Top Tips for Planning
a city break
Making the most of a city break weekend can be a challenge. A two-day trip can shoot by faster than you expect, leaving you with the feeling that you have hardly seen the city you wanted to explore. If you plan right, 48 hours can be the perfect length of time to explore a new place. You just need a few tips to help you.
Try out these trips for a perfect city break.
Choose Your Destination Wisely
Smaller cities are better for weekend breaks. Compact European capitals, like Copenhagen, Lisbon, or Ljubljana are an ideal size for exploring in a short amount of time.
If you want to go somewhere new, you could try somewhere less popular with tourists. For example, swap Marrakech for Casablance, Rome or Palermo, or Amsterdam for Rotterdam.
Don’t forget to take into account your budget and the maximum flight length that you’re willing to take.
Book Your Accommodation At The Right Time
It is better to book well in advance, or right before you go. With two or three months’ notice, you can get the best apartments, bed and breakfasts, or boutique hotels, leaving you more time to research what else you want to do in the city.
If you are flexible about your location, wait until the last minute, and you can find rooms at big hotels for a bargain price, especially through booking apps.
Leave Some Room In Your Budget
On shorter trips, be prepared for the occasional unexpected expense. This might be a taxi from the airport that turned out to be further from the city center than you thought or an expensive cocktail in your hotel bar that you weren’t expecting to cost so much.
Give yourself permission to splash out occasionally. Mini-breaks aren’t the time to prove a point by waiting in the cold for public transport or walking around for hours looking for a cheap lunch spot.
Do One Thing You Love
Find a yoga class to attend, book a show at a local theatre, visit a local brewery, or spend a day searching for the best milkshakes in town.
Experiences like these will make you feel as though you are getting a taste of life in a new city. There are lots of fun things to do, which might be classic tourist activities or not, that can ensure you have the best trip possible.
Walk Everywhere
When you’re running short on time for your trip, it is very tempting to jump onto the metro, tram, or bus, or book a taxi. If you can, try to walk everywhere instead. Walking around the city will give you a better feel for different neighborhoods, and you never what hidden gems you might come across if you’re exploring on foot.
Think about your favorite and most treasured holiday photos. They probably aren’t the photos of famous landmarks but are the snaps of you and your friends laughing in that wine bar you found by mistake.
