Have you been looking for a good holiday destination in Europe? Once you have found the perfect holiday spot for you, your friends, or family, you want to make sure you can get the most out of it. When people go to Europe, it is typically only for a short break or no more than a week. The destinations in Europe are beautiful, but they are not always the kind of holidays where you sit at the beach and relax for two weeks. They tend to be walking and exploring holidays – checking out the buildings, the nature, the history, the culture, the food, and much more. Whether you are heading to Edinburgh or Paris, here are some top tips to help you get the most out of your city break.
#1 Do research before you go
Before you head off on your travels, you must conduct research! This will guarantee that you are able to find all the tourist spots that you want to hit, as well as all the restaurants, cafes, and other attractions you wish to visit (and the ones you may not have found without the research!). It can be fun at times to just wing it and see what happens, but it can also waste precious time, especially if you have paid for the trip. You are very limited when you go on a city break and every minute counts. One of the best ways to find good places to go on your city break is to check out blogs and reviews online. These will give you hidden gems and honest accounts about the place you intend to visit.
Once you have conducted research, you should make a list of everything that you want to do. From here, you can have a sit down with the people that you are going with befor you leave and swap ideas and notes. Decide on what things you all want to do, and then you can create an itinerary to follow.
#2 Book accommodation central to your main attractions
Depending on what you want to get out of your travels, you should consider how you can strategically get around. One of the main factors of your time and enjoyment will be where you stay overnight. You should consider booking your accommodation so it is central to the majority of things that you wish to do. This will help save a lot of time and money on traveling to different areas. While these hotels might be more expensive, it will pay off significantly when you get to see and do more, and spend less on public transport or car hire. It can be tempting to book the cheapest accommodation, but then you might find yourself miles away from anything you want to do.
Make sure you check all the terms and conditions for your accommodation, as you may get into the city early, but are unable to check-in. This might leave you dragging your luggage around with you all day. If this is the case, you may consider luggage storage, so you don’t have to miss out on your precious time in the city.
#3 Make all bookings in advance
City breaks are extremely popular, and the last thing you want to do is travel all that way to find that the attractions you want are unavailable. Once you have created a detailed itinerary, you should make all the bookings before you go. This will ensure that you get to visit all the places you want, and it will also save time on queuing, as well as money, as they are typically cheaper when you purchase online or early bird tickets.
#4 Leave a window for exploring
While it is a great idea to fill your itinerary with fun activities so that you can get everything into your city break, it can also be a good idea to leave a small window for opportunities that may arise. You may meet people on your trip, or you may see an attraction, walk, or restaurant that you didn’t find in your research. It is also a great idea to speak to the locals while you are there and get their recommendations. This small window will give you time to wing it and see what you can find. If you don’t have anything, then it gives you time to walk around the city, take it all in, and pick anything at random, which can always be a nice surprise.
City breaks tend to be much smaller trips, so you must have the right level of planning before you leave. This will ensure that you get everything done that you set out to do. Follow these top tips to make sure you get the most out of your city break!
