European city break in April- hit me with your recommendations please!

[neverbeenskiing]

DH and I have the opportunity to go away for a long weekend without the DC in April. It's very rare for us to get any time together at all without the kids and we haven't been abroad for since before the pandemic all kicked off so we want to make it really special. Where would you go?

We want somewhere with amazing food, not too cold, ideally no more than a 3-4 hour flight away and somewhere we can find museums, galleries, nice bars, live music etc. We thought about Prague but have heard it's stag-do central these days so not sure! Also considering Barcelona as we went there before DC years ago and loved it. DH would like to go to Florence but thinks it might be a bit chilly in April.

Would love to hear your suggestions 🙂

Prague is lovely and there’s room enough for the stag party goers and the romantic weekend breakers, as long as you do your research beforehand. It can be decent weather there in April too.

Barcelona is a lot of fun and has the beach as well as 'city' things – the Picasso Museum is wonderful.

I liked Madrid: not a really pretty, picturesque city but full of
good food places, museums and galleries, bars and live music. It is very easy to find fun things to do there. Wonderful bookshops.

I've not been myself, but Seville? Don't know how much there is in terms of museums and galleries but I bet it's beautiful, probably warm-ish and nice food and bars.

I realise these are all in Spain I also like Aarhus in Denmark, Gotherburg in Sweden, and would love to go the Baltics (tallinn etc), but they might be a bit cold.

Berlin is fabulous.

Seville is a lovely city as is Palma (Majorca). You could look at Nice and I've heard Marseille is good for city break. We went to Valletta this year (as it was a green list destination) and it's a lovely little city. We did enjoy Barcelona but not as much as Seville/Palma. Also there was quite a bit of anti-British sentiment there a couple of years ago. Not sure how that is now.

Seville is a lovely city, as is Grenada . Florence will be warmer in April than in February when I last went ! The trouble is there is almost too much to do for a long weekend.

I really enjoyed Bilbao, there is the Guggenheim of course but Bilbao is a short bus ride from Guernica which is a place full of history , some heartbreaking. The Picasso painting isn’t there any more, but there are galleries and museums celebrating the city. Plenty to do for a long weekend. Watch out for Monday museum closures though, I always seem to get caught out by them.

Rome would be nice then. Venice possibly too. We loved city breaks in both Malaga and Madrid and want to do Seville next. It would be too hot to go to any of them in summer and do the proper sightseeing stuff

Athens is lovely but actually fairly small. Lots to do and see though and fabulous food.

Meant to say food in Bilbao is lovely, famous for “little plates” in bars but loads of really nice restaurants from basic to once in a lifetime.

Seville will be gorgeous in April. Berlin is fab at any time of year. Malaga will be very pleasantly warm. Ditto Rome. Been to Madrid in early May and it was glorious weather.

Lisbon is beautiful with great food and lots to do, and should be warm in April.

Seville, Lisbon and Porto are all fabulous cities to visit and should be warm in April. If you were happy to go a tiny bit further, April is a brilliant time to visit Marrakech!

Another vote for Seville/ Lisbon - both beautiful at that time of year.

Berlin for me

So many great suggestions already, thank you!

I am liking the sound of Lisbon, Prague, Seville, Madrid, Bilbao and Berlin...need to do some research. DH doesn't fancy Rome as he's been there a lot for work and we love Venice but we've done it a couple of times. I like the idea of exploring a new city.

Definitely Lisbon! Absolutely loved it there!

Actually I forgot to mention Lisbon. I'd definitely second it and we loved the Alfama area.

Copenhagen. The food is great (especially the fish), the people are friendly and there's loads to do in the city and the surrounding area. There are beaches within easy access of the city, as well as nice walks, Viking history, castles, boat trips etc. It's not the kind of place that feels touristy either, which is a bonus for me.

Porto is also wonderful, although does feel touristy sometimes.

Seville is beautiful. From what I remember during “normal” times Easter is a big thing there, with processions and celebrations throughout the Semana Santa (week leading up to Easter)
www.spain.info/en/calendar/easter-week-sevilla/

So depending on what you want either something to aim for or avoid. Not sure how any of this will be affected by Covid…

Budapest is on my list as friends went recently and said it was amazing

MILAN
Packed to the gills with high end restaurants, galleries, museums and not forgetting the amazing Cathedral. Has an exciting city vibe, with wonderful hotels. You could also have a day at nearby Como with a boat trip along the beautiful lake.

I have heard good things about Budapest too. Added that to the list Thank you all! I think we're going to struggle to narrow the list down now.

San Sebastián in north Spain! You can fly to Bilbao and then short journey to SS, the food is amazing, has a beautiful beach and quaint funicular railway up the hill for stunning views of the city below. Look up pintxo bars - you won't regret going there.

Having been to Budapest, I didn’t really rate it. There are better cities!

I would recommend Bologna. It has great food. Brilliant food market and fabulous old buildings. It has a railway station where you can get the train to Ravenna, Parma, Ferrara and Modena. Ferrari museum is there as well as balsamic vinegar. Bologna is amazing. So much to choose from. You would want a fairly long weekend though!

I also liked Vienna, Geneva, Athens, Milan, Nice (and Monaco), Lisbon and Sienna.

Seville is beautiful but keep in mind Semana Santa (Easter) is a big deal, particularly in Southern Spain. It makes for a great time to visit if you want to see a very different cultural tradition for Easter, but (in non covid times) everywhere is packed and hotels book up early.
Granada is also stunning but will be the same in terms of Easter crowds, however the Alhambra is a definite "must see in a lifetime" place.
Madrid is my favorite city in Spain, I lived there and had so much fun. It's an easy city to get around and lots to see, do, experience, eat and drink! If you want somewhere a bit quieter than Salamanca is Spain's equivalent of Oxford.
For something different it's a great time of year in Ibiza, it's a UNESCO world heritage site, so much more than the clubs.
For foodies: San Sebastian in Northern Spain. Best food ever!
Outside of Spain, Marrakesh, though I would have reservations regarding Covid this coming year.

Barcelona, Lisbon, Seville, Budapest. Prague is definitely not what it once was and has got quite expensive. It is still beautiful though.

I really don't enjoy Marrakesh; I find it very hassly, borderline aggressive, and there's not much to do really.

Essaouira is lovely though.