Shannon_Juilleret

I am going to Europe for the first time this summer with my husband. We will be in England for five days, then, plan to travel to nearby countries for possibly two more weeks. We want to go somewhere that is not packed with tourists. We like history, the ocean, being outdoors, good food and drinks. Was considering Greece, but it's too far from England and I heard it's really crowded in the summer. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

uhoh_busted

Summer is peak tourist time in Europe. You will want to stay away from places like the beaches in South of France, but if it is your first trip, you really should try Paris. You can take the train from London to Paris, and I'd recommend you stay for at least 5 nights there. But what interests you besides "Europe"? Switzerland? Germany? You might want to try someplace very different and visit Croatia. Will you fly in to London and back from _____??? Will you concentrate on cities?
Italy is lovely, but pretty well traveled in the summer. Do you have any idea how much you want to spend?

lindy27

Paris and Switzerland would be good choices. There aren't a lot of swimming worthy beaches in England and the south of France will be busy. You could look for a beach in southern England to go to and then head to Paris from there.

travlsolo2

IMHO most places worth visiting in European countries will be packed with tourists in the summer. (I'm not trying to be snarky, but it's a fact.)

StCirq

You want us to suggest countries on an entire continent that are not packed with tourists in high season? Sorry, do some research. Maybe Albania. It's not popular.

Shannon_Juilleret

We have considered Croatia, Germany, Switzerland, and Finland. I'm still doing research of course.

ira

Hi SJ,

You are going during the peak tourist season.

Unless you plan on hiding away in a small provincial village, everywhere you go will have lots of tourists.

Denmark and Sweden are nice in the Summer.

spaarne

Why is it that you tourists don't want to be around other tourists? If that is really your case then go in the spring or autumn.

lindy27

We really love Germany. There are less tourists there than France/England/Italy, or at least that was our experience two summers ago. The country in general is also pretty cheap compared to the rest of western Europe. The people are also very nice, their train system efficient and we both loved their food.

Our favorite places were in Bavaria and along the Rhine river. If you like big cities Berlin is also pretty neat. Bavaria also has mountains if you are interested in that.

janisj

"<i>We will be in England for five days, . . .</i>"

Five days is <u>nothing</u> in England. It is only time enough for a very basic overview of London. What/where else are you going in England?

For a first trip of 2.5 weeks -- maybe consider 5 days in London, a few days in the English countryside - possibly on the south coast, 5 days in Paris, and a few nights in one other location.