Edinburgh in a day: the castle gun fires at one o’clock, and the closes are the real find
A one o’clock gun, a street built on top of another street, and a free gallery most visitors walk past. One day in Edinburgh, with a warning about August.
Dubrovnik in a day: walk the walls at eight in the morning or not at all
Two kilometres of city wall, no shade, and up to four cruise ships in the harbour. Timing is the whole trick here.
Dublin in a day: the Book of Kells shows two pages, and the room behind it is the reason to go
Trinity’s Long Room has been emptied of its books for conservation, which changes what the ticket buys. A Dublin day through Georgian doors, a working pub at five, and the jail that made the state.
Copenhagen in a day: rent a bike, skip the mermaid, book the tower
The statue everyone photographs takes four minutes and disappoints. Here is what the rest of the day should be, on two wheels.
Budapest in a day: the baths are open at six in the morning, and that is when to go
Szechenyi opens at six and is nearly empty until nine. A Budapest day that starts in hot water, crosses to Buda for the hill, and ends in a courtyard bar that was condemned property.
Brussels in a day: the statue is 61 centimetres tall and the square makes up for it
Manneken Pis will disappoint you in under a minute. The Grand Place, the comic murals, the beer list and the chips will not.
Berlin in a day: the wall is a line in the pavement, and most of it is not at the Wall
A double row of cobbles marks where the Berlin Wall stood, and following it explains the city faster than any museum. One day, from the Reichstag dome to the East Side Gallery.
Barcelona in a day: two tickets to buy before you fly, and one to skip
The Sagrada Familia and Park Guell both sell timed entry online and both refuse latecomers. Around those two windows a Barcelona day builds itself, from the Boqueria to the Carmel bunkers at sunset.
Athens in a day: one ticket covers seven sites, and nobody sells it to you
The combined archaeological ticket includes the Acropolis and six other sites for five days, and the booths rarely mention it. An Athens day from the marble at dawn to a rooftop looking back at it.
Amsterdam in a day: the museum ticket that sells out six weeks ahead
The Anne Frank House has no ticket desk and releases seats six weeks out. Plan a day in Amsterdam around that release, and the canals, the Rijksmuseum and De Pijp fall into place behind it.