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Where would you go for a 4 day break in Europe?
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By *insBadMan 3 days ago
& around South Shields |
"Looking for inspiration for an august break - I'd love to to Rome or Athens but it's just too hot.
Any recommendations for soneone who loves history and nature? "
Fly to Milan and visit Lake Garda or Lake Como,
Fly to Pisa and visit Florence and Sienna, stopping off in Antinori nel Chianti Classico.
Fly to Naples and visit Capri, Sorrento and Positano.
Fly to Palermo Sicily, go to Catania, Syracuse and Toarmina.
All well doable in a 4 days with car hire |
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"Looking for inspiration for an august break - I'd love to to Rome or Athens but it's just too hot.
Any recommendations for soneone who loves history and nature?
Fly to Milan and visit Lake Garda or Lake Como,
Fly to Pisa and visit Florence and Sienna, stopping off in Antinori nel Chianti Classico.
Fly to Naples and visit Capri, Sorrento and Positano.
Fly to Palermo Sicily, go to Catania, Syracuse and Toarmina.
All well doable in a 4 days with car hire"
That's where it falls down, I can't drive :P |
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"Looking for inspiration for an august break - I'd love to to Rome or Athens but it's just too hot.
Any recommendations for soneone who loves history and nature?
Fly to Milan and visit Lake Garda or Lake Como,
Fly to Pisa and visit Florence and Sienna, stopping off in Antinori nel Chianti Classico.
Fly to Naples and visit Capri, Sorrento and Positano.
Fly to Palermo Sicily, go to Catania, Syracuse and Toarmina.
All well doable in a 4 days with car hire"
You don't need a car on the Amalfi coast for tourist stuff- if anything, it will be a hinderance if you're just going for the main tourist spots.
Ferry will take you to all the main destinations fairly cheaply and the train stops right outside Pompeii too |
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By *insBadMan 3 days ago
& around South Shields |
"Looking for inspiration for an august break - I'd love to to Rome or Athens but it's just too hot.
Any recommendations for soneone who loves history and nature?
Fly to Milan and visit Lake Garda or Lake Como,
Fly to Pisa and visit Florence and Sienna, stopping off in Antinori nel Chianti Classico.
Fly to Naples and visit Capri, Sorrento and Positano.
Fly to Palermo Sicily, go to Catania, Syracuse and Toarmina.
All well doable in a 4 days with car hire
That's where it falls down, I can't drive :P"
Trains service from Milan to the lakes is excellent, same for around Sicily, the Amalfi coast, everyone uses ferries, I actually would drive around the Amalfi coast, ferries is the only way to travel |
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"Looking for inspiration for an august break - I'd love to to Rome or Athens but it's just too hot.
Any recommendations for soneone who loves history and nature?
Fly to Milan and visit Lake Garda or Lake Como,
Fly to Pisa and visit Florence and Sienna, stopping off in Antinori nel Chianti Classico.
Fly to Naples and visit Capri, Sorrento and Positano.
Fly to Palermo Sicily, go to Catania, Syracuse and Toarmina.
All well doable in a 4 days with car hire
You don't need a car on the Amalfi coast for tourist stuff- if anything, it will be a hinderance if you're just going for the main tourist spots.
Ferry will take you to all the main destinations fairly cheaply and the train stops right outside Pompeii too "
Oft I've never been to pompeii and it's on the list... |
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"Looking for inspiration for an august break - I'd love to to Rome or Athens but it's just too hot.
Any recommendations for soneone who loves history and nature?
Fly to Milan and visit Lake Garda or Lake Como,
Fly to Pisa and visit Florence and Sienna, stopping off in Antinori nel Chianti Classico.
Fly to Naples and visit Capri, Sorrento and Positano.
Fly to Palermo Sicily, go to Catania, Syracuse and Toarmina.
All well doable in a 4 days with car hire
That's where it falls down, I can't drive :P
Trains service from Milan to the lakes is excellent, same for around Sicily, the Amalfi coast, everyone uses ferries, I actually would drive around the Amalfi coast, ferries is the only way to travel "
I might save sicily for later in the year, there's some fantastic hiking that I think k is better in lower temps |
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By *ild_oatsMan 3 days ago
the land of saints & sinners |
I would recommend Vienna.
You can spend a day just visiting the Schönbrunn Palace. Which was the residence of the Habsburg monarchs.
The next day you can then take the high speed catamaran on the river Danube to Bratislava in Slovakia it takes just over an hour each way.
That way you get to do two capital cities. |
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"Looking for inspiration for an august break - I'd love to to Rome or Athens but it's just too hot.
Any recommendations for soneone who loves history and nature?
Fly to Milan and visit Lake Garda or Lake Como,
Fly to Pisa and visit Florence and Sienna, stopping off in Antinori nel Chianti Classico.
Fly to Naples and visit Capri, Sorrento and Positano.
Fly to Palermo Sicily, go to Catania, Syracuse and Toarmina.
All well doable in a 4 days with car hire
You don't need a car on the Amalfi coast for tourist stuff- if anything, it will be a hinderance if you're just going for the main tourist spots.
Ferry will take you to all the main destinations fairly cheaply and the train stops right outside Pompeii too
Oft I've never been to pompeii and it's on the list..."
It genuinely blew me away.
If you like history, you could easily spend 2-3 days exploring it. Probably a 15 minute train ride from Naples and about 40 minutes from Sorrento (a fantastic city too)
Ferry from Sorrento to Positano and Amalfi is about €50 return and similar for the ferry to Capri |
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"Looking for inspiration for an august break - I'd love to to Rome or Athens but it's just too hot.
Any recommendations for soneone who loves history and nature? "
Vienna?
The only European capital that has vineyards within the city limits.
A stunning city (I'm going in December) that I really enjoy.
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I'd avoid lots of the places mentioned so far, for not being cheap in August, and being over run with families on holiday.
Instead, why not consider -
Bucharest. It has a lovely old quarter, and is a cheap flight from a lot of regional airports. You can go inland and visit Dracula's castle. For nature, there's the Danube Delta, you can also go bison/bear trekking nearby.
Berlin. It's oozing with history - and is the kink capital of Europe. Again, cheap(er) flights.
C |
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"Looking for inspiration for an august break - I'd love to to Rome or Athens but it's just too hot.
Any recommendations for soneone who loves history and nature? "
Lots missing that you don't like it too hot this time of year. How about Belgium/Holland?
Could do the WW2 memorials/graves, and also enjoy everything else that's there. Keep Canaries for a cheeky last minute visit in November for some late sunshine 🌞 |
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We’ve done a few this year
Rome - 4 days was more than enough but amazing place, can’t wait to return
Dubrovnik- 5 days was bloody expensive
Milan/Lake Como - 5 days, great mix of big city and relaxed lake
Bodrum, 7 days day on a beach at 37 degrees all inclusive. Bored by the end of it.
Just returned from the Amalfi Coast. Positano & Capri, expensive, busy, hot! |
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"Looking for inspiration for an august break - I'd love to to Rome or Athens but it's just too hot.
Any recommendations for soneone who loves history and nature?
Fly to Milan and visit Lake Garda or Lake Como,
Fly to Pisa and visit Florence and Sienna, stopping off in Antinori nel Chianti Classico.
Fly to Naples and visit Capri, Sorrento and Positano.
Fly to Palermo Sicily, go to Catania, Syracuse and Toarmina.
All well doable in a 4 days with car hire
You don't need a car on the Amalfi coast for tourist stuff- if anything, it will be a hinderance if you're just going for the main tourist spots.
Ferry will take you to all the main destinations fairly cheaply and the train stops right outside Pompeii too
Oft I've never been to pompeii and it's on the list..."
So simple on the train from Naples |
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"Try Prague, absolutely incredible city "
Wonderful city, well worth a visit, it struck me that during communism, there was never enough money available to ruin the city centre. Dublin is worth a visit for the same reason. |
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By *insBadMan 2 days ago
& around South Shields |
"We’ve done a few this year
Rome - 4 days was more than enough but amazing place, can’t wait to return
Dubrovnik- 5 days was bloody expensive
Milan/Lake Como - 5 days, great mix of big city and relaxed lake
Bodrum, 7 days day on a beach at 37 degrees all inclusive. Bored by the end of it.
Just returned from the Amalfi Coast. Positano & Capri, expensive, busy, hot! "
I did 7 days in Bodrum all inclusive this year too,,,, please don't say it was the 2nd week in July also. |
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If you don’t like the heat, the nordics are great. Stockholm is an archipelago with hundreds of ferries that can get you to a different vibe. Not the cheapest part of Europe though.
Poland is lovely, lots of history, great food and warm people and not expensive.
Not being able to drive is a challenge for many places, but northern Italy has good train networks. Florence is crazy busy and hot in the summer, but there are some wonderful, quieter places. |
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Or alternatively, here’s left field, four days in Edinburgh. Get the train up, which is lovely. The fringe is on in august, so is the Tattoo. The weather isn’t too hot. You could use the money that you saved on flights and airport taxis, to do everything in style.
So much history, architecture, culture, and with the fringe being on, craziness and laughter is absolutely everywhere.
I think I’ve just talked myself into going. |
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By *ild_oatsMan 2 days ago
the land of saints & sinners |
Bergen, Norway 2nd largest city or Oslo
Train travel in Norway is great as the Trains work.
Also mobile coverage is great there even up mountains.
Or there is the most northerly capital Reykjavik which is also a great place to visit for a few days.
Both of these places you will need a 2nd mortgage for especially if you want a beer or two.
In Reykjavik even the Sultan of Brunei would think twice before hiring a car there. Expensive does not even begin to describe it. |
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I went to Brussels last year and loved it! You can get there on Eurostar, you end up right in the middle of the city (though Brussels Midi station is like a city itself!). Very good public transport, loads to see and do, with both recent political history and older. Wolf Market is an amazing place full of different eateries, I'd thoroughly recommend Sangria there, but maybe not before noon  . Just be warned, drinks in restaurants are expensive! |
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I'd vote to go to Ireland as someone else did above. Especially while the weather is like it is. But not Dublin.
Get yourself out to the west coast, Galway, Conamara, Claire the wild atlantic coast walk area. Loads of history, beautiful scenery. |
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"Try Latvia. Plenty of both, reasonable temperature and not pricy."
If you’re going to fly to Latvia (which I agree is great by the way), I’d recommend getting on a bus and heading to Tallinn, Estonia instead.
Such an awesome place to spend a few days. Maybe head back to Latvia the day before you fly home and spend a night in Riga too. Best of both! |
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"Looking for inspiration for an august break - I'd love to to Rome or Athens but it's just too hot.
Any recommendations for soneone who loves history and nature?
Vienna?
The only European capital that has vineyards within the city limits.
A stunning city (I'm going in December) that I really enjoy.
"
Doesn’t Paris have some? Pretty sure I saw some? |
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"Try Latvia. Plenty of both, reasonable temperature and not pricy.
If you’re going to fly to Latvia (which I agree is great by the way), I’d recommend getting on a bus and heading to Tallinn, Estonia instead.
Such an awesome place to spend a few days. Maybe head back to Latvia the day before you fly home and spend a night in Riga too. Best of both!"
... great to see people enjoying my home country...🤭 a bit surprised though . |
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Venice is lovely, but after 3 day you might be struggling.
Rome....err...a bit scruffy but there are some nice bits.
Budapest, really nice.
Lisbon, also nice but watch out for the hills.
Paris, is ok.
Salzburg, especially in Winter/Christmas, really lovely.
Bruges, pretty as a postcard.
Verona(you can do this with Venice) beautiful.
So, for maybe the Venice/Verona combo.
Good luck |
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"Venice is lovely, but after 3 day you might be struggling.
Rome....err...a bit scruffy but there are some nice bits.
Budapest, really nice.
Lisbon, also nice but watch out for the hills.
Paris, is ok.
Salzburg, especially in Winter/Christmas, really lovely.
Bruges, pretty as a postcard.
Verona(you can do this with Venice) beautiful.
So, for maybe the Venice/Verona combo.
Good luck"
If you do Verona and Venice, do Padua too. It’s gorgeous. |
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"Looking for inspiration for an august break - I'd love to to Rome or Athens but it's just too hot.
Any recommendations for soneone who loves history and nature?
Fly to Milan and visit Lake Garda or Lake Como,
Fly to Pisa and visit Florence and Sienna, stopping off in Antinori nel Chianti Classico.
Fly to Naples and visit Capri, Sorrento and Positano.
Fly to Palermo Sicily, go to Catania, Syracuse and Toarmina.
All well doable in a 4 days with car hire"
I can't comment on Naples or Lake Como, but I have visited all the other places you list and I didn't hire a car once. Public transport (train or bus) between towns and cities is fantastic and relatively cheap.
Lake Garda: Verona airport is closer than Milan.
Sicily: To visit Catania, Syracusa and Taormina... fly directly into Catania (Palermo is the other side of the island)... short bus/coach journeys between the three locations are very cheap.
Weather wise... all of these places are just as hot mid-August, as the major cities and are best visited late autumn or early spring. From experience: Florence et al, in November is beautifully warm and sunny, and cheaper. Sicily, over Christmas and New Year isn't as expensive as people would have you believe and the weather, while not warm enough for swimming, was a glorious 24°C.
Best bet for Italy, in August, is somewhere north... as already suggested, one of the Lakes. My preference is Lake Garda for the nature, with a short bus ride to Verona for the history.
As for Greece, I used to live there and I would definitely advise leaving your Athens trip for the cooler months... even in December it's very warm (the same applies to Rome) 😊 |
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"Try Prague, absolutely incredible city
I second this..lovely place. Lots to see and do "
I third this 😊 Stunning architecture and history. We stayed in the district of Žižkov.. cheaper than Staré Mesto (Old Town) but only a 10min tram ride from everything. |
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"Looking for inspiration for an august break - I'd love to to Rome or Athens but it's just too hot.
Any recommendations for soneone who loves history and nature?
Fly to Milan and visit Lake Garda or Lake Como,
Fly to Pisa and visit Florence and Sienna, stopping off in Antinori nel Chianti Classico.
Fly to Naples and visit Capri, Sorrento and Positano.
Fly to Palermo Sicily, go to Catania, Syracuse and Toarmina.
All well doable in a 4 days with car hire"
Some great ideas there. Thank you. |
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