To ask for your best 4 night holiday away?

[JaxingJump]

We are going to take the plunge and escape the kids for 3-4 nights away alone this summer. It's too short to go long haul but where can we go from the UK (Belfast unfortunately so even trickier) for an adventure. We are not interested in 5* hotel somewhere warm as a holiday but want something beautiful, educational, interesting. We've done some amazing trips pre-kids so are desperate for some stimulation. Mainly thinking of St Petersburg (DHs choice). I'd love something like New Orleans, somewhere stunning in Iceland, Venice (never been but this is lower on the list), Zanzibar (been before and maybe too beachy for what we're looking for). I've suggested the outer Hebrides but DH rightly says that is actually somewhere we could take the kids in a few years.

Where with 5ish hrs flight have you travelled that has totally blown your mind?

Barcelona and Rome for me.

shatner what do you like about salzburg? what would you do in four days there?

Love venice and agree everyone should go once, we also went in feb and it was perfect - atmospheric, magical, not too crowed etc

We did Venice in July,and throughly loved it. It was our first time away together for 7 years so we were very anxious.

Lots to see,lots to do,cultural,good food,and short haul. And ignore all those that say it's smelly in the summer...it was fine!!

Iceland
Stockholm
Cophenhagen
Salzburg

Four nights would be perfect for Iceland, icelandair fly from Belfast.

We are going to St Petersburg and Moscow in April. I would ditto what others have mentioned about the visa process. We just spent this morning in the visa support office in Edinburgh- there are only a few around the country and you need to apply in person now so if you are some distance, it could be a pain! We had a mistake in ours but fortunately were able to email the Moscow hotel and get it fixed within an hour so we didn't have to go back tomorrow.

Visa issues aside, I think it will be a great place for a short break.

Stockholm was quite dull I found.

I'd do St P'berg.

I want to do Iceland next. How expensive is it on your own? Just one person travelling around.

You obviously mean Belfast in Ireland but that aside I love city breaks;

Amsterdam is beautiful.
Warsaw is very interesting.

But my most favourite trip ever was to Pompeii (an ancient Roman city near Naples), absolutely fantastic history, I would thoroughly recommend it especially if you're looking for something different with a historically educating aspect. I didn't want to leave!

My absolute top recommendation though is The Hague. So much history and sights, great shopping, gorgeous beaches and fabulous night life. I ❤ Den Haag

And The Hague is much prettier and less sleazy than Amsterdam, most of which is architecturally pants. You can still get a spliff in The Hague if you so desire

We've just got back from 4 nights (without children) in Prague - absolutely beautiful! Our hotel was on the edge of the old town and we were able to walk to all of the sites. Beautiful cold and crisp weather with blue skies.

TheFullMrexit I notice I'm not the only poster who recommends Salzburg. I found it totally charming just wandering around the Old Market and streets. There's a cathedral, St Peter's Abbey, lots of places connected with Mozart, the fortress, the Mirabell Palace (fab gardens), going up onto the Untersberg via cable car. And if you're that way inclined (I'm not) stuff to do with the Sound of Music!

I'm not saying I'd go there for a week, but I thought it was an enchanting place, very olde-worlde. Been there twice, once summer, once winter, very different.

Budapest is an amazing place. DH and I have been there twice and it's one of my favourite cities

Malta?

Rome. I went for four nights and it was amazing

We love city breaks and especially love:
Venice
Rome
Florence
Prague
Budapest
London
Barcelona
Lyon
Paris
Berlin
Amsterdam

We are heading to Krakow in March - first time to Poland, can't wait

Bruges - absolutely stunning. Hotel Dukes Palace was fabulous.
Malaga - 15min train ride from the airport, amazing seafood and great Moorish and Roman remains, stunning cathedral etc. Room Mate Larios is a great central location for walking.
Rome - need I say more.
Paris - so much to do for four days. We stayed in Hotel square louvois, it has a stunning pool under the vaulted cellar.
London - you can't go wrong.
Lisbon, Reykjavik, Berlin and Venice are all gorgeous too.

Thanks Shatner I didnt see anyone else mention it and I am going this year

We didn't need to get a visa in person for St Petersburg 4 years ago, but of course that may have changed. We did need a visa though and it was more expensive and more trouble than most.

Re Pompeii if you go there you must go to Herculaneum too. It's more preserved as Pompeii lost more wood etc that perished in the hot ash.

If find Rome too busy and hectic. Multiple lanes of mopeds.

Seville, make sure you stay in the old city.
I'm currently planning a trip to Thessaloniki, which looks fascinating.

I love Italy and we had a short break in Bologna - which we loved and doesn't attract the tourists as much as Tuscany. Beautiful centre with great food and people watching- 3 chairs at the tables of couples - 1 for the designer bag!
I also love Siena and Lucca in Tuscany.Florence I found just too many touristy to enjoy (tried 3x but just haven't fallen), Rome spectacularly great but in height of summer will be hot. I would avoid Venice in the summer, because of the crowds again.

I have always wanted to visit St Petersburg, just for the depth of history and Iceland is our next planned trip (although with kids).

Italy is just very romantic.

Lisbon
Turin
Valencia
Ghent

I'm going to add to the Venice fans. I didn't think I would like it, but it is amazing. I have been twice - once in August and once in late September. It was actually less busy in August than September, when there seemed to be a lot of coach tours. It is so beautiful for wandering around and there are other little islands to explore too. It's not far to get to somewhere like Verona either if you wanted to see somewhere else, which you could get to by train.