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Most of us only know Malaga as the gateway airport to the Costa del Sol, but Malaga is now becoming the latest hot city break destination. Claire joined Kirker Travel and the Malaga Tourist Office for a weekend to discover all that Malaga has to offer: Friday An early morning flight meant we would have the full day to start discovering the delights of Malaga. Before lunch we were checking into the amazing Gran Hotel Miramar. Originally opened in 1926, this hotel is steeped in history and was even used as a hospital during the Spanish Civil War. After a multi-million pound refurbishment and the hotel has reopened as Malaga’s leading 5 star deluxe hotel. Set on the seafront promenade but only a 15 minute stroll into the centre of Malaga, the Gran Hotel Miramar is absolutely stunning. A beautiful historic building that has been restored to its former glory but updated with all the latest modern touches today’s travellers love. A quick stroll around the pedestrianised centre and we had our first taste of Malaga’s fabulous restaurants at the Los Patios de Beatas restaurant. Part winery and part restaurant this is a lovely place to try out the local tapas and wine! Our first afternoon was spent getting to know the area and discovering the delights of our amazing hotel. As the sun set it was time to stroll back into the centre to discover another of Malaga’s restaurants, the Rescaldo. A lovely evening trying out the local cuisine – it’s becoming apparent that the quality of food on offer in Malaga is one of the appeals of this city break destination. Saturday This morning we set off on foot to visit the Roman Theatre and Alcazaba Fortress. Constructed in the 11 th century on the hillside overlooking Malaga, the fortress was also a palace for the ruling Muslims of the time. At the foot of the fortress is the impressive Roman Theatre which was only discovered by chance in 1951. We spent a lovely morning strolling around the fortress and taking in the history and views over Malaga. Our next stop was the Cathedral – where if you are feeling energetic you can climb the 200 steps up the 18 th century North Tower to the rooftop to take in the spectacular views. Or not feeling like the climb, we chose to have a coffee at one the outdoor cafes in Bishops Square, overlooking the Cathedral, and took in the atmosphere of all the locals breakfasting in the square. A further walk took us to Casa Natal de Picasso – Picasso birth place, and the Malaga Picasso Museum en-route to the El Trillo Restaurant for lunch. This afternoon we visited the Automobile museum which is an unusual mix of vintage cars and fashion! In the evening we strolled to the port area, Muelle Uno, which is a lovely place to spend the evening with an array of shops, bars and restaurants overlooking the marina. After an excellent meal at El Palmeral Restaurant, we strolled back into the centre of Malaga to take in the Spring Carnival. It was fabulous to see the streets packed with families enjoying the music and atmosphere of the Carnival into the early hours. Sunday This morning we discovered more of the culture on offer in Malaga visiting the Centre Pompidou Malaga, close to the Muelle Uno and housed under a glass cube. This is the centre for modern art and we later discovered 19 th century Spanish art at the Carmen Thyssen Museum. We had a wonderful afternoon at El Balneario Restaurant at Banos del Carmen, a couple of miles outside Malaga along the promenade. Popular with the locals, this restaurant on the waterfront was full of atmosphere as they enjoyed their Sunday lunch in the sunshine. After a leisurely lunch in the sun we strolled along the promenade back to Malaga – a lovely walk that took just around an hour – and allowed us to pop into the beachside chiringuitos and enjoy some more winter sunshine and refreshments! All too soon it was time for our short transfer back to Malaga airport and our evening flight home. So if I had to sum up Malaga as a city break – short flight, quick transfer, beautiful pedestrianised city centre - bustling with shops, bars and fabulous restaurants - beach, promenade, harbour area, lots of history and culture – and amazing value for money!

Claire was lucky to join Swiss Travel Centre in June for a busy 4 days to experience the fabulous Swiss rail system and some of the highlights our clients can experience. Day 1 A short flight from Manchester to Zurich airport and it was straight down to the airport train station to jump on our train to Bern, the capital of Switzerland. We arrived into the centre of Bern and took a guided walk around the beautiful historic city centre. Bern became a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1983 and it’s easy to see why. Lunch was at a fabulous restaurant converted from the old Tram depot, Altestramdepot, overlooking the River Aare and the famous Bern Bear Park. We went back to the station and we jumped back on the train to Interlaken. A short 45 minutes later we were pulling into Interlaken, the gateway to the Jungfrau region. A short stroll and we were at the Hotel Metropole, our home for the next two nights. This evening we had dinner at the Spycher Folklore Restaurant where we had the chance to learn how to play a Swiss horn! Day 2 This morning we woke to the fabulous views of the paragliders landing in front of the hotel. The Metropole might not be the best looking hotel in Interlaken from the outside but it does have sensational views from the inside! After breakfast we walked to the Interlaken Ost station for a short train to Wilderswil where we joined the cogwheel train to Schynige Platte. It was quite a surprise how steep a cogwheel train can travel! We had a lovely walk around the Alpine Garden and then travelled back down to Wilderswil for a quick change of train and then a bus to the station of Stechelberg. Here at Stechelberg we started our journey of 5 striking cable cars taking us to the summit of Schilthorn Piz Gloria at 2970m. At the summit is the famous James Bond revolving restaurant where we had a fabulous buffet lunch, watching the brilliant scenery through the breaking clouds. We had a look around the Bond World, which was great fun for any Bond fans. We travelled back on the series of cable cars and trains back to Interlaken. A quick change and we walked through Interlaken to the base station of Harder Kulm for the funicular railway to the summit. Here we had dinner outside on the terrace overlooking Interlaken and the Lakes of Thun & Brienz. Day 3 Today we left Interlaken for our next stay in the Aletsch Arena. On the train again, we headed south through the lotschberg tunnel to Brig where we changed onto the regional mountain train to the Aletsch Arena. We disembarked the train at Fiesch and headed straight up on the cable car to our first viewpoint, Eggishorn, for our first view of the breath taking Aletsch Glacier. A short cable car back down to Fiescheralp and we took the mountain path to Bettmeralp where we took the cable car to the Bettmerhorn viewpoint. It was amazing how you could see different detail of the glacier from the various viewpoints. After returning to Bettmeralp, we had a viewing of the georgous Chalet Hotel Bettmerhof. Family run with beautiful rooms and out of this world views – this is where I would choose to stay if I was lucky enough to return to the Aletsch Arena. We had an enjoyable late afternoon walk in the sunshine from Bettmeralp to Riederalp. This has to be one of the most stunning walks with view over the valley and the mountains. We spent the night at the Hotel Royal where after dinner, we didn’t last long after our extensive walk! Day 4 An early start, and after breakfast we were straight up on the cable car to our final viewpoint of the glacier, Moosfluh. The Aletsch Glacier stretches over 23km and it really is worth viewing from the various viewpoints. We enjoyed our last views and set off on another fabulous hike back down to Riederalp. It was farewell to our guide for the area, David, and we hopped onto the cable car to the station at Morel, where we took the train via Brig back to Zurich Airport. The short flight back to Manchester and my impressive short break in Switzerland was over. After my visit I would definitely recommend Switzerland, not only for a longer holiday, but also for a short break. With the efficiency of the transport in Switzerland you can easily spend a few days here, whether it’s for a walking holiday, visiting the capital Bern, or relaxing in the mountains. Thanks to Nick and the team at Swiss Travel Centre for this fabulous introduction to Switzerland!