Introduction
Looking for some unique and exciting ideas for your next girls weekend getaway? Check out our list of top girls weekend ideas for a fun and memorable trip with your friends.
Planning a girls weekend getaway and looking for some fun and creative ideas to make it unforgettable? Look no further than our list of top girls weekend ideas!
A girls weekend is a chance for you and all the fabulous women in your life to hit the pause button on ‘normal’ life and take time out to have a relaxing catch-up and enjoy each other’s company. It’s often something that takes a bit of planning and communication to organise but the benefits of rekindling friendships, making new plans, chatting about your lives, and generally having an absolute blast with your besties.
Which girls weekend ideas suit your group?
We think it should be mandatory to get together with the girls and reset occasionally, and we have the perfect ideas to get you started.
1. Mystery trip abroad
This is a recent trend but one we’re in love with for a girls weekend away. There aren’t many people you’d trust to steal your passport and book a weekend away that you have no idea about but we think your best girlfriends are probably the exception.
The idea of this trip is that one person is designated as the leader for the whole event. They gather the group’s names and passport details and book a trip away in Europe somewhere but…bonus…it’s a complete surprise where!!
If this sounds like your kind of thing, explore what’s on offer in our destinations, build a package and chat with the Groopeze team if you’d like to make it a mystery trip. Just note that flights will need to be booked separately.
2. Party city weekend
There are endless girls weekend ideas, regardless of which city you fancy hitting up. It can be fun to check out a new area, or just get to know a local city a bit better. The excitement of getting your glad rags on and heading out to the trendiest new bar and restaurants with your mates is the best way to unwind from life.
3. Camping trip
If you’re outdoorsy and your other friends are, well, more…reluctant, this is the perfect girls weekend idea to give you a chance to prove to them just how magical camping on the banks of a serene loch, or in a picturesque mountain range can be for the soul. Ghost stories around the campfire with plenty of snacks and gin is the perfect tonic (see what we did there?) to the madness of life.
4. European sun and beach weekend
Show us a woman who is cleaning the bathroom or sitting at another team meeting and convince us she isn’t fantasising girls weekend ideas involving escaping to a white, sandy beach somewhere hot, with a cocktail in hand and nothing but cloudless blue skies to stare at. Because she is. Endless lazy days and long hot nights. I think we’re said our piece.
5. Book a mansion or stately home
As posh and proper girls weekend ideas go, you can really get into character and finally put all that regency knowledge you picked up by binge-watching Bridgerton to good use by booking a stay in a stately home or mansion. Sashay around the garden in your finest threads before retiring to the chaise lounge to be served cocktails before dinner.
6. Dinner party at home
As a budget girls weekend idea, this one is cheap and very cheerful. The sky’s the limit for whatever you and the ladies want to do but we love the idea of themed nights, like dressing at a person (real or fictional) that you’d like to invite to a dinner party. It’s usually quite enlightening to find out about the heroes your friends have that you weren’t aware of, but it’s also a great way to kick off the evening’s conversation. Everyone can bring a course, or the ingredients for the meal, and a bottle of their favourite tipple.
7. Home sleepover
Another fantastic budget option for those wishing to relive their youth ad have their mates over for a pyjama party. Scary movies, comfy pjs, tons of snacks, and, obviously, a few bottles of fizz to help get the party started. Just because you’re grown-ups, doesn’t mean you should be missing out on all the fun.
8. Spa weekend
As girls weekend ideas go, there’s little better than 48 hours of pampering and relaxation. Find a country bolthole, or a modern city centre hotel, and spa the HELL out of yourselves. Us women are constantly on the move with our busy lives, working, looking after kids and, generally, taking care of everything that needs doing. You need this.
9. Wine tasting and vineyard tour
The UK and Ireland are slowly growing their reputation as solid producers of wine, so we reckon it’s time to jump on the bandwagon and start testing them out. Many vineyards have tasting sessions, as well as picking sessions, so you can see how the magic happens. Although many are based in rural locations, you’ll be able to snap up nearby accommodation for a lovely weekend with your besties.
10. Beach getaway
Sun, sand, sea, and s….erenity with your favourite girls is the order of the day with this girls weekend idea. Grab a map, a wall, some pins and play pin the tail. Obvs, for a weekend, you’ll need something fairly close at hand, so maybe restrict your map to one of Spain or western Europe and see where you end up. Alternatively, make a list of destinations, pop them in a hat and make your choice.
11. Nature hike
For a fun girls weekend idea, getting back to nature and filling your lungs with fresh air is a great way to have an adventure and reconnect with your best friends. Hiking is also a fantastic way to burn off all the wine calories you’re likely to rack up on a weekend away – regardless of where that may be. The UK and Ireland is FULL of amazing mountains, scenic viewpoints, and gorgeously pristine lakes and lochs to spend some time at.
12. Cultural city break
If you and your girls love a bit of culture and learning all about new places and their history, an educational girls weekend idea could involve a wee city break. Take time out to wander around to your heart’s desire and enjoy museums, cocktails, galleries, cocktails, and as many historic buildings as you can fit in to 2 days.
13. European ski weekend
Nothing says ‘life in the fast line’ quite like actually living life in the fast lane. Well, slope, really, but you know what we mean. As a girls weekend idea, the thought of whizzing around in cute outfits, followed by an après ski or three, sounds like the kind of break we need.
14. Music festival or concert
If your girls weekend ideas incorporate flowery headbands, summer dresses, plastic wine glasses and wellies, then you’ll be in your element come festival season. And if you don’t have the time for a full festival experience, so many summer concerts are now held in parks and gardens, so you can spend less time searching for a port-a-loo and more time chilling out with your mates.
15. Glamping mini break
Whether you book a fancy glamping site out in the green rolling hills or hire a glamping company to come and set up in your own backyard, we love this girls weekend idea. It’s a bit fancy but it’s also really laid back and accessible.
Complete the experience with hearty comfort food, relaxed tunes, a bonfire and some star-gazing. We can’t think of a better way to focus on the quality company of your best gal pals than this.
16. Wellness retreats
For the ultimate relaxing girls weekend idea, a wellness retreat comes in many forms. If you need time out to take care of your mind, body, and soul, this is the ultimate escape for the modern female. Just remember to come back home, though, yeah?
17. Arts and craft workshop
Arts and crafts are literally everywhere. You can’t log on to YouTube these days without seeing some ultra-realistic cake, or the latest temperate blanket trend. For a girls weekend idea, you can book yourselves on to tons of classes up and down the UK and Ireland to learn a new skill while having a huge laugh at your novice efforts.
Check out flower crown-making or jewellery-making workshops, which are offered in most of our destinations!
18. Foodie Weekend
Everyone loves food, right? Well, instead of just rocking up to the closest restaurant or café when you get to a location, why not have someone else make the decisions for you as part of a girls weekend away foodie break?
Local guides know what’s good and can skilfully steer you around the area, making sure you sample all the best food and drink a region has to offer.
Even better, try and book yourselves in for a weekend stay in a town with a unique food festival (we’re thinking the Galway Oyster Festival or the Scottish Wild Food Festival or the Slow Food Cheese Festival in Bra, Italy).
Tips for planning a successful girls’ weekend
1. Budgeting and logistics
Get yourselves a free bank account that everyone can pay into, or just ensure that all bookings and activities are within the budget of every member, and not just those who make a little more. For everyone to have a stress-free weekend, you all need to be comfortable with the set budget.
2. Choosing a destination
This is very dependent on where everyone’s based, what the budget is, etc, but we LOVE a game of Pin the Tail on the Map. It’s the home-based equivalent of pitching up at the airport or a major train station and just throwing caution to the wind.
3. Communication and planning
May we suggest a wine night where everyone gets together to hash out the plans? OK, then, consider it suggested. If someone can’t make it, make sure they get all the details and they’re still invited to provide their opinion/vote on what goes ahead.
We also suggest having yourselves a leader and a deputy who can take care of bookings, deposits, dates, and times. It can get real messy real quick when no one keeps track of anything, and someone ends up having to pay a massive deposit from their own pocket.
Conclusion
With how divided the world is just now, getting away with the girls and reconnecting or catching up can make everything feel a wee bit less stressful. Whether it’s reliving old memories with old friends, or making new memories with new friends, memories can put a big smile on our faces for years to come. Many things come and go in life, but good mates are forever.
