teadrinker

Hi,
We are a family of four (27, 29 year old and mid fifties couple), who are searching for ideas on a travel destination for this mid-October.
Originally, we had plans to go to Viet Nam, Cambodia, see Angkor Wat, etc., but felt at this time, it was taking on too much in the way of flight time, Visa's, as well as jet lag coming home. There's an event in mid-November we need to be home for as well.
The original trip was interesting to all of us, and I liked it because I've been there before, and found the area fascinating. The tours of the temples and other areas, (Siam Reap for instance) would have been great. I know everyone would be invested, and we would never be lacking for things to see and do. Also, Viet Nam has beautiful places - I've never been to them, and we looked forward to the possibility of going there to discover more... However, it's now going to the back burner.
One of us is traveling from California, the rest are coming from the East Coast.
We are looking to travel somewhere in Europe somewhere where the weather will be warm and sunny, with little to no rain.
I'd love there to be, as Cambodia had, places to visit with history and tours so that we can take away knowledge. Somewhere with plenty to see and do.
We love the beach, waves, and as anyone would, beautiful scenery. We also enjoy the outdoors and would welcome healthy hikes - we aren't mountain climbers, but we aren't lazy either. Some of us might be in better shape and have more energy than the others but we all are game for the opportunity to engage our limbs in some healthy exercise while we are on vacation!
Can anyone suggest a rough itinerary of sorts?
I had considered Greece, having visited Santorini in 1985, it was so beautiful. I researched other areas of Greece but there are so many islands, it was difficult) Would Greece be "off" due to it's current financial crisis?
Venice is another area which is of interest, Rome would be nice. Pompeii...
I read somewhere about "the most beautiful train ride in the world"... from Italy to ??? Are we already too late to start making plans?
We plan to connect tomorrow evening to discuss some ideas. I appreciate your help in the meantime. Thank you very much.

DebitNM

We will be in south of France, in Provence this October; it will be our third time in Provence at this time of year. It's beautiful with far less tourists than during summer. Highly recommend it, most places are still open with a few restaurants that may be closing for season but that is closer to November.

sandralist

I wouldn't rule out Greece because of its economic woes. Tourism is one of its major industries and it has been unaffected by the situation, and even if the money situation gets worse for Greek citizens, it will not be negative for people coming with money to spend inside the country. Just because a country is in the headlines doesn't mean its unstable or unsafe.

I think you will find, however, that transport connections between islands begin to dwindle in October, so you might want to arrange your trip with any island explorations at the beginning, and then tour the mainland.

One nice thing about swapping Greece for southeast Asia is that Greece is a very cheap destination compared to many other places in sunny southern Europe in October.

greg

Greece should not be ruled out. If you read actual experiences from the people ware are currently there, the big issue at this time is that merchants don't want to accept credit cards. I presume they cannot access the fund locked in their bank accounts. They want Euro cash and since everyone is trying to get cash out of ATM machines, even though foreign bank account holder are exempt from withdrawal limits, it really does not help if there is no cash in ATM. This means you have to bring all the spending money in Euro cash from outside the country. People are reporting fabulous deals paying things in cash.

It is not too late to make plans to visit Italy, to most extent. What I found difficult, is if you have eyes on specific small boutique inns with great reviews at great prices, some of them can be devilishly difficult to book unless you have done it almost a year ahead. If you are not picky, there are still many accommodations.

If you visit museums, Italy has many museums requiring reservations several months ahead just to be able to get in.

Italy, being a long country, usually favors open-jaw flights when you are visiting a large swath of the country.

You tagged France. One thing that catches many people by surprise is how time consuming it is to connect France to popular parts of Italy by land. If you are doing France and Italy, think early how you are going to connect them.

sandralist

>>Italy, being a long country, usually favors open-jaw flights when you are visiting a large swath of the country.<<

Not true. Italy has high speed trains that are less time consuming than getting to the airport and flying when you are traveling between cities. One can travel from Milan to Rome in 3 hours; Venice to Rome in just a bit more. Florence is only 90 minutes from Rome, and Naples is just another hour away. The high speed lines don't extend much south of Naples, and are also unavailable on some coastal routes (east and west), or in Sicily and Sardinia.

But generally speaking, traveling between major Italian cities, by the time you get to the airport, leave the requisite time for security, fly, and then get from the airport to the city center, you could have been checked into your hotel and sightseeing sooner had you taken the train.

Heimdall

I see no reason to rule out Greece, either. The "financial crisis" is having an impact on Greek citizens, but almost no effect on tourists. Currently tourists are advised to bring more cash in euros than before, but ATMs and credit cards are working normally. This is the latest message to US citizens from the American Embassy in Athens:

"Those who are visiting or are going to visit Greece should be aware that capital control measures imposed by the Greek government do not apply to transactions or withdrawals made via ATM with the use of debit or credit cards issued in their country. Dated 29 June 2015."

For an October trip I would recommend concentrating on the mainland, which has all the things you are looking for. That makes for easier planning, because all you have to do is rent a car and plan a road itinerary. No worries about ferry timetables, flights, or weather on the islands. Hotels have plenty of vacancies that time of year, so it's easy to make last minute reservations.

The Peloponnese has amazing scenery, with ancient sites, Venetian castles, mountains, beautiful beaches, and more. Delphi is another place I wouldn't miss. Ferries run to every island 12 months of the year, so if you wish to see an island or two that will be possible. Some inter-island links stop at the end of the summer, while ferries to/from Athens continue to run.

traveller1959

The Côte d'Azur is very beautiful in October - we have been there many times in October. It will be warm and sunny and the beautiful blue sea will still be warm and the flowers start blooming again in October.

There is breathtaking scenery, culture, food - whatever you want!

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...%27Esterel.jpg

traveller1959

You find detailed information on the Côte d'Azur here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...cote-dazur.cfm

teadrinker

Thanks for the info and the reassurance that Greece is still a viable destination despite their financial difficulties. And thanks for the other info that will be handy as we plan our trip.

littlejane

If you like hiking, the Cinque Terre in Italy is just stunning. Went there last September / October and really enjoyed it. As there are lots of different trails and trains between all the villages it could suit all members of the group. CT is quiet and 3 or 4 days would do it justice; you could easily combine it with another Italian city/town or two.

msteacher

Fly into Venice for 3-4 days, take train to Rome for 4-5 days, then take train to Naples and onward to Sorrento for several more days (Pompeii, beaches, hiking Capri). Fly home from Naples.

bobthenavigator

That time of year, your best weather options will be in Sicily. It is worth at least 2 weeks of your time.

Click my name above to find my TR.

mamcalice

I agree with the recommendation for Sicily. It is a wonderful place to travel. We just returned from 2 weeks in Greece and, while we had no financial problems at all and we loved the trip, Sicily would be my choice.

PalenQ

I read somewhere about "the most beautiful train ride in the world"... from Italy to ???>

That would be the Bernina Express IMO and IME - take a train from Milan to Tirano, Italy (not Turino) and then switch to a Swiss train going up and over the Bernina Pass and a Top of the World look with glaciers tumbling down to placid Alpine lakes - the train goes to St Mortiz or Chur and is a great way to get to Switzerland from Italy.

For more details on this Bernina Express train route check www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.seat61.com - those sites also have a wealth of info if think about European rail travel.

Vttraveler

You could also consider Croatia.

Nikki

I believe the suggestion for open jaw flights in Italy was to fly into the first city and leave from the last one rather than flying into and out of the same city to avoid doubling back. It was not a recommendation to fly between cities while touring within Italy.

bilboburgler

Greece will be great, the financial thing will have little affect on any holiday, though you may need to take a bit more extra cash. So many sites in Greece it hard to choose and you should also look at Turkey, which can be astounding.

Of the more western countries you mention the weather may not be so good but could be fine. Rome and the Romans are all worth visitiong and you can do that all the way from Provence (France) all the way down to El Jem (Tunisia), from Eastern Turkey to Seville (Spain)

It really deoends on how much money you want to spend andhow much travel you want to put up with. On top of the Roman civilisation there are a bunch of stuff from the middle ages and the reformation that make EUrope a place that can be pretty impressive.

If "doing-Italy", I'd look at Rome, Ravenna, Venice, Florence, Siena, Herculanium, Pompeii and then one of Sicily/Basilicata/Puglia but it does depend on the time you have, the list above would require about 4 weeks.

Christina

I like to go to Spain in October, it has great weather then. But you don't even mention it, so I gather it isn't of interest. I think it has the weather you want.

Vttraveler

I think some posters are minimizing the effect that financial issues will have on a trip to Greece in the near future. It may all be resolved by October. I have a co-worker who goes to Greece every summer to stay with her MIL and family. She is leaving today and was quite concerned about going.

bilboburgler

"If you visit museums, Italy has many museums requiring reservations several months ahead just to be able to get in. "

Many? Well it has very many museums that you just stroll up to. Only aware of only a few that need reservations and often from the the week before.