Reasonably priced city break near a beach?! :)

blizeH

Bit of a long shot this one, we're looking to go on a City break (soak up the culture, visit some museums, markets, whatever else) that's also really close to the beach?

We recently went to Rhodes which was fantastic and met this criteria perfectly - really interesting city right by the sea, but I'm struggling to think of anywhere else that won't be ridiculously priced (ie Miami, Sydney etc)... maybe Barcelona? But again that isn't too cheap, hm! My girlfriend's sister would be coming along too and is a student so we need to keep the budget down basically.

Any recommendations very welcome, thanks!

Doshwaster

I'm also a great fan of cities with beaches - you get the best of both worlds.

Yes, Barcelona is a great place with good easily accessible beaches but it does tend to be expensive for hotels, eating and drinking.

I like Alicante. The city itself has a central beach, lots to see and do and has a fantastic Spanish night-life - but thankfully hasn't been ruined by package holidays. All of the tourist crowd board buses at the airport bypass the city and head further up the coast to Benidorm.

Also, look at Libson which is a smaller and cheaper version of Barcelona. There are no beaches in the city itself but they are only a short bus or train ride away.

Nice is also...err.. "nice" but that would be up there with Barcelona at the pricey end of the "cities with beaches" table.

maidencrew

Have you thought about Italy. Cheap flights to Pisa from Bournemouth. Florence, beautiful city only 1 hour on train, coast and quaint Lucca about 30 minutes. Unlike many cities Pisa airport is very close to town we have walked it before from airport! and train station very easy system to use all annoucements in English.

deva

I second Alicante and also recommend Valencia

Lincoln_Imp

Palma Majorca maybe

You could stop in Can Pastilla which is a 5 min bus ride away from Palma and that would be a lot cheaper than stopping in Palma

azana_2

I was going to say Barcelona or Lisbon - there is a lovely beach a train ride from Lisbon (cascais) - both are the kind of places you can shop around for deals on, probably most to see at Barcelona but plenty to keep your interest in Lisbon too.

Doshwaster

deva wrote: »

I second Alicante and also recommend Valencia

Oh, yes, I had forgotten about Valencia - maybe because the only time I was there it rained for all 3 days! If you are in to history, culture and museums then it should certainly be on your short list. It has one of the largest surviving medieval quarters in Europe but I cannot comment on the beaches as I spent all of my time there sheltering in the bars...

iaps

In Valencia there is a stretch of 2.8km of beaches a short distance from the city centre (see below for more details). This page will provide full details of the beaches in Valencia. There is details on the locations of the beaches, facilities on the beaches and at what time of the year the facilities are available. There is also links to details on how to get to the main Valencia beaches from Valencia city centre.

http://www.valencia-tourist-guide.com/en/attractions/valencia-beaches.html
Transport links are very good - buses, metro and tram.

This video shows the attractions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_HghoAlZKo&feature=related

blue_haddock

I love barcelona - its quite possibly my favourite city in the world.

Absolutely loads to see and do and then a fab beach to relax on if it all gets too much!

blizeH

Hi guys, just wanted to say thank you all so much for your responses! Due to other things I haven't had a chance to think about the holiday until now, but I've created a shortlist from your suggestions, and the three of us will go through and pick whichever one seems the most appealing overall Thanks again!

totallybored

I liked both Valencia and Lisbon. We drove out of Valencia for Sunday lunch and had amazing paella in a small village. Lisbon has those yummy custard tarts though! As you have a student with you Lisbon might be more suited for you with its nightlife. Loads of bars that charge €1 for a beer or a few euros for a mojito.