Fancy a weekend break? Which are the best global cities to spend a weekend

As we reach the end of the week our thoughts turn to our plans for the weekend and those couple of valuable days where we can switch off from the stresses and strains of work. The growing low cost airline revolution across the world has meant an increasing number of people are getting away from it all by enjoying international weekend breaks. But, which destinations are the best to visit for these short breaks? Well, a study by Düsseldorf-based weekenGO.com, a digital platform from "a team of travel experts, technology all-rounders, and smartphone junkies" shows that Europe leads the way.

After selecting the top 1,000 global cities by number of visitors based on data from the UNWTO, weekenGO analysed each destination based on criteria such as mobility, accommodation and activities, determining a ranking of the top 100 cities to spend 48 hours / the weekend. European cities dominate the listing holding the top six positions: in fact only one destination within the top ten (New York) is from outside the Continent.

CHART - Europe leads the way for the best weekend break destinations, according to weekenGO with London, Berlin, Vienna, Hamburg and Paris the top overall marketsSource: weekenGo.com

To determine the criteria for the study, weekenGO says it looked at all the factors which could affect a weekend trip, such as time spent stuck in traffic and the availability of accommodation. The number of main tourist attractions such as museums and galleries were factored into the research, as well as safety, equality and tolerance. Calculating all scores, it says it has been able to create the "ultimate index of the best cities to spend a weekend".

The goal of the study was not only to define which factors make a city great for short visits, but also which trips are best suited to different age groups and dynamics. Since different types of travellers look for different kinds of attractions, the study offers not only a general overall ranking, but also splits the results to show which cities are best suited for millennials, families and baby boomers.

The short travel distances and excellent connectivity within Europe obviously influenced their appeal within the survey, which delivered some interesting insights into other areas of the world, particularly Asia which was notably absent from the top of the rankings. In fact only Tokyo (12th) and Singapore (27th) made it into the top 30. The South Pacific was represented by Sydney (18th) and Auckland (29th).

While Asian destinations may not have made the overall top ten, both Singapore and Tokyo were among the top ten cities for baby boomers to visit for the weekend, a listing that was headed up by Zurich.

You can view the full rankings and the methodology of how the the final categories for the ranking were determined on a special webpage Best Cities to Spend a Weekend where you can also sort the results by individual ranking for millennials, families and baby boomers and each selection criteria.