European City Break Bargains (websites?)

Ay Cee

Hey everyone,
I've checked the usual places including the sites in the sticky.
Myself and the g/f are looking to head somewhere around October. Dates and locations are flexible. Was kind of hoping to get some sort of "bargain" on one of the travel sites and let that dictate where we go. Was at it for hours last night and we're still no wiser as to where to go.

I thought there'd be banner ads all over the sites, 3 nights, flights & accommodation for €...

If any body has booked anything like this from a site or could recommend one I'd appreciate it.

Thanks all.

kim_eire

kingbreaks.ie or lastminute.ie, i find these good and got a bargain once or twice on them!

P. Breathnach

I very rarely buy packages now, as it is almost always cheaper to put a programme together yourself.

Step 1: Find a cheap return fare to some place that looks interesting.
Step 2: Go to Tripadvisor.ie to find accommodation at your budget level.

Ay Cee

Yeah Trip Advisor is a must alright.
The truth is we don't know where we want to go.
We were looking at the packages as more guidelines, see their price and then check it out ourselves.

Any one any city recommendations? Been to Amsterdam twice and I LOVE it! Not for the usual reasons people love Amsterdam. I just love the "attitude" and pace (likely a result of the obvious reason people love it:D ) of the place.

I know Prague is getting popular but at the same time that's kind of one of the things that would put me off. Stag/ Hen parties, is it a City akin to Temple Bar at the weekend?

Some of the places we were looking at were Copenhagen, Barcelona/ Madrid or any thing else of interest?

Ms Inquisitive

I'd recommend Barcelona!

There's plenty of stuff to do and the city is amazing!

I'm not into architecture or anything but you can't help but be amazed when you see this city!

spurious

Krakow is a nice spot - plenty to do and see, lots of people who speak English, cheap prices.

Ay Cee

Krakow Spurious? Really?
Have to say that wouldn't have been one to spring immediately to mind. But I've no problem going off the beaten track

Ms Inquisitive I'd be into architecture from a photography POV so that's one to consider.

Thanks for the replies folks. Keep 'em coming.

spurious

We'd a great time in Krakow - we got a cheap Aer Lingus flight and stayed in a place just off the main square.

We visited Auschwitz/Birkenau - I realise this isn't fun fun, but it's a place everyone should see. You certainly won't forget it. On another visit I got to see the Wieliczka mines which are extraordinary.
Wieliczka Salt Mines

I think it's a nice place for a weekend break - I'm hoping to go back there at Easter and try out my beginner's Polish - god help them all.

P. Breathnach

Krakow is on my list of future targets. I think the track there is becoming well-beaten.

My guess is that if you liked Amsterdam and you like architecture, you would enjoy Budapest. It's fairly laid-back and offers great value for money.

Lisbon is also a good short-visit destination -- again, some great buildings.

Have a look at some of my experiences (text-only, go elsewhere for pictures) at http://www.iol.ie/~draoi

ibh

Arrowtours.ie do some good trips. Went to Copenhagen in May with them. It is absolutely fab. Pretty expensive if u stick to the main street bars and restaurants but hit the latin quarter and side streets and it's relatively cheap.
Would be wary of cheap deals to places like Oslo cause it is so expensive to eat, drink etc, it really bumps up the cost of your holiday. I would recommend Krakow, for the above reasons. Also Riga or Talinn, really great cities with friendly people and cheap everything. Or try Slovenia or somewhere like that, Ljubliana and Lake Bled are really nice, although i'm not sure about direct flights to there from Ireland.
If you have ****loads of cash to spend then maybe Reykjavik in Iceland. V expensive i've heard, but getting more popular.