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20 perfect long weekends in Europe
From alternative city breaks, to short adventures and indulgent luxury stays, maximise your time off with these mini breaks in Europe
![Woman on the beach in Formentera Spain](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/travel/2024/05/14/TELEMMGLPICT000377550387_17156938471500_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bqo9eCwlYNbafotFGZpRn2HF92pt8eW3fw5HOs2KfwW18.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Each year we get 52 weekends to help us rest and reset. But, let’s be honest, they never seem long enough. By the time we’ve finished work on Friday, done a food shop, washed the car and visited family, it’s not realistic to make every weekend count.
But there’s a strong argument that a few times a year we should break from reality and invest in an experience away from home.
Organising a weekend break can feel overwhelming, but a three-or-four-day trip is both cheaper and quicker to arrange than longer trips. What’s more, they’re proven to be good for your health.
Surveys have revealed that stretching our weekends to incorporate Friday and even Monday is just as, if not more so, effective at reducing stress and boosting our productivity as taking a week-long holiday.
Many of us, families included, will have to time our long weekends to coincide with bank holidays, but an increasing number of employers now offer flexible working hours, or a hybrid working-from-home set up – that proliferated during the pandemic. Many professionals can now work from anywhere and hours that would be wasted commuting can be accrued, adding an average of six days to their potential travels.
Favourite weekend destinations include Lisbon, Amsterdam, Paris and Prague, but don’t restrict your adventures to the classics. Rail networks are better connected than ever and budget airlines fly to some unusual outposts, allowing us to travel to unexplored regions of Europe with ease.
To help you on your way, we’ve rounded up the best long weekend getaways in the areas of wellness, luxury, adventure and sun, plus a few wild-card options to help you make the most of 2024. You’ll be amazed at what you can squeeze into 72 or 96 hours.
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Alternative city breaks
A royal stay in Hillerød, Denmark
Under an hour from Copenhagen by train, the Danish island of North Sealand was recently declared the “Danish Riviera” thanks to its spread of beaches, lakes and forests. And with Denmark crowning a new king in 2024, we suggest basing yourself in the historic city of Hillerød.
It’s home to three royal castles, including the jaw-dropping Renaissance Frederiksborg, which houses Denmark’s Museum of National History and an exhibition on Queen Margrethe II’s 52 years on the throne. Enjoy gastronomic meals at the new Rhubarb Farm and kayak in Royal North Zealand National Park with a chance to spot sea eagles.
How to do it: The brand-new Zleep Hotel is located right next to the castle and a standard double room costs from £80 per person. Fly to Copenhagen with British Airways from £53 return.
Roman Nîmes by rail, France
Dubbed the most Roman city outside Italy, sunny Nîmes is one of France’s most underrated weekend breaks. With an amphitheatre second only to Rome, which plays host to the annual Great Roman Games, the Pont Du Gare aqueduct spanning the Gardon River and the glittering mosaics inside the Musée de la Romanité, it’s a time-travel city. Also on offer are master paintings at the Musée des Beaux-Arts, the colourful Feria flamenco festival and summer months abuzz with painting and pottery workshops and markets perfect for picking up picnic supplies.
How to do it: Ffestiniog Travel (01766 512400;) offers a four-day rail break to Nîmes from £1,150 per person, based on two sharing. Includes first-class rail travel from London and three night’s B&B accommodation.
Capital of Culture, Bodø, Norway
Previously dismissed as “Boring Bodø” – served only as a gateway to the over-Instagrammed Lofoten Islands a half-hour flight away – this working fishing town in northern Norway is undergoing an exciting renaissance and was selected as one of the three Capitals of Culture for 2024. Enjoy hikes amid snow-dappled mountains, cold-sea plunges followed by a harbourside sauna, witness Saltstraumen, the world’s strongest tidal current, fuel up at first-rate eateries and learn about Sámi culture. Check their online calendar for a host of music, theatre, film and workshops.
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How to do it: Sunvil (020 8568 4499) offer a three-night stay at the Quality Hotel Ramsalt from £829 per person, B&B, including return flights to Bodø from London, via Oslo.
Live like a Sicilian in Syracuse, Italy
With as much history to rival Florence and Venice, Unesco-listed Syracuse on Sicily’s east coast gets a name check in the Bible and was once one of the major powers of the Mediterranean. That legacy is reflected in the swathe of Greek and Roman architecture, such as the Temple of Apollo and an amphitheatre. Stroll the historic centre of Ortygia with a gelato, feast on pasta with sardines and local Pachino tomatoes at the Mercato di Ortigia and swim on the local Arenella or Fontane Bianche beaches.
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How to do it: Wish Sicily (0207 193 7302) offers four nights from £128 per person, staying at the Stella in Oritigia, an apartment inside an aristocratic palazzo. Fly to Catania with Ryanair from £147 return.
Short adventures
Wildlife safari in the Camargue, France
Who knew two hours from the glittering Côte d’Azur lay the Wild West? The Camargue forms Europe’s largest river delta and it’s a flat, watery world home to semi-wild white horses, salt pans tinged pink with flamingos, fine Provençale food, and gardians (cowboys) herding black bulls. Life unfolds slowly here, so match its pace on a canal boat cruise that weaves between the wildlife-teeming marshes and serves up superb birding opportunities.
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How to do it: Locaboat (020 3966 4318) offer a three-night Cruise in Camargue trip from £1,404 per boat. Fly to Montpellier with easyJet from £62 return.
Active archipelago life, Furusund, Sweden
Just an hour’s drive from Stockholm is Furusund, the gateway to the off-the-beaten-track Roslagen archipelago. Join a three-day guided adventure where you’ll kayak the wild coastline and fish for your supper while competing with seals and sea eagles and have your catch turned into a gourmet meal by a wilderness chef. Camp beneath the stars one night and then switch it up the next with a stay at the luxe Hotel Furusund with a floating hot tub.
How to do it: F&P Travel (01306 264 005) offers a three-day guided Swedish Adventure from £1,899 per person, including guide, return flights to Stockholm and a concierge service.
Two-wheel adventure through Chianti, Italy
Straddle a saddle and embark on this bargain self-guided cycling trip from the romantic Renaissance capital of Florence to the medieval alleys of Siena, by way of the Greve and Radda vineyards in the world-famous wine-producing region of Chianti. Covering a daily distance of between 20 and 30 miles on (mainly) smooth asphalted roads, there’s ample time for post-tasting snoozes or sightseeing.
How to do it: Utracks (0800 0744 135) offer a four-day self-guided Cycle Florence to Siena trip from £750 per person, including B&B accommodation, bike rental and luggage transfers. Fly to Florence with Vueling from £107 return.
Pintxo perfection in San Sebastián, Spain
Boasting a whopping 17 Michelin stars, San Sebastián on Spain’s northern Basque coast is the current queen of the European food scene. Ditch the stiff-white-tablecloth restaurants in favour of pintxos-hopping, where you go bar to bar in the Casco Viejo (Old Town), sampling seafood tapas and dishes such as txistorra (cured sausage) washed down with a glass of txakoli or refreshing Basque cider.
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How to do it: Original Travel (020 3582 4990) offers a three-night trip from £1,410 per person, including B&B accommodation, return flights, transfers and guided tours.
Short beach breaks
Surf’s up at Biarritz, France
“I have not met in the world any place more pleasant and perfect than Biarritz,” wrote French Romantic Victor Hugo in 1843. Ever since this tooth-white seaside town has attracted the well-heeled and its blend of sports and sunshine is ideal for couples, where one goes stir-crazy sitting still and the other prefers sunbathing. Biarritz is a cherished surf spot, home to one of Europe’s most prestigious golf courses and is neighbours with forest-backed Anglet and its 11 beaches.
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How to do it: The newly reopened Art Deco Regina Experimental (0033 5 59 41 33 00) offers double rooms from £268, B&B. Fly to Biarritz with Ryanair from £189 return.
Alternative Tuscany, Porto Ercole, Italy
Connected to the Tuscan mainland by two sand bars, Porto Ercole sits on the island of Argentario and can only be accessed via a single road that spans flamingo-visited lagoons. Expect olive groves, gardens of bougainvillaea and jasmine and a rustic trattoria-lined Old Town clustered around the harbour. Visit the tomb of esteemed painter Caravaggio and laze on islet beaches – our pick is the Bagno Le Viste.
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How to do it: The boutique La Roqqa has double rooms from £371, B&B. Fly to Rome Fiumicino with British Airways from £137 return.
No-car Island of Koločep, Croatia
Just seven miles from Dubrovnik, but a world away from its crowds, the island of Koločep is the smallest of the Elafiti archipelago and has just two villages, a smattering of local restaurants and shops and best of all no cars. Unusually for Croatia, it also has both sandy and pebble beaches to laze on. Buy catch of the day from local fishermen who pull up to the jetty and wind through pine forests on the island’s biking trails. Truly a place to unplug.
How to do it: Sunvil (020 8568 4499) offer a three-night stay at the Kalamota Beach House from £1,300 per person, B&B, including return flights from London Gatwick and transfers.
Adults-only five-star, Paphos, Cyprus
Taken from the Greek word ‘Kalies’ meaning ‘most beautiful’, the new-for-2024 Cali Resort & Spa packs a powerful first impression. It’s a high-design five-star just 300m from the famous Blue Flag Coral Bay Beach with a magazine-worthy pool framed by ultra-luxe sunbeds, sunken in-pool loungers and cabanas with billowing white curtains. Spend the day in the sumptuous on-site spa with sauna and steam room, sip golden-hour cocktails at Sonata and dine on first-rate sushi at the Japanese fusion restaurant Fiki. Fly ‘n’ flop at its best.
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How to do it: Jet2 Holidays offers four nights at the Cali Resort & Spa from £726 per person, all-inclusive, including return flights from London Stanstead and transfers.
Luxury getaways
Lighthouse living, Hamneskä, Sweden
Marooned on the tiny island of Hamneskä, off the coast of Sweden, Pater Noster – which translates as the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ – is an 1868 lighthouse and keeper’s house that has been converted into an award-winning state-of-the-art hotel open April to November. The site may be small, but it’s not short on activities, from sea kayaking and snorkelling with seals to soaking in the sauna or seawater hot tub, followed by seafood suppers and wine tasting. You can even opt to try the outdoor bed placed on the edge of a cliff overlooking the restless sea.
How to do it: Regent Holidays (0117 4534 770) offers a ‘Summer on the Horizon’ package from £400 per person per night, half board, including transfers and a guided tour of the island. Fly to Gothenburg with Norwegian from £74 return.
Lavender haze, Hvar, Croatia
A member of luxury brand Relais & Chateaux, the 50-room Maslina Resort is located on Hvar – reputedly Europe’s sunniest island. From May to October, its landscapes are a violet haze of lavender, with a Lavender Festival held mid-July in Velo Grablje when the flowers are at their peak. The hotel, has a Michelin-recommended restaurant, a wellness centre (that uses herbs grown in an on-site organic garden) and is right next door to the beach. The resort showcases its relaxing therapeutic powers with everything from a lavender-infused drink and biscuits on arrival to scented meditation, massages, breathwork and sound healing.
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How to do it: Maslina Resort (00385 21 888 700) offers a three-night Lavender Dreams package from £4,520 per person, including transfer by speedboat. Fly to Split with British Airways from £80 return.
Artisanal escape, Menorca, Balearic
Set amid olive groves and citrus trees, Son Vell is a truly beautiful restored 18th-century manor house where everything is focussed on immersing guests in Menorcan culture. Indulge in two restaurants, serving up fare sourced from the hotel’s own farmland, and take the opportunity to learn the art of shoe, jewellery and bag making with local artisans, or enjoy horse rides along the ancient Cami de Cavalls, or a private boat tour to swim in hidden coves.
How to do it: Son Vell (0034 911 118 161) offers double rooms from £670 per room, B&B. Fly to Mahon with easyJet from £95 return.
Michelin-star food in Mdina, Malta
Mdina served as Malta’s capital until medieval times and little feels like it’s changed since then. The walled city is warren of palazzos and century-old homes and among them is the exclusive 17th-century Xara Palace. With just 17 luxury rooms, this antique-filled five-star is famed for its rooftop Michelin-star restaurant, De Mondion, with sweeping city views. Ideal for culture vultures.
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How to do it: The Xara Palace (00356 2145 0560) offers rooms from £200 per night. Fly to Malta with Ryanair (from £97 return.
Wellness breaks
Treetop living in the Loire Valley, France
Just over an hour from Paris by train, Loire Valley Lodges is a boutique treehouse hotel set in 300 acres of Duporterie forest. Suited for solo travellers and romantics, these treetop rooms are designed to reconnect you with nature, so there’s no WiFi or TV. Instead, lodges come with binoculars to help spot wildlife from the deck, a book about trees and a leather-bound notepad to encourage creative jottings. Activities include wild swimming and sound baths, as well as a spa and two restaurants.
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How to do it: A treehouse at Loire Valley Lodges (0033 247 388 588) costs from £376 per night, B&B. Take the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord from £150 return, followed by the TGV (1hr direct) from Paris Montparnasse to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps from £65 return.
Salt town of Portorož, Slovenia
Lake-studded Slovenia remains off the radar for many travellers. Start in the spa town of Portorož, sandwiched between the glittering Adriatic Sea and green hills, where monks started healing people with mud and brine from the nearby Sečovlje Salina salt pans in the 13th century. The place to stay is the 1910 waterfront Kempinski Palace Portorož with its golden-sand beach and Rose Spa, offering traditional salt-water treatments. It’s also near the beautiful medieval walled town of Piran for a day trip.
How to do it: The Kempinski Palace Portoroz offer double rooms from £282 per night. Fly to Ljubljana with easyJet from £100 return.
Europe’s first forest spa, Austria
Unplug at Forsthof, a 400-year-old wooden Tyrolean farmhouse that has been in the Schmuck family for five generations and transformed into a luxury hotel with Europe’s first forest spa. There’s a unique onsen-style bathing pool with views of the Leogang Rocky Mountains and an adult-only section, with an old-wood sauna delivering birch-branch rituals, herbal steam baths, microsalt cabins, infra-red saunas and yoga classes.
How to do it: Naturhotel Forsthofgut (0043 6583 8561) offers double rooms from £240 per night, B&B. Fly to Salzburg with British Airways from £245 return.
Bohemian life-reset, Formentera, Balearics
Accessible only by boat and perched amid pine trees, Teranka is a barefoot-vibe bolthole on Formentera, the smallest and most southerly of the Balearic islands. The in-house team develop bespoke retreat itineraries for your specific wellness goals and brings in a range of practitioners who offer workshops on everything from sound baths and breathwork to kickboxing and hypnotherapy. All mixed in with morning yoga, pilates and ice baths.
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How to do it: Teranka (0034 871 873 030) offers stays from £438 per night, B&B, including use of kayaks, paddleboards and snorkel gear. Fly to Ibiza with easyJet from £52 return and take the car ferry to Formentera from £48 return. Tickets can be bought on the day, or booked online via ferryhopper.com or balearia.com.