5 Weekend City Break Ideas in Europe

The ideal way to maximize on a free weekend would be to spend it exploring any one of the several beautiful cities of Europe. Here are some of the best places to do so –

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

What makes Amsterdam the perfect place for a city break is that it is a city full of humorous and ironic combinations. The city has a lot of old architecture situated right next to modern buildings and local restaurant serving Dutch delicacies right next to hip coffee shops. A fair amount of the day can be spent exploring the wonderful canals of the city. There is good reason why Amsterdam is called the “the Venice of Northern Europe”. The best time to visit Amsterdam is around June or August because the weather is warmer and there is an abundance of daylight to spend the day biking around the city. Picnics in green spaces like the Vondelpark are the ideal way to spend a Saturday morning. If you’re visiting in winter then Amsterdam has some amazing Christmas markets.

Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is unparalleled when it comes to variety. Get your taxi from Barcelona Airport directly to see the Sagrada Famillia and the Port Aventura adventure park; the perfect way to spend your first day. On top of that, the city offers a wonderful eating and drinking culture which is really easy to get immersed into. The Barcelona climate is famous for being perfectly warm throughout the year and for sports fans, a weekend means there is great football happening at Camp Nou almost throughout the year. Exploring Catalonian culture is a great way to spend the day.

Braga, Portugal

Braga in Portugal is a relatively young metropolitan with its fair share of ancient roots. The Manueline and Baroque buildings which date back to 16th century certainly makes the city a sight to behold.  There are stunning cathedrals and forts all around the city.

London, The UK

Be it a round of golf on some of the best golf courses in the world or going to watch a football match in one of the city’s several football stadiums or taking a historical trip in the Westminster Abbey or the Royal Palace – the possibilities for a visitor in London are limitless. This diverse city is full of exciting places, historical sites and memorable activities. The only downside may be that there simply is too much to do for one to tick all the boxes only in one weekend. The best way to ensure you see everything is by booking your tours in advance. This way you’ll be guaranteed to see all the sights you’re interested in, and find out heaps of fascinating information too.

Valletta, Malta

Valletta in Malta is a tourist friendly city with reasonably priced hotels and exceptional sight-seeing spots such as the 16th-century high baroque cathedral of Saint John’s and the renowned megalithic temples of Malta. For folks who appreciate sunshine, Malta is perfect as it is unclouded throughout the year which expedites the growth of its exceptional and wild flora and fauna. Discovering the ancient treasures of La Valletta and the thriving flora and fauna on the isle of Gozo is a great way to spend the weekend.

These cities all have their own charm. All of them are must visits for people looking to spend an unforgettable weekend.

Andy Higgs
Andy Higgs

I know what it's like to go from being a crazy backpacker without a care in the world, via being a vaguely sensible parent to being an adventurer once more. In other words, evolving into a Grown-up Traveller.

Like everyone else, I love to travel, have visited a lot of countries and all that but my big thing is Africa.

I also own and run The Grown-up Travel Company as a travel designer creating personalised African itineraries for experienced adventurers

Articles: 1336

One comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.