Railway nostalgia, the world’s oldest football, fenland skies and a little-known bard are among the highlights of Crewe, Stirling, Boston and Barnstaple

These oft-bypassed towns have all been, at some period in history, influential if not necessarily powerful; wealth-creating though hardly opulent; and vital to the nation’s wealth and security while never fully rewarded for it. Communications and trade once gave some urban centres the edge over others. Churches and marketplaces were social magnets. Today a brand-name art gallery, celebrity residents, or media chatter are most likely to generate appeal, however specious. What if estate agents sold houses using poetry, memories, polyglotism, ruins and rust?

A book club in a disused petrol station, an electronic music hub in an old bus garage … Yorkshire’s largest city is a hotbed of grassroots creativity

‘Leeds has an independent, thriving arts scene,” says Emma Beverley, the director of programmes at last year’s cultural showcase, Leeds 2023. “A lot of that is grounded in an artist-led movement that is pretty pioneering.”

In 2017, Leeds had put in a bid to become European capital of culture, with £1m already invested, which hit the buffers when Brexit automatically ruled any British cities out of contention. In typically stubborn Yorkshire fashion, the city pressed ahead with its own year-long celebration of culture.

Swimming at every stop left us fresh and invigorated – and led us to parts of cities that tourists seldom visit

Stepping into the lobby of the Gellért Baths in Budapest is like stepping back in time. Having resisted the temptation to look at photos of the baths online, I was thrilled at my first sight of the spectacular art nouveau interior.

After changing, my husband and I did a few laps of the main indoor pool, admiring the intricately decorated columns surrounding us. Afterwards, we explored the building’s labyrinth of geothermal pools before emerging on to the enormous roof terrace. There, we swam in the heated outdoor pool under bright sunshine.

Less touristy than the more party-style Széchenyi Baths , the Gellért offered us the chance of a decent swim and steam.

Tartu’s year as a European capital of culture shines a spotlight on this creative and youthful city and its love of street art, folklore and nature

“First we have to cross the icebergs,” our guide, Herling Mesi, says, pointing to a barely visible ridge on the otherwise flat expanse of frozen lake.

She is worried that a patch of broken ice won’t take the weight of the truck with all its passengers, so we climb out, walk over the slushy chunks, then hop back in. As with many vehicles from the Soviet era, the truck is a homemade mashup of whatever parts were available: the front of an old VW welded to a trailer, with giant bouncy wheels taken from Russian bomber planes.

The Forum and Colosseum have to be seen once, but after that the Eternal City has a never-ending wealth of modern art worth exploring

It’s a controversial opinion, but Rome’s major sites are overrated. Crowded, costly and utterly devoid of charm, the city’s most visited landmarks have been cheapened in the age of mass tourism into little more than a box-ticking – or selfie-taking – exercise.

Which isn’t to say you shouldn’t go. Everyone should be accosted by a middle-aged Italian man in a plastic centurion’s costume or shouted at by a Vatican security guard at least once in their life. But there’s a lot more to the Eternal City than its ancient ruins and Renaissance sculptures.

Our tipsters recall their adventures while exploring 10 of Europe’s finest cities

A museum store – but not as you know it... The minute you spot the enormous mirrored ark that is Rotterdam ’s Depot , you know you’re in for something extraordinary. Open to the public, its Escher-like staircases are designed to encourage visitors to get lost; to discover objects from below, from above, to look at the backs of pictures. Tours (you get to wear a white coat for this bit) give visitors insight into the storage of objects and the complex process of a museum loan. And when you are full of wonder, you can fill up on delicious teas and food at the rooftop restaurant, enjoying city views from the roof garden. Tickets are €20.
Lydia Thornley