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Second destination either before or after a week in Paris - Lisbon? Budapest? Somewhere else?

Hello everyone,

I am starting to dream about a trip to Paris in early December 2025 with my sister. We would likely spend 7-10 days in Paris, with a quick overnight to Strasbourg in the middle.

So, I'm thinking I could also tack on 4 solo nights either before or after somewhere completely different. Lisbon? Prague? Budapest? I'd likely stay in that one location for the full 4 nights, maybe do a day trip close by, but not looking to split the days into two different destinations. I fly from Boston and would prefer a direct flight to start the vacation, so a trip to Central Europe would likely come after Paris, whereas Lisbon could be at the start of the trip. I've been to Venice, Florence, and Rome and don't have a burning desire to see those cities again at this time.

Suggestions? Things I should think about to help me decide? I've been to Prague once before in 2004 and loved it, but I've never been to the other cities. Access to inexpensive hostels that welcome travelers over 40 is important. I've spent a lot of time in France, and while I'd be happy continuing to spend all my vacations there, I'm interested in trying something new.

Thanks in advance for your input!

Posted by
10104 posts

Why not Budapest, as you mentioned ? It's wonderful going there in the winter as the cold outside is incentive to cozy up inside at great restaurants, cafes, and at the thermal baths. There are direct flights between Paris and Budapest.

If you liked Prague, it will give you a little different flavor.

Posted by
18 posts

Budapest is definitely a top contender! Any suggestions on navigating the city as a solo traveler with zero grasp of the language? I'll of course try to learn hello, goodbye, please, and thank you, but I have limited expectations of my language ability beyond those key phrases.

Posted by
291 posts

These suggestions are pretty obvious I suppose, but if you haven't visited them before (although I'm guessing someone named Colleen flying from Boston may have Irish roots and have done so!), two cities with direct flights from Boston, plenty to do for 4 days (especially indoor things like museums and theater that are good for December), good for solo travelers, quite different from Paris, and with good onward connections to the City of Light, would be London or Dublin. I don't know about inexpensive hostels, and London especially is quite expensive for accommodation, but they both have a wide variety of different types and price levels of accommodation.

Also agree Budapest is a good choice.

Posted by
2681 posts

I have visited Budapest solo 6 times and while I have learned a bit of the language (I am 1/2 Hungarian) I have never had an issue communicating in Budapest--if you venture to other towns it can get interesting but I must say the Hungarian people are lovely & very kind and helpful, and they are very much delighted when even a feeble attempt is made to speak their very difficult language.

Posted by
18 posts

Surprisingly, Slate, I have not yet been to either Dublin or London. I did really enjoy a trip 2 years ago to Glasgow and Edinburgh, so Dublin might be a good option.

Christa, thanks for the feedback on Budapest. It seems like such a fascinating city, and the baths would be amazing in the winter.

Posted by
4727 posts

The Christmas markets would also be open in Budapest at that time. It would be a lovely contrast and 4 nights (3 days) would fly by. But I have never tried a hostel so I can’t speak to cost or quality of sleep. I do stay in apartments, which are cheaper than hotels with lots of choice.

Edit: I am on my 4th solo trip and language is no issue. I can manage hello and thank you in Hungarian.

Posted by
18 posts

Thanks for your input, TexasTravelMom! I'm interested in hostels both for the cost savings and for meeting new people. Any tours you can recommend for that second piece?

I appreciate all the reassurance about not knowing the language!

Posted by
19947 posts

Any suggestions on navigating the city as a solo traveler with zero grasp of the language?

Imagine you live in a very small and very poor country where the language is more similar to Martian than it is to any other on earth. What do you do if you want to expand your horizon and your pocketbook? You learn English of course. In Budapest you will have more trouble finding someone who is at least a little competent in English than you will finding some who knows no English. In the courtryside, maybe the reverse. But English is mandatory in school so you will have no issues.

But in England or Ireland or Scottland, G-d help you if you dont speak their language. I was lost most of the time.

December is among my favorite times of the year here. The short days mean earlier light and the lights are stunning. The Christmas Markets, the theater the music. The city isnt one of those with a cool and short winter that the locals just bed down and survive till its over. Here its a significant part of the culture and they celebrate right through it.

Depending on how you pack, the flight could be well under $100 and once here you will find things are generally 25% less expensive than Paris. That just means you can spend just as much but do more.

Posted by
2169 posts

Hi Colleen,

I am not well travelled but last year, I took a cruise from Southampton to Lisbon.

I spent a few nights pre cruise in London and post cruise in Lisbon. I loved both places.

In 2019, I spent a few days pre cruise in Copenhagen and also loved he city.

I did not stay in hostels but I feel that they are available for persons over 40 from what I remember when I was doing research.

All three cities are wonderful and you can easily spend four nights in any one of them without getting bored.

Posted by
19947 posts

Before you do a hostle, you might check out the cost of short-term rental apartments in the areas you are considering. They mighbe be cheaper than two in a hostel in Paris. Both Budapest and Lisbon are pretty economical compared to Paris.

Here is some guidance on costs: https://www.budgetyourtrip.com/hungary/budapest and https://www.budgetyourtrip.com/portugal/lisbon

And December temperatures: https://weatherspark.com/y/84771/Average-Weather-in-Budapest-Hungary-Year-Round and https://weatherspark.com/y/32022/Average-Weather-in-Lisbon-Portugal-Year-Round a really good website that goes into a lot of detail on temp, rain, outside activity enjoyment at different times of the year.

Then look google around for the activities that each is known for and think about how many might be ruled out by the time of the year, and maybe the destination is best saved for warmer weather to get the most out of it.

Posted by
553 posts

For a solo adventure, I would probably not have Budapest on my list. Not only do I find it to be quite dreary in the winter, its also a place that takes a few visits for "figure out", if you care about more the usual photo op places. That's not as much fun alone.
I would consider Vienna because it is super easy to do solo.
But, considering Lisbon as an eventual stay, I'd look at Seville, Valencia or Porto.