City break or beach - what’s YOUR perfect holiday?

City break or beach - what’s YOUR perfect holiday?

City breaks or beach holidays – which do you prefer? We asked 2,000 holidaymakers about their destination preferences. The results were pretty split – with 46 per cent of those quizzed choosing a city destination.

Our youngest age group – the 18 to 24 year olds – told us that they were more likely to book a city break than head to the beach. In fact, 65 per cent of this age group revealed that they had already booked, or were about to book, a city break this year.

We also found out that the most popular city breaks, according to those we polled, are Barcelona in first place, followed by New York and Paris. Amsterdam, Rome and Dublin are also firm favourites.

Our survey showed us that June is the most popular month for city breaks – and Brits are most likely to fly out on a Friday to enjoy a long weekend. However, the Millennial bracket buck this weekend trend with their second most popular day to jet off being Monday.

And while you think the average city break is for three days maximum, think again. Many people are extending their trip with 19 per cent choosing to go for four nights, and 17 per cent for six or more nights. Mmm, we like their style!

Footwear in the city

It may sound strange – but your choice of shoes really affects the experience of your city break. With all the walking around involved, we’d expect everyone to strap on a pair of sensible shoes – trainers or sandals. While these are undoubtedly popular, a surprising six per cent of us still decide to put our best foot forward on our city break in heels - ouch!

Deciding factors

So what influences our choice of destination when we’re looking at our next holiday? Unsurprisingly, weather is a big factor, followed by price, culture, accommodation and the number of activities that are available when we get there.

Again, age is important to differing tastes, as the younger participants of our survey put culture as their main priority while older holidaymakers chose weather as their first concern.

Navigating

How do you get about when you’re lost on holiday? It’s the cause of much bickering abroad – so finding a resolution when you’re lost on holiday is key. The good old-fashioned map is still the most popular way of getting about, while a fifth of those quizzed relied on their mobile phone to work out their directions. But only a small seven per cent of you would want to ask a local for help.

(Incidentally, this seven per cent is mostly female, as men prefer to work out the predicament by themselves. Does this sound familiar to anyone?!)