Posts Tagged ‘value breaks’
Daria’s Top 5 Highlights in Barcelona
Barcelona had been on my travel list for years, and when the opportunity finally came, it didn’t disappoint! From world-class football to incredible food and jaw-dropping architecture, the city delivers on every level. Here are my top five highlights from an unforgettable trip.
Read the rest of this entry »
Karen’s Malaga Moments
Malaga is a fabulous city if you want a bit of beach, a bit of culture and plenty of good food and drink. Here’s some highlights I loved!
The botanical gardens of Malaga are about 3 miles from the city centre on the 91 special bus service from the bus station (or about €12-15 each way in a taxi). The gardens are huge, offering plenty of shade from the sun and are a tranquil oasis from the bustling city centre. The onsite cafe allows you to make a day of it.
Read the rest of this entry »
Stephanie Visits Porto & Aveiro
Porto and Lisbon is the usual combo people think of when deciding what cities to do on a twin centre Portugal trip. I love Lisbon, but have been a few times already so I decided to look and see if there were any other options. Just 1h 20mins on a train from Porto Sao Bento station is Aveiro, marketed as the “Venice of Portugal”, with colourful boats sailing past the traditional buildings, it looked like a great alternative.
We landed in Porto early afternoon, the tram from the airport is very cheap (€2.90each*). We took the tram all the way to Sao Bento, 1 change, and then purchased our tickets to Aveiro. In case of flight delays I hadn’t pre-booked these tickets, but there’s 1 train per hour and the cost was €4.50pp, we just missed the 13:55 train so stopped in the station café for a coffee. Sao Bento station is one of the sites you want to see in Porto anyway, covered in beautiful blue tiles it’s stunning – so waiting the hour with a coffee was no hardship at all!
Destination Copenhagen: with Steph and Diane
Day 1: Arrival & First Impressions
We arrived in Copenhagen and were pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to get into the city by train or metro. The station is under Terminal 3 and tickets are available from the machines. The journey from the airport took around 15 minutes. From our stop it was a 10-minute walk to the Hotel Kong Arthur where we were staying. The hotel is located over 5 buildings but has a real boutique feel to it. There are great indoor and outdoor seating areas, and we really enjoyed the “cosy hour” every night between 5-6 where you can have a free drink and chill out before heading out for dinner.
Read the rest of this entry »
Exploring Luxembourg: Irene’s Guide to the Hidden Heart of Europe
I was very lucky to be invited on a fam trip to Luxembourg by Visit Luxembourg. Luxembourg is not the first city you think of for a short break so I was interested to see what there was to do there.
On arrival at Luxembourg airport I took the tram into Luxembourg City Centre. It’s very straightforward with one line in and one line out and the best part is that all public transport is free in Luxembourg (apart from first class rail), no need to get a ticket, just jump on. It took about 30 minutes to the nearest stop for my hotel and although it was late and dark I never felt unsafe on my own.
Our Top Picks for Spring
As winter turns to spring it’s a great time to get a trip in, shake off the long dark nights and explore a destination full of new life. Have a look at the guide below to some of our recommended destinations:
Read the rest of this entry »
Stephanie’s Top Tips for Multi-Centre Adventures
Our Senior Short Break Specialist, Stephanie went on an incredible holiday that’s left us all envious! She came back with so many tips that we’ve decided to compile them all for you. Read on for some amazing hints and tips when visiting Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Salzburg & Munich!
Berlin
Berlin’s a very large city, so I’d recommend getting the Berlin card. This gives you free transport and discounts on museums. If you’re not here for long, the hop on hop off bus is a great idea and it’s easy to knock off all the big sights in one day. If you’re staying longer, it really helps to get your bearings. You can stay on the bus for the full 2 hour tour or as the name suggests hop off and on. We would get off at one stop, see what we wanted and then instead of waiting for the next bus (only 20mins) make our way to the next stop and hop back on, so we saw not only the big ticket places but plenty of charming places in between. We used the Big Red bus tour and their App was very helpful, you can see exactly where all the buses are and the directions between stops is really clear.
Karen’s Greek Getaway in Athens!
Many more years ago than I care to disclose, I studied Ancient Greece at university but I’d never actually put boots on the ground. Beyond the Acropolis I had little idea of what to expect from modern Athens, so my recent short break there was a real revelation. I think most people’s mental picture of Greece is going to be whitewashed island villages, sandy beaches and crumbling ancient monuments, so it might not be the first place on your list for a city break, but Athens is a fantastic place to explore:
Read the rest of this entry »
Our Hamper Hero – Frankie!
Congratulations to Frankie from Travel With Meon!
After entering our agent competition which was held for the month of April, Frankie from Travel With Meon has won herself a Fortnum & Mason Hamper with a selection of scrumptious goodies! Frankie’s entry was selected at random after filling out an agent feedback questionnaire.
Read the rest of this entry »
Our Eurostar Journeys
Thinking of travelling to France, Belgium, Germany or Netherlands? Eurostar’s high-speed trains are a great way to explore many of the European cities including Paris, Brussels, Lille and Amsterdam, with many connecting services available to even more destinations such us Bruges, Disneyland Paris, Cologne, Bordeaux, Lyon and Nice.
Our team all love Eurostar for hassle-free, comfortable and quick journeys. We asked them about their latest short breaks with Eurostar and here’s what they said:
Taking the Eurostar from St Pancras in London to Gare du Nord in Paris was a real adventure, especially as we live up in Edinburgh. The stress-free travel with fewer lines and procedures than your average airport and clearing the French border in London were real novelties and made the journey feel so much slicker. We travelled in one of the Eurostar Plus carriages, offering a bigger seat and at seat dining. The light meal was fresh and tasty, and the accompanying wine was a treat too. Next time we travel we will have a look at upgrading to Eurostar Premier, where you have access to the business class lounge with complimentary snacks and drinks and a relaxed atmosphere – the perfect start to the trip. You also get priority security, check-in and immigration to smooth your way through the station. On the train you have full fine dining meal service and upgraded drink options. All in all, it’s the best way to get to the continent if you are based close enough to London but we will very much have it as our number one choice even from Edinburgh.
Gareth, Sales Manager
