Three City Breaks Not to Miss This Autumn

London: If you were more traumatised at the thoughts of travelling on a packed Underground during the Olympics than you were excited by the games themselves, then it may be safe to return to the UK’s capital city.

London can be lovely to visit at this time of year as the temperatures drop slightly and the crowds dwindle, but the city retains its everlasting buzz. This will give you the opportunity to visit your favourite museums in comfort, check out the tourist attractions such as St Paul’s Cathedral, Big Ben or the London Eye without never-ending queues and nab good tickets for your favourite West End shows. You may even be able to squeeze in a trip to the Harry Potter Studio Tour, which was chock-a-block during the summer months.  For accommodation, with five Leonardo Hotels London hotels to choose from, let’s face it, you’ll be spoiled for choice.

Liverpool: Fans of The X Factor (yes, yes, we hold our head up high), would have seen some fantastic shots of Liverpool in recent weeks, as the four judges made their deliberations during the bootcamp segment of the show, which was filmed in the city. It really highlighted the transformation Liverpool has undergone in the past two decades. We here at Leonardo Hotels would like to recommend it for an Autumn weekend break.

For art lovers, the seventh Liverpool Biennial, which comprises 10 weeks of free art exhibitions, talks, films, tours and events, is taking place in the city at present, and runs up until 25 November. 

If your musical tastes extend beyond The X Factor to the Beatles, you may want to take part in the upcoming Love Me Do Weekend, from 5-7 October. Fans of the Fab Four will descend on Liverpool for the 50th anniversary of the release of the band’s debut single ‘Love Me Do’.  (We can’t believe it’s been that long either!)  They’ll be attempting to break a world record for mass participation.  Of course, if crowds put you off, you can swear your allegiance to the band by visiting to the permanent Beatles Story attraction at Albert Dock after the event.

Leonardo Hotel Liverpool is actually right beside the Dock and opposite to the Echo Arena and Convention Centre, which featured so prominently in The X Factor shows.

Glasgow: Did you know that Glasgow  is one of just five UNESCO Cities of Music? Well, it is and the other four are Seville in Spain, Bologna in Italy, Ghent in Belgium and Botoga in Colombia. What this basically means is that there’s always a multitude of musical events happening in the city at any one time, and it’s definitely a city break not to miss this Autumn.

There’s a lot happening for families and arts lovers, including Glasgow School of Art City walking tours taking place between now and 27 October.

The wonderful The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit Exhibition, meanwhile, is being held at Scotland Street School Museum until 24 February. Celebrating the 110th anniversary of Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, the exhibition also marks the launch of a new tale in the series, which has been written by actress Emma Thompson. For fans of Peter Rabbit it’s a must.

Located on Jamaica Street in the city, Leonardo Hotel Glasgow is, of course, an ideal base to explore these activities and more.