What was your favourite city break in Europe - and why ? What is there to see n do ? Looking for ideas !!?

Answer 1

Florence is absolutely beautiful, but definitely would recommend that you take a guided tour in whichever city you decide to visit.
We did 2 Mediterranean cruises, on one we took all the guided tours and thoroughly enjoyed these and on the other we took none and were bored silly and missed out on boatloads (get the pun. lol)

Answer 2

Firstly, I agree with Milly - use the guides! You will appreciate everything so much more.

But I was disappointed with Florence. Unless you like renaissance art, in which case you could spend a day or more in the Uffizi gallery, and you'll find the original "David" is in the Galleria (I think).

Rome is a must-see at some time in your life - and there is a lot to see - St. Peter's in the Vatican is breathtaking!

Venice - hmmm, it's different, so worth seeing, but a bit overrated (inho).

Amsterdam - agreed! Compact enough, friendly enough, art galleries if you want them, and some real eye-openers!

MADRID would be my personal recommendation - soooo lively in the evenings, great restaurants and bars, again, world-class art if you want, splendid architecture and history, the oldest restaurant in the world and excellent public transport, especially the underground. We went in May and the weather was perfect, but apparently it bakes in the summer.

PARIS - How come nobody else has mentioned it?! Masses to do and see there - the cuisine is hugely overrated, though (imho).

Copenhagen - beautiful and compact city centre. The Tivoli gardens have an old-fashioned charm, with a wide choice of eateries. A daytrip up the coast to Helsingborg was an unexpected delight.

Geneva - smaller and less to do, but the Lake is beautiful, and the city feels so safe to wander around.

Vienna - nice architecture and all that, but we had the feeling that it was closed! Worth going out of town to the big tower, where you can have your Wiener Schnitzel gazing at the panoramic views of city and country from the revolving restaurant.

Answer 3

Berlin provides an eclectic mixture of new and common architecture, powerful leisure, buying, and a wide selection of activities and cultural institutions and if you wish to see it then that hotelbye is the area to start. A few of the points you can see listed below are: the Old Museum, the National Gallery, the Bode Museum, Old National Gallery or, the image of Germany, the Berlin Wall. That wall began his living in 1961 when East Germany covered down the western area of the city to stem the flood of refugees from east to west. By enough time it was split down in 1989, the 4 meter high wall and 155 kilometres long, dissected 55 streets, and possessed 293 remark towers and 57 bunkers. Today, only little stretches with this graffiti-covered travesty stay, including a 1.4-kilometer grow preserved within the Berlin Wall Memorial, a chilling memory of the animosity that once separated Europe.

Answer 4

For me, it's Amsterdam every time. Not only does it have all of the usual attractions - everything from 'art' to 'zoo', a good transport system - trams, buses, Metro (oh, and just a few boats!) it, for me, has that magic "atmosphere" that I really can't put into words. As well as that, it's so central that you can reach loads of other places in The Nederlands ("Holland" is only really not much more than a province of Ned) within two hours at the most, and if you're there for longer than a couple of days you can 'do' places in Belgium and Germany by train in not much more.
Go to the Nederland Tourist Office here and they'll give you all the info you want, and they'll even flog you cheap 'all-day/all transport' tickets for one or more days at very reasonable rates. If I sound like a publicist for The Ned, I'm not - it's just that I love the place - and the people nearly all speak English too.

Answer 5

Must be Dublin. I now need to go once a year to release any tensions! It is an affordable holiday for any budget and one for any age group. The people are very friendly and the town is becoming more multicultural. I use the cheap and effective public transport system to travel in and out of town or out to the beaches.
There are great places to eat, drink and be merry throughout the city and county. By the way, seafood is a major recommendation for any fancy meals you wish to spoil yourself with: try the oysters down in Malahide (Coastal town at end of DART system). If you fancy a bit of organised Dublin drinking there are plenty of themed pub crawls - my favourite is the James Joyce one but another classic is the Irish Rock one.
You should take in the original theatre at the Gate and Abbey as they often feature works by reknowned Irish writers or up and coming. I always enjoy a visit to Trinity University for a wander and you can visit the beautifully illustrated Book of Kells here. I also love to take a stroll around the St Stephen's Green area and Georgian area of Dublin as it is very classy. The city centre is full of museum, galleries and historic sites...and plenty are worth a visit. Lots of brand shops have been developed in the Abbey Street area over the last few years which add to those on Grafton Street.
If staying in Dublin I prefer to stay a few stops out of town - only costs a couple of euros by taxi/train and allows me to be near the sea too...but I like the best of both worlds. I usually choose to stay in a hotel near Lansdowne rugby stadium...but never during the season!

Answer 6

Berlin, most definitely.

Berlin has certainly changed over the years. It is the old world meeting the new world, both meshing in perfect harmony. You will have on one side the Brandenburg Gate with the new Holocaust Memorial that is quite stirring indeed.

Not far from that, though, you'll have the Alexanderplatz and the two gigantic statues of Marx and Engels.

This is so obviously a city so comfortable with its idiosyncrasies, its present and its past, that it's really hard to beat.

Not to mention the nightlife! Berlin for me at any time.

Answer 7

Vienna is just a town with a very high standard of living, a feature that's extremely appreciated by the countless visitors who come to the Austrian capital and you also may be one at the least for a few days, discover how with hotelbye . A number of the places must-see from Vienna are: the St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Chapels of St. Eligius, St Tirna, and St. Catherine and South Tower or Schönbrunn Palace. Schönbrunn Palace is a place worth visiting not merely because of its spectacular architecture, but additionally for its wonderful park-like setting. That Baroque palace contains significantly more than 1,441 areas and apartments, including these when used by Empress Maria Theresa. Schönbrunn Park and Gardens is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Answer 8

If you're buying a family vacation areas then Madrid is the town and that hotelbye is the area to start. Your children may only adore Madrid because there are enough theme parks, zoos and expeditions to keep them entertained for weeks. In Madrid you will also discover a number of the famous place on earth like: Alcalá Gate, el ground de baseball Santiago Bernabéu, la Plaza España Square and significantly more. Madrid also offers areas wherever you can get socked with lifestyle, areas like: Thyssen Museum or Archaeological Museum. In few phrases: Madrid is just a town that has many exciting places to exhibit it.

Answer 9

London. It was amazing- sooo much to do, you couldn't do it all in 10 years. The museums are amazing-seriously. And the clubs and restaurants are varied and really good if you find the right ones. The shops are great too and there is always some sort of festival or enertainment or exhibition on. Lots of sights to see too, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, crown jewels, and don't forget the squirrels in Green Park. It's just great, such a vibrant place.

Answer 10

Dubrovnik. Old walled 12th century town almost perfectly preserved. Rock cliffs, dive 50-60 feet into amazingly blue Adriatic waters. Night life - dancing, techno, jazz. Outstanding restuarants at great prices. Shopping. Bombed by the Serbs one night with over a thousand rounds. Very nice people.
Mild temperatures with low humidity.
My wife and I loved Venice and Garmich but Dubrovnik is my favorite.

Crotone Italy
Katakolos Greece
Catania Sicily
La Maddalena Sardegna
Toulon France
Isles of Capri or Ischia, Bay of Naples
(if you get towards Asia minor -- Askaz Turkey)

Answer 11

Cologne (aka Köln) Germany, and from there a train southward along the Rhein river to see castles and the famous Lorelei spot.

In Köln is the famous Cathedral, which will take your breath away, some cool museums, and nearby there are castles all along the Rhein river. If you go at the right time, you can see the Karneval festival/parade.
Also, remember that in Germany anywhere you will find great food and beer, but along the Rhein you will also find great wines!