Design in Copenhagen

The Danish capital is designer heaven. Try George Jensen (Amagertorv 4), in the heart of the city, three floors of cutting edge silverware. Then journey out to Normann (Osterbrogade 70), an interior design wonderland fashioned out of an old cinema. Stay at the intimate Bertrams, with four-posters in every room. Copenhagen is the cultural centre of Denmark. Attractions and exhibitions can be seen at for instance New Carlsberg Glyptotek, National Museum of Fine Art, Danish Design Centre, Arken and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Det Kongelige Teater, the Royal Theatre, is Denmark's foremost stage housed in a building inspired by the Italian                     Renaissance.

Full of life in Lisbon

Sip a pumpkin martini in Lisbon.
Forget jack o'lanterns, head to Lisbon and sink into a banquette in one of the city's hippest lounges, Cinco, and order a pumpkin martini, or some of the other 100-plus cocktails on the menu. Stay at the new design hotel, the Fontana Park in Saldanha Square. The heart of the city is the Baixa (Downtown) or city centre; this area of the city is being considered for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

The Baixa is organised in a grid system and a network of squares built after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which levelled a great portion of the medieval city.

The Castle of São Jorge and the Lisbon Cathedral are located on one of the seven hills of Lisbon, to the east of the Baixa.

The oldest district of the city is Alfama, close to the Tagus, which has made it relatively unscathed through the various earthquakes.