So Adam and I are thinking about, maybe, possibly, going to Europe next spring or fall. We were hoping to be able to use some of his Hyatt Hotel points he has, since he stays in a Hyatt 5 nights a week, he has a lot of points. Trouble is, Hyatt and Europe (unless you're in Germany) really don't have much to offer. So, I've decided if we do go to Europe, I am not going to restrict myself on where to go based on where there is a Hyatt hotel. Trouble is, I am so overwhelmed by Europe. I've never been. Adam went and visited parts of Germany, Italy and France and I know he doesn't really want to repeat much of what he did. So that helps narrow things down a bit, but still, there are so many options, and I really don't know where to start.
Anyone have any advice? I've read plenty of people's blogs about their European adventures, but like I said, I still feel very overwhelmed. Has anyone done a Mediterranean Cruise? I hate the idea of spending 2 - 4 nights "at sea," if I'm in Europe, I don't know that I want to be stuck on a boat for any of my days there. But it might be a really cool way to get to a lot of places, and I figure if we go, we'll probably spend days "on a train," so maybe those days "at sea" make sense. I don't know. I think about it too much.
So if you had 10 - 12 days to spend in Europe what would you absolutely recommend?
8 comments:
Heather and I tried to do Italy and Switzerland this year (standby) but didn't end up making it there so ended up in England and Norway (on a cruise that also visited Amsterdam). It was kind of frustrating to have 2 days at sea (esp since our boat was so lame...don't go on an MSC cruise (I will tell you more about that later if you'd like). But it was also nice to just sleep and relax for those two days. England (mostly around London) was fun. We spent around 5 days and that was plenty. We used Rick Steve's podcasts as a free audioguide to the city, etc. Except in 2012 they are having the Olympics so it may be a little crowded if you are planning on going that time of year.
I loved the Mediteranian cruise I went on as a youth (pre-teen/early teenager maybe?). Greece was awesome as was Turkey (although I only remember Athens and maybe one of the islands...)
We did Czech Republic through Austria to a little bit of Germany (Neuswanstein) to Paris 3 years back and that was a blast. I continued to Belgium and the Netherlands with my parents after that. I would definitely recommend Austria (Vienna and Salzburg is where we were).
Whatever you do I am sure you'll have fun. Europe is awesome. E-mail me if you have further questions.
I lived in Spain and had the opportunity to travel around. If you have 10-12 days, go to Florence, italy- all the world's best art is there as well as the Louvre in Paris. I won't overwhelm you with more, but florence and paris!!!
Rome, is kind of dirty and a few more hours south.
Skip England!
i have an unnatural love for paris...but if your hubby doesn't want to retread, i say BARCELONA! the second i stepped off the plane and heard the random street music, i knew i could live there forever.
How exciting! How lucky that Adam has so many points too! I love Italy, but I can understand if Adam doesn't want a repeat...That being said I do think it's the most *magical* place in Europe.
With airfare being so crazy lately, you could probably get cheap LAX - LHR tickets, spend a few days in England and then jump on one of the discount carriers (i.e., RyanAir, EasyJet, etc) to a country of your choice. I'm not sure if you're thinking a "budget travel" type of a trip or a "conde nast traveler" type of trip, but if it's more budget, I really loved Czech Republic and I've heard fantastic things about Croatia and Romania. It'd be pretty easy to catch a flight from London to Frankfurt or Berlin (see a bit of Germany) and then another flight or train to Prague.
What time of year are you thinking? Because if it's off-season, Spain and Portugal would be fantastic, but also more expensive.
I've never done a Med cruise (hoping to next year!!!), but I'm not sure how great it would be as your introduction to Europe. I personally think it could be frustrating and overwhelming to try and see everything during the 6 - 8 hours you're in port in that one city. That being said, my parents leave for one on Monday that is doing Italy, Spain, Montenegro, Croatia and France and the only place they've ever been of those is France. I'll let you know what they think!
And obviously, if you wanna talk trips we'd love to get together! (Plus, I have *almost* the entire Frommer's collection).
:-)
p.s. Just to throw a wrench in things, you could do one of the 4-day Europe cruises (several from France, Holland, Sweden) and spend a week touring on land...?
Go to Ireland or Scottland! I've never been but have always wanted to go :0) Heck, I've never been out of the country! Ha! Miss you Whit! Sorry I don't have more advice to offer!
Sooo.... thank you all for the comments, but I think this proved my point... I still have no idea how to plan for this. Spain is creeping up into top spots though.
ITALY!!!!! By far the coolest! Leah and I railed Europe in 20 days, I think it was. We slept very inexpensively in hostels or trains. We 100% depended on Lonely Planet Guides (travel books). Go check some out at the library and find what sounds interesting to you. Let me know if you want any details or ideas.
Hey! Ok, I'm blog stalking your old blog entry (since you hot linked it to today's entry). Can your friend ROAST give me more info on the MSC cruise? I don't know anyone who's gone on one, but I was actually kind of considering it since kids travel free! Right now my first choice is on a Norwegian itinerary (and I love Norwegian cruise lines), but I'd love to hear more about MSC!
Post a Comment