koryandleslie

Ok, I'm 30 and having a change of life crisis. I'm thinking of packing up and going to Europe for 1 month--by myself. 1 Suitcase and off I go.

The question is where??? I've never been. Don't really even know. Couple days here, a week there, ok. Where should I go?? I'm not into nightlife and partying so that's not an issue. Quiet, pretty, historical. YES!
Praque is high on my list, so I'll send 5 or 6 days there and in the area. That gives me 25 more days. What should I see, where should I go?
Not really looking at "planning" a trip. Probably no hotel reservations to hold me to an itinerary just an eurail pass and a sense of adventure.

Can't wait to hear your ideas of places not to be missed.

cafegoddess

I won't yell at you. First look at this situation as a break from your daily routine. I think you want to go for a little adventure. That being said, I would recommend going to London, Paris and Rome.

Three of the greatest cities in the world. Full of history, wonderful people and great food. Since you don't want to make any reservations ahead of time, I would take a couple of guide books with you. Sorry Fodor but I really like Frommers.

Good luck and have a wonderful time.
Don't forget your ATM card.

zwho

That sounds fabulous! Why do you think anyone would yell at you? Be jealous, maybe. Have you been to Europe before? If you haven't you should concentrate on seeing the A list, spend 4 or 5 days in each city, do a dayrtip from each destination, and you could see Prague, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam and Berlin. Each of these cities have great Museums, and ancient or old buildings dating back 1,000's of years and great art, and wonderful restaurants and squares just made for people watching. They are also a short train ride away from less well known, but just as interesting smaller towns, historical sites or just beautiful countrysides.
If you have already done the A list places,I can suggest going to Barcelona and doing daytrips from there and Madrid and visiting Toledo and Segovia while you are there. They are very different, but each unique and beautiful. I also can suggest Krakow, which I liked better then Prague and small towns south of Krakow, which were great to spend time in. Just travelling around Italy could probably keep you busy and interested for a month. No matter where you go, I don't think you can go wrong. Have fun.

Viajero2

Kory-- if you are not into "planning a trip" then why are you posting and asking at all? Just land in Prague and take it from there.

Just for shirts and giggles, I would buy a ticket for Barcelona, spend 3-4 days there and then go on to walk El Camino de Santiago (Walk of St. James); quiet, pretty, historical.

kybourbon

Italy - Start at the top and end in Sicily.

sandi_travelnut

Rent some travel videos and check out travel guides from the library to help you narrow down some places. London, Paris, Venice, Florence and Rome are all fabulous as well as Spain. There's so many possibilities. Think about specific things or places you've always wanted to see and start making a list. You need to also figure out how much your total budget is, which may help you rule out more expensive cities.

hypatia

are you going now or when?

koryandleslie

I'm thinking about the Spring. April maybe?
I'm not looking for luxury hotels or anything like that. This is a trip to find myself and just be quiet.
People watching or sitting in a restaurant on the top of the Alps drinking coffee.

I am looking for some neat little towns (or maybe big towns) that people suggest that are also safe for me.

Never been to Europe before, so this will be my first. Don't have to see all the sights, as that is not the goal of this trip, but some along the way will be nice.

As far as "think of places you've always wanted to see", well I never really have wanted to see them, so that's the problem. I don't know anything or anywhere. My great, great gandparents are from Prague so that might be of interest and from what I've seen, it looks great.

Any other help?
Thanks

Carta_Pisana

there's a book titled Vagabonding - by Rolf Potts - about how to do long term world travel on a budget. A pretty good read - lots of reference information and how to tips. If you can go for more than a month - do it.

carolyn

You mentioned Alps, so I suggest Salzburg and Innsbruck in Austria and Lucerne in Switzerland. Gorgeous scenery!

kerouac

Although the situation has improved, Prague is one European city that can sometimes have a big lack of hotel rooms. So it may be the one city where it would be wise to set up accommodations before arriving. Other cities like Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, London always end up with reasonably easy hotel solutions -- but it can be the medium sized cities that can leave you sleeping in the streets.

hypatia

all I can say is if you plan on staying in London, Rome or Paris,then you may need to book a room ahead if you are on a budget and want to be in the center ...the rest you can play by ear
I would advise flying onto a city like London or Paris and head home from Prague... head thru Germany or down through northern Italy (maybe Venice and Florence and on to Austria(Salzburg)I think you might like Switzerland
It's all good...not necessarily cheap

lovisa

Since it doesn't appear that you've travelled much, do you have a budget in mind? Travelling in Europe can get pretty pricey even if you are trying to be careful. And if you need to adhere to a budget, you will do better if you plan it out somewhat.

For a Eurail pass, you still have to decide which contries you want to visit, and it may not pay for itself unless you plan to do a lot of moving around - point-to-point tickets may be much cheaper.

Also, it's really no fun to arrive in a big city with no planned place to stay. Train stations are often in fairly undesirable and dismal neighborhoods, areas built up in the 19th century, and now pretty much in decline.

You might want to look at some Rick Steves books as he has a lot of practical advice for the first-time traveller.

hopscotch

Just hang out in Amsterdam and/or Paris. Been there and done that. Get to know the cities and the citizens. Never a regret.

Skip the Eurailpass for your 1st trip. It is not valid in Czech Republic anyway. But Prague is really beautiful.

Momliz

do you speak any other languages at all - or have any interest in picking up a few words? That might help you narrow down your choices. otherwise, I would look at basing myself in some small towns, renting an apartment, which will save money on food costs. check out http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/europe for studios. You should be able to get an apartment for the same price per night as a hotel, so if you have breakfast and many dinners at your new home, you'll save money - or you could splurge and get a really deluxe one if budget is not a concern. I like the advice to see Paris, London, and Rome (or Madrid) but I don't think they would be the best places if you want peace. Quiet, pretty, historical - try the Dordogne.

I think staying in one place and absorbing it for a few days would be more fun, and give you a better way to see and feel another country.

eliza3

Aside from Prague, which it seems you have pretty much sorted, I guess it depends on just how much you want to see in the rest of the trip and how much you want to move around. Also on whether the weather is an issue - April will be a bit cool in some places but is a wonderful time of the year - often less tourists but the longer days due to summer time.

I love London but it is incredibly expensive. It is also easy to get from London to Paris. Rome is probably my favourite european city - so much history and so accessible.

In the big cities you have all the wonderful things to see, places to eat, drink, people watch etc. I would be a little wary of small towns in continental europe - you might feel rather isolated - especially if you don't speak the language.

In terms of pretty, the Cotswolds in England is very pretty as is the Lakes District. I find parts of Italy incredibly beautiful - the colours, the hill towns etc.

Medium sized towns with perhaps a large student community could be good. For example Bath, Bristol, Oxford, Cambridge in UK or Perugia in Italy but there are of course many others.

ira

>Ok, I'm 30 and having a change of life crisis.

Already?

Have you considered getting a few travel guides to Europe and doing a little research?

A month on the road can become rather tiring if you haven't worked out at least a basic plan.

I hope that you weather your crisis.

TuckH

...and what about Leslie?

GSteed

Europe is no longer, London and Paris. Hordes of labor immigrants swarm there. The London and Paris of even ten years ago is gone! Berlin has supplanted them. Adventuress Englanders like Iceland. I suggest visiting Estonia, and then Latvia and Lithuania. If you are of European descent, visit that country. Profession? Make some contacts, maybe apply for a job. Try a language school for a month. Anything but churches and museums...How about a food search; the best chicken dish in whereever?

Cimbrone

Lucerne sounds perfect, given what you're looking for. Consider some time in the Engadine/Bregaglia Valley of Switzerland after that. Then on to Lugano. Beautiful scenery and lots of history/culture in all of these places.