European Cities Perfect For A Weekend Break

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When I was working in a full-time Monday-to-Friday job, I would maximise my opportunity to travel by visiting European cities on my days off at the weekend! My aim was to take an early flight on Saturday morning, stay the night and then try and take the latest flight possible on Sunday evening. This gave me the opportunity to see some sites, eat some food and get a taste of the country!

Weekend European City Breaks

I have personally visited all of these as a weekend European city break. If available, I love doing Segway tours on the Sunday morning. This is similar to a hop-on hop-off bus but is a bit more up close and personal, as you have a guide showing you all the main sights. It’s also a bit quicker than walking!

Prague, Czech Republic

Airport to City Centre: Approx 30 minutes by bus

Must Do:

• 🏙️The Dancing House
• ⛳️Prague Golf & Games
• 🌉Chales Bridge
• 🎨John Lennon Wall
• 🕰️Astronomical Clock – Old Town Square
• 🛞Segway Tour
• 🛷Bobova Draha Prosek (Prague Bobsleigh Track)
• 🚂Vytopna Railway Restaurant

Where I Stayed: Martin Hotel

One of my highlights from Prague is something that I never really see mentioned anywhere else! Located on the public transport network is Bobova Draha Prosek, an alpine toboggan bobsleigh track! It is easily reached from the city centre and can be done within a weekend trip.

The Prague Segway tour we did covered a lot of the main sights within the city centre. I really liked the John Lennon Wall. We lucked out and visited while there was a busker there and everyone was singing along, which was a really nice atmosphere. Pivovar Strahov A Restaurace Sv. Norbert is a monastery that has a craft brewery, with beers brewed by the monks!

Vytopna Railway Restaurant is fun to visit. Drinks are delivered to the table via miniature railway on the back of model trains!

Copenhagen, Denmark

Airport to City Centre: Approx 15 minutes by train

Must Do:

• 🎢Tivoli Gardens
• 🚤Nyhavn
• 🧜🏻‍♀️The Little Mermaid
• 🛞Segway Tour

Where I Stayed: Cabinn City

One of the main reasons I visited Copenhagen was to go to Tivoli Gardens, it is one of the oldest theme parks in the world! It’s conveniently located right opposite the main train station. As well as the rides (which you can pay extra for), they have events and things to do in the gardens. There are no LED lights either, the park is illuminated by hundreds of bulbs!

Other than the theme park, Nyhavn is a colourful harbour with lots of restaurants and cafes. Lots of people like to see ‘The Little Mermaid’ statue, but just be warned that it is very small and a little underwhelming!

Cologne, Germany

Airport to City Centre: Approx 15 minutes by S-Bahn train

Must Do:

• 🍫Lindt Schokoladen Museum
• 🍦Fish Market Square
• ⛲️Rheingarten
• ⛪️Cologne Cathedral
• 🔐Hohenzollern Bridge
• 🐘Kölner Zoo
• 🚡Rhein Seilbahn

Where I Stayed: Rhein Hotel St Martin

Cologne, Germany is the only one I technically didn’t do on a weekend. I flew from London to Cologne, spent the night and then flew on to Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, rather than returning home. But you can easily see lots in Cologne in one day!

Something I enjoyed was the Lindt Schokoladen Museum. It’s right along the river, so you can’t miss it! The entrance fee includes some free samples, including a Lindt chocolate fountain and a robot where you can pick chocolate straight from the production line and eat it! For an additional cost, you can also design your own chocolate bar!

Great St Martin Church and Fish Market Square is good for a photo stop. With the church in the background and lots of rainbow-coloured buildings in front. This was where my hotel was located.

Budapest, Hungary

Airport to City Centre: Approx 30 minutes by bus

Must Do:

• 🏊🏻‍♀️Széchenyi Thermal Baths
• 🛞Segway Tour
• 🏛️Hungarian Parliament Building
• 🚃Buda Castle & Funicular
• 🍺Szimpla Kert ruin bar

Where I Stayed: Medos Hotel

One of the reasons I wanted to visit Budapest was to go to Széchenyi Thermal Baths. I did enjoy my time there, but they are extremely popular and crowded. There are other thermal baths in Budapest that are a little quieter.

Szimpla Kert ruin bar was one of my highlights. It’s a very unique bar with a mash up of THINGS, everywhere. There are so many little details! As well as essentially being a pub that also serves craft beer, you’ll find movies, live music and even a farmers market on a Sunday during the day.

Dublin, Ireland

Airport to City Centre: Approx 20 minutes by bus

Must Do:

• 🍺Guinness Storehouse
• 🍀The National Leprechaun Museum
• 🎵Ha’Penny Bridge & Temple Bar District
• 🏄🏼‍♀️Wakedock

Where I Stayed: The Grafton Hotel

I have been to Dublin twice now. Once as a day trip and once as a weekend trip, but I did similar things both times as I was travelling with different people! I really enjoyed the National Leprechaun Museum which had a focus on Irish storytelling and folklore. Of course, the Guinness Storehouse is a popular attraction too.

For something unique, Wakedock is a cable wakeboarding park in the centre of Dublin! I thought it was great being able to combine something a little bit more adventurous with a city break!

I was very surprised by how expensive accommodation was in Dublin, yes it’s a busy European city, but even in London you can usually find something that has an ‘ok’ price tag!

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

Airport to City Centre: Approx 35 minutes by bus

Must Do:

• 🏘️Passage du Palais & The Upper Town
• 🚶🏻‍♀️Wenzel Wall/Walk
• ⛪️Grund district
• 🌉Chemin de la Corniche
• 🚂Petrusse Express VR Tour
• 🛗Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator
• 🍫Chocolate House Nathalie Bonn

Where I Stayed: Ibis Luxembourg Aeroport

Luxembourg City is a compact city that can easily be seen within a weekend. I stayed at the Ibis Luxembourg Aeroport and got the FREE public transportation to and from the city centre. The main part of the city is divided into two areas, the Upper Town and the Lower Town.

The Upper Town is slightly more modern with lots of shops and places to eat. Chocolate House Nathalie Bonn cafe is a must if you have a sweet tooth (ChocoSpoon hot chocolates and homemade cake!).

Pfaffenthal Elevator (again, free to ride!), connects the two districts together. The Wenzel Wall and walk around the Grund district is worth checking out too.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Airport to City Centre: Approx 20 minutes by train

Must Do:

• 🏠Anne Frank House
• 🌳Vondelpark
• 🔭Nemo Science Museum

I actually visited Amsterdam on a day trip, getting the first and last flight of the day. (From London Stansted runway to runway was a little over 30 minutes!). The main reason for our visit is that my mum wanted to go to the Anne Frank House museum. So our day was planned around our prebooked entry time.

We also had time to wander through Vondelpark, visit a floating flower market, play glow golf and walk onto the roof of the Nemo Science Museum!

Krakow, Poland

Airport to City Centre: Approx 20 minutes by train

Must Do:

• ⛪️Rynek Glowny (Main Square)
• 🏘️Kazimierz District
• 🏰Wawel Castle
• 🚌Auschwitz and Birkenau Tour

Where I Stayed: Ascot Premium Hotel

Similar to Amsterdam, I travelled to Krakow for 2 days with my mum too, for the purpose of visiting Auschwitz and Birkenau. We took a tour early Sunday morning which dropped us back off in Krakow ready for a late flight home.

On the Saturday afternoon, we wandered around Krakow city centre seeing: Rynek Glowny (the Main Square), Kazimierz Jewish District, and Wawel Castle and river walk.

Lisbon, Portugal

Airport to City Centre: Approx 35 minutes by metro

Must Do:

• 🛞Lisbon by Segway (Alfama District)
• 🚃Tram 28
• 🛗Elevador de Santa Justa
• 🚋Ascensor de Gloria & Ascensor do Larva
• ⛱️Cascais

Where I Stayed: HF Fenix Music

We did another Segway tour in Lisbon, which was a great way to see a bunch of viewpoints quickly! Once we finished, we jumped on Tram 28, one of the most scenic in Lisbon. The Segway tour went to some of the same places along the route, so we made sure to jump on in the opposite direction!

Elevador de Santa Justa is a cool lift with an observation platform at the top. The main lift is included in the Lisbon transport passes, along with the ‘Ascensor’ trams/railways. We had brought a 24-hour pass, which covered all transport within the city centre during our weekend in Lisbon. (We had to top it up with one single journey to get back to the airport).

On the Sunday we took a short 40-minute train ride (not included in the transport pass) to the cute town of Cascais and had some beach time before the flight home in the evening!

Bucharest, Romania

Airport to Therme: Approx 20 minutes by bus (city centre is in the opposite direction)

Must Do:

• 💆🏻‍♀️Therme Bucharest

Where I Stayed: Hotel Casa Romaneasca

A popular weekend break is to Therme Bucharest in Romania! I stayed in a hotel that was a short walk from the airport. I arrived just in time for dinner and it had the cutest little courtyard restaurant serving Romanian dishes (I had garlic cream soup in a bread bowl)!

On the Sunday I spent 9 hours at Therme spa. I got there for opening and my ticket gave me entry to all three zones.

The Galaxy has a water park, wet saunas and hydro-massage beds. The Palm is the main area with a large swimming pool with jacuzzis and a swim-up bar. I took part in an aqua gym class around lunchtime too! The Elysium has a large range of dry saunas with Auguss rituals (which are awesome) and massages.

At 6pm I left Therme and took the local bus back to the airport, ready for my flight back to London at 9.30pm!

Stockholm, Sweden

Airport to City Centre: Approx 20 minutes by train (expensive), 45 minutes by bus

Must Do:

• ✈️Jumbo Stay
• 🏙️Gamla Stan Old Town
• 🎢Grona Lund theme park

Where I Stayed: Jumbo Stay

One of the highlights of my trip to Stockholm was staying at Jumbo Stay hotel! Located at Arlanda Airport (convenient for a weekend trip!) is a converted Boeing 747 aircraft that is now a hotel! I stayed in the main body of the plane, but you can also stay in an engine room and even in the wheelhouse!

The following day, I got the coach into Stockholm city centre, walked through Gamla Stan Old Town and on to Grona Lund theme park. Grona Lund reminded me a lot of Tivoli Gardens in Denmark but with more thrill rides and rollercoasters! It’s well worth checking out if looking for an adventurous city break!

*BONUS*

London, UK

Airport to City Centre: 30 – 50 minutes by underground/train depending on the airport

Must Do:

• 🌳Hyde Park (Buckingham Palace and Big Ben at nearby)
• 🌺Garden at 120
• 🎨Brick Lane/Shoreditch (Ballie Ballerson is pretty fun!)
• 🛍️Camden Town

Where I Stay: Travelodge London Liverpool Street

Even though I live very close to London, I have often gone into the city and spent the night. My go to hotel is the Travelodge near Liverpool Street station, it’s centrally located and not badly priced. I have a whole load of different posts about London, but some places worth visiting are: The Garden at 120 (opposite Sky Garden, free but no tickets needed), the Brick Lane and Shoreditch area and Camden Town.

‘Long Weekend’ European City Breaks

I have also visited the following European cities but for 2-3 nights:

• 🇧🇦Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina: Exploring The Abandoned Sarajevo Bobsled Track
• 🇬🇷Fira, Santorini: Santorini Budget Breakdown: Is Santorini Expensive?
• 🇮🇸Reykjavik, Iceland: Practical Tips For Visiting Iceland In April | What To Pack, See & Do!
• 🇲🇹Valletta, Malta: The Perfect 4 Days In Malta Itinerary (Mainland Malta Only!)
• 🇪🇸Barcelona, Spain: 72 Hours in Barcelona Winter City Break | Barcelona in December – Spain

Check out my Europe index page for all European getaways!

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