Can't decide where to go (April) - lads holiday but with things to do

JohnCleary · 08-01-2017 01:54PM #1

Hi all,
Back from the annual 1-month trip to SE Asia with the OH so time to organise the 'lads' holiday for April.

We're all mid-late 20's and we want to go somewhere cheap and cheerful in European (eastern most likely), but with history / culture etc... not JUST drinking

To give an example, we've done Amsterdam / Kiev (Chernobyl) / Budapest / Prague / Barcelona / Krakow.

We're looking for city rather than 'beach' or 'resort'.

We do like to get a bit sloshed in the evenings / night, but like to get up and see history / culture / architecture in the mornings / days.

I just can't think of where to start looking.

One of the lads mentioned St. Petersburg, but not totally sold.

We could go back to Budapest as we all loved it, but wouldn't mind something new.

Istanbul would have been on our list but we're not sure with the current situation going on over there.

Inspire us!

Romania etc... - Just to be clear, eventhough this is a lads holiday, we're not looking for, ahem, ladies providing services at all... just somewhere cheap and cheerful, plenty of booze and plenty to do / see during the day.

the whole year inn · 08-01-2017 01:57PM

JohnCleary wrote: »

Hi all,
Back from the annual 1-month trip to SE Asia with the OH so time to organise the 'lads' holiday for April.

We're all mid-late 20's and we want to go somewhere cheap and cheerful in European (eastern most likely), but with history / culture etc... not JUST drinking

To give an example, we've done Amsterdam / Kiev (Chernobyl) / Budapest / Prague / Barcelona.

We're looking for city rather than 'beach' or 'resort'.

We do like to get a bit sloshed in the evenings / night, but like to get up and see history / culture / architecture in the mornings / days.

I just can't think of where to start looking.

One of the lads mentioned St. Petersburg, but not totally sold.

We could go back to Budapest as we all loved it, but wouldn't mind something new.

Istanbul would have been on our list but we're not sure with the current situation going on over there.

Inspire us! Romania etc... - Just to be clear, eventhough this is a lads holiday, we're not looking for, ahem, ladies providing services at all... just somewhere cheap and cheerful, plenty of booze and plenty to do / see during the day.

Iceland.

helimachoptor · 08-01-2017 02:04PM

Munich is great

VG31 · 08-01-2017 02:29PM

Munich would be the perfect option for you. It ticks the drinking and culture boxes.

It is often considered the beer capital of Europe and drinks are cheap there. There's a great atmosphere in the beer halls and beer gardens.

There's a great variation of attractions in the city so everyone should be pleased. Some of the main attractions include:

Marienplatz (centre square)
Viktualienmarkt (large outdoor market)
English Garden (large urban park with lots of beer gardens)
Schloss Nymphenburg (palace in west of city with large gardens and botanical garden)
Residenz (palace)
Deutsches Museum (very large technology museum)
BMW exhibition and BMW museum
Olympiapark and Olympic tower
New and Old Pinakothek (art museums)
Churches: Frauenkirche, Asamkirche, Peterskirche
Tierpark Hellabrunn (zoo)
Allianz Arena (FC Bayern München stadium)

Accommodation isn't particularly cheap but it's still a fair bit cheaper than Amsterdam. The great public transport system means that there is no problem staying in the outskirts of the city.

Public transport is top class, cheap and tickets are valid on all forms of city transport (U-Bahn, S-Bahn, regional trains, bus, tram). A group day ticket (up to five adults costs €12.60).

If you want to do any day tours (e.g. Salzburg, Nuremberg, Berchtesgaden, Schloss Neuschwanstein), the ticket called the Bayern Ticket includes all regional trains in the state of Bavaria (and Salzburg) for the day (after 09:00 on weekdays and all day on weekends). It costs €23 plus €5 for each additional person.

Lufthansa and Aer Lingus have twice daily flights from Dublin to Munich (and Aer Lingus from Cork). The budget airline Transavia will also fly from Dublin to Munich from 26 March 2017 so I would highly recommend checking with them as they are usually quite good value. You can get flights for €80 return in April.

the whole year inn wrote: »

Iceland.

I hope that's a joke!

the whole year inn · 08-01-2017 03:03PM

VG31 wrote: »

I hope that's a joke!

Why would it be a joke?

VG31 · 08-01-2017 03:07PM

the whole year inn wrote: »

Why would it be a joke?

He is looking for somewhere 'cheap and cheerful'. Iceland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe.

It isn't really suitable for city breaks or 'culture/architecture' either from what I've heard.

I would love to visit Iceland but I think it is a bad suggestion for the kind of holiday the OP wants.

the whole year inn · 08-01-2017 03:10PM

VG31 wrote: »

He is looking for somewhere 'cheap and cheerful'. Iceland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe.

It isn't really suitable for city breaks or 'culture/architecture' either from what I've heard.

I would love to visit Iceland but I think it is a bad suggestion for the kind of holiday the OP wants.

So is Munich,I was there before and flights hotel and beer were all very expensive.Iceland has loads of culture and something different as well.
Reykjavik is famous for its night life as well.

VG31 · 08-01-2017 03:15PM

the whole year inn wrote: »

So is Munich,I was there before and flights hotel and beer were all very expensive.Iceland has loads of culture and something different as well.
Reykjavik is famous for its night life as well.

You can get €80-€100 return flights now with Transavia and there's plenty of reasonable places to stay outside the city centre.
I found food and beers there to be cheap but wine and tea/coffee were expensive.

Maybe Reykjavik is a possible consideration but there are plenty of better options.

mfceiling · 08-01-2017 03:16PM

Barcelona?

Plenty of bars etc and decent places to eat. Lots of interesting architecture etc. Not incredibly expensive either.

the whole year inn · 08-01-2017 03:22PM

mfceiling wrote: »

Barcelona?

Plenty of bars etc and decent places to eat. Lots of interesting architecture etc. Not incredibly expensive either.

Think he said Barca and he was there before.

How about Riga?

cdeb · 08-01-2017 03:27PM

Tallinn?

Can have a meal in the mediaeval restaurant, and then get drunk in the mediaeval bar next door. Lovely old town as well.

St Petersburg is a stunning city - maybe out of budget, but well worth considering other than that.

eeguy · 08-01-2017 03:28PM

the whole year inn wrote: »

So is Munich,I was there before and flights hotel and beer were all very expensive.Iceland has loads of culture and something different as well.
Reykjavik is famous for its night life as well.

Second Munich, it has plenty of Airbnbs. Its great to rent out the whole apartment so you can come and go at your leisure.

Beer is cheap enough, around 4 euro for a pint and 7 for a litre. Plenty of nice restaurants, beer halls, the city itself is ancient, so there's plenty to see.

You could spend 2 days just looking through the Deutsches Museum. The BMW museum and factory tour are absolutely amazing, though I think the museum is closed on Mondays.

VG31 · 08-01-2017 03:30PM

eeguy wrote: »

Second Munich, it has plenty of Airbnbs. Its great to rent out the whole apartment so you can come and go at your leisure.

That's what we did when we visited Munich. We managed to find a large apartment in a nice suburb about a 15 min tram journey from Marienplatz for a reasonable price. There are other sites that are worth checking as well as Airbnb such as Wimdu and HomeAway. We used a German site called 9flats that was very good.

starlit · 08-01-2017 03:32PM

Have you considered Vienna maybe or some place similar. Bruges is a nice spot but might be a bit too quiet a place for ye. Budapest is a nice spot! Bucharest maybe!? Iceland be nice lovely scenery but might be a bit pricey. The Scandinavian countries have lovely views but unless the cold temperatures put you off? Lovely cities in the UK to go to if you not been to any of them that be cultured like places in Scotland.

eeguy · 08-01-2017 03:35PM

VG31 wrote: »

That's what we did when we visited Munich. We managed to find a large apartment for a reasonable price. There are other sites that are worth checking as well as Airbnb such as Wimdu and HomeAway. We used a German site called 9flats that was very good.

It's the best option overall.

Hotels are as expensive as here, 80-120 a night, we managed to get an amazing apartment, 5 min from the centre for a touch under 60 per person per night. Did a bit of shopping on the first day for tea bags, snacks and stuff for breakfast

starlit · 08-01-2017 03:37PM

Places in Eastern Europe be cheaper I say flight wise and to stay. Vienna isn't too pricey to stay but the flights would be expensive. Barcelona be nice too and Venice. Wouldn't recommend Florence and a few places in Italy heard mixed reviews on it. Rome is nice but might be too expensive if ye looking for a nice city. I'd compare all the places ye like to go and pick one. Going on recommendations and reviews is a help if ye undecided where to go.

eeguy · 08-01-2017 03:40PM

doovdela wrote: »

Places in Eastern Europe be cheaper I say flight wise and to stay. Vienna isn't too pricey to stay but the flights would be expensive. Barcelona be nice too and Venice. Wouldn't recommend Florence and a few places in Italy heard mixed reviews on it. Rome is nice but might be too expensive if ye looking for a nice city. I'd compare all the places ye like to go and pick one. Going on recommendations and reviews is a help if ye undecided where to go.

Rome would actually be quite nice in April, weather wise. Plenty to do and it's not too dear either.

pilly · 08-01-2017 03:47PM

Madrid? Would be fabulous in April. Plenty of bars/clubs and culture. Very easy to get around, really compact for a large city. People great craic as well.

starlit · 08-01-2017 03:47PM

Maybe in April Rome would be a nice place to go to. Not too hot that time of year and not as expensive as it would be in the summer and autumn. Its a lovely place to visit, great sight seeing, beautiful city and i'd imagine the food be lovely there!! Depends what ye want out of the holiday, bars, sight seeing, dinning out etc. Cheap or expensive place to stay and so on. Few considerations to keep in mind and weigh up cost for each person.

JohnCleary · 08-01-2017 04:18PM

Thanks all for the responses.

Barcelona - Few of us been there so would prefer something new, but it's an option

Munich - Forgot to add that to the list.. been there!

St Petersburg - One of the lads was here and is dying to go back. Is it really that cool of a place? If so then we're sold on it! Need to research more

Riga - Currently at the top of the list, none of us been there, looks cool with plenty to do and presumably cheap

Tallin - Never even though about it, going to research now

Vienna - Heard great things about it and always meant to go. Another option definitely

Madrid - Yes, another option I hadn't thought of, thanks.

Rome - Probably a place i'd consider going with the OH rather than lads holiday, but thanks for the suggestion

starlit · 08-01-2017 04:21PM

Ya I was thinking that Rome is a romantic city and Vienna is too but lots of cities to consider! Enjoy what ever place ye decide to visit!

yabadabado · 08-01-2017 04:31PM

I was in Vienna last month.Well worth checking out ,flights and accommodation are very reasonable. Food and drink is similar prices to here (little less and plenty of happy hour type deals.
Plenty of things to do and it has excellent public transport.
Weather will still be a bit chilly but maybe leave it towards the end of April .

VG31 · 08-01-2017 04:33PM

Vienna is probably better for couples than a lads holiday (I would say this applies to Rome as well but not quite so much). All the famous cafes are costly enough but in general food is reasonably priced. Hotels are surprisingly inexpensive.

I haven't actually been to St Petersburg but I know others who have been and researched it quite a lot over the summer but decided to put off going there for a year or two. It sounds like a brilliant place to visit and seems like good value. You can get central hotels bordering on luxury standard for low rates. There is a huge variation of places to see. From what I've heard it feels a lot more Western than Moscow and is more tourist orientated (so it is less important to speak some Russian). You could also consider combining it with Moscow as many people do.

Flights to St Petersburg often don't cost much more than flights to the likes of Vienna, Frankfurt or Athens despite there being no direct flights. Lufthansa and Swiss (via Frankfurt/Munich and Zürich respectively) can have flights for less than €200 return sometimes.

The only complication is applying for the visa as you have to make sure you get all the details exact and provide a letter of introduction (your hotel will provide you with this) and also go to the embassy. I wouldn't let this Russian bureaucracy put me off though!

helimachoptor · 08-01-2017 04:38PM

Another vote for Madrid then.

Excellent city and very cheap.

Retiro park is great, try to get a Madrid game, Metro is everywhere.

For me anyway i think it's a lot nicer than Barcelona

cdeb · 08-01-2017 05:03PM

JohnCleary wrote: »

St Petersburg - One of the lads was here and is dying to go back. Is it really that cool of a place?

It is. Google the Hermitage for example. You could spend hours there if it's your thing (and architecture/culture - sounds like it'd be of interest alright).

There's plenty of other great buildings too - just have to walk down the street to see some of them. Then there's one of the most notorious Soviet prisons, princely gardens, a vodka museum and even the cemetery has some amazing tombs (usually composers I think). Plenty to do.

What it's missing maybe is a small walkable (pub crawl-able) centre, which Tallinn (and Riga) both have.

Indestructable · 09-01-2017 08:23PM

Warszaw or Krakow? Surprised they weren't mentioned yet!

JohnCleary · 10-01-2017 12:57AM

Indestructable wrote: »

Warszaw or Krakow? Surprised they weren't mentioned yet!

We all went to Krakow last Spring

(Did I mention that in OP?)

Can't decide where to go (April) - lads holiday but with things to do

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