Budget weekend getaway recommendations

Soldato
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I’m looking at possible destinations for me and a couple of mates for 2 nights away later this year (~October). It must be somewhere close (<3hr flight from London) and relatively cheap. Here's my current shortlist:
  • Riga
  • Tallinn
  • Bratislava
  • Bruges
  • Oslo*
  • Seville
* I realise this isn’t particularly cheap place, but it’s very easy and cheap to get to which balances things out.

I’m most intrigued by Riga or Tallinn, but am slightly concerned about the popularity of them for stag do’s and the bad rep we’d get as a result - we’re not on a stag do, nor big drinkers but it will be a group of blokes so guilty by association and all that.

Any opinions on the above, or any other suggestions you’d throw into the ring? We’ve ruled out the following, either because one of us has been there, or wants to do it another time:
  • Italy
  • Prague
  • Paris
  • Lisbon
  • Barcelona
  • Amsterdam
  • Copenhagen
  • Stockholm
  • Vienna
  • Dublin
  • Budapest
  • Ljubljana
  • Krakow
  • Warsaw
  • Istanbul
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Oct 2002
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17,854
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London
* I realise this isn’t particularly cheap place, but it’s very easy and cheap to get to which balances things out.
Regarding Oslo. It won't. Strike it off your list. I went for work a couple of years ago and although I wasn't exactly budgeting and looking for cheap places I don't think I had a meal under $70eur - for just me! It's ludicrously expensive, to the point a guy who dropped me at the hotel was explaining that people don't really go and eat out at all, only for birthdays or special occasions! I'm sure it can be done cheaper but I'd not want to spend my holiday scrabbling around for 'reasonably' priced places to eat and worrying about it all the time.

I'd highly recommend Seville. Hands down my favourite short trip that I've been on. The food was amazing, there's great culture and sights.. we went in Feb and it was almost tshirt weather in the sunshine.
 
Soldato
Joined
7 Nov 2009
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Glasgow
I was in Riga and Tallinn in August.

Tallinn is not cheap. It's pretty much UK prices (though you may find it a touch cheaper than London). It's certainly not a pound a pint anymore. However, it's a really great city. It's very hipster which means good drinks, lots of cool art to see, great restaurants, and some cool museums (the Sea Plane museum is worth checking out). Plus, the old town is nice. There was a free music festival in the main square with some mad guy with a light up dig-er-ree-do so that was cool.

Check out Telliskivi Creative City for good bars, shops, restaurants. Again, hipstery but good. There is a huge flea market once a week which you should check out. The Balti Jaama Market is nearby which is also good for mooching around and has a good brewpub upstairs. The trams are very cheap and easy to get around.

I stayed at the Red Emperor Hostel which was fine and cheap. If you're into hostels, I'd recommend it and just book a room out for everyone. They have a very lively bar but the rooms are in another section so it's not too noisy. Right beside the old town.

Only 'stag' type place I went to was the beerhall which was around £4 a pint at the very least and food was expensive as well. But it wasn't wild. Things definitely open late, whilst I do like a drink I didn't recall anywhere that was lairy or I felt unsafe.

Riga is cheaper, but it's not what it was. Think cheap UK bar prices, but again not £1 a pint anymore. I liked it, but it's a bit rougher and definitely more stags however the old town is much bigger but not as pretty. Every restaurant seems a bit of a tourist trap but it's still pleasant. It's a bit 'rough round the edges' compared to Tallinn but worthy of a visit.

I spent some time in Bratislava a couple of years ago after a few days in Vienna. I found it a bit dead, and once you got out the main square it wasn't very pretty. I imagine if you went from Bratislava to Vienna it could be considered pretty but coming from Vienna to Bratislava it was a bit of a dump.

tl;dr - Tallinn isn't cheap, but it's very cool. Lots of good restaurants, bars, art stuff. Oh, and Estonia girls are phenomenal. So there's that.

Oh, and there's a status of Sean Connery in Tallinn (and the restaurant beside it is fantastic) so if that doesn't swing it what will?
 

daz

daz

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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Bucks
Bratislava is a very small city, not much going on really.
Bruges is more of a romantic weekend away

Out of those you've listed I'd look at Seville or perhaps another Spanish city like Valencia.
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Mar 2010
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21,778
Nice ? maybe with a trip to MonteCarlo thrown in, also the potential of some sun,
with advanced booking you can find most of the regular budget hotels.
 
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