wonderingwind

Hey Guys, my GF and me are planning to head to europe in early june and was wondering if we could get some advice. We can only go for a week due to work scheduling, so we decided to just pick one city/area and stick to that. We want to go to a big city because it is my first time in Europe, but also want to go somewhere relaxing and beautiful to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities. I guess we are tryign to fit two trips into one, see a big city with the famous spots but also see something naturally beautiful and relaxing. I really want to go to London but I live in New York and feel it may be to similar for me and nothing really close thats worth to see. So here is what we came up with in no order:

1) Rome to Almafi Coast
2) Florence to Cinque Terre
3) Madrid then Barcelona ( big city but has nice beaches around it)
4) Paris to French Riviera
5) London to ?

Which one do you guys think is the best to do and feasible for 1 week. Also Do you guys have any other suggestions that fit our needs.

amer_can

There is absolutly nothing relaxing about your plans if in fact 1 through 5 is your goal. ..More like 3 trips..I may be reading it all wrong and hope so!!!My personal choice would be MAD to BCN ( but both are cities)..2nd would be Florence to CT.(CT will be terribly crowded but beautiful).Paris to Pays Basque.(rather than the Riveria)would also be a consideration of mine. Check out some You Tube videos for these areas and throw a dart at the map!!!

ElendilPickle

amer_can, it looks like the poster wants to choose one of his five options for this trip, not all five in a week.

That said, wonderingwind, I haven't been to four of the five options on the list. But you could spend a whole week in London with a day trip or two to other areas.

Lee Ann

nytraveler

The problem is that none of the places you have picked are really quiet. All of the small er places are still tourist central and will be mobbed as well.

If it were me I would cosider London and then a couple of days (by car) in a small town in the Cotswolds (busy during the day with bus tours but quiet once they leave).

If you want to do Rome I would pick a town like Orvieto (also quiet in the evenings) instead of a long trek to the mobbed Amalfi coast.

Or you could do Munich and one of the many towns in the German Alps.

I think all would be less onerous travel and mobbed destinations.

gailscout

Check out Edinburgh. It should really be beautiful in the parks then. Easy to get around new town as it is much flatter than old town which is very hilly. Good museums convenient to center of town, as well as historic castles, parks and historic churches. You can walk everywhere. Take a cab to Leith for seafood. In a week you could also take tours to St Andrews and the highlands.

isabel

How long can you stretch your week? How many days not counting travel days?

Rome to Amalfi Coast would be my first choice, but you really need three or four days min in each. Staying in Sorrento would simplify things (easiest to get to from Rome) but will be pretty busy/touristy in June. But actually all your choices will be. Easy to train from Rome down to Sorrento.

Florence and CT are very doable in a week. Easy train connection between them.

If you choose Spain I'd skip Madrid and just do Barcelona. There are several small towns that would make a nice couple day side trip including Girona and Cadaques. You could even go up to Ceret or Collouire in France for a couple days (these all require a car though).

Paris and Cote d'Azure doable but best if you had at least 8 or 9 days. Easyjet flies from Paris to Nice. Another alternative would be to train down to Avignon from Paris for a few days (Provence rather than Riviera).

There are lots of places you could combine with London - smaller cities such as Oxford or Bath, or very small villages in the Cotswolds.

hetismij2

Just to throw another idea into the mix - what about Amsterdam? Staying in the city or maybe in Haarlem you could spend a few days visiting Amsterdam and easily do day trips out to smaller towns/ countryside or spend a couple of nights out in another part of the Netherlands, away from it all.

Jean

How big is "big"? I'd go to Luzern + lake + mountains. With only one week, you want logistics to be easy and efficient. Nobody beats the Swiss in that department. An overnight flight JFK-Zurich puts you in Luzern in time for lunch.

But I like the Amsterdam idea too.

scotlib

Lovely city .. small city feel .. natural beauty nearby .. lots of day trip options, from sea side to rural landscapes to a bigger city .. history .. art .. outdoor activities .. indoor activities ...

another vote for Edinburgh


but if London has your heart, don't hesitate .. NYC doesn't have history you can touch over 1,800 years old