Anonymous wrote:Iceland! Short flight, lots of interesting stuff to do.
Aurora borealis in October for sure
This is what we are doing in November for my husband's 40th. Good for a long weekend, short & cheap flights. It's his dream to see the Northern Lights and I'm excited for glacier hikes.
We are in the same situation. A direct flight is crucial. We have been to most European capitals and weren't really that excited about the church/museum sightseeing long weekend. So we are flying to Venice (direct flight), ~3 hour drive into the Dolomites and hiking/eating/spa-ing in the mountains. Also considered doing the same thing through Zurich.
Lisbon (plus a day or two on the coast/in the country) would also be nice. Or Milan and Lake Como. We also considered Barcelona and Copenhagen, but flights weren't great.
What do you want to do? Cities, beach or country? Or a mix
I would go to London and then head to a resort/manor home in the Cotswolds or countryside for a mix of city and country.
There's a thread on DCUM related to Scotland with an anniversary trip that included a suggestion for a company that rents European sports cars and arranges self-guided driving tours across Scotland where you stay in a mix of taverns and castles, etc.