Struggling to supplement your weekends with jam-packed fun? Let lastminute.com help you stretch your weekend. Take a sneaky peek at the coolest ways to make the most of your 48 hours.
All prices are correct at time of post but are subject to change. See individual products for terms and conditions.
1. Grab yourself some Caribbean sun and escape to Barbados for the weekend. Leave on Friday, arrive just in time for cocktails in St James, and leave on Sunday night to be at your desk on time on Monday morning.
2. Treat yourself and a loved one to a cup of tea, but not just any cuppa. Enjoy the opulent surroundings that can only be The Ritz from £90 as you indulge in cucumber sandwiches, the finest pastries and of course the best tea in town. .
3. Enjoy watching other people sweat? Then why not take a trip to the Emerald Isle and support the runners of the Dublin Marathon on October 29.
4. Don’t spend Saturday mornings watching cookery programmes, become part of them. Learn how to cook a curry with the legendary 
presenter Pat Chapman that will have you rivalling dishes in your local Indian restaurant.
5. Jet away to Las Vegas and try your luck with a flutter at the world famous Caesar’s palace.
6. Grab your walking boots and explore the real London. There is no need for a map, simply print one of our nine London Walks and take in London landmarks as well as some hidden gems. And the best bit is it’s free!
7. Take a huge suitcase and your favourite credit card and splash out on shopping in cool Toronto. With the strength of the pound, the trip should satisfy any shopaholic.
8. Had enough of Cheddar and Blue Nun? Then visit Paris and experience the Cheese and Wine Tasting lunch at O’Chateau.
9. Forget driving a Ferrari...these days everyone is trying their hand at JCB racing. Challenge fellow competitors through a series of heats and then take them on over a specially designed obstacle course.
10. Go to the garden party of the year and see Cape Town in bloom on 25th October as the city puts on its annual flower show.
11. Embark on some animal magic at the world famous London Zoo. Set in leafy Regent’s Park, you can discover over 650 species right in the heart of the capital.
12. Live the life of a Sheikh in stunning Oman, stay in luxury hotels and Bedouin tents and experience the mesmerising desert.
13. If you’ve seen the film then you must visit Copenhagen’s statue of the Little Mermaid.. Make the most of your 48 hours and visit Sweden by the Øresund Bridge, which is the only bridge to connect two countries.
14. Need to brush up your knowledge of postmodern Decontructivism architecture? The best place to start is Bilbao to view the world’s leading Decontructivist building, the Guggenhelm Museum.
15. Sample Chinese, Malay & Indian traditions in Singapore. Or why not even visit the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple on the 20th October for the Hindu festival of Navarati.
16. Celebrate New Year with a difference, go to 2008’s most talked about city, Beijing and see the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall of China before the Olympic hordes.
17. Take a gourmet break to New York for the Feast with Famous Faces event on the 22nd October - join leading New York chefs for this top-tier culinary event as they prepare and serve their signature dishes.
18. Stay at the ultra sleek One Aldwych from £224 per room in the heart of Covent Garden and buy your own piece of contemporary art at the Frieze Art Fair in Regents Park.
19. Surprise yourself and your partner with a night in a Top Secret Hotel. From £45 per night you can stay at some of the leading four and five star hotels in Europe at a fraction of the cost. The deal is that you will only find out the name of the hotel once booked.
20. Have a romantic weekend in Prague and stay at the unique 987 Design Prague Hotel from £80 per room per night with its sunken lounge, gold-velvet sofas and loft-type bedrooms.
21. Round up everyone for some family fun at The London Dungeon. Transport yourself back in time and find out what happened in the depths of London’s dark past. It will have you screaming for more.
22. Release your inner child and roll down a very steep hill, only this time in a giant inflatable zorb. You will literally fall head over hills for this addictive activity and you’ll be rushing to the top to do it all over again.
23. Country manors come no grander than Edinburgh’s five-star Prestonfield Hotel. Live the high life.
24. If you’re a guy looking for love then there’s no better place to start than Munich’s real life fairytale castle Schloss Neuschwanstein. If you’re lucky you might even meet your Princess.
25. Wash the worries of the working week away with a Cleopatra bathing experience. At the newly refurbished May Fair Spa, you will be covered in mineral-rich muds before relaxing in your own private steam chamber for two.
26. Let your hair down and enjoy the nightlife of the northern most party town Reykjavik. If you’re up in time, take a trip out of town to see the Geysers on the famous Golden Circle tour is a must.
27. Don’t just watch Bond at the weekend, be Bond. Learn everything you need to know to be the ultimate spy from how to use specialist surveillance gadgets, firing machine guns to testing your skill at axe throwing.
28. Laughter is good for the soul and so is a comedy club. Watch some of the UK’s best stand up comedians as they have you in stitches. Just make sure you avoid the front row or the joke will most definitely be on you.
29. Go to the Barcelona International Jazz Festival and stay at the uber urban Hotel Omm from £171 per room per night. Don’t forget to take a dip in their stunning rooftop terrace, the view is amazing.
30. Inject some life into your relationship at the weekend and learn a thing or two in the process at the Amora Academy of Sex and Relationships. Seven virtual zones will take you on an interactive journey through each stage of love.
31. 
Dazzle at the Glasgow Fireworks Night in November and make your stay special at the ABode Arthouse Hotel from £89 per room per night in the historic art district of the city. The hotel décor is a fusion of classical architecture with sleek contemporary interiors.
32. Visit Europe’s up-and-coming destination of Tallinn. 3* break for two nights from £163. The Estonian capital is fast becoming Europe’s ‘must visit’ city. Impress your friends by being ahead of the pack.
33. Quit clowning around at the weekend and learn some real circus skills. Enjoy taster sessions including juggling, trapeze and acrobatics during a three-hour course at Britain’s top circus school in London.
34. Don’t stay glued to the TV all weekend. Take a seat at the theatre and sing a long to some of the world’s best loved shows. Make a night of it with one of our dinner plus show deals from £20.
35. Get lost in the mazes of the Marrakech souks, and party like there is no tomorrow at the Puro Desert Lounge festival on the 19th October. Set in the stunning Badi Palace at night with DJs Claude Challe and Basement Jaxx’s Felix Buxton.
36. Go and see the Boss at home. Check out Bruce Springsteen in Madison Square Gardens, New York. Stay at Manhattan’s ultra hip Bryant Park Hotel and blast his songs from the Bose SoundDock in your room.
37. Visit Istanbul (2 nights from £176) and stuff yourself on Turkish Delight. To relive that bloated feeling walk around the rich architecture dating back from Roman times and the Ottoman Empire.
38. Don’t settle for yet another boring Sunday dinner in front of the TV. Take a Sunday lunch cruise along the Thames and enjoy a three course lunch whilst taking in some of London’s best landmarks. It definitely beats watching the Eastenders omnibus.
39. Fly to Dubai from £264 and surf the sand dunes on a desert safari and if that’s not enough visit the UAE Desert Challenge on 28 October.
40. Experience vibrant Tokyo, practice your singing skills in the world capital of Karaoke, learn how to make proper sushi and experience an authentic Japanese tea ceremony.
41. Ever wondered if you could survive the weekend without your usual takeaway and hangover? The survival and bushcraft course will teach you all the basics you will ever need to survive in the wilderness and there is not a kebab in sight.
42. Fly to Amsterdam for £84 and watch the city’s marathon on the 21st October. While you’re there you can also cruise on the world-famous canals, down a beer and maybe even buy a diamond ring for your loved one.
43. Hit the slopes with our 3 night ski breaks in Val D’ Isère, France. Hone your skills at the outstanding ski school and have a crack at the world famous Olympic downhill run ‘The Face’.
44. Fly to Bangkok from £429 and learn the ins and outs of a proper Thai massage.
45. Innsbruck has some of the best Christmas markets for the early Christmas Shoppers. Equally for last minute shoppers it’s the perfect destination to combine a city and ski break.
46. Get a history lesson with a difference during your weekend. Board a RIB voyage and hit the water for a fast and exhilarating tour of the Thames. Scare yourself stupid and at the same time learn about one of the most famous rivers in the world.
47. Get out in the country for a weekend and stay at the peaceful Ashdown Park Hotel and Country Club from £125 per room per night in the heart of the Ashdown Forest in a manicured deer park.
48. If you think weekends should be all about chocolate and pampering then indulge yourself at The Savana Urban Spa in Notting Hill. Treat yourself to a chocolate rub and wrap, pedicure and top it off with a nice cup of cocoa of course.
Our top five ways to stretch your weekend:
It's all very well telling you to stretch your weekend, but there's no point skipping work on a Monday or Friday if all you're going to do is sit in your pants watching Richard and Judy. Here's what we think you should be doing instead:
Spend a night at Prague’s 987 Design Hotel
Located between Wenceslas Square and Prague’s historical old town, the four-star 987 Design is a witty and sophisticated collision of influences. Among the plasma TVs and hip wooden floors, you’re even encouraged to personalise your room with the interactive light display.
from £68 per person, per night
4* romantic break to Venice
It might be a cliché, but few cities can take the breath like Venice. Truly spectacular in its architecture and packed full of cultural treasures, it’s the small things that really make this place special. Soak in everyday life on the canals, sip coffee in a piazza and you’ll turn the biggest cynic into a hopeless romantic.
2 nights from £128 per person
4* Istanbul city break
Straddling the border of Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a shimmering maze of opulent palaces and mosques; a world where silk, gold and spice bazaars are the size of Cotswolds villages and you don’t need to drink six pints before you eat a kebab.
3 nights from £190 per person
3* city break to Chicago Life in Chicago is rarely quiet. The city that gave us Al Capone and prohibition is now a melting pot of smoky juke joints, buildings of breath taking modernity and world class museums. Throw in the Great Lakes next door and you’ve got an essential American experience.
3 nights from £409 per person
4* city break to Tokyo
Brace yourself. This is going to be a hell of a ride. Anyone seduced by the dream-like culture shock of Bill Murray in Lost In Translation will not be disappointed. A stunning meeting of Western neon and Eastern tradition, Tokyo is a 24 hour city in the truest sense.
5 nights from £615 per person
Terms & conditions: prices correct at time of going to print & post and are subject to availability & conditions. Offers are limited, once they've gone, they've gone. price includes flights ( except Prague hotel) & accommodation, based on 2 sharing in Oct, Nov & Dec 07. Booking fees may apply. lastminute.com acts as an agent for ATOL protected operators.
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