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Wife's Birthday soon and I'm looking to book a mini weekend break somewhere in that there Europe as a gift, as Prague was a successful Christmas surprise.
So I need something similar in terms of travel time (4hrs flight time max), ideally on the sleazy jet roster from Stanstead (or perhaps better yet Chunnelable), good local public transport, some Air B'N'B options and enough local culture to fill a couple of days...
Go!
Malaga is one of the most underrated Cities in Europe. Cheap and easy to fly to, amazing city, culture, museums, port area, food and accommodation. Totally unappreciated by the vaxt majoryt of Brits who land at the airport then head out to minging coastal resorts.
We have been a few times and highly recommend it.
Mrs fadda and I had a fantastic few days in Jersey last Sept. Bit of recent history (eg the war tunnels), bit of shopping "heaven" in St Helier and its only an hours flight from Brizzle...
Croatia?
I went to Split last year and it had lots of Roman history stuff, some nice restaurants, amazing beaches and beautiful national parks. You can hop in a ferry to the many nearby islands or rent a car or bus tour to go to the national parks.
I was in Zadar recently but hat was mainly for sailing so only spent one night in the city.
But I think most of the main cities in Croatia have a similar template ie lots of old history stuff, good food and beaches.
Bruges.
Just came back from my 4th time in malaga as mother dear lives close by. tis great. Visited the new pompidou centre this time . Also did some endurooooooo and went to a lovely beach!
Bruges is nice but so is Budapest. Another lovely town is Lucca.
So I need something similar in terms of travel time (4hrs flight time max), ideally on the sleazy jet roster from Stanstead (or perhaps better yet Chunnelable), good local public transport, some Air B’N’B options and enough local culture to fill a couple of days…
Madrid's good for all that. Be hot too, which is either a plus or a minus depending on your PoV.
Summer then so I'd stay away from Venice/Florence etc that get rammed and are best out of season.
Stockholm? Plenty to go at for a long weekend (islands are nice), some good hotels and less pricey than you might expect.
Lisbon? Plenty of threads on here. Great laid back weekend and less laid back night out. Cheap.
Barcelona? Always good to go back to, go and mount Montserrat. Might want good aircon depending on how long you leave it (had one august visit and could have fried eggs on my knackers. Included as there's a beach.
The list is endless.
Oh. I don't rate Malaga compared to any of the above.
Krakow, been twice and think it is a great visit.
If you enjoyed Prague, then you will love Budapest.
When is the break planned for? Rome in August is decent, we went a couple of years ago and it was pretty quiet. Was told all the locals head to the coast.
Naples is great for a long weekend, we stayed in Sorrento. Loads to do and see. Can be as relaxing or busy as you want to make it. Trip to Capri, visit Pompeii and a hike up to the top of Vesuvius.
All too late now, I've gone and booked a B&B Near Loch Lomond and we'll be doing the sleeper there and back... Job Jobbed
I shall be perusing your suggestions for her Christmas pressie now...
Other Women get jewellery or perfume, my wife get midges and two nights sleeping on a train. Lucky Girl...
We've done Budapest and Rome, Madrid might be an option but she's off to Barcelona (with her mates) in September.
I could be tempted to do Krakow, Vienna maybe Dubrovnik for next year.
Warrington.
Budapest is good. I enjoyed Berlin but I am a 20th Century history nerd.
There's a lot to be said for that there London too
We recently took a short break in Porto, Portugal.
Flew in and out from London City Airport. Easy.
Very impressed. Laid back feel. Some nice things to see. Old part of the city has superb buildings. Food good. Wine good.
Mrs Nosh was a happy girl.
Will go back there again.
Amsterdam, great places to eat out, great parks to walk in, great museums and galleries. Rent bikes and explore.
Toledo. Flight to Madrid and then a connecting train. Wasn’t too busy when we went and not as hot as I expected.
I would Second Budapest and Bruge.
Edit:I’m not actually sure where Bruge is, so try Bruges instead.
Bilbao. With a day in San Sebastian
Lisbon was great.
OP is sorted, but for anyone else pondering the same question, Nuremburg is brilliant. Really cheap flights from Manchester, loads of stuff to do when there.