City guides for independent cultural travellers. Written by Duncan JD Smith and published by The Urban Explorer.
Joined September 2015
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504 Photos and videos
Thanks to this reader for sharing photos of their trip to Trieste with my guidebook. There is nothing more satisfying to an author than knowing all the hard work is worthwhile! #trieste #onlyintrieste #onlyinguides #theurbanexplorer #duncanjdsmith
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The way portraits used to be taken in the old days, with a pull down screen of one's choice. I liked this nautical scene! At the Atelier Vicente's studio on Madeira, opened in 1865 and now a museum. See less
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Camara de Lobos, a fishing village outside Funchal on Madeira, where Winston Churchill came to paint in 1950. #madeira #winstonchurchill #portugal
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Some classic cinemas in Vienna. Wonderful survivors from the past. I discuss cinema in Vienna in my guidebook "Only in Vienna" available from local booksellers and online. onlyinguides.com
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The Urban Explorer/Only In Guides Newsletter - March 2026 - mailchi.mp/1af1f621b8f0/the-…
Vienna Vampires; Fascinating Collections;: Shaw House; Underwater Clown!; Hotel Lives; Cinema Photo; Only in Tangier.
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Only In Guides/The Urban Explorer retweeted
Feb 19
Uncover ruins, relics, and all things Romanesque with "Only in Cologne", a city waiting to be explored! @OnlyInGuides
💻️: tinyurl.com/ynjsfc6f
#cologne #onlyincologne #onlyinguides #theurbanexplorer #duncanjdsmith
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Only In Guides/The Urban Explorer retweeted
Feb 21
Explore the treasures of old London and the delights of the new with "Only in London", a guidebook to the capital’s oddities and hidden gems! @OnlyInGuides
💻️: tinyurl.com/3a5ktpfs
#London #onlyinlondon #onlyinguides #theurbanexplorer #duncanjdsmith
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Only In Guides/The Urban Explorer retweeted
Feb 26
Explore the streets of Hamburg! This guidebook offers travelers more than 80 fascinating and unusual historical locations in Germany’s second city. @OnlyInGuides
💻️: tinyurl.com/3jc5xe9v
#Hamburg #Germany #onlyinHamburg #onlyinguides #theurbanexplorer #duncanjdsmith
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Just a few of Vienna's historic interiors. Discover these and more in my guidebook "Only in Vienna" available from booksellers and online. More details at onlyinguides.com
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The Urban Explorer/Only In Guides Newsletter - February 2026 - mailchi.mp/0bc60ece3f4b/the-…
Only in Marseille; Vienna to Infinity; Historic Curry House; Hamburg Revisited; Importance of Notebooks; Atlantis on Santorini; Only in Tangier.
Sign-up at duncanjdsmith.com
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In Vienna's Maria Am Gestade church there is a Baroque painting of the Crucifixion, mourners left, instigators right, the latter including a man with a jewelled headband. He is Vlad the Impaler, a Wallachian king whose battlefield exploits inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula.
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Heading to Tangier? Here are some books well worth reading. Admittedly one is my own recently-published "Only in Tangier" but taken together they offer an inspiring overview of this enthralling Moroccan city. #tangier #morocco #onlyinmorocco #onlyinguides #duncanjdsmith
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Thanks to Interzone at 43 Rue Ahmed Ben Ajiba in Tangier for stocking my new "Only in Tangier" guidebook. This unique store sells Tangier-related books, films, music & clothes. #tangier #onlyintangier #onlyinguides #duncanjdsmith #theurbanexplorer #interzone
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"Infinity of Light" is a temporary monumental light sculpture on the towers of Vienna's neo-Gothic Votive Church. The work of Viennese artist Billi Thanner, it takes the form of the symbol of infinity. #vienna #votivkirche #billithanner
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I'm happy to say that my "Only in Marseille" guidebook is now stocked at the city's wonderful Librairie Jean Laffitte. #marseille #onlyinmarseille #onlyinguides #theurbanexplorer #duncanjdsmith
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Only In Guides/The Urban Explorer retweeted
Jan 21
Get under the skin of the Hungarian capital with this explorer’s guidebook to the ‘Paris of the East’ from the Buda Hills to the glamour of downtown Pest.
💻️: tinyurl.com/yc8dtary
#Budapest #Hungary #TravelBudapest
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New writing and new adventures for 2026. Stay updated with my monthly newsletter. Sign-up at www.duncanjdsmith. Happy Exploring!
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Kicking off 2026 with a piece for the Mediterranean Garden Society about my visit to the Donabo Botanical Garden outside Tangier. A glorious spot on the Atlantic coast bursting with blossoms, bees and the scent of Moroccan mint: mediterraneangardensociety.o…
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15 Dec 2025
I recently took a tour of the Burgtheater in Vienna. A highlight (literally) is the painted ceilings by Gustav Klimt and others. Klimt's original sketches were discovered in the theatre cellars in the 1990s and are also on display. #vienna #onlyinvienna #duncanjdsmith
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11 Dec 2025
Edinburgh's old police boxes are a unique part of the city's landscape. Erected during the 1930s, these miniature Greek temples in cast iron serve today as coffee shops and fast food outlets. They are discussed in my book "Only in Edinburgh". See onlyinguides.com.
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