April 09 - Help me choose a destination?
 

Hello everyone!
I have three destinations in mind and i would like your suggestions please!
1. Nice (Cote d'Azur area)
2. Amsterdam (and maybe Bruges..not sure though)
3. London (for the 6th time) and Edinburgh -or Oxford - or Cambridge.

We will have 5-6 days approximately and it will be around 17-21 April.
What would you choose and why?

In the French Riviera, we'll rent a car and drive from Milan.

I'd pick #1 with the hopes of the best weather in April.

I like Amsterdam fine, but I think it's nicer to visit in warmer weather. Can feel a bit grim if it's still winter-ish and cold or rainy.

I'd pick Edinburgh because I've been reading a series of books that are set there and I'm quite intrigued. Then I saw Greendragon's incredible photos here on Fodor's and that was all I needed to feed my obsession. Plus I hear it is a great walking city which I love.

I've been to Nice twice and I still am not in love with it try as I may so I'm not going back again. I did love the Chagall museum but not too much else.

I do love Amsterdam, but I've already been. It would be my second choice. I spent 4 days there in the rain and I loved every minute.

gruezi

Another vote for Edinburgh.

I went last April (3rd week of month) and am headed that way again next April.

The days were long (light until 8:30 pm, I think) and the weather was wonderful. The temps. were mostly high 40s F. Coming from chilly 20s and lower 30s, I thought upper 40s were great!

There was more rain on the Glasgow side than in the Edinburgh area. Yes, I will be ready for rain if it should be reversed next year :-)

You won't need a car in Edinburgh: great walking and lots of busses. Interesting museums to explore. Plenty of day trip tour operators to get out of the city, too.

If I didn't make that sound warm enough, several afternoons were so warm and bright that I bet they were in the low-mid 50s F.

I went to Amsterdam in March 07 with our high school trip. We went from 30 at home to mid 50s. Maybe that was a warmer than usual few days, but it was so nice!

Weather comfort is very relative :-)

the weather on the Cote will be better - you can drive around and see more than Nice.
The first choice is sort of" outdoor sightseeing trip", the second would allow you to see some great museums and art ( Amsterdam more than Edn.) - although there a several very good museums on the Cote.
I have been to Edn, and Amst. - like both very much but not in the rainy weather.

So do you think that in mid April there will be much rain in Amsterdam or Edinburgh? I know..noone can predict the weather but i thought as it's spring we might enjoy good days as well.. Honestly i can't decide!

French riviera seems a very nice option as well, although do you think it's worth going there when we won't be able to swim or enjoy the beaches?

Hmmm, is there a fourth choice?

I'd prefer to go to Nice when it was warmer and in fact all three choices would be better in May or June.

Hi Christine,

JMHO, but in my 20s and now in my 40s I have both times felt very underwhelmed by the French Riviera.

My Nice days are definitely over after 2 tries.

I'd prefer rain in Amsterdam to sun in Nice.

What do you enjoy doing?

gruezi

Give the time of year, I vote for Nice too. It's an interesting city in itself, plus a good transportation center for trips along the coast and into the mountains north of Nice. You don't really need a car.

Would you be flying into Milan? Is it possible to fly into Nice? Alitalia flies from Milan Malpensa to Nice, also Marseilles. Germanwings flies from Malpensa to Marseilles also.

That said, it would be fun to drive the corniche.

If you go to England, consider York. Lots to see there, in a small area, which would work well in bad weather.

When you decide on one place, we can give you lots of suggestions.

sassy_cat there could always be a fourth choice! I'm open to suggestions! ;-)

gruezi why didn't you like the French Riviera?

Also to answer your question enerally we like cities and we enjoy walking, eating, drinking coffees and watch the world go by.. We may go to one or two museums but it's not something that WE HAVE to do. And we're not the kind of people who rush from one place to the other in order to see everything but prefer to stroll around in different neighborhoods!

How about Lisbon and Porto?? Anyone been there?

Mimar
if we'll go to Nice, we'll arrive at Milan because there is a direct (and very cheap) flight from Athens. Also since we won't be only in a city we prefer to have our own car for flexibility!

For the French Riviera would you stay in Nice or somewhere in the vicinity? I'm in a website right now checking some wonderful cottages in the area..

There is no reason to expect any more rain in Amsterdam in April than any other month. It could be a lovely spring (let's hope so ;)) but temperatures could be anything from freezing to low 70's.
But then it could be like that in Edinburgh too - given that it is further north also it is possibly even more likely there.
If the weather is wet there a plenty of museums, shops etc in Amsterdam to keep you busy. If it is fine then you can get out of the city to Keukenhof or Zaanse Schans, or even the beach at Zandfoort. You could even travel a bit further afield and visit some of the other cities or the countryside, which should be just greening up and lovely.

Dear cristine,

I guess I'm just spoiled. I don't "get" the beaches in the French Riviera. I've been to a million better beaches without all the chock-a-block tacky motel strip added to it.

I found the Matisse museum a disappointment - just set up really weird. I could better organize this place in one weekend. I threatened my husband I would;)

The Chagall museum I loved and that was my favorite thing in Nice.

The city itself just didn't seem charming to me at all...

There was a pretty area near the above 2 mentioned museums but it seemed mostly residential.

IME there are so many more beautiful, charming places in Europe that Nice and the Cote d'Azur just didn't measure up for me. Even the villages nearby that we visited were nice (Such as St. Paul de Vence where there is another very nice modern art museum), but not so very special to fly all the way from the US. We only went from Zurich, so not so far, but still disappointing after so much hype.

As I said, I gave it a second try, but I wouldn't give it a third.

The best part of Provence/Cote d Azur for me were the art museums. But, you can see a ton of amazing art in Amsterdam.

For fun strolls, neat pubs and good food, I think Amsterdam is a great spot.

But, I also have the urge for Edinburgh so I hope you go and then report back here!!!

Of course, take my opinions with a grain of salt. As the "must see" thread proves over and over, one traveller's heaven is another traveller's hell. I can't believe how many people did't like Paris! And another person found Alhambra boring. Go figure!

gruezi

Gruezi i'm one of those people who don't like Paris that much! :-) (a little 'cold' for my taste)
I'm more of a london or Rome kind of girl!

you might consider Spain as an option! I would say Seville, but it would be very crowded, so - Barcelona ?
bigger than Nice, warmer than Amsterdam, great place to walk around and shop, possible day trips and (if you like) many museums.

Okay then, go to Nice...

Just kidding.

I think you will like Milan though if you are flying into there.

It gets a bum rap, but I really enjoyed the one day I spent there. I do have to get back sometime. It's a 3 hour train ride from Zurich.

What are your thoughts on Barcelona?

I think that may be more what you are looking for. I've not yet been, but most who love Rome also seem to love Barcelona and the weather will be wonderful in April.

gruezi

We were in Barcelona last April, and the weather was indeed great! We enjoyed ourselves very much and we liked BArcelona a lot but we would like to try something different this year!

I've been to Milan for one day as well. It was ok but it lacked the charm of other italian cities!

Do you live in Zurich? Do you recomend Switzerland in general?

Hey, if you're a Rome kinda girl then go to Rome! You mentioned driving from Milan so maybe just stick with Italy for this trip?

I'd suggest Athens and a Greek island but are you coming from Athens anyway?

Malta?

A no brainer-- NICE.

No brainer Milan and Bergarmo surely. Nothing to do in Nice and it is not really warm.

Number 2 Amsterdam but take a rain coat

Number 3 London but see above

Number 4 Edinburgh (for 6 days oh my god)

Number 5 Nice but why drive from Milan

don't live in Zurich ( visited several times ) but you will have the same weather issues like in Ams. or Edn.

I like Nice for a few days , one can easily visit Menton, Monaco, Antibes, Eze, Cannes..... by car or bus/train. We were in Nice last year at the end of April - the weather was fine. By May 1st weekend some brave soles were in the water!

cristine,

Yes, we've been living in Zurich for about 2 years so I've had a lot of nice travels. I try to get away at least once a month.

Switzerland can't be beat for natural beauty. Part of my problem lately when I visit other countrysides is that they just don't hold up well in comparison!

The Ticino area is Italian in language and feel and you would probably love Lugano. It's right on a gorgeous lake. There is also Bellinzona which some prefer. We liked Ascona and Lugano. The scenery is spectacular.

No too far away but on the Italy side there is Lake Como which I haven't been to but many Fodorite's really like.

April would be nice in the south of Switzerland but probably not elsewhere - it can be sunny and gorgeous or damp and rainy...

I don't think you would love Switzerland unless you went to the lakes or came at a better time of year - ie winter or summer or even early fall.

and Viajero loves Nice so this should all really confuse you!

Greece is quite nice...

And have you considered Turkey?

I loved Morocco...

gruezi

We really enjoyed Nice. There are so many day-trips from there, old Nice is nice, and there are museums, the promenade, etc.

Here's my trip report from mid-May:
"We arrived in Nice in the early afternoon on Friday, via train from Venice.

Our Hotel le Grimaldi (http://www.le-grimaldi.com/) was a short cab ride from the train station. It was 10EUR for myself, my daughter, my gargantuan bag, and her two small ones. We were greeted graciously at the hotel, which immediately struck us as a good find.

The hotel is actually two Belle Epoque buildings back-to-back. One side is much prettier to enter, as it faces a nice church. The other side is fine, too, but a bit boring. I think the side on rue Grimaldi is the plain one, and the other side on rue Maccarani is prettier.

The man at the front desk carried my bag to the room, and showed us around. There’s a business center on the ground floor, with free internet use on their two computers, and a free printer to use. (Also wireless in the lobby, I think for a fee.)

Our room was a ‘classic’, twin-bedded room, which was large enough, had a little balcony, a sparkling tile bath with fluffy bright yellow towels, and nice toiletries. It was 150EUR, plus tax and 10EUR per person if we opted for the hot/cold breakfast buffet. They suggested we check out the buffet (served till 10:30a.m.), and if we were interested the next morning, we could sign on for it. Their deal is that you have to buy it everyday to get the 10EUR rate. Otherwise, per day, it’s 15EUR.

So the next morning, we were happy to find hot eggs, proscuitto, yoghurts, cereals, cappuccino, assorted croissants, juices, etc. We thought it a good deal and quite convenient, so we enjoyed it each morning.

For our first dinner, I had brought the name of a restaurant I’d found on Travel Talk, and the front desk agreed it was a good one, a local favorite in old Nice. It’s called Acchiardo, at 38 rue Droite in Vieux Nice. We headed over for their opening at 7p.m., and were very happy with it. Really friendly and attentive service, very quaint and casual atmosphere, with a good menu. I had a steak dinner, which actually included vegetables on the side. My daughter had two different salads. We had bottled water and a half-liter of house red wine. When the bill arrived for 28.50EUR, I thought they’d made a mistake because it was so much less than I’d been accustomed to paying in Venice, Florence and Rome. But, no, it was correct. (We would have maybe eaten there another night, but found out it closes on weekend nights, believe it or not.)

We walked all over old Nice, then through the pedestian area to the promenade and took that way back to the hotel. It’s such a beautiful walk at night. The Chateau hillside is all lit up, the palm trees are lit, and the waves look so pleasant. It was how we ended each of our Nice nights, with that walk back to the hotel.

The next day we decided to take the short bus ride on the #81, to visit the Villa and Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild, near Saint Jean Cap Ferrat. (The bus is just 1.30EUR each direction, which you pay in exact change on the bus.)

It was a nice visit, especially to see the views of the sea down below on both sides of the hillside. I thought the price was a bit steep, at 9.50EUR for an adult, because the Villa isn’t really all that interesting (sorry!), but the gardens are pretty. There’s also a nice little café there, for a light snack or drink or meal, which was a welcome break from all our walking.

While we were there, a very strong wind came up, which caused quite a bit of white caps in the water below, and chased everyone in from the patio tables. The wind stayed with us for the rest of the day, but wasn’t terribly annoying.

From the Villa, we did the easy walk down to the port of St. Jean to walk around and check it out. There are nice boats in the little harbor, with cute restaurants and shops. It’s very tiny, so doesn’t take long to walk from end to end of St. Jean. We spent just about an hour and a half there, then caught the #81 back to Nice.

That evening, we returned to old Nice for dinner. We loved that neighborhood’s little streets, overall atmosphere, and cute shops. We found the Restaurant la Tapenada, 6 rue St. Reparate and had a very nice dinner. It was probably about 60EUR for the two of us, on their fixed price menu, with a bottle of house wine. Very nice little place, with friendly and attentive service. They even let my daughter trade her dessert for a salad. So she had two salads to start, one after the other, and they timed the arrival of our main courses perfectly. We were perfectly happy with our meal there.

The next day we decided we’d stick to the coast and see Antibes, which is a short 20-minute train ride from Nice. We were glad we’d chosen Antibes, as it’s beautiful. The sea wall makes a nice walk, and the Centre Ville is very charming.

We wandered its streets, shopped in a tiny clothing boutique, found a little place for omelettes (nothing special, but nice enough), then headed back to Nice by train after about 4 hours total. It was a good choice for a quick day-trip.

That evening we weren’t very hungry, so opted for the simple Pasta Basta, once again in old Nice. It was a nice meal, although not extraordinary. Good prices and decent service.

All in all, we were very impressed with Nice and the surrounding area. It’s a very pretty city, with a friendly attitude, sitting on a lovely shore. There are many options for things to do near Nice. We’d considered St. Paul de Vence and Digne, but with the beautiful clear weather, we were drawn to stay at the seaside, and were glad we did."

Thanks so much for all your replies!! To tell you the truth I'm even more confused now but i'll do some more research on the places mentioned above and let you know what we'll decide! ;-)

The French Riviera is nice; we included it in a trip to Venice and the Italian Riviera. Although we liked the French Riviera, it was our least favorite of the three. Since you are starting in Milan, why not spend your time in Italy? The big three, of course, are Venice, Rome, and Florence. April would also be a lovely time to visit the Greek islands as long as you avoid Greek holidays.

I'd only stay in Nice without a car. And use the bus and trains to make daytrips. A cottage along the Cote d'Azur (or maybe slightly inland) would be lovely. But you sound like city people. Maybe one of the smaller towns/cities like Cannes or Antibes. Or maybe Menton, which is right at the border between the French Riviera and the Italian. You could make daytrips along either Riviera.