First time traveler -Where should I visit besides Amsterdam?
 

Hello, I will be in Amsterdam in early July for a conference and would like to fly from there to see another European city for about 6 days. Since I have never been overseas, I was thinking about Paris or Barcelona but I'm having a hard time making up my mind and am open to other cities. Do you all have any suggestions? We are two females 29 and 32, we would be there between 4-6 days. We would like nice, safe accommodations but don't want to spend tons of money on a hotel, perhaps in the $150-250 per night range. We would like to see museums, history and maybe get in a nice hike or bike ride as well.

I also forgot to mention it would be nice if the city had a decent nightlife as well.

I'd take a train to Paris or fly to Barcelona. Either will be doable within your budget and both offer plenty of activities.

Thank you. So are either of them more crowded in early July? I'm trying to figure out a way to pick one over the other.

Both are busy destinations, with people living normal lives there as well as lots of tourists.

If you can't decide, toss a coin. Either one will give you a great city to explore

What are you like on <i>late</i> nights? In Spain, people tend not to go out for the evening until nearly midnight.

Paris - or rather, the bits people want to visit - tends to be geographically concentrated, whereas Barcelona is much more spread out. On the other hand, Barcelona has fewer tourist magnet attractions, which can make them a real pain to visit if you happen to visit when the coach parties arrive; The major sights in Paris do attract queues and crowds, but there are so many alternative things to do and places to see.

I think the main difference here will be the beach in Barcelona. if that could be of interest to you then that could help you decide.

Why not stay in Amsterdam? It's got everything- museums, canals, great cafes, good night-life. I much prefer it to either Paris or Barcelona. Early July is Barcelona particularly will be VERY hot. Already hitting 35 degrees C in Madrid.

I would do Paris :-) It's a close train ride. Or just explore more of the Netherlands and maybe Belgium?

Paris. I like Barcelona, but for a first European trip, I think it should be Paris.

Amsterdam is a wonderful city which you will probably enjoy very much. I assume you will have some free time to investigate Amsterdam?

In your situation, I would choose Paris. It is universally loved, while Barcelona gets mixed reviews IMHO.

For myself, I wouldn't disagree with PeaceOut and Pegontheroad.

IMHO Paris has way more to see and do than Barceona and the weather is more likely to be moderate versus extremely hot. Barcelona has a beach, which Paris doesn't - and night life runs from midnight (after a 10 pm dinner) to 4 or 5 am. paris hours are more like 8 pm for dinner and lot of clubs and bars are active from 9 pm or so on,

Well, Paris may have it's "plage" in July (not sure when it opens). But in any event, I'd either go (by train - no need to fly) to Paris for the whole time or tour around Ghent, Antwerp, Utrecht, maybe Delft, Bruges, and Brussels.

If your air travel arrangements are not set in stone, try to plan an "open-jaws" itinerary -- Fly into Amsterdam, fly out of another city. There will be little if any extra charge and you save time plus the costs of returning to Amsterdam and staying overnight to catch your flight. Most agency sites and airlines offer a "multi-city destinations" function you can use.

"We would like to see museums, history and maybe get in a nice hike or bike ride as well. "
Take a train to Maastricht
http://www.vvv-maastricht.eu/home.html?lang=2

Paris makes the most sense to me for a first time traveler to Europe. You will have enough time to get a good introduction to the city.

My husband has been trying to convince me that we should offer to go to Paris with his older brother who has never been and is not comfortable traveling abroad on his own. It is just one of those magical, not-to-be-missed places.

Definitely Paris. Easier to get to and lots more to do.

Thank you all for your help, Paris it is! I will be in Amsterdam for a week, with time to explore the area and plan on posting in that forum to see what things I shouldn't miss. I didn't realize I could take the train to Paris, if that is better than flying, I will check it out.