We scrambled up the coastal path from Seaford Bay, grasping at rocks and tufts of grass as the bank got steeper. Climbing further, we reached the top of the headland and the cold sea air blasted through our lungs and our heads. When we rounded the next turn we could see them – the Seven Sisters – an undulating series of chalk cliffs on the coast of southeast England and our destination for the day. They were so white they seemed to illuminate our faces with their reflected glow. We opened a flask of coffee in celebration – it was still only 10am and we were pleased with ourselves.
On waking in our London flat that Saturday morning, the working week behind us but thoughts of to-do lists and emails still buzzing through our minds, we’d made the decision we needed out of the city. We needed an adventure, new scenery and fresh air to make their mark on our weekend. And here we were, only two and a half hours later, and we had the whole day ahead of us.
It’s easy to get caught in the urban jungle; ‘when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life,’ Samuel Johnson famously (and somewhat irritatingly) quipped, and it’s true that most of the 60 cities represented in this book could fill a lifetime with new experiences. But what Johnson should have added is that the city is only the starting point. Easily accessible by train, bus or car, there is a world beyond to explore: prehistoric sites of standing stones, stately
cathedral towns, forests, vineyards, arts festivals, rural pubs and gorgeous cliff walks. All are just a short trip away.
In this book we hope to inspire you to look beyond the city limits for your next adventure. Whether you’re in Chicago, Vancouver, Brisbane or Rome and whether you live there, work there, are on vacation or are simply passing through with a day to kill, we encourage you to widen your net. Just an hour and 40 minutes from Cape Town you can spy breaching whales from the cliff path at Hermanus (p9); within two hours of Manhattan you can be surfing at Rockaway Beach (p207); and if you find yourself in Běijīng with time on your hands, you can choose between rafting a scenic gorge, visiting Jin-era temples, or hiking along the Great Wall (pp34-35) – all are easy micro trips from the city.
Each of the 60 global cities in this book is presented with a map of the surrounding area, pinpointed with up to 18 of the most exciting, in-the-know things to do within three hours. These pinpoints are colour-coded by theme so you can easily find what you’re interested in, be that outdoor pursuits, arts and culture, history, festivals and events, film and music, or food and drink. The corresponding entries are ordered by the time it takes to get there from the city centre, so whether you’ve got just a couple of hours or a whole weekend, you can find an adventure, if not on your doorstep, then just a micro trip from it.
CAPE TOWNTear yourself away from Cape Town and you’ll find testing surf spots, hikes along sand dunes, coastal paths and mountain ridges, charming historical hamlets and enough beer and wine tasting to replenish you after a long day.
SOUTHAFRICA
Touwsrivier
Citrusdal
Bredasdorp
Ceres
Caledon
Malmesbury
Worcester
Vredenburg
Swellendam
Piketberg
Paarl
Cape Town
ATLANTIC OCEAN
135 miles (215km)
90 miles (145km)
45 miles (70km)
N0 150 km0 90 miles
k
O N E H O U R F R O M
Franschhoek Beer Company Franschhoek’s economy is built
on gastronomy and wine, but it is slowly becoming a beery destination, thanks to four excellent breweries in the area. Franschhoek Beer Company offers the perfect package – a great array of beers, innovative bites to pair with them, a stylish taproom and, for those travelling with the brood, a shaded kids’ play area under ancient trees. www.franschhoekbeerco.co.za; 10am–6pm Tue–Sun; 1hr 10min by car.
Riebeek Kasteel It’s a rare visitor who can’t find
something to fall in love with in Riebeek Kasteel. Hidden courtyards harbour buzzing cafes where you can taste produce sourced from the local coffee roastery, olive farms, wine estates and chocolate shops. Once your belly is full, browse the galleries and pick up some ceramics, paintings, designer clothing or carpentry crafted by artists who find inspiration in this compact, pretty town. www.riebeekvalley.info; 1hr 20min by car.
Church St, TulbaghTulbagh’s Church St is known for its
national monuments, but you don’t have to be an architecture buff to appreciate its charms. Information panels transform Church St into an open-air museum, filling you in on local history as you wander between Victorian homesteads, celebrated country restaurants, shops, Cape Dutch hotels and a museum documenting the 1969 earthquake that almost destroyed it all. www.tulbaghtourism.co.za; 1hr 20min by car.
A RTS & C U LT U R E
The Northern Cape region of Namakwa is the most famous area for those hoping to photograph the annual wildflower spectacular, but there are plenty of places to petal-watch closer to Cape Town. Darling (1hr by car) is known for its springtime wildflower show, while the West Coast National Park (1hr30min by car) has blooms to rival those of the Northern Cape. A little further north, Clanwilliam (2hr 40min by car) is also a prime place to witness a normally barren landscape burst into colour. The best time to seek out the flowers is from early August to mid-September.
F EST I VA LS & E V E N TSH I STO RY O U T D O O R S FO O D & D R I N K M U S I C & F I L M
West Coast Fossil Park, LangebaanMost people visit the West Coast
for its white-sand beaches and seafood restaurants, or to windsurf on the lagoon. Veer inland instead for this passionately run fossil park, where remains of short-necked giraffes and sabre-toothed cats have been excavated. It’s thought to be one of the richest fossil sites in the world, but, strangely enough, even the majority of locals have no idea it exists. www.fossilpark.org.za; 8am–4pm Mon–Fri, 10am–1pm Sat; 1hr 30min by car.
T WO H O U R S F R O M
Cliff Path, HermanusHermanus is a particularly popular
destination, and in whale-watching season the old harbour can get crowded with holidaymakers keeping an eye out for whales from the comfort of a seaside restaurant. But however many times you’ve visited, and however busy it is, you’ll find beauty and solace on the 12km path that dips and winds along the town’s diminutive cliffs. www.hermanustourism.info; 1hr 40min by car.
Wacky Wine Weekend, RobertsonThe Robertson Wine Valley comes
BANGKOKA sprawl of concrete and canals, temples and palaces, atop a base layer of old-fashioned wooden homes – Bangkok is big. Those escaping its pull are rewarded with beaches, jungles, tropical islands and temples, all within striking distance.
A RTS & C U LT U R E F EST I VA LS & E V E N TSH I STO RY O U T D O O R S FO O D & D R I N K M U S I C & F I L M
Bang Saen Beach As the closest beach to Bangkok,
Bang Saen might lead you to expect Khao-San-Road-on-Sea, but in fact most overseas visitors head further afield to the southern beaches, leaving the place to the locals. You’ll find Thai families floating on rubber rings by day, while students gather to sink pitchers and feast on cheap eats after dark. It’s no Waikiki, but also no Pattaya, and that has to be a good thing. 1hr by bus from Eastern Bus Terminal.
Chit Beer, Ko Kret Due to Thailand’s tight licensing
regulations, brewing craft beer is a guerrilla enterprise in Bangkok. Tucked away in a village house on the potters’ island of Ko Kret, Chit Beer produces full-bodied ales on a home-brew scale, with beers sold straight from the tap, views out over the canal and a rebel vibe. www.facebook.com/chitbeer; by appt; 1hr 30min by bus from Victory Monument & boat from Wat Sanam Neua.
Wat Mahathat, Ayuthaya Bangkok has more ancient wat than
you can shake an incense stick at, but most of these have been restored so many times over the centuries that they gleam like gemstones. Not so Wat Mahathat, the most dramatic of the Khmer-influenced temples dotted around Ayuthaya. Founded in 1374, its central prang, which collapsed for a second and conclusive time in 1911, was once 43m high. Royal ghosts drift among the ruined plinths and the face of Buddha stares out from a tangled web of tree roots. 8am–6.30pm; 1hr 30min by train from Hualamphong.
O N E H O U R F R O M
Samut Sakhon Slumbering Samut Sakhon is usually
visited en route to Amphawa, but it’s more than worth a trip in its own right in order to enjoy a soothing dose of Thai country life. Wooden fishing boats adorn the harbour, and, across the inlet, Wat Chawng Lom is dominated by a 10m-high statue of Guan Yin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy – a nod to the days when junks flocked here laden with goods from the South China Sea. 1hr by train from Thonburi.
Ancient City, Muang Boran On paper, the Ancient City sounds
slightly tacky – a scaled-down recreation of famous sites from across the nation, scattered across a Thailand-shaped water garden at the mouth of Chao Phraya River – but the lack of crowds and the fine craftwork make it rather charming. Hire a bike and pedal past mock-ups of Rattanakosin, Ayuthaya, Chiang Mai and Sukothai. 9am–7pm; 1hr by BTS (Skytrain) & shuttle bus.
It isn’t immediately obvious today, but Bangkok was built on a network of canals, linking the royal island of Rattanakosin to the inlets flowing out of the surrounding paddy fields into the Gulf of Thailand. Up until the 19th century, boats were the main form of transport in this mighty metropolis, and visiting seafarers dubbed Bangkok ‘the Venice of the East’. Today, most of the canals snaking through the centre have been filled in for road-building, but you can still charter a longtail river taxi to explore the klorngs (channels) that weave like a spiderweb through the suburbs.
