Where to go for a really nice short birthday break?

[Thepeopleversuswork]

I've got a significant birthday coming up and DP has offered to take me away on a short break.

Looking for some recommendations on places people have been for one to two nights which they have been really bowled over by.

I'm ideally looking for somewhere reachable with a short plane journey (UK and Ireland, western Europe fine but not longhaul). Also relatively affordable (not more than about £500-600 for everything). I've been to most European capitals, happy to go again but know Rome and Paris pretty well so looking for something a bit different. Also very open to interesting UK cities. I'm in London so probably not somewhere in the South East as it doesn't feel that different.

Ideally a quick city break in a nice city and dinner in a lovely restaurant with nothing much on the agenda except eating and wandering.

Or ‘celebrity’ luxury. https://www.grantleyhall.co.uk/

Alnwick? Plenty of nice stuff around there for a weekend.

Siena - very beautiful, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Edinburgh, Bamborough.

Antwerp or Le Touquet

drive or get the train to Portsmouth, board the overnight ferry and wake up in St Malo at 8am on Saturday morning. if you drive there is a car park at the ferry port for long stay. St in the walled city St Malo, walk around the old wall over looking the city and the sea. Fabulous French restaurants and seafood. There are beaches, places to eat. Catch the 10 minute ferry to Dinard and have a gentle walk.

you'd be looking at £331 for the ferry and cabin on Friday return Sunday morning

The ibis in the historic part of St Malo inside the city walls is about £171 for the night

£30 for the car to be stored at the port

£100 for dinner on Saturday evening

I took DH to Bologna for his 60th, @Thepeopleversuswork I think we flew from Gatwick, and we stayed here. It was a fabulous little hotel within the city walls in the University district. I'd definitely go back !
https://www.casabertagni.it/

Budapest.

Or in uk…
Rye (Kent)
Stamford (Lincolnshire)

Rye is gorgeous.

Edinburgh or Bath

You don't say which airports you'd use but obviously cheap flights at sensible times are an important factor.

Skyscanner is good for this, put your dates in and everywhere as a destination and see what comes up.

Poland is very affordable and Gdansk is lovely. Plus there's train connections to the city and the nearby coast. Wroclaw is another unexpected gem, plus Krakow is a more obvious option.

Malaga, Alicante, Girona or Valencia are also great and can be a lower cost option.

Porto is lovely and would be great for a couple of nights.
We are just back from Embleton in Northumberland. You can walk along the English coastal path from there are there are lots of great pubs to stop off in. Or you can visit Alnwick. Beadnell is another lovely village nearby .

Northcote in clitheroe.

Avignon. Eurostar to Paris, then TGV.
I had dinner at a wonderful restaurant called Acte 2.

We had a great weekend in Oxford. Stayed at the Malmaison which was previously Oxford Jail. There are 2 theatres so you could go & see a show. Nice restaurants. Loads of things to do and see. Quite atmospheric at night.

I'm not sure about going anywhere which involves a flight - you could spend a lot of time just on the travel.
Completely random but what about somewhere like Lincoln?
History, good places to eat, the Usher Gallery (check when open according to your dates).
Small enough to walk everywhere.
Similarly Norwich.

Most of the mini break travelling!

I’d go for Southwold, lovely walks along the promenade and pier, walk over to Walberswick too, catch the boat back if operating. Lots of nice pubs, places to eat great little shops too.

Have you considered West Wales?

Belfast , wonderful city

Seville

Alghero , Sardinia.
Copenhagen.
Biarritz.

I'd go on sky scanner, look at the cheapest flights and then go there after a quick google to check the destination is suitable , I've had several cheap mini breaks doing that .

I also only take hand luggage

Venice, we went in January, freezing cold but sunny the whole time. Flights were dirt cheap as was our lovely Airbnb. Small, walkable, no cruise ships at that time of year, creepy in a Don’t Look Now sort of way but actually felt very safe!

Another vote for Málaga I think it's really underrated as a city break and not expensive to eat out etc. Utrecht in the Netherlands is nice it's sort of less touristy Amsterdam and therefore but cheaper... You can get the train from Schiphol