Our favourite city breaks

There are loads of things to be loved about a city break, the convenience of a short flight, the need to not sacrifice any of your holidays when heading away for a quick weekend, and of course the price! With the number of city break deals in the market growing week on week, we have picked some of our favourite locations to visit and the rest is up to you.

So where to begin, for me its always at the start. However in travel its often method which takes you to the beginning and impulse which lands you somewhere in the middle, mid-adventure without recollection of the build up and how you got there. So, in this case, the start is Rome. The eternal city is packed with hundreds of things to see and do, and when its baked in the Italian summer it really is an irresistible place. Despite being a trip for the art, literature and design savvy, there is something nostalgic about Rome, even if you haven’t visited before, it tastes of ice cream and gelato whilst offering romantic evenings and fine dining aplenty. Nowhere else can you feel so captivated by the historical forces at work, in Rome every street has been walked before, every live has been lived and words have been spoken, yet it has become such a unique location that each place you visit allows you to write your own story. Personal advice to enjoy a trip to Rome to the fullest would be, look up. I mean at every single opportunity, fully scope the wholeness of the magnificent architecture and allow the subtle nuances of the Italian air to fully control your senses.

When picking a city break, we would also suggest looking at popularity and current trends and that being said, the next place you simply must visit is Lisbon. Fans of the Portuguese capital seem to be doubling year on year and once you’ve been, you’ll totally understand why. With ageing cobbled streets leading you on a treasure hunt for all the delicacies of Lisbon, you will soon find yourself as in love with this extremely pretty city as we are. The pastel painted houses light up during the day and are just one of the many lovable features of this city, and once the night beings to eat at the seams of the clear Portuguese sky it’s difficult to find comparisons to the wonderful Lisbon sunsets. For a busy city you’ll struggle to find anyone who seems to be even remotely in a rush, and this is part of the charm. Our advice would be to avoid the heart of summer as once it hits 35 degrees, the hustle bustle of the streets can become overwhelming and it becomes difficult to navigate around the city.

For the budget conscious we would never look beyond beautiful Budapest. It’s grand and dramatic in a way that no other city could recreate. An architectural pleasure for all those who like to wander and fully appreciate the elegance of this great city, while offering brilliant food and drink at a fantastically affordable price. Originally two cities either side of the Danube, the cities of Buda and Pest are equally as fantastic and are now joined by a number of fantastic bridges and crossings. There is far too much to take in to simply visit Budapest once, but then again that’s a perfect reason to return. From relaxing in the thermal baths to eating Goulash at the Opera House, you can do traditional Hungary on a budget and that’s just the start of your Budapest adventure. Our advice would be to engage as much as you can with Hungarian tradition, it is, after all, experiences out of your comfort zone which you remember the most.

The final destination on our list is Barcelona. For a city littered with homely Spanish tradition, Barcelona really is a melting pot of culture. From the architectural works of Gaudi to the sporting home of one of the most recognisable football teams in the world, here basking in the Spanish summer weather is a city so diverse that it must be experienced to be believed. Firstly, it’s true, you could walk forever in Barcelona without ever feeling like you’ve actually reached your destination, with tall buildings reaching into the sky in every direction and small high-end boutiques at their feet, it really is easy to lose your way. However, in Barcelona we trust. You can feel the pride of this city, just by wandering through its fantastic streets, the fanatical Catalans will be as welcoming as any locals you are likely to come across. Our top-tips for visiting the city would be, firstly, bring spending money as the luxurious goods in Barcelona look twice as good as they do at home, partly due to the weather and partly the sangria! Secondly do not miss the Sagrada Familia, not like you would in the first place, but standing in awe of one of the greatest architectural masterpieces in the world is something that isn’t replicable anywhere else in the world.

For fantastic prices on all city breaks simply give us a call and we will do all we can to facilitate your needs and create a bespoke city for your family.