Long weekend euro winter trip? - something unique/different

413x · 14 Nov 2023 at 18:48

Not really a fan of city breaks where you go, have some food and come back.

I'm more the sort to visit chernobyl or a national park or go kayaking.

This makes winter difficult for short cheap trips. I don't really want to go Futher than budget airlines for a long weekend. But in winter I'm unlikely to want to go kayaking for example.

Does anyone have any "out there" ideas or suggestions for quirky/different thing?

I'm not a big foodie so anything like fancy places to eat is lost on me.

Scuzi · 14 Nov 2023 at 18:53

I enjoyed a trip to Finnish Lapland last January. Plenty of activities available such as snowmobiling, cross country skiing, ice fishing, ice karting and that sort of thing. EasyJet flights into Rovaniemi were pretty cheap too. They’re not the social sort so don’t expect to drop into a local pub and get slaughtered with the locals if that’s your thing.

poosemon · 14 Nov 2023 at 21:49

(Pending Volcano...) - Iceland is a shout. Flying to Reykjavik on Easyjet, hire a car and go and explore! Can do the Golden Circle, go snowmobiling on the glacier, relax in blue lagoon etc. Does feel otherworldly when your there.

May not qualify as cheap (unless you pack your suitcase with pot noodles!) but will certainly be an experience.

sigma · 15 Nov 2023 at 08:05

Wild camping in Scotland? Visit some of the remote islands up there?

413x · 15 Nov 2023 at 15:12

sigma said:
Wild camping in Scotland? Visit some of the remote islands up there?

This is on cards next April. But good suggestion!
I'll have a van then.
Its going to be a family thing.

413x · 15 Nov 2023 at 15:13

Scuzi said:
I enjoyed a trip to Finnish Lapland last January. Plenty of activities available such as snowmobiling, cross country skiing, ice fishing, ice karting and that sort of thing. EasyJet flights into Rovaniemi were pretty cheap too. They’re not the social sort so don’t expect to drop into a local pub and get slaughtered with the locals if that’s your thing.

I will have a look at this. I really enjoyed north Norway kayaking.
Flights weren't too bad with Norwegian

413x · 15 Nov 2023 at 15:14

poosemon said:
(Pending Volcano...) - Iceland is a shout. Flying to Reykjavik on Easyjet, hire a car and go and explore! Can do the Golden Circle, go snowmobiling on the glacier, relax in blue lagoon etc. Does feel otherworldly when your there.

May not qualify as cheap (unless you pack your suitcase with pot noodles!) but will certainly be an experience.

Yeah I plan this also next year. I'm hoping to go to greenland kayaking in summer and will need to fly via Iceland. So might do them both at same time. Bit expensive for a long weekend. On the list though!

Russinating · 16 Nov 2023 at 21:41

Slovenia is supposed to be great. Flights to Venice are often very cheap and it's a short drive to get over the border.

Semple · 16 Nov 2023 at 21:46

I remember visiting Krakow I think it was late November/early December and did the tours of Auschwitz and the salt mines. Don't recall that being very expensive, and probably meets your "needs" if Chernobyl was a suggestion.

mid_gen · 28 Nov 2023 at 15:52

Ice climbing course in Norway. Super cheap flights in winter, cheap accommodation, fun times! Take warm clothes

Lopéz · 28 Nov 2023 at 16:26

I'm going to the Tatras in January, staying in a log cabin. Nothing too "out there", my main achievement was talking my wife out of insisting we stay in a hotel.

NotAGolf · 13 Dec 2023 at 15:30

Tromso? Bit of snow shoeing and snowmobiling? Added bonus of potential Northern lights view.

I've not been so can't recommend, but I'm heading there in March so you can test drive it for me!

413x · 24 Dec 2023 at 23:31

NotAGolf said:
Tromso? Bit of snow shoeing and snowmobiling? Added bonus of potential Northern lights view.

I've not been so can't recommend, but I'm heading there in March so you can test drive it for me!

This is the sort of area I'm thinking.

413x · 30 Dec 2023 at 17:04

NotAGolf said:
Tromso? Bit of snow shoeing and snowmobiling? Added bonus of potential Northern lights view.

I've not been so can't recommend, but I'm heading there in March so you can test drive it for me!

So I'm going to Tromsø end of January.

I've gone way over budget. But on the itinery

Kayaking (1 or 2 days.. 2 if I can find one that isn't a minimum of 2 people!)
Snow mobiling - 1 day
Whale watching 1 day.

Probably have a day to explore the town too.

That'll be 5 days and 3 days leave.

Wish I had more Holiday days!

NotAGolf · 30 Dec 2023 at 19:16

413x said:
So I'm going to Tromsø end of January.

I've gone way over budget. But on the itinery

Kayaking (1 or 2 days.. 2 if I can find one that isn't a minimum of 2 people!)
Snow mobiling - 1 day
Whale watching 1 day.

Probably have a day to explore the town too.

That'll be 5 days and 3 days leave.

Wish I had more Holiday days!

Nice! Please let me know which snowmobiling trip you do, and whether you'd recommend it.

413x · 30 Dec 2023 at 19:37

NotAGolf said:
Nice! Please let me know which snowmobiling trip you do, and whether you'd recommend it.

Will do. Going to do a bit of research then book all the elements of it.

Chabsy · 30 Dec 2023 at 23:27

Lisbon

The is the Sintra National park and sea Kayaking

413x · 4 Jan 2024 at 12:45

In end I couldn't line up all the tromso stuff unfortunately. A few things were booked out and had to be done in January. So pencilling it in for 2024.

Going back to lofoten instead!
Booked it.