Posted on 09/29/2014 9:05:14 AM PDT by babylon_times
Me and a few friends will be spending 3 weeks in Europe Early next summer.... Has anyone here been over there? What are a few things "We shouldn't miss"?
What countries in Europe?
Italy, Italy, and Italy.
I like Venice and Salzburg (among man others).
You could spend 3 weeks in Northern Italy and still not see all of it. Can you narrow it down, say, from a continent to a geographical region such iberian penninsuala? balkans? france? central plains? alps? scandanavia?
I believe that’s “My friends and I...”
And if you go to Italy, don’t waste too much time in Venice. The canals are filthy and smell. Head to the Lake District around Stresa or Lake Como. BEAUTIFUL and no crowds (at least in 1989).
Verdun and the Somme area(s), Also Berlin and the Normandy Beaches and London(I am kind of of a WWI/WWII Battlefield Historian).
Begin like this:
A few friends and I...
You will be treated with more respect.
Amsterdam... one of my favorite cities. Hundreds of great museums, lots of good food, fun bars... everyone speaks English so it’s easy to navigate. Fun place.
The best thing to do is to pick a geographic area and immerse yourself there. Three weeks isn’t a lot of time, and unless you like looking out of train windows, you shouldn’t waste time while in transit. So put a map of Europe and throw a dart. Aim for France.
“Europe is a big place, so it will be tough to see a lot in 3 weeks.”
You know, what’s interesting is, I always thought the same, but in fact, Europe is not very big.
All of these cities have guided tours which will provide the most cultural viewing. Paris 5 days, Brussels 1, Amsterdam 2, Aaschafenburg, Hessen 1, Vienna 2, Salzburg 2, Prague 1, Livorno 1, Rome 3, Naples 1.
My brother is in Stutgartt, Germany, right now. His visitors hit the Mercedes Museum in Stutgartt, and a little village in Bavaria that makes cuckoo clocks. I guess my bottom line is that if you hit one or two charming things that are off the beaten track, you will have something to say to people who have been to all the main attractions.
Other advice: The best travel companions are those who are well-rested and well fed. Take care of that, and you will have a pleasant trip no matter where you are.
Krakow, Poland
Lugano, Italy/Switzerland
Dublin, Ireland
Berlin, Germany
Salzburg, Austria
Mrs. Esopman
Normandy, Bayeux if you’re going to France.
Prague in Chez Republic, Brugge, in Belgium - a very cool city. One of my favorites with some old beautiful buildings and history - also lots of little bed & breakfast places to stay, several city gates that are each unique and beautiful (I know an antique dealer there), Paris, France - still a really great place, people were friendly and generally helpful - sooo much to see there. You can spend all day in just a couple museums. Italy, many places, you won’t be disappointed. Germany is a very manicured country and Oct is often a great time as the weather is usually nice (though Christmas is awesome because of all the little Christmas markets). I lived in the Stuttgart area. Lots to see and do there - great food, yum! I would suggest you not try to see too much. Pick a couple of places that interest you as you can spend too much time “traveling” and not enjoying. My two cents ;- )
Define “Europe” and what are your interests?
Prague is great but may be a little out of the way. Myself, I like history and interesting geology, so the Dordogne Valley of the Aquitaine region is great, nice climate too. That says Sarlat for a city, but admittedly very few people would name Sarlat for a first European visit/tour.
With Venice, its good to spend the night there. Most of the tourists are there for a day. They arrive in the morning and leave late afternoon. In the evening, its mostly locals. I had a wonderful dinner at some small cafe on a back ally. The menu was only in Italian, and all the people there were locals.
Brugges, Belgium and Aix de Provence, France and of course Rome and Venice.....don’t miss these!
Have not been there myself, but some of the favorites of friends who have:
- Virtually anyplace in Italy
- Virtually anyplace in Spain
- Prague, Czech Republic
They seem to agree that Paris was a “must avoid”.
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