European break for couple 3-7 days - Go!!

[ToothFairy2023]

Help wanted we are fairly recent empty nesters (but we have done our time with little to no family support) and are looking to go away.

Europe - less than 3 1/2 hour flight.
Time of year - either mid April or early June.
Duration - 3 to 8 or 9 days
Departure Airport - Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool or Manchester (in order of preference).
We like good food, cafe culture, laid back, some nice scenery, nowhere too industrial not hiring a car.
We would like somewhere warmer than the UK if it was April or if June a temp of late teens or early twenties max.
Budget: for flights and hotel £800-£2000.
Hit me with your suggestions.

Ideally, not Dubrovnik, Florence or Paris as have been fairly recently.

Wondered about Budapest, Malaga, Rome, Vienna, Barcelona or anywhere I may have missed. Finding flights from the north, a nice looking hotel in a place we want to visit is proving very difficult.

Thanks 🙏

@WhatWouldTheDoctorDo April or June visits for each of your choices if we don’t want it too warm or too cold?

Budapest for a long weekend, for longer perhaps 3 nights in Rome then 4 nights on the coast, or look at Taormina Sicily, fly to Catania (Edinburgh or Manchester)

@ToothFairy2023 ‘DH not keen and thinks it is more of a Benidorm drinking type of place.’

This could not be more wrong! Malaga is a wonderful place and you’d struggle to find a ‘British Bulldog’ pub serving a full English. It’s tapas, tapas, tapas, rooftop bars with views over stunning historical sites, great shopping, walks around the Montes of Malaga (if hiking is your thing) plus really easy access to beaches. I recommend staying in the old town area.

Weather is weather = unpredictable in April. No one can tell you if it’s going to be hot or cold. June is much more reliable.

I’d prefer Porto from your list ~ found it really good value off the beaten track. All walkable/ trams and impressive beaches.

Barcelona is a tourist Mecca and I’d never go back.

Have you used skyskanner ~ that will give you airports/airlines/ prices?

@ToothFairy2023 Oh, and it’s really good value. Your money goes far on food, transport and access to cultural experiences e.g. the castle.

@PizzaPastaWine flights are straight forward if you don’t live in the frozen north 😂

I’ve had to drive to Manchester for most flights recently as Scotland is pretty terrible

Athens? The best city break I’ve ever had. If you go for more than a few days you could go on a day trip the nearest islands like Hydra. So much to see and we had great food too.

@ToothFairy2023 we visited in late May, it was lovely, temp was low twenties.

I absolutely loved Madrid & finally DS3 has taken up my suggestion & is taking his GF for her birthday/Easter w/e. Porto & Lisbon also good suggestions.

@ToothFairy2023

I had a really lovely apartment booked in Porto (google Oporto Old in New) and you'll see it. Unfortunately for us I checked a few days before and had booked the correct day and month but the following year. I blame the wine but luckily we had free cancellation and founds somewhere else but I wouldn't recommend.

Porto is a fantastic city. The restaurants are fantastic and good value for money. I took the advice from a poster on here and made reservations for dinner before we went.

We also toured the port houses along the river. Bought some and drank a lot!

We then caught the train to Peso da Regua in the Douro Valley and spent our days by the pool at www.casa-azenha.com/ and then eating out/wandering around vineyards. I recommend this accommodation.

We have lots of Easyjet destinations from out local airport and I always find them fine. Just select your flights and then select what luggage you'd like to take. There's an app so you just check in on there. It's pretty straightforward.

As for Malaga area. We have just returned from Frigliana, a little white washed village about an hour in the car. That was beautiful but a car would be needed. Stayed in a fantastic AirB&B.

Highly recommend Kotor Bay in Montenegro. Fly Manchester to Tivat and 15 minutes in a taxi to Kotor. Absolutely stunning scenery, great seafood, brill boat trips to eg Perast etc. Look at Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay.

We have been in June to Carcasonne & Nice/Antibes from Edinburgh. Loved both!

@ToothFairy2023

I think if it was early June you'd have really nice weather. April may be a little unpredictable.

Ha! I've lived in the North East and these few hundred miles south make a HUGE difference!

Malaga is nothing like Benidorm 😂 just tell him to have a look at it online. It's a cosmopolitan city with beautiful buildings/bars/history/food.

When we went we didn't stay in the city as we were there for a week - we got an air bnb apartment about a couple of miles up the coast.

I've been to Pula early June and it was lovely temperature. No higher than low 20s, the sea was nice and cool so you could go for a dip to cool down.

The city centre is perfect for 2/3 days, its tiny and feels historic, great food! And it's on a port. We took an evening boat trip to see the dolphins.

If you like a resort with pools, Verudela has what you need, with a short bus journey into the centre of Pula.

My vote would go to:

Venice
Milan
San Sebastian
Prague

I have been to the first two places on your list @CaveMum and have heard lots of good things about San Sebastion probably on here 😂.

But everyone please don’t underestimate the trials and tribulations of living in the frozen north we pay a fortune to go anywhere and many options are closed off to us unless we want to take a flight with multiple stops or traipse all the way down to Manchester Airport or worse still London.

We went to Malaga in February and it was low to mid 20's iirc. We were certainly sat on the beach.
Seville was New Year and it was also low 20's in the daytime, easily t shirt weather, much cooler at night.
Budapest was September, very warm, mid to high 20's.
Copenhagen also New Year, cold and it pissed it down.
Vienna was November so cold. Barcelona and Rome were October, very warm indeed. Lots of walking.
Alicante may have been spring time and again, lovely and very warm, the beach was busy.
Reykjavik was New Year too, freezing with a scattering of snow but with the most beautiful blue skies.
I

Forgot to say, Istanbul is another we fancy, but the flight is a bit longer.

We are literally the same person. Athens is also on my list

Málaga will be too hot. I was there in April it was 33° and September the same. In between will be hotter.
Barcelona is brilliant.
I have really enjoyed
Lisbon
Porto
Munich
Salzburg
Madrid
Slovenia
Venice
Paris
Nice
Marseille
Santander

@Overloadimplode thank you.

33 would be far too hot 🥵 for us now and DH wouldn’t do well. I could have booked Malaga for mid March but thought it might be too cool and think I may have missed that opportunity now due to other commitments.

We just wanted somewhere with comfortable temperatures like an old fashioned nice June day in the UK prior to global warming.

From your list I really don’t fancy Paris, the others are possibilities but its getting a flight and doing more research.

Loved Lisbon when we went in January - pushing 20 during the day but cold at night. Take a guided walking tour around the city on your first day and a full day minibus tour out to Sintra another day. And enjoy wonderful pasta da nata and that cherry liqueur in chocolate glasses.

Not expensive and easy to get around on the underground.

We went on our day trip with Happy Tours and it was honestly one of the best days we have had in a long time!
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/AttractionProductReview-g189158-d19008560-Sintra_Cascais_2_palaces_most_complete_tour_approx_10hours-Lisbon_Lisbon_District_.html

I hear you on the travel @ToothFairy2023, I'm also north of the border and the difference in flight prices makes me weep. I mentioned Lisbon and Budapest before, I've got flights for both of those at decent prices (out of term time) from Edinburgh. I forgot about Athens too, we tagged it on to somewhere else, by DH and I would love to go back for a short break.

But Lisbon really is one of my favourites, can get an easy train to Sintra for a day trip too.