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4-5 days away, short flight recommendation for child-free getaway?

Cloo

Cloo

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As son's year's usual epic 10-day school summer trip at end of Y6 has been ruled out (husband and i hoped to dump teenager on local family and make a long getaway), they'll only be away for Monday-Friday now, and I have to be back for the Friday evening anyway but we can probably get away the weekend before son goes if grandparents will have the kids, which one set probably can.

After 2 years of not travelling I feel a little spoiled for choice about where we might go so thought I'd open it up to the floor. Looking at short flight (or maybe Eurostar trip) from London - done south of France, Paris, sort of done Italy, Porto, all the big Spanish tourist cities, Prague, Bruges. Not done (together at least) Amsterdam, Lisbon or Dublin, which all come to mind. Probably looking at city, ideally lots of culture, no need for car. Not interested in beachers or sport. Great art collections a bonus.
 
Yeah, Copenhagen. Great place, but daftly expensive, unfortunately.
 
I was just thinking about Scandinavia, as it is somewhere we've hardly ever been (aside from Stockholm to see a friend of gsv's). Could drop in on Manter :D My only hesitancy is actually I think I might rather visit the country with the kids from all I've heard, but we could start with wonder wonder C'hagen...

I was looking at Iceland (even more expensive) but given husband's difficulty sleeping when it's light, maybe not such a great idea, and maybe more fun in winter.

We'll be going to Slovakia about a month before so probably not Eastern Europe, but am wondering about Croatia which, along with Lisbon, is one of those places that everyone I know who has been there has raved about.
 
I wondered about Malta, but it's the one place I know a few people have been a bit underwhelmed by so I'm not sure. People have said to me it's nice but it's really long-weekend material rather than longer than that.

Just been looking at Split - it might be nice to go somewhere like that because it's a less expensive place so we could probably splash out on a nicer hotel. We always stay in self-catering with the kids but when it's just us I usually prefer a hotel.
 
Cloo said:
I wondered about Malta, but it's the one place I know a few people have been a bit underwhelmed by so I'm not sure. People have said to me it's nice but it's really long-weekend material rather than longer than that.

Just been looking at Split - it might be nice to go somewhere like that because it's a less expensive place so we could probably splash out on a nicer hotel. We always stay in self-catering with the kids but when it's just us I usually prefer a hotel.
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I did 10 days in September. 5 days in Valletta and5 days on Gozo. There was loads of stuff we could have seen but didn’t in that time.
 
I'd recommend Doha but it's probably not that short a flight! Stayed 4 nights in souq waqif, very safe and enjoyable time despite the 50 degree heat.

Split was lovely from what I can remember from 1990!
 
Im in Madeira. It's great! If you could do a week it would be better. Theres lots of street art and cool eating out options in Funchal. And its warm and a great place to just be. It's a 3.5h flight but it wont be fucking miserable and cold like Denmark in winter.

Failing that, somewhere close and easy - Malaga. Or maybe Crete if you like Greece.

Split might be cool in a few months but in Winter the eastern med can be jolly cold miserable and depressing. I reckon better from April/May onwards.
 
Bilbao. Not a lot of flights to get there, but it’s a nice town. I’d advise bringing warm clothes because it isn’t a hot place, but there’s lots to do for a few days.
 
Riklet said:
Im in Madeira. It's great! If you could do a week it would be better. Theres lots of street art and cool eating out options in Funchal. And its warm and a great place to just be. It's a 3.5h flight but it wont be fucking miserable and cold like Denmark in winter.

Failing that, somewhere close and easy - Malaga. Or maybe Crete if you like Greece.

Split might be cool in a few months but in Winter the eastern med can be jolly cold miserable and depressing. I reckon better from April/May onwards.
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Malaga is my second favourite city.
 
Obviously I'm sponsored by the Maltese tourist board, but it tends to be the beachy side of Malta that underwhelms. A couple of days in the Valletta sunshine enjoying the Caravaggio and architecture might be up your street.

Alternatively everyone I know who has gone to Lisbon has raved about it. You've probably been as it's near Slovakia but Vienna?
 
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Berlin is freezing and pretty miserable in winter, restrictions are strict there and Germany will be increasingly rife with covid for the next month. Sod that! Id go in summer when it's more outdoorsy.

Malaga has a great art scene for sure and in terms of short flight and sinplicity it has to be the winner. But Crete has LOADS to do in terms of history and museums and outdoor places etc. Plus the people are so nice! Way way friendlier than I expected. I stayed in Heraklion and over on the east coast and it was great... the airport is a chaotic hellhole though and I wouldnt wanna get stuck there with covid.
 
Riklet said:
Berlin is freezing and pretty miserable in winter, restrictions are strict there and Germany will be increasingly rife with covid for the next month. Sod that! Id go in summer when it's more outdoorsy.

Malaga has a great art scene for sure and in terms of short flight and sinplicity it has to be the winner. But Crete has LOADS to do in terms of history and museums and outdoor places etc. Plus the people are so nice! Way way friendlier than I expected. I stayed in Heraklion and over on the east coast and it was great... the airport is a chaotic hellhole though and I wouldnt wanna get stuck there with covid.
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I think they are going in summer.
 
Copenhagen is wonderful, the light is stunning, it’s super easy and the Danes are so good at winter. Candles and blankets and gløgg….. and they have a British sense of humour too ;) And it’s easy,

But I am biased.
 
It will be in July., BTW

Riklet - one of my favourite holidays EVAH was Madeira when I was 9. My parents were pretty flush at the time and we stayed in a very, very posh hotel. I remember it being immaculately clean, and enjoying eating swordfish. And that village in the mountains where they push you down the cobbled hill in a sledge!

I love Berlin, but have been several times and not sure it's a place I'd do with just husband. I definitely want to do a family summer holiday to Germany one year as there's so much to see and British people don't really holiday there much. Might want to visit North/Danish border as our lovely former au pair lives in Flensburg and we'd like to see him again
 
Other ideas - not sure if you've counted these as south of France but - Lyon or Bordeaux, you could even go by train. Obviously, both are known for gastronomy, but have lots of other things to do.
 
Edie said:
Carcasonne (I just can’t spell this I’ve tried so many different ways) looks absolutely magical I would blimmin love to go there 😍
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That's one place I have in mind, though I do fancy going to a country I haven't been to before (or for ages).
 
Looby said:
I’d go to Finland and visit Moominland.
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I've been to Helsinki and Stockholm in July and they were amazing. Though maybe not for GSV's sleep problems.

Though if you went to Stockholm and stayed in the former prison we spent part of our trip in you don't get much light at night. And it's been adapted into a hotel in a way that acknowledges its history in a non-gauche way. You have to sleep on bunk beds for obvious reasons, but that might not be a bad thing.
 
Ah ok, summer. Copenhagen in July would be great IMO. I loved cycling round the city. Some cool museums and parks, even if it is pricy. I just screenshotted my friends bus pass and bunked the buses with it tbf....

What about Lisbon? I think youd love it. It's an amazing city with loads of art and stuff going on culturally. Plus good food and generally v affordable. Also pretty. And great weather in July. And easy to get to.
 
Cloo said:
I was just thinking about Scandinavia, as it is somewhere we've hardly ever been (aside from Stockholm to see a friend of gsv's). Could drop in on Manter :D My only hesitancy is actually I think I might rather visit the country with the kids from all I've heard, but we could start with wonder wonder C'hagen...

I was looking at Iceland (even more expensive) but given husband's difficulty sleeping when it's light, maybe not such a great idea, and maybe more fun in winter.

We'll be going to Slovakia about a month before so probably not Eastern Europe, but am wondering about Croatia which, along with Lisbon, is one of those places that everyone I know who has been there has raved about.
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I'd really recommend Dubrovnik, although Split is also lovely.
 
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