You will walk between 15,000 and 25,000 steps a day on a city break. That part handles itself. The things that don't handle themselves: food, sleep, and alcohol. Get those three roughly right and the trip recharges you. Get them wrong and you land home more depleted than you left.

The One Big Meal Rule

Three large meals a day plus bar snacks plus the obligatory gelato or waffle is a lot of food. Most people feel vaguely terrible by day three of eating this way and blame the travel rather than the volume.

One big meal per day is the right calibration. Breakfast can be light: a pastry and a coffee, or whatever the local version of that is. One proper lunch or dinner. The other meal can be a snack, a market stop, or a bowl of soup. You'll enjoy the big meal more, and you won't spend the afternoon in a food coma when you could be walking.

Sleep Over Sightseeing

The trade-off nobody talks about: getting up at 7am to beat the crowds at the Colosseum versus sleeping until 8:30am and being fully functional for the rest of the day. For most people, on most trips, the extra 90 minutes of sleep produces a better day than the early start.

The exception is heat. In Mediterranean cities in summer, early morning and early evening are the pleasant hours. Midday is when you should be in a museum or a café, not walking. Adjust accordingly.

The Hangover Day is a Wasted Day

Three nights of drinking heavily and a city break is a bad combination. Not because drinking is wrong, but because the hangover day is a day you're not actually in the city. You're in a hotel room or a café feeling rough, watching the morning disappear.

One good evening is worth more than three mediocre ones where you're drinking to keep up with the group.

Staying Hydrated in Heat

European cities in July and August are genuinely hot. Carry a refillable bottle. Most cities have public fountains with drinkable water (Rome's nasoni are everywhere, Paris has Wallace Fountains). Drink before you're thirsty, not after. A headache at 3pm is almost always dehydration, not the city's fault.

The City Break That Recharges You

The difference between a trip that exhausts you and one that recharges you is not the city. It's the pace. Build one afternoon with nothing booked into every trip. Sit somewhere pleasant. Read something. Have a drink at 4pm without feeling guilty about it. This is not wasted time. It's what makes the rest of the trip feel good.