There are some big cities in Europe that, for whatever reason, have a reputation as being terminally dull. Whether they’re full of bankers and politicians or people only pass through as it’s a major transport hub, they don’t feature on too many itineraries. Unless you’re visiting for a business conference, of course.
However, many of these cities aren’t quite as boring as you’d think, and some of them are positively party central…
Zurich
Where: North-East Switzerland
Yawn: The home of the world-famous Swiss banking industry hardly promises rip-roaring entertainment.
Wake up: Believe it or not, Zurich is something of a party city. There’s a large student population, which helps, but there’s also something of a stand-out-from-the-crowd attitude too. Just take one look at the amount of wacky theme hotels such as the Hotel Otter (www.wueste.ch)…
There are various zones where the nightlife goes off. The area of the city just east of the river is the obvious one, with a multinational mix adding to the feeling that something’s about to go off. However it’s the former grim industrial area of Zurich West that’s most happening, and new concept bars are seemingly opening every night.
Then, of course, there’s the small matter of the Street Parade – Europe’s biggest street festival, and the world’s biggest open air rave. It’s held in August every year.
Getting there: Easyjet flies direct to Zurich from Luton airport.
Den Haag
Where: On the North Sea coast, The Netherlands.
Yawn… The Hague, as English-speakers tend to call it, is essentially a political city. It plays host to numerous earnest multinational organisations, such as the International Court of Justice, the European Patent Office and the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Wake up: Perhaps due to its relative lack of history, Den Haag always seems keen to adopt something new. It was home to Europe’s first IMAX cinema, the Omniversum, whilst the usually insipid Dutch beers are getting a run for their money at the Fiddler microbrewery on Riviervismarkt.
Also, while the city has excellent art galleries and theatres for those wanting to get ultra-cultural, it also has plenty of unashamedly fun stuff. The Sealife Centre takes visitors under the North Sea, the Duinrell Amusement Park has plenty of thrill rides on top of a water park, and Europe’s largest open air pop concert – Parkpop – is held here on the last Sunday of June.
Getting there: Fly into Amsterdam and take a train (50 minutes).
Frankfurt
Where: Central Germany
Yawn: Germany’s financial centre and major international transport hub… sounds riveting, huh?
Wake up: Frankfurt is the perfect antidote to all those European cities with supposedly fascinating medieval architecture – it has skyscrapers like nowhere else on the continent.
For drinking, join the locals in their traditional apple wine taverns – it’s potent stuff, and the accompanying food menus usually include some of the biggest pork feasts you’ll ever see.
The real fun comes in the clubs though – Frankfurt and Berlin vie for the title of Germany’s techno capital, and the beats veer from hardcore to comical (Scooter, anyone?).
Getting there: British Airways flies from Heathrow and Air Berlin goes from Stansted.
Brussels:
Where: Central Belgium
Yawn: The archetypal boring city – go to the EU headquarters, and then try and name five famous Belgians.
Wake Up: How can any city symbolised by a statue of a little boy urinating be dull? OK, the Mannekin Pis statue is a little disappointing in real life, but there are plenty of quirky attractions to keep people interested. Silliest of these is Mini Europe, a midget theme park that has reconstructed all the great buildings of Europe at 1/25th of their original size.
It’s drinking where Brussels really comes into its own. It’s home hundreds of bars, plenty of breweries and the best pub on the planet. The Délirium Café has 2004 beers from around the world (including Angola and the Faroe Islands…) at any one time. Best of all, it’s right opposite an absinthe bar, Floris.
Getting there: The Eurostar goes direct from St Pancras.
Strasbourg
Where: North-eastern France, just over the border from Germany.
Yawn: Home to the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, the city swarms with be-suited pen-pushers and pollies.
Wake up: Forget the pollies – follow the students. Almost 50,000 pretend to study here whilst embarking on a life of watching crap daytime TV and binge drinking, and this makes Strasbourg a pretty lively place to be. The most happening spots tend to be just east of the cathedral. There are also two breweries to tour – Heineken for the imports and Kronenbourg for the local brew.
And, should the city’s admittedly top drawer museums and galleries get a bit too much, try going on a snow-shoeing expedition in the Vosges with Club Vosgien.
Getting there: Get the Eurostar to Paris, and switch to the TGV Est, which goes to direct to Strasbourg.
This article was originally written for TNT.
Copyright David Whitley
