Holiday Suggestions

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I am booking a week away in August in Europe - was looking at Rome initially but by all accounts the weather by then is far too hot and uncomfortable. I love the sun, but I want a holiday out and about and 30 plus will be too much.

City break with lots to do would be ideal....suggestions?
 
Wouldn`t be too hot in Pontypridd Gal. Least it never was when I lived there.
Best spot in Europe though is Moraira in Spain,between Alicante and Valencia ,on the peninsular leading out to the Balearics. 40C is normal there but with the onshore breeze and wooded hills softening the sun,surely the best climate.A microclimate in Spain.:rolleyes:
 
It depends on 2 things for me - who are you going with (by yourself or with guys/gf) and what kind of things do you like doing when in a city - visit galleries & musuems, pubs, sports, walks etc?

Amsterdam if you haven't been is really cool. Forget all the people who go there for sex and drugs - it has some amazing museums (Rijksmuseum, Stedjlik and the Van Gogh), you can cycle or walk everywhere, having a few beers in the Bruin Cafes (for the atmosphere) or Canal side pubs (location) is great, food is really good, and there's a heavy malaysian/eastern influence. Also, you could go for day trips to Utrecht, Haarlem etc. Lots of other things to see, such as the Anne Frank House but it's more a great place for relaxing and eating and drinking well. Plus, Vondelpark is great.

I'm probably going to take a week off in August as well and will probably either go to Aix-en-Provence (or else i'll go to Syria - small difference!). Aix is relatively small (more of a town), but has some really nice cafes and places to eat, and should be quite lively. Provencal countryside is amazing, and there are lots of other towns closeby - Marseille (vibrant, diverse, Boulabaisse), Arles (Roman Ruins, Van Gogh), Avignon (old city, probably will be thronged with tourists), or you have the Camargue, the largest Delta in Europe where you can ride the Camargue horses. Weather and good-looking ladies guaranteed!

Lake Como is great for a more relaxed type holiday, and you could combine with Milan for the more City-type things you like. The trio of towns (Varenna, Bellagio and Mennagio) are really nice, and when I was there a few years back there were plenty of activities (trekking, horse-riding, cray golf!)as well as the numerous villas and galleries. Main draw is eating on the lake every evening. More of a trip to do with a young lady.

Croatia good as well, and you could split your time between Split/Zagreb and Dubrovnik (stunning). Ferry from Split to Dubrovnik is great. Dubrovnik will keep you occupied for a week if you take some trips to the Islands. Not as cheap as you'd think though.

The best website for me regarding holidays (no matter where you go) is www.homelidays.com . Thousands of apartments for rent, much nicer and infinitely cheaper than overpriced hotels. A lot work out not much above the cost of a hostel, especially if there are more than a few of you.
 
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Wow great stuff Hamm - going to Amsterdam later in the year - but will have a look through that site. Cool thanks.
 
Munich may be worth a look as well. I read an article on it at the weekend and it looks great.
 
Paris would be good too Gal - we went last year Montmatre, The Pantheon, Eifel Tower, Luxembourg Gardens, Champs Elysees, Arc De Triomphe etc. plenty to do and see and boat rides down the Seine too if that's your thing.

Not too hot either and if your inclined there's sure to be some racing on at one of the easily accessible Paris tracks most of which are on the metro lines or a suburban train ride away.
 
Berlin is well worth looking at as well. Stacks of stuff to see and do during the day in the city and well worth taking day trips out to Potsdam (gorgeous place - you could really spend two or three days) or a trip out to a concentration camp (heavy stuff but well worth seeing).

Nightlife is absolutely savage and pretty reasonable costwise as well. Certainly not afraid of having a good time anyway.
 
Prague is a lovely city, Gal (I concur with many of the other places, especially Amsterdam, though). Horse-drawn carriages, lovely coffee houses with gorgeous cakes, the amazing Charles Bridge with its many statues and local artists/craftsmen displaying their wares, boat trips, and fat, coiled sausages cooked in the open everywhere. It's also very clean, safe, spacious, and hospitable. Anywhere to stay from big hotels at very reasonable rates to guest-houses and hostels. Czech Airlines was great to fly, too - for you, sir, very pretty attendants and good in-flight food and drink. Plenty of nightlife in clubs, bistros, etc. I don't know if there'll be any racing on in August, but the local course is the Velka Chuchle - the one at Pardubice is about 2 hours' drive away.
 
totally agree with Trackside about Berlin. A city for 20th century history buffs and modern art lovers i would say, but its fascinating

Prague is pretty and pleasant but Budapest had a little more life i felt. Great food there too

Hamm...not known anyone to really rave about munich but Hamburg is a gem
 
If you go to Prague, make sure you are aware of the difference between a discotheque and a nightclub, if you know what I mean!
 
Paris is wonderful in every way but empties out in August... Spring autumn destination ive always felt

Hamm is spot on about Amsterdam. The Van gogh museum (unusually for single artist installations) actually has a wealth of his best work. Beautifully laid out too... Also holland is a fascinating (and easy) country to drive around.

Madrid is wonderful. Great bars and nightlife and galleries. \nice vibe.I have a slight preference for the city over barcelona . Also has beautiful toledo within a day trip

Vienna is a fine city and Venice is beutiful of course

Ones that are nice enough but not worth more than a couple of days at best are copenhagen, stockholm, brussels, zurich and milan
 
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Just keep bearing in mind Gal's heat preference, though - Athens is marvellous, but will be hot enough to fry eggs on the pavement, for example. Wouldn't any of the Spanish cities be equally boiling?
 
I love city breaks in Europe, but a week is a long time to stay in any one place.

I didn't like Rome at all, I flew there after Arc weekend one year, having spend the previous few days in Tours. It was such an anti-climax.

I'm loving Germany at the minute. Munich is great and I loved Cologne the other week. Berlin is on the list.

I go to Holland a lot as I have friends there (Maastricht/Valkenburg), but really need to give Amsterdam another chance. It was 'good' for Skysports and Guinness and reminded me a little bit of Middlesbrough. Full of English.

I've never been somewhere as pretty and as debauched in equal measure as Prague.

If I was you, I would look at places that are clustered together. Vienna is half an hour from Bratislava on a train for example. And completely different.
 
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I think you're right, Bets - Gal would be better off doing three cities at two days each, and one for a sight-seeing rural tour, perhaps a nice day-long wander into alps or something like that. Then he'd have a really good idea of where he might like to go back to in future. I'd never say no to another trip to Prague, but my one venture to Amsterdam, which was way back in the Jurassic Period, was a freezing week in June and my travel companion, I found, had indeed gone there for the sex, drugs, and not much rock 'n' roll, which, after hitting up four increasingly naughty gay clubs in one night, I found more than enough club life. (He was gay, I was hoping for a rather more sedate pace, leading to a split after three days, with me off doing the rounds of the Anne Frank et al, and taking coach trips to see fishing villages and eat raw herring. Quite pleasant, actually!)
 
If he did the Vienna, Prague and Bratislava suggestion of Betsmate's he could make it three countries too (Austria, Czech Republic and Slovakia).

Or just apply to go on "Coach Trip" and see where that takes you :)
 
I was going to suggest Berlin too, there is no shortage of things to do and the weather should be nice without being sweltering. It's a city that deserves a good amount of time and a week would be ideal when you take in Potsdam as well. Plenty of good value places to stay too and the transport system is fantastic.

Prague is lovely but it's somewhere for low season in the week imo, just becomes rammed in the Summer and on weekends. I also think it has a lot more character and magic about it in the Winter.A week is too long but a visit to Cesky Krumlov http://wikitravel.org/en/Cesky_Krumlov is a must, it's like a mini Prague and is simply stunning. I'd favour Budapest over Prague in the summer and vice versa in Winter.

I'd suggest Istanbul but you'll have the same problem with the heat I imagine, a must visit city though. Top 5 in the World for my money.

Stockholm is a lovely spot in the Summer and there's plenty to explore out of the city, especially as you get into the archipelago.
 
Berlin, Madrid and Rome are among my favourites but this is not the best time of year to visit the majority of Europe's bigger cities. Temperatures are high, queues for attractions are long and the locals are elsewhere.

The Baltic cities, on the other hand, come into their own in the summer months.
Stockholm, for example, currently has sunny weather, with daytime temperatures in the mid to high 20s falling to high teens at night and the light is beautiful. The whole population is out of doors making the most of it and there is plenty of entertainment laid on for them.

Other attractive cities that I can speak for are Hamburg and Gdansk.

Wherever you choose to go I would agree with the recommendation to take a couple of days to visit somewhere else of interest close by.
 
In fact, come to think of it. You can easily do a Stockholm and Tallinn double-header as there is a regular overnight ferry between the two, and when I say ferry, it's more like a cruise ship, it's absolutely huge!

Tallinn is beautiful and whilst it can get crowded, it's not on the scale of Paris or Prague at this time of year. There are also plenty of things out of the city (beaches, national parks).

You could fly into Tallinn, spend 3 nights there then take the ferry to Stockholm and spend 3 nights there for example.
 
Does it have to be the continent?

Edinburgh is a superb break. A great city (although festival might be on). Liverpool is most underrated destination in the UK. A unique place with great sights and architecture

Of course, no city comes close to London's variety and scope. Best in the world

If i was looking for a break in scandinavia, would recommend copenhagen well above slightly dull stockholm
 
So many great suggestions here, I want a holiday too! Mind you I always come to Ireland for mine, cannot get enough of the place, like the weather, even the rain, and the scenery is breathtaking and full of horses - what more could I want? :)

Munich was mentioned and it's very interesting. I agree with Hamm, Amsterdam a fabulous place if you are not looking for a beach, plenty to do and see. Architecture and food great.

Gal, not sure what you like to do but the countryside is very beautiful in France too, slightly cooler than Italy in August. You could combine Paris sightseeing with a wine/champagne tour. I love Paris, can jst walk about and admire the buildings and the art.

Agree Edinburgh a nice visit too, as is Copenhagen.

Hope you find something - the website looks really good Hamm, I'll have to use it next time!
 
I see you are located in Brussels.... talking of small towns

Of course, it is a stupid remark to claim it is "patriotism".

But as is ever the case, you cannot counter the point and prefer a somewhat creepy remark instead
 
Hamm said:
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Croatia good as well, and you could split your time between Split/Zagreb and Dubrovnik (stunning). Ferry from Split to Dubrovnik is great. Dubrovnik will keep you occupied for a week if you take some trips to the Islands. Not as cheap as you'd think though.
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I didn't think Zagreb was anything special but Split and Dubrovnik were excellent. Both cities are really beautiful with some lovely places to eat.

I thought that Amsterdam, Bratislava, Prague and Krakow were among the best city breaks I've had. I was a bit disappointed with Vienna, but I wouldn't want to put anyone off visiting it.
 
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