City break now-ish

[DarlingNikita]

DP and I had a quiet and somewhat dull Christmas and I've got itchy feet! Where in Europe would people recommend for a short break in Jan or Feb?

Not bothered about it being warm, although it'd be nice if it wasn't raining a lot or prohibitively cold as I'd like to do some exploring outdoors. We are both keen on galleries and museums, especially smaller/quirky ones; interesting areas like old towns and historical districts; lively places with interesting culture, shops and art; good cafes. A seaside or waterfront town would be nice, although it's not a deal-breaker.

Malaga.

Lisbon!

Venice is a fantastic place to visit out of season. It's much quieter and more atmospheric. You can get a sense of what it was like before mass tourism. Plus there's lots of stuff to do - art, architecture, history, canals, people-watching at a café, the Ghetto, concerts, take a boat trip to Murano or one of the outlying islands.

The same goes for other Italian tourist destinations. If Venice doesn't grab you, it's also a great time to visit Rome, Bologna or Turin.

I really love Venice in winter too. So beautiful and atmospheric.

Thought of Lisbon –I've been before and loved it, but maybe should go somewhere different.

Venice... been once and found it impossible to eat decently! We're not big foodies as such, but it was really terrible and put a bit of a dampener on it. It is amazing though.

Paris is another idea. Actually just about any city break would be good at this time of year. It's cheaper and less crowded. Lucky you, OP.

Venice in February is great. Depending on what you like though either avoid or go when carnival is on. We avoided it because we wanted it to be quiet

Venice isn't the best place for food but you need to stay away from tourist restaurants that have menus in English. Or places that have a waiter outside trying to get you in. Go a few streets back from the main drag and find a place that is full of locals. Italians ask other Italians in the street where is good to eat and if you have a few words of Italian you can try doing the same. Bars usually do bar snacks in the evening that you can make a full meal out of. You can't go wrong with a simple pasta dish, pizza and salad. And the ice cream is to die for.

I did love the ice cream!

You're spoilt for choice at this time of year. Decide on your budget first. Go on skyscanner, put in your departure airport, choose Everywhere as your destination and see what comes up. There are lots of great city breaks off the beaten track - Lyon, Avignon, Seville, Copenhagen. There are cheap packages to Iceland too. I've been eyeing one on Secret Escapes but I don't have the time for a city break! Have you thought about staying in the UK? Lots of choice here too. How about Bath, Edinburgh, Belfast, York? All of them are quiet at this time of year.

Krakow, Berlin, Barcelona, Belfast, Rome, Bruges, Amsterdam and Budapest are all favourites of mine. Not a fan of Paris which I've done a few times. Had the same feeling as you so trying Prague next!

Kraków!

Bilbao and San Sebastián in northern Spain

SuckingDieselFella (love the Line of Duty name!), I really feel like going overseas at the mo, although I do want to visit Belfast at some point.

I do quite fancy Krakow, Bruges or maybe Ghent, as well as the Baltics, but wouldn't mind somewhere a little less cold right now. Maybe Seville. Actually, I really want to go to Granada to see the Alhambra, but I can't find cheap flights from London for love nor money. Iberia only seem to have flights with stops, and easyJet has none until about April

Ghent. I haven't been but I've visited other places in Belgium. The people are really friendly to Brits because of both world wars. There's lots of culture and chips in mayo! If you like chocolate, pastries and dairy products its definitely the place for you! I'd avoid Bruges as it's much too touristy.

Alicante city, get some sunshine.

If you're looking for less cold think about Sicily. There are budget flights to Palermo and Catania.

You don’t need to fly to Granada for the Alhambra, get a bus or hire a car from Malaga. It’s not that far.

All these places are good. You just need to pick somewhere. I spent so long thinking about it that it's too late now and there won't be any hols until Easter.

Barcelona - beach, shit loads of culture, great food, and cheap

Anywhere in southern Spain. Cadiz is fab.

If you want to go to Granada fly to Malaga, v easy to get to Granada.

Seville or somewhere else in southern Spain. Catania in Sicily.

Thanks everyone. Bus from Malaga to Granada is OK for me, but my DP isn't a great traveller and gets a bit stressy about making connections etc. But he might be up for it.

I know I just have to pick somewhere before it's too late. It's just that even a short break with budget flights is kind of a stretch and a treat for me, so I'm a bit cautious about picking places.