A STRAIGHT TALKING NEW ZEALAND LIFESTYLE BLOG

May 17, 2013

Alternative City Breaks in Europe

After doing an afternoon tea staycation post earlier this week, I thought I needed to do a post on some destinations a little bit further afield so let me introduce you to some alternative city breaks in Europe to take in the coming months.

Marseille, France

France’s second largest city; once deemed a city to avoid,  it’s now one of France’s best kept secrets.  It’s such a delightful city to visit and the pastel colour streets and beautiful architecture will make you fall in love with Marseille.  You can read my City Break to Marseille post by clicking right here and my second visit to Marseille right here.

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Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

A great little destination for a quickie break if you are struggling with time and a great place to take the kids if you are travelling with them the first time. Luxembourg City is compact, doesn’t have all the hordes of tourists seen in the more popular city break destinations, green and ever so child friendly.  You can read my City Break to Luxembourg post by clicking right here.

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Porto, Portugal

The city of Porto has been on my wish list for a number of years and after reading Elle’s posts on the destination last year here and here I was desperate to visit.  You can read my city guide to Porto here.

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Krakow, Poland

This Polish city has so much to offer that I would suggest extending it from a quick weekend break to spending at least 4 nights in the city to visit all the incredible sights the city has to offer. A day trip to the Salt Mines and Auschwitz is a must.  You can read my City Break to Krakow post by clicking right here.

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Athens, Greece

I’m not sure why Athens isn’t a more popular city break destination; it has so much to offer. From incredible historic sights, amazing museums, fabulous shoe shopping and don’t even get me started on the food. The flying time is just under four hours however don’t let this put you off as the extra time spent on the plane is so worth it!  You can read my City Break to Athens post by clicking right here.

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Verona, Italy

The city of love; is this Europe’s most romantic city? Shakespeare set Romeo and Juliet in fair Verona and the city makes a perfect city break destination as it’s small and compact. If you’re visiting during summer than try and get tickets to the Opera that is played in the Arena (Roman Amphitheatre).  You can read my City Break to Verona post by clicking right here.

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Amsterdam, The Netherlands

I’m adding Amsterdam to my alternative city break list as the city is shedding it’s dirty drug / sex image and becoming a luxury city break hot spot. If you’re an art lover, this city is the perfect destination for a quickie city break (excuse the pun).  You can read my City Break to Amsterdam post by clicking right here.

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Dusseldorf, Germany

Most city breakers head to Berlin and Munich if wishing to visit Germany however I’m going to suggest Dusseldorf. The city offers incredible shopping however if you are keen on heading to the Christmas Markets, fly into Dusseldorf, visit the markets there and then jump on the train for the short journey to visit the bigger Christmas Market in Cologne.  You can read my City Break to Dusseldorf post by clicking right here.

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Vienna, Austria

If you eat a lot of cake and base your holidays around this requirement then let me recommend a visit to Vienna; the home to so much cake that you will possibly need to buy two seats on the return flight back home! The city is just stunning and I would return in an instant as I found three nights wasn’t enough to enjoy this delightful city break destination.  You can read my City Break to Vienna post by clicking right here or my Gluttons Guide to Eating Cake in Vienna post.

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Split, Croatia

Don’t overlook this beautiful Adriatic city; the city has so much to offer and there is nothing more beautiful than sitting in Diocletians Palace on a balmy summers evening having dinner. The city is so much cheaper to travel to than Dubrovnik and I would high recommend trying to rent an apartment in the Old Town to really enjoy your stay.  You can read my Split vs Dubrovnik post by clicking right here.

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What was your favourite City Break destination? Where would you recommend visiting for an alternative city break in Europe?

xx

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