Europe city break - where to go?

[Newyearnewme2020]

Going to book a city break for this year.
Where would you recommend and why?
The only city breaks I've been on before are Rome and Barcelona

Thanks all for the suggestions, will look into these.
We can go any time of year, were flexible on date and will probably bring the 2 kids with us (6yo and 6m). The 6 year old is good to walk and walked the whole of Rome with us, baby will be in a buggy.

Give us an idea of what kind of thing you like OP. Art, architecture, food, history, museums, green spaces? Beach / sunshine? Warm weather or pleasant but a bit cooler? Boat rides on sea or canal?

Vienna for the cake.

Copenhagen!

I love Budapest and Seville for city breaks. My city break list for this year is: Krakow, Málaga and Berlin.

Krakow
Prague
Barcelona
Budapest

Porto
Riga
Basel
Salzburg

All small enough to do stuff without feeling you are missing out.

All historical and beautiful.

Budapest gets my vote every time

For those saying Berlin, I've heard it's huge and this puts me off. Would you be able to walk around or are you reliant on public transport?

Also for those saying Paris, is it rediculously expensive? And how did you find the atmosphere? We have been to France a few times and would like to see Paris but very honestly the rudeness we have experienced there puts me off. And cdg is hands down the worst airport I have ever been through

Just back from Seville. Stunning city and averaged 20c most days. Very compact and not expensive. Enough to fill 3-4 days. Highly recommend.
Also loved Copenhagen.

Bit of a curve ball but highly, highly recommend Thessaloniki. Short, cheap flights and a truly stunning city with so much to see and do. Really accessible from the airport and super cheap. I struggled across it via a work trip and can't believe what a hidden gem it is

Some great suggestions, here’s my two penn’orth...

Riga - compact, nice atmosphere, and interesting mix of medieval, communist-era and Art Deco architecture.
Vienna - gorgeous, historic.
Reykjavik - lovely compact city, do a tour of the golden circle.
Skopje - not so easy to get to (possibly better done as a multi-city trip) but larger than life with some jaw-dropping monuments. Not great for vegetarians.

Prague
Budapest
Berlin
Krakow
Dubrovnik

All brilliant.

I didn't find Paris any more expensive than other cities really. I also didn't find the French unfriendly. I tried to speak a little French, although my French isn't great, but most people spoke some English.

I've been to Berlin a few times, it's a great city, not as pretty as Paris.

I also love Travel Man.

I find the centre of Berlin quite compact, but public transport is very good, and everyone speaks English. I like the feel of Berlin very much. Plenty to see and do, plus good food and drink options, from street food to high end. Currywurst while and about is filthy and a must.

Paris can be a bit much, and locals’ rudeness is legendary, but if you have at least the basics in French, you’ll be fine in shops and restaurants. There’s generally little patience for indecisiveness in cafes, etc, so it’s helpful to have an idea of what you want when you go in. The city is a huge sprawl; public transport is extensive, but heavily used, and if you want to make the most of a visit, it will be tiring. Cost-wise, it can be expensive, but doesn’t have to be; there are food and drink options for every budget - I’m not sure about hotels, but I would guess there are deals to be had.

Porto
Lisbon
Seville

Another vote for Seville particularly for some sun before or after the summer. Strasbourg was also fantastic when I went a couple of years ago.

I went to Berlin alone with my dd age 9 months. We had a lovely time, but it wasn't great for prams.
I had a better time in Paris, but may be as dh was there.
Both were kid friendly, but I'd choose Paris over Berlin. More pretty, compact and lots of familiar sights.

Lisbon is a fantastic city. I went pre kids, but there is a great zoo and aquarium. Easy trip to beach by train. I think it would beat the others mentioned.

Bucharest
Ljubljana
Bilbao
Sarajevo

I found Paris friendly but eye wateringly expensive.

Paris always takes a bashing on here when the Best/Worst holiday threads pop up which makes me sad.

It can be done on a shoestring budget if that’s what you want. I’d recommend using AirB&B to find a good deal.

It’s the most beautiful city. It is huge and not walkable like Rome but it’s vast Metro is cheap, easy and the stations are everywhere.

I’ve never had a rude encounter with a Parisian. Try your best to speak a wee bit of French even if it’s “I’m sorry I don’t speak French” and they’ll be very helpful.

With your children being the age they are I would recommend Stockholm or Copenhagen because they are both really child friendly. If I was choosing I think I would go to Stockholm but Copenhagen is good too.

Amsterdam is amazing, friendly people, great architecture, lots to see and do
Paris is always beautiful and loads to see: Eiffel Tower, loads of art, atmospheric
Venice is incredible, don’t go in the summer though