In co-operation with Axo Finans
Have you already visited London, Paris, Rome, Prague and Vienna? In this post, we suggest five alternative weekend cities. These are big cities that are not capitals, but offer just as much excitement in terms of food, culture and sights. Which of these have you visited? Do you have other suggestions for alternative weekend cities?
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Alternative weekend cities - why?
Europe's capitals are alluring and exciting, but many have already visited London, Paris and Rome. The good news is that there is more! Most countries are much more than their capitals and when we travel, it's often not even the capitals that become our favourites. Here are some alternative cities that we really like and that are suitable for a weekend getaway, whether you're travelling by plane, train or motorhome.
We can not We can guarantee that you can fly directly to all of these destinations. What we can guarantee is that they are interesting and exciting cities, and in some cases the prices are slightly lower than in the capital cities. Of course, in order to afford to travel, it's always best to save money, and if you need to borrow money, it's a good idea to pool the loans to reduce the cost of borrowing. Here are five tips for weekend cities that are alternatives to the capitals.
Instead of London: Belfast
Looking for British culture and pub grub, but have already seen London? Visit the Belfast in Northern Ireland, just two hours by bus from Dublin! Belfast offers charming old neighbourhoods and areas of street art that recall the difficult times in Northern Ireland's history.
There are also plenty of nice pubs with good beer and a good atmosphere. If you want even more experiences, you should definitely go to the Titanic Quarter where you will find, among other things, the Titanic Museum, but also, for example, the ship HMS Caroline.
Instead of Paris: Nice
Paris is often perceived as the city of romance, but in fact the whole of France is the land of romance. Why not visit Nice? In Nice you will find beautiful houses, charming alleys, pleasant markets and a long sandy beach. Don't miss a stroll along the Promenade des Anglais, and don't miss the beautiful Place Massena and Promenade du Paillon.
Instead of Rome: Verona
We like Rome, which is a very charming capital city, but if you've already seen Rome, we recommend a visit to Verona. Verona is a city with a long history, including a large and well-preserved Roman amphitheatre.
As well as admiring this fascinating old building, there is the opportunity to see large and very popular opera performances given here. It is also close to the Valpolicella Valley, with its fine Amarone wines.
Instead of Prague: Brno
Prague is an exciting city with all the beautiful architecture, while the city has a relatively good price range. If you instead want to experience a city in the Czech Republic where not everyone else has been, then we can warmly recommend a visit to Brnowhich is only two hours by train from Prague.
As a Swede, it's particularly interesting to experience the historical links to Sweden, as well as beautiful Art Nouveau houses, the interesting UNESCO World Heritage Site Villa Tugendhat and several underground attractions.
Instead of Vienna: Salzburg
Austria's capital Vienna is famous and attracts many tourists, but another great city in Austria is Salzburg. Salzburg is an extremely beautiful city with a historic centre that is a UNESCO heritage site, and a backdrop of both mountains and river.
Here you can visit Mozart's birthplace and enjoy several beautiful castles and parks. Nearby you can also take a cable car up to the high mountain Untersberg. There is also an exciting ice cave not far away.
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Lennart says:
Great tips!
06 November 2018 - 9:16
Ama de casa says:
Have visited all but Brno, and agree that they are very nice cities to visit.
In Spain there are about a million interesting places in addition to Madrid, Barcelona and Seville. I'm investigating them more closely and grazing them a little bit at a time 🙂.
06 November 2018 - 9:26
Helena says:
You are good at finding interesting and beautiful cities in Spain! Spain is a big country with many interesting destinations!
06 November 2018 - 15:34
Mr Frank Olsen says:
I have visited Verona "countless" times in connection with business trips in northern Italy. I think it's a fantastic city.
We also visited Verona in 2016 as part of our long motorbike trip through "all" of Europe: http://janneogfrank.blogspot.com/2016/11/verona-med-bade-julemarked-og-julie.html
We also drove through Brno on the motorbike tour, but we did not make a long stop there.
Unfortunately, I have not been to the other places you mention, but I would love to go there 🙂 .
06 November 2018 - 15:25
Helena says:
Glad that you also like Verona! Nice city indeed! Thanks for the link!
06 November 2018 - 15:35
Maria / Magnolia Magis says:
ok, London, Rome Verona, Nice, Vienna and Salzburg I have been. I will take the tip about Belfast! Cities are rarely I / we are drawn to but more cosy villages. Can you not collect them in a blog post? There we have several tips! Beautiful nature is also wonderful, preferably near the sea ... But not on the sea.
😉
06 November 2018 - 16:15
Helena says:
Ah, great tips! We'll have to collect cosy villages at some point 🙂.
06 November 2018 - 19:29
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
Of the cities on the list, we still have Brno and Belfast. The others are real gems. I've never actually been to Vienna, so it's one of the cities on my not-so-long to-do list.
We agree that the smaller towns are just as cosy as the big metropolises.
06 November 2018 - 18:57
Helena says:
There are many "smaller" cities that are big enough, and have a lot to offer! 🙂
06 November 2018 - 19:30
Ditte says:
I have visited Nice, Verona, Salzburg and Brno. Nice I have often returned to and if you ski above Lake Garda it is easy to get to Verona. Good tips! I have not visited Belfast. But I also recommend Malaga and Alicante as good weekend destinations and of course San Sebastian. Yes, there are many nice weekend cities.
06 November 2018 - 19:04
Helena says:
Great tips on Spanish cities Ditte! Although we have spent some time in Spain, I feel that we have a lot left to experience there!
06 November 2018 - 19:31
Role o Carina says:
We've never been to those cities, just flown over!
Take care.......
06 November 2018 - 19:20
Helena says:
There are many interesting cities in Europe! 🙂
07 November 2018 - 5:40
BP says:
I have not visited Belfast and Brno. With a Swedish man who has also been to Belfast, it is not an obvious destination;-) Brno, on the other hand - there are MOTOGP competitions everywhere that we usually see on TV. It is a completely different matter;-)
Your options are all worth a visit!
06 November 2018 - 20:40
Helena says:
Aha, I'm bad at such colour sports stuff ... 😉 Thank you! 🙂
07 November 2018 - 5:41
Veiken says:
Why not take a long weekend in Bucharest, for example!
The world is there to be discovered!
07 November 2018 - 2:35
Helena says:
I would love to visit Bucharest! 🙂
07 November 2018 - 5:42
Boel Sjöberg says:
Thanks for the great tips! The beach in Nice has softly polished pebbles, so-called galettes, just as nice as sand! Bring something to lie on and bathing shoes!
08 November 2018 - 17:39
Lena - good for the soul says:
Always fun to get alternative tips. Gets curious 🙂
Hug Lena
09 November 2018 - 7:54
Maria's Memoirs says:
I have been to Salzburg, great city! If I were to come up with some more tips... Munich instead of Berlin, Tel Aviv instead of Barcelona which has been quite hyped lately...?
14 November 2018 - 18:59