Home Travel Top 12 city breaks without transfers picked by experts: These warm destinations all have airports just minutes from the center and return flights from £35. Here’s the ultimate guide.

Top 12 city breaks without transfers picked by experts: These warm destinations all have airports just minutes from the center and return flights from £35. Here’s the ultimate guide.

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Gibraltar airport runway is just one mile from The Rock

How many times have you arrived on a flight for a weekend getaway and realized that it took forever to get to the city center?

For example, Hahn Airport is 75 miles from central Frankfurt (more than two hours by bus), while Oslo Sandefjord Airport is 73 miles from Oslo.

No one wants to spend all that time traveling when they’ll only be away for a couple of days, so here’s our guide to the best airport connections in Europe.

WALK THROUGH GIBRALTAR

Gibraltar airport runway is just one mile from The Rock

It’s only a mile from the runway to the city center, so you can walk (literally cross the runway when it’s clear) or take a five-minute bus ride.

Soon you’ll be passing the Lord Nelson pub and Roy’s Fish and Chips as if you were on any high street in the UK, not the Iberian Peninsula. Attractions in this British Overseas Territory include the Second World War tunnels where Dwight Eisenhower and Winston Churchill planned the invasion of North Africa in 1941, a Moorish castle and St Michael’s Caves.

How to do it: Gatwick returns from £72 (easyjet.com).

STEP EASY AND EASY

There is a five-minute train from Pisa airport to this charming Tuscan city.

It is a five-minute train ride from Pisa airport to this charming Tuscan city.

You’re just a couple of miles from the Leaning Tower when you land at Pisa International Airport.

Then, a five-minute train ride takes you to this charming Tuscan city with a spectacular 11th-century cathedral and crooked bell tower.

There’s also the Romanesque baptismal font of San Giovanni, the Gothic church of Santa Maria della Spina and the designer shops along the arcades of Borgo Stretto.

How to do it: Stansted returns from £35 (ryanair.com).

THE TRIUMPH OF TALLINN

Tallinn is a UNESCO World Heritage Site medieval old town with many towers

Tallinn is a UNESCO World Heritage Site medieval old town with many towers

The Estonian capital is easy to reach from Tallinn Airport, and the short bus ride will transport you to a UNESCO World Heritage-listed medieval old town with towers, turrets and winding streets.

Explore Toompea Hill with its baroque castle (home of the Estonian parliament), admire the Orthodox onion domes of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and see the masterpieces of the Kadriorg Art Museum.

How to do it: Stansted returns from £30 (ryanair.com).

THE CHARM OF LISBON

Lisbon is home to many charming neighborhoods

Lisbon is home to many charming neighborhoods

The 20-minute metro ride to central Lisbon costs just £1.50.

You’ll soon explore winding cobblestone streets and visit the imposing 11th-century fortifications of Castelo de Sao Jorge, the ornate Mosterio dos Jeronimos (where explorer Vasco da Gama, the first European to reach India, is buried), and ride along iconic trams. yellows of the city: the number 28 is the best route, which passes through charming Portuguese neighborhoods.

How to do it: Stansted or Manchester return from £44 (ryanair.com).

FAST IN VILNIUS

There are masses to do, like visiting the impressive neoclassical cathedral.

There are masses to do, like visiting the impressive neoclassical cathedral.

The fast LTG Link from Vilnius Airport takes just eight minutes to the city center (and costs just 66p), making Lithuania’s capital perfect for a getaway with minimal waste of time to or from your plane.

There’s plenty to do, from visiting the impressive neoclassical cathedral to exploring the intriguing Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania (now a history museum) and seeing the harrowing exhibits at the Museum of Genocide Victims, in a former KGB headquarters. . There are also many excellent bars and restaurants.

How to do it: Stansted returns from £41 (ryanair.com).

SALZBURG WALTZ

Salzburg silhouetted by the Alps at dusk

Salzburg silhouetted by the Alps at dusk

Take bus number ten (Sunday will be number two) and in about 20 minutes you’ll be exploring Mozart’s hometown in the Austrian Alps.

The composer’s Birthplace Museum is a great first stop, then there’s the imposing Hohensalzburg Fortress, the gardens of Mirabelle Palace (where Do-Re-Mi was sung in The Sound of Music) and Nonnberg Abbey, where hymns are sung. Gregorians every morning. .

How to do it: Luton returns from £34 (wizzair.com); Manchester returns from £59 (ryanair.com).

MALAGA SPEED

Admire the cathedral's splendid Renaissance/Baroque architecture

Admire the cathedral’s splendid Renaissance/Baroque architecture

Renfe trains run three times an hour and take 12 minutes on line C1 from Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport to the center.

So you can quickly get to the sights, admiring the splendid Renaissance/Baroque architecture of the cathedral, passing by the Picasso Museum (the artist lived in Malaga until he was ten) and visiting the Alcazaba and Gibralfaro Castle dating back to the city. Moorish era. Don’t forget the fabulous art at the Pompidou Center and a walk on the nearby beach.

How to do it: Gatwick returns from £43 (easyjet.com); Manchester returns from £41 (ryanair.com).

FAST RIGA

The House of Blackheads in Riga, a warehouse/merchant meeting place dating back to 1334

The House of Blackheads in Riga: warehouse/meeting place for merchants dating back to 1334

Take the Lux Express shuttle from Riga Airport and you’ll be in the center of Latvia’s capital in 25 minutes (tickets cost around £3.30).

Head to the observation deck of the 240-foot Riga Radio and Television Tower and then stroll through the Old Town, with its busy restaurants and bars.

Visit the House of Blackheads, a striking warehouse and merchants’ meeting place dating back to 1334, enjoy a show at the Latvian National Opera and Ballet, and explore the Art Nouveau district, which is famous among architecture lovers .

How to do it: Stansted or Manchester return from £39 (ryanair.com).

SOON PORTO

Portugal's second city is perfect for a weekend getaway with its beautiful tiled buildings.

Portugal’s second city is perfect for a weekend getaway with its beautiful tiled buildings.

It’s an easy metro transfer from Porto Airport to the city, taking 27 minutes (tickets cost around £1.70).

Portugal’s second city is perfect for a weekend getaway with its beautiful blue and white tiled buildings, including the fascinating Sao Bento train station ticket office, and its spectacular bridges crossing the Douro River, where houses ports line the southern shore.

This is the ideal place for a sunset drink. Don’t miss the stunning baroque interior of the Igreja de Sao Francisco church.

How to do it: Stansted, Edinburgh or Manchester return from £42 (ryanair.com).

KRAKOW IS A COOKIE

Market Square houses bars and cafes in the basements of medieval buildings.

Market Square houses bars and cafes in the basements of medieval buildings.

The train from Krakow’s John Paul II International Airport to the Polish city takes 20 minutes.

Then, you’ll be a 15-minute walk from Market Square, with its bars and cafes in the basements of medieval buildings.

Not to be missed are the Gothic splendor of Wawel Castle, the Jewish Quarter and Oskar Schindler’s factory, where you can learn about his actions in saving 1,200 Jewish lives during World War II.

How to do it: Luton, Manchester or Glasgow return from £34 (ryanair.com).

CRUISE TO COPENHAGEN

This Danish city is one of the most interesting capitals in Scandinavia.

This Danish city is one of the most interesting capitals in Scandinavia.

Hop on one of the metro trains from Copenhagen Airport and you’ll be in the city center in 15 minutes.

Upon arrival, one of Scandinavia’s most interesting capitals will be at your disposal, including Amelienborg Palace, Rosenborg Palace and the former Tivoli Gardens theme park.

How to do it: Stansted, Manchester and Edinburgh return from £30 (ryanair.com).

BERLIN IS A BREEZE

The Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of German division during the Cold War

The Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of German division during the Cold War

Brandenburg Airport is connected to the city center by trains that leave every 15 minutes and take half an hour.

The Reichstag (German parliament) is nearby, as is the Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of German division during the Cold War and now of national unity.

Visit Checkpoint Charlie and the Holocaust Memorial.

How to do it: Stansted and Manchester return from £34 (ryanair.com); Edinburgh returns from £104 (easyjet.com).

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