Type "hen do abroad" or "stag do abroad" into a search bar and you'll get endless lists of cities, but little help with the real question: what are we actually going to do there? Below are six cities that work for women and men alike, each with specific experiences that groups rate highly. Plus: how to choose with ten or fifteen people, without the best man or maid of honour having to decide everything alone.
Stag or hen do abroad: how to choose the city
Before someone in the group chat shares an apartment in Barcelona, run through three questions:
- What does the guest of honour enjoy? Not the group, not the best man or maid of honour: the guest of honour. Do they love partying until four in the morning, or a long dinner with good wine?
- How far is too far to travel? For a weekend of two or three nights, you don't want to lose a whole day to transfers. All six cities below have direct flights from the Netherlands, and Berlin and Antwerp are also easy to reach by train.
- What can the tightest wallet handle? The group's budget is the budget of whoever has the least to spend. Talk about it early and you'll avoid awkwardness later.
Once you know that, half of the options drop off the list automatically. Still torn between a few cities? Keep reading.
Barcelona: sun, sea and a cocktail you shake yourself
Barcelona is the classic, and for good reason: beach, tapas and a nightlife that only gets going after midnight. From May to October, the sea is warm enough for a dip too.
- Luxury yacht with open bar along the coast: two hours sailing past the skyline with an open bar and snacks. With 5.0 stars from 681 reviews, it's one of the best-rated group activities on our whole list.
- Cocktail masterclass with tapas: get behind the bar with a mixologist and find out who's the best bartender in the group (4.8 stars from 1,068 reviews).
- Kayaking, snorkelling and cliff jumping on the Costa Brava: a full day out for the active crowd, with 4.9 stars from 3,155 reviews. Don't schedule this for the morning after the big night.
Budapest: partying on the Danube and in the ruin bars
Budapest is affordable, fun and has a nightlife you won't find anywhere else: pubs in crumbling old buildings in the former Jewish quarter, plus the famous thermal baths to soak away your hangover.
- Boat trip with unlimited prosecco and spritz: seventy-five minutes along the Danube, past the Parliament building. With 4.8 stars from almost 50,000 reviews, it's a safe bet for kicking off your night.
- Paint fight in the Fröcskölő Splashing Room: overalls on, then go wild with paint on your own canvas. Hilarious, and great fun for non-drinkers too (4.6 stars from 197 reviews).
- Crawling through Budapest's longest cave system: helmets on, narrow tunnels, dusty knees. Perfect for a tough lads' group, and with 5.0 stars from 1,550 reviews, a real standout.
Prague: beer, thrills and a surprisingly sweet moment
Prague has been a favourite for stag dos for years, especially with groups of lads. But the city has more to offer than cheap beer: the old town is gorgeous and compact enough to explore entirely on foot.
- Shooting range: choose up to ten weapons: with instructors on hand and a friendly competition to see who has the best aim (4.9 stars from 2,259 reviews).
- Beer spa with unlimited self-service taps: soak together in a beer bath while the tap keeps flowing. Quirky, and a story you'll be telling for years.
- Bake your own trdelník in a workshop: short, tasty and alcohol-free. A lovely breather between two party nights (4.9 stars from 1,243 reviews).
Lisbon: surfing by day, sunset boat party by night
Lisbon is the city for groups who like a bit of everything: hills, viewpoints, affordable restaurants and mild temperatures well into autumn.
- Surfing at Costa da Caparica: just across the river, an instructor will teach you how to catch waves. With 5.0 stars from 723 reviews, and suitable for beginners.
- Sunset boat party with DJ and open bar: a DJ, an open bar and the sun sinking behind the bridge over the Tagus. Over 14,000 reviews say it all about its popularity.
- Bake your own pastéis de nata: make Portugal's most famous pastry yourselves (4.9 stars from 3,227 reviews). Ideal for Sunday morning.
Florence: pasta, perfume and the Tuscan hills
For a hen weekend that's all about food, wine and beautiful places, Florence is hard to beat. Quieter than Barcelona or Prague, but with plenty of terraces for a long evening.
- Pasta making with spritz and a view of the Ponte Vecchio: knead fresh pasta with a spritz in hand. With 5.0 stars from 796 reviews, a real winner for groups of girls.
- Perfume masterclass: create your own fragrance: sniff, compare and laugh at each other's favourites (4.8 stars from 691 reviews).
- Vespa tour through the Tuscan countryside: hop on a Vespa and head into the hills, with stops for local treats along the way. It doesn't get more Italian than this.
Berlin: Trabants, graffiti and clubs that don't get going until late
Berlin is big, raw and never boring. You can get there by train, which saves a big group a lot of hassle with luggage and check-in desks.
- Drive a Trabant yourself: Trabi Safari: cruise through the city in convoy in an East German icon, with commentary over the radio (4.8 stars from 3,163 reviews).
- Graffiti workshop on a piece of the Berlin Wall: spray your own artwork with a graffiti artist, with a photographer on hand to capture the result.
- SIXX PAXX: the sizzling male revue: perfect for a hen do or girls' group that wants a night full of glitter.
Prefer to stay closer to home?
Not everyone can or wants to fly. Antwerp is only an hour or two from most Dutch cities and has plenty for a full day: axe throwing for the competitive types and a private boat with aperitifs for 8 to 12 people.
Planning with a big group: keep it simple
With four friends, you can wing a weekend away. With fifteen, you can't. A few things that make all the difference:
- Pin down the date first, and fast. The longer you wait, the more diaries fill up. Ask for a deposit straight away for flights and accommodation; it makes a booking official.
- One place to stay, in a central spot. A big apartment or a hostel with private rooms in the centre saves on taxis and faff.
- No more than two fixed things per day. One activity during the day and a plan for the evening is plenty. The rest of the time fills itself with café terraces and good stories.
- Check the group size for each activity. Some boats or workshops have a maximum. If so, split the group in two and take turns.
- Sort out the costs in one app. Agree who pays for what up front and keep track in a shared account. Nobody wants to spend three weeks afterwards chasing people for money.
- Think about those who don't drink. Make sure every part of the day is fun without alcohol too. Surfing, caving, baking or a workshop works for everyone.
For more general tips on big groups, read planning a group trip without the stress.
How to stop the best man or maid of honour making all the decisions alone
The classic scenario: the best man or maid of honour spends three evenings puzzling over a plan, shares it in the group chat, and then gets twenty messages saying "I'd rather have...". That's a waste of effort and it kills the mood.
This works better:
- The best man or maid of honour sets the ground rules. The date, the budget and two or three cities that suit the stag or hen. There's no need to vote on those.
- The group chooses what to do. Everyone says which activities they like the look of. That way you know up front what has broad support and what only one person wants.
- One surprise stays secret. Keep one thing up your sleeve that only the best man or maid of honour (and maybe one accomplice) knows about. That's the cherry on the cake.
With Flip 2 Trip, step 2 gets a whole lot quicker. The best man or maid of honour creates a trip, picks one or more cities and shares a single link. Everyone swipes through the activities on their own phone: Trip if you like the look of it, Flip if it's not for you, Super-trip if you really, really want to do it. Then the best man or maid of honour gets an overview with the top 3, a suggested day programme and, if you compared several cities, the winning destination. No endless polls, and your quietest friend counts just as much as the loudest.
Ready to choose?
A stag or hen do abroad doesn't have to turn into a months-long project. Pick two or three cities from this list, let the group swipe and book whatever ends up on top. Not sure which way to go yet? Browse all destinations and see which activities are lined up in each city.
