Fresh rolls and strong coffee start the morning, and by midday cyclists share the path with trams while lunch crowds fill the squares. Afternoons belong to parks, riverside walks and small museums, and evenings gather friends around long wooden tables in beer gardens and cosy pubs, where talk runs well past dark.

The climate is temperate, with oceanic breezes in the northwest, a more continental feel in the east, warm summers and cold winters, so pack layers and a raincoat. A Local Friend tells you when to go early and when to linger over one more cup, because the best hour is often the one nobody put on the schedule.