8 Fantastic Destinations For A European City Break

City breaks are one of the most popular types of trips you can take. You head to a new city for just a few days, hit the sights, experience the culture, eat the food, and enjoy a quick trip away. And Europe is full of them! A friend of mine asked me for recommendations for a city break a few months ago. And I realized I hadn’t written anything like this on the blog, and thought that should change!

I love a good city break—anything from 36 hours to 3-4 days is what I count to be a city break! My criteria for the list are cities that aren’t too expensive, have a comfortable amount of sights and attractions to keep you busy for a few days, a nearby daytrip destination, and good inter-European connections. Here are 8 fantastic European cities for a city break!

1) Dublin, Ireland

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Dublin is a fantastic city to explore for a few days. The atmosphere is so fun, the Irish are warm and welcoming, and the Guinness is simply the best. There’s lots of parks if the weather is nice, museums and cultural attractions (Trinity College, EPIC, and Kilmainham Gaol are my top picks), and so many experiences for drinking. Not only can you visit the Guinness Storehouse, but you can also head to the Jameson Distillery, or learn more about Irish whiskey in the Irish Whiskey Experience! The number of pubs is limitless—although my favorite is the Celt (on Talbot Street). For a daytrip, I recommend the town of Howth for spectacular views from the cliff-walk of the Irish Sea! As the hub of budget airline Ryanair, Dublin is one of the best connected cities in Europe for cheap flights.

2) Budapest, Hungary

One of my favorite cities in Europe is definitely Budapest. The city is perfect for a city break, with lots to keep you busy. There are thermal baths for relaxing, fascinating museums (the House of Terror is one of my favorite museums on the continent), beautiful architecture, and ruin bars to keep you partying into the late hours! Budapest is also an excellent budget destination. It’s easily connected by land from pretty much anywhere in Central Europe—it’s only a few hours from Prague, Vienna, and Bratislava. The budget airline Wizz Air is based here for cheap flights around Europe. For a daytrip, check out Esztergom and Visegrad if you’re up for a big day. If not, check out Memento Park in the Budapest outskirts for old Soviet statues.

3) Brussels, Belgium

The capital of Belgium is ridiculously well-connected. It’s only a few hours by train to London (on the Eurostar) or Paris, close to the Netherlands and Germany, and with plenty of cheap flights. I recently took a slightly long city break to Brussels over Easter this year, and loved it! There’s enough in the city to keep you busy for two days, and it’s spectacularly easy to daytrip out. My top daytrip recommendations are Antwerp, Bruges, and Ghent. Brussels has waffles, chocolate, fries, and beer—what’s more to love?!

4) Riga, Latvia

Oh Riga. The city that stole my heart nearly 5 years ago is a fantastic European city break! You’ll be busy trying to see the city’s major sights for the first few days, and hopefully enjoying the nightlife during the rest of the time! Riga is no longer the cheap destination it used to be. But it’s still more affordable than most other Western European cities. You can stuff your face in LIDO, wander the picturesque streets of the Old Town, and see some of the best Art Nouveau buildings in Europe. Riga is the hub of AirBaltic, meaning European flight connections are excellent. It also has frequent services on Ryanair and WizzAir. I’ve never daytripped from Riga (I lost a my daytrip to the hangover gods, and have no regrets!), but Rundale Palace and Jurmala are both great options.

5) Berlin, Germany

Another great city break that won’t break the bank? Berlin. Despite being the capital of Germany, Berlin remains an affordable destination in Western Europe, which is great for budget travelers. To put it in a word, Berlin is simply cool. The city’s 20^th-century history is evident throughout—and no better than at the Berlin Wall, which used to divide the East and West during the Soviet era. A poppin’ party scene is great for the night animals, while the museums will keep you busy all day. While I’ve never been to Potsdam, it’s meant to be a great daytrip from the city. Berlin has great connections with flights, but its central location in Europe means it’s easily accessible from both east and west with trains and buses.

6) Lisbon, Portugal

Looking for somewhere warm and sunny with a great vibe? Lisbon is where you should go! With great temperatures and a great atmosphere, I adored my city break to Lisbon. The city is stunning (check out the miraduoros!), the party scene is so much fun, and the pasteis de nata (custard tarts) are just delicious. Lisbon is also great for cheap flights—if you don’t want to fly, you can get there from most places in mid-southern Spain. If you want to get out of the city, head to Sintra for palaces, Cascais for the seaside, and Cabo da Roca for the westernmost point of continental Europe!

7) Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is a beautiful city, teeming with history that’s begging to be explored. The castle sits on top of a hill overlooking the city, and the Old Town’s cobblestone streets are impossibly charming. You can also learn more about the city’s history in Josefov (the former Jewish district), and the Communist Museum. If not, the beer is cheaper than water so enjoy! For a daytrip, I recommend Cesky Krumlov or Kutna Hora. Prague is well-serviced by budget airlines, and has an unbeatable location in Central Europe—accessible from Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Munich, Berlin, and Krakow.

8) Krakow, Poland

The capital of Poland is one of the best budget destinations in Europe. There is also so much history to discover in this beautiful city on a city break! The Market Square is the oldest in Europe, and the city is home to some stunning churches. The Kazimierz district is the historic Jewish quarter, now home to plenty of bars to keep you busy! I recommend visiting the sobering Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp complex—as emotionally tough as it can be. If you’re not up for that, you can head underground to explore the Wieliczka Salt Mines. Like several other cities on this list, Krakow has an unbeatable location in Central Europe. It has great train/bus connections to Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, and Lviv. The airport also sees lots of budget airlines fly through, so inter-European connections are great. And like Prague, beer can be cheaper than water here!

You might also like my posts:

The Budget Travel Bible: 101 Tips For Cheap Travel

The Top 10 Budget European Cities In 2017

12 Tips For Flying European Budget Airlines

20 Tips For Traveling Eastern Europe

Have you been on a city break in Europe? Which cities do you think make the best city breaks?!

2 thoughts on “8 Fantastic Destinations For A European City Break”

Recipe: Hungarian Goulash - Away With Maja

May 5, 2020 at 8:26 am Reply

[…] I’d like to see! I spent most of my time in Budapest, which is a fantastic destination for a city break. I did eat goulash, but unfortunately it was so long ago I didn’t make any notes of where it was! […]
John Smith

October 23, 2024 at 12:30 pm Reply

Great list of city break destinations! I’m especially drawn to the mix of culture and history in these European cities. Perfect for a short getaway filled with exploration and relaxation.