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City breaks & deals editor

Emma

Emma plans city breaks the way other people plan the weekly shop: on a budget, with a spreadsheet and a backup plan. She covers city guides and deal-hunting.

Emma is our city break and deals editor. She has a soft spot for long weekends that start on a Thursday evening train and end with a carry-on full of pastries, and she'll happily spend an hour working out whether a city pass actually saves money (it often doesn't).

At Seek Holidays she writes and updates our city guides (Barcelona, Lisbon, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, Istanbul, Dubai and New York) and our deal-hunting advice: when to book, how to spot a genuinely good price, and when a package beats doing it yourself.

What Emma checks before she publishes: current ticket prices and tourist taxes on official sites, real journey times from airports and stations, and whether a "deal" is cheaper than booking the parts separately.

Ask her about: cheap flight timing, city tourist taxes, rail versus air, and the one museum you should actually book ahead.

Emma's articles

Two Eurostar trains waiting at the platforms under the glass roof of London St Pancras International stationTravel Tips

Eurostar vs flying to Paris

Train or plane from London to Paris? We compare door-to-door time, cost, luggage rules, border checks and comfort.

Emma · 3 min read
A Eurostar high-speed train waiting at a platform in Rotterdam Centraal stationCity Breaks

City breaks by train

Ten city breaks you can reach by train from London St Pancras, with journey times, booking tips and ideas for longer…

Emma · 4 min read
View over Istanbul's old city and the Golden Horn from the Galata Tower, with mosques, ferries and the waterfrontCity Breaks

Istanbul for first-timers

Everything a first-time visitor to Istanbul needs: entry rules, where to stay, transport, mosque etiquette and a…

Emma · 4 min read
The Brooklyn Bridge and the skyscrapers of Lower Manhattan seen from a boat on the East River on a sunny dayCity Breaks

New York on a budget

How to do New York for less in 2026: the OMNY fare cap, free ferries and parks, cheap eats, and where the hidden costs…

Emma · 4 min read
A traditional wooden abra water taxi crossing Dubai Creek between the Deira and Bur Dubai waterfrontsCity Breaks

Dubai stopover

How to turn a long-haul connection into a Dubai stopover, with entry rules, airport transport and ready-made 24 and…

Emma · 4 min read
View from an aeroplane window of the wing above a layer of white clouds and blue skyDeals & Savings

Cheapest time to fly

When flights from the UK are cheapest: the best months, days and booking windows, plus the school-holiday weeks to…

Emma · 3 min read
Boats moored on a tree-lined Jordaan canal in Amsterdam with gabled brick houses and people at a waterside caféCity Breaks

Amsterdam weekend

A two-day Amsterdam plan for a Friday-to-Sunday break: museums, canals, markets and the Jordaan, plus how to get there…

Emma · 4 min read
Bell tower of Santa Maria in Trastevere rising above terracotta rooftops in RomeCity Breaks

Rome in 48 hours

Two packed but realistic days in Rome: ancient Rome on day one, the Vatican and Trastevere on day two, with 2026 prices…

Emma · 4 min read
The Benidorm skyline rising behind Platja de Ponent beach on the Costa Blanca, SpainDeals & Savings

Package vs DIY

Should you book a package or put your own holiday together? We compare cost, flexibility and protection, and explain…

Emma · 4 min read
Two yellow trams on a cobbled street lined with colourful buildings in Lisbon's Alfama districtCity Breaks

Lisbon in 3 days

A tried-and-tested three-day Lisbon plan covering Alfama and the castle, Belém's monuments and a day trip to the…

Emma · 4 min read
An airport departures board listing flights and destinationsDeals & Savings

Last-minute deals

Our practical guide to bagging a genuine last-minute holiday from the UK: when to look, where to search and how to stay…

Emma · 4 min read
People silhouetted on Barceloneta beach in hazy winter light with the port cable car tower behindCity Breaks

Barcelona on a budget

How to enjoy Barcelona for less in 2026, from the T-casual travel card and free viewpoints to menú del día lunches and…

Emma · 4 min read

Guides by Emma

The Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island with skyscrapers behind and a sightseeing boat passingLandmark

Statue of Liberty

The copper colossus in New York Harbor, a gift from France in 1886, visited by ferry with Ellis Island on the same trip.

The Lake in Central Park lined with trees, with Bow Bridge in the distance on a sunny spring dayNature

Central Park

Manhattan's 843-acre green heart, with lakes, meadows, bridges and woodland stretching for 51 blocks between Midtown…

Evening light on the layered red rock buttes and canyons of the Grand Canyon seen from Powell Point on the South RimCountry guide

USA

New York, Florida's theme parks, California road trips and epic national parks, with direct flights from across the UK.

Aerial view of the Downtown Dubai skyline with the Burj Khalifa towering aboveViewpoint

Burj Khalifa

The world's tallest building, at 828m, with observation decks high above Downtown Dubai and the desert beyond.

Skyscrapers of Dubai Marina rising above rows of moored yachts under a blue skyCity

Dubai

Reliable winter sun, beaches, record-breaking towers and old souks, about seven hours from London.

The Lower Manhattan skyline and One World Trade Center at sunset, seen across the Hudson River from Jersey CityCity

New York

Skyline views, world-class museums, Central Park and Broadway, about eight hours from London.

The vast white marble prayer hall of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi with a huge crystal chandelier and gilded columnsCountry guide

UAE

Reliable winter sun, record-breaking skyscrapers, desert dunes and beach resorts, seven hours from the UK.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul with its great dome and four minarets under a clear skyLandmark

Hagia Sophia

Istanbul's 1,500-year-old former cathedral and imperial mosque, with a vast dome and glittering Byzantine mosaics.

The Süleymaniye Mosque and its minarets above the rooftops of Istanbul seen from the Galata TowerCity

Istanbul

Two continents, Byzantine and Ottoman wonders, bazaars and Bosphorus ferries, under four hours from the UK.

The Colosseum in Rome seen from the Roman Forum, framed by cypress trees under a blue skyCity

Rome

Ancient ruins, Renaissance art and long lunches: how to plan a Rome city break from the UK, with areas, sights, tickets…

Canal houses along the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam with the tower of the WesterkerkMuseum

Anne Frank House

The canal house where Anne Frank hid for two years and wrote her diary, now a moving museum on the Prinsengracht.

The red-brick Rijksmuseum building seen across the Museumplein reflecting poolMuseum

Rijksmuseum

The Netherlands' national museum, home to Rembrandt's The Night Watch, Vermeer's The Milkmaid and 800 years of Dutch…

The yellow façade of Schönbrunn Palace with tall green-shuttered windowsLandmark

Schönbrunn Palace

The Habsburgs' summer palace on the edge of Vienna, with 1,441 rooms, formal gardens and hilltop views from the…

Terracotta rooftops of Alfama in Lisbon with the dome of the National Pantheon and São Vicente de Fora church behindCity

Lisbon

Hilltop viewpoints, historic trams and custard tarts: how to plan a Lisbon city break, with areas, sights, transport…

Hot-air balloons rising at dawn over the rock formations of Cappadocia near Uçhisar, with one balloon in the Turkish flag's coloursCountry guide

Turkey

Istanbul's history, Turquoise Coast beaches and Cappadocia's fairy chimneys, with long summers and strong all-inclusive…

The Louvre's glass pyramid and the Denon wing reflected in a puddle in the Cour NapoléonMuseum

Louvre

The world's most visited museum, home to the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and thousands of years of art in a former…

The Eiffel Tower seen from below through trees in spring blossomLandmark

Eiffel Tower

Gustave Eiffel's iron tower, built for the 1889 World's Fair, is the symbol of Paris and offers views across the whole…

The curved Michaelertrakt facade of the Hofburg palace on Michaelerplatz in Vienna with horse-drawn carriagesCity

Vienna

Imperial palaces, grand coffee houses, world-class music and spotless public transport, all a 2h20 flight from London.

The Acropolis hill with the Parthenon on top, seen across olive trees from Philopappos HillLandmark

Acropolis

The rocky citadel above Athens, crowned by the Parthenon, is the most important ancient monument in Greece.

Looking up the spiral staircase of the Vatican Museums towards its glass skylightMuseum

Vatican Museums

Centuries of papal art collections, Raphael's Rooms and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling, in the heart of Vatican…

The tiered stone arches of the Colosseum's outer wall in Rome under a blue skyLandmark

Colosseum

Rome's great amphitheatre, where up to 50,000 spectators once watched gladiator fights, is the city's most iconic sight.

Colourful houses of Manarola stacked on a rocky headland above the harbour in the Cinque Terre, ItalyCountry guide

Italy

Rome's ancient wonders, Alpine skiing in the Dolomites and food worth the trip alone, all around two hours from the UK.

View over Barcelona's rooftops towards the Mediterranean coast and the Torre Glòries towerCity

Barcelona

Gaudí, beaches and late-night tapas: how to plan a Barcelona city break from the UK, with areas, sights, transport and…

The white stone Belém Tower standing at the edge of the Tagus river under a deep blue skyLandmark

Belém Tower

A 16th-century fortress on the Tagus, decorated in Manueline style, that once guarded the gateway to Lisbon.

The main terrace of Park Güell with its mosaic benches, looking out over Barcelona towards the seaLandmark

Park Güell

Gaudí's hillside park of mosaic benches, gingerbread-style lodges and a famous dragon, with sweeping views over…

The spires of the Sagrada Família rising against a blue sky, with a construction crane beside themLandmark

Sagrada Família

Gaudí's unfinished basilica, with its forest-like nave and glowing stained glass, is Barcelona's must-book sight.

The River Seine in Paris lined with stone quays and Haussmann buildings, with Notre-Dame Cathedral in the distanceCity

Paris

Eurostar to the Seine, world-class museums and café culture: how to plan a Paris city break from the UK, with areas…

Colourful gabled canal houses on the Damrak waterfront in Amsterdam at golden hourCity

Amsterdam

Canals, gabled houses, world-class museums and cycling culture, reachable by direct Eurostar or a one-hour flight.

Mont-Saint-Michel abbey at sunrise reflected in the flooded tidal flats of the bay in NormandyCountry guide

France

Paris, the Alps and sunny southern coasts, reachable by train, ferry or a quick flight from the UK.

Traditional windmills reflected in a reed-lined canal at Kinderdijk in the NetherlandsCountry guide

Netherlands

Canals, world-class art, tulip fields and windmills, just an hour's flight or four hours by train from London.