How I plan my city breaks...
...in European cities
Planning a city break can either be:
exciting and rewarding, or
stressful and tiring,
…depending on your character, interests, budget, traveling company and so on.
I belong in the first group – I genuinely enjoy the mere planning and creating an itinerary, even though I don’t necessarily have travel dates. But I always have a ready-to-go plan 😊
Planning city breaks in European cities can be overwhelming and easy at the same time because there are so many countries to choose from, and different countries mean different cultures, cuisines, lifestyles, experiences and so on. Unless you prefer tourist agencies’ arrangements, you must plan your activities, transport choices, accommodation, insurance etc. And a well-planned itinerary helps you make the most of perhaps limited time. This is how I do it most of the time.
1. Choosing Your Destination
The first step in planning any city break is to choose the right destination. You can choose it according to:
your interests: Are you a history buff, an art lover, a foodie, or a nature lover?
travel options: For closer destinations consider taking the bus or the train, and for those further away choose the airplane.
prices: Are you on a budget, and if so, what can you afford?
the weather: How well do you handle weather extremes?
I love everything listed under a), and I try to combine everything in one trip, mostly for diversity. And I’m always on a budget 😊, so I try to use my funds according to my current needs and wishes.
I have a long-term relationship with GoogleMaps, where I just save various locations I come across, using hearts or other marks.
You can see I have many hearts for London – even though I’ve visited it 3 times – there’s always something left to see. I know there are numerous mobile apps for this, but I prefer Google Maps because I can easily combine those locations and create a mini map I can share with my phone, friends etc. (almost everyone has Google Maps). And it’s free to use.