The lifestyle we are leading these times makes that everything we do is in a rush: eating in a hurry, working quickly, telecommunicating in real time, etc. We want to optimise our time and we are always calculating the money-worth of everything.

This attitude has had a repercussion on our spare time, too; we are aiming to short periods of leisure, short break of relax and are looking for the cheapest options. In fact, the traveller's habits have been changing for some years: the holidays are getting shorter and shorter and often near their own home, in the pursuit of saving on travel expenses. They are also called “micro-holidays”, that is to say, the breaks that you spend away from home, which can be one night to up to a maximum of three nights. It is getting more and more frequent taking a break for a couple of days to recharge the batteries and feel regenerated. This is possible thanks to a short but intense holiday in one of the capital of tourism, Paris, for instance, which can be reached only after a few hours by plane, or by train, and where we can lodge in stylish holiday apartments in Paris city.

These are the so-called city breaks, the short holidays in the most beautiful cities of Europe. More and more travellers prefer a short trip rather than a long trip since they can do several trips during the year, instead of longing just for one long break. A break from work, it's ideal to accommodate and combine interests such tourism and knowledge. In fact, the choice of a long weekend in an international city can be supported by the visit of an exhibition or event, the chance of a concert or the curiosity to breath the suggestive atmosphere of a city during a particular period of the year. Similarly, just a few day of shopping, the desire for trying the local gastronomy or the chance to meet new people can be the incentive to visit a cultural city in Europe.

In Spain, the trend of the city break in Madrid city can be viewed as a confirmation of the difficulties due to the economic crisis, but what is certain is that the long-term holidays have now been overtaken by the short-term holidays and the city breaks in Europe are likely to be confirmed also for the period between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

The low cost air companies have an anti-crisis plan, too, as they are selling tickets at extremely low fees, but you need to be careful. Sometimes the same route can cost you the double of what you could get it. Buying a ticket far in advance and trying to get a flight on a Tuesday or on a Wednesday, instead of a Saturday or a Sunday, reveals to be a cheapest choice.

In the anti-crisis context, paying by instalments seems to be the magic formula, too. Many people, in fact, decide to go on holiday and to spread the cost of the holiday on a longer time.

In conclusion, some of the most quoted choices for city breaks in Europe are Paris, considered as the most romantic city, Madrid, the capital of the “movida” and Rome, the Eternal City.