Top 5 winter city breaks destinations

Winter in the UK - having to go to work in the dark, daylight ending at half three in the afternoon - can be miserable. What better way to break up the long winter months then, than with a winter city break away? There are some fantastic cities around that seem to thrive during the cold season, so shake off those winter blues by booking a superb winter city break. Here’s a list of our top 5.

 

Stockholm in the winter is a classic fairy-tale winter wonderland. A third of the city is made up of parks and woodland, a third is made up of water, so you can image how spectacular the place looks when the snow falls. At night, the city comes alive with hundreds of bars, restaurants and cafes. There’s a great range of things to see and do here, including a visit to the Vasa museum, the Stockholm Globe Arena, the Storkyrkan Cathedral, visiting Grona Lund Amusement Park, , ice-skating at Kungstradgarden Park, enjoying a guided tour of the city, the Changing of the Guard and the ABBA museum.

New York is a vibrant, buzzing city that can look spectacular in the winter if snow falls. Even if it doesn’t, there are still plenty of things to do. Christmas city breaks will find New York a world-class destination for shopping, with hundreds of famous and boutique stalls to be found. There’s ice skating in Central park, amazing festive window displays and impressive landmarks to visit such as the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and the Rockefeller Centre. Or you could catch a Broadway show or visit Staten Island. Whether it’s a romantic city break at Christmas you’re after or a special festive family city break, New York is an excellent choice. 

It’s safe to say Poland has its fair share of cold weather in the winter. If you are looking for a winter city break destination with snow, Warsaw is a good bet. With its 17th century palaces and baroque churches, Warsaw retains some of its historical charm, despite being razed to the ground during WWII. There are many unique and interesting things you can do here, such as taking a kulig (a festive horse-drawn sleigh) around town. The Old Town Market Square plays host to numerous musicians, street entertainers and theatre groups. And you can’t miss out on trying some traditional Polish vodka – guaranteed to warm you up on even the coldest of Warsaw nights!

For a fantastic winter city break that won’t cost the earth and is relatively easy to get to from anywhere in the UK, why not consider Edinburgh? Edinburgh in the winter can look stunning, with the majestic Edinburgh Castle lit up against the black night sky. There are all the top shops and restaurants you’d expect in a major city, and it has a fantastic pub scene; perfect for enjoying a dram of whisky when the cold winter air gets a bit too much. If you are looking for a New Year city break, Edinburgh is arguably the best place in the world you could go to – the Hogmanay festival celebrations in the city are legendary.

Budapest winter city breaks

Divided into two halves, Buda and Pest, by the brooding River Danube, Budapest is a superb, small city which makes a great winter city break destination. Due to its relatively small size, Budapest can be explored easily on foot, but has enough there to keep you busy for days. Things to do on a winter city break here include visiting the Szechenyl Baths, the Royal Palace, the Opera House and the Terror Museum amongst others.