DanielleJane

My husband and I are taking our 6th anniversary trip to Europe in April for just under 2 weeks.. We have never been to Europe before and decided to visit 3 different places while we're there. We will be starting in London, taking the train to Paris and then we were planning on going to Barcelona for a few days but I wanted to find out from any "seasoned Europe travelers" out there if there's any other place we should visit besides Barcelona?

I'm trying to get a good variety in without trying to be too zealous. My husband suggested we stop somewhere in Italy (my roots ) but the only affordable places to fly seem to be Milan (I wouldn't really desire to go there since we're already going to 2 big cities) and Pisa (I don't know anything about the Pisa/Tuscany area so this may be a good option?)

As I said before, we're going to 2 big cities and I would really like to see a charming village area, maybe a beach? Something no longer than a 2-3 hour flight from Paris (about the same radius as Barcelona) and somewhere we could visit for 3 days and still see a good amount of what the city/town had to offer would be ideal. Some places we've been thinking about are Spain, Italy, Greece, Switzerland or maybe Ireland.. We would use EasyJet or RyanAir for tickets and are open to any suggestions! Thanks in advance!

Danielle

Michael

Venice is within reach and has the Lido for sun, sand and sea.

Heimdall

I don't think it would be worth going to Greece for 3 days, especially considering the flying time to get there. Why not consider somewhere in the south of France, which would be beautiful in spring? From Nice you could even take a day trip by train along the coast into Italy.

thursdaysd

Nice is a good idea, and there are cheap flights on Easy Jet (see whichbudget.com and skyscanner.net for European flights, seat61.com for European trains). However it's hardly a hidden gem, but for a first visit there's more than enough to see without looking for such things.

StCirq

It's your first trip to Europe. Everything will appear to you to be a "hidden gem." Even after 100 trips to Europe it's hard to find "hidden gems," so I'd toss that idea. Or, if you really truly want a "hidden gem," head to the lake in St-Férréol.

From Paris you can get on the TGV and be on the beach in the Riviera in a few hours. Or grab a flight to Venice if Italy beckons. But I'd personally stick to Paris and Barcelona for a first trip, with a daytrip or two in each place - maybe Versailles or Giverny from Paris, and a Costa Brava village or two from Barcelona.

Heimdall

I was thinking of a flight to Nice, then maybe hire a car to visit places in Provence like Grasse, for example. I still remember the scents from the perfumeries there.

amer_can

St. Cirq has the right idea Paris for a couple of days then Ver.and/or Giverny or hopefully both but G. will not be in it blooming glory this early. Barcelona will keep you busy with all there is there.. I'd, personally, do the Paris hopon/hopoff to get an overview including the batobus. Walk, walk , walk in BCN..Don't try to do the whole Louvre..just what interests you the most..ie: winged victory, Mona, whatever and see what are special showings elsewhere.. You should take clothes to layer and scarves/pashima etc..It may still be cold, damp and you won't want to be uncomfortable in your wanderings.

Heimdall

April is too early for beaches, but from Nice it is also easy to visit Cannes and Monaco.

DanielleJane

Thank you all for the great advice! I will definitely consider Nice... My husband likes the idea of Pisa/Tuscany since it seems to be a lot different than London & Paris. Any advice on that route?

Jean

Exactly how long is "just under 2 weeks"?

If you went to Tuscany, would you be willing to rent a car? A car isn't absolutely necessary, but it would make a difference in what you'd be able to see/do in a short amount of time. Which brings me back to wondering how much time you have. How many days will you be in London? Paris?

FWIW, in April, I would pick Tuscany over the Med coast of France. But I admit an Italy bias.

thursdaysd

Actually, April is a great time for Nice. Good weather, but no crowds. Too early for swimming, of course.

DanielleJane

@Jean We are looking at about 10 days. 3 nights in each city and then flying back to London to depart back to the States.

Michael

Rather than going back to London, look for an open jaw ticket. It will save time and probably not cost more than the RT to London and back plus the travel from the last European destination back to London.

CathyM

I'm confused - I thought you already planned on London, Paris AND Barcelona. If so this is alrady one place too much for just 10 days. 3 nights is not enough time for London or Paris or Barcelona especially once you factor in jetlag and travel time to each destination. If these are your top cities you want to visit eliminate one and save for another trip.

DanielleJane

@Michael Really? I will definitely have to check into that. I think I did consider it at one point and it turned out being a lot more. I am flying Delta and will try to see what I can arrange. Thanks

@CathyM We had Barcelona planned but were willing to replace Barcelona with a small village/beach area for a few days so we could get a good variety in. We are weighing all of our options and may just visit 2 cities if it appears to be too aggressive of an itinerary... But we do want to see a lot of Europe.. we're still young and can sleep when we get home

Michael

look at www.kayak.com unless you are using frequent flier miles with Delta.

DanielleJane

@Michael we had a credit with Delta from a previous flight so we had to go with them, but I will call and see if we can switch to an open jaw ticket and go that route Thanks!

thursdaysd

You can't see a LOT of Europe in the time you have. However, since you're young you have a lot of time to travel in the future.

CathyM

Definately pick 2 cities between London, Paris and Barcelona and fly open jaw - Delta has options out of all these cities. I wouldn't skip Barcelona in favor of a small village/beach area for a few days. Instead why not do a daytrip to a smaller village or beach area. OR if you're really wanting to spend time in smaller places then choose ONE area (London, Paris or Barcelona) and then spend a few days outside of the cities based in a smaller village. I'm young still too - but no matter how young you are you can't see it all in one trip. I learned the hard way as my first 3 trips were a total blur - at the time I knew they were fast paced but now looking back they were really poorly planned. You're basically in a mode of checking off sites versus getting to visit a city or understand anything about it or the culture.

DanielleJane

@CathyM thanks so much for your suggestion and advice. I will definitely take it into consideration and try to see what I can do... Realistically, this is kind of our last big trip before we have kids, so I don't know when will be the next time we'll make it over to Europe (not being dramatic, I know we will eventually. Especially after this trip I'm sure I'll be in love with Europe) so I do want to make it really worth it. London and Paris are 2 places I really want to see and I figured with how cheap the flights are, I'd like to fit another city in but one that doesn't have too much to do so we don't feel frustrated.

I have already swallowed the fact that we won't be able to see EVERYTHING in London and Paris and I have slimmed down the itinerary so we aren't completely exhausted and can really enjoy the things we are going to see and like you said, understand the culture and really take in the city, even if it's just a fraction of it.