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City Break Ideas for Hubby's 50th

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  • richardw
    richardw Posts: 19,459 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts
    Any chance of including the 14th July in France because that's bastille day with fireworks in many places
    Posts are not advice and must not be relied upon.
  • Kynthia
    Kynthia Posts: 5,692 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Loved Barcelona. Very hot when I went in July, but it had street artists, gaudi buildings and parks, the marina with shops and restaurants, lots of bars and the beach.


    Amsterdam is very nice. We stayed near a really nice square called Leidseplein that had nice bars, restaurants and street performers. It was lovely sitting out with a few drinks and watching the entertainment in the evening but was less crowded than nearer the station area. We saw Anne Frank's house, the Van Gogh museum, had a canal ride, went out to visit a working windmill, and wandered the streets looking at the architecture and shops.


    My parents recently went to Dubrovnik for a long weekend and said it was one of the best places they've been, and they've been on a lot of city breaks. They really enjoyed it, although I wouldn't go if you have any health concerns as the medical facilities were awful.
    Don't listen to me, I'm no expert!
  • kerri_gt
    kerri_gt Posts: 11,202 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Xmas Saver!
    If you don't want heat, do not visit Seville in July - we went for the UEFA cup final at the end of May a number of years and it was in the 20's at night. Beautiful city, would love to go back but I've never known heat like it.
    Feb 2015 NSD Challenge 8/12
    JAN NSD 11/16


  • oscarward
    oscarward Posts: 904 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Car Insurance Carver!
    My wife took me to Dublin for my 50th along with my brother and his wife. I didn't discover where I was going until we go to the check in queue at the airport.


    Had a great time, stayed on Temple Bar and discovered the best Guinness was at the Farthing Bridge Inn.


    Plus the locals spoke English, how about that!
  • daveyjp
    daveyjp Posts: 13,593 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    If you don't like heat July can be very hot in central Europe. Mid 30s in Budapest and Vienna.

    I'd scrub the lot and go to Iceland!
  • Armorica
    Armorica Posts: 869 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Vienna and Amsterdam are both great. I went to Vienna last year and there is a lot to do there - you could have three entirely separate themed holidays there. There is the music. Then there is the fair/shopping/river etc. And the palaces/riding school etc. Lovely wide boulevards with a pavement eating/drinking atmosphere.

    I went to Valencia a couple of years ago too - lovely beach on the edge of the city; steeped in history; and lots of infrastructure investment and new museums along the recovered river bed. (I was a big fan of the aquarium with dolphins)
  • hollydays
    hollydays Posts: 19,812 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 17 April 2015 at 8:55AM
    If you can stay within the canal ring it's beautiful ( gratchtengordel ), find your way around by the canals, it doesn't get any better.

    "protective moat, but this is now just the first of five canals that reach right around the city centre, extending anticlockwise from Brouwersgracht to the River Amstel in a “girdle of canals” or Grachtengordel. This is without doubt the most charming part of the city, its lattice of olive-green waterways and dinky humpback bridges overlooked by street upon street of handsome seventeenth-century canal houses, almost invariably undisturbed by later development. It’s a subtle cityscape – full of surprises, with a bizarre carving here, an unusual facade there – but architectural peccadilloes aside, it is the district’s overall atmosphere that appeals rather than any specific sight – with the notable exception of the Anne Frank Huis. There’s no obvious walking route around the Grachtengordel, and indeed you may prefer to wander around as the mood takes you, but the description we’ve given below goes from north to south, taking in all the highlights on the way. On all three of the main canals – Herengracht, Keizersgracht and Prinsengracht – street numbers begin in the north and increase as you go south."


    Read more: http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/europe/netherlands/amsterdam/grachtengordel/#ixzz3XY9MRaDx


    Get a map of the canal ring first so you understand how to find your way round

    https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3386834
  • Thanks again folks!!

    At the moment I am short listing Budapest (any idea of July temps?) Amsterdam, poss Dubrovnik ??? Cost wise Budapest seems to have cheaper accom but flights are a bit more, Amsterdam being the opposite. I think he would be happy with either but a little more research needs to be done (when he's not around!)

    Keep the advice coming - you are all so kind & helpful and I'll post when I have made a decision - of course I still need to convince 1 set of grandparents to have the rug rats too, happy days!!
  • alba7
    alba7 Posts: 230 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts PPI Party Pooper
    Hi fluffbrain

    I'm seeing Budapest temperatures in July as being 21 - 26 C, on average, but several sites are also saying "humid continental temperatures" which could make it very uncomfortable. I was in Prague in July 2 years ago and the heat was almost unbearable! It wasn't just the heat, although that was bad enough, but the humidity seemed to sap my energy.

    Amsterdam still seems like a great idea to me. You're right, accommodation is more expensive, at least the hotels are, but there do seem to be some good deals on airbnb for apartments.

    Dubrovnik looks gorgeous and is on my bucket list but I couldn't find flights at a reasonable price - although that may be because I fly from North East England! I was looking at hotels and they seemed quite expensive in Dubrovnik as well. On the plus side, I think the temperature and humidity would be more comfortable there than Budapest!
  • dondo
    dondo Posts: 526 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    Can I chick Krakow in the mix- I took my wife there for her 40th a few years back and we loved it- lots to see and do, loved the architecture etc.
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