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MrsMC is thinking of a 4-5 night mini break in late Feb or early March - it's to use up some of her leave before the end of the financial year. Neither of us are sun worshippers but somewhere maybe southern Europe for a reasonable chance of it being warmer and brighter than Derby, and it's not somewhere we've been. We want leisurely sightseeing, museums, palaces kind of thing.
Current thoughts are maybe Granada, Barcelona or Malta, happy with the idea of a two stop break if we can easily link by public transport, say Barcelona and Girona.
Inspire us
We went to Barcelona for my 50th birthday and it was lovely weather in mid-march. Not too hot, and loads to see and do. Although to be honest, we didn't see and do much on my 50th birthday on the 13th March....2020. However, we did go back last October and got to see a lot more than the walls of our hotel room 2nd time round.
Both times we stayed at the Hotel Gaudi, 20 metres off La Rambla. We loved the place and would go back there again.
Although to be honest, we didn't see and do much on my 50th birthday on the 13th March
Oi, Oooiiii!!
....2020
Oh....
I went to Lyon about 2 months ago and loved it.
All the stuff you mention and the city centre is all traffic-free so really chilled and loads of bike lanes if you wanted to hire one to get around. Its pretty big and also has a nice old town and massive river running through it which you can walk up and down. Everyone was really friendly. Less than 90mins from Manchester airport and about 20mins from Lyon airport to the city centre at the other end. There was really great film-set museum as well which was quite enjoyable, if you like that sort of thing.
Not sure how warm it will be in February or March but probably warmer than Derby to be fair.
Granada, Barcelona
At that time of year, Granada may be the better bet for weather.
But I'd also consider Seville and Malaga. Both have a bit more going on than Granada and I preferred the Alcazar at Seville to the Alhambra.
But with 4-5 nights, you could do Seville and Cadiz (and El Puerto de Santa Maria).
Seville? Bit warmer than Barcelona. Beautiful city with loads to see and do. Great food and drinking opportunities (though that does apply to a fair few places in Spain). Could always then jump on the train to Cordoba which is about 40 mins away for another night or day trip.
We had a long weekend in Lisbon in January this year - it was fab. Excellent food, wine & beer.
Oporto is another good option.
Re: Sevilla/Cadiz - Cadiz is much smaller and quieter but both are very nice.
We went to Seville in April and it was lovely - 4 nights is perfect.
We did a segway tour on the first day (lots of bike tours also) which was really good for scoping out a big area with ease and identifying places we wanted to go back to.... of which there were many. Lobby hotel was quirky but in a really good way and very well placed.
It's all very walkable too.
Palma?
Rome is going to be nice that time of year. Or not, what about Porto or Lisbon?
Nice?
It's about the one time of year it's fairly quiet. Good network of trams and buses to get around, also very easy to get from the airport to the city.
You can also get the train there direct from Paris.
Feb-March is ski season, I despair of you all letting the thread get this far without suggesting a trip to the Alps 😉
Sorry OP, I'm not much help other than saying Barca can be wet and wild at that time of year.
Tirana
Marrakech but live in a Riad in the old Medina part of the city behind the wall with all the narrow streets
Or even Essaouria on the coast
We've done Porto and Lisbon in early Feb for the past 2 years. Both times we've had very pleasant weather - thin jumpers or t-shirts in the sun if not windy.
Both my partner and I much preferred Porto - really easy to get round, loads of things to do, very pretty, incredible food. Lisbon was nice, but neither of us loved it.
Sitges. Way cooler than Barcelona but only a short train ride up the coast. No marauding tourists.
Thanks for the advice so far
Rome is going to be nice that time of year.
Warm enough for a t-shirt during the day when I went there to watch Wales v Italy in the Six Nations a few years ago. (Or a rugby shirt with sleeves rolled up!). And there's not exactly a lack of things to do for a few days.
Marrakech but live in a Riad in the old Medina part of the city behind the wall with all the narrow streets
Or don't be fussy about where you stay and just go. It's still the same city whether you're in a riad or hotel out on the Palmeraie. (Taxis are cheap and plentiful.). It's great place to visit and t-shirt warm in spring.
Sitges. Way cooler than Barcelona but only a short train ride up the coast. No marauding tourists.
Came here to say Sitges or Valencia.
It's great place to visit and t-shirt warm in spring.
Or Marrakesh is a shithole with possibly the worst airport I’ve ever had the misfortune of travelling through - people queuing to get through checks to enter the bloody building let alone shambles that was security
Agree with Valencia or Seville as mentioned by a few. Both lovely, Madrid also lovely. Malaga and Porto are on my list so good to see them getting a mention.
Or Marrakesh is a shithole with possibly the worst airport I’ve ever had the misfortune of travelling through - people queuing to get through checks to enter the bloody building let alone shambles that was security
Well if we are rating places on their airports then the UK is a third world country on the basis of Heathrow. 😀
Madrid in late winter/early spring is not warm. It's at 600m and very often has poor weather. Wait until April if that is on your list
For those of you that went to Seville did you manage to get any vegetables served with your meals? Everywhere we went we had nice food but no vegetables, not even as an extra.
Well if we are rating places on their airports then the UK is a third world country on the basis of Heathrow.
Heathrow is fine. Manchester or Luton however...
At the rate we are going, how about England south coast? Should be a couple of degrees warmer than you expect.
Luton is fine too, I use it regularly and have never had any issues either with security or facilities airside.
Manchester is fine... Leeds-Bradford however is a glorified cow shed on a windy, wet hill.
We went to Seville in Mar 2009. It absolutely pissed it down.
Accepting we might just have been unlucky, I don't think the weather anywhere in Europe will be reliable at that time of year.
Sitges. Way cooler than Barcelona but only a short train ride up the coast. No marauding tourists.
Waaaay cooler, but isn’t that to do with its Nudist beaches and what your wearing 🙂
Yep the weather can be flaky in Spain in March as it’s sort of when it transitions.
We have been getting DANA /Gota frias around that time as well as the usual months.
https://murciatoday.com/what-is-a-gota-fría_120983-a.html
Valencia is always lovely. Hotel Olympia Universidades in Benimaclet is great. Get a room on the top floor. Lovely views over to the old City.
Another vote for Malaga - such a great city in its own right, easy to get to because all the carriers fly there, easy to take day trips to Granada/Ronda/Caminito del Rey by train.
We go February half-term and it's usually high teens/low twenties C, usually rain free.
Valencia - great place.
Just back from Lisbon and loved it. Amazing food, easy to get around, plenty to discover, good weather. Be prepared to walk, a lot, as it's pretty hilly. My watch reckoned we walked 55+ miles over 4 days.
Visit Cascais on the train for a swim in the sea and wander of the old town and marina.
Visit Sintra for the other worldly Moorish castle and Pena Palace - but don't bother going into the palace (busy and like every other stately home you've ever seen). The town of Sintra is however very busy and touristy.
Liked Seville, Cordoba and Granada better than Malaga when we went over that way. Malaga's OK but the others have better good bits IMO, and fewer stag/hen parties. Lisbon and Porto are both great but I wouldn't trust the weather as much as I would the Spanish side
At that time of year, Granada may be the better bet for weather.
But I'd also consider Seville and Malaga
Malaga is nice, and its dead easy to get the bus to Granada, so you could do both.
Alicante is also worth a shout for a mini break (the bull fighting museum is an eye opener), but probably not for 4 days.
Manchester is fine... Leeds-Bradford however is a glorified cow shed on a windy, wet hill.
Leeds-Bradford is a flaky place to fly from because it's always the first UK airport to be affected by wind / fog / generally shit weather on account of it being so high up. On the other hand it's fairly quiet.
Manchester T2 is fine - in fact actually very good. Unfortunately Manchester is let down by the absolute hell-hole that is T3.
Liked Seville, Cordoba and Granada better than Malaga when we went over that way. Malaga's OK but the others have better good bits IMO, and fewer stag/hen parties.
Anyway, another consideration for destinations... Girona. Lovely area around the Old Town, beautiful cathedral, lots of good bars and restaurants, a station for relatively easy access down to Barcelona, a good airport a 20min transfer away and usually pretty reliable for weather. Couple of days there plus a day trip to Barcelona and back. Can get down to the coast quickly too.
Jet2 fly there, as do Ryanair except they try and pretend it's Barcelona.
Kind of like landing at Luton and pretending it's London.
Waaaay cooler, but isn’t that to do with its Nudist beaches and what your wearing 🙂
We lived in Sitges and worked in Barcelona in 89-90, it was a gay hotspot. We rented a flat from a Barcelona gay who used it for the July- August gay high season. It's changed a lot (i don't think for the better), and the most (in)famous nudist and gay beaches are now a marina. Platja dels Balmains survives. I used to boulder on the crags behind it. They have Bear events, LBGT cinema festival. If you're into all that it's a great place. If not then you might find Feb-March a bit dull and chilly and damp and windy with not a lot to do unless you're into night club dark rooms. However, it's a nice train ride into Barca with all the usual Barca delights. My usual warning - no external signs of wealth, anything of value in zipped inside pockets and don't let anyone distract you.
So I'll go with the Grenada, Cordoba, Seville suggestions above if you decide on Spain.
On a city-break-related theme, has anyone been to Oslo? Are there any must-dos?
How necessary is a public transport card? It’s apparently quite a compact city, but equally I don’t want to walk the legs off the teenagers and deal with the resultant whinging.
Murcia and Cartagena are both warm in February/March. A wander aroudn Murcia and some casino visits (salons not gambling establishments), Cartagena has Roman and other antiquities plus a huge naval presence and associated museums.