The advantages of renting your very own city pad are endless. You’re not in the tourist quarter — you’re hanging with the locals. You’re not prepaying for a bog-standard hotel breakfast — you’re getting your own from the cool little deli round the corner. You’re not having to tip the porter, the bell-hop, the cleaner — you’re left in peace in your own private home from home. Okay, there’s no concierge and no 24-hour room service — so pack your own concierge (it’s called a guidebook) and put some midnight munchies in the fridge when you arrive. No problem.

In the past, organising such a holiday has been tricky. Homeowners want renters to stay for months rather than days, and tour companies find it easier to book rooms in hotels than in private properties. But the internet has made the whole process easier and more flex-ible, and some operators are catching on, offering weekend breaks in locations close to the beating hearts of cities — places where you will have a thrilling, authentic experience at a decent price.

A BROWNSTONE IN NEW YORK

If you’ve ever wandered around Manhattan, gazing up at the skyline, you may have seen rows of magnificent brownstone houses and thought: “Wouldn’t it be marvellous to stay in one of those?” Well, now you can. The specialist long-haul operator Travelbag (0870 900 1350, www.travelbag.co.uk) is offering a choice of stylish town houses on the Upper East Side, with a minimum rental period of just two nights. And the price tag is considerably lower than you might have expected: it costs £195 per night, but sleeps six. Fill it, and that’s just £32.50 each.

These turn-of-the-century houses are on East 74th Street, between Second and Third Avenue, in one of the city’s smartest neighbourhoods. Central Park is just four blocks away, and a short walk takes you to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim and the Frick Collection, as well as designer stores such as Gucci, Prada, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren on Madison Avenue.

Instead of eating in a soulless hotel, you can pop down to your local deli for provisions. The town houses are just two blocks from one of Manhattan’s finest French bakeries, the Payard Patisserie & Bistro on Lexington Avenue, between 72nd and 73rd Streets. Also nearby is the Cocktail Room, a hip 1960s-style bar on 73rd Street, between First and Second Avenues.

Getting there: Travelbag has direct flights from Heathrow to New York with United Airlines (from £190); from Manchester with British Airways (from £200); and from Edinburgh with Lufthansa via Frankfurt (from £242). Or try Trailfinders (020 7628 7628). Aer Lingus (0818 365000, www.aerlingus.com) flies from Dublin and Shannon; from €288.

A PALAZZO IN VENICE

Given the exorbitant prices that hotels charge in Venice, can you imagine what it could cost to rent your own 16th- century palazzetto in the most fashionable residential district of San Marco? Answer: not that much.

Sansovino is a unique apartment that takes up the top two floors of this historic building, and sleeps six people in comfort. It is named after the Venetian designer and architect said to be responsible for the spectacular wood-carved ceiling in the dining room. The location is superb: just 100 yards from a vaporetto stop on the Grand Canal, which gives easy access to the whole city.

And the cost? It’s £980 per week for the whole three- bedroom apartment, which means six people sharing will each pay just £23.33 per night. For further details, visit www.holiday-rentals.com/index.cfm/property/6914.cfm.

Getting there: EasyJet (0870 600 0000, www.easyjet.com) flies from Stansted to Venice Marco Polo; from about £45. Ryanair (0871 246 0000, www.ryanair.com) flies from Stansted to Treviso, 10 miles from Venice; from £38.