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Old Jan 2, 2020, 10:55 am
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Best Destination for 1 Night Trip

I’ve found some really good deals through BA Holidays for a 1 night city break in the Spring. The 4 possible candidates are Warsaw, Dublin, Sofia or Luxembourg.

Which one is best in everyone’s opinion? Obviously one gets more Tier points , but which is actually the nicest or best to visit?

Thanks
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 11:08 am
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I’ve only been to two of these places, so can’t comment on the other two, but for a one night stay I’d recommend Dublin over Warsaw (which is also worth visiting).

Warsaw is quite a bit further (obviously) and a big place to get around, so would recommend 3 nights I think.

Myself and some mates went to Dublin for about 30 hours last year and had a great time. Early flight Saturday, lunch, Leinster Match at the Aviva (great experience), drinks and dinner followed by temple bar. Then managed to do the Guinness store house on Sunday late morning and had a bit more time to kill before our late afternoon flight home.

The airport is less than 30 mins from the town centre by car from memory.
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 11:34 am
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I did the tier points run to SOF previously, and would not underestimate it. It is a nice place to visit for a weekend, and if you do not find enough interesting things to do in the city, you could still do a day trip to the Seven Rila Lakes & Monastery (approx. 2 hours drive from SOF).

DUB is fun of course, but not a fan of LUX (got bored after 2-3 hours). WAW was okay, but definitely not beating DUB and SOF
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 11:39 am
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What are the flight times- if it’s just a night stop ideally you want to fly out early and fly back late so you can pack stuff in.

Im sure all 4 destinations would be fab, in spring I’d generally avoid Warsaw for the temperature.

there are obviously great things to do in Dublin but equally you can often get good deals there so I’d perhaps pick one of the remaining two, out of preference I’d go SOF, simple as any saving in LUX can be wiped out as it is slightly dearer out there.
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 11:40 am
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I’d have them on that order!
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 11:45 am
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Originally Posted by BAeuro
I’ve found some really good deals through BA Holidays for a 1 night city break in the Spring. The 4 possible candidates are Warsaw, Dublin, Sofia or Luxembourg.

Which one is best in everyone’s opinion? Obviously one gets more Tier points , but which is actually the nicest or best to visit?

Thanks
Do you need the TPs or just doing it for fun?

I did a run to SOF purely for the International points, so can you tie it in with something else?

I also agree with the point about flight times being important to get you the most time there.
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 11:47 am
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I am afraid you will need to do all of them (and report back here). I don't think you can go wrong here, they are all worth a visit.

In addition to Tier points, you get Trier points for Luxembourg, if you take the bus or train there. If you want to stay in LUX, the old town is very walkable and a day would give you a good flavour. There are good cafés and restaurants there, the Eurocrats like their food.

Dublin is an exciting young city with the overtones of history everywhere. If you are UK based then you'll see things that are similar but different, a real mix of familiarity but then not quite. Pubs that could be in London, but then you'll hear the accent. 1 day just gives you a flavour for a longer visit.

Sofia is under-reported in terms of its tourist potential. I think I would avoid it in January, the cold can be truly piercing. It has a large range of tourist attractions and it is perhaps better suited for a 2 day stay, bearing in mind the time it takes to get there. I would highlight the interesting joining points of Leninist communist public buildings, Orthodox Christian churches and modern shopping centres,

Warsaw can also be chilly in Winter but remains a well organised city,with an Old Town, another slab of Joseph Stalin's footprint, in this case unavoidable, and some of the most heart-stopping memorials to the extraordinary devastation of the last World War. Again one day can only give a flavour, you would have little problem finding things to do over 3 nights.

In terms of hotel cost, Sofia and then Warsaw are likely to be the cheapest, Luxembourg the most expensive. LUX probably has the best lounge though none of them are that good.

Last edited by corporate-wage-slave; Jan 2, 2020 at 11:58 am
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 11:56 am
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Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
I am afraid you will need to do all of them (and report back here). I don't think you can go wrong here, they are all worth a visit.

In addition to Tier points, you get Trier points for Luxembourg, if you take the bus or train there. If you want to stay in LUX, the old town is very walkable and a day would give you a good flavour. There are good cafés and restaurants there, the Eurocrats like their food.

Dublin is an exciting young city with the overtones of history everywhere. If you are UK based then you'll see things that are similar but different, a real mix of familiarity but then not quite. Pubs that could be in London, but then you'll hear the accent. 1 day just gives you a flavour for a longer visit.

Sofia is under-reported in terms of its tourist potential. I think I would avoid it in January, the cold can be truly piercing. It has a large range of tourist attractions and it is perhaps better suited for a 2 day stay, bearing in mind the time it takes to get there. I would highlight the interesting joining points of Leninist communist public buildings, Orthodox Christian churches and modern shopping centres,

Warsaw can also be chilly in Winter but remains a well organised city,with an Old Town, another slab of Joseph Lenin's footprint, in this case unavoidable, and some of the most heart-stopping memorials to the extraordinary devastation of the last World War. Again one day can only give a flavour, you would have little problem finding things to do over 3 nights.

In terms of hotel cost, Sofia and then Warsaw are likely to be the cheapest, Luxembourg the most expensive. LUX probably has the best lounge though none of them are that good.
I think OP mentioned going in Spring - both SOF and WAW should be fairly pleasant (unless its beginning of March maybe).

I guess it is also important to take into consideration the pace of your travel. SOF and WAW will be a bit more hectic if you want to see as many attractions as possible, while in DUB and LUX things are very central and you can have a slower pace of travel.

That being said, I personally liked going to SOF for a weekend trip, and the Hilton there is a bargain for what you get!
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 12:10 pm
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Originally Posted by navylad
What are the flight times- if it’s just a night stop ideally you want to fly out early and fly back late so you can pack stuff in.

Im sure all 4 destinations would be fab, in spring I’d generally avoid Warsaw for the temperature.

there are obviously great things to do in Dublin but equally you can often get good deals there so I’d perhaps pick one of the remaining two, out of preference I’d go SOF, simple as any saving in LUX can be wiped out as it is slightly dearer out there.
I have made sure I have picked dates with good flight times, as you say early out and late back on the next day.

Do you think Warsaw would be cold in late March/April?
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 12:12 pm
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Originally Posted by holloway1000
Do you need the TPs or just doing it for fun?

I did a run to SOF purely for the International points, so can you tie it in with something else?

I also agree with the point about flight times being important to get you the most time there.
I don’t know really need TPs but it’s just an easier way to get a few more and a few extra Avios. It definitely wouldn’t be a deciding factor though. I’m more interested in what aircraft is operating the flights
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 12:14 pm
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If you've never been to any of them, then go for Dublin - no-brainer.
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 12:16 pm
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Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave
I am afraid you will need to do all of them (and report back here). I don't think you can go wrong here, they are all worth a visit.

In addition to Tier points, you get Trier points for Luxembourg, if you take the bus or train there. If you want to stay in LUX, the old town is very walkable and a day would give you a good flavour. There are good cafés and restaurants there, the Eurocrats like their food.

Dublin is an exciting young city with the overtones of history everywhere. If you are UK based then you'll see things that are similar but different, a real mix of familiarity but then not quite. Pubs that could be in London, but then you'll hear the accent. 1 day just gives you a flavour for a longer visit.

Sofia is under-reported in terms of its tourist potential. I think I would avoid it in January, the cold can be truly piercing. It has a large range of tourist attractions and it is perhaps better suited for a 2 day stay, bearing in mind the time it takes to get there. I would highlight the interesting joining points of Leninist communist public buildings, Orthodox Christian churches and modern shopping centres,

Warsaw can also be chilly in Winter but remains a well organised city,with an Old Town, another slab of Joseph Stalin's footprint, in this case unavoidable, and some of the most heart-stopping memorials to the extraordinary devastation of the last World War. Again one day can only give a flavour, you would have little problem finding things to do over 3 nights.

In terms of hotel cost, Sofia and then Warsaw are likely to be the cheapest, Luxembourg the most expensive. LUX probably has the best lounge though none of them are that good.
That’s a great rundown thank you CWS. I think having done the ‘popular’ city breaks in Europe I’m now unsure of where to venture next but I knew this forum would have some good opinions!
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 12:16 pm
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Originally Posted by Joshm300
I’ve only been to two of these places, so can’t comment on the other two, but for a one night stay I’d recommend Dublin over Warsaw (which is also worth visiting).

Warsaw is quite a bit further (obviously) and a big place to get around, so would recommend 3 nights I think.

Myself and some mates went to Dublin for about 30 hours last year and had a great time. Early flight Saturday, lunch, Leinster Match at the Aviva (great experience), drinks and dinner followed by temple bar. Then managed to do the Guinness store house on Sunday late morning and had a bit more time to kill before our late afternoon flight home.

The airport is less than 30 mins from the town centre by car from memory.
An additional thought on Dublin - you can fly from LCY, which might make it more convenient for you (and I prefer the Embraer and Free G&T to the Heathrow product).
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 12:18 pm
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Of the list I have only been to Dublin. But ive been to Dublin twice and I would go a third time.
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Old Jan 2, 2020, 12:32 pm
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I have other thoughts (hello NCE! ) but of your list, for a one night stay I'd personally choose DUB simply on the grounds of shorter flight time and more frequencies enabling you to spend more time there.

On balance, my criteria if I were to "choose" a one night destination would be: 1) sufficient frequencies to enable good timings, 2) not too far so as to be able to spend more time on site rather than in the air, 3) airport close to the city so as not to spend too much time and money in ground transport, 4) walkable city centre, 5) pleasant weather in the season you have in mind (both to make said walks enjoyable and minimise the risk of disruption), 6) good food and 7) availability of central hotels.
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