Solo City Break

[OnceMoreIntoTheBreachDearFriends]

Looking for a 3-4 night city break in February or March - I'm into history, food, and art, but I like things that are a little cute and quirky as well (not really into mainstream war history for example, and prefer modern types of art).

Budget needs to be as small as possible. I don't mind being on the edge of a city as long as it's accessible by public transport, and safe at night for a lone female - I was hoping to go to Riga but was advised it can be a little dodgy at night...

I can travel from several airports but unfortunately they're never the cheapest ones (happy to take suggestions from other areas if it would truly save me money whilst adding the costs to get there)

• Teesside is closest but very limited options
• Newcastle (+£15 train/metro fare)
• East Midlands (can stay with family so lifts to/from but would need to factor in petrol for the 2.5 hour drive)
• Leeds Bradford (petrol/parking costs)
• Manchester (+£40-£50 for train fare)

Riga was showing at less than £200 - but see above. Next cheapest from close to home was Paris but £350!

I went to Vilnius and Kaunas in the summer and would recommend it. Relatively cheap once you get there

I did a solo trip to Ljubljana and loved it. Felt very safe there

@Ihatemondays1962 unfortunately they only seem to fly direct from London so would hike up the price a lot for me to go from there, seems like a lovely place too!

@IDontLikePinaColadas it looks like you can fly from Manchester so might be worth a shout...

I flew from Newcastle to Frankfurt and then jumped on the train to Vienna, not a cheap city but fabulous to wander round and the Klimt exhibition was wonderful!

Budapest was great. Felt very safe and you can do the Hidden Mini Statues trail, which was definitely cute and quirky! Complex history and some great architecture.

Malaga (city). Has the Picasso museum, great marina area, fab shopping district, amazing tapas, cathedrals, the Alcazaba castle and lots more. Plenty of flights, quick transfer from airport by bus a couple of euro and walk everywhere after that. You can also take a day trip to Granada and/or Cordoba if you have time.

Im here now and come every year around now. so yes I am a bit biased!

I've been told to go to Malaga several times - they fly direct from Teesside which is ten mins down the road - but the return flight at 5:45am is putting me off slightly! I was thinking of maybe saving that for warmer weather, although I know Christmas there is also fab!

Maybe Krakow in Poland, it’s a beautiful historic city and very cheap, flights go from Manchester and are generally cheap but not sure how cold it might be in March.

How about getting the train to Avignon?

Oops forgot to put that in my OP - I've been to Krakow this year - loved it and very cheap to get there, freezing cold in early Feb but crystal clear skies and they still had their Christmas lights up

I second Ljubljana; walkable and friendly, and loads to do.
Or somewhere in the south of Spain? (I know Malaga has already been mentioned). Even in Feb/March it should be mild-ish, and I tend to find in that region whole families are out til quite late at night, so it feels very safe. Spain is generally friendly and relaxed too IME.
Or if not the south, Madrid may well be cold, but IME a lot of cafes etc have outdoor heaters (yes I know environmentally speaking they’re the devil’s work). Same friendly and family vibes, amazing museums and galleries inc the Reine Sofia for modern and contemporary art, lovely second-hand bookshops and flea and antique markets.

If you liked Krakow other Polish cities like Gdansk or Wroclaw can be reached cheaply from Leeds Bradford, are beautiful, feel safe and good value hotels, food, drink and excellent public transport.

Ferry goes from Newcastle to Amsterdam - you can get a return for less than 200 quid including your own ensuite cabin. It's more convenient than it sounds because you arrive in the morning, around 10 am, can drop bags at hotel and get on with your day nice and early having slept on the boat. Same thing in reverse arriving back in Newcastle.

How about Madrid.
Lots to do and most of it in walking distance. Weather should be nice then too

I second (third?) south of Spain. Or Prague for something more unique, a cute walkable city and definitely felt safe as a solo female. Also! If you haven't seen this site before its really helpful - shows you all the direct flight to and from almost any airport. You can see what options you have from each of your closest airports:
www.flightconnections.com/flights-from-newcastle-ncl