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Two weeks in Europe
Posted on 3/22/22 at 12:16 pm
Posted on 3/22/22 at 12:16 pm
Wife (no pics) and I would like to take a two week trip to Europe in the near future. How many countries can you realistically go to and enjoy each of them? Which ones would you recommend and prioritize? Neither of us have been out of the country so we have no experience with international travel.
Posted on 3/22/22 at 12:22 pm to GeauxTigahs92
You could see a bunch if that is all you wanted to do....
Assuming you want to spend some time in each (say 3-4 days) then I would say 3 realistically.
I'm a huge fan of Belgium and doing Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges, Dinant
From there Amsterdam is an hour drive, Germany is in play, Fly to Italy, take a train, etc....
Assuming you want to spend some time in each (say 3-4 days) then I would say 3 realistically.
I'm a huge fan of Belgium and doing Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges, Dinant
From there Amsterdam is an hour drive, Germany is in play, Fly to Italy, take a train, etc....
Posted on 3/22/22 at 1:30 pm to GeauxTigahs92
If you've never been I always recommend London, Paris, and Rome.
4 days in London and Rome, 3 days in Paris. You can always modify the number of days at each based on your preferences.
I've done this route twice with friends who had never been out of the country and it was a hit both times. Huge international cities with plenty to do.
4 days in London and Rome, 3 days in Paris. You can always modify the number of days at each based on your preferences.
I've done this route twice with friends who had never been out of the country and it was a hit both times. Huge international cities with plenty to do.
Posted on 3/22/22 at 1:33 pm to GeauxTigahs92
I did 4 countries, 5 cities in 9 days once (Do not reccomend)
I did 3 countries, 3 cities in 14 days once (Do reccomend)
I did 3 countries, 3 cities in 14 days once (Do reccomend)
Posted on 3/22/22 at 1:40 pm to Bawwitdabaw
quote:Is there train access to Rome from Paris? And if so is it difficult and expensive?
If you've never been I always recommend London, Paris, and Rome.
Posted on 3/22/22 at 1:51 pm to DukeSilver
quote:
Is there train access to Rome from Paris? And if so is it difficult and expensive?
Eurorail
I would just use Easyjet or Ryan air to go from Paris to Rome.
I would however strongly recommend the Chunnel train from London to Paris.
This post was edited on 3/22/22 at 1:52 pm
Posted on 3/22/22 at 1:52 pm to GeauxTigahs92
For your first time out of the country I would definitely recommend somewhere in the UK/Ireland being the first stop on your itinerary to sort of "acclimatize" to your new surroundings. Dublin is fantastic, the people are friendly, and it is less overwhelming from a size standpoint than London. If it were me, this would be my first stop. From there, you could take a cheap inter-Europe flight to just about anywhere. What are you guys into? Do you like to be on the go all the time, or do you like to relax? Do you like to plan down every detail of the trip or do you prefer to let things come to you? Are you big foodies? Beach people/mountain people?
From Dublin, you could catch a flight to Lisbon, then a train to Madrid, then maybe another flight to Paris/London/Rome. I would say 4 cities over 2 weeks should be your absolute max.
It all depends on what you want to see/do.
From Dublin, you could catch a flight to Lisbon, then a train to Madrid, then maybe another flight to Paris/London/Rome. I would say 4 cities over 2 weeks should be your absolute max.
It all depends on what you want to see/do.
Posted on 3/22/22 at 1:52 pm to DukeSilver
It's a minimum 10 hour train ride. I'd be flying.
Posted on 3/22/22 at 1:53 pm to GeauxTigahs92
The classic mistake people make, and I say it time and time again on this board, is thinking "I'll never go back so I have to cram as much stuff in as possible."
Two weeks is a decently lengthy trip, but I still wouldn't totally overpack it.
What interests you?
If you've always wanted to go to Italy...why not just do Italy? You could easily do Rome and Tuscany/Florence and Cinque Terre and Venice or go down and do Amalfi and Puglia etc in two weeks while still REALLY enjoying yourself.
Or you could go to France and spend an entire week in Paris and then go see Normandy and the French Countryside, get a little place in Reims/Champagne for a night or two and see some Champagne Houses. Spend a couple days in Bourdeaux. Paris is AWESOME and you can easily spend a week there and should spend time there to fully appreciate it.
Or you can see Barcelona and Sevilla and Valencia and Madrid, and really soak in Spain (Spain is AMAZING and one of my favorite places).
What do YOU want to do?
Personally, I do not like the trips that see 5 countries in 14 days. You barely get to experience any of it. You can do London -> Paris -> Rome or something. (I personally do not love Rome.)
Two weeks is a decently lengthy trip, but I still wouldn't totally overpack it.
What interests you?
If you've always wanted to go to Italy...why not just do Italy? You could easily do Rome and Tuscany/Florence and Cinque Terre and Venice or go down and do Amalfi and Puglia etc in two weeks while still REALLY enjoying yourself.
Or you could go to France and spend an entire week in Paris and then go see Normandy and the French Countryside, get a little place in Reims/Champagne for a night or two and see some Champagne Houses. Spend a couple days in Bourdeaux. Paris is AWESOME and you can easily spend a week there and should spend time there to fully appreciate it.
Or you can see Barcelona and Sevilla and Valencia and Madrid, and really soak in Spain (Spain is AMAZING and one of my favorite places).
What do YOU want to do?
Personally, I do not like the trips that see 5 countries in 14 days. You barely get to experience any of it. You can do London -> Paris -> Rome or something. (I personally do not love Rome.)
Posted on 3/22/22 at 1:59 pm to GeauxTigahs92
quote:
Neither of us have been out of the country so we have no experience with international travel.
Here's what I would do. Watch some Rick Steves episodes on Youtube about different places. I think he does an excellent job of informing inexperienced travelers on what to expect and selling a place.
Pick a country and place that really interests you. Get the Rick Steves guidebooks, use the google machine, and read all about it. Plan your trip and keep it kinda tight.
Allow yourself time to relax and really TAKE IN a place. Especially since this is your first international trip, the LESS you move around the better.
Let it be a trip about enjoying yourself and doing things you like instead of GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO.
If you do this...you'll get addicted and go on to the next country and planning a whole new trip next year.
That is how I would do it.
This post was edited on 3/22/22 at 2:00 pm
Posted on 3/22/22 at 2:53 pm to Fun Bunch
For me it always comes down to "am I just checking off countries and cities" or "do I want to plant myself and experience and learn a place".
I'm an explorer. Even on an island I'm going to get a house and a jeep and explore.
I'm an explorer. Even on an island I'm going to get a house and a jeep and explore.
This post was edited on 3/22/22 at 2:54 pm
Posted on 3/22/22 at 3:00 pm to VABuckeye
Right. And the OP specifically asked how many COUNTRIES can I see in two weeks and enjoy myself.
In Europe, for any of the major countries, my answer is 1. Obviously if we are talking about smaller countries that changes.
If you aren't talking countries but major cities, I'd say 2-3 at most.
In Europe, for any of the major countries, my answer is 1. Obviously if we are talking about smaller countries that changes.
If you aren't talking countries but major cities, I'd say 2-3 at most.
Posted on 3/22/22 at 3:09 pm to Fun Bunch
Yep and it is nice to have a base to explore from without traveling every other day. That said we are doing 6 cities in 22 days in Spain in May. Travel days are very short though.
Posted on 3/22/22 at 3:19 pm to weaveballs1
My must do is Ireland and her must do is France. We have talked about maybe doing Austria since it's close and her favorite move is The Sound of Music. Rome is on the table of course but not sure if the travel time is worth it or not. We are more relaxed and do not need to be on the go all of the time. My wife is a big planner and does not like to leave much to chance which is fine with me. We are big foodies and I would say normally beach people but this trip I'd say more mountains than beach.
Posted on 3/22/22 at 3:31 pm to GeauxTigahs92
Vienna is my favorite city in Europe, we did Germany, Austria, Slovakia and France at Christmas a few years ago and all of the places we visited were great. Just wish we had more time in each city we visited.
Posted on 3/22/22 at 3:39 pm to DukeSilver
quote:See
Is there train access to Rome from Paris? And if so is it difficult and expensive?
LINK https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Rome/Paris
$95 and 11 hours
Posted on 3/22/22 at 3:42 pm to GeauxTigahs92
I’d focus on one country and visit several areas of that country. Or you could easily do a France/Spain with a week in each. Or France/Belgium, and you could throw in a day or two trip to Amsterdam.
You’ll miss so much if you try to cram too many countries into one trip and will spend more time traveling than I’d prefer.
Prioritize The ones that interest you or the wife.
You’ll miss so much if you try to cram too many countries into one trip and will spend more time traveling than I’d prefer.
Prioritize The ones that interest you or the wife.
Posted on 3/22/22 at 3:59 pm to GeauxTigahs92
I would personally do Ireland and France in separate trips. If you really want you can get easy flights from Dublin to Paris or the opposite.
You only really need 3 days in Dublin. It’s smaller than you expect. The rest of Ireland is a lot of countryside and they have some great smaller towns.
If you really wanted you could do a 5-7 in France, stay in Paris and use it for side day trips.
Then fly to Dublin for a smaller city and spend 7-8 days seeing the smaller towns and the Western part of Ireland, which I like a lot better than Dublin/East.
FYI, Paris might be my favorite city on earth. It was my first Europe trip and I love it. It’s so so so awesome.
You only really need 3 days in Dublin. It’s smaller than you expect. The rest of Ireland is a lot of countryside and they have some great smaller towns.
If you really wanted you could do a 5-7 in France, stay in Paris and use it for side day trips.
Then fly to Dublin for a smaller city and spend 7-8 days seeing the smaller towns and the Western part of Ireland, which I like a lot better than Dublin/East.
FYI, Paris might be my favorite city on earth. It was my first Europe trip and I love it. It’s so so so awesome.
This post was edited on 3/22/22 at 4:03 pm
Posted on 3/22/22 at 4:15 pm to GeauxTigahs92
LOL! You've come to the right place. Lots of great suggestions on this board.
The temptation in Europe is to say "hey, we're already over here, why not let's go to.."
Travel, particularly overseas travel, can bring out the worst in people. Pressure to make flights or trains. Long travel between destinations. Jet lag. Little sleep. Language barriers.
My advice is to pick ONE country, travel within that country and don't kill yourselves.
I haven't been to Ireland. Been to France several times. It's HUGE and people spend years visiting it. Is the goal to do both and fill in the rest of the blanks? Possibly doable if you light on a specific set of regions in these countries and stick to the plan.
Remember: All this takes away from your time in Europe.
First Timer? I'd want a fun, interesting, romantic destination where we both get the travel bug. You have to have the mindset "I'm coming back one day" then do it!
You know what we do? We dream about where we want to go next. By far, our favorite travel series on YouTube is LifeStyle Hal! We'll get some nice food and wine and just watch his videos for hours. It gives us so many suggestions to explore.
France
Ireland
It wasn't what you suggested, but to me, just flying to Florence, touring Tuscany, eating and drinking all day long is about as good as it gets. The Alps (Switzerland, Germany or Austria) as well.
The temptation in Europe is to say "hey, we're already over here, why not let's go to.."
Travel, particularly overseas travel, can bring out the worst in people. Pressure to make flights or trains. Long travel between destinations. Jet lag. Little sleep. Language barriers.
My advice is to pick ONE country, travel within that country and don't kill yourselves.
quote:
My must do is Ireland and her must do is France.
I haven't been to Ireland. Been to France several times. It's HUGE and people spend years visiting it. Is the goal to do both and fill in the rest of the blanks? Possibly doable if you light on a specific set of regions in these countries and stick to the plan.
Remember: All this takes away from your time in Europe.
First Timer? I'd want a fun, interesting, romantic destination where we both get the travel bug. You have to have the mindset "I'm coming back one day" then do it!
You know what we do? We dream about where we want to go next. By far, our favorite travel series on YouTube is LifeStyle Hal! We'll get some nice food and wine and just watch his videos for hours. It gives us so many suggestions to explore.
France
Ireland
It wasn't what you suggested, but to me, just flying to Florence, touring Tuscany, eating and drinking all day long is about as good as it gets. The Alps (Switzerland, Germany or Austria) as well.
This post was edited on 3/22/22 at 4:24 pm
Posted on 3/22/22 at 4:26 pm to Nole Man
quote:
just flying to Florence, touring Tuscany, eating and drinking all day long is about as good as it gets.
Those little Tuscan towns have amazing food and one needs to say no more than "vino da tavola" (table wine) to enjoy a glass or bottle of great local wine.
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