PACK THE SUITCASES

A perfect 2 days in Copenhagen, Denmark

29th December 2018 2 Comments

2 days in Copenhagen | PACK THE SUITCASES

I’d say that 2 days in Copenhagen isn’t enough and that 3 or 4 is more like it if you want to get a proper feel for the Danish capital, but if you’re pushed for time or you’ve been a few times then you can cram a fair bit into 2.

This was my fourth visit so I feel like I know Copenhagen quite well. It’s my all-time favourite city and one of the few cities I can see us living in. Everything about it is high quality, stylish and beautiful. This particular visit was in winter, so had a slightly different feel to it than previous trips I’ve done in autumn and spring. It was freezing, but Copenhagen is built for cold weather so we survived pretty well and as ever, I LOVED my time there and didn’t want to leave.

I’ve written up everything we did, but do bear in mind that this isn’t a full itinerary for a first-time visit. I’d already done most of the big must-do things in previous trips, so this is basically me going over my favourite things to do in Copenhagen. It was actually a really hard post to write, because how do I do my favourite city justice without writing War & Peace?!

Anyway, I’ll give you the lowdown on what to do in 2 days in Copenhagen but first I’ll give you a bit of a preamble and general city guide full of things you should know before you go…

DESTINATIONS

4 days in Prague: an itinerary on a budget

22nd December 2018 No Comments

This is my tried-and-tested budget itinerary for spending 4 days in Prague with a group of friends. It includes where to stay, where to eat and drink, and things to see in the beautiful capital of the Czech Republic/Czechia. It really is tried and tested, not just from when I did it with some of my friends a few years back, but also by other colleagues/friends/random people who I’ve sent it to in the form of a very long email ever since. And yes, recycling and padding out an email I’ve been sending to anyone going to Prague is a very lazy way of getting a blog post out this week. I regret nothing.

It’s always hard planning travel with groups rather than just with one person or alone because you have different budgets, tastes and diets to consider. I think my friends were happy with this Prague itinerary when we went, particularly with how little we spent.

Prague is an easy city to do on a budget. Four days there was enough to see the main sights without feeling too rushed. Here’s my suggestions…

DESTINATIONS

Where to stay in Hamburg: a review of Hotel Baseler Hof

17th December 2018 3 Comments

If you’re frantically googling where to stay in Hamburg, hopefully this review will help you out. I stayed at the rather lovely Hotel Baseler Hof on my recent trip to Hamburg, which worked out really well as a cosy base for exploring this brilliant and underrated German city.

I very rarely stay in hotels these days, usually going for apartments to save a bit of money. However, my time in Hamburg was limited and the weather was freezing, so I needed to be a) in a reliable hotel and b) really central. Hotel Baseler Hof ticked the boxes with a very big fat tick and I loved every minute of my time there. This is the first hotel review I’ve EVER written, by the way. Does that make me a proper travel blogger now?!

While you’re here and clearly doing a bit of Hamburg research, allow me to not-so-subtly shove you towards my post about how to spend 2 days in Hamburg, which covers all the things to do, see, eat and drink that I enjoyed there. It features a lot of cocktails and model railways. A classic combination.

If you’re just after a very honest review of a hotel that I genuinely would recommend for a city break in Hamburg, keep reading…

DESTINATIONS

2 days in Hamburg, Germany: things to do, see and eat

28th November 2018 16 Comments

2 days in Hamburg, Germany | PACK THE SUITCASES

Spending 2 days in Hamburg, Germany is a perfect city break, with loads of things to do, places to visit, and of course (most importantly) amazing places to eat and drink. Although I’m calling this 2 days in Hamburg, it was sort of 3 days really – one being a day trip. More on that further down.

This was the second part of a multi-destination week-long trip, beginning in Copenhagen and then getting a train that goes onto a ferry to Hamburg. HOW exciting is that? A train going ONTO a ferry! Obviously I’ll be writing a massive blog post about that soon…

Hamburg is like Berlin’s less pretentious seafaring cousin. It has loads of history, a gritty industrial edge, amazing places to eat and drink, and a vibe that’s uniquely its own.

Here’s what I recommend doing, seeing, eating and drinking over 2 days in Hamburg…

FEATURES

I’m longlisted for a UK blog award 2018! Please can I have your vote?

15th November 2018 2 Comments

UK blog awards 2018 | PACK THE SUITCASES

Hiya. I don’t know how to say this so I will just start typing. I have a big announcement. I’ve ended up on the longlist for the entire UK Blog Awards!

Those of you who’ve followed me for a while will recall when I was shortlisted for a Northern Blog Award and my subsequent complete failure to get placed. Despite past lack of success, I am now on the list for the blogging awards that cover the entire country. Of course?!

So I am obviously here again to beg you, my lovely readers, for your vote in the travel category…

DESTINATIONS

20 things to do in Southport, UK

11th November 2018 10 Comments

After a gorgeous autumnal day out there, I decided to write up some of the best things to do in Southport. I grew up in a village near to Southport, so I spent a lot of time there when I was younger and used to know it really well. But since I moved away over 10 years ago, SO much has changed. I’ve only ever been back on flying visits rather than for a full day out (usually just drunken evenings to be honest). So returning for a day in Southport this autumn was like visiting an entirely new town for me.

If you don’t know it, Southport (or ‘Sowie’ as locals used to call it – possibly still do) is a seaside town in the North West. It was a popular Victorian holiday destination and like most coastal towns, has had its fair share of shops closing down and an air of faded grandeur. That’s why I was pleasantly surprised to return, sober and in the cold light of day, to find it’s actually a really nice day out now. Southport even has pockets of real brilliance in the form of art, craft beer and food.

Anyway, onto 20 things to do in Southport – in no particular order…