Where should we go?

[user1471548941]

We’re looking to go away Mon-Fri at the end of Feb to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

Don’t want to spend a bomb but do want to leave the country. Very open minded about where we go/what we do- looking to basically see where we can get a last minute deal from.

things we enjoy (need to have some of these not necessarily all!)

history/culture/old buildings
road trips/good scenery
exploring
sitting in coffee shops watching the world go by
good food/nice hotels- Michelin starred or trying local delicacies
enough to do to keep us entertained each day without feeling rushed
preference for weather would either be warmer than here or cold and snowy, rather than more drizzle
not a crazy flight for only 5 days

places I’ve already been that loved but don’t want to repeat:
Budapest
Edinburgh
Krakow
Prague
Barcelona
Istanbul/Turkish coast
Santorini
Southern Norway
Croatia
Paris

also I can’t go to the US currently as I have a medical condition that means I can’t be vaccinated.

my current ideas:
Lisbon
Rome
somewhere else in Italy?
Seville

where else would you put on the list? Are any of my existing options stand out?

Sorrento/Amalfi Coast?

My first thought was Nice in the south of France. You could go along some of the nearby towns along the coast & maybe to Monte Carlo.

Lisbon - great city & you could take the train to Sintra and Cascais
Rome - ticks all your boxes
somewhere else in Italy? - what about Florence with a side trip to Pisa?
Seville - also an excellent choice. I syltayed here for 3 nights and that was plenty for me

Copenhagen! Went there in Oct and loved it!

Loving all of these! The plan is to book quite last minute with a bonus of an as yet unknown amount I am getting end of Jan so the more options I have for location the easier it makes my search for a last minute deal!

would Copenhagen be cold and snowy at this time of year? And would I be disappointed with the weather in Sorrento in Feb? It’s definitely on my list of places to go, just not sure if it should be a summer thing!

Bilbao? Fab food, great vibe, lots to see. Take a bus to San Sebastián or Hondarribia.

Helsinki or Copenhagen also good for short breaks, but chilly in February!

Sicily. Far south so best chance of warmth, good historical ruins, excellent, a proper volcano

Excellent food!

But anywhere in Europe has the potential to be cool and drizzly in February- but southern reduces it. If you want guarantees you need to look at n Africa really

Vienna is the obvious omission from the list of places you've loved. You could combine with Innsbruck or Salzburg which are easy short train trips. Or do a few days in one and finish up with some time in a spa like the Aqua Dome in Tyrol.

Another idea is somewhere in the south of France - Avignon, Aix or Nice should have good weather!

Malaga is a fabulous city. Lots to see and great food.

Reykjavík is good for a short break. It's a compact city and doesn't have a huge amount to do, but you can do trips out to the so called "Golden circle" or go whale watching and it has a nice vibe for doing the people watching thing.

Granada

I second Malaga. It's a pretty compact city, beautiful architecture, there is the alcazaba to walk round with stunning views, plus the port has a nice vibe with lots of shops/restaurants along there too. The shopping around the Main Street Calle Larios is great and there are hundreds of pavement cafes and bars dotted around. Several nice plazas to sit and watch the world go by. Great food, be it tapas bars or higher end restaurants, plus the market is great for a good mooch, they have restaurants and bars serving the produce on site too. It's easy to get to from the airport, the Renfe train station is just on the doorstep of the airport and there are several stops in the city depending on where you are staying. Obviously whilst the weather can't be guaranteed, it should be fine, there are beaches in Malaga too if it happens to be warm enough! We love it!

Athens? Can't get more historic. It will be less touristy this time of year. Lovely to stroll around, plenty of pavement cafe life. You could even hop on a day sail to nearby islands like Hydra.

Bruges
Sicily
Florence

Malta

Another vote for Malaga. Not guaranteed but when we’ve been in Feb we’ve had 18c and sunny. Can also get the train to Grenada or Seville.

The last time we went to Copenhagen in February, we were able to ice skate along the main river into the centre. It was wonderful!

What about Marrakech? It would fit many of your criteria.

Palma - easy to get to, lots to do when you're there and can stay in the city or head out on a hike or go to the beach

@user1471548941
Iceland will be cold. Whale watching limited. Go in the summer!

Go south. Any Italian city is worthwhile. Florence and Sienna. Rome has a lot to do. Bologna has trains to fabulous towns such as Parma, Ravenna and Modena. Loads to see within easy reach. Great food guaranteed! Check out the Ferrari tours.

Copenhagen won’t have snow. There’s little snow in the Alps this year. Nice is brilliant for Michelin starred restaurants. How deep are your pockets. Seville is great and also Cordoba and Granada. Vienna is great but will be colder. Or try Cairo and the pyramids.

Lisbon, but it might be chilly. We might have been unlucky but I packed for heat and had to buy jumpers and jeans to wear at the end of June.

Morocco! The riad hotels are so romantic and you can do the history/culture thing as well as desert trips etc.

Or Madeira?

Would you consider The Azores? It's somewhere that I fancy going and would be mild in February. Amazing scenery and hot springs.

We went to Faro- got a fab Airbnb and it was warm enough to walk around in t shirts. Lovely to wander around Faro, great restaurants, interesting too!
Husband fell in love with place!

Malaga, Mallorca, Sicily. I'm not sure there are any guarantees with the weather in Europe at that time though.