Get the most out of your city breaks!

When planning a city break, it’s understandable that you want to get the most out of your hard-earned cash, and have a brilliant holiday squeezing all you can out of the few days you’ve got. In this post, we’re going to talk about the easiest ways to make the most out of your city breaks! From walking tours to local eats, we’ve got all the goss. In this post, we’ll be going through our top ways to wring the most out of your city break and experience the true essence of your destination as much as possible.

Plan your days

While the idea of arriving at a place totally unprepared sounds romantic and spontaneous, the reality is that approaching a city break like this results in a lot of wasted time. You don’t have to have your day planned to the minute, and you can even allocate time for exploring and ‘spontaneity’, but you need to have an idea of what you’d like to do each day, research opening days, and times, and transport routes. Having this information prepared will save you lots of time standing around, finding cafes to access free Wi-Fi, and Googling on street corners.

Pick a good location to stay at

Choosing the location of your hotel or hostel can be vital in saving time and getting the most from your holiday. Although it may be tempting to opt for a nicer hotel that’s situated further away from the city centre or transport links, we’d argue that if your primary goal on your city break is to go out and explore, then you’d be better off in a slightly ‘worse’ place that’s closer to the action. Having a base from which you can walk into town is hugely beneficial, and can save you lots of traveling time.

Go on free walking tours

In almost every city worldwide you can find cheap or free walking tours, which we recommend doing on your first day in town. Often guided by an enthusiastic volunteer, walking tours are a brilliant way to meet other travelers, learn about the history of the city, and get an idea of the lay of the land. You can also download apps that take you on guided tours alone, that cover everything from City of London Walks, to Literature Walking Tours in Paris. The range of different tours is endless.

Eat-in restaurants frequented by locals

If you’re willing to do a little research or ask a local, you’ll be able to find a restaurant that is probably not only cheaper, but that serves more authentic food. You can ask shop assistants or staff at your place of residence, and they’ll most likely make some good recommendations. Failing that, you can usually spot a tourist trap on your own quite easily. Is the restaurant on a main road, by a top attraction? Does it seem expensive? Is it filled with tourists and no locals are in sight? If the answer to all of the above is ‘yes’, then you may want to try elsewhere.