European 4-nighter in mid-March

[SmeII]

Just looking for some inspiration/recommendations for an extra long weekend for a couple (able-bodied, happy to do a lot of walking around a city and use public transport) around March 15th.

Ideally within a three-hour flight from London.

We like:
Cities- big or small
A bit of luxury
Nice food and beer/wine
Good coffee/cafes/pastries
Art galleries or museums

Do not like/want for this trip:
Spa
Skiing
Shopping
Sun (as in 20°+ likely)/resorts
Very active outdoor activities (rock climbing, water sports etc)

We’ve recently been to these places and don’t want to return so soon:
Berlin
Dublin
Belfast
Edinburgh
Copenhagen
Malmö
Lund
Oslo
Amsterdam
Bruges
Ghent
Paris
Vienna
Geneva
Rome

I suppose I’m just trying to think of places I haven’t thought of if anyone is willing to share their favourite places.

Lisbon. Tallin. Madrid.

Krakow, Budapest, Porto, Lisbon, Santander, Madrid, Bergamo, Strasbourg.

Places I've been to and really enjoyed....

San Sebastián
Seville
Porto
Malaga (might be 20+ in March)
Budapest
Florence

Prague, went a couple of years ago beginning April. Very similar wants to you, LOVED it! Lots to see, lots of walking, fab city.

Oh yes, Krakow is great too.

Athens

Thanks all. Some amazing suggestions here. In my opening post ai listed some places we’ve been recently but we have been to a good few others previously and not yet planning a return- Munich, Madrid, Lisbon, Seville, Faro, Prague, Budapest and probably a few others already listed. Loved them all and will definitely return at some stage but in the mood for somewhere new.

Have never been to Poland and Krakow could certainly fit the bill. Did a quick look on booking.com just to get an idea and nice hotels in mid-March seem very reasonable, which is an absolute bonus.

Can anyone who has been to Krakow give me an idea of the best part of the city to stay in, please? I know it’s a popular destination for stag and hen parties and, while we’d like somewhere with bars and restaurants for the evening time, would prefer to avoid party-central nightclub areas.

Thanks again for everyone for the suggestions. Some fantastic places on my list now.

I second the PP suggestion of Bergamo. It's a concentration of all your favourite things about Italy in one place. If it's for 4 nights you could also pop down to Milan on the train. Lots of cheap flights as it's a big hub for Ryanair.

Otherwise look at Palma (Majorca), which is a city of 400k people with lots to see and do, plus gorgeous scenery all around.

Riga, Latvia

I’d suggest Belgrade!

Just saw your update and yeah Krakow is a good shout. I was there this time last year.

Seville
Malaga
Marrakech

Budapest!

Second Budapest
Malaga
Tallinn
Ljubljana
Riga
Vilnius

Bordeaux
Ljubljana

We have recently been to Gdansk (Poland) and Riga (Latvia) and would recommend both these cities. Although they would probably not be that warm in March.

Barcelona is amazing but very busy and quite expensive. I also think you need more than four nights here. Florence is lovely and certainly ticks your boxes in terms of art and food.

We are going to Lisbon in March and Krakow in September.

Which airport will you be using? Maybe log on to the airlines websites, see which cities you can fly to from your chosen airport and see where each airline flies to. I think they all show their destinations on a map too which might be helpful in decision making.

Madrid!

We have stayed in both areas of Krakow and preferred the Old Town as nicer restaurants in the area but easy to walk anywhere. Never had a problem with Stag parties etc.

I think I stayed in Old town and Kazimierz areas in Krakow.

Verona
Treviso
Padua
Milan

Krakow is lovely. The Salt Mines are a must do.

We were just on the edge of the Old Town. I don't remember seeing any stag or hen parties when we were there over the Easter weekend last year. We were at the Hotel Logos which was about a 10 minute walk to the square.

Lisbon - I went early March 2 years ago, and it was sunny but still needed jumper / jacket - so it was nice to have sun on your face, without being sweaty!

Also, it's a fabulous place, I absolutely loved it. Travelled solo, and found it easy to navigate around. And I could eat pastel de nata for breakfast, lunch and dinner 😀

I stayed in Kazimierz area also, it was lovely. It was a long time ago, maybe 2005, suspect before the stag parties has descended on these Eastern European cities. Really enjoyed the city and Auschwitz and Wieliczka Salt Mine are accessable by bus from Krakow.