Easy walking major city?
 

Finally my husband has agreed to go to Europe with me. I have been before. What I am looking for is an easy walking city with a major airport nearby for us to spend 2 days in before we fly to Croatia for one week and then Italy for 10 days. We are returning to the US from Rome. This will be in September. We will just walk around, relax and enjoy our jet lag before we move on. I have been to Barcelona so I will pass on that again. Prague? Munich? Amsterdam?

The possibilites are endless. Why not look at flight schedules/prices and then narrow down the list of possible cities.

Venice would seem to fit the bill (and has the benefit of being close to Croatia), but you are probably either already including it in the Italy portion or have a reason you don't want to. Every major European city I've been to (fewer than many here, but still) is a "walking city" - I'm not sure exactly what you're after. Somewhere where the main sights are all in walking distance of each other? Paris might be a good fit. Plenty of cafes and gardens to relax in.

I agree, Venice and Paris are great walking cities. I would add Amsterdam as well

Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Rome, Lyon, Strasbourg, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Zürich...With the possible exception of Lisbon, which I understand is quite hilly (haven't been there), I can't think of any city I haven't found eminently walkable.

Thank you for your replies. Yes, I am looking for a city with a major airport from NY. So we can get off the plane asap and just relax without more transfers etc. Then ideally park ourselves in the middle of a charming section of a city and not have to take buses, trains etc to see a few things. Or just eat and walk about. I know from last time I slept a lot and I don't feel the need to make any plans for the first 2 days this time. Sorry if I seemed vague. It's just we can really go anywhere and I want to go everywhere.

I would have said Amsterdam. Train into the city from Schiphol. Set yourselves up in a hotel in the Jordaan (for instance!), and just enjoy. But the only direct flight from Schiphol is to Zagreb with Croatia airlines.

So I would first look at who flies direct to the airport in Croatia you want to fly to, from which European city and make you decision based on that.

My first thought was Amsterdam when I read the title of your post. And, when we went to Croatia, we flew in and of Amsterdam for our international legs.

You need to consider your airline and what European cities are hubs. That may make the difference. For instance, I fly Continental and Frankfurt is one of their hubs so it's an easy place for me to get to non-stop. Lisbon is also a non-stop location for me.

When choosing a city you also should consider how easy it is to get to Croatia from there.

Thank you so much. I think I will try to do Amsterdam and research the airlines from Croatia. Last time I took the ferry and that seems a bit time consuming. I can juggle things and do Italy before Croatia too if I need to. I appreciate the help.