Where in europe

[daisygirl999]

Hi I am thinking of a 2 or 3 night break around Easter with husband and 2 teens ages 15 and 18. Was thinking of Edinburgh but now thinking of a European city. Anyone any recommendations please if where is nice with things to do not Barcelona as have been there before

Berlin. Lots of history but also very cool and contemporary!

We had a short break in Berlin last year and really enjoyed it - there's a lot of very interesting history and we did a particularly good city tour on bikes. My DS was 17 at the time and loved it.

Valencia. It's got a really lovely vibe about it and very pretty. Fabulous city and also beautiful beaches. Food was delicious and not overly expensive (Summer 2023). Not excessive tourists. Love it and will definitely go back!

I haven't been to Barcelona yet but we were told that Valencia is what Barcelona was like before it was overrun with tourists.

Palma or Malaga, for a Spanish City with the option of some time on a beach. La Rochelle, historic city, lovely dock area with restaurants and bars, and possibilty of trip to the Ile de Re where you can hire bikes to explore by bike. Poitiers, small city full of medieval buildings, lots of bars and restaurants, and possiblity of trips up to Fontevraud Abbay and Chinon for more medieval history - if you like that periodd of history it is fascinating.

Rome? We went around Easter a few years ago. Lots to see, from what I remember children go free into lots of government owned attractions, and most people like pizza and ice cream.

Just bear in mind that if you are wanting to be away actually at Easter, a lot of Spanish cities will be holding Holy Week processions and can be very busy, especially in the South. Malaga's events are particularly well known and attract huge crowds. Accomodation (assuming you can find any at this stage) is likely to be expensive and it will be very crowded. The events are spectacular but not ideal if you want a quiet break! I've never been to Rome at Easter but I can imagine that would also be busy and expensive for similar reasons.

If you want to discover something authentic and don't spend a fortune, I would recommend Ohrid lake in North Macedonia..low cost flight available from London, cheap accomodation, a mixture of active holiday and historical sights.. lakeside cappuccinos for just £1.55, gelato for 99p and dinner with wine for just £14 per person.

I echo Berlin. Such a fun city with so much history and masses to do.

Gdańsk, Poland, is one to look at. Cheap flights from a lot of UK cities, plus a lot to do - the city itself is gorgeous and historically and architecturally interesting and atmospheric, and is also part of the Trojmiasto (three cities), along with the old port of Gdynia and the historic spa town of Sopot. The distances and transport links are so close it's like three cities in one. Costs are a little bit lower than you might expect along the Baltic, especially because Poland still uses the złoty rather than the euro. Check it out here if you're interested.

Krakow. We went at new year. It's an amazing city with kids

I love Ravenna. It's not somewhere I would have thought of going to but we had stayed in San Marino for a couple of nights and were discussing our next stop when the hotel manager recommended Ravenna. Lovely feel to the city, very soothing and relaxing. It was capital of the Western Roman Empire for a while in the 5th century, and has some beautiful World Heritage buildings and absolutely eye popping mosaics which are quite different to those in, say, Venice.

Also quite convenient for day trips to nearby places.

Another vote for Berlin

Amsterdam or Belfast

Just back from Berlin - really enjoyed it. Valencia up next.

Valencia is fab! City + beach. Gorgeous architecture. Fabulous food and not overly expensive!

Naples, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Bilbao would all be top of my list.

We had a great Easter weekend in Prague.

About Berlin - do check carefully opening times. In Germany Easter often means things are closed, especially Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Restaurants may only open for reservations.
It is a great city, we used returned afte 5 days there and really enjoyed it.

I love Warsaw.

Dubrovnik is fab 😍