3 night European break in early Oct

JohnCleary

The itch has started... thinking Fri - Mon (Fly out Fri, depart Mon) quick break.

Normally this suits a city break, but we'd be open minded about going somewhere relatively warm too and chilling for a few days.

We're early 30's and love to get up in the morning, roam about (architecture etc.. not interested in museums). Must be a party vibe at night, we do like to go out and drink a bit

So far, we've been to:
Lisbon
Barcelona
Malaga
Budapest
Berlin
Prague (Well, I have, herself hasn't)

Would consider Rome... should be a little more quiet in October? Haven't researched the weather

Any recommendations? Given that it's a weekend break, direct flights a must.

Cheap and cheerful would be the aim of this trip (we like staying in private rooms in hostels for the atmosphere) as we have a month in SE Asia in December.

I just almost need someone to tell me to go somewhere (that would suit our needs) and go for it. I know it's October so Eastern Europe will be getting cold which is a bit of a put off. I don't mind cold'ish, just somewhere that will hopefully be dry!

grimm2005

Rome would be good, I was there in October a few years back and it was still very hot but not uncomfortably so. I'd recommend Hamburg as well, plenty to see for a long weekend and the red light district would certainly tick the nightlife box. I was there in January with mates and had a great time.

dennyk

Seville would be perfect; much nicer than Malaga in my opinion and the weather should be nice that time of year. Should be able to get a direct flight from Dublin easily enough. Lots of beautiful architecture and plenty of nightlife as well.

munchkin_utd

I was in Plama de Mallorca recently and was amazed at it.
You have nightlife in Palma which is a nice town, or if you need crazy then 15km one way is Magaluf and 15km the other way is the german equivalent "ballerman" - so essentially Oktoberfest in the sun all year long!
The island itsself though is very picturesque and way less overran by tourists than i was expecting (and that at the height of the summer, so should be even more chilled in October) .

Lex Luthor

Fly to Bari and head down the road to Lecce

Nothing surprises me now

Verona is very nice, beautiful buildings and it's a compact city so easy to get around. Weather would be quite warm too. Also I was looking at Naples, flights very reasonable. Thinking of a long weekend with a boat trip to Capri.

Coillte_Bhoy

Alicnate, relatively cheap, really cool old town to stroll around, which is just a few mins walk from a decent beach, Santa Bara Castle to pass a few hours. Could get the train up the coats to visit another resort/village. Very few irish or English there as well.

otnomart

I second Seville, Palma and Verona.
Seville might still be too hot for some, though (check average temperature).

Would also suggest Nice, Bordeaux and Bologna.

joeysoap

Verona was packed at Easter and was still terrific. Could do a couple of days lake Garda (Sirmione is worth a visit) Porto gets great reviews.

BailMeOut

Rome is brilliant but will not meet this requirement "Must be a party vibe at night, we do like to go out and drink a bit"

I'd do Madrid as loads to do, weather in Oct will be ok and it is good fun at night.

Villan11

Another +1 for Madrid. Was my favourite City break, we stayed central and everything was walking distance and not far form Airport either. Palace tour is impressive and the romantic rowing boat rental in the park, El Retiro if I remember correctly, is a must do.

JohnCleary

Thanks all.

Regarding Madrid, this seems to be a winner!

Given that I haven't even looked at Google Maps yet.... is there a particular location to stay in? Anyone who's been there, feel free to make recommendations for accom. etc - Personally speaking, we're happy to stay in a private room (ensuite) in a hostel... not for budget reasons, but for the craic factor. Also as happy to stay in a nice hotel etc.

Villan11

Hi John,
Pretty sure this is the place we stayed in, but it was about 12/13 years ago, looks like renovated since then. From what I remember the hotel was quite nice with big rooms but the location was excellent. Would be worth looking at recent reviews as it really was a long time since we were there.
https://www.cataloniahotels.com/en/hotel/catalonia-las-cortes

Best of luck!

jaykay8989

Stayed in Ayre Gran Hotel Colon last October. Nice modern hotel, great value, beside the metro or a cheap taxi to the City Centre.

Madrid is fantastic.

dingding

Fly to Bristol airport and travel Bath.

Lovely city and plenty to do. Weather should be relatively dry also.

johnire

Hi John.

We were there back in March and absolutely loved it. So much so we’re planning to go back next year.
We stayed in the Ibis Styles Prado and couldn’t recommend it highly enough. A lovely hotel with a great breakfast in a central location.
PM me if you want any details.
Have a great time!

JohnCleary wrote: »

Thanks all.

Regarding Madrid, this seems to be a winner!

Given that I haven't even looked at Google Maps yet.... is there a particular location to stay in? Anyone who's been there, feel free to make recommendations for accom. etc - Personally speaking, we're happy to stay in a private room (ensuite) in a hostel... not for budget reasons, but for the craic factor. Also as happy to stay in a nice hotel etc.

Strumms

Madrid is awesome...I stayed in the Radisson Blu Prado. Brilliant location, central but on a quiet street with the odd bar and shop as well as strolling distance to bus and metro stops.

BailMeOut

if you go to Madrid make sure you eat at Casa Mingo. https://www.tripadvisor.ie/Restaurant_Review-g187514-d697480-Reviews-Casa_Mingo-Madrid.html

JohnCleary

Was just about to book Madrid (10th - 13th Oct) as return flights were only 90eur before seat allocation etc.

Of course, decided to check accom. before booking and while we are not tight with our money, the Ibis above (as an example) was 300eur per night! There must be something on those dates so that's us out of Madrid.

We're now looking at Bratislava. The dates above are only approx. 60 eur return before seat allocation so now just need to research accom.

anne burnell

Rome is a fab city to visit plenty to do and lots of eatery’s.....Edinburgh is also pretty cool only 40 min flight and everything touristy on your doorstop . Well worth a visit

amber2

I know not city break but Croatia is beautiful may be worth considering.

https://www.expedia.ie/Makarska-Hotels-Central-Beach-9.h27578952.Hotel-Information?chkin=8/10/2019&chkout=12/10/2019&rm1=a2&packageType=fh&searchProduct=hotel&c=d491cf33-99cb-44ac-b5cd-2e758a657296&awc=6285_1567591865_b2865eff5c69463a35ce790f957ab8fb&AFFCID=IE.network.affiliatewindow.199823.0.66d76ae3c7133bbxecd86e94cda1cfd5a_makarska.6285_1567591865_b2865eff5c69463a35ce790f957ab8fb&misId=97573945-599c-452e-a34d-4f77e9c791a7&inttkn=5awqiu1u68nqFypb

Muahahaha

+1 on Madrid, was there in June for the second time and its an amazing city. Did you check other hotel prices OP, surprised they are that high in October.

If not Madrid Id say one night in Bratislava and then 2 in Vienna just up the road. Bratislava is small so 3 full days there would be a bit much. Vienna well worth two nights, it is one of the most architecturally stunning cities in all of Europe.

Nigel Fairservice

JohnCleary wrote: »

Was just about to book Madrid (10th - 13th Oct) as return flights were only 90eur before seat allocation etc.

Of course, decided to check accom. before booking and while we are not tight with our money, the Ibis above (as an example) was 300eur per night! There must be something on those dates so that's us out of Madrid.

We're now looking at Bratislava. The dates above are only approx. 60 eur return before seat allocation so now just need to research accom.

Bratislava is only ok. Fly into Bratislava, stay in Vienna. Don't even think it's an hour away on the train.

taytobreath

Vienna is beautiful and one of the safest and easiest cities to get around in. There is a metro that will take you to all the places you want to go to.
If I were you I would spend maybe 1 night in Bratislava, I think buses are about an hour to Vienna and only cost a fiver.

Fitz*

You'd nearly need a day alone for the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, but it's a fantastic outdoor garden & grounds.

Bratislva was nice I thought, very clean small city so easy to walk around there. Nice walk up to the castle too.

JohnCleary

Thanks all.

We can't decide between Vienna and Bratislava. Since we'll have 3 nights, we're thinking Vienna (feedback here suggest 3 nights too long for Bratislava).

We're gearing towards Vienna, we think. Bratislava sounds cheaper, but more to see in Vienna.

Must decide ASAP!!

Muahahaha

Do both if you can. Bratislava is tiny so you'd see most things in a long day/evening there. Any longer and I think you would be a bit bored really as it is not packed with attractions. Vienna much bigger with lots more attractions, 2 full days and evenings and you'd cover a lot of ground.

I suppose it also depends on your flights landing and departure times, if landing early and departing late you could cover the two cities over the 4 days/3 nights, if not then Id say just go to Vienna only as it is just the better of the two hands down. iirc you can fly into one and out of the other using a Ryanair-Aer Lingus combination. The two cities are only an hour apart in any case.

bigar

I agree with trying to do both. Bratislava is only one hour away by train so you could make a day trip of it. When you are not doing any museums, two days will be more than enough in Vienna.

harr

We were over in San Sebastián last year visiting a few friends and loved the city a really laid back vibe about it and food to die for.
Loads of night life and plenty to see during the day. It was one city we never even considered visiting but will definitely go back. Bilbao Is near enough for a visit and Even Bilbao itself would be a perfect spot for a weekend away.

miamee

I visited Bratislava a few years ago - Vienna is very easily reached by train from there but as others have said there is more to see in Vienna so either base yourself there and do a day trip to Bratislava or do 2 nights in Vienna and one night in Bratislava - Bratislava is much cheaper than Vienna for everything.

I visit Bratislava regularly and often fly in and out of Vienna because of flight times. I pay €60 for a cab to the airport and I'm sure you'd gt the hotel to arrange a taxi to the city for not much more.

In December, I got the family to come over on the Friday and we stayed Friday night in Bratislava (The Christmas market in Bratislava is way lees commercial than in Vienna) and then spent one night in Vienna (Which was too short).

sugarman

sugarman wrote: »

You can also hop a train to Bratislava or vice versa, only takes 40 mins and is a lovely city for a day or 2. You can ramble around the old town and the castle and eat and drink like a king for practically nothing.

Sometimes there's deals with Ryanair to Bratislava for as little as €15 each way where as it's closer to €60-70 to fly into Vienna ..and as I said, it's only 40 mins on the train into the city centre.

No don't take the train to Bratislava, take the Danube Cruise.

I came on this thread to recommend Bratislava, and there are flights from Dublin.

JohnCleary

Well after a feed of pints last night I woke up to a booking confirmation in my inbox... Bratislava it is!

Arrive Saturday 1pm, depart Tuesday 6pm.

We're going to do a private tour (and a bit if pub visiting outside the city) in an old Skoda one morning and will most likely do a day trip to Vienna if we feel we've seen all Bratislava has to offer.

Other than that, any recommendations? We're not real foodies and happy with normal grub, but love quirky pubs.

Also if any recommendations for accom. Approx 100eur per might we're all ears. From browsing at that budget we have plenty to choose from.

Joekers

We stayed in hotel Arcadia a couple of years ago we got a great deal on it. The hotel was lovely we basically had the whole downstairs spa area to ourselves it was that quiet on the weekend we went.

I always stay at the crowne plaza, which is over priced but a decent hotel. I don’t pay for it though.

I really really like the Slovak pub. It’s quirky and cheap. It does what is arguably the best Brindisi Haluski in the town and is ridiculously cheap. Last time I was there I had four pints, Haluski and ribs and it cost me about €20.

The place to hang around is generally the old town, and the Irish pub does decent beer and food.Gatto Matto is a decent Italian place in the old town and there is a good Thai called the green Buddha.

I’ve never eaten in the UFO and the locals don’t either, which means it is either expensive or crap.

Slovak service is awful, they will happily tell you that. If you get a miserable bastard slapping food in front of you, then don’t think they don’t like you, just accept that it is what you get.