Marlene Dietrich travel tips

Music soundtracks our travels, kills time and distracts, entertainingly. In Berlin, which has more than 300 train stations and where you can see everything panoramically from the overhead S-Bahn, a well-loaded smartphone or MP3 player turns a journey into a film with a score.

In 1961, future West German chancellor Willy Brandt declared: “The sky above the Ruhr must be blue once more.” His words were greeted with what sounded like applause but was actually his audience falling off their chairs. Because the Ruhrpott, or Ruhrgebiet, an agglomeration of industrial cities that includes Gelsenkirchen (where England will play their opening match of the European Championship this summer), Dortmund (which hosts group matches as well as a semi-final), Essen and Duisburg was a place where the chimneys of the coal, iron and steel industries poked up above the smog like candles on a giant grey birthday cake. You were more likely to slip in unicorn droppings than breathe clean air in the Ruhrpott.

Located high in the mountainous Engadine in Switzerland, St Moritz is the famed Alps ski town in which Badrutt’s Palace is located. A historic ski resort attracting the rich and famous, as well as young European aristocrats, St Moritz continues to amaze.

A few fashionable streets away from the stucco-fronted The Kensington Hotel, in South Kensington, culturalists have been lining up at the V&A to take in its blockbuster Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto exhibition. One of the most popular exhibits in recent years, and the first UK exhibition dedicated to the work of ‘Coco’ Chanel, it chartsthe evolution of the designer’s iconic design style and the establishment of the House of Chanel. With over 200 pieces, it charts Chanel’s meteoric rise, from the opening of her first millinery boutique in Paris in 1910 to the showing of her final collection in 1971.

The V&A’s new blockbuster exhibition is the first in the UK dedicated to the French couturier Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel – and it is selling out fast. The show is fully booked until Christmas, but at the time of writing there was still plenty of availability in January and February. The exhibition charts the history of the House of Chanel, from the opening of Coco’s first millinery shop in Paris in 1910 to her final collection in 1971, and her legacy today. There are almost 200 looks on show, including a piece from 1916 and outfits designed for Lauren Bacall and Marlene Dietrich, plus accessories, jewellery and perfume. Until 25 February, £24 adults/£16 children/under-12s free, vam.ac.uk

This weekend, London’s Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), pioneer of global art, design and performance, celebrates the unveiling of Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto. This exhibition is the UK’s first dedicated solely to Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, the iconic French couturière, who redefined the art of fashion. Spanning styles from her first Parisian boutique in 1910 to her last collection in 1971, the exposition vividly traces Chanel’s evolution and unparalleled contribution to fashion.

Unsure where you’re going with your creative projects? Suffering from writer’s block? Travel is a wonderful way of picking up new ideas – but where do you go to kick-start your creative imagination?