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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

October half term city break. Where shall I go?

40 replies

Glitterbiscuits · 14/07/2026 09:13

I want to take my older teenagers/ young adults away.
Last week of October for 3/4 days maximum.
Riga?
Athens?
Prague?
Lisbon?

I haven’t been to any of these places.
We won’t have a car so walkable is a priority and we need to cater for vegetarians too.

Any reviews of these places or suggestions? Thanks!

OP posts:
DentistWait · 15/07/2026 16:25

How about Tallinn in Estonia? We went in October half term and did a fab ferry day trip to Helsinki. Two countries for your list!

mamaduckbone · 20/07/2026 21:14

Just to throw a different option into the mix - how about Naples? Amazing, buzzy city - our teen loved it. We went in October half term and the weather was still in the 20s as well.

TimeforaGandT · 20/07/2026 21:20

We did a family trip to Riga - very walkable and reasonably priced (particularly hotel which was right in historic centre). Lots of history, museums - which is our thing.

Glitterbiscuits · 21/07/2026 07:08

I’m now considering Budapest.

OP posts:
Alltheburpees · 21/07/2026 08:15

Budapest is wonderful. And this was great fun to do and gets you to most of the scenic areas!
budapestflow.com/hidden-mini-statues-budapest/

HairyToity · 21/07/2026 08:18

I'd pick Lisbon from your list. My parents preferred Porto to Lisbon.

researchers3 · 21/07/2026 08:29

Glitterbiscuits · 21/07/2026 07:08

I’m now considering Budapest.

Budapest is gorgeous.
Loads to do. Good food.

parachutegirl · 21/07/2026 15:11

Lisbon is great, you can also travel easily to Cascais which is great for the beach/paddleboarding, and Sintra which is beautiful

SpaceAngel1999 · 21/07/2026 15:24

We’ve done Krakow, Marrakech & Marbella with our teens (13 & 18) all fabulous places. My 18 year olds definite favourite was Marrakech. We’re off to try Prague at Christmas

DemonsandMosquitoes · 21/07/2026 19:35

Have done nearly all these and Seville is my favourite by far.

chickencurry123 · 21/07/2026 19:43

Lisbon is amazing. We tend to favour Malaga for a short break. We much prefer it to Barcelona and it feels safer and less hectic. X

Brightvoyager · 23/07/2026 17:57

Agree with Malaga. We went last October, weather was gorgeous and loads to do.

palorina · 23/07/2026 18:13

Another vote for Malaga. Easy to get to, easy to travel to and from airport. Fab city with plenty of sights to see, a great marina area, and absolutely buzzing in all the tapas bars around the Cathedral area. And more! So nice really and very safe I found.

Also the opportunity of doing something adventurous like the Caminito del Rey, look it up, it is fantastic, but not for the faint hearted! Train from Maria Zambrano to El Chorro, check times and entry times. And/or a day trip to Granada to see the Alhambra. Can be done by coach or train. Book tickets in advance and remember to bring your passport, you won't get in without it!

There's so much choice in Europe, it really depends on what you're looking for!

parietal · 23/07/2026 18:24

Bruges is great on Eurostar.

suki1964 · 23/07/2026 18:33

Krakow

Totally easy to get to from the airport - train is about £3, but if it's a family then a Bolt ( Uber ) is cheap as chips. Download the Bolt app before you go and you get around 5 half price trips and you won't wait more then 2 mins at the airport

The whole of Krakow is totally walkable

So much to see and do and cheap as chips if you eat and drink away from the Square, although that's not dear when comparing to UK prices

We went October and had beautiful weather, I had put my winter coat on to travel in as it was minus three here that morning, by 11am, I was trying to stuff it in my carry on bag as I was melting. Went back in March - and froze .

The salt mines are a must for all the family. . A lot of people take in Auschwitz-Birkenau, I couldn't , but we walked out to the Krakow camp which was the setting for Schindlers List ( its demolished now - but its a huge memorial park and still very moving and interesting )

The Schindler factory is a great tour, nowt to do with Schindler, its the history of Krakow during the war years, very moving, very interesting

The castle , we did pay for entry , but it's a museum, we left after one paid tour. The grounds and are worth the visit

Krakow Zoo is supposed to be very good. A lot of older teens and young adults enjoy the shooting ranges

Food is amazing , and plenty of choices for veggies

Public transport is cheap, and clean. You buy your day ticket and just before your bus/tram/train arrives, you put it in the yellow machine to date and time stamp it . You do that the once and then just hop on and hop off at will . The trams are good

Dont just cross where you like, use the crossings, you can and will be fined on the spot

So far we have been twice, and we will return, as there is just so much to see and do , and the food is seriously delicious . We went to Prague last October and whilst we enjoyed our time, and again good food and even better beer, we preferred Krakow

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