My husband and I are planning on spending a year in Europe beginning Sept. 04. As of now, we are planning on having 4 home bases and traveling to other cities from there. Our thougths are:

3 months in Germany (Frankfurt, Hamburg or Berlin) or Belgium (Brussels) and then travel to Scandonavia, Netherlands, Czech Republic, etc. It would be the months of Oct. - Dec.

2 months in Zermatt, Switzerland...my husband is a big fan of skiing. Jan. - Feb.

3 months in Italy (most likely Florence) and travel throughout Italy, Greece and S. France. March - May

3 months in either Bordeaux, Marseille or Barcelona. Travel through S. France, Spain and possibly Portugal. June - Aug.

Any suggestions on our home bases locations would be greatly appreciated. These are all locations that we have never been before.

BVS, now I know I have a twin out there in the world! My dream is to rent our house out to a teacher for the academic year while we travel to Europe. I'd do Sept/Oct/Nov in Germany (probably near Munich), Dec/Jan/Feb in Italy (maybe near Rome), and Mar/Apr/May in France (near Paris), taking side trips from all three locales. Now help me convince my husband! Please update us on your plan as it progresses.

Why are you putting the South of France, Spain, and Portugal in the summer? I would try to get Scandinavia in during the summer. Obviously you want to get the skiing in too, but why put the hottest temperature destinations in the summer?

Otherwise, it sounds like it will be a wonderful, fabulous year. Good luck!

I live in Switzerland. The coldest month of the year in Zermatt is usually January. Sometimes it gets so bad they have to close several cable cars due to wind. I would move the trip there to February and March, both statisically warmer and sunnier.

I think Hamburg is a charming city and would base myself there esp as you are spenidng more time in the northern part of Europe. I assume your German is pretty good, if not Frankfurt or Berlin might be better as you may find English more widespread.

I think part of the problem is that many of these destinations would be hot, so I do see Spring is for greece/Italy etc so that makes sense.

I can only comment from second-hand info that I have a good friend from Germany who has a sister in Hamburg and another friend who lives in Hamburg and they do NOT recommend this as a place to live. She says the weather is bad in Hamburg and often rainy and wet when it is very nice in the rest of Germany. She doesn't like Hamburg at all and doesn't think it's a nice place to live or desirable.

Living in Hamburg, I would have to oppose to the last uttered opinion.
Having lived elsewhere in Germany, I have come to appreciate Hamburg as the city in Germany with about the highest living quality.
This is based on the fact that the city is very green with lots of parks, offers about the best shopping opportunities you will be able to find in Germany and interesting cultural life. Last but not least there is its proximity to water- the River Elbe is fantastic for a leisurely walk on the weekends with large ocean going vessels passing by in a stone's throw distance. The Alster lake right downtown provides great jogging trails and sailing and rowing opportunities downtown. Plus, within an hour you can reach the beaches at both the North and Baltic Sea. Within 1.5 hours you will be in Denmark, within 2.5 hours you can reach Berlin.
I will admit that spring and summer are probably preferable here in Hamburg, as it really does get a little bit dark during the winter season. Regarding the above mentioned rain: The annual amount of rainfall here in Hamburg is actually below that of more Southern Cities in Germany including Munich. What this opinion might be based on is that there are more showers here than elsewhere in Germany, probably, but during summers this won't be an issue. In fact the climate is a little more moderate due to the proximity to the sea- which obviously goes for both- the summers (when it doesn't get that hot - and winters, when it doesn't get as cold, although rather wet than snowy).

Mind you, that the weather observations go to some bigger or lesser extent for all German cities mentioned. Taking it that you would like to travel Scandinavia (which is very accessible from Hamburg, by car, ferry, train and plane), I would encourage you to probably revise your itinerary and simply switch the seasons for your stays in Germany and Bordeaux/Barcelona/Marseille.
It might easily be a little hot down there during summer, whereas Germany and Scandinavia will be much more pleasant during those months!
Enjoy that year!
hsv

I would also suggest that Hamburg is not the best choice as a German base. Nor Frankfurt. Berlin sounds the best of the three (I would also disagree about Hamburg having the best quality of life in Germany; most of our German relatives don't like it at all; one lived there and couldn't wait to leave). Also, considering the size of Germany, I would suggest having one base on the north for a months to six weeks, then another in the south. How about Bremen for a north Germany base?
Re Belgium, although I live in Brussels and it has a *lot* more going for it than most people realize, I think you would have more fun with Brugge as a base. There is a lot to do in Brugge (also much more than the obvious tourist attractions) and its beauty is unparalleled early in the morning or in the evening after the day trippers have left. Here is a link showing several apartments for rent in Brugge:
http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/ind...reg_refno/1277
Most give discounts for long term rentals (more than a month). Brussels also abounds in short term furnished flats should you decide to stick with a Brussels base. Fortunately, the Benelux region is fairly modest, giving you plenty of day trip options--you may decide to base yourselves in the Netherlands.
Re, Zermatt, on the off chance you decide to base in Chamonix, France, contact the people at www.highmountain.co.uk for good advice on that part of the world (they also have properties for rent).
Have you checked www.ski-europe.com ? They have great profiles of ski resorts all around Europe.
BTilke (Brussels)