The coin is the tossed: the heads, the city break, the £150 return to the Barcelona, the Gaudi, the tapas, the 25,000 steps in the 2 days, the blisters, and the return to the work on the Monday morning that is the more tired than the Friday evening. The tails, the beach break, the €60 return to the Faro, the sand, the sea, the sun-lounger, the book, and the 200 steps in the 4 days of the walking the 50 metres from the apartment to the beach. The city break versus the beach break is the essential holiday decision, and the solution is the not the either/or, the solution is the combine. Europe has the cities on the beach: the Barcelona, the Lisbon, the Nice, the Dubrovnik, the Valencia, the Palermo, the city break that has the beach and the beach break that has the city. Here is the guide.

City Break Versus Beach Break, Combine the Two

• The best city-beach combinations: The Barcelona: the essential city-beach combination in Europe: the Gaudí in the morning (the Sagrada Família at the 9am, see #1147), the lunch at the La Boqueria (the €12 for the seafood and the wine), the beach in the afternoon (the Barceloneta, the 1.1 km of the golden sand, the 15-minute walk from the Gothic Quarter, and the essential Barcelona beach experience: the sun-lounger, the €7, the jug of the sangria, the €12, and the sea that is the 24°C in the August), the dinner at the 10pm in the El Born (the Cal Pep, see #1147). The essential Barcelona city-beach holiday: the 3 nights, the city hotel for the 2 nights (the €100/night for the Gothic Quarter apartment) and the beachfront hotel for the 1 night (the W Barcelona, the €300/night, the “Hotel Vela,” the sail-shape, and the best hotel beach in Europe. The essential splurge: the 1 night at the W for the beach day, and the 2 nights in the Gothic Quarter for the city). The Lisbon: the Belém (the pastel de nata, the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, the Egg Tart, the €1.30, and the best pastry in the world, the Jerónimos Monastery, and the most beautiful morning in the Lisbon), the tram 28 (the €3, the best tram ride in Europe, the Alfama, the castle, and the view), the lunch at the Time Out Market (the Cais do Sodré, the €10–15, and the best food hall in the Lisbon), the beach (the Cascais, the 40-minute train from the Cais do Sodré, the €2.30, and the best beach near the Lisbon: the Praia da Rainha, the small, the beautiful, the best beach in the Cascais, and the Guincho, the wild, the wind, and the best surf beach in the Lisbon. The essential: the Praia da Rainha for the swim, the Guincho for the spectacle), and the dinner at the Cervejaria Ramiro (the €40 for the seafood, and the best restaurant in the Lisbon). Spain | Portugal
• The Nice, the essential French city-beach combination: the Cours Saleya in the morning (the socca, see #831), the Matisse Museum, the lunch (the pan-bagnat, the tuna, the egg, the vegetable, and the best beach sandwich in the France. ~€6 at the Chez Thérésa), the beach in the afternoon (the Baie des Anges, the 15 private beaches, the Ruhl Plage, the €20 for the sun-lounger, and the best-value private beach on the Côte d’Azur, and the public section is the free, the pebbles, the blue chair, and the essential Nice beach experience), the dinner at the Oliviera (the Provençal, the €30, the best-value restaurant in the Old Town), and the Promenade des Anglais at the sunset (the walk, the sea, the palm trees). The essential tip: the city-beach combination is the best in the shoulder season (the June, the September), the city is the warm, the beach is the swimmable, and the city is the uncrowded