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• with the Rains collections, we’re perfectly kitted out for rainy weather 

• also some really lovely stainless steel tableware for a picnic in the summer(rain)

• our favourite Rains location – the light-filled flagship store in Copenhagen’s Indre By  

A warm summer shower or an icy November drizzle – how lovely it is not to look like a drowned rat afterwards. 

Or better still, to be able to stroll through any kind of wet weather with style.

Who better than the Danes to make cool looks truly practical?

According to official climate tables, it rains in Denmark for up to 170 days a year – that’s almost every other day.

Even if we find that hard to believe, because Copenhagen keeps treating us to spotless blue skies time and again.

Either way, the Danish company Rains has perfectly translated the Scandi fashion style we love so much into casual rainwear.

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• if you like Otto, you’ll like it here too

• traditional German cooking – reimagined with a passion for the product 

• we love the flavours that take us back to our childhood - now enhanced with a woodruff spritz 

Königsberger Klopse, rollmops, eggs in mustard sauce, crackling schmalz, homemade eggnog or jelly and cream… doesn’t that sound wonderfully old-fashioned, just like a meal at your grandparents’ house?

Right in the heart of Berlin, not far from Alexanderplatz, you can find all of this – yet it’s actually not in the least bit dusty.

Behind the Trio’s elegant, curved 1920s facade, a casual, horseshoe-shaped bar takes centre stage.

We can always find a seat on the wooden stools, even without a reservation.

It’s even more comfy to sit at the bright red tables by the windows – though it’s worth booking in advance, as the Trio is very popular.

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• well worth the queue - the little bakery in Vasastan is one of the best in Stockholm 

• a handful of outdoor seats allow us to linger awhile with a cup of coffee 

• and make sure not to miss the heavenly pastry rolls with vanilla cream! 

Whenever we suspect that a queue outside a shop is more of an Instagram thing than actually worth the effort, we usually make a beeline for somewhere else.

We can tell straight away, though, from the constant queue outside the little Lillebrors bakery that it’ll be worth the time.

“Krämbullar med vaniljgrädde” - pastry rolls with vanilla cream - these are the delightful treats we can already see in the hands of those leaving the bakery. Lightly dusted with sugar and flavoured with cardamom, Lillebrors’ version is arguably the most delicious of their kind in Sweden’s capital.

Alongside these are crusty sourdough loaves, croissants with a thousand flaky, buttery layers and the very best cardamom buns - all well worth the wait.

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• small, exquisite restaurant from Joel Hellner, who used to cook at the fabulous Fäviken

• just like dining in a close friend's living room

• from the best tomatoes to the finest scallops – all cooked to perfection

Of course, this little restaurant in Vasastan has more than just a table, as its Swedish name might suggest.

Joel Hellner’s Bord, near the Vanadislunden city park, actually feels more like the host has invited us into his private dining room and put in as many tables as the room can possibly hold.

The white-tiled kitchen is separated only by a serving counter, where a few guests can also sit and watch the chefs at work.

And, in the very tradition of the wonderful Fäviken, where Joel used to cook, they conjure up exquisite dishes from the very best ingredients, cooked to perfection.

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• Stockholm’s super-cool deli chain

• our favourite spot – the charming shop by Nytorget Park

• picnic in the park or eating right there - both great choices 

Supermarket, delicatessen, café, diner, neighbourhood hangout, caterer, even a hotel - the Stockholm deli chain is all of these things.

A hip little world of its own, enriching Sweden's capital at three locations.

Added to this is „Urban Farming“ - a concept on which Urban Deli is working in collaboration with the Royal Institute of Technology. Here, „Farm to Table“ is implemented in a way that’s suitable for a metropolis and conserves resources.

Whilst these visionary ideas can be seen in Norrmalm and Hagastaden, the two large Urban Deli branches, our favourite is the cute, flower-adorned shop by Nytorget Park, which has all the charm of a genuine New York deli.

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• a relaxed, authentic bakery and café in Stockholm

• a place for locals - boisterous tourists rarely find their way to Sankt Paus Gatan

• simply delicious - Swedish pastries and generously loaded sandwiches 

This small café chain has three branches - one right in the heart of Norrmalm and two in Södermalm, which remains surprisingly untouristy.

The café on Sankt Paulsgatan, with its lovely bakery, has particularly won our hearts.

Green wooden benches with small tables are unpretentiously bolted in front of an elegant 1960s facade.

Locals read their newspapers here in peace over a cup of coffee, whilst visitors like us take a break during our stroll through Södermalm.

We refuel with a generously topped sandwich or a sweet cardamom bun.

Along with this, there are freshly squeezed juices and smoothies.

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• a beautiful Stockholm interior design store from the 1920s 

• handcrafted furniture and textiles from local manufacturers 

• genuine Swedish design treasures - a significant part of the selection is made exclusively for Svenskt Tenn and therefore hard to find else where in the world 

In a round of quick-fire questions, almost all of us would probably respond to „Swedish interior design shop?” with „Ikea!”.

The far more exciting answer, however, is „Svenskt Tenn”!

This gorgeous traditional establishment has been located on Strandvägen, Stockholm’s elegant boulevard right by the water, since 1927.

As we make our way through the rooms aligned one after the other, up and down the stairs, our design-loving hearts beat a little faster.

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• just one bedroom in this cute hotel in Vesterbro

• delicious breakfast included – served in the hotel’s own café

• luxury like at the big ones – Aesop toiletries in the bathroom and a complimentary welcome drink

“I can recommend a cute little hotel.” 

Whenever someone states this, they usually mean a hotel with twelve, perhaps fifteen rooms.

When we say that we love the tiny Hotel Central on Tullinsgade, we really do mean tiny!

There’s just one room here, perched above a charming mini café.

When we’re lucky enough to get this room booked for our stay in Copenhagen, it’s always a very special treat, because every luxury is on offer in this smallest of spaces, topped off with a very personal touch and plenty of warmth.

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• historic tea merchant with a tea room on Kronprinsengade 

• this small shop still preserves some of its original furnishings from 1835 

• from organic Assam to White Temple tea - a must for tea lovers

I have an English great-grandmother – Grandma Gitta, a delicate, refined lady with neatly curled red locks.

Her passion for beautiful things has left us with several twelve-piece, ornate tea services.

And her traditional British fondness for a proper five o’clock tea has been passed on to us in every way.

Putting the kettle on, finding a pretty cup, some biscuits – sweet or savoury, a little milk or rock sugar – tea always brings that moment of calm to life.

For us, A. C. Perch is one of Europe’s finest tea houses (even if my British great-grandmother wouldn’t be keen to leave the field to the Danes).

So anyone who loves tea as much as we do should definitely visit this little shop in Copenhagen’s Indre By.

A summer’s day in Munich couldn’t be more perfect when the sun is shining from a blue and white sky and we’re sitting at the Viktualienmarkt amongst flowers and fruit, by the fountains and the maypole.

The day is also perfect when we're having a French breakfast in Old Lehel, or when we're stretched out by the Isar with the mountain water cooling our feet, or when we're eating a huge pretzel under the chestnut trees at the Waldwirtschaft, not to forget Ballabeni's ice cream, of course.

That's why we simply grab a bike and can then do all these wonderful things on a single perfect summer's day.

In Berlin, we set our own unique pace for a perfect day.

We never let the sprawling metropolis overwhelm us - instead, we split the city into small, delightful bites of our very own personal highlights.

We visit the panda at the lovely zoo, nibble on chocolates at Sawade, shop at Esther Perbandt, linger in the sculpture garden of the Neue Nationalgalerie, swim in the rooftop pool at Wilmina and eat delicious food at Otto.

That’s how our German capital can be simply perfect for an entire day.

A day in Stockholm can easily be perfect for us - just slip into something comfortable and set off, hopping from one island to the next.

Enjoy the view from Monteliusvägen and a coffee from Drop Coffee.

Picking flowers at Rosendals Trädgård and picnicking under Djurgården’s apple trees.

Eating Hasselback potatoes in the garden at Hantverket and drifting off to sleep at the Frantz Hotel, looking forward to their wonderful Swedish breakfast.

For us, these are twenty-four perfect hours in Stockholm.

Back in the 1960s, my mother attended the International College of Household Management, where she learned everything expected of a proper housewife.

Today, I leaf through her radiant blue A5 ring binders, flipping through slightly yellowed pages filled with her handwriting. 

Titles like “Trousseau Laundry” or “Cleaning“ and “Mending” jump out at me.

Right from the “Trousseau Laundry” section, I’m forced to admit that I lack what it takes to be the perfect housewife. 

I don’t own the required six to twenty-four washcloths (then available for 1.50 Deutsche Mark), nor do I possess the floor polisher that is listed as essential in the chapter „Cleaning“.

The chapter „Cocktail Parties“ feels far more like me.

In Copenhagen, a day is perfect for us when we open our eyes in the charming Nyboder Apartment, when we’re first in line at Juno Bakery, when we’re sitting in the shade of the old trees in Ørsted’s Park, when our legs are dangling over the quay wall at Nyhavn or when the delicious smørrebrød is placed in front of us at Selma.

And of course, there’s even more to make a day perfect in the Danish capital.

Here, we’ll share our favourite Copenhagen city walk with you.

We explore Amsterdam for a perfect day on a bike and a boat.

We sway across the narrow canals passing houses that have seen golden ages. 

We cycle through the old De Pijp neighbourhood and shop at Dille & Kamille. 

We sip fabulous coffee at the Scandinavian Embassy and Negroni at Night Kitchen.

Julius and Amy cook for us at JA, and we sleep in the enchanting Canal House with a view of the water.

Our perfect day in the Dutch capital would look like this.

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• sweet boutique hotel in the heart of Östermalm

• spacious rooms in a charming vintage look and a wonderful breakfast

• our tip - take an evening stroll through the park to Hantverket, then slip slightly tipsy into your cosy hotel bed

Everyone knows the saying „A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush“.

In German, this proverbial bird is specifically a sparrow.

It means you’re better off having something little and good for sure than chasing after something bigger out of reach.

The Sparrow Hotel in Stockholm’s Östermalm not only has a plump sparrow as its logo, but is exactly that – a small, really good, charming boutique hotel.

If you're considering staying here, you really don't need to search any further.

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• a pleasant archipelago atmosphere, right in the heart of Vasastan

• Swedish classics - from cardamom buns to Princess cake

• all handmade - from heirloom grains and with a real passion for the product

Puff pastries filled with custard or red berries, yeast buns with cinnamon sugar and cardamom, meringues, punch rolls or the bright green Swedish Princess Cake, which was invented especially for Princess Margaretha and her sisters in the 1930s – all of these delicacies are temptingly displayed in Bergstrands Bageri.

The tiny shop is known among Stockholmers as a „Hål i väggen“ - a hole in the wall. 

This only adds to its charm, of course, as the few seats inside the shop are snug and right in the thick of things.

Outside, there are a few more seats in front of the beautiful old building on the corner of Frejgatan and Västmannagatan.

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• Swedish squid and Norwegian oysters

• pub atmosphere in a cosy basement in Vasastan

• the perfect way to while away time - watching the friendly team in the open kitchen

This little restaurant, tucked away in a cosy basement in trendy Vasastan, describes itself rather well:

“Främmat is a cosy, charming restaurant where the scent of good food and a great atmosphere linger in the air. Our food and drink menus are constantly changing. We have one foot in classic French cuisine and the other in innovative, creative cooking with no rules.”

And we can only add how incredibly welcoming Främmat is, with its open kitchen and friendly team - definitely one of our all-time favourites in Stockholm!

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• quiet boutique hotel in a historic university building

• cosy city hideaway close to the canal belt

• coffee in bed with a front row view of Oosterpark

The feeling of snuggling into freshly starched, soft, gently rustling hotel bed linen is simply wonderful.

Outside, heavenly peace, only the rustling of the trees in front of the window – it is hard to believe that the Pillows is not a wellness hotel on the edge of a forest, but a fine, small and supremely comfortable city hotel in the middle of Amsterdam. 

Located right on the edge of the canal belt, it is super central yet beautifully quiet with a view of the green Oosterpark – simply dreamy!

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• a small shop for Japanese crafts and interior design in Frederiksberg

• Danish hygge and Japan’s delicate aesthetic

• we love the vintage kokeshi dolls

Who doesn’t dream of a visit to Japan? To see the snow at the top of Mount Fuji with your own eyes or the delicate cherry blossoms in Kyoto, is surely high on the list for not only us.

But it is also the refined aesthetic of Japanese craftsmanship that is so appealing.

If you frequently travel to Japan with an empty extra suitcase, to bring it back home packed with travel treasures, you might want to stop reading here.

But if you’re longing for a little bit of lovingly curated Japan within Europe, this charming shop in Copenhagen’s Frederiksberg is just the place for you.