Already posted in General forum...

My wife and I are in the very early stages of planning for our 08 trip to Europe and are looking at the following as possible areas to explore (This will be early September):

Amsterdam/Belgian towns (still looking)/Rhine River towns & castles

Or

Prague/Budapest/Vienna/Salzburg/Hallstatt

Some background on us. We are mid-30s, been to Italy, Germany (Bavaria) and Paris in the last three years. We both like wine, beer, food, historic sites, military history and scenic views. We usually plan around ten days but are open to longer if it’s within budget and the itinerary demands it. I think we both agree that we like Bavaria the best thus far.
What we are looking to do is decide on an area so that we may take the next step in deciding exactly what major cities and/or side trips we want to take. Any recommendations, pleasant experiences or if you are just plain biased and can't get enough of one of these areas; we would love to hear that too.

Thanks,

Rich

There is only one Europe forum. The pull-down boxes allow you to <i>search</i> for specific countries; they don''t allow you to <i>post</i> for specific countries.

Well I would vote for Amsterdam, plus some of the rest of Holland. Very different from Bavaria but still very beautiful countryside in a different way.
As far as a German river goes I would say the Mosel is a far more attractive river than the Rhine.

Are you planning on hiring a car?

If so consider Holland and the Mosel, with a touch of the Rhine thrown in.

Well, I think that either choice would be marvelous. It may be difficult to cover everything you've proposed in 10 days though.

I think you would need a minimum of 3 days in any of the larger cities you mentioned like Amsterdam, Prague, Budapest, etc., altho I guess you could see a bit in 2 days.

You could spend a week in just the Rhine and Mosel River areas, but agree that if you are limited on time, you should concentrate on the Mosel River (Cochem, Burg Eltz, Beilsten, Bernkastel-Kues, Trier).

I am very partial to Salzburg and the Salzkammergut which includes Hallstatt, St. Gilgen and St. Wolfgang on Wolfgangsee, Bad Ischl, etc. YOu could easily spend a week here exploring the area and nearby Berchtesgaden, a beautiful town in the German Alps.

Tough choice as all the places you have mentioned are very worthwhile.

ttt