# Suggestions for 4 day probably city break early Sept!



## Luckycharm (4 Jun 2008)

I am looking to go away for 4 days early Sept probally Thurs- Sunday. I am looking for suggestions of somewhere different to go to that will not cost a fortune in flights.
Have been to most of the major cities - barcelona, paris, amsterdam, berlin, edinburgh, stockholm, brussels, rome, venice, Edinburgh, krackow. 
Was considering going back to Prague not been there in over 12 years - would like to go to Athens but flights (with aerlingus) quite expensive.

Anyone have any good suggestions open to anywhere on any airline from Dublin once not overly expensive- all advice welcome.


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## Red (4 Jun 2008)

*Re: Suggestions for 4 day probally city break early Sept!*

Bordeaux is lovely for a short break. Was there last September & the weather & city were fab. Very close to Biarritz which is worth a visit as well.


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## runner (4 Jun 2008)

*Re: Suggestions for 4 day probally city break early Sept!*

Nice is good.
Flights and access ryanair and aerlingus excellent.
Sept a good time to go as well.


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## dereko1969 (4 Jun 2008)

*Re: Suggestions for 4 day probally city break early Sept!*

lisbon? friends just back from there are raving about it


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## Red (4 Jun 2008)

*Re: Suggestions for 4 day probally city break early Sept!*

Yes - Lisbon sounds nice.
Last Saturdays Independent featured 48 hours in Lisnon in their weekly travel section


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## Perplexed (4 Jun 2008)

Lisbon is beautiful, so is Madrid. Salzburg is wonderful too & Seville. Budapest is quite reasonable too & a lovely city. 
How about Carcassonne ? Haven't been yet but it's next on my list !
There are lots of options open to you. I'd check out the flights first & then wait till late for hotels. You can get a better deal on hotels last minute.


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## gabsdot (4 Jun 2008)

What about Copenhagen. It's lovely. Expensive but really nice


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## sara:) (4 Jun 2008)

Budapest. Cheap ryanair flights & meant to be really nice.


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## tribal (5 Jun 2008)

florence


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## Seamu$ (5 Jun 2008)

*Re: Suggestions for 4 day probally city break early Sept!*



Red said:


> Bordeaux is lovely for a short break. Was there last September & the weather & city were fab. Very close to Biarritz which is worth a visit as well.


I was just looking at going to Bordeaux for 4 days as well....know very little about it though. Any tips Red? Can you recommend any good hotels? Is it best to stay in city centre...many of the hotels seem to be 4 or 5km out. Is it easy to get around, get to Biarritz etc. without hiring a car? Thanks in advance!


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## Red (5 Jun 2008)

Hi Seamus

Bordeaux is fab. Good choice. Most of city center is cobblelock & narrow street ways so perfect for travelling on foot or on the trams which go everywhere.
Avoid booking hotels near the main train station Gare St Jean. As with all major european cities it is a magnet for undesirables. 
The main tourist areas are along the quais, esplanade des quinconces, grand theatre.
Bordeaux is well served by a brilliant tram network. Very easy & cheap to travel around the city & runs late enough into the night. Can get cheap all day passes etc.We were over for the Rugby WC so picked our hotel close to the stadium. 

Stayed in NOVOTEL BORDEAUX CENTRE on Cours du Marechal Juin. 
Nice hotel, restaurant not so great but as you are so close to city center we didn't mind. The nearest tram stop is seconds away. The Connemara Irish pub is a 3 minutes walk & city center less than a 10 minute walk if you were feeling energertic.
You can get a tram straight to the main train station & catch a train to Biarritz. Takes aprox 2 hours

Worth checking out www.bordeaux-tourisme.com to get more information & maps etc
 link to city center map below
[broken link removed]


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## BOXtheFOX (5 Jun 2008)

Have a look at Rennes in France with Aer Lingus. Visit Dinan and St. Malo on day trips.
Have a look at Friedrichshafen with Ryanair and visit Meersburg and Lindau and take a trip on Lake Constance.
Have a look at San Sebastian with flights to Bilbao. An hour away by coach for about €5. Matbe also spend a night in Bilbao on way home.
Spend a couple of nights in Lubeck with Ryanair and visit Hamburg with lots of shopping therapy.
Visit Grenoble with Ryanair, spend a couple of nights. Visit Annecy by train and spend a night there, then back via Grenoble.


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## Luckycharm (5 Jun 2008)

Perplexed said:


> Lisbon is beautiful, so is Madrid. Salzburg is wonderful too & Seville. Budapest is quite reasonable too & a lovely city.
> How about Carcassonne ? Haven't been yet but it's next on my list !
> There are lots of options open to you. I'd check out the flights first & then wait till late for hotels. You can get a better deal on hotels last minute.


 
Some very good suggestions- I have been to Bordeaux, biarritz, rennes and don't really want to go to france. Friends were in Nice and Cophenhagen - both said they were very expensive - neither really appeal to me at the moment. 
Where is Carcassone exactly, looked at flights to Seville but not too many flights and were expensive. 
Never thought of Salzburg so might look at that and have heard good things about Lisbon - been to the Algarve once which was OK but not really into package holidays. Could not find any direct flights to Florence as would love to go there- bar Ryanair and Aerlingus what other cheapish airlines fly out of Dublin? 
Heard good stories about Lake Como in Northern Italy is there an airport near there?
Aerlingus don't fly to Salzburg at that time and ryanair very little.
Have heard mixed stories about Budapest is it worth the visit?


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## BOXtheFOX (5 Jun 2008)

You need to get a map out or do a bit of Googling.

Carcassonne is in France  _"don't really want to go to France"_
Ryanair fly to Pisa "_Florence would love to go there"._ 
Sorted.


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## Seamu$ (5 Jun 2008)

Thanks a million Red, that's great info, definately sounds nice!


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## Brianne (5 Jun 2008)

UTV had Wish you were here, Now and Then on tonight and looked at Lisbon now and in 1974. It looked fantastic and ideal for a short break, combining city and the beach which was a short distance away by public transport. They mentioned that you can get a 3 Euro ticket that allows you to take lots of different trams and as a tourist the no 28 is the one that will take you to all the spots worth seeing. Between shopping, museums, churches and the beach it looked fabulous.


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## Colblimp (5 Jun 2008)

Forget all that, just come to the REAL capital of ireland - Cork!


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## amtc (5 Jun 2008)

Been lucky enough to do most of europe for work and would recommend - 

Lisbon - lovely feel, culture gorgeous and great shoes. v cheap.
Rekjavik - absolutely amazing - all four seasons in the one day.
Budapest - loved it, lots to see and do, and such a contrast between Buda and Pest...funicular and baths a must.
Vienna - a real Christmas paradise with chestnut sellers etc. 

Funnily enough, not mad about usuals (Paris, Rome etc.)

However, and strangely, despite having been there lots for work, I LOVED Brussels for a holiday. Great nightlife once you know where to look and has the advantage of a mini Europe park so you could be anywhere!


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## Hillsalt (5 Jun 2008)

Colblimp said:


> Forget all that, just come to the REAL capital of ireland - Cork!



Not as warm as Barcelona but more expensive than Copenhagen. Mind you, it's hard to get someone to speak English but this is compensated for by the local beer which is lovely.


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## Perplexed (5 Jun 2008)

Salzburg is mostly a place to go in Winter with lots of skiing close by. It can be quite reasonable to visit off season. Ryanair fly from Dublin.
Lots of beautiful scenery with mountains & lakes. I visited the Eagles Nest - Hitlers mountain retreat -  while there & it's well worth a visit. Lots of delicious apple strudel !

Ryanair fly to Pisa which is near Florence.....

Lisbon I would heartily recommend. I was not very enthusiastic about going there in the first place but came back a convert. You can take day trips to Caiscais a lovely stylish seaside resort  & Sintra which is a beautiful old world town  where the royals had a palace for their holidays. Lisbon is the exact opposite of your package holiday.  You can walk through the old Jewish quarter called Alfama Visit the Geronimus monastery where they have the tomb of Vasco da Gama. The monument to the discoveries is magnificient. The Silver Coast is not near as touristy as the Algarve.

I love Budapest & the weather can be quite pleasant in September. It's quite reasonable too. Do a search here & you'll find lots of info on it.

Scrap the idea of Carcassonne if you don't want France !

Another idea is to get a flight to Frankfurt (boring city !) but you can get a train to Heidelberg which is really lovely. It's like something from a fairytale.

Happy travels.....the research is part of the fun !


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## samm (6 Jun 2008)

alicante city is a nice place,beach and port there.its a big destination for spanish tourists so its not at all like the usual resorts with your typical irish and english  bars.some nice restuarants and hotels in the city and only 15 mins from airport,would go back tomorrow.

went to lake como last year,unbelievable views but got bored after  about 3 days(stayed in bellagio)you can fly to milan or bergamo, each about an hour from the lake.bergamo is a cool city much nicer than milan.


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## Owen Coyle (6 Jun 2008)

I'd recommend Scotland. hows about Edinburgh you can fly with Ryanair.


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## Luckycharm (6 Jun 2008)

Perplexed said:


> Salzburg is mostly a place to go in Winter with lots of skiing close by. It can be quite reasonable to visit off season. Ryanair fly from Dublin.
> Lots of beautiful scenery with mountains & lakes. I visited the Eagles Nest - Hitlers mountain retreat - while there & it's well worth a visit. Lots of delicious apple strudel !
> 
> Ryanair fly to Pisa which is near Florence.....
> ...


 
Thanks there are some great suggestions - I am liking the Sound of Lisbon have heard good things. 
Heidelberg sounds very interesting - how far from Frankfurt is it- only been in Frankfurt airport a few times. 
Have quite a small timeframe so Salzburg due to flights is out- maybe another time.
Agree re Edinburgh my favourite city in the Uk but been there a few times.

My own suggestion to others- of places I have been is Krackow- wonderful city, beautiful, cheap, great nightlife, loads to do, Auswitz and Salt mines not far away, castle in city etc and lots of cheap flights there.


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## Perplexed (6 Jun 2008)

Heidelberg is over an about an hour & a half by train if memory serves me correctly & the more rapid train is quite expensive.

I would have suggested Krakow if you hadn't already been. I was there last Nov. Got flights for €20 & a hotel for €200 for 5 nts. Everything was so cheap incl train from airport - hotel only 5min walk from station & main sq about 10min walk. It was freezing but that only added to the beauty of it & the bleakness of Auschwitz. It was one of my cheapest holidays ever !


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## babaduck (6 Jun 2008)

Lisbon is absolutely gorgeous - one of the nicest breaks we've ever had and it is incredibly good value.  Second choice for me would be Budapest


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## miselemeas (8 Jun 2008)

Just returned from 4 days in Madrid and can recommend it highly - such a vibrant city, impressive architecture and art, great food at realistic prices, open air Sunday markets, fantastic night life and music, top class shopping including fab shoes and bags, plenty to see and do. The hop-on-off bus is a great way to get around all the main sights.

If you go, be sure to take a day trip to either (or both) Toledo and Segovia. Only problem (as in most big cities) appears to be pickpockets. Public transport is very easy to use and the weather in September should be very good - usually in the mid to late 20s at that time.


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## Perplexed (8 Jun 2008)

Yes, Madrid is a beautiful city & often overlooked. If you're into art at all you're spoiled for choice with the Prado, the Reina Sofia  & the Thyssen, all well worth a look.

Segovia is really charming with Queen Isabella's home that is reputed to be the model for Disney's castle. Toledo is also very interesting.....

You're spoiled for choice so whichever flights are the cheapest I'd go for.


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## CN624 (9 Jun 2008)

I'd recommend Baden Baden and the Black Forest region.


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