Bologna

I mean Europe has trains. Use your imagination. It's like that in Asia - Japan and China too. Totally feasible to do day trips from many metro cities.

So in Rome you can go N to or to islands like Ponza or S to Pompeii, Naples even. Venice is 4hrs N via fast train so you prob need overnight by the point is it's not like the US where if you don't drive you must fly.

Trains are easy and can be quite affordable. Part of the awesomeness of doing Europe or China or Japan is not having to stay put the whole time in one place. Highly suggest day trips.

ICYMI: day trips are precisely what cruisers do. The ship docks early in the morning and you don’t need to be back on board until 8pm…and most people hop on trains or hire drivers or boats to take them hours away for the day.

Why base yourself in just one place?

Visit Rome then head to Florence where you can base yourself for a few nights if you like and see Tuscany and San Gimignano and other areas, then head south and base yourself elsewhere for a few nights.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Madrid you can day trip to Toledo, Segovia and Avila. Maybe Salamanca too but that would be a long day trip.

From Rome you can do Naples and Pompeii as an easy day trip. Or amalfi coast. There’s a set of ruins outside Rome in a small town on a hill thar is also supposed to be nice but I’m blanking on the name.

+1 to Madrid. Toledo has cool architecture, Segovia has an aqueduct and a castle, and Avila is a walled city. You could also do the palaces of El Escorial or Aranjuez.

If you take a high-speed train you could even do Cordoba or Seville as day trips.

Another vote for Munich! An hour by train to Salzburg, tons of smaller German cities to pick from, too. I love being able to take the train everywhere in Germany and never deal with renting a car.

I actually prefer Berlin, but I think Munich is better if you want lots of day trip options and a very German experience.

Anonymous wrote:From Madrid you can day trip to Toledo, Segovia and Avila. Maybe Salamanca too but that would be a long day trip.

From Rome you can do Naples and Pompeii as an easy day trip. Or amalfi coast. There’s a set of ruins outside Rome in a small town on a hill thar is also supposed to be nice but I’m blanking on the name.

+1 to Madrid. Toledo has cool architecture, Segovia has an aqueduct and a castle, and Avila is a walled city. You could also do the palaces of El Escorial or Aranjuez.

Just came to add Munich, and Lisbon or Porto in Portugal (we preferred Porto)

Munich

Seville
Madrid
Florence

From Florence, we took an all-day bus tour that took us briefly to Siena, Pisa, and San Gimignano. We also got a nice restaurant lunch and views of Tuscany from the road.

I usually don't like package tours due to time limits but in this case I really just wanted to see the Siennese town square (because I read "Pride of the Palio" as a kid) and to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa with my own eyes. We also didn't want to rent a car. Bus tours really make the best use of short amounts of time.

It was worth it. I learned a few things that I didn't know. San Gimignano visit was too short...maybe 90 minutes? I would like to go back for half a day but might not ever have the chance.

From Madrid you can day trip to Toledo, Segovia and Avila. Maybe Salamanca too but that would be a long day trip.

From Rome you can do Naples and Pompeii as an easy day trip. Or amalfi coast. There’s a set of ruins outside Rome in a small town on a hill thar is also supposed to be nice but I’m blanking on the name.

Montepulciano

I'd choose somewhere where you don't face traffic jams every evening coming home (if driving), so not the center of Paris or London.

Lyon
Lille
Toulouse
Seville
Oxford

On the Med cruise with kids thread, several posters mentioned choosing one city as a home base and taking day trips instead of moving multiple locations. What other cities besides London might be good for this?