.

We were told that Hamburg has two brands of beer made in the city. One of these is the Astra beer which is made in St Pauli and which is easily recognisable thanks to its logo of a red heart which is also a port symbol. The other beer made in the city is Holsten which is produced in the district of Altona-Nord.

We really liked these 3 places for eating out:

1. Bullerei with its pleasant terrace and a healthy mid-week menu.

2. Fischhandel with its high, shared tables in Colonnaden street offers one cheap, balanced plate of food which is what everyone asks for and only costs 6.50 €. You place your order inside and they let you know when it’s ready by ringing a bell. We had a huge bowl of fussini with vegetables, wild mushrooms and a good portion of fish that tasted heavenly. When you finish eating, everyone takes their plates back inside which means they save waiting at tables in order for them to keep the prices down.

3. Gröninger Privatbrauerei serves typical Bavarian dishes: huge ham knuckles, cold cuts such as leberkäse, the traditional sauerkraut (pickled cabbage salad) or bratkartoffeln (sautéed potatoes). Prepare to loosen your belt as their portions are enormous. And the place is very warm and picturesque with enormous wooden tables to rub shoulders with other diners.

Without a doubt, the most famous street in Hamburg is the Reeperbahn in Sankt Pauli with its sex shops, strip clubs and all sorts of bars. It was here that the Beatles launched their career in 1960. They played their first concert at the Indra Club but the place where they really started to make a name for themselves was at the Star Club. The place no longer exists but there is a plaque that commemorates their presence in the city. Here’s a link to the whole route that remembers the period the Liverpool boys spent in Hamburg.

Also very well-known for its football team, the FC St Pauli is much loved by all Hamburgers and has a pirate skull for its logo. You can buy t-shirts and all sorts of gadgets at the FC St Pauli shop beside the football stadium or at another, more central shop on the Reeperbahn itself at No. 63-65.

Außenalster is one of the man-made lakes that forms the River Alster in the heart of the city. It is one of the favourite places to enjoy a sunny day and the meeting place for residents of Hamburg where they go to do different sports and activities.

Why not take a trip to Hamburg? Have a look at our flights here!