European City Break For My Parents

lippy11

Hi Guys,

I want to get a city break for my parents as a gift for Christmas so I am looking for some ideas from others
My parents are both in their early 50's. They haven't travelled overly much. They came to visit us in Aus this year and other than that they have just done sun holidays to Spain/Lanzarote. They've also made a trip to Prague about 4 years ago.

I want them to do a little bit more travelling now and experience some other cultures, countries etc.

Can anyone recommend a good city destination for them? Somewhere that is easy for them to get around maybe?
I've crossed out London and Paris! Have been looking at Lisbon and Berlin. Suppose, somewhere ideally withing 2 - 2 & half hours flight from Dublin and it will be for 3 nights - probably a Fri, Sat and Sun night.

If anyone has any suggestions/experiences I would love to hear them!

Thanks heaps

zagmund

It *really* depends on what they are in to, so you'll need to give some hints. Have they expressed an interest in this sort of break or are you trying to travel Europe vicariously via them?

I would vote for Berlin or Barcelona, but I don't know what they are in to.

z

lippy11

zagmund wrote: »

\ Have they expressed an interest in this sort of break or are you trying to travel Europe vicariously via them?

\

Hi Zagmund,

They have not expressed any interest, this will a surprise for them. I don't think I'm trying to travel Europe vicariously through them - I just want to get my parents a nice break away as a treat for them.. Get them away from the norm! And for them to maybe get bitten by the travel bug and maybe it will entice them to do a little more travelling of their own in the future.

My mam likes shopping. My dad likes walking. They both have an interest in history. They like eating out and enjoying a few wines!
My dad's a farmer so a man that just really constantly works..
Somewhere that maybe has an element of relaxation for them but also a bit of history to it too along with some nice sights.

Thank you for your suggestion of Berlin and Barcelona.

Straylight

lippy11 wrote: »

My mam likes shopping. My dad likes walking. They both have an interest in history. They like eating out and enjoying a few wines!

Rome. It definitely ticks all those boxes. It's a lovely compact city as well so you can wander around it easily enough and get to see loads.

I'd also endorse Barcelona and Berlin, both great cities, and Madrid is also worth considering.

whiskeyman

Vienna
Munich
Brussels and / or Bruges

Peppa Pig

Straylight wrote: »

Rome. It definitely ticks all those boxes. It's a lovely compact city as well so you can wander around it easily enough and get to see loads. .

+1. Get a guide book with the walking tours on them and walk right through history.
Great city

bee06

My parents in law loved Belgium. I can't remember which city they stayed in but they said it was great because they could travel around on different day trips to all the different cities.

marcus2000

It's slightly outside your flight time (about 3hrs) , but Dubrovnik is a pretty spectacular place to visit for a 3 day visit. very suited to that age category too, in my opinion....its small, easy to get around, friendly, 'english-speaking' and its mostly about food and walking through the City.... Id recommend it for a 3 day break.

shalalala

Definitely Roma! They will love it, it would be hard not to

Tabnabs

Amsterdam.

Direct flight & very easy to get into the city centre from the airport. Amsterdam has the canals, the historic building and many fabulous museums. Everyone speaks excellent English, they use the Euro and it's a very pedestrian and public transport friendly city.

cee_jay

Another vote for Rome. We bought a city break to Rome for my parents two years ago and they loved it. My mother was thrilled to visit the Vatican, and the history of the colleseum etc my Dad loved. They said it was a fab city and v easy to stroll around.

lippy11

Thank you everyone I finally booked this morning... And took onboard everyone's feedback.. 3 nights to Rome booked I hope they love it!

Thanks again