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Message
Trip to Europe
Posted on 6/15/17 at 2:31 pm
Posted on 6/15/17 at 2:31 pm
My wife and I want to go on a trip to Europe for about two weeks next year.We both want to go to London, Paris, and Rome. I also want to go to Germany and Ireland. Does anyone have any suggestions and what do you think would be the best way to do it? I know this is vague but I need somewhere to start.
11
Posted on 6/15/17 at 2:32 pm to TizzyT4theUofA
quote:
London, Paris, and Rome. I also want to go to Germany and Ireland
Too much if you're only going for two weeks.
shite, London, Paris and Rome are pushing it.
You only really need 2-3 days in Rome...but London and Paris deserve at least 4-5 days a piece.
Especially Paris which, IMO, is best done at a very relaxed pace.
Posted on 6/15/17 at 3:09 pm to TizzyT4theUofA
I would say the best trips are the ones that are focused and at the same time allow you to move at a pace you want. Trying to do too much is recipe for having an extremely shitty trip.
Try to think that this WON'T be the last time you go to Europe, and you can spend time in Ireland or wherever next year (Ireland is pretty cheap to get to).
Is it 14 days including travel days?
Figure out what you're interested in and plan accordingly. Are you interested in eating in Michelin Star restaurants? Seeing landmarks? Wandering around? Seeing other parts of the country?
Figure out what means a lot to you, and what you're passionate about. Read some of Rick Steves travel guides online or listen to some podcasts.
London and Paris is an easy pairing because you can easily get between the two quickly via train (the Chunnel) or via discount plane.
London can be extremely fast paced, and although they have an amazing transportation network, it can take forever to get anywhere if you don't stay in a central location. I'd stay somewhere like Soho.
Paris, stay somewhere in central Paris close to the Seine. Walk around, wander, enjoy yourselves. Eat good food, drink good wine, relax. Take a day trip out to Champagne and see some champagne houses or some vineyards. Skip Versailles.
Try to think that this WON'T be the last time you go to Europe, and you can spend time in Ireland or wherever next year (Ireland is pretty cheap to get to).
Is it 14 days including travel days?
Figure out what you're interested in and plan accordingly. Are you interested in eating in Michelin Star restaurants? Seeing landmarks? Wandering around? Seeing other parts of the country?
Figure out what means a lot to you, and what you're passionate about. Read some of Rick Steves travel guides online or listen to some podcasts.
London and Paris is an easy pairing because you can easily get between the two quickly via train (the Chunnel) or via discount plane.
London can be extremely fast paced, and although they have an amazing transportation network, it can take forever to get anywhere if you don't stay in a central location. I'd stay somewhere like Soho.
Paris, stay somewhere in central Paris close to the Seine. Walk around, wander, enjoy yourselves. Eat good food, drink good wine, relax. Take a day trip out to Champagne and see some champagne houses or some vineyards. Skip Versailles.
Posted on 6/15/17 at 3:26 pm to TizzyT4theUofA
There are fares posted today for DFW to Paris for under 500.00
LINK
That is an amazing deal. My wife and I did London, Paris, Rome on our 1st international vacation. Had a great time. We spent 3 full days in each city. It was quick, but I enjoyed it. So much we didn't see, but that's just another reason to go back.
Highly recommend.
LINK
That is an amazing deal. My wife and I did London, Paris, Rome on our 1st international vacation. Had a great time. We spent 3 full days in each city. It was quick, but I enjoyed it. So much we didn't see, but that's just another reason to go back.
Highly recommend.
Posted on 6/15/17 at 3:30 pm to TizzyT4theUofA
What's your budget and where are you flying out of?
The more you travel between the cities the more your costs really add up. Flying into Paris for 10 days with 2-3 day trips can be 1/2 the cost of going to 3 cities in 10 days.
London is a great city, but I just got back from there and its pretty boring as far as "Europe" goes for me. The food is decent at best, beer is good but that's it, and there is very little mystique. There's a ton to do there because its a big city and the capital, but I honestly don't feel like there are many "can't miss" places either.
I always recommend going in a line and flying into one place and out of another. So London, Paris, Munich, Rome fly home. Or do a circle like London, Paris, Brussels, London. Seems obvious but people go nuts with routes.
Personally, I'd skip London for your first trip. Again, its the most US city. I'd do something like Paris, Munich, Innsbruck, Rome.
A lot of people say to limit your time and I agree once you've been there once or twice. But its also really nice to go over there and travel around a lot.
The more you travel between the cities the more your costs really add up. Flying into Paris for 10 days with 2-3 day trips can be 1/2 the cost of going to 3 cities in 10 days.
London is a great city, but I just got back from there and its pretty boring as far as "Europe" goes for me. The food is decent at best, beer is good but that's it, and there is very little mystique. There's a ton to do there because its a big city and the capital, but I honestly don't feel like there are many "can't miss" places either.
I always recommend going in a line and flying into one place and out of another. So London, Paris, Munich, Rome fly home. Or do a circle like London, Paris, Brussels, London. Seems obvious but people go nuts with routes.
Personally, I'd skip London for your first trip. Again, its the most US city. I'd do something like Paris, Munich, Innsbruck, Rome.
A lot of people say to limit your time and I agree once you've been there once or twice. But its also really nice to go over there and travel around a lot.
Posted on 6/15/17 at 3:37 pm to baldona
Yeah London was cool but I wasn't particularly blown away by it.
Paris, to me, is absolutely wonderful. Love it to death.
Paris, to me, is absolutely wonderful. Love it to death.
Posted on 6/15/17 at 4:57 pm to TizzyT4theUofA
I agree with those about London, maybe next time, just a big N Y to me.
Spend more time in Paris, Rome, Florence
Spend more time in Paris, Rome, Florence
Posted on 6/15/17 at 5:40 pm to TizzyT4theUofA
How do you like to travel? Do you take leisurely week-long trips domestically exploring areas, or do you take long weekend trips where you fly in, hit a number of places in a pretty streamlined manner and don't worry about making room for downtime?
In other words, travel the way you guys like to travel. If you are young and you're just starting on European traveling, but you anticipate going on yearly trips, you could easily spend 2 weeks in France alone. But, if by day 3-4 of a European city you're going to be thinking about the 15 other European cities you would like to be seeing, thoroughly plan out a multiple city trip and prioritize what you want to get out of your destinations. FWIW, I've never gone on a fast paced, well structured trip like that where I didn't also stumble across several areas or things that were unplanned.
Know your limitations. We bounce back from long flights fairly well, and can move through a number of cities and spend lots of time in airports without getting worn down by it. I totally understand that for some people, that sounds awful. For others, it's part of traveling. Moving hotels and finishing tours just in time to catch your train can be pretty damn fun if you ask me. But if it's not your style of traveling, avoid it.
As for a first time European trip (if that is you), any combination of UK, France, Belgium and Holland is really easy. It's also nice because if you like, you can start in a setting that is quite familiar (UK) and branch out into "real Europe." I agree with other posters in that London is great and worthy of your first days of travel, but for many people, it's also the place you're most likely to have multiple opportunities to return to.
In other words, travel the way you guys like to travel. If you are young and you're just starting on European traveling, but you anticipate going on yearly trips, you could easily spend 2 weeks in France alone. But, if by day 3-4 of a European city you're going to be thinking about the 15 other European cities you would like to be seeing, thoroughly plan out a multiple city trip and prioritize what you want to get out of your destinations. FWIW, I've never gone on a fast paced, well structured trip like that where I didn't also stumble across several areas or things that were unplanned.
Know your limitations. We bounce back from long flights fairly well, and can move through a number of cities and spend lots of time in airports without getting worn down by it. I totally understand that for some people, that sounds awful. For others, it's part of traveling. Moving hotels and finishing tours just in time to catch your train can be pretty damn fun if you ask me. But if it's not your style of traveling, avoid it.
As for a first time European trip (if that is you), any combination of UK, France, Belgium and Holland is really easy. It's also nice because if you like, you can start in a setting that is quite familiar (UK) and branch out into "real Europe." I agree with other posters in that London is great and worthy of your first days of travel, but for many people, it's also the place you're most likely to have multiple opportunities to return to.
Posted on 6/15/17 at 6:18 pm to TizzyT4theUofA
Fly in to Rome
Train from Rome to Paris
Train from Paris to London
Train+ferry London to Dublin
Flight from Dublin to Germany (frankfurt?)
Fly out of Germany
3 days in each city w/ 2 travel days, if you must do all of them in 2 weeks.
Train from Rome to Paris
Train from Paris to London
Train+ferry London to Dublin
Flight from Dublin to Germany (frankfurt?)
Fly out of Germany
3 days in each city w/ 2 travel days, if you must do all of them in 2 weeks.
Posted on 6/15/17 at 7:46 pm to TizzyT4theUofA
Not enough time to do that. For two weeks, you could do London and Paris, or Ireland but not all three. Most people would not want to do two weeks in Germany but it would make a great trip to add in Austria and Switzerland. Same for Italy, you need at least two weeks there.
Posted on 6/15/17 at 8:27 pm to baldona
If you only found decent food in London, sorry but you didn't do your due diligence. London is a tremendous food city, besides having a ton of can't miss attractions, museums, things to do, etc...
If people in London didn't speak English it would seem way more European
If people in London didn't speak English it would seem way more European
Posted on 6/15/17 at 10:46 pm to ericberryistheman
Bavaria/Austria/Switzerland are all in close proximity and would allow you to see a wide variety of sights over that amount of time.
London & Paris easy via the Chunnel and can rightfully take up a whole 10-day trip. There's so much to see in each place. I do agree with the above poster who said go to wine country (we hit Veuve-Clicquot in Reims)
After 2 whirlwind trips to Europe, I tend to like a mix of cities and small towns...but choose places in a reasonable geographical area.
London & Paris easy via the Chunnel and can rightfully take up a whole 10-day trip. There's so much to see in each place. I do agree with the above poster who said go to wine country (we hit Veuve-Clicquot in Reims)
After 2 whirlwind trips to Europe, I tend to like a mix of cities and small towns...but choose places in a reasonable geographical area.
Posted on 6/15/17 at 10:59 pm to BlackenedOut
Spot on
London is my favorite "big" European city
London is my favorite "big" European city
Posted on 6/16/17 at 12:08 am to BlackenedOut
quote:
If you only found decent food in London, sorry but you didn't do your due diligence. London is a tremendous food city, besides having a ton of can't miss attractions, museums, things to do, etc... If people in London didn't speak English it would seem way more European
I didn't only find decent food, I had a couple of very good meals but most were very average. I don't believe in going to high end restaurants to find good meals, pub food and street food is what I prefer. Are you comparing it to Italian, greek, French, etc.? I'm sorry but I tried my best but its just not there naturally like other countries. I spent half my time in countryside all around Kent too. I had good pub food, but again the rest of it was average at best.
London food wise compared to Paris or the large cities in Italy, is frankly laughable food wise. The history of food is just not there.
Breakfast in England sucks naturally. They have good yogurt and other grocery items, but its still nothing close to others.
Yes London has great museums and great history I agree.
This post was edited on 6/16/17 at 12:12 am
Posted on 6/16/17 at 1:21 am to baldona
quote:
I didn't only find decent food
Nandos is worth the trip alone
Posted on 6/16/17 at 6:01 am to TizzyT4theUofA
This post was edited on 11/8/20 at 2:47 pm
Posted on 6/16/17 at 6:19 am to TizzyT4theUofA
If it were me planning the trip, I'd look to the future. Where else would you like to go in Europe? Create your own regions and try to knock one out each time you go.
Example: Say you want to go to Paris the most. I'd suggest going to Amsterdam and Brussels as well, if those cities interest you at all. If they really don't, then do just London and Paris and save Ireland for another time.
Let's say next trip you've decided you must go to Rome. You can hit up a combination of Milan, Florence, and Venice as well.
If you tire of the same city easily and just want to hit major attractions, then don't underestimate how good day trips can be. You can spend a day in Normandy or ride a bike around Giverny while staying in Paris, go see the tulips outside of Amsterdam, or relax on Lake Como all day while staying in Milan. Those are all pretty important things to do, but you're unlikely to do them if you're changing cities every few days.
Example: Say you want to go to Paris the most. I'd suggest going to Amsterdam and Brussels as well, if those cities interest you at all. If they really don't, then do just London and Paris and save Ireland for another time.
Let's say next trip you've decided you must go to Rome. You can hit up a combination of Milan, Florence, and Venice as well.
If you tire of the same city easily and just want to hit major attractions, then don't underestimate how good day trips can be. You can spend a day in Normandy or ride a bike around Giverny while staying in Paris, go see the tulips outside of Amsterdam, or relax on Lake Como all day while staying in Milan. Those are all pretty important things to do, but you're unlikely to do them if you're changing cities every few days.
Posted on 6/16/17 at 6:45 am to baldona
I lol'd at the idea that breakfast in England sucks....the full English breakfast, complete with eggs, sausages, baked beans, tomatoes, black pudding, mushrooms, bloomer toast with marmalade, etc is one of the worlds most iconic meals. London overflows with excellent food, including a huge array of ethnic/international stuff.
ETA: the idea that British food is poor is a decidedly outdated one. In the past decade plus, food has moved front and center, especially in London. The city alone has 79 Michelin starred establishments.....and places like Spitalfields Market and Borough Market have a thriving food stall scene, plus the host of pop up markets scattered around the city. I ate amazingly well just a couple of weeks ago (during one bombing, but before the second one).
I've spent much time in Italy, and it's just as easy to eat poorly there as anywhere else....hugely touristed country means plenty of indifferent fare churned out to the undiscerning. The standing joke about a Roman breakfast: "cornetto, cappuccino, cigaretto" (cheap cornetto/croissant, usually industrial, cappuccino and a cigarette) isn't too far from the truth. There isn't a huge Italian breakfast tradition, though hotel breakfasts (esp continental ones) often offer up quality dry cured meats, sometimes decent ricotta (esp in southern Italy), and fruit....or if you're unlucky, dry prepackaged toasts and Nutella.
ETA: the idea that British food is poor is a decidedly outdated one. In the past decade plus, food has moved front and center, especially in London. The city alone has 79 Michelin starred establishments.....and places like Spitalfields Market and Borough Market have a thriving food stall scene, plus the host of pop up markets scattered around the city. I ate amazingly well just a couple of weeks ago (during one bombing, but before the second one).
I've spent much time in Italy, and it's just as easy to eat poorly there as anywhere else....hugely touristed country means plenty of indifferent fare churned out to the undiscerning. The standing joke about a Roman breakfast: "cornetto, cappuccino, cigaretto" (cheap cornetto/croissant, usually industrial, cappuccino and a cigarette) isn't too far from the truth. There isn't a huge Italian breakfast tradition, though hotel breakfasts (esp continental ones) often offer up quality dry cured meats, sometimes decent ricotta (esp in southern Italy), and fruit....or if you're unlucky, dry prepackaged toasts and Nutella.
This post was edited on 6/16/17 at 8:15 am
Posted on 6/16/17 at 7:36 am to hungryone
quote:
hungryone
Name definitely checks out.
FTR, I agree on the breakfast. Pretty damn good.
Posted on 6/16/17 at 7:58 am to speckledawg
Thank you all for the suggestions. I really appreciate it. I talked to my wife about what you've all said and we have changed the plan up a bit. We are just going to go to Germany and either Brussels or Bern. The only international travelling I've ever done is to Cape Town, South Africa. She has been to Europe once visiting London, Paris, and Rome. She said she didn't care for Paris. The reason I want to go to France was to visit Normandy. I am really interested in WWII, castles, and beautiful scenery. We are more interested in being outside and experiencing cool stuff than having a super nice hotel or eating at the most expensive restaurants. That's not to say we don't want good food. As far as budget goes we have quiet a bit saved up for it but we would rather not use it all it we don't have to.
This post was edited on 6/16/17 at 8:00 am
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