Warm city break end of March

billyhead

Any suggestions folks. I have been to Rome and Paris already although Paris can be cold the end of March.

NSAman

buenos Aires ?

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120029918#Comment_120029918

Bit far. I was thinking about 5 days would be the limit. Also somewhere with lots to do i.e plenty of sites etc.

glut22

Seville? Direct flights with ryanair. Or marrakech. Maybe Athens either although further away

WishUWereHere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120029962#Comment_120029962

I’d second Seville. Or what about Lisbon or Porto?

HeidiHeidi

Valetta

Very foodie destination, and the old town and Grand Harbour are properly magnificent.

The island has plenty to see, and there's Gozo, which I've heard great things about but have never been (yet).

seablue

Nice or Malaga

gipi

Madrid?

WishUWereHere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120030234#Comment_120030234

I love Madrid but it can still be very cold at the end of March.

edit: I mentioned Porto above, that too can still be chilly at the end of March. Apologies.

WishUWereHere

OP, have You decided where to go?

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120038156#Comment_120038156

Not yet but I'm pushing towards Lisbon.

BoxcarWilliam99

How about the Canary Islands

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120038297#Comment_120038297

I've been to Tenerife and Gran Canaria before. I was thinking Lanzarote but is there much to do there. I'm not into just lying on a beach.

WishUWereHere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120038293#Comment_120038293

I can highly recommend Lisbon. Been there many times. Let us know what You decide so we can give You tips

Trampas

Valencia I think could be worth a visit from my flying spot earlier this month.

Spanish Eyes

Padua and Bologna?

Easy connections from Bologna airport. Padua (Padova) is a charming little city/town. Got the Scrivegni Frescoes that is worth seeing alright. Then the big buzzing cathedral square and shrine to St. Anthony, he'll find you a nice place to go!

Bologna is a bit mad, but so enjoyable. Great food, and I mean a whole pedestrianised street of little eateries and food shops. Lots to see here also.

Train connections between Padova and Bologna are a breeze and inexpensive. Can be done on a day trip too. You could fly into Bologna and out of Venice or vice versa with a day in Venice if time allows. Padua is between the two.

Just a thought if you're not into beaches like me.

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120038335#Comment_120038335

Thanks. I'll look into it. Sounds good.

Barnaboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120038335#Comment_120038335

I'll second that suggestion. Spent a year living in Padua as a student in the 1990s. Beautiful city with excellent transport links. Very close to Venice as well if you have never been.

If you are looking for warm weather in March here you might be disappointed

Caranica

I've been in Madrid in a t-shirt in January just before Covid so I'm surprised to hear it might be cold in March. I loved it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120038300#Comment_120038300

I've spent a month out of the last 15 in Lanzarote, and never once lay on a beach.

WishUWereHere

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120038518#Comment_120038518

Make no mistake Madrid is stunning. But OP asked for warmth. I used to drive trucks across Europe and have driven through snow in Madrid in February. I can well believe it could be kind of warm end of March but it’s more a given for Lisbon.

Caranica

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120039309#Comment_120039309

16 degrees in January was warm to me

HeidiHeidi

Lisbon isn't that much further south than Madrid - in late winter/ early spring you're likely to get mild weather, yes, but you could get anything. Even in the Balearics, it can be really windy and cold at Easter.

If you want "guaranteed" warmth you'll need to go south Med or N Africa/Canaries.

(There are no guarantees any more with weather!)

Nigel Fairservice

Lisbon is nice, there's a sense of faded glory to the place but Porto is a nicer city break in Portugal I think. Not sure what the weather is like in March. I think someone else mentioned Bologna. It's a great spot if you're in to your food. The nicest food I ever had was in Bologna. You could do a day trip to San Marino from there too.

Strumms

Depends on your definition of warm…

Nice can be around 16 but rarely warmer in March.

Torremolinos will be 18-21 in March…during the daytime anyway..

Marcusm

Seville would get my vote if you haven’t yet chosen. Personally, I think it is a much more attractive city than Madrid with much better food than Lisbon or Porto. It’s pretty flat with fantastic parks and gardens, a beautiful river, old Moorish influence and Plaza de Espana. Direct flights from Ireland.

The Davestator

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120047128#Comment_120047128

100% agree. Very few places compare to Seville and the heat is lovely in Feb and March

duefrine

In the same boat as op, 5 day city break over St Patricks weekend. Lisbon has been coming up on our radar.

Any tips on were to stay ? We are looking at the, jupiter Lisboa Hotel, to stay...

blanch152

Barcelona won't be quite as warm as some of the suggestions in March, but it is my favourite city in Spain.

Thelonious Monk

Spain doesn't really seem to cool down these days much at all, they had summer weather in November and January already in much of the country. By the end of March it'd be hot in places like Seville, which is a gorgeous place. Cadiz is lovely too, about an hour's drive from Seville.

So many good choices advised above. I spent a lovely weekend in Venice one March and it was ultra quiet, only locals. Had endless hours of walking through the sunny streets, visited the Lido and other islands. Had a restaurant table to myself an entire two evenings, with good value & quality in a particularly low key place that didn’t even advertise itself as a restaurant on the outside.

I was in Istanbul last March and it was absolutely perishing, but I believe it was extra cold last winter to mid spring.

Rhodes town is absolutely amazing. Don’t know if there are flights there that time of year though. There’s options in Sicily, & there is or will be a new route direct to Tel Aviv which I believe is a wonderful city.

Seville would be a great choice, not too hot. Possibility to get bus to El Rocio, a Wild West type of town to the south with sandy streets and from where you can take a wildlife trip into Doñana National Park with its lynx’s, flamingoes and horses.

Spain has lots of options, almost anywhere you can get for a relatively cheap fare will be worthwhile.

Biarritz or San Sebastián could be choices, but it wouldn’t be hot per se. Still, off season would mean better value. Nice would be a base to explore the Côte d’Azure and Monaco etc, not hot but better value. Cairo is a choice too, with direct flights.

Lisbon is an excellent option, was there last September. Full of character and I just love the coffee shops with sweet treats. It’s a very versatile place, you can enjoy the city itself, take buses to other towns and the train to the famous seaside of Estoril/Cascais if the weather is sunny. Porto great too, likewise with range of excursion possibilities and bus to seaside, boat trips etc.

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120116356#Comment_120116356

it was 25c in San Sebastian 2 weeks ago! i was there in november once and it was low 20s too, it's hit and miss though, gets a lot of rain. Probably my favourite place of anywhere I've been in the world.

andrew1977

I’m thinking of going to Malaga mid April for an extended weekend. Can I expect warmth / bit of sun ?

Thanks

Mr rebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120116290#Comment_120116290

I don’t know about that as it was 17 degrees there on Saturday and I was walking around in a tshirt (not quite warm enough for shorts though) so you could easily get a very warm weekend in March.

But yeah it’s a bit of a gamble.

hero25

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120116363#Comment_120116363

@Thelonious Monk what would you recommend as the best, quickest, most convenient way to get to San Sebastian?

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120116677#Comment_120116677

From Dublin just fly to Bilbao and then there are frequent buses from there, around 2 hours through gorgeous green countryside. Bilbao is as close to perfect a city you'll find.

I think maybe you can fly to Biarritz from Dublin and take a bus from there. I was staying near Perpignan and we drove down for a few days.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120038300#Comment_120038300

Been there lots of times and am not one for the beach either. Should be nice and warm in March (I was once there in early January and it wasn't cold except for the pool). Plenty to see and do. You can hire a car (cheap) and just wander around, lots of nice little towns for lunch etc. and nowhere is a very long drive. We always stay in Puerto del Carmen near the harbour end, lots of nice restaurants. Volcano bus trip is a must (you can drive to the national park by car but not go into the volcano part).

Some of the things to see are here

https://www.zigzagonearth.com/lanzarote-attractions-cesar-manrique/

Also check out the local wines, production is small so doesn't leave the island but it's good stuff.

JohnCleary

So many great choices mentioned here already! I'll throw my 2c....

Lisbon: Great city, we normally go there start of April. Shorts / t-shirt during the day, light jump at night. 5-6 nights there isin't enough, but a great start! We'll return here for sure (been 3 times)

Malta: Another excellent suggestion. Warm year round (again, we were there in April... shorts / t-shirt at all times). The great thing about Malta is that you can hire a car and explore the whole island, including Gozo (we did this over 2 days). I know you could do the same in Lisbon (or just jump on a train!).

If a gun was put to my head and you had at least a week and like the sea (ie. jumping into rock pools etc) i'd choose Malta. If you have less time (ie. 5 nights), i'd go with Lisbon. 5 nights in Malta simply not enough, imho.

theteal

We were in Lisbon early March last year. It was really nice and I'd go back to do more exploring. Myself and a mate went for a gig so we brought the wives for a cultural weekend. The reason we didn't get much done is because the afternoon of the Saturday, it rained like I've never seen before, thankfully we covered a bit of ground early that morning and we were up in the old town when the heavens opened or we'd have seen shag all - I genuinely don't know how cars were able to get up those little steep cobbled streets. Talking to a guy in a gift shop before we headed to airport the following day, he actually apologised for the weather, "not normally like that" he says. Some friends went a couple of weeks later and had awesome weather. Swings and roundabouts when you're dabbling in March travel.

A group of us lads are heading to Madrid for 1st weekend of March this year (celebrating some of us hitting the big 40 😥 ). We were going to go Bilbao/San Seb but the combination of flights and football fixtures worked against us. I don't know why/how Seville never came up in discussion. . . .I may have subconsciously held that back for a trip with mrsTeal. I'll bring a coat of some description, how heavy it is will be decided the day before. Anybody got a connection for Rayo Vallacano tickets???

My head office is in Malta. I get to stay in the Intercontinental in St. Georges bay when I'm there. This is Paceville and basically all I got to see the couple of times I've been. . .lets just say it's not my scene. If you're into "dancers" trying to pull you into dodgy clubs (while you're just looking for some grub), have at it. It does not leave a good impression of a historic med island. The traffic was pretty grim too. I'd like to have a proper nose about the Island but I'd be in no hurry to so see Paceville again. St. Julian's just down the road looked much nicer but I was strolling on my lonesome so some of the fancy restaurants would have been wasted on me. I can vouch for the weather though, one of my colleagues boasted of xmas day being T-shirt weather.

billyhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120145340#Comment_120145340

Nice post. I have booked a trip to Lanzarote the last week of March. In relation to the drivers in Lisbon going up narrow streets. I experienced this lady year in the Algarve. The driver of the vehicle which was like an SUV driving up a very narrow cobbled street. I was thinking to myself they have great steering control. I couldn't imagine Irish drivers doing it😀