Europe for newbies?

[Anonymous]

DH and I will be celebrating our 10th anniversary in May and would like to go to Europe for two weeks. I have been to London for 5 days for work and he spent 2 weeks in Hamburg, Germany for a German field trip in high school, but other than that we have not explored the continent at all! I am totally open to ideas. TIA.

[Anonymous]

I would go to either Paris or Rome.

If you choose Rome then you could also do the Amalfi Coast, ie: Positano, Capri.

Another option is Spain, but I haven't been so can't personally recommend (yet!)

oooh maybe Greece? Santorini is beautiful!

[Anonymous]

Many places in Europe are going to be in inundated with people in May. Especially somewhere like Paris. We did a London-Paris-Munich trip at the end of October, and there were still like a billion people at Versailles. So, keep that in mind.

I like the idea of going to Spain. Have not been since 1998, but it is a really great place with tons to see (mostly walled cities and cathedrals, but that stuff was cool!). Not sure how good the public transit system is. I went to Portugal on that trip as well - was a high school trip. Greece could also be cool (as per PP) - though I have never been there. Many friends like Greece and also Croatia for the coastal scene...

I would say just be prepared for massive lines at touristy places. Otherwise, Europe is very easy to navigate these days. We bought all our tickets for travel online by ourselves (by we, I mean my wife), and the only ticket we did not pre-purchase was Stuttgart to Munich, as I wasn't sure when we would be finished at the Porsche museum.

Another thing, ATMs outside the US in developed countries are great now. So, you can take euro out even with a crappy bank account and usually get great rates. I got spot rates using my citi card at the dodgiest ATMs in Paris. Also, your Iphone/Phone charger and laptop have circuits for charging with different ratings, so you just need the small converters that can be purchased online for cheap.

Good luck, and have a great time traveling!

[Anonymous]

For an amazing trip (as your first trip to Europe in so long will be) and in May, I'd easily go to Italy. The balance between quality of sights, atmosphere, food and costs is easily best in Italy and not surpassed by any other country in Europe. Crowds are crowds these days, with around the year tourism but it won't be as bad as the summer proper when schools are on vacation. For key sights like the Vatican you can usually arrange to get tickets in advance to avoid the queues outside the museum ticket office (likewise, get the Paris museum pass if you go to Paris).

Rome, Florence, Venice is tried and true. You'll also have time to go to a coastal place like Cinque Terre, or down to Naples to see Capri and Pompeii (Naples itself is hit or miss, some people hate it, others love it, but it does possibly have the best food in Italy). '

I have been all over Europe, been to the main countries multiple times (Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Spain), lived in the UK for a number of years, and Italy is easily the top destination for a first time trip for the reasons I mentioned above, especially if you think you won't be making a European trip a regular feature.

If for some reason you don't want to go to Italy, then Paris / France is an excellent second choice. I'd plan a trip around Paris - Strasbourg - Dijon and back to Paris, or Paris - Normandy for Mont St. Michel and then down south to places like Carcassonne.

[Anonymous]

If you are able to make it early may, I’d go to Holland to see the tulips. Note that I’ve never been, but it looks amazing and is on my wish list for once my kid’s off to college and we’re no longer tied to the academic calendar.

Other people’s suggestions above are solid. If you ever want to go to Croatia, early May is also best. Andalucia is still relatively cool in May and is an amazing part of Spain. Look to your personal interests to guide you. Love museums? Paris & Berlin usually have great exhibits. Love outdoors? Florence with side trips to the Tuscan countryside would be high on my list. Or go to Lisbon and learn to sail. Love history? Rome/Vatican city are magical - you can see the architectural layers excavated in the Forum, showing how the romans just kept building on top of what was there & recycling precious stones. Love music? Go to Vienna for classical concerts all over the city.


Re. your electronics, pp mentioned converters, but I wanted to clarify that you just need plug adapters - it’s the small piece that changes the shape of your plug head where it enters the wall. You don’t need converters, which are big heavy things that step up/down your voltage.

Re. communications, I think most US phone companies offer travel plans that let you roam. That’s prob your most convenient option. Still, you should try to be conscious about not overusing your data. Go through and actually set each app to WiFi only (except Find my iPhone/Android equiv) before you board the plane and before you turn on airplane mode.

Re. credit cards, if you stick to major cities, you’ll be ok charging things. In small towns, people still prefer to deal in cash.

English has become much more widespread in the last 10y across all of Europe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For an amazing trip (as your first trip to Europe in so long will be) and in May, I'd easily go to Italy. The balance between quality of sights, atmosphere, food and costs is easily best in Italy and not surpassed by any other country in Europe. Crowds are crowds these days, with around the year tourism but it won't be as bad as the summer proper when schools are on vacation. For key sights like the Vatican you can usually arrange to get tickets in advance to avoid the queues outside the museum ticket office (likewise, get the Paris museum pass if you go to Paris).

Rome, Florence, Venice is tried and true. You'll also have time to go to a coastal place like Cinque Terre, or down to Naples to see Capri and Pompeii (Naples itself is hit or miss, some people hate it, others love it, but it does possibly have the best food in Italy). '

I have been all over Europe, been to the main countries multiple times (Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Spain), lived in the UK for a number of years, and Italy is easily the top destination for a first time trip for the reasons I mentioned above, especially if you think you won't be making a European trip a regular feature.

If for some reason you don't want to go to Italy, then Paris / France is an excellent second choice. I'd plan a trip around Paris - Strasbourg - Dijon and back to Paris, or Paris - Normandy for Mont St. Michel and then down south to places like Carcassonne.

Agree with this 100%. Rome should be your first stop if you’ve never been.

[Anonymous]

Fly into Rome. Spend a few days there sightseeing, make sure you spend one full day in Vatican. Then rent a car and drive through Tuscany stopping in little villages like Lucca and Sienna. Then continue driving along the coast (or Italian riviera) to Cinque terre, spend a night or two there. Continue driving along the coast into France (to French Riviera) stopping in Monte Carlo, Nice, Cannes. Two weeks is plenty of time for this trip (we’ve done it) and it’s amazing.

One other option is to fly into Zurich and drive through Switzerland to Geneva. You can fly back home from Geneva. There are lots of very beautiful little towns and villages in Switzerland (it is not just for skiing! It’s stunning in the summer too), e.g. Soglio on the border with Italy. Some of them you cannot even drive into, you have to park on the bottom of the hill and then hike into the village. It was one of the best trips of my entire life.

[Anonymous]

I personally love driving through Europe. It's such a fun and exhilarating adventure. And I think May is a good time for southern Spain. It's a great mix of friendly locals, easy language, really good food, beautiful beaches, mountains, villages, culture...and you can take a day trip to morroco and also visit the rock of Gibraltar. We stayed in bed and breakfasts and little apartments, two nights in each. I really was impressed with our treatment. And the prices were cheap. Granada-Malaga-Córdoba-Sevilla-Ronda-and other white mountain villages. Nerja is a great beach village. Ferry from tarifa to Morocco. You walk across the Gibraltar runway to get to The Rock. Good fish and chips and pics with apes.

[Anonymous]

I suggest exploring Spain or Italy. I much prefer the food of Spain, but the Italian coast is absolutely gorgeous. Pick a few cities and spend a few nights in each and just get lost in the culture and food and scenery.

[Anonymous]

For May, I agree with Italy--although, I am quite partial to the German Alps and Salzburg. The weather will be more dependable.

An earlier poster mentioned Holland for the tulips. That is also a great suggestion.

Keep in mind, that there will be crowds wherever you go.

I do suggest that if you wish to see the sites, that you connect with some kind of tour that makes the reservations for you at the museums.

Actually, lots of people criticize tours, but sometimes it is the best way to see things--especially if you have never been. I would consider a tour of Italy for Florence, Venice, and Rome. Some tours are geared to giving you lots of free tie to ramble. I would look for a tour that has three or four days in each place and includes lots of free time. That way, your hotel is taken care of--but, it allows you to eat where you like and do what you wish, etc. Then, if you want to take day trips into the countryside you can. For example, in Rome, you could take a trip to Pompeii one day.

I lived in Europe for years. Occasionally, I would take tours instead of go on my own. I took a trip to Rome at Thanksgiving that was basically just the hotel, transportation, and breakfast package. At Christmas one year, I took a tour that included Florence, Venice, Rome, and Capri. I took several other trips to Italy, as well, on my own with friends. One was a train trip, but the others were driving. I'm not sure I would encourage you to drive in Italy on your first trip.

[Anonymous]

Look at some planned tours to help you identify where you want to go. You don't have to book a group tour but it give you a sample itinerary and ideas of what the highlights are in each city.

[Anonymous]

Italy and Greece are a tad harder as they often don't speak English outside of the big cities. So maybe a little harder for a new traveler (but it is fun to get away from English speakers). I spend a lot of time in Germany and have met very, very few people who don't speak English. I can't even practice my German because they speak English so well.

Since you haven't been, I would go to the big cities like Paris, Rome, Venice. Those would be doable for a 2 week vacation.

[Anonymous]

100% agreed on Rome as first destination- such a great mix of a bustling modern city, with amazing history, great walking, good food (but have to seek it out a bit, a lot of stuff is mediocre- search foodie blogs and such beforehand)

For 2 weeks I would aim for 3 destinations. Maybe 4-5 days in Rome, then either Amalfi Coast or southern France for 4-5 days, then Paris, always Paris.

Did a similar trip a few years ago and mixing it up with city-country-city or country-city-country worked really well. If you put the "bones" of the trip together early, you can add connecting train/plane flights early and get those very cheap.

Resist the temptation to add too many destinations. Did a 4 destination, 11 day trip 12 years ago and it was a bit too much.

Context Travel is a great resource for in-depth small group tours.

[Anonymous]

I was a Europe newbie before taking a cruise that made stops in Italy, France and Spain. I thought it was a great way to get a sampler of different areas.

[Anonymous]

That time of year, I would do Paris and then hit Keukenhof and the Dutch seaside.