How to Fit a Hike Into Your Weekend City Break
Not every trip needs to mean heading to the beach, city breaks can be so much fun and an exciting way to spend a weekend (especially if you don’t live in a big city yourself). There are loads of opportunities to go shopping and eat in cool restaurants and generally do activities that you might not have access to in smaller towns and less built up areas. With Christmas around the corner now, pretty soon all the big cities will be full of lights and music and markets and all kinds of festivities, so you might be planning a trip to one. But it doesnt mean to say you have to spend all of your time doing these things. If the city you’re visiting is fairly local to good nature spots or you just don’t fancy a full weekend of city stuff then it’s worth venturing out a bit. Here are some ways to make it work.
City breaks can mean nature too
Depending on the city that you choose it can be really easy to go between the city and nature. In Edinburgh for example you can walk from the middle of town straight into Holyrood Park and be climbing Arthur’s Seat (an ancient volcano) in no time. Vancouver in Canada is much the same, the city blends into the forest and the sea and locals think nothing of heading up Grouse Grind after work. Then there’s Cape Town where you have Table Mountain right behind the city making it easy to do both things in one trip. Some places even have nature hikes within the city itself, take Oslo, Norway for example. The city sits right on the edge of dense forest known as Oslomarka. You can hop on the metro and onto thge forest trails, lakeside paths, or ski routes (in winter). In Hong Kong, despite the fact it’s dense with buildings it’s actually covered in country parks with marked hiking routes. The Dragon’s Back and Victoria Peak trails are both inside the city limits
Pack and plan clever
If you want to do two different things in one short trip then you’ll need to pack smart. The last thing you’ll want is to be lugging hiking gear around the shops, and your shopping purchases on a hike! Companies like Radical Storage have luggage storage options in airports and other tourist hotspots that are perfect for times like this.
Why it’s worth it
Doing both things in one trip gives you the nest of both worlds. Maybe you and your partner are into different things, this way you’re both sorted in the one trip. Maybe you’re visiting a new place and want to make the most of it by doing as many things as possible? Hiking and citybreak visits can balance each other out nicely too as in the city you’re likely eating more delicious treats and foods. While city breaks do rack up lots of steps, the hike as well makes it more challenging and burns even more calories if that’s something that matters to you.
