schlepsta

Hello everyone. My wife and I and another couple are going to Europe this summer at some point between June and September. We don't know exactly where...or when. The thing is, none of us has a strong preference for any particular place (or time). We just want to go! We are going for 10 to 12 days and we want to visit about 3 places. We would like to see a mixture of stuff - architecture, small towns, history, the Alps, maybe a beach. We are all around 30 years old and active. Our accommodations will likely be moderate priced hotels. First I want to decide where to go in general and then figure out the details of the trip (hotels, transportation, etc). We don't want to do a tour. I like Rick Steves style traveling but he doesn't really give itinerary suggestions (I don't think). I am generally targeting the Switzerland/Germany/Spain/France/Italy/Hungary regions (not ALL of these of course). How is that for vague? What are some good 10-12 day trips you all have done or heard of? Thanks.

uncle_sam

1. Munich...great smaller city, great beer and friendly people, Englisher Gartens, a couple of good art museums, close to the alps and Ludwig's castles<BR><BR>2. Salzburg..in a word &quot;georgeous&quot;, small town, beautiful views, beautiful countryside, nice small town feel with a lot of history, Mirabellas Gardens, Hohensalzburg and of course The Sound of Music, great beer...Stiglbrau! <BR><BR>3. Vienna...the world's largest city park, great museums, food and music, very classy, great cathedral, good bit of history and a woinderful residenz and of course the Royal Lippizaner stallions<BR><BR>4. Budapest...different from the others, former Eastern European bloc country, Tokai wines, paprika chicken and a uniqueness that is very special<BR><BR>Just a thought but this might give you all you were looking for!<BR><BR>US

rex

Normally, I think this kind of question is silly - - what are the odds that a trip I have taken or planned is a good match for your interests?<BR><BR>But by ending your question this way - - <BR>&lt;&lt;What are some good 10-12 day trips you all have done or heard of?&gt;&gt;<BR><BR>... it IS relatively more answerable.<BR><BR>I'll cite two that combine some of the things which you mention as interests.<BR><BR>Trip one: after two days business in Paris, I flew (cheaply) to Perpignan and rented a car there. Drove to Barcelona, then after a couple of days, traveled via Seu d'Urgell (overnight) by way of Andorra back to Perpignan. Spectacular Pyrenees driving. Turned in the car (you wouldn't have to do this - - I was using a &quot;Fly-Rail'n'Drive&quot; deal no longer even available; offered by RailEurope some years ago). Took the train to Sete; overnight there. Train onward to Antibes. Two nights there, and Monte Carlo. Rented again and drove into Italy to cross up into the Piedmont and back into the French Alps in the Queyras region. Spent the last two days meandering by way of Grenoble and Briancon - - turning the car in at Geneva airport and flying home (thus it was a Paris/Geneva open jaw). I was traveling solo; a foursome might go at a more leisurely pace. You could modify this to include more time in Switzerland or northwest Italy either one.<BR><BR>Trip two: Designed to be an &quot;Alpine sampler&quot; for my wife's parents (with the two of us). It was a little bit too rushed, so I recommend adding more time wherever you want in this one. Started in Munich; two nights there. Drove to Reutte Austria (overnight), with Schloss Linderhof along the way, and Neuschwanstein early the next morning. Onward for a night in Vaduz (Liechtenstein); gastronomic but otherwise replaceable. Next stop Lucerne, which would be a good place to insert an extra night or two. Buzzed (too quickly) through the are which includes Interlaken and Gstaad, arriving in Chamonix (France). Overnight there. then small move next night to Talloires, near Annecy. A different slice of the beautiful French Alps from the Queyras. ended with a few nights outside Geneva in Satigny Switzerland - - in both instances, although the trip ended in Geneva, the city itself was barely part of the trip at all - - though Lausanne and other nearby areas around Lac Leman were. Again, you could add more Bavaria or more Switzerland, or vary the end portion of this one.<BR><BR>Mostly, you need books, big coffee table sized books with pictures, pictures, pictures, and find out what makes you salivate.<BR><BR>The six countries you list could provide material for a hundred trips of 10-12 days. My two experiences are still nearly irrelevant - - but maybe they get you to get out a good map (the Penguin planner is a good one), and start thinking about what you want to include.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex Bickers<BR>Westerville, Ohio<BR>[email protected]<BR>

Christina

Last May I spend about that time on a trip where I stayed in Prague, Olomouc (Czech Republic) and Krakow, Poland. I think that was really closer to two weeks, but it was 7 days in Prague, 1-2 in Olomouc and the rest in Krakow. I've also spent that time in Provence year before last, splitting time between Aix and a small town to the NE of Avignon. I had a car so explored the Luberon and Vaucluse region from both areas. I also spent a day in Avignon during that time, but I'd been in that area before.<BR><BR>I don't know if Steves does itineraries, but he might. A lot of itineraries kind of focus on a particular country that I've seen. For example, I have a Frommers guidebook to Prague and Bohemia and I think it gives ideas of what you might want to see if you have 5 days, a week, 10 days, etc.<BR><BR>I wouldn't spend such a short time in Europe looking for beaches or hanging out on them, you can do that at home (I'm guessing your home country has them) or many other places a lot better and not waste your time in Europe.

uncle_sam

Another good trip we've done is this one:<BR><BR>1. Munich (three days, with one day to Fussen and or other Ludwig castles)<BR><BR>*** Sleeper train to ...<BR><BR>2. Florence (three to four days) ....magnificent home of the Renaissance, Ufizi Galery, the Medicis, the best gelato in the world and the FOOD and ART!<BR><BR>3. Rome...(four to five days)...there is nothing to compare to Rome!...the history, the art, the food, the hustle and bustle, the Vatican Museums, Pantheon, Roman forum....<BR><BR>I'm envious!<BR><BR>US

MichelleY

Yes, Rick Steves country books cover suggested itineraries.

bobthenavigator

As I read your criteria my mind went to the what I call the &quot; Bavarian triangle&quot;<BR>Munich--Salzburg--Bavaria castles. Try to stay on the Wolfgangsee for the Austrian segment and include Hallstatt as a day trip. Hard to beat for 10 days.

Mary_Fran

My first choice, had I just one trip to make, would be Italy. I think it’s a life-changing place, just amazing. This is an abbreviated version of our Italian itinerary last October:<BR><BR>Venice 2 days<BR>Florence 2 days<BR>Siena/Tuscany/Umbria 4 days<BR>Rome 4 days<BR><BR>Train from Venice to Florence, rent a car when you leave Florence, drop it off when you leave the Siena/Tuscany area, train to Rome.<BR><BR>Second choice, France. It’s a brilliant place as well. Our itinerary there:<BR><BR>Paris 1 day<BR>Honfleur 1 day<BR>Normandy (Stay in Bayeux)2 days<BR>Loire (Amboise, Tours) 3 days<BR>Paris 4 days<BR><BR>I planned this trip before I understood the concept of “open jaw,” flying in one place and out the other, so we arrived and departed from Paris. We spent the first night in Paris just to get our sea legs. After checking into our hotel, we took off on foot for the Eifel Tower, where we happened onto a Bateau Bus for a Seine boat cruise, which I for one found dazzling (my sister kept dozing off and had to be jostled awake periodically). Following a good night’s sleep, we took off early the next morning by train for Rouen to pick up our rental car. <BR><BR>The train ride from Paris to Rouen is marvelous, like driving down someone’s alley, with wonderful French buildings just feet away. We’d arranged to pick up a rental car in Rouen and drive to Honfleur along the Route des Abbayes by Jumieges, where there are ruins of a splendid abbey, and drove cross the elegant suspension bridge toward Honfleur. Wonderful scenery and ambience all around. <BR><BR>Honfleur is charming, a fine resting place before the next day’s drive to Bayeux and the beaches of Normandy and the D-Day invasion. Bayeux is a great, historic town, and the drive through Normandy down to the Loire and its castles is unforgettable. In Normandy, you can almost reach out the car window and touch the walls of the charming old stone gray houses, all with red geraniums in window boxes. (Great reading on this trip, Steven Ambrose’s D-Day. Then watch for humble wooden road signs pointing to places like “Ste. Mere Eglise,” “Pointe-du-Hoc,” or, further south, “Falaise.”) And all in startlingly beautiful countryside, with skies that seem to have a glow found no place else. You can almost feel the presence of the great impressionists as you drive through the fields of sunflowers under that incredible sky.<BR><BR>All of the Loire is great, too, and we enjoyed Tours as well, which I don’t see much written about on travel websites. On the way back up to Paris, a stop at Chartres. <BR><BR>In Paris, the Mus&eacute;&eacute; d'Orsay was our favorite museum (who loves the impressionists??), and of course, there’s the great food. <BR><BR>Hope your trip turns out wonderfully for you!

CharlieB

schlepsta - when you get right down to it the 10-12 days can dwindle to 7-8 &quot;real&quot; touring days if you do too much traveling between regions. Having a rental car will decrease the hassle of wasting time at the train stations(or on the trains) or airports and on the plane. You will also stumble upon some delightful small villages. I would opt for Uncle Sam's suggestion of Germany, Austria, and Hungary. Austria and Northern Italy-Tuscany would also be doable. Whatever - ENJOY!