Europe - Where would you go if you had 2 weeks?

[julifish]

My husband and I have been saving for about 5 years now to go to Europe. We are planning on spending 2 1/2 weeks in Europe over the summer. I just found this out last night when he came home from work - prior to that we were looking at vacations for the 4 of us in Alaska. (He had me thinking we couldn't afford Europe yet.)

I'm over the moon excited, but feeling really rushed in having to plan this in a few short days (my husband wants to book by the weekend). My husband has enough airline points for our flights. We can fly from Miami to anywhere in Europe (big cities) and then inside Europe from one city to another; and then from any city in Europe (big city) back to Miami for the points he has. Plus flying inside Europe is pretty cheap (at least it looks like it) So tell me where would you recommend (or dream of going) in Europe? What do I NEED to know while planning this trip?

Now to be fair we are going to take a 1 week cruise out of Rome round trip in the middle of the vacation and we will see Florence/Pisa, Napels, and some places on the coast in France and Barcelona. So I really only have a week and a half to see anything else. But I feel so overwhelmed with the open possibility that we could pretty much anywhere over there. I had envisioned doing months of research before planning a trip like this - but to live my OLW - I'm OPEN to all the possibilities this opportunity is giving me!

[luckyme]

Just north of Pisa is Cinque Terre. It's so beautiful. My husband proposed to me in one of the villages (Riomaggiore) so I'm biassed. :) But see for yourself (https://www.google.ca/search?q=cinque+terre&rls=com.microsoft:en-GB:%7Breferrer:source%7D&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ozbVUvToC5WpsQSV3YDADA&ved=0CEoQsAQ&biw=1920&bih=1014#q=cinque+terre+riomaggiore+italy&rls=com.microsoft:en-GB:%7Breferrer:source%7D&tbm=isch&imgdii=_). ;)

The 5 villages are so colourful and beautiful. You can also hike between them on this amazing path along the coast. Gorgeous, gorgeous.

[jk703]

I have no advice but I hope you have a wonderful time. It sounds divine!

[taracotta7]

So jealous! I know if we had the chance we would head to Germany. My hubby was stationed there many years ago before we met. He wants to show me everything! Of course, I would be okay with anywhere in Europe. There is so much to see and enjoy, I don't think you can go wrong. :)

[julifish]

Heddy - See, I would have never considered that and it looks wonderful. Thank you soooo much for the suggestion.

I think we're both so worried about not seeing Paris, but we're having a really hard time making the flights work to or from Paris. However, this morning I keep thinking that Paris and London are their own trip in the future...maybe with our girls before they leave for college as a last big family trip or something. There is just so many beautiful places to see, I just don't know how I'd be disappointed in any of them.

[dana]

have you been to europe before? any cities you've already seen? i'll assume not - but if so, my suggestions may change :)

i lived in paris for 3 years - so i am biased towards paris and france :) you could start in london, do a few days around there and then take the eurostar to paris and do a couple of days there. i also LOVED: dubrovnic (croatia), prague and lake como (although you are already seeing a lot of italy). morocco is a very quick flight, and marrakesh is amazing!

you will have an amazing time no matter where you go!!

[dana]

i was typing when you wrote about paris/london … sooooo - never mind that :) haha!

[MamaBee]

If I had two weeks, I probably would join one of those tour groups or do a Mediterranean Cruise that hits like 7 countries...

I would love to go back to England/Scotland.... and I know Hubby would love to go back to Italy - we both worked in those respective countries prior to us meeting and we would like to "show" each other those places... I also would love to go to Germany and into Poland to see if I could track down some heritage stuff... on my Dad's side, we have it tracked to Poleson, which used to be in Germany pre-war.

My hubby bases a location via the airport... so I'm sure Paris/France would not be on the list... haha...

[Lyd]

If I ever get to go to Europe, England, Spain, and Germany top my list.

I'm excited for you, Juli. I'm sure wherever you go, it will be amazing.

[krystalhartley]

Basque Country in Northern Spain is GORGEOUS!!

I'd want to visit Ireland.

[disneyaddict]

If you have one real week for touring (and doing Italy and part of Spain on the cruise) and are hitting Paris later, then I would focus on a specific area. We did Brussels, Brugges, Amsterdam, Germany, and Austria - combining different parts on different trips AND LOVED IT. Another option is Eastern Europe including Croatia. We bought a rail pass and used ICE trains.

[lorryfach]

I live in Copenhagen and I think it's awesome. I'm not sure how helpful that is. lol I also love Oslo. And Scandinavia in general, really. If you aren't using points to fly within Europe, Norwegian Air is surprisingly nice for a budget airline.

[DawnMarch]

I would say London/Paris first. BUT, as you mentioned, those make a great separate trip (we just did that last summer and it was awesome!). We did a trip in Austria (Vienna) and Germany that was divine. Vienna is a spectacular city and one of my favorite places, so I would recommend that. I know it's tempting, but try not to overbook or you won't be able to enjoy it as much!

[catgoddess]

Germany (Berlin for sure), Vienna, Amsterdam (I'd fly into Europe here and travel out from there), Zurich. I highly recommend taking the train to get from city to city. Public transport is amazing, especially in Berlin. Hauptbahnhof (central train station in Berlin) is amazing to see and you can go anywhere from there.

There is a special train pass for non-EU that's one price for a set amount of time and you can ride as many trains throughout Europe as you want. The UK isn't included in that, but all the EU countries are (except for Ireland which requires a ferry upcharge).

We spent a week in Berlin alone, so if you go there, let me know and I can tell you a few places to check out. We stayed in the old Eastern side and loved the location for getting around. Our German friends highly recommended Vienna and I consider that high praise from people who already live in a beautiful, historic city.

[AmberK]

DH and I spent our 10th anniversary in London and Paris and I LOVED it! 3.5 days in London and 4 days in Paris. We hit the high points but I would love to go back and spend more time in each place.

[alinalove]

okay... where to start :-D
prague, st. petersburg!!!!, vienna!!!, heidelberg, munich, amsterdam, berlin,...

st. petersburg is my dream go-to place and i will be there someday.
i've been to all others and they are all awesome.

i'd also consider in germany if you happen to be near: lübeck, nuremberg, wiesbaden.
i lived in all of them, they are not too big and have all beautiful architecture and history.

and i agree paris and london make out for a one week trip alone.

[lovely1m]

I would love to see Germany and Prague if I was able to go over there.

[adi&co.]

So jealous! I know if we had the chance we would head to Germany. My hubby was stationed there many years ago before we met. He wants to show me everything! Of course, I would be okay with anywhere in Europe. There is so much to see and enjoy, I don't think you can go wrong. :)

I second this! My hubby was stationed in germany before we met as well and he has nothing but good things to say about it

[rach3975]

What a great opportunity! Have fun planning it. Our 1 big trip pre-kids was 10 days in London and Scotland. Both were fantastic. We really enjoyed Edinburgh (where we spent most of our 3 days in Scotland) and want to go back to spend more time in Scotland one day.

[NeverendingJen]

In Italy: Rome, Venice, Burano, Florence, Pisa, Capri, Naples, Sorrento, San Gimignano(home of the worlds best gelato- literally), Cinque Terre

I lived there for three years, and those are the cities we want to revisit.

[mariewilcox]

If you're saving Paris/London for a separate trip then these are my faves:

Thun, Switzerland
Bruges, Belgium
Cologne, Germany
Vienna, Austria
Venice, Italy
St. Petersburg, Russia

[julifish]

I love all the ideas on here. Now I'm thinking I'll be immediately saving for a second and third trip to Europe!

It's looking like we're going to Venice, Rome then cruise, then Vienna - but still haven't booked the flights so it might change. I'm soooo excited and overwhelmed at the same time. :)

Jenn - We need to have lunch so you can give me travel tips!

[fifilur]

Planning a vacation is so much fun!

Being Swedish, I'm partial to Scandinavia (you should see the Norwegian fjords, absolutely stunning!), but is quite far from the Mediterranean area. Italy sounds fantastic, I'd love to go there some day. I went to Croatia a few years ago and it was one of my favorite places I've ever been to (and it's not that far from Italy). Sooooo beautiful, the water is crystal clear, and the food is amazing. We visited several islands in southern Croatia and it was really easy to get around with the ferries. We ended up i Dubrovnic. The old town there is full of history and beautiful architecture. My favorite island was Korčula which also has stunning architecture.

London is also a really great city to visit!

[nun69]

Paris Paris Paris :) and buy this book .......
http://www.amazon.com/DK-Eyewitness-Travel-Guide-Paris/dp/1465400508/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389822020&sr=8-1&keywords=dk+paris

or this one
http://www.amazon.com/DK-Eyewitness-Travel-Guide-France/dp/0756684048/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1389822020&sr=8-4&keywords=dk+paris

or both :)

also you could go to London and see TONS of stuff, I really liked London as well and we went and saw Stonehenge while we were there....

[nun69]

also though if you plan to travel through Italy go to Sienna, the Amalfi Coast, The Coliseum, the Vatican to see the Sistine Chapel, San Giamani (this little town is FABULOUS) see the Trevi Fountain, Florence
http://www.sangimignano.com/en/

http://www.italyguides.it/us/siena_italy/siena_italy.htm

[clearskies]

My list: Sweden, Norway, Ireland, Spain

[suladesign]

Ha! This is the problem with asking a ton of people for their opinions, lol! You'll get all these different perspectives, but it's really about what you want most.

Being from Germany, I've traveled most of Europe in all directions, and certainly would have recommended Paris first, London second (because there's so much to see there). But as you're opting for those two places on another trip, and your "headquarters" seem to be the Mediterranean, it would probably be feasible to stay closer to that area (traveling in Europe, can be expensive, no matter what means of transportation you use; getting cheap flights might mean other inconveniences). (I personally love Scandinavia, but things are pretty spread out there, and I'm not sure about public transportation.) Greece and Croatia are options if you want a little more of the Mediterranean (Greece also has a lot of ancient culture, of course, if you're into that). But then, so has Rome. So, if you want a versatile trip with lots of different things to see, Vienna definitely would be a good place to start (esp. for Americans who love to see the "old" Europe). Vienna isn't far from Italy, and maybe you could rent a car for a couple of days (if that's in your budget) and take a trip over to Liechtenstein and Switzerland (straight across the Alps). You'll definitely get to see something very different than the Mediterranean, but it's everything impressive and worthwhile, and it's pretty much all within the vicinity.