Warm city break end of March

billyhead · 23-12-2022 08:53PM #1

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

NSAman · 23-12-2022 08:56PM

buenos Aires ?

billyhead · 23-12-2022 08:57PM

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 · 23-12-2022 09:16PM

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

WishUWereHere · 23-12-2022 10:18PM

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

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

HeidiHeidi · 23-12-2022 10:29PM

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 · 23-12-2022 10:51PM

Nice or Malaga

gipi · 23-12-2022 10:57PM

Madrid?

WishUWereHere · 23-12-2022 11:13PM

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 · 27-12-2022 05:30PM

OP, have You decided where to go?

billyhead · 27-12-2022 06:26PM

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

Not yet but I'm pushing towards Lisbon.

BoxcarWilliam99 · 27-12-2022 06:27PM

How about the Canary Islands

billyhead · 27-12-2022 06:29PM

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 · 27-12-2022 06:32PM

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 · 27-12-2022 06:35PM

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

Spanish Eyes · 27-12-2022 06:40PM

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 · 27-12-2022 06:46PM

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

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

Barnaboy · 27-12-2022 07:13PM

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 · 27-12-2022 07:32PM

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.

27-12-2022 07:51PM

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 · 27-12-2022 11:20PM

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 · 27-12-2022 11:31PM

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

16 degrees in January was warm to me

HeidiHeidi · 27-12-2022 11:35PM

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 · 28-12-2022 02:02AM

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 · 28-12-2022 03:55AM

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 · 30-12-2022 06:01PM

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 · 06-01-2023 11:58AM

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 · 09-01-2023 11:19PM

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 · 16-01-2023 04:58PM

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

Thelonious Monk · 16-01-2023 04:59PM

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.

16-01-2023 05:20PM

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.

Warm city break end of March

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