I'm Going on a Bear Hunt

“Go to the beach and lie there all day”

PARIS

How to get there:

• Bus: Catch an overnight bus to Paris for as cheap as 5 pounds. You go to sleep in London and wake up in Paris, Voilà! Biggest perk of this option is that you arrive right in the center of Paris so won’t waste much more time or money getting around.
• Train: Not as fast as a flight but will get you to the center of Paris in around 2 and a half hours.
• Flight: About the same costs as a train, the flight itself can be cheap but you will waste a lot of time and money getting to the airport on both sides.

When:

• It’s good weather all year round but try avoid summer being peak tourists season as you will waste a lot of time waiting in lines for the big tourist attractions.

To do:

• See the Eifel Tower, climb it if you’re game, or take a lift up if you’re normal.
• Have a picnic in the Luxembourg gardens, with some of the cheap fantastic produce and wine you can get from the grocery stores.
• Nab a chair by the fountain at the Jardin des Tuileries and people-watch like a true Frenchman
• Marvel at the artwork at the Louvre.
• Check out the more modern art at the Musée d’Orsay.
• Take a walk down Montmartre and try to envision what it was like living there during the Belle Époque over a century ago.
• Treat yourself with a pastry or two…
• Learn about the overflowing history of the city on a Sandemans walking tour where you will likely be guided by a young person with a sense of humor.
• Buy a ticket to the Moulin Rouge.
• Go for a bike-ride and take in the city’s abundance of culture.
• Watch a busker and tip them with your remaining coins.
• Go to a quintessentially French restaurant and eat snails and frogs legs… or don’t.

Tips:

• Watch out for the pick pockets- they are cunning and clever.
• Don’t order a latte… you will most likely get a cup of milk.

NICE

How to get there:

• Flight: Easy Jet flights to and from Nice are usually very cheap and the airport easy pretty close to where it’s all happening.

When:

• A good escape anytime of you weather your looking for some water to relieve the heat or some sunshine to escape the cold

To do:

• Go to the beach and lie there all day
• Visit their grocery store full of beautiful produce, get yourself a baguette, a range of fromage, some saucisses, and a bottle of vin rosé and have yourself a little afternoon picnic by the water.

• Go for a bike-ride on the pathway next to the waterfront and get some excersize whilst soaking up those rays
• Take a day trip to Èze-Village and check out some amazing views and beautiful old architecture.
• Indulge yourself at the many patisseries available to you… and try all the macaroon flavours.
• Enjoy the fairly happening nightlife going on in the summer, I’ll admit there isn’t much in the way of clubs but the bars really do go off with drunk tourists looking for a good time and having sing-alongs to 90’s bangas.
• Visit the Matisse Museum (if that’s your thing).

Tips:

• Do wear shoes sturdier than flip-flops on the beach… and perhaps wear them into the water too. The beaches are covered with pebbles, which are a bitch to walk on, and you don’t look ‘Baywatch sexy’ when you are crawling in and out of the water painfully barefooted.
• If you live in the UK, don’t get all excited about the sun and try to get a full blown tan on your first day… you will get painfully sunburnt and feel like you are going to die. Wear sunscreen fool.

AMSTERDAM

• Read in ‘A Guide to Winter in Europe’ post.

DUBLIN

• Read in ‘A Guide to Winter in Europe’ post.

BATH

How to get there:

• Bus: The cheapest option with tickets as low as 5 pounds but far slower than a train.
• Train: Quick and not too expensive.

When:

• Avoid winter as it’s hard to walk around sightseeing when it’s pouring rain.

To do:

• Check out the Roman Baths: there will be a line and tickets aren’t cheap.
• Walk around and marvel and the stunning architecture including Bath Abbey and Pulteney Bridge.
• Visit the Jane Austin center if you’re a fan (it’s pretty cute)
• Walk around and relax in the stunning parks including the Royal Victoria Park, and the Alexandra Park.
• Stroll through the romantic gardens of the Holburne museum.
• Enjoy being in a city that works at a much slower pace to London, it’s surprisingly therapeutic.

BRIGHTON

How to get there:

• Train: Quick, easy, and cheap.

When:

• Summer or Spring

To do:

• Sit on the beach and breath in the fresh air.
• Have some classic English fish and chips.
• Enjoy the many hippie healthy, organic, vegetarian and vegan cafés.
• Walk along the Brighton Palace Pier, eat some candy floss and jump on a ride that makes you throw up all that chips and candy.
• Check out the abundance of vintage stores.
• Visit your friends who live there, as you most likely will do.
• Go for a swim if you’re ballsy AF.

Tips:

• Do not jump in the water if you are not ballsy AF because you will freeze and die.
• Wear similar clothes to what you would in London… just because they call it a beach does not guarantee good weather.

STONEHENGE

How to get there:

• Hire a car: Easiest way to get exactly where you need to be, and a good excuse for a road trip.
• Go on a tour bus if you’re traveling solo.

To do:

• See the amazing sight but don’t forge to marvel and the amazing countryside from London to there.
• You can look from afar or you can pay to walk right up close and have an interactive history lesson.

STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

How to get there:

• Hire a car: Fun road trip while you see some beautiful countryside.
• Train: less stressful option if you’re not a great driver (or not one at all)

To do:

• Walk around the city and take in the historical charm.
• Shakespeare’s Birthplace
• Anne Hathaway’s House (like his wife, not the actress)
• Shakespeare’s House
• Get a beer and a Sunday roast at an old traditional English pub.

PORT ISAAC

How to get there:

• Hire car
• Train & Bus

To do:

• Eat a Cornish pastry… coz your in Cornwall duh
• Breathe in that fresh seaside air
• Get yourself some fish and chips and one of the great local pubs by the water.
• Take a photo next to Doc Martin’s house and show your Mum.

My future weekend getaway plans 🙂

• Positano
• Bordeaux
• Edinburgh
• Cardiff
• Krakow
• Oxford
• Cambridge