You have planned for a weekend getaway but aren't sure where to go. Leaving the city in peak hour traffic won't exactly put you in the mood for relaxation and romance. One way to avoid the stress is to take a city break. You will have the chance to fall in love with your partner and the city you live in all over again.

Weekend Deals

After the conferences are over and businesspeople fly home to their families, city hotels are often quiet on the weekends. This results in benefits, such as discounted tariffs, room upgrades, free breakfasts or theatre ticket packages. Choose your hotel carefully, and you can have all the advantages of a resort, with swimming pools, spas and five-star restaurants at your fingertips. If you can tear yourself away from these comforts, you are at leisure to explore the tourist places you don't get to appreciate when you are running to the office.

Plan

There are a few simple things you can do to ensure the perfect weekend:

• Search websites for secret hotel deals in your city, or choose a hotel that adds points to one of your loyalty accommodation cards.
• Check your city council website for tourist information, such as cruise times and walking tours. You don't want to spend all weekend surfing on your phone.
• Pack exactly the same as you would for a weekend out of town. Going home to collect items is a definite mood breaker.   

What to Do 

Shop, explore, eat and be entertained. Any combination of these activities will guarantee a wonderful getaway.

• Visit museums and art galleries. With rotating collections, there is always something new to discover. 
• History may have seemed boring in school but download a historical walking map from your city council website, and see your city in a whole new light. Old jails, flood markers and monuments will bring history to life. Some cities offer the option of downloading apps to accompany your walk. 
• Take a cruise along your city's river or lake, 
• Stroll through the inner city parks or botanical gardens. Plan a picnic or eat afternoon tea in a park cafe.
• Explore the arcades for quirky, hidden shops you would normally never see.
• Watch the street performers you usually hurry past.
• Browse through a weekend market.
• Go to the theatre, then enjoy the different mood of the city at night as you wander back to your hotel.
• Eat at that trendy, new restaurant everybody has been talking about.
• Lose (or win) your fortune at the casino.

You and your partner will return from your getaway relaxed and refreshed. Now that you've discovered the excitement on offer, you might never leave the city again.