MaryAlex

A little background.
I will be 30 next year. Traveling with my husband. He has never been overseas. I have never been to Europe as an adult - went with family when I was 12... mainly London and Greece. My initial plan was option One however family are saying I should add Athens and Greek islands (My background is Greek) and hence Option 2. I like Option 1 but at the same time, I don't know how long it will be before I return to Europe as it's an expensive destination and well it took me until 30 to be in the position to go. I'm from Melbourne- Australia so it's not a quick flight or weekend away like for people living in the UK.

Trip Dates: Not Flexible (haven't been booked). Leaving 1st of September (at night) arriving Europe 2nd of September. Must leave 30th of September

My interests: Architecture, Culture, Views/countryside, Beaches/Lakes I can swim/sail in, Adventure, Food. *Not really into nightlife*

Option 1:
Leave: Thursday 1st of September and arrive in Spain Barcelona Friday 2nd of September

Spain– (Total 8 nights)
Barcelona: Land 2nd of September - (rest day estimated arrival 2pm)
3rd - Explore Barcelona
4th - Explore Barcelona
5th - Go via train - day trip to Montserrat Monastery
6th - Explore Barcelona
7th - Explore Barcelona
8th - Rent a car. Drive 1.5hours to Costa Brava. Explore Besalu and Dali museum.
9th - Costa Brava - a whole day in the water- kayaking
10th- Check out and drive to Barcelona airport and drop car off. FLY to Rom
Fly from Barcelona to Italy - Rome (2 hours direct flight) on 10th of September.

Italy – (total 10 nights)
Rome (4 nights/3.5 days)– Arrive 10th,
11th - Explore Rome
12th - Explore Vatican City
13th - Explore Rome
14th checkout 14th. Train to next city – Verona (rent a car from or near train station and drive to Lake Garda)
Lake Garda (4 nights)- arrive 14th
15th - Amusement Park in Lake Garda
16th - Canyoning adventure in Lake Garda
17th - Lake Garda - Malcesine - Monte Baldo Cableway
18th - check out. Drive 45mins to Verona. Get on Train to Venice.
Venice – Arrive 18th
Venice - 19th (leave 19th late at night)
(flight to Paris – 2 hours plus 2 hours at airport) (2 nights in Venice)
France – (Total 5 nights)
Paris –Arrive on the 19th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd 24th checkout 25th of Paris.
Train to Belgium (5 nights) - 3 hours
25th - Arrive in Bruge before noon.
26th - Bruge
27th- Bruge or day trip to Ghent
28th - Train to Brussels (1 hour)/ Explore Brussels
29th - Brussels
30th - check out and airport. Need to be on afternoon flight... so can't do much on or anything this day.

Option 2:
Greece (6nights)
Athens - 2nd Aririve. Fly to Island
Naxos or Mykanos– 2nd, 3rd, 4th 5th
6th - Athens (half day)
7th- Athens and checkout 8th
Fly from Athens to Rome – (2 hours flight + 2 hours at airport
(4 nights in Rome)
Arrive 8th - Explore Rome
9th - Rome
10th - Vatican City
11th - Rome
12th (train to Verona)
Drive to Lake Garda (45minutes)
Lake Garda – (3 nights)
12th - Lake Garda
13th - Canyoning in Lake Garda
14th - Amusement Park in Lake Garda
15th - drop car off at Verona train station and then take the train to Venice
15th - Venice (1 night)
16th - checkout Venice.
Fly to Brussels- Belgium- (Total 5 nights)
16th - Brussels (Arrive evening)
17th - Brussels
Train to Bruges (1 hour train from Brussels to Bruge)
18th - Bruge
19th - Bruge
20th- Bruge (day trip to Ghent maybe)
21st - Check out train to Paris
Paris –Arrive on the 21st,
22nd - Paris
23rd - Paris
24th - Paris
checkout 25th.
Fly to Barcelona. (5 nights in Barcelona)
25th- Barcelona (half day)
26th - Barcelona
27th - day trip to the Montserrat Monastery
28th - Barcelona
29th - Barcelona
checkout 30th.
Leave 30th and fly to Melbourne

I feel like Option 2 is a little rushed, what does everybody think?

thursdaysd

I would cut back time in Belgium (especially Brussels) and add time in Venice. Either itinerary will work, but it's your trip. If you don't really want to go to Greece, don't. That's very little time in Athens, and any special reason for those islands?

MaryAlex

My husband has pretty much said he wants 5 nights in Belgium bc well he loves Belgium beer and wants to do a bunch of beer related things - like go to brewery and taste lots of local beers we might not get in Australia. I don't drink alcohol but considering that's the only place he has really chosen. I've pretty much had freedom to plan everything else. I initially had planned only 4 nights.

The Greek islands is because I love the beach and water sports/activities and have never been. I've been to Athens before... but yea Greece was more added from family pressure as I don't know when I will get a chance to go back to Europe.

kja

For either plan, I would also cut Brussels -- entirely! (No offense to Brussels -- I just think your other destinations deserve more time.) And I think you could reasonably trim your time in Bruges a bit, giving it something on the order of 1.5 days altogether.

I also agree that you are giving your self VERY little time in Venice -- see if you can add at least one day. And I would also look to add time to both Rome and Paris, aiming for about 5 full days in each of those two cities.

That said, it really depends on what YOU want to see and experience -- either trip should be great, whether tweaked or not! Have you plotted what you want to see and do on a calendar? I find that doing so really helps me plan how to allocate my time.

FWIW, I think you would do well to take the trip that YOU want -- not the one your family wants. JMO.

nytraveler

There are lots of places to stay in Belgium besides Brussels - and there is good and interesting beer everywhere. So I would pick places that have things you want to see and do and are less of a pan-european government center (with very expensive hotels rates at times). We have visited quite a few places in both east and west Belgium that we enjoyed more than Brussels - esp some smaller villages, local castles, etc.

As for Greece - that is up to you.

But if you go for the Greece version I would either drop Venice or give it more time by cutting something else. IMHO you can do either Spain or Greece - but not both. Or you are giving the other major places short shrift.

Bedar

You should definitely visit Greece. It's a wonderful country which you should visit. Do you still have relatives there ? because visiting them would be great fun. Even just visiting the area your family comes from would be very interesting. Italy will be very crowded, but you should add time to Venice and also see Florence. Barcelona? I'd give it a pass. Belgium and the beer should be great fun. We love Bruges. How about going to London and/or Amsterdam ? You are coming from a long distance away. Try to see as much as you can.

kerouac

Unless you know that you love Barcelona already, that's too much time there.

whitehall

We are three quarters of the way through an October multi-country European trip that included Brussels, Bruge, Rome, Vatican City, Venice and many, many others. There are some travel tips in a blog we are doing (more than 80 blog entries so far but you can skim by headline) on such places as Vatican City. Crowds have grown since we were last in Europe, and September might be even busier. We are in Nice right now and still have Barcelona and Paris to go. Our whirlwind style trip isn't for everyone. We walk an average of 7-10 miles per day. But don't be afraid to do more, rather than less. Our blog is 16countriesin30days.wordpress.com

Best of luck.

FuryFluffy

Don't let family's pressure get to you. It's your trip after all. I myself love Greece and would go there by any means, but by my own pressure. Any other interfering would just ruin it.

But if you want to go to Greece, you can cut Venice and Brussels. Bruges is already a small Venice, with bonus points of beer and chocolate shops (no offence to Venice, I know Venice is gorgeous, but so is Bruges). Brussels is not really a characteristic destination in my book.

pariswat

Hi

I find your itinerary well balanced and well thought.

I'd add one day in Venice, like others mentioned.
And I would ignore advice about Bruxelles : for whatever reasons people on this forum don't like Bxl - make yourself your own opinion, but it there a lot of beautiful places there.

Bruges is great but like some kind of preserved medieval town infested by tourists (which we are all, no malignity here) but simply this ity lives for and from tourism.

Christina

I would also ignore advice about Brussels. I liked it, you only have 1.5-2 days there, depending on option, for heaven's sake, I hardly call that too much time that you need to cut back. And your spouse is very interested in Belgium. IN the second one, you are not visiting Brussels for all that time, but Bruges.

kja

Bedar recommended: "Try to see as much as you can."

I agree! But I think one often sese more by trying to see less. I hate, and regret, the time I've lost to transit. I would rather see a few places WELL than to shortchange the places I do visit, just to rush headlong from place to place while spending most of my time in transit. JMO.

MaryAlex

Thank you for feedback.

From the responses. I might go with Option 2. I might take the day from Venice and put it on Paris or Lake Garda. As I agree. I am not really doing it justice with only one night. I wish I could add an extra day - but I can't get any more leave. I guess I can do Venice another time.

I will discuss cutting Belgium from 5 nights to 4 nights.

MaryAlex

Hi Everyone.

Thank you for your advice. We have decided to go with Option 2 with some slight tweaks. We will cut a day from Belgium (Hubby must have been in a good mood) and add to Paris to give us 4.5days/5 nights in Paris and only 4 nights in Belgium - (1.5 days in Brussels and 2 days/nights in Bruge)

We have also decided to cut out Venice as one day couldn't do it justice. We are going to add a day to Lake Garda and then I might see Venice from a window as we will take the plane to brussels from Venice (options are either Venice or Milan- Venice had more flights and cheaper).

We would like to stay in central areas so the cbd of each town so any tips would be much appreciated. Thanks for your help so far!

kimhe

You will then be in Barcelona during the huge La Merce festival. Should be great fun, but you should know about it and be prepared. http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/...he-locals.html

Architecture, culture and food are three ways to say Barcelona. And Barcelona and architecture is much more than plain fantastic Gaudi. http://bcnshop.barcelonaturisme.com/...architect.html

When it comes to culture, I don't know where to start, but the so called Theater City at the foot of Montjuic with all its museums and other cultural institutions could be a good beginning. Have had some out of this world theater nights here: http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/...el-teatre.html

When it comes to food, I could give you many tips based on what kind of places you like. But Tickets is tapas from heaven at a very affordable price, great fun and ranked among the 50 best restaurants in the world only three years after it opened. You must book online exactly on midnight Barcelona time 60 days before your visit. Ten minutes after midnight, all tables are normally gone: http://www.barcelonabook.com/tickets...estaurant.html

If you can't get a table here, Bodega 1900 is fifteen meters away, quite different but run by the same people with the same sky high standard: http://www.yelp.com/biz/bodega-1900-barcelona

And great tapas bars in close by and very local atmosphere Poble Sec, well off the beaten tourist track: http://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/...%20bodega.html

pariswat

Hi.
Cut a day from Bruges and spend it in Venice.
Venice is a must in Europe and deserves more than a day ....
Bruges is done in one day.

I live 2 hours from Brugge and have spent much more time in Venice.

Anyway it looks like you have an itinerary.

Peter_S_Aus

If you are interested in architecture, the Architecture Biennale will be happening in Venice while you are there. Might be an interesting comparison with Barcelona, a lot of cutting edge stuff from international architects.

Australia has a new pavilion at the Giardini in Venice, designed by Denton Corker Marshall. DCM designed Jeff's shed, the Melbourne Museum and the cheese stick on the Tulla freeway.

You would need two days to do justice to the Biennale. For what it is worth, I'm visiting Venice in September for the Biennale, flying out of Melbourne.

Peter_S_Aus

Also, take a look at venicekayak.com. Might be a different sort of kayak adventure.

MaryAlex

"You will then be in Barcelona during the huge La Merce festival. Should be great fun, but you should know about it and be prepared. "

Thanks for the heads up. I'm sure it will be fun. I am a little worried now though that the city will be very crowded. One reason we chose September was to get decent weather without the abundance of people.