So back to the problem. If you cannot just drop in on San Sebastian ( Donostia in Basque)  while touring the area, then what’s the best way to visit the city? Probably you’d want to stay in a hotel in the city centre itself, but if you arrive by train bus or plane, then you don’t have a car  with which to explore the rest of the Basque country while you’re there very easily, so the answer to me seems to be short city breaks.  Fly in, stay for a long weekend, take in all the sights and experiences of Donostia – San Sebastian and then fly out again. So how convenient is the airport? Well the big airport is in Bilbao, but that’s a fair old way although I believe it’s possible to do day trips to San Sebastian and Biarritz by coach from Bilbao.
The Basque Country has its own local train network, called Euskotren. It is very cheap and there are departures every hour (more often if you don’t mind changing trains) but it is very slow – taking about 2h30 to get from Bilbao to San Sebastian. There are also regular buses throughout the day from Bilbao to San Sebastian, and due to the massive investment in roads all over Spain, the 100Km journey only takes about 1 hour  so this could be the best way to take a short city break in the city by the sea. Apart from Bilbao airport, San Sebastian also has it’s own small airport  names after it, but the location is in fact along the coast next to the French border near the medieval town of Hondarribia. The name of the airport is San Sebastian Fuenteraba, after the Spanish version of the name for Hondarribia, and there are no flights from the UK to San Sebastian Fuenteraba so you’d need to be arriving for your city breaks from somewhere else in Europe.

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The city of Lille itself is supposed to be the third biggest city in France, but this is only calculated by including some huge conurbations in the surrounding countryside and suburban sprawl. The actual city centre of Lille itself, within the peripherique motorway is quite small. You can walk all round in a day and on a three day trip we found ourselves retracing our own footsteps several times. Upon arrival at the Lille Europe Eurostar station we had decided to take a taxi to get to our hotel, for convenience and because the amount of time allowed was tight. But once we got to know our way around we discovered it wouldn’t have been too far to walk, and that’s what we did on the way back again. The Lille Europe station is a huge modern edifice right next to an imposing modern shopping mall, but once you walk through there, or indeed around the side, the old city is just a few minutes away and you need never re-enter the dalek city until it’s time to go home again.

Our hotel was an experiment in budget accommodation that I wouldn’t really recommend. At half the price of a conventional hotel room, the Apparthotel sounded to good to be true with cooking facilities included in the deal, and indeed it was. The service was really weird, with nobody being there at the reception at the time advertised as being manned. So we had to wait around with a bunch of other people who were all tapping away at their smart phones. One of them got through to the management or somebody who then dictated the combination number for the safe in the reception are, and lo and behold the safe opened and inside were a bunch of envelopes. One had our name on it and contained the keys to the room (scary digital keys) and documentation. So that was OK, kind of , but if we’d bothered to check Google street view before booking we’d have known that the building was right next to the busy motorway periperique road. So we were in for a noisy night, or a hot one with the windows closed.

But there are plenty of other hotels to choose from when booking city breaks in Lille Europe, so don’t let the apparthotel experience put you off. It doesn’t really matter too much how central you are either, because out in the Grand Palais area where we ended up, it was still only about twenty minutes walk into the city centre, whether the old Flanders Station area of the big square. And then only another 5 minutes into the old town area, where all the nice markets, restaurants and bars are.  In the big square by the Opera and the old Stock Exchange, I’d recommend the Chicory Restaurant – La Chicoree which has been there for years, does all the traditional flemmish dishes and is open all hours. The food is just wonderful whether you have a simple steak and chips or the special waterzoi  fish stew, carbonade or a local speciality – mussels. The beer is great wherever you go too. Leffe is the most popular, served in 25, 33 or 50cl glasses ice cold but after a while you must try some of the other brews,  perhaps a Affligem or one of the biere Ambrees from the local micro brew pubs.

I’ve said that Lille has a small enough city centre, and that makes it less hectic than big city breaks in Europe liek Paris or London, but Lille is very much a city base for city type activities. There is precious little green space around and the cars are almost everywhere. Make the most of the pedestrianized areas in the old town and the quiet area around the half finished cathedral.

So enjoy Lille for the food and drink, the flemish culture  and history as well as being a very accessible french city on the main Eurostar route.

City Breaks Europe – Lille set on Flickr

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Travel and Leisure 2010 World Cup, all inclusive holiday destination,
all inclusive holidays in Turkey, all-inclusive resorts, city breaks,
Holidays in Europe, holidays to bargain resorts.

Ideas For Weekend Breaks

Find out more about Weekend breaks in the UK. There are many great
destinations in the UK in which to take weekend breaks. It’s worth
visiting as much of Britain as you can, after all, why go abroad.
Stratford-upon-Avon is also home to the very beautiful Holy Trinity
Church, an oasis of calm away from the town where both Shakespeare and
Anne Hathaway are buried, as well as Europe’s largest butterfly park,
which both children and adults can enjoy during a UK city break.

Top destinations for Brits in 2010 includes many all inclusive city
breaks packages

Holidays in Europe where countries aren’t part of the Euro will remain
popular choices as many holidaymakers don’t just go to sunny or
tropical countries for sun, sea and sand.

Cheap Flights to Amsterdam

Always book in advance to avail best offers for your next short city
breaks in Europe or Overseas. Booking in advance can save your money
while looking for a budget or low cost flights.

Prague is famous for many charm and is also known as the traditional
culture center of the Europe. The city also hosts Film Festivals,
Music Festivals, a Writers Festival, and Fashion Shows. Culture life
of the Prague is very generous here. The most popular tourist
attractions that you can’t afford to miss while you are on a Prague
city breaks are museums and art galleries. The picturesque town of
Czech Republic catch the attention of millions of tourists every year.

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London has always been associated with being an expensive city, but with new figures stating the contrary, we are expecting more travellers to take advantage of London’s tourism offerings, as well as discover other notable emerging travel spots around the UK.

London is a gateway city for other famous landmarks and tourist attractions in the UK, so with a more affordable London, we look forward to receiving more regional travellers looking to take advantage of major events and attractions throughout the country.

The Price Comparison report studied 26 products in 33 different countries across the world. It showed that Oslo was the most expensive city for the third year running.

The report claimed that London is more affordable than Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin.

London has fallen dramatically down a list of the world’s most expensive cities as retailers slash prices in an effort to stimulate consumer spending, according to a new global study.

The authoritative International Price Comparison annual report compares the average retail price of 26 of the world’s most popular consumer goods in 33 countries.

The latest findings provide the most tangible evidence yet that retail prices in the UK have significantly dropped. In 2007, London was the second most expensive city on the planet but it is now the 14th cheapest out of the 33 countries audited – below the global average for the overall cost of goods. According to the PriceRunner.co.uk London prices have dropped in a number of product categories this year, including a 33cl takeaway coffee (from £1.83 to £1.63); a litre of milk (£1.03 to £0.86); and even a Big Mac (£2.45 to £2.29).

And as retailers continue to drop prices in an effort to stimulate high street spending PriceRunner predicts that – if the trend continues – London may soon earn a reputation as being one of the cheapest cities in the world.

An Industry spokesman said: “London, New York and Paris are often held up as cities with a very high cost of living. While Paris is still the fourth most expensive place on the planet, New York is now the fourth cheapest – and remarkably, even prices in London have dropped below the global average. London is now significantly cheaper than many competitive destinations, including Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam and Berlin.”

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One of the most popular city breaks from the UK is the drinkers’ weekend in Dublin but there’s so much more to the city than just the Black Stuff. Flights from regional English Welsh and Scottish airports are reasonably cheap, you don’t need a passport ( check security ID requirements before travelling) and the language is easy to understand. Dublin has been crowned the friendliest city in Europe twice and yet it also boasts an eclectic mixture of contemporary architecture and historical sites of interest.

Literary City Breaks

Dublin is the birthplace of many famous writers, such as Oscar Wilde, James Joyce and Bram Stoker, so there is a lot of atmospheric nostalgia in Dublin for the literature fiend. You can visit the The Dublin Writers Museum where they exhibit books, letters, portraits and personal items or the Interactive Bram Stoker Museum, and there are organised Dublin literary pub crawls for those who would mix two hobbies into one pastime.

Around Dublin City

City breaks to Dublin have an advantage over many other European cities in the size of Dublin itself, which is a serious European capital and yet small enough not to be surrounded by huge sprawling suburbs, motorways and industrial connurbation, So you can escape to the countryside the coast and the mountains with a simple short ride on the DART mass transit system or even a bus. This puts Day trips to the many beaches, cycling safaris, or hiking trips onto the agenda. The Cliffs of Moher and Burren tour, departs  Dublin every morning, taking in Limerick, stunning views of the Aran Islands a walk along the Cliffs of Moher.

Theatre Breaks in Dublin

Dubliners themsleves come on theatre breaks to London and London city breaks for the big musical shows but also enjoy a thriving theatre scene in Dublin itself. Some famous Dublin actors are Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. The Abbey, founded in 1904, is also worth a visit due to its fascinating background and literary connections.

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Served by all the major international airlines, Amsterdam Schiphol
Airport (AMS) is considered to be one of the finest in Europe in terms
of both its facilities and efficiency, located 8.7 miles (14 km) SW of
Amsterdam. The unique appeal of short breaks in Amsterdam lies in the
city’s enjoyably vibrant atmosphere and the famous network of
picturesque canals.

Top 5 things to do in Amsterdam

1. Hang out in Amsterdam’s famous Dam Square

The square is a great meeting place and home to the Royal Palace
(Koninklijk Paleis).

2. Visit the Museum Quarter

Museum Square boasts three major museums, the Riijksmuseum, the Van
Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art. The Riijksmuseum
is a must for serious art lovers as works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Jacob
van Ruisdael and Jan Steen are housed together in a single wing called
the ‘Masterpieces’ exhibit. Don’t miss the Van Gogh museum which has
the most extensive collection of his work, drawings and personal
documents in the world.

3. Hire a bike!

A bike is the best way to explore the city. With the numerous canals
and hidden streets, you’ll cover a lot more ground this way. If you
want to make sure you don’t miss anything take an organised bike tour.

4. Drop in on Rembrandt’s House

Get a glimpse into the artists’ private world in his house containing
a collection of over 250 etchings.

5. Walk the canals

Take a guided tour through Amsterdam’s extensive canal district.

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Diverse. This is a word that describes city breaks to Europe very well. But which breaks are worthwhile and which less so? Weeks of online research will lead you to the conclusion that every country on the European continent deserves a short visit. Eastern Europe for instance has a charm in itself and you will be amazed at the wonders of some of the countries like Romania and Slovakia. Or rather experience the western charm of France, Spain or Wales. Your experince here no matter where you go will be marked by encounters with interesting people of a rich cultural diversity.

One very popular European holiday is what is referred to as City breaks. This is a nice way to spend your time in one city and nowhere else.This is almost a perfect way to get very close to the country and the locals.

Glasgow City Breaks

It is a great shame that the majority of visitors to Edinburgh (the capital city of Scotland and the nation’s top holiday destination) fail to visit the wonderful city of Glasgow which is only a short distance away.

Glasgow is growing in popularity as a vacation destination but most tourists are attracted to the city because of it’s reputation for having exciting nightlife. Glasgow has much, much more to offer visitors, especially the more culturally minded, and below I introduce one superb places to visit associated with arts and culture.

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum:

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery is Glasgow and Scotland’s premier museum and art gallery, and home to one of Europe’s great civic art collections.

Then after a hard day’s European cultural intake in Glasgow you can take a break in one of the city’s many pubs:

Three Judges pub - Glasgow city breaks

Technorati Tags: arts and culture, breaks, city break, city breaks, city of glasgow, Edinburgh, EUROPE, france, Glasgow, Glasgow City, kelvingrove art gallery and museum, Romania, Spain

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Well I’ve heard flights to Amsterdam are pretty cheap, I’d have a look there. It’s much more exciting to go abroad, even if it isn’t that far. Maybe even Dublin? That’s always popular.

If you’re looking for a ‘spa break’, maybe centre parcs? Ok, not exactly a spa break, but you’re in the middle of a forest, it’s calm, you’ve got the swimming pool, restaurants etc. It cant be that expensive surely, but it depends on how long you decide to go. You say a city break though, so maybe just book yourself in somewhere nice for just a weekend? The less nights you spend there, the higher your budget. Find a balance!

Technorati Tags: amsterdam, budget, cheap, cheap city breaks, city break, city breaks, city breaks in uk, dublin, EUROPE, restaurants

For £200 it would be a miracle to find a city break for two, as a European break means two return flights, which even with a budget airline company will cost about £120 minimum.

Although Sardinia can be cheap depending on where you stay, the flights there will usually cover most of the £200 anyway. (Eurostar is also extremely expensive which i have never really understood.)

Alternatively, what you could do is drive yourselves to Paris or Rouen (which would be cheaper and close enough to visit Paris during the day). Taking the Eurotunnel will set you back about £70 each way, depending on the time and date you go through it.

Otherwise, you’ll have to loosen the purse strings,

If not, somerset is quite nice this time of year…

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