Where can I find true last minute city break?

Lastminute.com used to be great but their true last minute deals all seem to be winter sun now. I’m after a web site that offers last minute deals for places like Berlin, Budapest, Prague, Paris etc. Any ideas?

City breaks and last minute deals do not really go together. The reason is that a week in Tenriffe, say, is based on a charter flight and a contract hotel – both of which are highly perishable products and so it is better to get £10 than £0 for them – hence all the last minute stuff. A city break does not work like that, it is based on a contract rate hotel (which can be cheaper than the normal or “rack” rate) and flights at whatever price they can get. Now, the city break holiday unlike the cheapo Benidorm job is only arranged when someone wants one. If you want to go in the peak season (and now is the peak season for many cities – reason: all the business types are working flat out, conferences, exhibitions and so on) Hence the rather limited special offers.

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City Breaks in Europe

Top City Breaks, European Destinations

Looking mainly at tourists from Britain, the main favourite city breaks, Europe wide are Rome, Paris and Barcelona.

Romantic city breaks in Europe

There are some great city break deals to be found staying in some of the most romantic cities in Europe. Of course Paris, in France – the great city of love, comes first. There are some very good, economical Paris city breaks available, whether ypu travel by air from England’s regional airports or by Eurostar from the centre of London. You might also consider some of the other major European cities though, such as Amsterdam or Venice, or Stokholm. There are also the new eastern city breaks europe in Prague, Ljubliana, St Petersburg, Dubrovnik etc which can be very reasonably priced and are now served by frequent airline services to and from Britain. Prague is a brilliant example of Eastern European culture with buildings and architecture and it’s an amazing place to see especially when the snow has fallen.

It may help to think in terms of these three general types of short breaks, although of course you can break out of the categories and form your own unique style or design when it comes to picking a theme.

1) City breaks: Europe’s cities are not the only beautiful, interesting locations, but they often are the place where culture and history are most obviously accessible. The great cities of Europe also provide long walks, old and new parts of town, public transport, and inexpensive guided tours that show first time visitors all the main sights and hot spots.

2) Train breaks. Taking to the railways is often the best choice for a short or long weekend break for several reasons. It is far more environmentally friendly, a lot easier with baggage and security, and it also allows you to soak up the sights of your chosen city break destination. In addition, nearly every destination in Europe is accessible by rail travel. For especially appealing weekend breaks, consider taking the train to Dublin, Edinburgh, or Stockholm.

3) Culture breaks. Europe has a wealth of cultural centres in the form of museums, art galleries, theatres and opera houses, many of which can be taken in during a weekend break in just one city if the choice is made with care. Again, Paris comes top of the list but there’s also London, Edinburgh, Florence, Berlin, Copenhagen and Bruges to consider. I’d like to single out Budapest though:

Budapest consists of two separate cities, Buda and Pest, located opposite each other on the river Danube. The Buda half is very cultural, with many cafes, bars, music and a classic intellectual coffee scene. Pest is the commercial centre , but also home to some museums, the fantastic riverside Parliament and the recently restored Cathedral of St. Stephen.

Barcelona is Spain’s second largest city and the capital of Catalonia, an old nation with it’s own language that once spanned across much of the western mediterranean. The city has a wealth of unique historic architecture and has emerged as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe during the 1990s. Barcelona has amazing Gaudi and gothic architecture, some nice beaches and a wonderful port area with fine seafood restaurants.

Cheap weekend city breaks, Europe

If sticking to a budget is yoyur main priority or you simply can’t resist a bargain then here are a couple of surprises for you:

Reykjavik in Iceland at the moment is relatively affordable to get to and accommodation etc once there is currently very cheap. The effect of the credit crunch and banking system problems have made Reykjavik a cheap place to visit. Krakow in Poland is another bargain destination, cheap to get to and accommodations is even cheaper, making it one of the most affordable city breaks Europe wide.

Technorati Tags: budapest, city breaks, city breaks europe, culture breaks, dubrovnik, paris breaks, romantic city breaks, train breaks