Please help suggest places to go abroad that aren't beach holidays

[ProperLavs]

I'm going alone with 3 dc, 11,12, 14. In previous years we have been to Turkey but are fed up with the sameness of it all. We never go to the beaches as they have been dirty and crowded so tended to stay by the pool or go on day trips.
We have also found the beach culture holidays not really our cup of tea, but I haven't got much money and have never driven abroad so my options have been limited.
Do holidays exist that are away from beaches but don't need a car? Or am I forever doomed?
If you have any idea please share, please!

Barcelona. It does have a beach but also all the city things you might want to do.

But another vote for Britain.

I would echo the choice of Switzerland. It is safe and everything runs smoothly which reduces the stress of travelling on your own. It is normal for children the same age as yours to be more independent than in the uk so they would be able to have a good deal of freedom safely. Some resorts such as Saas Fee and Adelboden offer free local travel passes when you book accommodation which makes getting about by public transport easy.
Go self catering and if you eat out do it at lunchtime as it is much cheaper. Loads to do as well.

I'd second Germany for the cities and great Transport links.

Try Hamburg or Berlin or Cologne with easy jet/ BA / Lufthansa when they are on offer. My DSis paid ~£50 return to Cologne in the BA sales.

Once you're there do Air b'n'b or a holiday rental self catering. Look online and keep it simple.

Good luck

Just saw that you like Lyon!!

Go go go!

Go to the fresh fruit and veg market on Saturday morning, rent a bike and explore, go to the large park with the zoo section, go to the large weekend marchee aux puces the flea market and see all the trinkets .

Oh Lyon.

Book with easy jet. Then get that god forsaken coach into town and march straight into Part Dieu shopping mall. Lose yourself!

THe shopping centre is something else isn’t it? I see you can get a city card which gives you free travel and entry to museums. I would love the dc to see the traboules.

I have been finding some really decent deals to Garda. I am aiming to have flights and accommodation come in under £1000 for a week, less of a city break.
I hadn’t even considered the alps out of season!
Believe it or not in between posting here all I am doing is searching out your recommendations!

I’d highly recommend Sud Tirol in Italy. Brilliant blend of Austrian/Italian culture and beautiful mountains and vineyards. We drive there and quite enjoy it, although you have to get into the European ‘assertive driver mode’... We’ve been a few times and it’s quite unusual to bump into fellow brits.

Oh! Another idea - Jersey is great! You could take your own car on the ferry, and there is so much to do! We went last year with our toddler and it was ace for her, but there was loads more you could do with older kids that we were very a tiny bit jealous about missing out on - castles, adventure parks, the zoo, amazing beaches if you do fancy a day on the sand. Highly recommended!

If you can get good deals to Lake Garda, then it’s a great option. Gardaland for the dc who want to go to a theme park, Verona for a day trip, lake for swimming, beautiful weather.

Jersey is good, you can get a week bus pass to hop on/hop off. Good beaches, zoo, castles, trips to other islands. Arran is similar.

How about St Malo. Lovely beaches. Attractive old town with town walls, forts, a great aquarium.
You could get the train to Portsmouth and go by ferry as foot passengers.

Such a lot of amazing ideas. As you can see my budget is meagre which sadly rules out some suggestions🙁

Lisbon is beautiful and also cheap. We've booked a lovely 3 bed apartment on Airbnb for around £80 per night. Other cities which don't feel too crowded;

Verona
Stockholm
Innsbruck

Going self catered cuts the costs a lot, especially in Scandinavia where eating out is expensive.

Annecy looks amazing but I think it's basically a really long taxi from Geneva. I can't remember there being any decent public transport options.

Austria is pretty easy to navigate by train and/or postbus. Fly to Salzburg, Innsbruck, Munich or even Zurich then take the train to resort such as Zell am See, Kitzbuehel or St Anton. Or if feeling active hire bikes and cycle near Lake Constance.

And much as Switzerland might work it is eyewateringly expensive as a tourist.

I am pathetically exhausted.
The thing I find most overwhelming is having to organise and execute the whole thing on my own. It’s such a responsibility with no other adult to share it with.
As much as I was fed up with Turkey and have no desire to return to that kind of holiday it was very easy once there, basically stayed put where we were and cheap as chips too.
Thank you helping.

Krakow is great and you could get the train into the mountains for a few days also - find an hotel with a pool - weather hot in the summer. Or Norway - wonderful scenery and very peaceful - we got a cruise deal with P&O a few years ago and it was under 2K for a week (2 adults, 2 children). Alps are also nice in a summer. Lots of good hotels with facilities like pools. Weather warm but not super hot.

If you are on any kind of budget then fgs do NOT go to Switzerland. Have been there 3 times in the last five years. I am lucky enough to be on a reasonable income but find food there- whether bought from a supermarket for self catering, or from a restaurant- absolutely eye watering the expensive.

Would agree with the French and Portugal suggestions. Spanish cities often have some very good rental deals and lots to see/do.

I do think cruises take the stress out of the organisational side - something very nice about going away and not having to get a plane if you can cruise from a UK port. I found this site really good for doing your own pricing and find the deals (i.e. not having to speak to reps to find out costs). www.bonvoyage.uk

Go to the Channel Islands. My favourite is Guernsey. Not crowded - lovely beaches and loads to do if raining.

We stayed at a hotel in Torquay, TLH Derwent and that was super easy, pool on site, half board, bowling, tourist train from outside door, Living Coasts with penguins on beach within walking distance as is beach. Agatha Christies house, steam train, boats, miniature pig place all nearby. Around £100 a night for 4 including half board though lower season. Can't guarantee English summer though.

Ryanair has a holidays option now, you can put in your budget, dates and anywhere.

Munich - so much in the city itself but easy to get s-bahn to lakes or cheap regional trains to Salzburg/mountains (used to be €25 for up to 5 people but probably more now). 100% doable on public transport & great weather in the summer holidays too.

Aawww properlavs if you do decide on Slovenia DM me and I can recommend reasonable transfer options, B&B, and can dig out some restaurant recommendations too if needed. Whatever you choose I'm sure it'll be great as you are obviously putting a lot of thought in. Hope you can choose something and have a fantastic holiday once you do.

I agree with those saying alps. Flights are cheap in summer. If you stay centrally you can access the pools/ice rinks/zip wires/fun fairs. There are lakes with beaches. You can go on beautiful walks and eat fab food. Pic the resort carefully without a car.

Though France is quite expensive in restaurants etc. Bulgaria?

I was going to go for lake Garda as there were some good deals BUT there's always a catch isn't there- the transfer from the airport. There is no way I can cope with the bus with the kids. It would throw my asd dd into a complete spin.
Taxi fare is bonkers considering it's not actually that far from the airport.
Unless someone has a secret.
Also it's hard to find out which are the best areas to stay in.
bet you're all absolutely fed up with me.
I'm certainly fed up with me.
I have been investigating Kracow- seems possible but what would i do all week?