European honeymoon in March?
Jun 16th, 1999, 09:00 AM
#1
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European honeymoon in March?
My fiance and I got engaged in Paris and would like to honeymoon in Europe. In total, we have 10 days for our trip. <BR> <BR>We would like to start with 2-3 days in Heidelberg or Mannheim, Germany (where my grandparents grew up) and end with 3-4 days in Paris. This leaves 3-5 days in between and we're not sure what to do (especially since it is March and the weather can be iffy). We were thinking of going "south" to Switzerland, "north" to Belgium, or just meandering across eastern france. <BR> <BR>We'd like to see as much as we can, but we also don't want to spend our entire honeymoon on a train or in a rental car! <BR> <BR>Any ideas and suggestions are welcome!! <BR>
Jun 16th, 1999, 12:21 PM
#2
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Marisa: March leaves you at the mercy of the weather where just about anywhere can be quite cool, if not outright cold. <BR> <BR>I would choose Heidelburg over Mannheim if you haven't done so. It is more romantic with the river and the castle, as well as the university, town square, etc. <BR> <BR>Only very south in Italy or Spain would offer any really warm weather, but that is out of the way. <BR> <BR>You could work your way westward through Germany and into the Provence area of France and making your way to Paris by train. There are quite a few great towns in that area and although everything wouldn't be in bloom, it would be a romantic trip, to be sure. Do a search at this site for "Provence" and it should bring up a bundle of info as many "Fodorite's" have discussed it in detail previously. <BR> <BR>Congratulations and good luck!
Jun 16th, 1999, 12:23 PM
#3
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Marisa: March leaves you at the mercy of the weather where just about anywhere can be quite cool, if not outright cold. <BR> <BR>I would choose Heidelburg over Mannheim if you haven't done so. It is more romantic with the river and the castle, as well as the university, town square, etc. <BR> <BR>Only very south in Italy or Spain would offer any really warm weather, but that is out of the way. <BR> <BR>You could work your way westward through Germany and into the Provence area of France and making your way to Paris by train. There are quite a few great towns in that area and although everything wouldn't be in bloom, it would be a romantic trip, to be sure. Do a search at this site for "Provence" and it should bring up a bundle of info as many "Fodorite's" have discussed it in detail previously. <BR> <BR>Congratulations and good luck!
Jun 16th, 1999, 06:06 PM
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<BR>Congratulations! And no matter where you have your honeymoon in Europe, it will be special and romantic; to me ANY part of Europe is special and romantic! Part of the problem, for me anyway, in traveling in colder months, is having to bring warmer, therefore heavier, clothing. More of a nuisance to pack for those trips I think. I like to pack light. <BR>So if weather is a consideration, yes, try May or later. May can still be chilly and rainy though in Switzerland, Germany etc. especially in the evenings. So you might want to go further South....Italy, Portugal, Spain????? Having just been to Spain and Portugal for the first time this past end of April/May, I'd say they were perfect to honeymoon in (as of course Italy, France are). I know you don't have much time, but it's just a suggestion. However, if you are tied into going to Germany, then I do suggest going later.
Jun 16th, 1999, 07:53 PM
#6
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Winter can be OK. My husband and I took off for Amsterdam the day after we got married, in February! We only had one day of rain and the rest of the time wasn't too cold. What was really nice though, was to see the place in the off-season - no hoards of tourists, long line-ups for museums, etc. We took the train across part of the country and may have been the only tourists on board. We regard it as our most fun trip ever (although we would like to go back at tulip time.)
Jun 17th, 1999, 04:55 AM
#7
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We were in the UK and Paris in February and had rather nice weather. We were surprised to have sun everyday with some rain here or there and it wasn't that cold. Of course, I'm used to Minnesota and Chicago winters so I'm used to dealing with the cold. If you go in March, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I just knew that I would have a great time even if it were cold and rainy the whole time. Congratulatons and have fun!
Jun 17th, 1999, 05:06 AM
#8
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If weather is a concern, May would be very good choice, and there aren't too many tourists then. I have been to southern Germany and Strasbourg, France in May. Southwestern Germany was very nice that time of year (we were told while there that Freiburg gets more sun than anywhere else in Germany). Even on the one day it rained, it was fairly warm. We did encounter rain and cool weather though in the Munich area.
Jun 17th, 1999, 05:08 AM
#9
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I spent a semester in southern Germany in college- from January til May. I must say, we were glad when the warmer weather finally came, but the winter weather didn't keep us from anything. In fact, a cool misty morning can be beautiful! One suggestion would be to check out Auf Schönburg in Oberwessel on the Rhine. It's a castle that has been converted to a hotel. (you can find more about it in Karen Brown's book, or at her website, karenbrown.com) I've been there twice, once with my parents when I was 12, and once again with my college girlfriends. It would be a wonderfully romantic place with a new husband! It would fit in nicely between Heidelburg (a must) and Paris. Congrats, and have fun planning!
Jun 17th, 1999, 10:35 AM
#10
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Marisa: After living in Germany, I knew that for our trip, May was best. <BR> <BR>Prior to May, it is usually cold or at least chilly, and an umbrella is standard equipment. After May, the crowds arrive and it can take much longer to eat, commute, whatever. <BR> <BR>I chose the final week of May for the five of us and it went great! We started on the Middle Rhine, then on to Munich, Oberammergau, Dinkelsbuhl and finally, Frankfurt. Temps were from about 70F during the day to maybe low 80's, which is unusual. Mid-70's is fairly typical. <BR> <BR>If you wait until May, you could alter your plan. The first two days in Heidelburg, then maybe two days along the Rhine in maybe Assmanshausen or Bacharach. You could head west along the Mosel River from Koblenz and stop at the little towns, like maybe Cochem and see Burg Eltz. Continuing west, you could make your way to Trier along the French and Luxembourg borders, finally heading to Paris and ditching the rental car immediately. <BR> <BR>Or, you could take that detour into Provence. The weather should be very pleasant and everything in bloom... <BR> <BR>Best of luck. <BR> <BR>P.S. I'm going out of town on business, so if you ask me anything in particular and I don't respond, it isn't because I don't want to. 
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