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Seeking Help for Honeymoon in Europe From 10th Feb to 22nd Feb 2013

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Seeking Help for Honeymoon in Europe From 10th Feb to 22nd Feb 2013

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Old Oct 5th, 2012, 04:21 AM
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Seeking Help for Honeymoon in Europe From 10th Feb to 22nd Feb 2013

Hi Guys,
I am traveling from India & Its my dream to spend my Honeymoon time in Switzerland .So I need your Help to explore the Europe.I am planing to cover 3 Countries i.e. Switzerland ,France & Italy and if possible Austria too.I am aware about the whether conditions i.e. too cold But Me & my fiance are prepared to face it.I would very much appreciate if you Help me to explore all the fabulous place in these country.I want to freeze everything by end of this Month i.e.October 2012.
Look forward to receive your HELP.
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Old Oct 5th, 2012, 04:40 AM
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Congratulations on your wedding plans. And it sounds like you will have a very memorable honeymoon.

Perhaps the best help we can provide is to suggest that you modify your plans to create an itinerary that can be accomplished in 10 days. As it is, you are trying to see too much in that amount of time and will spend the majority of your time in trains and planes and not seeing the wonderful sights of Europe.

Do you have 10 days for touring or does this include travel time to and from India? With 10 days, I would suggest no more than 3 stops. With 8 days, I think 2 stops would work better. If you want to see Switzerland, perhaps add Paris to your itinerary and see Paris and Switzerland. You are right - the weather will be very cold in February.

Do some research and choose the places you most want to see and those of us on the Fodors board will be happy to help you with details.
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Old Oct 5th, 2012, 06:57 AM
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the weather will be very cold in February.>

maybe at highler elevations in Switzerland but not in Paris or most of France where it rarely goes under freezing or snows though last winter was a huge exception to that!)- but coming from India the term 'cold' could mean temps in 40s or 50s and I'd expect in Paris in February and have seen as such several February sojourns I have made in Paris.
As for ideas on where to go and especially if traveling by train you'll find a lot of ideas at these fantastic IMO sites - www.ricksteves.com and http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/si...s/rg011210.pdf.

mamcalice makes a sage suggestion of limiting 12 days to two countries - Switzerland I guess is a given and then Italy or France. Italy of course would have much warmer weather dependably than northern France in winter.
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Old Oct 5th, 2012, 09:58 AM
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Paris will be very cold compared to India - although agree it has a generally mildish winter for a temperate climate. But if you're not used to it 40 degrees with rain and wind can seem arctic.

Agree you need to determine how many days you actually hae on he ground nd then divide by a resonable number of stop. Either way I would stay in 2 places - posibly doing a day trip from each.

Not sure why you really want Switz so much - although I love it. But in Feb it is all about winter sports and you will have cold and snow most everywhere (controlled in the cities, bigger towns and on the main roads) - but nothing like all the pictures of beautiful green meadows and cute towns and cows and Heidi you see in the summer.

if you tell us what you want to DO - any winter sports at all - and if no, what in Switz - and what in other places people can make better recos.

Generally the bigger cities are better in winter since they have so much more to see and do indoors - that the weather matters a lot less.

Also - make sure you have your wardrobe worked out - you don;t want to arrive and find you have to buy a whole new one.
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Old Oct 8th, 2012, 04:03 AM
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Thanks Guys for your feedback!!!I am spending 10-11 days in Europe.But Please advise,if I am ready to face winter.....
1>Shall I miss any of the activity during Winter???
2> Whether will be so extreme that,I can't step-out from room if I would like to include Swiss.(like stuck in snow fall etc.etc.)
I am planning to start from Paris,Italy & then swiss in order to get used to with whether conditions.
But Please advise me very specifically which are the City must I see & Hope 3* Hotel will be the comfortable.
I just don't want to miss anything Bcz I am very much curious for that!!!!!

Secondly which is not presently on top of the priority but Its must that both of us are pure Vegetarian(No Egg.No Fish)so we can find something enough without any trouble
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Old Oct 8th, 2012, 04:18 AM
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No egg, no fish but I guess dairy products are ok. This should be no problem in each country, though France can be a bit trickier. I suggest you google the basic words that describe what you cannot eat in each language to avoid a problem. If you are struggling to find any where to eat you will find "foreign" restaurants in most major cities, in particular, North African, Indonesian and Indian restaurants will have sections in the menu that are perfect for you.

It is extremely unlikly that you will not be able to step out of your hotel because of the weather, if, you are dressed for the weather. Generally you need lined trousers, a good jacket, boots, thick socks, gloves and a hat. If you want to participate in many of the sports you will need special clothes on top of this, though cross country skiing needs virtually no special clothes.

In any winter it is likely that trains/buses/roads in general and airports may close for up to 24 hours somewhere in Central Europe (last year it was Austria and I was in the middle of it).

Switzerland is generally the most expensive of the countries yo uhave selected and certain cities (Zurich and Geneve) are the worst of all. There is a good site www.tripadvisor.com which offers generally good tips (works better in Germany, France and Switzerland than Italy and much better than say North Africa.
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Old Oct 8th, 2012, 04:22 AM
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nytraveler put this great thread up over the weekend, it may help.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ed-to-know.cfm
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Old Oct 8th, 2012, 08:34 AM
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With only 10-11 days, you do not have time for 3 countries, as it takes time (and longer in winter) to get from one to another. You will lose a full day each time you go to another country, so there's a third of your trip down the drain.

Yes, it will be cold, and yes, things in some places will be closed, limiting your activities. We have no idea what your actual tolerance level is for cold, but in Switzerland there is a real possibility of snow that could hinder your ability to get out and move around, if you're not comfortable with freezing temperatures, snowfall, etc., or aren't properly dressed.

Personally, I would scale down this trip and choose two countries, two cities, actually, where things will always be open and you have the option of doing mostly indoor activities. Paris and Rome would be my choices, with one day devoted to flying between them.

3* hotels will be fine. Just be sure you understand the star ratings of hotels in Europe. They aren't the same as, for example, here in the USA - not sure about India.

I wouldn't worry a bit about diet. There is everything imaginable to eat all over Europe. Do figure out the French and Italian words for things you can't eat so you know what you're getting.
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Old Oct 8th, 2012, 12:14 PM
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, but in Switzerland there is a real possibility of snow that could hinder your ability to get out and move around>

rubbish IMO - where in Switzerland can an average non-alpinist tourist be stranded by snow - except in some rare avalanche over a railway for a few hours before bus subsitutions are put in?

Really where St Cirq may this happen in late February or any time of year when they could not even get out?
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Old Oct 9th, 2012, 12:24 AM
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Dear PalenQ,StCirq,Mamcalice,nytraveler,bilboburgler... ...

Guys thaksto everyone for your valuable feedback,I really appreciate your input on various subject.

But again I wanted to reconfirm ,IS IT ADVISABLE TO TRAVEL Europe(Italy,Fracne,Swiss,Austria)in Winter (month of February) where we experienced extreme cold around 42Deg F( 6 Deg C).

At the end of Day ,I don't want to be Disappoint(by missing anything) but still have a strong desire for Europe!!!!!!!I'm Totally Blank at this moment as I have to freeze everything by end of this Month........
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Old Oct 9th, 2012, 01:05 AM
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OK, here's a straight answer. February is a cold month, even bitterly cold some years. If you are not skiing, Switzerland is not a good choice. Paris and particularly Rome offer more shelter and indoor activities, so if you must go in February, they make more sense. But if you can delay your trip until after March, you will have longer daylight hours and more comfortable temperatures.

I foolishly travelled to Liguria in February this year and it was a struggle to walk around and sightsee because it was SO COLD.
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Old Oct 9th, 2012, 01:11 AM
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"But again I wanted to reconfirm ,IS IT ADVISABLE TO TRAVEL."

Let us be clear that 6C is not concidered an extreme of temperature in these areas. Night time temperatures will be below 0C most of the time and Swiss,Austria there will be snow on the ground except in city centres so temps more likely -5 to -10C. This is the norm, however very unlikely below -10C. The upside is that the air can become very clear and sun reflected off snow looks wonderful (if dazzling).

The issue that none of us can advise on is not the cold but the amount of snow. Some years there will be very little others there will be dumps up to 1 metre deep. When this dump happens all at once or in a rush hour the transportation systems stop.

Now to answer your question, all over this area are some 250 million people who will carry on doing what they normally do so you can just become one of them. If you take a rental car it will come with snow tyres (in snow affected areas) and you may need a little snow advice (surf google).

So for yes it is advisable to travel to these areas.
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Old Oct 9th, 2012, 02:23 AM
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Sorry ,its my error that I said 6 Deg C,Basically i wanted to say max. 6 Deg C temperature we have faced in India.

But I am quite relief now that It can be possible to be their in February 2012.

I Just got the information that major thing I'm going to miss will be Jungfraujoch The Top of Europe on Swiss .

You may please advise must see places during this time
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Old Oct 9th, 2012, 06:04 AM
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I think you should really do some research on these areas yourself as it is impossible for any of us to know what you want to do on your honeymoon. Here are some websites to get you started:

http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/home...rvacation.html

http://www.swiss.com/countries/GB/lo...itzerland.aspx

http://www.switzerlandflexitours.com...itzerland.html

http://www.ski-zermatt.com/winter.html

http://www.stc.co.uk/railtours-winter.html

http://www.englishforum.ch/travel-da...nd-winter.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...d-Lucerne.html
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Old Oct 9th, 2012, 11:19 AM
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St Cirq - lay off denigrating comments about my son please - I have asked you again and again but you persist in what you think are clever remarks criticizing him. Lay off and... well capiche? Better for all that way. I mean you can haughtily criticize me with every negative in the book as you often do but my family members should be off limits. Show some consideration for this request, please. Thank you.
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Old Oct 9th, 2012, 12:48 PM
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How can we tell you when we don't think 42 degrees is extreme cold? to me, extreme cold is zero farenheit. I'm happy if we have 42 degrees in the winter - you can figure that for a daily high for at least 4 months a year. So - we don;t know if it will be a problem for you or not. (I can't stand temps higher than 80 - so I hate summer - but you might like those temps.)

If you're asking if it's unhealthy - no. Will it make you sick - no. Will you be uncomfortable - we don;t know. If you have proper clothing - you should be perfectly comfortable. But we are not you.

Indoor activities will be open and you will be able to see/do all you want. Depending on weather each day you may be comfortable exploring neighborhoods on foot (I would) or you may not.

You will not have flowers or green grass or trees with leaves. It may be too cold to sit at an outdoor cafe (or not - some have heaters) and probably to sit on benches in the park for longer than 20 minutes or so - unless you get an oddly warm day..

Only you can decide how much you will be bothered by cold - and if you are prepared to get the proper clothing for the trip (without it you WILL be miserable).

I would have no trouble at all traveling then - would do it in a heartbeat - but I'm used to cold winters, snow (sometimes a lot) and have proper clothing to deal with it. (In a previous job when I worked about 1.5 miles from where I lived I would often walk home after work - even in the winter (30s or even 20s), even if it was snowing (light snow not a blizzard). I found it exhilarating.

And when we were children and there was a lot of snow my mother would have to drag us in out of it - since we were too busy throwing snowballs or making snow forts or sledding down the hill next to the school to pay attention to the cold.

The key question is: do you have a plan to buy the winter clothing you will need before you arrive? If you're willing to do that the trip shouldn't be a problem. Note; Dresses or skirts will NOT do. Warm pants and boots are required along with a heavy winter coat and a couple of wool sweaters for layering.
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Old Oct 10th, 2012, 02:44 AM
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Guys,
Thank you so much for all the information & Basis on this information I am planning my trip to France ,Switzerland & in Italy which I will start from 9/10th February 2013 & complete it by 23rd Feb 2013

jamikins & nytraveler,very very valuable information i received from you guys.

Nytraveler,I hope even I will enjoy the way u had enjoyed throwing Snowballs. I would again request if you suggest for specific kind of cloths & Shoes to avoid all the fumbles

My next mission will be to select "Must Visit Places"in all the 3 countries,Again I am concern about where to start & where to end the trip Because I want to spend Valentina Day in Paris but if I start from Italy then it has warmer temperature compare to France & Swiss.
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Old Oct 10th, 2012, 04:18 AM
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Yes - you will each need:

Heavy winter coat - wool or down filled - preferably reaches the knee
Wool Scarf
Wool hat
Wool or fur lined gloves
Winter boots that are waterproofed and have non-skid soles (for ice or sleet) - not tall fashion boots
Another pair of comfy walking shoes - waterproof if possible
Warm pants (wool or cords or similar)
Long-sleeve shirts
turtlenecks for under the shirt
At least one warm wool sweater
Warm socks

For samples of these things go to the website of Eddie Bauer or Land's End or similar - then figure out where you can get similar nearby (you won't want to spend so much money for things you will wear only for a couple of weeks)

You may not need to wear all these layers every day - but on cold/windy days you probably will. If you get warmer days in Italy you will be able to drop some layers - perhaps even the heavy coat. But last year there was substantial snow from Rome north - so perhaps not.
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Old Oct 10th, 2012, 04:37 AM
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I suggest a down-filled coat rather than wool. If you have rain or wet snow, it will be water repellant and will dry faster. It should also be lighter in weight.
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Old Oct 10th, 2012, 04:49 AM
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Thanks again nytraveler,,,,,,,,,,,,

Guys,

I am selecting on below destination,will u please advise if I can add something interesting.......

*Paris - City (2N- 3D)
*Lucerne - Mount Jungfrau & Mount Titlis.(2N- 3D)
*Venice - Murano, Burano & Torcello. (2N)
*Florence - Excursion to Pisa & Leaning Tower.(2N- 3D)
*Rome-City (2N)

Please suggest/advise,if I make my trip more effective.

I would Highly appreciated Rreply from each& everyone helped me from the beginning.
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