Take Metro 11 (brown) to Porte des Lilas, walk down Rue Belleville using the Metro stations as your guide. Pass through neighbourhoods such as Jourdain, Pyrenees, Belleville and, passing canal St Martin, finish in Republique, the venue of many a Parisian Riot.
Alternatively, at Pyrenees, turn right on to Avenue Simon Bolivar and head for the surreal, landscaped Parc des Buttes Chaumont (19th Arr), complete with its own mountain, waterfall, temple and an incredible view of the Sacre Couer.
To finish the day, head to restaurant Au Pied du Sacre Couer, for fine yet inexpensive French cooking (metro Lamarck-calaincourt, 18th Arr).
A real gem of a bar, with a worn in, non-pretentious atmosphere, a wide range of continental beers and a great gastro restaurant attached.
Better still, they have a lovely little beer garden (more yard than garden) at the back. A great little place a little further afield from where the hordes hang out in Islington.
The Alma, 59 Newington Green Road, London, N1 4QU Tel: 02077047601 URL: www.welovelocal.com/en/london/islington/canonbury/pubs/the-alma-n14qu.html
Nearest Station: Highbury and Islington
Slightly off the beaten track, the Grand Mosque at the 5th Arr. has a large, sunken garden, fountains and a 33-metre high minaret.
The internal courtyards, lined with Andalusian mosaics, are offset by dark eucalyptus and cedar trim. The mosque's adjoining cafe and restaurant, serves excellent north African cuisine such as couscous, tajine and sweet mint tea to all.
Authentic, traditional home cooking - this great restaurant feels almost a deliberate antithesis to the dives of San Antonio. Restaurants like this are hard to find on such a tourist-dominated island, so it's definitely worth checking out if you're staying anywhere nearby. An Ibizan dish of lamb stew with saffron potatoes was beautifully tender.
C/ Cervantes no 4 - near the old church in San Antonio. Tel 971 34 62 52. Closed Tuesdays.
Kingdom Trails in East Burke, Vermont: miles of single-track riding through idyllic rolling terrain.
Not to be missed by mountain bike enthusiasts. There's a local pub and country shop for after ride beer and food.
Visit the Rue Mouffetard for great traditional French food either in pretty French bistros or sitting in the street cafes.
A culinary gem serving ONLY a simple salad start with two rounds of stesk and chips to follow but with oodles of Parisian style. Right in the heart of St Germain, a great place to begin an evening.
20 bis rue St. Benoit, nearest metro St. Germain des Pres
Tiny but delightful bistro, with superb menu, including wonderful desserts.
3 rue des Grands-Degres, 5eme
If you are looking for afternoon tea then you must visit Ladurée on the Champs-Élysées.
There may be long queues but it's worth the wait. Amazing tea and amazing macaron or try the rose scented St. Honoré. It's all quite camp but done very well. An ideal place to take your mother!
For the cheese lovers: La Cloche a Fromage, a restaurante specialised in chesses.
It has an entry in the Guiness Book of Records for the largest cheese board.
On rue Antoine Dansaert, there is a beautiful little Chinese tea shop called Nong Cha, which brings science and art to making a cup of tea. Continuing the Chinese theme, a few doors down is Rouge, which sells Chinese furniture, ceramics, etc. and which has a sister shop on Stoke Newington High Street.
4 Rue Antoine Dansaertstraat
Google map: tinyurl.com/peatlc
Check out the fabulous Restaurant Vincent in Rue des Dominicains, where you walk through the kitchen to be seated.
No hidden secrets, the best steaks and the finest moules. Try the steak tartare, if you dare, prepared at your table with the freshest ingredients - and with amazing flair.
Practice your French and hone your ability to out-barter even the most masterly merchant in Europe, at the flea market on Place du Jeu de Balle.
Pick up a priceless rarity you never knew you needed, meet the locals and exhaust your euros surrounded by classic Belgian architecture, the shouts of stallholders and a unique, animated atmosphere.
Of course, when you can haggle no more, you can collapse at a local café with a glass of red and some sumptuous Belgian food.
Restaurant In den Wittenkop run by a truly enthusiastic couple. Not an encyclopaedic range of beers but great advice and what they do have is worth trying.
Work up through the Rocheforts over some great food. Talk whisky after dinner and weave a merry way home. For chocs go to Pralinette, you can watch them being made in the back of the shop. Get the orange peel in chocolate!
Lovely big rooms in Hotel De Tuilereën, super spa facilities and winner of best breakfast in Benelux! Nice people, nice place. Oh, it’s got canals and museums as well.
If you fancy a bit of a change of food while in Alghero then Ko De Kap Sushi and vegetarian cafe is fantastic. The modern decor is great, staff really friendly and food delicious.
It's closed Mondays and limited menu on Tuesday lunchtimes. They also do takeaway. We were really pleased to find it - sure this is a top tip for an area where the range of types of food is a bit limited; especially for veggies.
Via Asfodelo 35, Alghero. It's opposite the marina; you can see the sign if you look across the road and on the other side of a large car park.
www.kodekap.it
This is a nice little cafe that serves good coffee and a great breakfast, among other things, in a relaxed atmosphere. Open from 9am.
Benigno malo, Cuenca
Gorgeous food all week and excellent roast on Sundays. Delicious meat, scrummy veg, fabby gravy and good atmosphere combine to make this a Sunday treat!
242 Queens Park Road Brighton
BN2 9ZB
01273 679902
Brighton Station and walk or bus
www.thehanoverpub.com/
Kebab place, because they have real chicken tikka (not that rubbish on a stick). Top naan breads and tasty salad to go with it, I recommend it with all the salad and yogurt and mango chutney.
Sajan, Wilmslow Road, Fallowfield.
The best place to stay in Strasbourg for travellers on a shoe-string budget is Ciarus.
It offers clean, comfortable en-suite hostel accommodation, which is often booked up by MEPs.
For the best tarte flambees go to Les Trois Brasseurs at 22 Rue des Veaux. It often has special deals on tarteflambee and beers.
For great beers, go to Academie de la Biere on Rue Adolphe Seyboth. It is a great place to have a few drinks after wondering around beautiful Petite France.
Top restaurant to enjoy tarte flambee - Les Trois Brasseurs, 22 rue des Veaux