After a soggy July, we hope now is the time for Berlin’s summer to shine. August is still a languid month, with many residents abroad for their holidays, and the calm Mitte streets seemingly only populated by foreign visitors, getting around on foot, in buses, on bikes and city tours. It’s still a great month for just sprawling on the lawn of a park with a cool drink in hand. The popular Long Night of the Museums on August 25 sees thousands enjoying Berlin’s rich heritage by night. In September the city’s pace picks up as people get back to work, the cultural season starts up, and a new batch of students arrives – and by the end of the month we’re back up to speed, together with the runners participating in the Berlin Marathon on 30 September. There’s still a chance to see Berlin at its calmest and coolest, on board of one of the river cruises.

Eвро 2012, самое крупное спортивное событие когда-либо происходившее в Польше, стартует 8 июня.

Евро 2012, которое является самым большим спортивным событием, когда-либо состоявшимся в Польше, открывается 8 июня и навсегда останется одним извважных моментов в в истории этого замечательного города. Хотя Варшава всегда больше была известна трагическими событиями в своей истории - разрушениями от рук нацистов во Вторую мировую войну и 44 годами коммунизма - она сильно изменилась после падения железного занавеса в 1989 году и сейчас ее можно даже назвать городом-космополитом, учитывая все современные удобства и строительство высотных зданий.

The financial avalanche that started two years ago in Greece and has now spread all over Europe, has left the country and its citizens on their knees. The population has already gone through the stages of denial and anger and is slowly coming to terms with the idea that their life is never going to be the same again.

Этот справочник создавался совместными усилиями британских путешественников, журналистов, ресторанных критиков и местных исследователей городской среды, которые родились и проживают в Минске. Участие региональных экспертов и выпуск изданий непосредственно в стране назначения — такой подход принес справочникам серии In Your Pocket репутацию самых точных и актуальных источников информации о городе для приезжих.
Сейчас вы находитесь на страницах русской версии справочника, на которых вы найдете обновленную информацию о минских отелях, ресторанах, клубах и городских достопримечательностях, среди которых — музей-мастерская выдающегося белорусского скульптора Заира Азгура, основной фонд которого насчитывает 418 работ, среди которых скульптурные портреты Карла Маркса, в подлинности и исторической ценности которых невозможно усомниться.

With its reputation as one of Europe's foremost party capitals firmly entrenched, there's little need to list the Belgrade's ample nightlife credentials. However, during the spring and summer months things reach truly epic proportions with revellers packing the streets until dawn on a nightly basis, and a general festive atmosphere permeating throughout the whole city. If there's one word for visitors to familiarise themselves with its 'splavovi' - the Serbian name for the party boats moored along Belgrade's river banks. Coming in various shapes and sizes, these are a must for any night out.

Kyiv residents couldn’t be happier that spring has finally arrived. This past winter has been one of the harshest in recent memory and saw the capital literally trapped beneath snow, ice, and extremely freezing temperatures for nearly two months. With that in mind, if a burly Ukrainian sits next to you on a park bench and takes off his shirt, don’t be alarmed…he just needs to soak in some rays to get over the cabin fever. The main theme of this Spring in Kyiv is of course the upcoming Euro2012 Championship.

Germany's economy is doing better than expected, perhaps better than anyone else in Europe at the moment, so the bankers stacked high in Frankfurt's magnificent skyscrapers are probably relaxing a little after so many years of scandal and worries. The city is too snooty to let you notice any of this, so it's business as usual at street level, where mortals like us try to make the most of our stay in the city.

Few cities emerge from their winter hangover as exuberant as Kraków, where all over Poland’s cultural capital at this very moment the beer garden umbrellas are in full bloom, the pigeons are cooing and mounting each other, couples are petting in the Planty and picnicking on the Wisła riverbanks, while street performers play merry music in public squares or stand by in silent protest of the clownish antics of costumed tourists. Kraków has its spring buzz on in a big way and there’s no better time to be here than the season of rising temperatures and hemlines.

Welcome to a city of unique old-world charm; the scene of an accident where East broadsided West, but left only a dent. With its remarkably preserved Gothic and Renaissance architecture, gently bending streets and hidden ancient niches, Lviv is a Ukrainian city with a European soul. Known as the centre of Ukrainian art and culture, the city boasts many of the country’s brightest and best museums, art galleries and theatres. It is also Ukraine’s Bible belt buckle - there are magnificent and inspiring churches and cathedrals on just about every corner. Although Lvivians have the reputation as church-goers, they haven’t forgotten how to party. Pubs, clubs, restaurants and coffee houses are plentiful and it’s usually a local who’s stoking the celebration into the early morning hours.

As the summer tourism season arrives, we've been busy doing some spring cleaning here at Berlin In Your Pocket. The city guide has been completely revamped; our reviews are now arranged by city district, so it's easy for you to wander around each of Berlin's exciting Kiez areas with the guide in your pocket, selecting interesting sights, restaurants and bars as you stroll. Our new district maps and 'Pocket Walks' will help plan your adventures. There are also dozens of fresh reviews, a new city map at the rear of the guide and new chapters with city tours, transport and basic travel information. Bitte schön, our pleasure.

It’s spring in Amsterdam so if you’re already in the Dutch capital there’s a good chance that you’ve come for the tulips. Yes, people just can’t seem to get enough of this amazing flower that the Dutch have cultivated in the centuries following its theft from the gardens of the Ottoman Sultan, or so the story goes. We decided that we couldn’t fight the hysteria that surrounds the tulip, so we gave in to peer pressure and even put it on the cover of this spring edition of Amsterdam In Your Pocket, the fourth guide that we’ve published to this amazing city. Amsterdam is so amazing in fact that we were tired of only presenting the well-trodden tourist routes that all the other guidebooks cover.

Sundays can be very busy for the Swiss and not just because Sunday breakfast is such a big deal (see p. 32). What makes a really busy weekend is when citizens are called to vote on a whole panoply of issues. Just recently we had one of those bumper ballot box Sundays, with issues ranging from book prices to holiday residences (see In the news p. 5) – and those were just the national initiatives. Voters in Zurich also voted on prostitution, deciding to build ‘service boxes’ where street prostitutes can serve their customers. This is an attempt to move street prostitution away from the area around Langstrasse and offer the women involved more security.

This issue we have decided to devote four pages of our guide to the wonders of Russia’s famous Golden Ring. Since moving to the Moscow I have developed a special love for this cluster of medieval towns and villages on Moscow’s outskirts, which are the perfect antidote to the immense scale and intense pace of life in the capital. Don’t get me wrong - I love Moscow. This is the city where the cultural and political directions of the country are set. Moscow attracts ambitious people from all over - it suggests; ‘if you want to make it big, this is where you need to be’ and I am glad I jumped on that train and broadened my horizons. However, it is important that you escape the city on a regular basis, if not simply just to get some fresh air.