Long weekend trips in Europe - where would you go?!

Where is your home base located?

It would be useful to know your permanent base, because even for a long weekend I'd want to limit myself to places with non-stop flights (or not-too-long train rides) from my temporary home.

The date range would also be helpful.

I've been to all the places you list except Malta and Dublin. The ones I'd consider toward the bottom of the list for 3 or 4 days are Dublin, Marseille (I'd prefer Nice) and Porto (there's more to see in and around Lisbon).

There are places I'd add for consideration, but I really need your starting point.

Here is the thing: with a little planning and thinking, any of these would be worthwhile weekend destinations. There are things to see and discover in all of them — so in a sense, you can’t go wrong.

So it goes back to the ease/convenience of reaching any of them and if that is important to you , or whether you don’t mind a more involved journey to reach any given one of them.

What a wonderful opportunity! And the autumn is an absolutely great time to travel.

Kim

I agree that it would be helpful to know where your base is. And also what time of the year you are there.

Birmingham
Belfast
Minsk
Coventry
Manchester
Liverpool
Nantes
Catania

These cities have plenty of culture, fine dining, and history, and are relatively speaking off the beaten path. They are non-sheep destinations.

Minsk? 🤣 .....

"Minsk"

Why would anyone suggest travel to Belarus when they are part of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, and are fully supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine ? It's beyond humorous.

Minsk? Catania? Why?

Secondary cities that require airplane transfers or long train trips aren't a good choice.

Time frame is August through February! I will research direct flights from our home base and come back with nore specifics. But in the meantime, any dream destinations are appreciated!!

Sorry about Minsk in today's environment. Had a mental lapse there. But it has museums, castles, and a spectacular WWII museum, or The Great Patriotic War as they call it.

Catania: Basilica, Mt. Edna (unbelievable!), Ursino Castle, great food and culture, ruins... I don't know where to start, and best of all it was not nearly as crowded as the usual tourist sites.

Ok, new list: all nonstop flights!

Paris
Prague
Rome
Amsterdam
Vienna or Salzburg? (Maybe in December?)
Venice or Verona?
Krakow, Gdansk or Warsaw?
Porto (been to Lisbon already, love port, Douro Valley is on bucket list, maybe cool during harvest?)

On that list (and having traveled with kids that age recently to several of these) I would pick the first 4 on the list above for sure. Not Venice. Lots to do in Rome, Paris, Amsterdam. Of course, smaller places can be fun too (thinking places with water like an island or coastal town, which might still work in the early Fall weather-wise)

Budapest of course. Budva comes to mind as well. Maybe someplace in the Tatras.

The answer to your question relies on the train connections and discount airline connections from your home base. If home were Budapest then WIzz and Ryan could take yiu to 100 fabulous destinations.

You can’t go wrong with any on that list so pick a city in which you can fly directly from your home airport in Europe to prevent wasting valuable time on changing planes on your long weekend trip.

Wizz and Ryan sound like a comedy duo or camp musical act from the 1960s.

Given the time of the year and the shortened new list, I still pick Paris....it's the place.

Well living in Europe (but not staying here permanently) I try to pack as much travel in as I can, and they're often 3-4 day trips due to my husband's work schedule so this is essentially how I travel with a couple 7-10 day vacations thrown in as well.

You still don't say where your home base is, but depending, don't rule out trains. Better for the climate and IMO way easier with kids even though yours are older. You have to factor in that airports are madness right now which may subside by mid-September but will pick up again by late November likely, and so even if your flight time is 90 minutes, let's assume 30 minutes to get to the airport, minimum 2 hours before the flight (right now 3 is a lot safer), flight, and getting from the airport to your destination, let's say 90 minutes. That's 5 1/2 hours minimum. From where I'm at in Europe I can reach many major cities by train in significantly less time.

Another tip is to find the Facebook expat community of the place you'll be living (assuming it's large enough to have one, but all major cities will) and ask for travel tips from them.

Outside of the big four at the top of your list, I'd say Vienna and Salzburg are both great in December, both have fabulous Christmas markets. Salzburg has a Christmas museum, even. You also might want to look into the Krampus events for something really unique (assuming your 11 year old isn't easily frightened). We loved the Hellbrunner Adventzauber market in Salzburg at a palace. Vienna's a great museum and palace city which makes it great for winter travel.

Krakow in Poland is a fantastic weekend trip. Just about the right size to see everything in depth with a couple days.

Venice is a must-see but it's extremely crowded with tourists and can flood in winter. I'd consider late October if we're not having an overly wet autumn. Otherwise maybe January but again, rain-dependent.

I haven't been to Porto yet (Lisbon twice though) but everyone I know has loved it and the Douro valley and harvest would be a good time to go. Harvest will probably be quite early this year due to the crazy hot summer, so I'd start looking into that right away.

Paris
Prague
Rome
Amsterdam
Vienna or Salzburg? (Maybe in December?)
Venice or Verona?
Krakow, Gdansk or Warsaw?

From the list you’ve found of non-stop flights, I think any of these would be great. Venice or Verona would fall at the bottom of my list for my personal preference. Krakow is absolutely fabulous, and really repays a visit. the first four are all must-dos, and yes Vienna and Salzburg too (and yes December would be fabulous in either or both of them).

Like I said earlier, you can’t go wrong, as long as you do a little research into where you’re going. There are things to discover and enjoy in all of them.

I’m just back from Denmark, and would add Copenhagen to the list. Love Stockholm and Oslo too. Tallinn is a gorgeous jewel. I was there in October and it snowed, it was so gorgeous. Would love to experience any of the Nordic capitals (or even secondary cities) during cozy fall and winter months.

IF you want to come to Paris, maybe wait until January. It gets crazy expensive in December, and I think the Germanic /Austrian / Scandinavian places have a more “special” feel at Christmastime. Paris in January means museums, restaurants, and indoor sites, concerts, etc. It’s the cultural season without the extra expense and frenzy of pre-Christmas.