mayank_katoch1158

I am going for my honeymoon to europe in mid Feb 13 for duration of 20 days. I will be starting with santorini in greece for 4 nights. then athens for 1 night. rome fo
My details are as follows
santorini for 4 nights
athens for 1 night
rome for 2 nights
berlin for 2 nights
munich for 2 nights
interlaken 4 nights
paris 4 nights
All of them are in sequence of my travel. I am confused for the following
Should i go to venice instead of berlin and munich.
Is it worth travelling to all these place in month of Feb. Is my trip to tight. should i leave one place.

janisj

Your plan is just about impossible -whether you substitute Venice or not. This is not a honeymoon -

Pick 3 places - enjoy them and each other - fly home

janisj

Pick 3 places . . . 4 at most

azzure

I would do:

Santorini - 4 nights (this is the relaxing honeymoon part)
Athens - 1 night is OK as long as you're just using it for a transport hub and not expecting to see much of Athens.
Rome - 4 nights
Venice - 3 nights
Interlaken - 3 nights (options in Switzerland may be limited in February)
Paris - 4 nights

Leave Germany for another trip.

Bhavin_Trivedi

Hi Mayank,

Congrats for ur Honeymoon plan,Note Austria will be much better option then Germany.Even I'm going in Feb'13 for 15N/16D & visitng Italy(Rome,Amalfi cost,Florance,Venice),Switzerland(Lucerne,Interlak en) &France( Paris),staying 2n at each place and 3N in Paris.

janisj

"<i>I would do:

Santorini - 4 nights (this is the relaxing honeymoon part)</i>

Santorini - really? In <i>February?

janisj

Bhavin_Trivedi: "<i>Note Austria will be much better option then Germany</i>"

Since you haven't yet taken your trip, how do you know that is so? Many folks tried to explain how difficult your plan is.

clausar

Santorini in February won't be very appealing....
Most hotels, shops cafes and restaurants will be closed.. and it will be absolutely boring.....

Spending 1 day in Athens won't give you the chance to see anything from the city ( Acropolis New Museum of the Acropolis etc)

Have you calculated any traveling time between the places that you want to visit?
Checking out from your hotel, getting to the airport on time, flying, getting to the new hotel and checking in, will take at least half day of your time.....

Bhavin_Trivedi

Thanks janisj for noting ,,,,,,,,friend of mine staying in Germany from last 4 year so i have discussed with him in a detail which countries to explore in Europe

And if u see on the various website Austria carries more wattage then Germany ,at the end of the day its ur personal preference & choices

Heimdall

You are travelling in February, which is winter no matter where in Europe you go. I don't see the point of 4 nights in Santorini that time of year, nor 1 night in Athens for that matter.

I have stayed in Interlaken in February, and it is a wonderful time to be there, especially if you are a skier. Even if not, you can take the train up to Wengen, Kleine Sheidegg and Jungfraujoch for wonderful views of the Bernese Oberland.

Since weather is unlikely to be warm, suggest you focus your trip on the larger cities, e.g. Rome and Paris, where there are lots of things to do indoors (apart from the obvious). ;-)

mamcalice

WIth 20 days in the coldest part of winter, I would skip Santorini and Athens, fly directly to Rome and then:

Rome 5 days
Venice 4 days
Switzerland 5 days
Paris 5 days

Much more relaxing and you will have winter in Switzerland where it is beautiful and scenic and spend the rest of the time in cities where you can be inside.

Have a lovely honeymoon - Congratulations.

mayank_katoch1158

I plan to skip berlin and do 4 nights in Munich or Salzburg...as me and my fiancee have interest in WW II sites. We would like to see the eagles nest(Hitler's retreat) and the castle in Neuchwantein/Hohenchwangau which is in Fussen.

quokka

Eagle's Nest is closed during winter from late October until mid May, and that includes the bus line up.

You have to adjust your plans to the season if you travel in deep winter, as the others have already tried to tell you. This is a season for either skiing and winter sports in the mountains or culture-oriented city trips - or, in case you hit the carnival week, the festivals in those cities/regions where it is celebrated.

nytraveler

Could not agree more about skipping Greece. What is the point of a summer resort - with most things closed - in the dead of winter?

Definitely make your choices between outdoor winter or larger cities (where things will not be closed). Definitely check on the hours that Ludwig's Castles are open(there are several) and also when tours in English are given - unless you are fluent in German.

But - do check major sights to make sure they are open - and what hours (often shorter hours than in summer). Also be sure you have checked the average weather - so you have clothing/footwear for the cold and snow you will encounter.

Sassafrass

Along with others, I suggest skipping places that are best visited in warm weather and look for places that are special in winter. I would certainly skip Santorini in winter.

Now, I am going to throw out an idea that is not on your plan, but might be one of the most exciting things you could do in winter. Take in Fasnacht in Basel Switzerland. It begins, Monday, Feb 18. I've been to many festivals, etc. This is by far one of the most interesting, exciting and beautiful events I've ever seen.

The evening before, there is also a smaller, but also interesting event (the Fire Parade) in the nearby town of Liestal. Go to that first. Get a short nap at your hotel. Then go to the beginning of Fasnacht in Basel at 4:00AM. You would need to check that time. The entire center of town is dark, with only the huge, painted lanterns glowing.

These events are not at all like Octoberfest. Look them up on line for a glimpse of the costumes, etc. I've made the trip to Europe just for these events and hope to be able to do it again sometime. The city is expensive, but worth it for these events. You can even stay on the outskirts of the city and take the bus/train to the events.

azzure

Well, I guess I'm in the minority, but to me off-season travel to Santorini (February likely to be about 55 degrees and dry) sound like a good honeymoon idea. It's a beautiful island; how great to have it mostly to yourselves! (Of course, I live near Seattle where in February it's probably 40 degrees and raining.)

nytraveler

But how much fun if most places are closed. And 55 during the day - but how cold at night? With what heating arrangements?

clausar

azzure
Not sure you have been to Santorini during the winter.. i have...
Most hotels are closed.... shops cafes and restaurants too....
It is not fun, believe me...... it is not that much the weather, which can be warmer than elsewhere, it is the fact that there is not much to do.....

azzure

No, I've only been to Santorini in the summer, when it was mobbed with tourists and not at all romantic. But I see your point, if everything is closed...

mariha2912

Hello mayank_katoch1158 !
First of all February is a rainy month in Greece not a dry one. I have been a few times off season to Santorini and specifically on February years ago and it was simply miserable. On my February visit I remember that something like 4 out of 5 days was raining or partly raining. Of course this means nothing,I may have simply been unlucky... But even on dry days, there was not much to do other than a few walks... I remember once staying in Kamari,I think that was early March, and I was struggling to find a cafe to have a morning coffee. One day I took bus to Fira where I found only one place that looked like kafeteria outside but seemed to served as a local kafenion (frequented only by older men when a young female would feel uncomfortable) and an other small place that seemed to serve mostly local kids skipping going to school. An other day I took morning bus to Oia and I found nothing open, next bus back to Fira was hours later and after walking and walking around, a lady came out of a closed shop who she seemed to renovate or clean and tide up...I think actually she was just going there to kill some hours rather than do real work...Anyway, she asked me if I need some help and we started to chat, she offered me a coffee and thanks god her son waked up after a while to go to a Fira bank and gave me a lift!
Now you may ask, why the hell I was there at this time of the year at first place! This is a long and complicated story that includes a girl who I was studying with in Glyfada, who was originally coming from Kamari, her boyfriend, my then boyfriend and this girl's paranoid mother... lol

Now, I strongly believe that Athens is underrated by many... You can very pleasantly spend at least 5 nights/4 full days there even on February. You seemed to include it just a transit point on your original plan which was quite fast paced, so I will not insist on that one... but honestly you may want to have a closer look before ruling Athens out...

Whatever you end up doing, have a great honeymoon : )