Weekend City Breaks - Advice please!

xsarahloux

~~someday!~~
hiya gang,

totally off topic but just need some opinions please. The boyfriend and i are thinking of a weekend european city break in June.


last year we went to Paris and i LOVED it, so we're thinking of another one. Paris again is an option coz there is so much we didnt get chance to do, but also in the running:
Brussels, Bruges, Barcelona, Florence, Venice?? we'd love to do Rome but i want more than a weekend there, and i'd love new york or milan but seeing as i'll be all slim by then, i dont think my credit card could handle a fashion capital! Another reason i guess to avoid Paris!

has anyone been to any of these places? i'd love some opinions! (or alternatives!) xxx
 
I went to Brussels via Eurostar back in OCT 2006 and enjoyed it very much. Managed to get the trains + 4 nights in the Radisson SAS for £300 for 2... I still am convinced they made a mistake hehe.
 
Bruges is beautiful, and just about right for a long weekend. I found Brussels less interesting, but it's very pretty in winter.

Venice is fine for a short weekend break. There's little to do there for a whole week. It's quite smelly in the height of summer, though, so try to avoid July / August.

Florence is a beautiful city, and of particular interest if wandering around art galleries is right up your alley.

I've never been to Spain, so can't offer advice on any Spanish destinations.

Dublin is very pretty, and the travel time is short. Ideal for a two-night city break.

Berlin is... best avoided unless you really like shopping in glitzy Oxford Street-a-likes. Because most areas of Berlin which are away from Friedrichstraße are pretty damn daggy. Streets are littered with broken bottles, and grafitti is very popular. You know how most trains have stickers on the window saying "No smoking"? Berlin's have stickers saying "Do not throw bottles from the windows". Mmm!

Munich (and, by extension, Salzburg) are both incredibly beautiful, particularly in Winter. Perfect for a weekend getaway.

Other than that, a short break to NYC actually isn't too bad, price-wise, and there's certainly not enough in NY to keep most people there for a full week. Don't fear the fashion shopping, either - if you're willing to go further afield than Macy's there are plenty of cut price clothes stores which are even better value with a weak dollar.
 
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