Breakfast: Buffet van Odette: Grab a window seat and the better-than-the-rest truffle-cheese omelette at this charming canalside French bistro-cum-café.
buffet-amsterdam.nl

Drinks: Pulitzer’s Bar: The only place for a cocktail is this drinking den inspired by the roaring 1920s. Expect low lighting, comfy chairs and on-point bartenders.
pulitzersbar.nl

Lunch: Bar Fisk: With oysters, fish shakshuka and Israeli-inspired salads, Bar Fisk offers a slice of Tel Aviv in the heart of Amsterdam’s lively De Pijp neighbourhood.
barfisk.nl

Kimpton De Witt: Kimpton De Witt’s central location, paired with a historic cocktail bar and smart restaurant, makes it a solid springboard from which to explore the city of canals.
kimptondewitthotel.com

X Bank: Shop and gallery X Bank is all about trumpeting Dutch design and fashion: from colourful dresses and smart coats to gin and other tasteful local knick-knacks.
xbank.amsterdam

Service: Pompon: In a country known for its bloemen (flowers to non-natives), Pompon still manages to stand out and is known for its hand-bound posies of wildflowers.
pompon.nl

Newsstand: Athenaeum Nieuwscentrum: This shop sells everything from local design zines to Belgian art titles and US weeklies – and has knowledgeable staff, too.
athenaeum.nl

Breakfast: Laura’s Deli: This deli is a prime spot for networking and nutritious breakfasts. All snacks and meals, including poached eggs and fruity granolas, are made with fresh, local produce.
laurasdeli.de

Drinks: Pardo Bar: Düsseldorf’s vibrant art scene comes alive at the Pardo Bar at K21 art gallery. The bar, designed by Cuban-born artist Jorge Pardo, just reopened after a makeover.kunstsammlung.de
lunch: Phoenix: Perfect for business lunches, Phoenix is a contemporary brasserie housed in the 1960s Dreischeibenhaus.
phoenix-restaurant.de

Coffee: Cøffe: Eike Brand’s coffee shop has elegantly transformed a Düsseldorf institution – Eveline’s health-food shop, into a Scandinavian-style café.
dascoffe.tumblr.com

Me and all hotels: Nestled in Düsseldorf’s Little Tokyo, this hotel mixes local and Japanese flavours and design in an Ace Hotel-style setting – don’t miss the views from the 11th-floor bar.
duesseldorf.meandallhotels.com

Apropos: Co-founders Daniel Riedo and Klaus Ritzenhöfer have been in the business of fashion, design and beauty products for more than 30 years. Their centrally located cosmopolitan concept shop carries brands including Gucci and Odeeh.
apropos-store.com



Service: Carlsplatz Markt: This daily market in the heart of the Old Town is your best bet for finding the city’s freshest goods and picking up flowers or the weekly paper.
carlsplatz-markt.de

Breakfast: The Daily: The perfect spot for a Stumptown brew and an assortment of breakfast sandwiches.
shopthedaily.com

Drinks: The Living Room: Located in the Dewberry Hotel, the all-brass bar is fitted with mid-century furnishings and a knockout signature cocktail menu.
thedewberrycharleston.com

Lunch: Sorghum and Salt: Sourced from a small cadre of local farms, the produce served in this 40-seat restaurant is a fresh take on southern fare.
sorghumandsalt.com

Coffee: Black Tap Coffee: A wood-clad coffee shop with its own in-house roasting operation: a plum place for a pour-over.
blacktapcoffee.com

The Dewberry Charleston: A restored government building turned hotel overlooking downtown Marion Square hosting local art. There’s also a reading room that’s worth bookmarking.
thedewberrycharleston.com

Indigo and Cotton: A small shop featuring brands such as Gitman Brothers Vintage in a well designed and vintage-furnished storefront.
indigoandcotton.com

Service: Barrelli Barber: Located in an old cigar factory, you can pop in for a simple trim or full hot-towel shave.
barrellibarber.com

Buy: Okura: A wooden interior, Japanese wares and fashion brands such as Auralee and Phingeri nod to Tokyo’s Nakameguro district.
okura-store.com

Service: Hair House: Part-time funk-rock musician Adam Chan established one of the city’s first salons to specialise in western cuts.
+852 5598 9965

Breakfast: Australia Dairy Company: Locals and visitors flock to this famous tea restaurant (or cha chaan teng) for scrambled eggs and egg custard pudding. The brusque service is part of the charm and begins at 07.30 sharp.
+852 2730 1356

Drinks: The Old Man: Tucked down a small alley, this Soho newcomer has a refreshingly simple menu: a few house cocktails and friendly shakers willing to make up special drinks.
theoldmanhk.com

Lunch: Pici: This straight-up Italian restaurant has enlivened a quiet corner in Wan Chai since it opened its doors – and windows – on St Francis Yard (an olive’s toss from our own shop and bureau).
pici.hk

Coffee: Halfway Coffee: Sipping coffee out of porcelain teacups makes perfect sense in the vicinity of Sheung Wan’s antique market on Upper Lascar Row.
+852 9511 7197

The Fleming: This 66-room independent recently reopened after an extensive 16-month refit. Located in Wan Chai, check in before the Art Basel crowd discovers this gem in March.
thefleming.com

Okura: A wooden interior, Japanese wares and fashion brands such as Auralee and Phingeri nod to Tokyo’s Nakameguro district.
okura-store.com

Service: Hair House: Part-time funk-rock musician Adam Chan established one of the city’s first salons to specialise in western cuts.
+852 5598 9965

Newsstand: Kelly and Walsh: This bookshop operates a smart newsstand in the basement level of the Landmark mall. Grab a magazine to read while making use of the shoeshine service next door.
kellyandwalsh.com

Breakfast: The Breakfast Club: This perennially popular brunch and breakfast spot serves early-morning fare from around the world.
breakfast-club.at

Drinks: Bar at Hotel Penz: Hotel Penz’s fifth-floor bar serves Innsbruck’s best cocktails and offers a panoramic view of sunsets over the city’s Alpine surrounds.
the-penz.com

Lunch: DenggPause: DenggPause’s fare is modern Austrian, elegantly presented and served with unusual ease.
www.dengg.co.at

Grand Hotel Europa: Recently renovated, this hotel is rich in tradition but also boasts contemporary amenities – an excellent restaurant and a small spa among them.
grandhoteleuropa.at

Dantendorfer: This elegant multi-city shop offers menswear and womenswear by independent designers; made to measure is also available.
dantendorfer.at

Service: Blumen Hajny: In two locations in the city centre, Valentina and Brigitte Hajny create elegant and distinctive floral bouquets.
blumenhajny.at

Newsstand: Press and Books: Choose from more than 3,000 periodicals at this concession located in Innsbruck’s main train station, shadowed by mountains.
pressbooks.at