swoosh35

I can't believe I'm leaving in a little over two weeks! I know "perfect" is a relative term and could mean something completely different to you than it would to me. But for kicks, how would you spend one extra day if you could look back in time during your travels? I am going to London, France & Italy for a few weeks but it doesn't have to just be in those places. I hope to travel more of Europe as the years go by so I'm curious to hear from anyone. I always get interesting responses from this forum and most of them are very helpful & thought-invoking. Looking forward to hearing from you and thank you for taking the time to share!

StCirq

Well, it won't help you much at all, but the answer to this is incredibly easy for me: sitting outside my house in St-Cirq with my sweetie beside me and our feet up on the wall, gazing out over the Vézère Valley with a plate of foie grois and cornichons and some cabécou and saucissons and a liter or two of Château Mazivert vin blanc sec.

MmePerdu

Walking on a canal towpath in the English countryside.

swoosh35

Wowza! That's what I'm talkin about! You just had to go raise the bar, didn't ya? I love the romantics out there!

BumbleB6

I went to Paris for a week many years ago. We saw a lot, but never made it to Chartres.
If (and when, actually) we go back, we will take the train to Chartres and see the cathedral and the town.

Also, the Pompidou Centre and Picasso museum, but that's another day, .

In Florence, I would spend it in the Oltrarno neighborhood across the Arno river, and wander there more; and in the early evening, slip in and hear the vespers at San Miniato al Monte. I kept meaning to, but never got around to that.

Btw, where exactly in France and Italy are you going? Have you been before?

swoosh35

This will be my first time in Europe - going to London, Paris, Nice area, Florence, Venice then Rome. I'm quite sure you'll go back and get to do all those things one day. Thanks for sharing... sounds lovely.

centraleurope

One of my favorite things is to wander the old walled villages near nice (Tourette's sur loop is nice)

Or get up early and walk along the seine eventually stopping for a cafe creme and buttered baguette (tartine)

You are hitting up some of the best Europe has to offer. Spend plenty of time wandering and enjoying!

BumbleB6

Sounds like a fantastic trip - Enjoy!

I've only been the three times, myself, to Europe. We've traveled a lot here in the U.S., but wanted to wait until our daughter was older to go to Europe, she's 15 now.
Haven't made it to Nice or Rome yet, but plan to! Hoping to go somewhere this coming spring, not sure where yet...

Again, enjoy! Consider giving a trip report when you get back - I'd love to hear your thoughts on Nice and Rome.

LSky

The perfect day for me starts out a daybreak in an old village and I'm the only person out. Although if my husband gets out with me that's great.

Go back to the hotel for a good breakfast and then hit a great museum. Wander around with no particular aim and top off the day with a long walk and see a nice sunset.

Castles are nice.

Things hit a high point if more than one person understands me perfectly in whatever language I'm trying desperately to speak.

michele_d

My perfect day on vacation: Get up whatever time I wake up. Have a little breakfast. Head out the door and just start strolling up and down the streets finding the little hidden gems not mentioned in the guide books. I love photographing old doors and windows, flowering plants, alleyways.

Along the way we'll poke in and out of little shops. If we happen to come across an antique/junk store well then that just tops off the day. We could both spend hours pouring over all the treasures. I love picking up little items from the antique shops. When I am home and look at them they bring back memories...but I digress.

After a little lunch; say a crepe in Paris or a slice of pizza in Venice or Rome we usually head to a park to relax for a bit before finding something sweet. If the town happens to have gelato well then that is the perfect solution to our sweet treat search.

Some more roaming about in the afternoon. A museum or something touristy.

We usually rent apartments so we will stop to pick up dinner fixins on the way back to our apt. Fix a light dinner. Relax a bit and then head back out in the evening to stroll about admiring the city lights. Relaxing and slow paced. This is my perfect day.

Sighhh...makes me want to go again NOW!

travelnut265

Paris-Get up early to take photos(good light),find a bakery for breakfast and people watch. Visit the Arc de Triomphe,Louvre museum , walk along the Seine. Watch the sunset over the Eiffel Tower and wait for the the lights to come on.Go to a deli and grab a picnic to eat in a park.
Italy-Have pizza in Pisa and pasta and a glass of wine by the Rialto bridge in Venice.
Nice -Go on the little train(catch near promenade)-Yes it is the tourist thing to do but it's fun and saves the walk up the hill.
Take lots of photos,smell the roses and wander the streets.
Have a wonderful trip.

bilboburgler

After a long breakfast near a lawn covered with dew but in a sunny breakfast room I would ride a bicycle gently to a nearby village for lunch (either a picnic or lunch of the day) then a gentle ride back, perhaps a little gardening or read the paper in the garden and home cooked food. So for this you need a gite/villa and be based in the countryside not the city.

peterSale

Iceland without question or Sweden as we didn't see much of it, or back to Finland or Denmark. Anywhere there is walking tracks.

mama_mia

I am in Italy. I take an early morning walk, snapping pictures as the town comes to life, still cloaked in bit of mist. I return to the apartment/hotel and enjoy a cappuccino on the balcony with my hubby, taking in the scenery.

If it is market day, we may check that out to get the local vibe, and then head to a museum or perhaps a hike in the nearby countryside. A great extended lunch, doing some serious people watching, then a nice stroll, perhaps popping into a few stores, maybe picking up some olive oil, linens or pottery or whatever is locally produced.

Time for another break, maybe wine, espresso or gelato.

Another museum or church visit, some walking and then a great dinner in an outdoor cafe.

Maybe another gelato stop, as we enjoy an evening stroll.

I guess I have come to define my perfect day as less museum/site intense and more relaxed.

Rubicund

Hire a boat from somewhere along the east coast of Corfu and wander gently along, stopping to swim. Then for lunch call in at Nikolas's Taverna in Agni Bay, eat the spicy fish for a main course. Surround it with some ouzo and red wine, relax in the sun. Potter back to the starting point in the boat.

catherinehaas

Perfect day in Europe thus far would be a early morning rise in a small hotel with a balcony overlooking the Alps. Coffee and pastries from the local market. Let the sun rise and the coffee sink in. Spend the day exploring villages / towns not on every tour buses radar. I love southern Germany (south of Salzburg) near Berchtesgaden. Hit the local market for a fresh loaf of bread, cheese, and a great bottle of wine. Picnic on the banks Lake Königssee. Shop the local open air markets for something other than the typical souvenir. Dine at the local restaurant / pub with the locals.

For me, going to Europe is so much more than the scenery. It is about the people and the culture. It's about the moments you have with the locals and for just one minute in time making friends with people a million light years from your "daily" routine. Those are the stories you tell your grandchildren.

I ADORE Rome and Paris; however, it is on everyone's radar and thus vastly overcrowded. But with that said, when you are in Rome and Paris, get up early, before the crowds, and take a walk down the Sienne or walk through the piazzas. There is nothing quite like having the Trevi fountain all to yourself.

Have a great time...

sofarsogood

buying a winning lottery ticket

then all of the above

annhig

getting up early and wandering around Venice as it wakes up, watching the boatmen unloading their vegetables and fish, the rubbish boats going past, the sun on the water, venitians going to work, priests going to their churches...

it seems that lots of us are thinking of the early morning experiences we've had...

Rubicund

Not allowed to recount some early morning experiences!

sofarsogood

the best early mornings usually start the night before