What to pack for a city break
A city break is a walking holiday that nobody calls a walking holiday. Most people cover well over 15,000 steps a day and pack shoes for a completely different trip.
Pack light, pack for walking, and bring one thing you can wear out to dinner.
Clothing
- Layers rather than one heavy coat, since indoor and outdoor temperatures differ sharply
- One smarter outfit for an evening
- Something with sleeves for churches and museums with dress codes
- A compact waterproof or umbrella
Footwear
- Broken-in walking shoes. Not new ones
- One evening pair, if you need them
New shoes on a city break is the most reliable way to ruin a Saturday.
Bags
- A day bag that closes properly, for crowded transport
- Cabin-sized luggage. Most city breaks do not justify a hold bag
Essentials
- Passport, and a photo of it stored separately
- Boarding passes or booking references
- Travel insurance details
- Bank cards, plus one kept somewhere separate
- Any prescription medication in its original packaging
- Phone charger and a plug adapter if needed
Worth having
- A power bank, since maps drain a phone quickly
- A refillable bottle where the tap water is drinkable
- Plasters
Things specific to a city break
Check what needs booking before you pack
Timed entry tickets for major museums are the thing that shapes a city break. Put them on the board with a leave time, and pack around the schedule rather than the other way round.
Dress codes catch people out
Rome and much of Italy enforce covered shoulders and knees in churches. A scarf handles it without carrying a second outfit.
One bag, one flight
Two or three nights rarely needs hold luggage, and skipping it saves an hour at each end.
Most commonly forgotten
- A power bank
- Broken-in shoes
- A compact waterproof
- Plasters
- Something with sleeves
Build your own list instead of copying this one
A generic packing list does not know what you are doing on the Tuesday. Yours does.
On Holiday Board, whatever you attach to a plan as a bring item, and whatever outfit you pick for it, turns up on your personal packing list automatically. Sunscreen wanted by three different days appears once and tells you which three. Tick it off as you pack, and what you tick is yours alone.
Questions
- What is the one thing people forget when packing for a city break?
- A power bank. The full list of common misses is above.
- Do I have to work from a generic list?
- No, and it is better not to. Holiday Board builds your packing list from your own plans: whatever you said to bring, plus whatever you said you are wearing, with duplicates merged into one line.
- Can everyone in the group have their own list?
- Yes. Each traveller gets their own list and their own ticks. One person packing their passport does not mark off anyone else's.
Related
Let the holiday write your packing list
Plan what you are doing and what to bring. The list is waiting for you the night before you fly.
Create your Holiday BoardFree to start. No card needed. £6.99 per holiday if you want the lot.