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Original poster

City breaks

41 replies

WalkingOverRainbows · 05/04/2021 10:09

Now the dc are older they are over the caravan style holidays. On the way back from the last one we stayed a night in Manchester and they loved having their own hotel room etc and have declared they would prefer city breaks as holidays instead now.
So I was wondering what they best city breaks are... where would you recommend and what should we see?
Upside is we could probably do more smaller trips now for cheaper than a week away in a caravan resort!

OP posts:
Original poster
WalkingOverRainbows · 05/04/2021 10:09

UK only please Smile

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 05/04/2021 10:12

Chester and York were favourites when the DC were younger.
Boat trips/topless buses and museums especially in Chester.

Laquila · 05/04/2021 10:16

Topless buses sounds a bit risqué for mine tbh 😁

Edinburgh is lovely but a trek if you're down south. Bristol and Bath are lovely for city breaks - it always feels like there's a lot going on. Does it have to be cities? We stayed in Malvern last year and that was nice - compact town centre, beautiful walks locally. Llandudno is great for an old-fashioned type seaside break.

StCharlotte · 05/04/2021 10:16

The recent news story about tourist funding for Portsmouth (among other places) reminded me that it's a great place for a weekend break. There's a Holiday Inn on Southsea Common opposite the fun fair. There's the Historic Dockyard with HMS Victory etc. Gunwharf Quays for shopping and restaurants. All of this is on the water. And you can get a quick hovercraft across to the Isle of Wight.

Sparklingbrook · 05/04/2021 10:18

DS1 said topless bus and it stuck. He loved them he did. On the top deck waving at everyone.
In Chester you can get a combined ticket for the river trip/topless bus.

reluctantbrit · 05/04/2021 10:18

We did York with DD when she was 10. We went for 5 days but with one full day out at Castle Howard. That trip actually started the idea of doing more of them.
Bath was just a day on the way back home but she equally loved exploring.
Edinburgh was good as well.

We tend to get a holiday let if it is more than one night. More space and I am not really happy to let DD in a hotel room on her own. We did some B&Bs where the set up was that there was only one door to the main hallway but then two independent rooms with bathrooms.

I like that you can do the city but also do small trips around the area in lots of cases. When we do city trips abroad we often only do the actual city like Paris or Amsterdam because they are larger and more to do and see.

Abracadabra12345 · 05/04/2021 10:19

Where do you live and how old are the children? Yes, never underestimate the joy of staying in a hotel in your own room!

Sparklingbrook · 05/04/2021 10:19

@StCharlotte

The recent news story about tourist funding for Portsmouth (among other places) reminded me that it's a great place for a weekend break. There's a Holiday Inn on Southsea Common opposite the fun fair. There's the Historic Dockyard with HMS Victory etc. Gunwharf Quays for shopping and restaurants. All of this is on the water. And you can get a quick hovercraft across to the Isle of Wight.
The Museum there was brilliant. It kept us entertained for a couple of days, the Spinnaker Tower was fun but ££££ iirc.
Original poster
WalkingOverRainbows · 05/04/2021 10:19

We live in town with 30k people, so they loved the night hustle and lights of the city centre in Manchester. Something like that I think is what they want?

We have also been to Edinburgh, but only for the day...is it worth going back for a weekend then?

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FoxyTheFox · 05/04/2021 10:20

York is great. Its very self-contained with most of the main attractions reachable by walking and relatively close to FlamingoLand for a big day out. One of the things I love about York is that I find it to be very autism-friendly (I have two DC who are autistic) and despite it being very busy with lots of tourists, all of the attractions are very accommodating of their needs.

Newcastle is another good one. Smallish city with plenty of attractions such as the Life Centre, Discovery museum, the castle, etc. Then within easy travelling distance (especially if you have a car) you have Beamish which is an open air living history museum and is brilliant. You've also got Northumberland Zoo, Hadrians Wall (and various attractions along it), South Shields Pleasure Beach, Jarrow Hall, etc.

Original poster
WalkingOverRainbows · 05/04/2021 10:21

Mid teens. We were wary of giving them their own room tbh (and not sure it is allowed?!) But they were very responsible so.i am not against doing it again. It was just a premier inn.

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Original poster
WalkingOverRainbows · 05/04/2021 10:22

Sorry, our town is semi rural, so we dont have that night life of street food, Chinatown etc is what I meant.

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skylarkdescending · 05/04/2021 10:23

Newcastle is great for a city break. Very compact centre so everything in close range. Plenty of restaurants, shopping etc. Also history/culture with the sage, Baltic, discovery museum. Plus you've got the quayside and short metro ride out to Whitley bay/tynemouth for beautiful beaches.

RockingMyFiftiesNot · 05/04/2021 10:25

Lots to see and do in Liverpool

millymae · 05/04/2021 10:26

Chester is nothing at all like Liverpool so avoid that.
Liverpool is more like Manchester - lots of things to do in the day too.

millymae · 05/04/2021 10:27

Sorry,
meant to say Chester is nothing like Manchester

AlexaRain · 05/04/2021 10:30

We did York with DD when she was 10. We went for 5 days but with one full day out at Castle Howard.

York with Castle Howard sounds like a great long weekend.

If you do Bath, you can add in Stonehenge and Glastonbury.

Lancaster is a nice small city too.

Edinburgh is my fave though. I could go time and time again.

Original poster
WalkingOverRainbows · 05/04/2021 10:30

Yh it is the night life aspect I think more than the day, as they are a bit old for zoos and such now, and have seen plenty of castles and stately homes. They are basically nocturnal at this point after lockdown Blush BUT for me, I like history so things like hadrian's wall only a bit away make my ears prick up . I can bore them into submission Grin
They did love the road in Scotland that you roll up hill on though (random!)

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FourWordsImMuNiTy · 05/04/2021 10:31

My DC love city breaks.
York was a big hit.
Bristol is cool.
Bath is naice.
To state the bleeding obvious, London has everything and is the greatest city on earth (don’t @ me).
Portsmouth naval museums are good.
Wells and the Hot Fuzz walking tour went down a storm for a one night mini break, though probably too provincial for your DC OP.
Norwich is nice for a day trip.
Lots to do in Liverpool as per PP.

gollymissdolly · 05/04/2021 10:34

Edinburgh is lovely for a short break.Plenty of things to see and do for all ages.
Amongst others,there's the castle,the old town has lots of interesting closes to explore,museums,camera obscura,open spaces like the Meadows and Holyrood park,you can climb Arthur's seat for great city views from the top.
If you're travelling by car,a short drive to South Queensferry is worth it.

AlexaRain · 05/04/2021 10:34

Well I'm a Manc and I live in a suburb.

You are welcome to come back as I think if you only did an overnight then you have a lot left to see.

Pre COVID, we had some fab restaurants- Chinatown, Rusholme and a fave of mine is Platski (Polish).

We also have some great museums. As well as those in the CC we have the Whitworth and Museum of Costume in the South - worth a visit.

AlexaRain · 05/04/2021 10:36

Ooh, I'd forgotten about our scouse neighbours.

We used to often go over on the train for the day. Great museums and also the "city" feel with lots of good restaurants.

Original poster
WalkingOverRainbows · 05/04/2021 10:37

@AlexaRain

Well I'm a Manc and I live in a suburb.

You are welcome to come back as I think if you only did an overnight then you have a lot left to see.

Pre COVID, we had some fab restaurants- Chinatown, Rusholme and a fave of mine is Platski (Polish).

We also have some great museums. As well as those in the CC we have the Whitworth and Museum of Costume in the South - worth a visit.

We were gutted Chinatown was closed when we went. I studied in Sydney near Chinatown and spent a lot of time there so I was looking forward to sharing that experience. We walked around but the smells weren't the same for example with everything closed.
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AlexaRain · 05/04/2021 10:39

Manchester Chinatown is great. Love the arch and the bakeries, not to mention the restaurants.

Liverpool also has a Chinatown.

hopeishere · 05/04/2021 10:43

London
Belfast
Liverpool
Glasgow
Brighton

I know you said UK but Dublin is good. Also Amsterdam and Stockholm.