�500 city break ideas

[Greedyfly]

Hello, I am loking to go on holiday with my partner in the first week of October. I would like to go to a city for about 4 days. I personally have never been outside of the UK so somewhere that would wow me would be great. I get bored really easily but will need something to cater for the two of us. My partner is more of a touristy type who would like to see the obvious places, whereas I am more of a zoo/planaterium/shopping - like outdoor markets etc...type person. We have been looking and Copenhagen - seems to have alot of museums and I cant find a decent website to give me many ideas for things I would like to do & Paris & Amsterdam but would like ideas for anywhere we may not have thought of. We did have our hearts set on Reykjavik - but its a little pricey.

Any suggestions guys? Seen any places that made you fall in love with it? TIA

[Tom Braider]

I recommend Salzburg, Austria to everyone who'll listen. It's a beautiful city with great historical interest and it's a great base for excursions into the most beautiful countryside I've ever seen. In a single day, and with a single transport and admission ticket, you can go up a 6000 foot mountian in a cable-car (Untersberg), get a guided tour around a palace with wonderful gardens and 400-year-old trick fountains (Hellbrun), then return to the city and take a funicular railway up to the most imposing fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg) from where there are fabulous views over the city. Oh, and see Mozart's birthplace and various locations from "The Sound of Music" We've been four times now and mean to go again.

[Greedyfly]

Also - we are open to ideas of somewhere warm too

[spudqueen]

How about Barcelona? Lots of touristy places, especially the Gaudi architecture. He designed buildings including La Sagrada Familia which is still in the process of being built and La Pedrera (Casa Mil�) (you can go round an apartment in this building and also up on the fantastic roof), aswell as Park Guell which is well worth a look round for the wavy benches amongst other things. There is also the Cathedral, beaches, an aquarium, museums and loads of great shopping. It is a really easy place to get around, either walking, or using the metro, and in October the temperature should be in the 70's.
http://www.spanish-fiestas.com/barcelona/gaudi .htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona
http://www.bcn.es/turisme/english/turisme/welc ome.htm

[ilsonchick]

I would recommend Rome in Italy. its absolutely amazing only takes 2 hours flight to get there its cheap for the flights and hotels and the attractions there are perfect you will never get bored! Plus there is plenty of markets, things going off events wise and plenty of shops!!!

[Ferg]

I too would suggest Rome. There is plenty to do on the tourist side of things but you can get those done in 2 days then you can have 2 days to take in the atmosphere, shops and fantastic restaurants.

On the restaurant side of things I would 100% whiling away a lunchtime in the Piazza Navarro (not to far from the vatican). There are plenty of restaurants and cafes but street entertainers and market stalls as well. For dinner you must go to a restaurant near the Trevi fountain called Chianti. It is a favourite with the locals and was truly fab - you'll probably need to book.

[Zax47]

I would second Barcelona! As spudqueen says, it's a great city and you can do all the things you both like. You can get buget airline flights there for not too much money and the range of hotels to suit all budgets is vast.

[Zax47]

As an aside, on the whole I found Rome (apart from the Vatican and forum) a real disappointment! Dirty, smelly, litter strewn, covered in graffiti and dogsh!t, full of eastern European moochers, beggers and delinquents and over priced. Much preferred Barcelona (in 2006 we did both, Barcelona for the wife's 40th and Rome for mine).

Many years ago (1992) I did Reykjavik and that WAS expensive! Beautiful and certainly different but expensive! If you are looking at Copenhagen then how about Stockholm or Helsinki for a change? Or Munich (Oktoberfest is in October) or Krakow - lots of history, sites and (now) shopping there and not too expensive.

[Eve]

Amsterdam and Budapest both have fantastic zoos.

Budapest is also quite close to places like Bratislava and Vienna so a day trip by train or hydrofoil up the Danube is feasible.