For nine more cities see the full article in the August issue of The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, on sale Tuesday, July 7

ROME

18:00 Follow the hedonistic laughter wafting from behind Parliament (ironically) and you’ll see a door shrouded in creeper. Inside, the walls may be lined with books, but make no mistake: Salotto 42 is one of the hippest bars in town. Join the stylish scrum for free stuzzichini (nibbles) between 7pm and 9pm. 42 Piazza di Pietra; 00 39-06 678 5804, www.salotto42.it

19:00 Yes, the food is a sensation, but it’s the glass roof that is the star at this restaurant. (It comes into its own on rainy days.) The superchef Antonello Colonna, who has cooked for the Queen, no less, moved here only last year — to the top of the grand Palazzo delle Esposizioni. Scalinata di Via Milano 9A; 06 4782 2641, www.opencolonna.it; main courses from £14

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20:00 It used to be the grubby stables for the president’s palace, across the square — now the Scuderie del Quirinale is a designer gallery that pulls in cutting-edge shows. It’s open until 10.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, so, post-musing, you can stop for a glass of Barolo at the cafe. Via XXIV Maggio 16; 06 3996 7200, scuderiequirinale.it; £4

21:00 With Rome’s monuments illuminated at night, after dark is the time for a tour. Nerone Tours whips you round all the sights in three hours — on a chauffeured Vespa. You’ll see everything from the Colosseum and St Peter’s to the Jewish ghetto and the gloriously silent Aventine Hill. 339 625 3905, www.nerone.cc; from £140pp

00:00 Freni e Frizioni was formerly a garage (hence the name, Brakes and Clutches), and this bar-restaurant is in the heart of Trastevere’s local scene. Owned by the same people as the trendy Maze Gallery in Turin, it attracts the likes of Kate Moss and the Italian chart-topper Tiziano Ferro. Via del Politeama 4-6; 06 4549 7499, freniefrizioni.com

02:00 Bed down in ancient Rome at the Inn at the Roman Forum. This 15th-century house is built over the ruins of Trajan’s Forum, with a cluster of the old Roman rooms still intact. Save that venture for daylight — it’s spooky in there. Via degli Ibernesi 40; 06 6919 0970, theinnattheromanforum.com; doubles from £141, B&B

How to get there: there are flights to Rome from a dozen UK airports, as well as Dublin and Cork, with airlines including British Airways (0844 493 0787, ba.com), Ryanair (0871 246 0000, ryanair.com) and EasyJet (easyjet.com).

PARIS

18:00 Set 56 dizzy storeys up the Tour Montparnasse, Le Ciel de Paris bar salutes the late 1970s, with tubular-steel high stools and low lighting — very Stefanie Powers in Hart to Hart. Martinis are steep at £13, but you can’t put a price on the dusk view of the Eiffel Tower. 33 Avenue du Maine; 00 33-1 40 64 77 64

20:00 For instant immersion into the mirror-clad, tobacco-stained Paris of the past, try Le Bistrot Paul Bert, not far from Bastille. Service can be “Parisian”, but the doorsteps of country pâté and the hefty steaks are the stuff of dream French weekends. Booking is essential. 18 Rue Paul Bert; 01 43 72 24 01; main courses from £19.

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