IME Granada is the place that's overrun by tourists.

Madrid isn't nearly as interesting as Barcelona.

I would second Toulouse, even though the architecture is a couple centuries earlier than you were focusing on

Belfast could be good. It's got a very interesting central core, a lot of beautiful architecture (the city hall is a gem), good pubs and restaurants, and accommodation is weirdly cheap - I've stayed in guesthouses for around 30-35 pounds/nt with breakfast.

Shopping may be the weak point of the ones you mention - although there's a rather nice shopping mall downtown, and the area of Botanic Street near Queen's University has a lot of interesting bookstores, cafes, and boutique shops to check out.

If you get bored with Belfast, you could split up the week and also go to Dublin, which is only a couple of hours away by bus or train - although it's far more expensive. However, it does have an amazing collection of Georgian buildings - so that would certainly meet your architecture criterion.

IMHO Bucharest is a dump. Sofia is nice - I sure you'd enjoy your time there. I was stunned by the modern metro in Sofia and the food is great. Not too many people go there so it is not overrun with tourists like Prague or Budapest.

I've never been bothered by tourists in Andalusia. Locals in places like Seville, Granada, Malaga, Cordoba co-exist fairly happily with tourists and don't abandon their favourite bars etc just because they become popular with visitors.

My favourite thing about Granada is that it's the only remaining big city in Spain where all bars serve substantial good quality free tapas with every drink. I'm not quite as slim as Gwyneth Paltrow.

Wouldn't recommend Bucharest - pretty grim

Why not try Liverpool and Manchester -near enough to do both. Nineteenth century architecture everywhere: lots of regenerated commercial buildings (Liverpool's Albert Dock), civic architecture (Manchester Central Library comes to mind) plus museums universities etc and there's also some interesting recent stuff as well (eg Danile Liebeskind's Imperial War Museum in Manchester docks). Good aieline links as well.

While I love Dubrovnik, it is pretty small. Could it be too small for one week? I spent 2.5 weeks there on business and was pretty bored by the end of my trip.

I always wanted to go to Split but never made it. Has anyone been there? It seems to be a lot like Dubrovnik but a bit larger.

My wife and I spent a week in Malaga. Lovely old town. Lots of old architecture and you can easily tour lots of nearby locations (Granada/Alhambra for example). Nice climate, very friendly people, good food and the hotels didn't seem to be too expensive.

Yeah all the foreign holidaymakers are down the costa at Torremolinos and Fuengirola etc, they come into Malaga airport but turn right.

Malaga's pretty good as a base, there's the Picasso museum and fast trains to Seville and Cordoba, not so fast train to Granada, good buses to Marbella & Mijas etc, El Torcal national park up in the hills, some nice local city beaches if that's your thing.

Any place on the Mediterranean coast with nice weather, beaches, prices, etc has its share of tourists.

In North America it is the same with travel to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.

+1 First time I was there was in 1983. I was hard pressed to spend more than a dollar for a taxi. A lot pricer now that they went on the Euro, but still a great city. Ditto for Porto, an easy train ride away.

To some extent, but the Spanish cities have a strong sense of established identity that is not too affected by tourists. For a start, there is not such an income gap between visitors and locals.

If Krakow Poland is "freezing" in May, avg temp 18 C , don't bother thinking of ever going there, as year highest avg is 22 C in July and Aug. :eek:

My suggestion is, as many others, Lisbon. You seem to be worried about the hills - no need. I took my then 84 year old dad to this city. We travelled by clean, efficient and cheap subway, cheap taxies, and in the old town, when needed, took the street car up the hill. All very convenient. ^

As the price level seems to be a major influence, my opinion is that Lisbon has the lowest combined cost (hotel/transport/restaurant) compared with all western European capitals. ^

I've so far no experience of Porto, of which I heard much good, but will have after a planned visit in June or July.

You won't regret going to Porto.

I loved Lisbon, but from the photos, Porto looks like a great place to visit.