Euro-break me!

January 20, 2018 5:07 AM

I have a weekend free at the end of February and an extreme case of solo wanderlust. Can anyone recommend a European destination that would fit my criteria?

Things I'm looking for:

- Accessible via public transport from London in 2-4hrs (plane, train, boat, whatever)
- Quiet-ish
- Visible history/historic architecture
- Cultural wanderings (museums/archives/interpreted sites)
- Walkable
- Places to eat/drink
- Scenic with accessible nature (water; forest; mountain).

Things I could care less about:

- Gourmet food
- local crafts
- Shopping
- Nightlife
- Sports/outdoor pursuits (other than slowly rowing a boat, staring at a vista or gently ambling along a trail).

I've most frequently been to Germany & The Netherlands for this kind of thing - strong examples being Utrecht & Gottingen - but would happily bob to France, Spain, Poland or anywhere else I can nab a bargain flight.

Main thing is that it's not a city - love 'em but not for this break - unless it's one of those cities that's empty enough out of season to otherwise fit (e.g. Stockholm).

So, given the above, is there a gem you'd recommend?

posted by freya_lamb to Travel & Transportation (20 answers total)

Somewhere in the Ardennes? It's been really a long time since I was there last, but the area fits all of your requirements, and is not too far from London. There are nice little towns on both sides of the border, I was based in Mons back when I went there often.
posted by mumimor at 5:30 AM on January 20, 2018

Göteborg, Sweden. It's technically a city but you wrote you'd be okay with Stockholm, and Göteborg is Sweden's second largest city, so it's much less city-ish than Stockholm. It's certainly very quiet off-season.

It's about a 1.5 h flight from London, I think Ryanair flies from Stansted every day.

It's quiet and very walkable. The city center is laid out around canals built by the Dutch, and there's plenty of green areas even in the middle of the city. For real nature, there's some nature reserves easily accessible by public transport (eg. Delsjöområdet) or you could take the ferry out to the southern archipelago. The islands are car-free and great for ambling! As for the culture, there's 4 museums that you can visit on a single ticket, including the Natural History Museum which has a quirky 19th-century charm and also features the world's only mounted blue whale.

We also have the world's largest cinnamon buns (and a fantastic café culture in general).
posted by Vesihiisi at 6:01 AM on January 20, 2018 [4 favorites]

Even the party-city destinations in Poland are more quiet in winter unless it's somewhere you can ski, and we're having some very picturesque snow this week. Can't guarantee it'll still be there by end of February, but I'd still recommend Gdansk and Sopot - stay in Sopot, wander the lovely nineteenth-century resort town architecture (which has to be walkable, because in the summer crush good luck finding a parking spot less than a kilometre from the pier), take walks on the beach and in the pine woods on the hills, and nip down to Gdansk for a few more museums and a well-preserved walkable Old Town dating to 15th century and port. For extra points nipping down can be done via hover-boat from the Sopot pier. Plenty of good places to eat in both. Here's a current view from the pier.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 6:09 AM on January 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

I love Stockholm for the museums and walkability, Oslo for the feel and incredible friendliness I experienced, and Vienna for everything. Perhaps not what you want this time but good options for later! When you're feeling up for a German city again, I recommend Cologne and the surrounding area for everything you ask for except for quiet, especially around Karneval.
posted by smorgasbord at 6:46 AM on January 20, 2018

Response by poster: I claim sanctuary: Göteborg is absolutely on my must-go list and you've almost sold it in the above, but it might be a bit cold/dark for me in Feb. Spot-on otherwise.
posted by freya_lamb at 7:30 AM on January 20, 2018

Lisbon, especially for the time of year. (Edit: if too big of a city, stay in Cascais!)
posted by Beardman at 7:52 AM on January 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Wroclaw in Poland is also an amazing destination that meets most of your criteria.
posted by rpfields at 8:30 AM on January 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Cascais is a great idea!
posted by mumimor at 9:04 AM on January 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

I spent last weekend in Copenhagen on my own, and it seems to fit the bill very well - yes, it's a city, but it's not very busy. It's incredibly walkable as it's so flat, lot of museums and historic architecture, and there's a signposted route around the harbour for the water part.

If that's too metropolitan, how about Roskilde? (Short train ride from Copenhagen). It's on my want to visit list because of the cathedral and the viking ship museum, and again seems to fit your requirements.
posted by Vortisaur at 9:33 AM on January 20, 2018

Tallinn, Estonia
posted by Morpeth at 10:38 AM on January 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Carcassonne
or stay in Britain, get a train to Bangor in North Wales and a short bus ride to Caernarfon.
posted by sianifach at 10:49 AM on January 20, 2018

Luzern.
posted by kevinbelt at 10:51 AM on January 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Göteborg in February is horrible. [source: I lived in Lilla Edet for three years]. It is fun at other times of year, but the dark, the freezing slush, the sleet ...

Marburg, north of Frankfurt, which is about the largest unbombed town in Germany? You can fly Ryanair to Hahn, coach to Frankfurt, train to Marburg. Walkable, nice woods above the town, pretty. I've never been there in winter, though.

Ravenna? Fantastic history and architecture.

Trieste? But not much in the way of woods.
posted by alloneword at 12:18 PM on January 20, 2018

I heartily recommend Ghent, which is half an hour by train from Brussels. It doesn't have much in the way of landscape, but the canal-side walks are very pleasant.
posted by kelper at 1:51 PM on January 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Chania is right at the edge of your time limit but it's a very quiet time on Crete right now and the west of the island is gorgeous, with the stunning beaches of Balos and Elafonissi within daytrip distance.
posted by mdonley at 4:40 PM on January 20, 2018

Palermo also fits the bill with Cefalu's gorgeous seaside and Monreale's stunning Norman mosaic-filled cathedral nearby and millennia of architectural heritage right in town. The food is great, you're probably guaranteed at least some sun, and Sicily isn't super-expensive on the ground, either.
posted by mdonley at 4:48 PM on January 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Came back to suggest Vilnius, Lithuania. It is a city but a very small and cozy one, and as long as you are okay with short days this time of year it's fantastic.
posted by rpfields at 6:37 PM on January 20, 2018

Munich, prides itself on feeling more like a village than city. Plenty of culture, beautiful lakes and nature within easy reach of the local transit network.
posted by koahiatamadl at 5:26 AM on January 21, 2018

If you're looking for somewhere warmer and with longer hours of daylight, Toledo just to the south of Madrid might work. It tends to get a lot of day-trippers during the day - but probably fewer in February than during my Easter visit, and you will always have the lovely riverside walk to yourself. The setting is stunning, and there's history and architecture galore.
posted by kelper at 5:07 AM on January 22, 2018

Response by poster: Brilliant suggestions, thanks all. Sianifach gets best answer for pointing out that I have amazing Europe right on my doorstep, so Wales here I come!
posted by freya_lamb at 2:52 PM on February 4, 2018