City breaks (or other ideas)

[Archied]

9 hours ago, Tyler Durden said:

Pisa - can spend a few hours there then get the train to the Cinque Terre one day then Siena another day.

Naples is another good shout as you can get the train to Pompeii and Herculaneum.

I know it sounds a bit far off but a flight to Cairo is only about 4-5 hours, due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza the flights there are dirt cheap I got a Wizzair flight from Luton return for 120 quid. 

Can then spend a day in Cairo/Giza then potentially get a flight to Luxor, I paid about 90 quid one way for an internal flight, is about an hour.

Yep , I mentioned Naples as it’s somewhere I really want to go but havnt had chance yet , in my imagination it’s a real mix of the raw urban and historic plus some beauty, of course it could disappoint if I ever get there 🤷🏻‍♂️,

I often think I would love a cloak that makes you blend in and you could just wander round anywhere safely and sit and watch the world go by , South America would be the area I chose first to visit if you had the ability to just wander anywhere safely,

in Thailand we did a cookery lesson / day which included a trip to a local town market to buy ingredients, whilst the wife and friends went round the indoor market area shopping I just grabbed a coffee and sat outside on the steps watching the world go by and locals going about they’re lives , it really was a lovely few hours 

[Tamworthram]

7 hours ago, Gee SCREAMER !! said:

My sister went to Croatia recently Dubrovnik and Zagreb and some place called Pula which has lots of Roman stuff.  She's pretty much been more places than Phileas Fogg and rated it very highly.  

Another good option. I did Split (when the area was still Yugoslavia so shows how long ago that was) and found it interesting.

[Wistaston Ram]

I have been to Copenhagen on numerous occasions as my wife is Danish, a beautiful and friendly city, very easy to get around with lots of interesting places to visit. Also easy to pop over the bridge to southern Sweden. Stockholm and Helsinki are also interesting cities to visit.

[ariotofmyown]

20 hours ago, 1of4 said:

Toured numerous European cities with many more still on my bucket list. But Berlin and Athens are first and second on the list of cities I'd happily revisit.

Good call on Athens. Went there couple of years back and was awesome. Would be good for a week too, then go on couple of day trips too.

[Tamworthram]

On 21/03/2024 at 01:00, 1of4 said:

Toured numerous European cities with many more still on my bucket list. But Berlin and Athens are first and second on the list of cities I'd happily revisit.

Yes, Athens is looking like my favourite at the moment.

[B4’s Sister]

I’m going to Paris for a long weekend in a few months. I have been once before, around 17 years ago. Does anyone have any recommendations on things to do? Planning on going to the catacombs. My hubby and I like a bit of morbid history. And musee d’orsay, as I love post-impressionist art. 

[ariotofmyown]

15 minutes ago, B4’s Sister said:

I’m going to Paris for a long weekend in a few months. I have been once before, around 17 years ago. Does anyone have any recommendations on things to do? Planning on going to the catacombs. My hubby and I like a bit of morbid history. And musee d’orsay, as I love post-impressionist art. 

I've been before, twice on holiday years ago and 3 times for work, but never managed to do either of those, but really want to!

[Crewton]

Plovdiv Bulgaria - stunning Roman ruins, short trip to the Rodopi mountains, beautiful women......☺️

[TuffLuff]

On 20/03/2024 at 12:01, Tamworthram said:

OK, so for the first time that I can remember, my wife and I are struggling to agree as to where to go on holiday this year (apart from Northumberland in September).

My wife want to go to Paris for a week followed by a few days chilling out in Northern France (near Calais for an easy journey to the tunnel for coming home). I'm happy to go the Paris (we've been there numerous times but not for a few years) but that, followed by Northern France, doesn't quite feel like enough for our/my main holiday.

So, here's the thing, she doesn't like travelling much and I have muted the idea of me going away for a few days on my own in order to visit places that don't interest her and allows me to indulge a little in my photography hobby. I think I could just about convince her to let me go somewhere for a week in return for agreeing to her Paris idea.

I'm thinking of either an interesting city (not for nightlife and bars etc but for historic sites etc) or maybe an interesting area for scenery (and, again, maybe historic sites). I've done Paris (obviously), Rome, Venice, Verona, Florence, Bruges and Amsterdam.

Any suggestions folks? Not too far away though as it would only be a week.

As someone who isn’t much of a traveller then I’d recommend the overnight trains from Paris to the south of France. It’s relatively straight forward and gets you to Carcassonne for a good time in the morning.
 

As an interesting city/town around there I really loved Narbonne, which wasn’t overly touristy but had a really good food places and an indoor market. It borders a national park too but we didn’t venture out as we were car-less.

But it is doable and maybe a bit different if you want a ‘steady’ break 

[Stive Pesley]

On 21/03/2024 at 07:45, Tamworthram said:

Another good option. I did Split (when the area was still Yugoslavia so shows how long ago that was) and found it interesting.

Split is nice, and Dubrovnik is stunning (but I'm told that since Game Of Thrones) it's all gone very touristy and expensive

Sibenik is a good alternative - much the same vibe but cheaper and far less busy

But my absolute favourite place in Croatia is Zadar. They have the most amazing sunsets and you can sit on the sea front atop a wave- powered sea organ that makes this incredible gentle humming noise in time with the waves

The videos don't do it justice, as it always sounds a bit distorted, but stick me here at sunset with a frosty karlovacko in my hand and I'll die happy

 

[Tamworthram]

32 minutes ago, TuffLuff said:

As someone who isn’t much of a traveller then I’d recommend the overnight trains from Paris to the south of France. It’s relatively straight forward and gets you to Carcassonne for a good time in the morning.
 

As an interesting city/town around there I really loved Narbonne, which wasn’t overly touristy but had a really good food places and an indoor market. It borders a national park too but we didn’t venture out as we were car-less.

But it is doable and maybe a bit different if you want a ‘steady’ break 

Thanks buddy. Good suggestion. I've actually been to Carcassonne as my brother used to live just outside of the city.

Thanks

[Baj]

Did Vienna and Bratislava a few years ago, flew to Bratislava (loads cheaper than Vienna), taxi to Vienna (about an hour) and stayed a few nights there, took the boat along the danube (again about an hour) back to Bratislava and had a few nights there before flying back. 

Riga is good too if you fancy it. 

Krakow is excellent, not sure if it's still there but there was an ice cream parlour in the square when we we visited, all on offer were laced with some kind of alcohol. Zakopane mountains is a good trip out along with the obvious places.

Berlin and Barcelona are both great.

 

[sage]

4 hours ago, B4’s Sister said:

I’m going to Paris for a long weekend in a few months. I have been once before, around 17 years ago. Does anyone have any recommendations on things to do? Planning on going to the catacombs. My hubby and I like a bit of morbid history. And musee d’orsay, as I love post-impressionist art. 

Go to Montmarte and walk up to Sacre Couer for a great view. Especially good if you have watched Amelie. The area around has a village feel though you need to dodge the over touristy bits. The nearby Bar le Perchoir has great rooftop views.

Musee D'Orsay is superb.

 

  

[Eddie]

Bruges for me.

Eurostar do return tickets to 'Any Belgian station' for the same price as a ticket to Brussels, so the onward connection from Brussels Midi is essentially free. Belgian trains are really nice too. Bruges Centrum is about 1 Km from the city centre with pretty regular bus services.

The coastal tram runs from De Panne on the French border to Knokke on the Dutch border.

Edited March 22 by Eddie

[Crewton]

36 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Bruges for me.

Eurostar do return tickets to 'Any Belgian station' for the same price as a ticket to Brussels, so the onward connection from Brussels Midi is essentially free. Belgian trains are really nice too. Bruges Centrum is about 1 Km from the city centre with pretty regular bus services.

The coastal tram runs from De Panne on the French border to Knokke on the Dutch border.

The Het Anker brewery in Mechelen has accommodation and a good brasserie. All the Gouden Carolus beers on tap, including the Imperial Blonde, Christmas Ale, Whisky Infused Ale etc and their own Single Malt Whisky to sample.

You probably know this though!

[Tamworthram]

6 hours ago, B4’s Sister said:

I’m going to Paris for a long weekend in a few months. I have been once before, around 17 years ago. Does anyone have any recommendations on things to do? Planning on going to the catacombs. My hubby and I like a bit of morbid history. And musee d’orsay, as I love post-impressionist art. 

I agree with @sage regarding Musee D'orsay and Montmatre. Just around the corner from Sacre Coeur (our favourite spot) there is a small outdoor artists market which is interesting to browse around.

The Eiffel Tower is interesting to see from ground level but I wouldn't bother going up it.

Finally, a walk along Ile De La Cite (including Notre Dame) is good.

[Tamworthram]

1 hour ago, Eddie said:

Bruges for me.

Eurostar do return tickets to 'Any Belgian station' for the same price as a ticket to Brussels, so the onward connection from Brussels Midi is essentially free. Belgian trains are really nice too. Bruges Centrum is about 1 Km from the city centre with pretty regular bus services.

The coastal tram runs from De Panne on the French border to Knokke on the Dutch border.

Yes I loved Bruges. We stayed within walking distance of the bell tower so, a stroll around the city was easy.

[B4’s Sister]

6 hours ago, sage said:

Go to Montmarte and walk up to Sacre Couer for a great view. Especially good if you have watched Amelie. The area around has a village feel though you need to dodge the over touristy bits. The nearby Bar le Perchoir has great rooftop views.

Musee D'Orsay is superb.

 

  

That sounds great. Thanks @sage

[B4’s Sister]

4 hours ago, Tamworthram said:

I agree with @sage regarding Musee D'orsay and Montmatre. Just around the corner from Sacre Coeur (our favourite spot) there is a small outdoor artists market which is interesting to browse around.

The Eiffel Tower is interesting to see from ground level but I wouldn't bother going up it.

Finally, a walk along Ile De La Cite (including Notre Dame) is good.

Luckily I saw Notre Dame while it was in one piece. I loved the sparrows feeding from your hand 

[Tamworthram]

26 minutes ago, B4’s Sister said:

Luckily I saw Notre Dame while it was in one piece. I loved the sparrows feeding from your hand 

I think the restoration is due to be completed this year.