If your default city break has become a three-hour airport queue, try one of these instead. Direct flights, walkable centres, weekend-sized.
City break is, in practice, a Friday-evening to Sunday-night trip from one walkable centre to another. The standard answers (Amsterdam, Prague, Barcelona) work, then jam. Eight alternatives that you can still actually do in three days.
Vilnius, Lithuania
One of the largest Baroque old towns in Europe, the Republic of Užupis (a self-declared bohemian micro-state inside the city), and a strong cafe culture that hasn't priced itself out yet.
Tallinn, Estonia
Walled medieval old town, the Telliskivi creative city in a former industrial complex, and ferries to Helsinki for a day.
Krakow, Poland
Already covered. Still the best mid-priced city break in central Europe.
Naples, Italy
Not for everyone, and exactly for some. The Spaccanapoli line, the underground city, the cathedral's blood-of-San-Gennaro ritual and pizza at Da Michele or Sorbillo.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Outside August Fringe season, the city goes back to being itself. The Old Town and New Town are both UNESCO listed for different reasons, and a half-day in the Pentlands is doable.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Small, walkable, with the Hallgrimskirkja, the harbour, and Þrír Frakkar restaurant for fermented shark you don't have to eat. Day trip to Þingvellir and Geysir on the side.
Marseille, France
Marseille is having a long moment. The MUCEM, the Panier district, the Calanques National Park on the doorstep and a food scene that finally got past its bouillabaisse cliché.
Sofia, Bulgaria
Possibly the cheapest interesting capital in Europe. The 6th-century Alexander Nevsky cathedral, the Vitosha mountain on the city edge and the food scene around the Central Market Hall.