Aibu to plan a introverts mini break and if not..

[flownthecoopkiwi]

Where would you go in Europe?

I have small children, love time by myself and want to see a bit more of Europe for a long weekend. Where would you recommend or am I being AIBU to contemplate this at all?

[flownthecoopkiwi]

So many suggestions that I would never have thought of myself :)!

I've had a L.A. and Hong Kong solo breaks by myself which I enjoyed and I have no problem with eating out in the evenings by myself .

For UK solo minibreaks I'd recommend Canterbury or York.

[blueshoes]

I'd choose a small city that is easy to walk around so you don't have to negotiate taxis or public transport. I love Lisbon. Also try the ancient town of Oritigia, an island at the tip of Sicily.

[nauticant]

In terms of places that will be slightly lower key and relaxing I rather like Norwich user1955. I'd make sure a trip to the seaside was included.

[GingerWh1nger]

Vienna is lovely - we stayed at the Marriott by the schonbrunn palace and it was very quiet, felt safe and there was a metro and tourist bus stop a few mins walk away. Downside to Vienna is it's boring in the evening - no attractions open past 5pm unless you want to go to a classical concert, and very little open on a Sunday, not even the local cafes !

Barcelona is good for late night opening - think the zoo opens till 9 for example and everyone's English is excellent. Their problem is hawkers and pickpockets - be very careful on the beach on your own if you have no-one to mind your stuff. Prague is fine midweek but stag-do central at the weekend.

Next on my bucket list is Berlin - loads of sights, and I find the Germans I've met to be very friendly welcoming people.

If there are do-able flights, I found Estonia to be beautiful - we stayed in Tartu and it felt really different to usual western European countries (our friends translated for us though so not sure on how fluently English is spoken there).

[Potcallingkettle]

Vienna. Absolutely beautiful to wander around. A very compact city centre with amazing buildings. The underground and trams are very easy to navigate and cheap. There is a bus direct from the airport. Schonenbrun palace can be reached on a tram if you want to go further out.

[user1955]

Has anyone got any good UK suggestions for an introvert's solo mini break in summer? I plan to take the littlest dog!

[Buildalegohouse]

Florence. My favourite place.

[morningtoncrescent62]

I agree with HandbagCrazy about Paris - it's one of the few cities I haven't enjoyed as a solo introvert.

I've never been to Aachen but I think I'm going to have to go there fairly soon. It reminds me of another fabulous destination - Nijmegen in the Netherlands. All the culture and history and laid-back feel of places like Brussels and Bruges, but without the crowds.

A tip for a first-time soloist is to take with you a basic picnic kit, e.g. a knife and some cutlery. It doesn't bother me any more, but when I first started holidaying alone I didn't like doing evening meals in restaurants on my own. Lunch was fine because cafes felt easier, so I had my main meal in the middle of the day and picnicked in my hotel room/outdoors in the evening. You may find you're perfectly happy eating alone wherever whenever, but it's best to be prepared in case you want to do something different. It cuts down on the costs too!

[CraftyYankee]

Copenhagen this time of year, I would love to poke around Tivoli by myself.

If you go to Rome highly recommend booking any tours or museums in advance. The street touts pushing tickets would be an introvert's worst nightmare.

[HandbagCrazy]

I would go slightly against the grain and say I wouldn't go to Paris. I've been a few times and find it overwhelming and as PP said, received lots of pushy behaviour when I was on my own. I'm an introvert and really didn't enjoy it.

Would recommend Prague and Krakow though. Have done both on my own and really enjoyed them, lots of beautiful places to see, potter about and eat.
Would also add Reykjavik in the mix although that is quite expensive.

[Marmalady75]

I'm with Dashper on Munich.
I'd also suggest (along with many others) Barcelona, Prague and Paris.

[ArgyMargy]

Paris, always.

[liquidrevolution]

My first holiday alone was to Florence. Loved it. Also love venice but out of season so nov-jan.

[Dashper]

Munich. It has history, delicious cakes and plenty of pottering opportunities.
I went to Barcelona with a friend last year and found it way too busy.

[BewareOfTheToddler]

This is a brilliant time of year for Stockholm. I've been there alone and would really recommend it.

I would avoid Marrakech - I went with my mother and sister and felt quite uncomfortable at times. Wouldn't go back alone.

Other places I've been alone and would recommend:

Budapest - loads to see, also spas!

Lisbon - compact, lots to see, cheaper than Paris, great food.

Paris - see PPs' comments!

Helsinki - again, great time of year to visit, lots to see, very easy to get around.

[Guitargirl]

My suggestions would be Krakow or Seville. I had a lovely introvert solo weekend in Seville years ago (happy sigh).

[ForalltheSaints]

As it is only a weekend, you would wish to avoid a long journey either end, so I would suggest Paris or Ghent of those others have proposed.

[kalinkafoxtrot45]

Oh yes, Aachen is lovely! Why not have a few days in Köln and do Aachen as a side trip?

[JaceLancs]

I much preferred krakow to Prague
Barcelona is fab
Love Milan Pisa Florence or Venice
Used to like Paris but found disappointing on last 2 visits

[Groupie123]

Rome definitely

[nauticant]

For me when it comes to going solo for a city break the main criterion isn't "which are the best cities?" but "in which cities will I feel most comfortable?". That means basic stuff like the unlikelihood of hassle while out and about, places where dining alone in a restaurant is not quite such a strange thing to do, etc.

[Dahlietta]

If you fancy somewhere a bit more off the beaten track, I recommend Bologna, lovely city. Has great train links too so you can easily day or half-day trip if you want to to Ferrara or Ravenna or Modena.

[CloudNinetyNine]

Seville. Went years ago - can remember thinking what a beautiful city. Need to go back to see if it still lives up to my memory.

[morningtoncrescent62]

If you're planning to go in the next month or so, may I add Stockholm into the mix? It's a wonderful city, but at its best around the summer solstice. So if you're not about to pack your bags and head to Europe, you might consider it for next June/July. Same goes for Goteborg, another Swedish city worth spending time in.

Given what you've said you like to do, there's so many cities to choose from. A whole lifetime of long weekend for introverts in fact which is what I've been working on for more than a decade-. As you're a first-timer, my advice would be to give the biggest cities a bit of a body-swerve and go for something on an easier scale.

Salzburg would be my first choice. <a class="break-all" href="//www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Self-guided-Salzburg-Sound-Music-2015-Brett-Harriman/0692415556?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">Brett Harriman's guidebook will make you feel as though you're being shown round personally by an expert, but you won't have to make conversation with him - the ultimate holiday experience for introverts! Austria's other jewel, Innsbruck, would also be great for a first solo break. It's not overwhelming and there's plenty to do and see for a few days. Vienna is fascinating, with the most amazing lido in the world, but perhaps to get the most out of it leave it until you're a more seasoned solo adventurer.

In Italy I'd recommend Sienna or Verona rather than Rome. The thing with small cities is that they're easy to get around, and on a scale where you feel you're getting to know them rather than picking a few things at random from a bewildering menu of possibilities.