Brainstorming ideas for 5-6 day trip without baby
Apr 21st, 2009, 05:08 AM
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Brainstorming ideas for 5-6 day trip without baby
Hi all,
I will be turning 30 in July, which happens to coincide closely with our 5 year wedding anniversary. In honor of the occasions we are planning a short trip (maybe 5-6 days) without the baby (who will be staying with Grandma).
We are based in CT, and are a young couple looking for an interesting place to spend a few baby-free days. We like a mix of things to do, are pretty active and don't like to spend too much time "relaxing". Somewhere where we could do some sight-seeing and scenic drives would be great. We also enjoy upscale accomodations and exciting restaurants for enjoying a romantic meal.
Originally my husband tossed around going to Block Island for the weekend, but I was hoping for somewhere with maybe a bit more to do (also, we may be going to Cape Cod in the fall - so looking for something a bit different). I then thought of New Orleans, but then I reconsidered because I'm assuming its hot as heck in the middle of July.
And then I thought -- why not consider Europe?! We have been to Paris, London, Scotland, and Rome so those destinations are out. Any great ideas?
I will be turning 30 in July, which happens to coincide closely with our 5 year wedding anniversary. In honor of the occasions we are planning a short trip (maybe 5-6 days) without the baby (who will be staying with Grandma).
We are based in CT, and are a young couple looking for an interesting place to spend a few baby-free days. We like a mix of things to do, are pretty active and don't like to spend too much time "relaxing". Somewhere where we could do some sight-seeing and scenic drives would be great. We also enjoy upscale accomodations and exciting restaurants for enjoying a romantic meal.
Originally my husband tossed around going to Block Island for the weekend, but I was hoping for somewhere with maybe a bit more to do (also, we may be going to Cape Cod in the fall - so looking for something a bit different). I then thought of New Orleans, but then I reconsidered because I'm assuming its hot as heck in the middle of July.
And then I thought -- why not consider Europe?! We have been to Paris, London, Scotland, and Rome so those destinations are out. Any great ideas?
Apr 21st, 2009, 05:58 AM
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hmm
what a nice decision to have to make!
it isnt long
so maybe at the most two cities close by
what about vienna two days and then fly to prague
im not the best person to discuss prague because we encountered the riff raff of the czech republic
which really tarnished my experience but most people find it a beautiful romantic city
id just toss in vienna because we loved it and it is the perfect adult destination
good luck deciding
what fun!!!
( a lot of people love parts of germany too
i have never been but i believe there are beautiful cities
my all time favourite would be switzerland though - oh to return to lucerne!)
what a nice decision to have to make!
it isnt long
so maybe at the most two cities close by
what about vienna two days and then fly to prague
im not the best person to discuss prague because we encountered the riff raff of the czech republic
which really tarnished my experience but most people find it a beautiful romantic city
id just toss in vienna because we loved it and it is the perfect adult destination
good luck deciding
what fun!!!
( a lot of people love parts of germany too
i have never been but i believe there are beautiful cities
my all time favourite would be switzerland though - oh to return to lucerne!)
Apr 21st, 2009, 06:39 AM
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San Sebastian. Hotel Londres. Rent a car. Explore the Basque country on both the Spanish and French sides.
You can good air connections through either London, Madrid or Paris to Bilbao, which is an hour by car to San Sebastian. It would make sense to spend the night in Bilbao, and then the most common and cheapest way to reach San Sebastian is to take the bus -- and parking a car in San Sebastian is not always easy or cheap, but your hotel can advise. Anyway, I think I might only rent the car for the last 3 days of my trip, and drive it back to the airport.
You can good air connections through either London, Madrid or Paris to Bilbao, which is an hour by car to San Sebastian. It would make sense to spend the night in Bilbao, and then the most common and cheapest way to reach San Sebastian is to take the bus -- and parking a car in San Sebastian is not always easy or cheap, but your hotel can advise. Anyway, I think I might only rent the car for the last 3 days of my trip, and drive it back to the airport.
Apr 21st, 2009, 02:52 PM
#5
Wow,
I'd suggest flying into/out of Zurich and with 6 days spending 4 in the Berner Oberland and 2 in Lucerne. With a late morning or afternoon flight home you can spend the last night in Lucerne and easily get to the airport. Oh, I'd also recommend using the trains and not driving. Excellent transportation system in Switzerland, plus some of the most beautiful areas are not accessible by car.
Paul
I'd suggest flying into/out of Zurich and with 6 days spending 4 in the Berner Oberland and 2 in Lucerne. With a late morning or afternoon flight home you can spend the last night in Lucerne and easily get to the airport. Oh, I'd also recommend using the trains and not driving. Excellent transportation system in Switzerland, plus some of the most beautiful areas are not accessible by car.
Paul
Apr 21st, 2009, 03:10 PM
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I suggest 3 days in Barcelona and two days on the Costa Brava. We really enjoyed Llfranc on the Costa Brava and the exploring around it but if you do a search for Costa Brava here you'll get recommendations for lots of other places in the area. Alternately, you could spend all 5 days in Barcelona and take a day trip to Sitges. Barcelona is an exciting city with a very youthful vibe and terrific food in casual settings. I have two recent trip reports about it (just click on my name) and you should definitely check out Maribel's guides to Barcelona. Probably works best to google them unless they immediately pop up when you search on those terms here. Enjoy.
Apr 21st, 2009, 04:08 PM
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We are looking for a similar short trip, about 5 days on location. So far we are looking at Florence. If you are a "slow traveler" type like us, I recommend Venice for all 5 days. You can do a day trip to Padua, or putter around the islands. It all depends on how much you want to relax and sip wine on a piazza, or buzz around taking in a lot of sites.
Apr 21st, 2009, 06:18 PM
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Given your time constraints, I would just go to Paris or London. We did this for a long weekend (London) when we had babies and it worked. We spent almost as much for the professional sitter for the toddlers as we did on the trip, but it was worth it. I would stay in one place wherever you go so you have at least sometime to relax (hard to do given your time constraints and jet lag).
