Which European city would you recommend for a long weekend by train or car from London? Easy to get to, culture, good food, interesting vibes as taking DD in 20s...

[loveyouradvice]

The obvious answer is Paris BUT Olympics.... so where would you go in the next couple of months? By train or car, not too far - interesting, fun, good food and good art... even better if funky alternative clothes or design shops....

Bruges and Ghent are rather dull (IMO) I had quite a nice time in Rotterdam last year but Berlin is awesome.
Have you considered Glasgow or Edinburgh? No need to go further afield if you’ve never been to either of those.

Does it have to be overseas? As Liverpool or Glasgow would also tick your boxes.

I promise I'm not the Parisian tourist board in disguise, but I've never found it that expensive. Accommodation is cheap compared to other capitals* - France does budget chain hotels very well.

Amsterdam is stingingly expensive for accommodation ,sadly.

*probably not during the Olympics, obviously.

Ghent (better than Brussels by far. Student city, really great vibe)

The Hague (better than Amsterdam imho)

Paris is probably the one place in Europe I wouldn’t bother going back to.

Rotterdam!

To me Bruges is quite dull and doesn't need more than a few hours or possibly a day, there is a cool chocolate shop. But Paris always blows me away. Around every corner is another amazing sight. Amsterdam was rammed when we went in October, I dread to think what it's like in summer (and it wasn't a patch on Paris IMO). Berlin to me is interesting but quite grey and austere, going up the Reichstag though is very cool so do book tickets for that beforehand if you go there.
But my vote goes to Paris, so much to do and see.

Ghent by Eurostar, especially if you can go during the Ghent Festival starting July19th. Europe's biggest free music festival - but accommodation gets booked up for those 2 weeks quickly.

A friend of mine went to Amsterdam recently and was horrified at the prices especially as PP said for accommodation. She’d been previously and had a cheap and cheerful time.

You can’t beat Paris imo. It’s marmite to folks but if you love it then you love it. You could spent days in the Louvre alone.

So many nice options suggested.

But, do not do Paris before the Olympics. Large parts of the centre (including all the major tourist sights) feature in the opening ceremony and will be sealed off for several weeks before the opening ceremony. You will need a special pass proving you live there or have an appointment etc. To be able to enter those areas. It's not worth the hassle in July I don't think.

Antwerp, Ghent or Rotterdam for shops and museums. Bruges is pretty but just tourist central. Berlin takes a LONG time on the train.

Prices here in Amsterdam have gone through the roof since the pandemic, I agree

The Hague. It's also close to sandy beaches.

We went very recently and some hotels looked like they hadn’t been decorated since 1970, and wanted €350 a night for a room with a shared bathroom! It makes Paris and London look cheap.

@Anonym00se there’s a stop on new hotels (as the place is already heaving with tourists) and the city council has quite rightly been cracking down on Airbrbs to attempt to preserve the housing stock for residents. Both are vital measures but have meant that hotels are now more valuable (and expensive) than ever.

Which you can easily reach by tram.

Lille. Direct Eurostar. Nice art galleries. Loads of shopping.

or you could catch a train from Lille to Ghent which is loads nicer than Bruges. Fab architecture and castle. Better shopping than Bruges.

Ghent and Bruge. My Dd lived in Ghent as a student and loved it. Very pretty De Kestart is a fun noodle/pasta restaurant and there was a great meatball place

Den Haag has everything you want. If it’s hot there’s a fabulous beach.

You've heard wrong then.

Bruges isn't dull!
I was going to add to the suggestions for Bruges.

Ignore @ParrotPirouette

The direct Eurostar service to Amsterdam is not running from June to early 2025 because of a major rebuild in Amsterdam station. You can still get there on the train but it's a change in Brussels.

I’d give Paris a swerve all this Summer.
We went in June last year and got caught up in Paris Fashion Week. Very “Devil Wears Prada” but absolute mayhem and almost impossible to find accommodation, even at the end of a Metro line.

I’d go to Strasbourg. A friend went there recently on a multigenerational trip and had a great time, car free.

We went to Lille for a couple of days last month and had a great time. The old city is pretty and if you like art the Palais des Beaux Arts is wonderful - we spent a whole day there. Lots of good restaurants too and it's very quick and easy to get there from London on Eurostar.

Edinburgh

Lyon is a great city - plenty of trains from Lille or Paris. Very foodie, lots of interesting shops, big Roman history, interesting churches and squares, a very moving WW2 resistance museum, it is on two rivers so lots of beautiful river walks and it is well connected by train to lots of other French towns and cities - we took a day trip to Annecy one time we were there.