AIBU to find city breaks absolutely exhausting?

[lightnesspixie]

Just that really. We are in our late 50s and relished the thought of European city breaks once the kids had left home. But we are finding that the reality - while nice - is utterly exhausting even if we try to pace ourselves. I’m certain it takes a week to get over them! Interested to hear how other fifty somethings find them …

Malaga is fab for beach / city combo as is Barcelona.

We once did a Malaga/ old Marbella combo for 6 days- very enjoyable - Malaga has a very beautiful old town

But a city break can be a week! Have people internalised some ‘rule’ that a ‘city break’ is a weekend, and therefore than you can’t spend a week, or a fortnight, in a city? As I said upthread, I just spent six days in Madrid. Definitely a city, definitely a break!

That's a good point. I once accidentally forgot to book my husband a ticket for the Alcazar in Seville and he couldn't get a ticket on the day. He went and saw something else whilst I spent a glorious few hours wandering around the palace by myself!

I add on an extra night, try and book a hotel with a spa and go there around 4.30 to chill, have a proper lunch break and use Ubers if the step count is getting ridiculous.

Thanks for Málaga responses, @AreMyEyesGreen and @BitOutOfPractice.

I agree about the eating thing. Don’t expect to eat the same way as home or carry stuff in your bag if you’re a snacker.

@fortyfifty yep - it’s underestimated. If you go on a beach holiday or round a pool
you tend to have periods of dozing or swimming and not having to constantly chat - I’ve found on a city holiday the expectation isn’t to have long periods of silence - I once looked at my phone for 20 minutes in a cafe without speaking and my H got the total humph and declared it rude ( ironically he frequently does the same thing back home) - the expectation is non stop chat - now this may just be me and my H , but I can’t believe it is - there seems little time to just clear your head in silence .

I'm not sure i follow the issue with eating?

I've certainly never gone hungry. Nor needed to carry snacks in my bag when on any city holiday!

We generally have breakfast in the hotel or if in an apartment dh loves to scout the best bakeries & head off for a morning stroll & come back with pastries / bread / coffee & juice which we eat companionably reading our books.

Then we make a plan for the day. Depending where we are & who is with us (dc etc) we might go our separate ways for a few hours. Or we might have plans to go to a particular place together

We stop whenever we feel like it along the way for coffee/ snacks / ice cream/ beer or wine / water

Depending on what we've had for breakfast & what our dinner plans are we usually have lunch, often a fresh salad. We eat lighter during the day as we love a nice dinner in the evening

We always have dinner & i love to do all the research & have places booked. We'll usually try the local specialities in terms of food & drink.

We love a pre dinner aperitif & we spot places on our travels to come back to later in the evening

We always go for a post dinner drink. If the weather is nice we'll sit out. But we do lots of winter travel too & love a good cozy bar too

We don't run out of things to talk about. I find when I travel with friends I end up more tired & it's the constant company & talking. I just don't get that with dh

We love things like

Researching the oldest cafe & going there for coffee - especially in central European cities where there was the tradition of The Grand Cafe (Prague/ Budapest etc)

@AreMyEyesGreen Vienna had some excellent ones with terrific breakfasts too

@Crikeyalmighty we've never been to Vienna but would love to go!

Who dreamt up that expectation? We talk as we walk around but we also will sit in a cafe and people watch or take a moment on a nice bench in a park .Its not intense conversation with your own partner is it? At the end of the day we’d head back and shower then have a sit down, look at the photos, catch up on any texts or emails . That’s the down time .

oh it’s beautiful isn’t it? Sounds blissful though O did enjoy it with DH.

Loads of indoor museums in U.K.!!! We did Liverpool last year and you could spend days doing all of them, some free others a little more.

I live in a giant crowded city and Summer is coming.

I like to hit the beaches or the mountains or even just a day trip upstate for a break. I wouldn't want to live too far from a major city though. Too quiet and I think I'd get bored.

People seem to have invented weird, self-imposed rules for ‘city breaks’. You can stay as long as you like — I once spelt a blissful ten days in Florence. You don’t have to go with your partner/spouse. I’m going to Brussels by myself next month, for example. If you are with your partner or family, you don’t have to do the same thing 24/7. DH took DS to the Bernabéu for a match while I had a blissful day looking at paintings. You don’t have to eat or drink in any particular way, I tend to eat a huge hotel breakfast, if included, and coast through to dinner without more than a coffee — DS, 13, needs to eat more often.

Loads of indoor museums in U.K.!!! We did Liverpool last year and you could spend days doing all of them, some free others a little more.

Friend and I were planning to visit Liverpool in April 2020. That didn't happen of course and for one reason and another we've never managed it since. I think we'd have spent the entire trip doing museums and galleries.

When I go away with friends we often don't all want to do the same things at the same time, so we'll go off and do our own thing for an afternoon then meet up later.

We usually have tea and biscuits in our rooms in the morning, then a substantial brunch/elevenses which might take us through to dinner - or we might have afternoon tea and a light dinner later, depending on how we feel.

Yes we went to a Spanish city recently. DD is a young adult and spent most days at the beach or shopping. DH and I did more sight seeing. We met up again back at apartment and went out to eat together. DH and I like the same things most of the time so it’s not an issue. He knows I like to mooch about little cobbled streets and I know he’ll always seek out the highest viewpoint or castle/ cliff. We both always find the best rooftop bars though. 🤪

I wouldn't find it exhausting to walk around sightseeing for a few hours, but it would be interspersed with relaxing meals and drinks and taken at a slow pace. And an afternoon siesta.

Yes they are exhausting but I love them. I'm 30s but here is my plan for them... out of the hotel by 9.30 (no getting up and ready by 7 to seize the day!). Plan half a day of activities and sit down for a lunch and for a coffee/whatever you like - but make sure you sit down for these! Back to the hotel by about 4 for a 60 minute nap. Then up, shower, some hotel snacks and drinks (I don't drink alcohol but when I used to, I'd have some fizz), out for a walk and then dinner. Asleep by 11pm at the latest so you can get a good sleep. Most recent city break, I did 130 thousand steps but felt okay as I'd paced myself (obviously this is dependent on your age/abilities).

@tillyandmilly Going to a city on the European mainland can be cheaper than the UK. Go in early Spring or late Autumn, book flights early, do lots of research. Go with a friend or partner to save on hotel costs.

I did 4 nights in Valencia last year for around £500 for flights and central hotel for two of us. Food and drink was very cheap too.

Hi op agree with you. We really enjoyed Holland Utrecht. Loads walking! I got a bad migraine when I got home but we were up early for flights/trains back and I slept crap but still nice to get away. You def need loads energy

@greengreyblue I think it’s an expectation in my Hs head - both my main friends say their partners are exactly the same - expecting non stop stimulating conversation on holiday - I do think it’s why I for one find city holidays quite tiring - these days I always engineer an hour and a half doing something on my own just for a mental break -

What is Valencia like?