Top 10 B&Bs for city breaks in Europe

From London grandesse to Parisian chic, visit these B&Bs for a European adventure full of character 
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Ellie Harrison4 January 2016

A continent that speaks in more than 50 tongues, Europe is home to a stunning range of architecture and offers up delicious delicacies - and is right on our doorstep. Sawday's has rounded up its favourite B&Bs in Britain and beyond for the perfect city break. In these charismatic urban hotspots, you'll feel like you're in a home away from home.

Les3chambres, Paris

Colour, comfort, family antiques and atmosphere are here in buckets thanks to the owner Laurent's flair for interiors and his love of meeting people. Easy and relaxed, he is a walking encyclopaedia on Paris and serves a succulent breakfast. Storm blue fades into bright turquoise, khaki is married to terracotta, old floorboards meet thick new carpet, gilt-framed oils hang beside good contemporary works, and purple plush lifts modern sofas and brocades flatter old fauteuils.

From €199 per night,

Book here

Les3chambresPress
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Chez Papa, Barcelona

Just a five-minute walk from the Sagrada Familia, welcome to a jolly mix of eclecticism and bonhomie. Opinionated and extrovert, the French host Hervé is devoted to organic foods and ensures that breakfasts are as entertaining as can be. Find a colourful hotchpotch of flea market finds; the bedrooms are dotty and inviting and the décor could be that of your grandmother's house – but for the wildly creative addition of hand-painted walls.

From €75 per night, Book here

Chez PapaPress
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Al Battistero d'Oro, Parma

This grand two-storey yellow palazzo lies off a tranquil square tucked behind the Duomo. In the dining room, awash with light from tall windows, are family antiques and a big oriental rug, a long table at which breakfast can be served, and a cosy real fire for winter stays. Your hostess Patrizia is accommodating and delightful and gives guests two elegant bedrooms with handsome beds, fluffy towels and beautiful toiletries. Outside there's history-rich Parma, with its wine bars, delis, trattorias and passion for gastronomy, and the Teatro Regio, one of the three great homes of Italian opera.

From €90 per night, Book here

Al Battistero d'OroPress
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My Navona, Rome

Both apartments at this peachy, classic 18th-century palazzo are perfect; one is more contemporary with stripped doors, architectural drawings, modern lighting and light grey walls, the other has period paintings, antiques on parquet floors and gorgeous fabrics for curtains, bedspreads and cushions. Knowledgeable hosts - an interior designer and an architect - couldn't be more helpful. Enjoy breakfast royally in your room on a large trolley with porcelain cups, cake, toast, homemade jams, yogurt and cereal.

From €150 per night, Book here

My NavonaPress
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22 York Street, London

A Regency townhouse in W1 and a family home for over 60 years. Hosts Liz and Michael, friendly and easy-going, keep things as informal and unfussy as possible. Lively breakfasts are taken communally around a curved wooden table. The house has a huge sitting room with books, backgammon, and a piano. Expect good beds with pretty quilts and lots of space in the bedrooms: all are spotless and very comfy with antiques and rugs.

From £95 per night, Book here

22 York StreetPress
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Cima Rose, Venice

In magical Venice, take a water taxi to a 15th-century palazzo that overlooks the Grand Canal and oozes all the elegance a stylista could wish for. Bedrooms have marble tiles, exposed beams and inspirational views across the canal. Owners Brittany and Danielle are both architects and interior designers that know all of the best antique shops and museums; the ubiquitous gondola calls those seeking something more traditional.

From €155 per night, Book here

Cima RosaPress
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10 London Street, Edinburgh

A Roman X marks this special spot: a beautiful Georgian terraced house in Edinburgh's world heritage New Town, home to descendants of Scots author John Gibson Lockhart. Step into a family home of period elegance and charming informality: accept a dram by the fire in the sash-windowed drawing room, relax at the dining table over a leisurely continental breakfast. Sleep undisturbed in 'Beauregard', with its lovely views and paintings; or 'Gibson' with its off-courtyard privacy and self-catering option.

£160 per night

10 London Street Press
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Le Loft 13, Strasbourg

Eight floors high in central Strasbourg, this loft is a warm, spacious and opulent place, with wonderful views of ancient rooftops, cathedral spires and the Vosges peaks beyond. Homemade Lebanese cheese is a breakfast speciality, though you can have a full British if you fancy. Plush, beamed bedrooms have white linen and rich colours, and the suite has a Jacuzzi. Bold paintings, rugs and artefacts complete Le Loft-scape.

From €150 per night, Book here

Le Loft 13Press
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Duke House, Cambridge

Opposite Christ's Pieces, one of the city's oldest green spaces, and right in the centre. Settle into the guest sitting room and sleep soundly under Irish goose down in beautiful bedrooms all named after dukes; the Cambridge suite on the top floor has a romantic balcony. The lovely breakfast room has separate tables overlooking a little plant-filled courtyard; host Liz serves an excellent organic and homemade spread.

From £120 per night, Book here

Duke HousePress
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The Art House, Hove

Peaceful, close to the sea and in the heart of Hove, this Victorian villa is a friendly town treat. Bedrooms on the top floor are furnished in an eclectic style, mixing antique finds with quirky light-fittings; art books, flowers, splashes of colour and brand new marble and mosaic bathrooms. Hosts Dexter and Liz give you a breakfast feast: muesli, fruit salad, patisseries fresh from the bakery that morning, eggs, smoked salmon, hash browns. Liz runs mosaic courses and her wonderful work decorates the house.

From £95 per night, Book here

The Art HousePress
Press

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