Been to Paris and Rome - Where next?
 

The last time I was planning a trip, I posed the question of where to go in addition to Paris and overwhelmingly, Fodorites suggested Rome. And what a GREAT suggestion it was! :)

This time, I'm contemplating our next trip. This one is just husband and me. We will be new empty-nesters this fall, but also very broke (two kids in college - ouch). :( We figure we can quick get in a trip before we are totally broke. LOL

We like history, architecture, towns/cities, walking around, eating locally, wine, cafes, etc. We probably would not be anxious to do rural, countryside, agritourist (is that a word?) type stuff (too much like home).

A "heritage" tour would include Sweden and Luxembourg, but we're not necessarily sold on that. Spain sort of interests me, as well as the rest of Italy.

Also wondering about less expensive, up-and-coming tourist places (like Prague used to be).

We prefer places with small, European hotels. I don't think we'd rent an apartment again with just 2 of us.

I see this is rambling terribly. Well, your thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!

Although I am not as seasoned a traveler as most other fodorites, I would suggest Lisbon. Having lived there as a child and finally returned last summer after 30 years, I found it to be everything you are looking for; especially when it comes to costs. It is still one of the least expensive countries in Europe. If you look through the Lisbon posts, you will see that most, if not all who visit, fall in love with it.

You could try Portugal!

that must be a sign! hehehe

If you choose Lisbon (and I hope so) dont miss SINTRA and CASCAIS (just 20 Kms away ) there will be a wonderful trip!!
Enjoy it!

Thanks guys. I'm going to look into that.

LOL, after reading your post, and before reading the replies, I had Portugal in my mind too! Lisbon is great, and Cascais and Sintra are nearby and definitely worthy of a side trip. When we went, we split our time and stayed in Lisbon for the first half, then stayed in Cascais and that worked well for us.

I love Lisbon too, but my suggestion would be Barcelona...a city full of history, incredible architecture and art, delicious food, and close enough to spend some time on the Costa Brava, especially Cadaques, which is particularly magical.

Funny, Portugal came to my mind, too. Yes, it must be a sign.

Well, it's not up an coming-it's already there-Amsterdam

How about Greece? It's less expensive than Italy and some other destinations. The people are friendly, the food is great, the scenery awesome.
:)>-

I was thinking Croatia. It, too, has everything you desire.

Another I was thinking of...Estonia. I'm rather fond of Tallin, one of the world's best preserved medieval town and a UNESCO world heritage site. But the thing is, once you leave Tallin, it is mostly rural, with a lot of ruins going out to Haapsalu, an old spa town. Go before they convert to Euros, as it's relatively cheap still.

Spain...ah. What can I say except that I didn't fully appreciate it (being Madrid) while I was there. Still relatively affordable, and lots of great day trips to go on if the spirit moves you, and all the wonderful places to walk.

Of course, the real bargain is in Latin America, but since we're all here on the Europe board... ;)

Based on your interest in art, history, walking around, good food and wine and the fact you were considering somewhere else in Italy, I would suggest Florence with some side trips to other towns in Tuscany or florence and Venice. It depends somewhat on how much time you will have for the trip.

What about Bratislava (capital of Slovakia) its still cheap (but probably not for long), the centre is stunning and you can take the boat up the Danube to Vienna! .. Budapest and Prague are only a train ride away!

less expensive, up-and-coming tourist places (like Prague used to be).


Kiev is the new old-Prague.

First idea that came to mind was Barcelona.

Followed by Dubrovnik.

And I think you'll find that even for 2 of you, renting an apartment in both cities will cost less than a 3* hotel, if you really are watching the pennies/cents.

After a few days in Dubrovnik you could tour the Dalmatian coast, visit Mostar and/or Montenegro.

I would think that Croatia would be cheaper than Barcelona.

Cheapest of all would be elsewhere in Eastern Europe, Bratislava, Sarajevo, Rumania.

When are you hoping to take this 'last' trip?