Help with planning a city break and best deals

katty11

Hi there

I am looking to book a 2 night city break flying from Manchester to any European destination and am looking for the best way to get a deal. Any recommendations for location (not Paris as have done this recently) best time to go (we can go anytime in feb, mar or apr) and best websites to use. It would be fantastic if we could keep the whole trip as close to £300 as possible but I'm not sure how realistic this is.

Thanks

Murphy_The_Cat

Have you considered visiting a Travel Agent ? Its quite an old concept and they are freely available in most high streets.

katty11

That's really helpful hadn't thought of that thank you.

Murphy_The_Cat

katty11 wrote: »

That's really helpful hadn't thought of that thank you.

No worries. Happy to help.

Be prepared for them to ask some really tricky questions

Neil49

Skyscanner to sort out your flights and Trivago for your hotel accommodation.

https://www.skyscanner.net

https://www.trivago.co.uk

Hope this helps.

lea2012

If I were you I would start by taking a look at the Manchester airport website. If you only want to fly from Manchester then take a look at the flight timetable to see which cities they offer flights too in those months.
Then try to narrow it down, or if you are truly open to anywhere start looking at flight prices.

Skyscanner is a good tool for flights, but I also like Google flights too as it's quite a handy tool, as is the MSE Flight Checker tool on this website.

Once you have found reasonable flights, head to a hotel site like booking.com, Trivago or even somewhere like Travel Republic who all sell a wide choice of hotels.

Things to bear in mind are which airport you fly into and how far it is from the city centre. Some cheap flights are too airports miles from the city centre and if you just want a few days you don't want to waste time travelling.
Also make sure to do your research on the hotel. Look at Tripadvisor and Google Maps to see how far it is from the things you want to see and do. Some hotels class themselves as being in a city, but can be miles from the main attractions and therefore cost you a fortune in transport or time wasted getting around.

In terms of dates you will need to avoid valentines day and the February half term holidays (13th-222nd Feb) and also the school easter holidays (28th March- 13th April) as prices will be higher during these dates.

[Deleted User]

I think you will struggle to bring the whole thing in for £300.

melb

we had a short 3 night stay in Bologna flying from Manchester in October and really enjoyed it. Also the airport is a short bus journey out of the centre and costs about 2 euros. Just a tip to bear in mind - they have huge conventions/trade fairs at certain times of the year and accommodation costs can treble on these times so check what's on before you book flights.

sophieschoice

Do you have to fly from Manchester? Liverpool John Lennon is worth a think about.
Just looking for two nights in Barcelona in March, the flights are 59 each and accommodation 150.
http://www.skyscanner.net/transport/flights/lpl/bcn/150309/150312/airfares-from-liverpool-to-barcelona-in-march-2015.html?rtn=1

http://www.oh-barcelona.com/en/s/?s_id=s_548986195bc79&listMode=list

that took two minutes. Doubtless you'll find it cheaper.

greenface

S the budget 300 each or total ? We have just returned from Budapest Hungary from mankchester . stayed 5 nights in the 5* corinthia royal spa inc Ryan air extra leg room for 300 each . met with friends who stayed 3 nights in the Zara continental for 205 each . stunning city with lots to do . taxi RM the airport about 17 food great beer and boozers fab and all good prices . full of history and all within walking distance . hth booked through Expedia

katty11

Some great advice there guys thank you will get looking!