Back for more Honeymoon Help

Old Jul 28th, 2015, 09:54 AM
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Back for more Honeymoon Help

Hi all! My fiance and I have chosen a date for our wedding...June 24, 2016. This means more than likely we will give ourselves a few days after the wedding to unwind and pack. So basically the Honeymoon will be taking place in July next year. We are looking to go to Europe for 3 weeks (originally we thought 2 weeks) and will be leaving from the NYC area. We were thinking Italy and Switzerland but I wanted to come back here and get more feedback because we are confused and keep changing our minds. I have been to Southern Italy, England, and Scotland. My fiance has never been to Europe.

We are looking for some adventure such as hiking, zip lining as well as relaxation by the water or pool. Here is a list of places we have been doing research on recently.

Switzerland~Lucerne, Geneva, Wengen & Grindelwald
Germany~Munich & Bavaria Region
Italy~Venice
Austria~Salzburg (I love the sound of music)
Croatia~ Split, Dubrovnik, islands in the region

We do NOT want to see all these places in 3 weeks, but would like some input using this list of places for a 3 week honeymoon trip that would allow some adventure, sightseeing (not museums), great food, wine, and relaxation. Many of you have already offered some wonderful advice so I am hoping to get some more from people who have visited these areas. We would prefer not to spend the majority of our time traveling from place to place. Trains and planes as well as hiring a driver are all options for traveling purposes if needed.

Thanks so much!
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Old Jul 28th, 2015, 11:10 AM
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Trains and planes as well as hiring a driver are all options for traveling purposes if needed.>

Trains and buses where trains don't go are great - no need to hire a driver - postal buses go from Salzburg to the Sound of Music country in the Austrian Lakes District just east of Salzburg - stay in a St Wolfgang and drink up the scenery and bath in the lake, if water is warm enough!

For lots on trains in those areas check these info-laden sources: www.seat61.com - goo dinfo on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. Youmay want to fly to Crotia or take a long boat ride there from Venice.
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Old Jul 28th, 2015, 11:15 AM
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Palen~ St Wolfgang looks beautiful! And its easy to get to Salzburg from there?
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Old Jul 28th, 2015, 11:31 AM
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Definitely keep Venice on your list!

For the Geneva area, I prefer the smaller towns along the lake (and train line) instead of Geneva proper... Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux.
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Old Jul 28th, 2015, 12:05 PM
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Thank you Suze....I have heard Venice is a MUST SEE! I will look into the smaller towns. I actually did look at Montreux and it looks amazing
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Old Jul 28th, 2015, 06:17 PM
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With 3 weeks, you can do most of your wish list, but Croatia would be a stretch. I would start in Munich and end in Zurich to fly home, with a total of 6 destinations to include the Salzburg area, Venice, and the Berner Oberland. Sounds like great fun to me.
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Old Jul 29th, 2015, 06:40 AM
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Montreux is neat but many actually like nearby Vevey a tad more - sticks right out into the lake - but both are great and nicer than say staying in Geneva or Lausanne, vairly large modern cities.
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Old Jul 29th, 2015, 06:45 AM
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Hi Golden, back again..sailing down at Split is wonderful with all the islands
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Old Jul 29th, 2015, 07:10 AM
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I might go to Salzburg, then head to the Dolomiti for beauty and zip lines), then onto Venice, then Croatia, in that order.
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Old Jul 29th, 2015, 08:49 AM
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I only happen to specifically know Vevey/Montreux because I have friends who live there. I've visited 5 times.

And Venice is my other most favorite place I've been. It truly is magical. I've been twice and spent 4-5 days each time.
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Old Jul 29th, 2015, 08:59 AM
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Hi GoldenGirl1028,

Be careful about visiting Montreux in July, when it hosts the famous Montreux Jazz Fest for 2 weeks. It is absolutely mobbed at that time. Unless you really like jazz and would like to attend some concerts, you'd probably be best to avoid it then. The dates for next year are 1-16 July (it will be sold out months in advance for those dates, and likely for a few days before and after, too).

If you stay in Vevey, you'll miss most of the madness but be close enough to visit. Town bus #201 links Montreux & Vevey with departures every 10 minutes and bus stops at just about every other corner; as a visitor you'll get the Riviera Card which makes the busses free. Depending on where you start in Vevey and where you go in Montreux, travel time is about 15-20 minutes. Very entertaining ride alongside the lake.

I attended boarding school in Montreux (a lifetime ago . . . ) and visit there for 1 or 2 weeks just about every year or every other year. Let us know if you have any specific questions --

s
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Old Jul 29th, 2015, 12:23 PM
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swandav2000 - do you know if those Lausanne-Vevey-Montreux buses are still trolley buses - electric buses or have they bit the dust - curious from a train/tram/trolley bus nut.

Thanks!
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Old Jul 29th, 2015, 04:04 PM
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Thank you all so much for all the input so far. I forgot about the jazz festival....I think I would rather avoid the Montreux area for now. Is a 3 week trip doable with the places I have listed? Again, we do not want to be traveling the entire time and would like to spend time in each place.

Im having a hard time figuring out how many days should we stay in each city or town? And like many people, I am also having a hard time choosing exactly where to go so we arent always on the go.

I actually need to do more research on Croatia as I dont know as much about that area, but what islands or towns/cities in Croatia would be a MUST see for a first trip there?
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Old Jul 29th, 2015, 09:45 PM
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Hi again,

I personally prefer to stay 4 nights in a new place; that will give me time to get to know the lay of the land, find sights I want to see, have some down time to absorb the views, meet some people, taste the cuisine, experience the culture, etc.

So, with 21 days, that means you have time for maybe 5 places or perhaps 6, including your last night before departure. I wouldn't try to do more than that.

Remember that every time you switch bases, you lose about half a day of "outside" time due to the chores of packing up and checking out, then checking in and unpacking again. If your two bases are far apart and you have to travel for several hours, then you lose a full day.

Try to think in regions and stop in places that are in the same area.

Have fun!

s
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Old Jul 30th, 2015, 12:01 AM
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Split, Trogir, Brac (or Hvar) are top of my list. Dubrovnik maybe for a night,
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Old Jul 30th, 2015, 02:11 AM
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For some of the destinations you are talking about, traveling is not losing a day but moving through an extremely scenic area.

Also, you may be one of the people who needs half a day to pack up and check out of a hotel, but many people do it in less than an hour, and even less checking in.

You should probably start a separate thread asking about Croatia.
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Old Jul 30th, 2015, 06:49 AM
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I don't know the northern destination on your list, but I honeymooned in Croatia. It's northern region, Istria, is easily combined with Venice. Also, because of Croatia's popularity among Germans, flights from Germany to Croatia should be easy to come by. You and the fiance just have to decide what kind of trip you are looking for I guess--in Croatia I find the real beauty is getting off the beaten path, though there are certainly some gems, mentioned by Bilboburgler. I would add Korcula and Plitvice national park to the list, but it you went to Croatia and saw not one of those places it would still be lovely.
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Old Jul 30th, 2015, 02:55 PM
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Thank you everyone so much for your input...again! You really can drive yourself crazy researching all these amazing places...and im just getting more and more confused.

I can say that we definitely want to go to Switzerland. We are pretty much set on going to Lucerne, Wengen, and would like to add Ennetburgen. We would like to stay at the Villa Honegg on the Burgenstock for 3 nights to enjoy the view and relax. In Wengen we are considering the Hotel Schoenegg and would like to go hiking and visit other towns such as Grindelwald for zip lining. In Lucerne we are thinking about the Art Deco Hotel Montana.

We also would love to go to Salzburg, Venice, Munich and Fussen (mainly for the Neuschwanstein castle, and to stroll the streets)

We plan for 3 weeks. Do we want to see too many places for this amount of time? How many days/nights would be ideal in each of these places so we do not feel like we are living out of our suitcases? One other place we have always wanted to see is Lake Como, but if this does not make sense to add then it can wait.

My fiance and I spoke and feel our trips are usually to a beach or an island somewhere and we thought it would be great to see new places and scenery. I think we would like to have a good balance of sightseeing, adventure, strolling the streets, and times to relax by the pool with a view.

HELP! Thanks!!
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Old Jul 30th, 2015, 09:28 PM
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Hi again,

I believe I already answered your question about how many places to see and how many nights --

"I personally prefer to stay 4 nights in a new place; that will give me time to get to know the lay of the land, find sights I want to see, have some down time to absorb the views, meet some people, taste the cuisine, experience the culture, etc.

So, with 21 days, that means you have time for maybe 5 places or perhaps 6, including your last night before departure. I wouldn't try to do more than that."

s
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Old Jul 31st, 2015, 05:10 AM
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Thanks you Swandav! I would prefer to stay 4 nights in new places as well. Being that it is our honeymoon, we do not want to feel rushed. Its nice to enjoy the new places you are visiting.
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