Can anyone recommend a nice city to go and visit for a weekend ?

[Termite Man]

I was thinking of heading off for a short break for my birthday ( december ) with shells this year so can anyone recommend me a nice city to visit .
I've been to prague a couple of times and I love it there ( mainly for the buildings rather than the night life ) so I think something similar ( maybe vienna ) would be quite nice . I'm also tempted by istanbul but I don't know much about it ! If anyone has any ideas I'd like to hear them please :D

[Boris Sprinkler]

Copenhagen, Oslo or Stockholm.

[Termite Man]

Won't it be a tad cold and dark there in december though ? Shells isn't a big snow fan either !

[Space Girl]

Vienna is boring, I would also recommend Stockholm but if the cold is a no no then how about Rome, Barcelona or istanbul?

[wrysmile]

Budapest is lovely, it has similar very elegant, grand buildings like Prague, it's cheap and people there are lovely. Istanbul is an amazing city, but you really need more than a weekend because it's a ways to go and flights aren't especially cheap. Barcelona is great for cracking nightlife and I went there last December and the city was filled up with xmas lights (although most probably would be), it was lovely. Not that cold either. I haven't been to Vienna but have heard it has lovely architecture, although is a bit staid. I could go on all day really - so much choice! :)

[Termite Man]

Budapest is lovely, it has similar very elegant, grand buildings like Prague, it's cheap and people there are lovely.

I've been looking at Budapest and it does look really nice :D I expect it's quite cold there as well in december isn't it ?

[Stanley Edwards]

Granada :)

Anywhere in the northern hemisphere is going to be cold in December. However, you'll get plenty of sunshine verging on T-Shirt temperatures here in December. A great little city to do Christmas shopping also - cheap and varied. Much cheaper than the UK for the latest technological fad.

Snow-capped mountains. Fantastic nightlife. Loads to see. Loads of sunshine.

Cold winds probable and very cold nights.

Cheap, quality accommodation on offer in restored Moorish townhouse with gardens, sun terraces, views of The Alhambra from €15/night/person for Two sharing a double room en-suite ;)

PM me if you like :)

[Dirty Martini]

Naples!

[Dubversion]

Napoli would be great for a flying visit, actually - and pretty cheap. Barcelona's always the obvious choice. Vienna is FUCKING dull...

[Winkybag]

I've just been chatting to someone who's just returned from Bratislava.
Apparently it's beautiful, very cheap & flights are reasonable.

[Maggot]

Shells will have a terrible time wherever you go. ;)

[zoltan]

Budapest is good
Berlin is better!

If its in Winter, also consider Tallinn - the stag parties should be minimal - a proper hanseatic town if a big twee

Rigas interesting - ratehr like Buda/Belgrade in terms of archietture - Russian influcence.

Krakows awash with Stags & Nuns, but has some fantastic buildings/walls/squares


If you have the funds tho' I would opt for St petersburg - still need visa tho' - maghical in the snow & still feesl like an adventure

[zoltan]

Naples!

I did a three centre trip not long ago - Tirana-Durres-Naples.

Naples was the hardest work of the lot

[zoltan]

Im a twat - I didnt read the post - you DONT want snow.

Valencia
Granada
Marrakech

[chainsaw cat]

Helsinki or Zagreb

If Helsinki, take no luggage but booze, you can't afford it there. No such trouble in Zagreb, but ALL the women are gorgeous which can cause problems.

[Ms Ordinary]

I've been looking at Budapest and it does look really nice :D I expect it's quite cold there as well in december isn't it ?

It will be very cold in December... but its on thermal springs, so the ponds in the parks have vapour rising from them, which is beautiful :cool: .

I loved Budapest in January (when there was bugger all going on, like January everywhere :D ) so I think it would probably be lovely in December when its still Christmassy.

And you can always go to the steam baths...

[Chairman Meow]

It will be very cold in December... but its on thermal springs, so the ponds in the parks have vapour rising from them, which is beautiful :cool: .

I loved Budapest in January (when there was bugger all going on, like January everywhere :D ) so I think it would probably be lovely in December when its still Christmassy.

And you can always go to the steam baths...

Seconded. I was there in feb and loved it. The Szchenyi baths are totally amazing and I'm so going back soon.:)

[gaijingirl]

Barcelona - always a winner - too much good stuff to mention.
Bilbao - just gorgeous - absolutely amazing, cheap, loads to do - day trip to Guernica which is an amazing town for obvious reasons, Guggenheim, incredible transport - love it!
Granada - there will be loads of snow on the Sierra Nevada but the town will be fine - the old town is loads of fun, great food, the Alhambra is one of my all time fav places - the cathedral in town is interesting too. We particulary enjoyed it as we did a day snowboarding as well as a day in town and at the Alhambra.

(I did a weekend in Budapest too - we really enjoyed it but I wouldn't rate it as highly as those above personally).

[Stanley Edwards]

I have to ad that Granada airport has the quickest check-out I've ever known. 15 minutes from landing to bus. It counts for a lot on short city breaks.

[ramjamclub]

Amsterdam for a weekend is great
I've been here for over 1600 weekends

[souljacker]

Munich is quite funky. There will be snow and beer and pretzels. Also has the Cristmas Markets in December, which are good for doing a bit of present buying.

[selamlar]

Istanbul every time. Place absolutely kicks ass. Is a bit on the cold side in wintertime, but nothing like as cold as the UK. Have got loads of details of shit to see, places to stay etc if you want them.

[marty21]

avignon - in provence - close to other interesting places like nimes and arles, and an interesting place itself (old papal palace) arles for all that van gogh stuff, and it's roman arena still in use, nimes has a roman arena as well, and montpelier is nearby, all within a hour or so by train

[Termite Man]

Istanbul every time. Place absolutely kicks ass. Is a bit on the cold side in wintertime, but nothing like as cold as the UK. Have got loads of details of shit to see, places to stay etc if you want them.

Whats that mosque/church* in istanbul that looks well impressive ? It's one of the places I've always wanted to visit but can't remember what it's called :rolleyes:




* I don't know what it is now but it started as a church and then was a mosque and then got turned back into a church etc.

[ChrisFilter]

Rome.. I fucking love Rome. Anywhere in Italy.

[selamlar]

Whats that mosque/church* in istanbul that looks well impressive ? It's one of the places I've always wanted to visit but can't remember what it's called

That would be the Hagia Sofia (Church of the Divine Wisdom).

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Aya_sofya.jpg/300px-Aya_sofya.jpg

Built in 550ish AD by Justinian. Turned into a mosque by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1453. Turned into a museum i.e. desanctified by Mustafa Kemal Ataurk in 1935. Biggest single enclosed space in the world for almost 1500 years and one of the most spectacular sites you will ever see.

Also in Istanbul

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Sultanahmet_Camii_2006.JPG/350px-

The Sultanahmet (blue) mosque

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/Istanbul_-_Basilica_Cistern_-_01.JPG/200px-Istanbul_-_Basilica_Cistern_-_01.JPG

Basilica Cistern,

and so on and so forth. One of the few truly great world cities

[Termite Man]

That would be the Hagia Sofia (Church of the Divine Wisdom).

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Aya_sofya.jpg/300px-Aya_sofya.jpg

Built in 550ish AD by Justinian. Turned into a mosque by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1453. Turned into a museum i.e. desanctified by Mustafa Kemal Ataurk in 1935. Biggest single enclosed space in the world for almost 1500 years and one of the most spectacular sites you will ever see.



Thats the place . One of the few things I'd be pissed off about not seeing if I was to die today !

[Appassionata]

Naples!

Nah, it's a bit rubbish there. ;) :D


I was thinking of heading off for a short break for my birthday ( december ) with shells this year so can anyone recommend me a nice city to visit .
I've been to prague a couple of times and I love it there ( mainly for the buildings rather than the night life ) so I think something similar ( maybe vienna ) would be quite nice . I'm also tempted by istanbul but I don't know much about it ! If anyone has any ideas I'd like to hear them please

As Chris/Filter says, anywhere in Italy.

I only got back from Milan about 12 hours ago, and I'm planning a longer visit already. Rome's incredible, and highly recommended, but very touristy. Milan is less so, and the reason is easy to spot: the tourist attractions aren't as obvious as in places like London, Paris or Rome.

The Duomo is surely one of the great wonders of the world, if you like interesting (and downright crazy!) architecture. If you like understated charm, with a great atmosphere, despite knowing that the city has quite obviously seen better times, then you'll love Milan. And, what's even better... most of the attractions are free, or very cheap!

The Metro is cheap (a Carnet of 10 tickets: €9.20, single tickets: €1), quick and seems reliable and frequent, but once you get to the Piazza del Duomo, many of the attractions are within walking distance of each other. Trams seem to go everywhere the Metro does, and more. Food and drink isn't great around the Duomo, but take a tram, Metro or walk to Brera and you'll find a heavily-graffiti-covered yet rather charming district full of cafes, bars, gelaterie, restaurants and interesting shops.

Recommended places to see:

You absolutely MUST go inside the Duomo (Metro: Duomo) and onto the roof, which has incredible views and photo opportunities. (Cathedral: free. Roof entry: €4). I was up there in blazing 29 degree heat, which felt more like 35 degrees in the clear sky; yet the way the building is designed, there are shady parts on the roof which offer respite from the sun, and felt more like a cool 15 degrees! I know most of you aren't religious, but I went to Mass there on Sunday, and for the few Catholics amongst us, it's quite an experience.

The Castello Sforzesco (Metro: Lanza/Cairoli/Cadorna) is a crazy Renaissance masterpiece (grounds & surrounding parkland: free. Museums: €3 ) and well worth a visit.

There's nothing on at the Teatro alla Scala (Metro: Montenapoleone/Duomo/Cordusio) at the moment, but the museum is worth a visit if you like opera, and the piazza opposite offers a pleasant resting point.

Designer shopping and gorgeous architecture is in evidence around the Piazza del Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emannuele II (Metro: Duomo).
I decided to head for La Rinascente, a huge Selfridges-style but surprisingly (unlike Selfridges :rolleyes:) mostly lacking pretentious assistants.

The Stazione Centrale (Metro: Centrale FS) is worth a visit even if you don't need to catch a train or visit the area - the building itself is awesome, internally and externally. It looks more like a museum than a railway station! Be careful around the station at night, though.

The Giardini Pubblici (Metro: Turati/Palestro) is a lovely park and a perfect place to escape the crowds and noise. reminds me of Battersea Park, which brought a big smile to my south London face. :D

It's a great place for wandering around in, and feels safe even after dark. I didn't hear any British accents, curiously enough - lots of North Americans and Australians, though. Most of the tourists speak Italian. Seems popular with French and Spanish, though, but not British? :confused: which may be considered a good or bad thing (personally I'd rather not go to places dominated by British tourists). If anyone wants any other Milanese recommendations, PM me.