This place is indispensable for brunches. It's usually pretty quiet on a Saturday/Sunday morning, which makes it very relaxing for the hungover. Try the peanut butter and banana malt and pancakes with bacon and maple syrup.

Eagle Bar and Diner, Rathbone Place, London W1
(off Oxford Street, near Tottenham Court Rd tube station)
www.eaglebardiner.com/

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Simply the loveliest department store in Paris or anywhere else, with a beautiful selection of fashion and homeware (even the haberdashery is stunning). The food hall is wonderful.

Rue de Sevres, Paris 7e; nearest metro: Sevres-Babylon; www.lebonmarche.fr/

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This is a lovely place to wander around. Here’s a few places to look out for:

Castle Market: La Maison des Gourmets for cakes and Costume for posh frocks. On Drury Street: Jenny Vander for vintage clothes and a few other small fashion shops. More small shops and stalls (food, clothes, secondhand books) in George's Street Arcade, as well as the grubby but charming cafe, Simon's Place. On South William Street, sit outside Ba Mizu on a (rare) sunny day, or try Dakota (sometimes cool, sometimes tries too hard).

Between Grafton Street and George's Street, Dublin 2

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Nice relaxed place for simple dishes and pretty good wines.

Chez Max, Palace Street (next to Dublin Castle, off Dame Street), Dublin 2

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This is a combined bar, cafe/deli, restaurant and club with an excellent location on the Esplanade. The punters can sometimes be a bit bland (office girls and suits on the prowl) but the food is good and the Kellobaari at the back is pretty cool.

Teatteri, Pohjoisesplanadi, Helsinki;
www.royalravintolat.com/teatteri/index_eng.asp

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Small funky bar with a good atmosphere. The clientele seems to be mostly students and media types.

Erottaja Baari, Erottajankatu 15 (near the junction of Mannerheimintie and Bulevardi), Helsinki

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This casual place has a brilliant location right on the Esplanade. Downstairs is a self-service cafe; upstairs, the comfortable library bar and a restaurant serving Scandinavian/Continental food.

Strindberg
Pohjoisesplanadi, Helsinki
www.royalravintolat.com/strindberg/index_eng.asp

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Less energetic than walking up Killiney Hill: take the Dart to Killiney and then walk back along the coast road to Dalkey. The views over the bay are lovely. Further along, look out for Coliemore Harbour and Dalkey Island. Finish off with drinks or food in Dalkey, before taking the Dart back into town.

Dart to Killiney

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This stretch along the Seine may not be to everyone's taste but I love visiting the petshops, which stock everything from (remarkably expensive) cats and dogs to geese, squirrels, toucans and ferrets.

Quai de la Megisserie (between Samaritaine department store and Chatelet on the Right Bank)

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Liike is a tiny shop selling odd-bod fashion, mostly by young Finnish designers.

Liike, Yrjonkatu (opp. Torni hotel), Helsinki

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If you live in Finland, this brand must be overexposed but for the foreigner it still looks bright and funky. A great range of clothes, accessories and homeware. The best stuff harks back to bold 1960s prints but it also does a line of sober businesswear for women. It's not cheap but then it seems to be mostly manufactured in Finland rather than a far eastern sweatshop and the quality and durability are excellent. There's a factory outlet in Herttoniemi (on the metro line), where the prices are a bit less shocking.

Marimekko, Pohjoisesplanadi, Helsinki (and branches);
www.marimekko.fi/eng

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Nanso had its glory days making jersey clothes in the 1960s-1970s, but it has recently been reinvigorated and makes some quirky/retro but wearable womenswear, mostly in cotton and viscose fabrics.

Nanso, Mikonkatu, Helsinki;
www.nanso.fi/nanso/en/

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This restaurant near the harbour has really excellent food (and prices to match) but I think it's worth it. The menu is especially strong on seafood: try anything made with "nieria" or Arctic charr, which is a delicious relative of salmon and trout. Downstairs in the Krog is less posh.

G.W. Sundmands
Etelaranta (off Market Square), Helsinki
www.royalravintolat.com/sundmans/index_eng.asp

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