Last Minute choosing European desintations for Dec 14-30? Please help!
 

Background:
My husband was in a car accident last Friday and now has two broken vertebrae; he has to wear a brace full time for the next six weeks and cannot lift more than a gallon of milk at a time. He is cleared for travel but our travel plans were to go to Peru from Dec 14-30. Since traveling there is going to involve a lot of outdoor hiking/activity, long bus rides, and moving from city to city, we are going to postpone it until next year.

Help Needed:
We want to switch to a couple of Eurpoean cities that can easily occupy those two-or-so weeks and we need help! Our budget is tight so I am looking at package deals--saw some on go-today.com if anyone has input on that company. I've seen offers for Amsterdam and Paris. We'd also consider somewhere in Greece or Spain. We want destinations with plenty to do because we'd like to limit it only three different hotels in order to minimize how much we need to move our luggage around.

We've already been to London and we want to save Rome for another time.

Dear Fodorites, I know this falls into the frustrating category of questions--believe me, I usually do A LOT more research before we travel so this is going to be tough.

We are most seriously considering Amsterdam plus Paris. We'd also like to include a couple days out of Paris into another area of France--I admit, my geography is bad--is Normandy a realistic side trip from there (driving)?

Open to all suggestions! Please help!

Sorry to hear about your husband's accident. I cannot imagine a person with two broken vertebrae wearing a brace flying across the ocean and getting on and off a bus on a tour and sitting for long periods of time on that bus. Isn't there a city in the U.S. (if you live in the U.S.) that would interest you?

If not, considering he can't lift more than one gallon of milk and you'll be doing all the luggage lifting, I'd pick one city in Europe, two at the most, and see that one and do day trips if he's interested. Paris, Amsterdam, London, Berlin, Prague ... Lots of places, but of course, I don't know where you've been. That time of year you might a city with a Christmas market -- Strasbourg in France, multiple choice in Germany.

Whatever you decide, you don't have much time left to make hotel and air reservations.

Good luck. I hope your husband isn't in much pain.

hi schlegal - the whole of europe? that's abit of an ask.

I think that I might think of somewhere that has a particularly christmassy atmosphere, which frankly I have never heard said of amsterdam. [nor paris, but you can hardly go wrong there].

how about one of the eastern european capitals as well as Paris? a few years ago we went to both Prague and Budapest between Christmas and New Year and they have great winter markets and atmosphere. also many German towns and cities have christmas markets, plus vienna of course.

I would not think about driving to Normandy - it wouldn't be top of my list for a winter visit, and the days will be very short for looking at the coast or countryside. if you wanted to see a different part of France, why not get the TGV to Nice [where you might get a bit of warm weather if you're lucky] then fly to Prague to finish your trip?

have a great trip,

regards, ann

Forgot to answer re Normandy from Paris. I think it would depend upon how comfortable your husband is with a long ride, but it is doable, can't remember exactly how long a drive but I've done it.

If he's up to it, a couple of days in Normandy at a nice inn with a fireplace would be nice, wine, roasted chestnuts ... So, maybe Paris and Normandy

If it was me, I would postpone. I traveled to Germany & Austria in September 3 weeks after knee surgery. I was in pain almost the entire time. Can't imagine traveling with 2 broken vertebrae unless you could fly in business class. Coach is way too uncomfortable for an overseas trip even when you are perfectly healthy!!

ps - i just looked at the Nice airport website, and there are flights from Nice to Prague with "Bravofly" [no, I've never heard of them either] for as little as €43 one way.

you could also fly to Prague from Paris, then fly back to Nice, where you mgiht find more flights back to the US than there are from Prague. [assuming you're going to fly open jaw]

if you don't want to venture quite so far, there is already a thread about the christmas market in Basle and a search of this forum should throw up more.

Vienna is a beautiful city and has lovely Christmas decor. There's plenty to do there. You could combine it with Prague or Paris and have an enjoyable two weeks for sure. I think Vienna and Paris would be perfect. Vienna would furnish plenty of the Christmas atmosphere and Paris is endlessly fascinating anytime. If you can find a cheap flight between the two cities, I'd opt for that.

Thanks for all the quick replies and thoughts. Thanks also for the concern for my husband's injuries. He is not in much pain (two extra strength Tylenol are all he needs right now) and if it were up to him we'd still be going to Peru, so an alternative trip is a compromise.

I like the Vienna/Paris suggestion. I will check into it. THANKS ALL!

Schlegal,

Don't rule out Germany. If you at all like history and/or art there is so much to see and do in Berlin.

Or, you can see Munich and perhaps tie it in with Salzburg...or Vienna...

(Vienna has plenty to do but for some reason was sort of a letdown for me. I don't know why. Just not a beautiful city to me.)

Paris is always lovely and I also really love Amsterdam. I think they would be a wonderful combo. I still have many things I haven't yet done in Paris after 4 trips. And Amsterdam is very charming and wonderful art if you like that.

Rome has enough to keep you happy for 2 weeks..... and you may find it the perfect spot - why rule it out? You could tie it in with Florence or Venice or another Italy side trip. We were there last month and so enjoyed just sitting in the sun and drinking cappuccino and watching the world walk by.

What do you like to do when you are not hiking?

Prague is jam packed in December and not enough there IMO for a long trip. Definitely fun, but maybe not the best with an injury.

Sorry your other trip is off :( But glad your husband will be okay.

gruezi

Most of europe will be quite cold - and travel by train would be a challenge for your husband.

If it were me I would opt for 2 weeks in southern Spain by car. There are several cities with a lot to do and some berach resorts for relaxing. (It won;t be wamr enough to swim but you could walk ion the beach, explore local towns, visit a few of the white towns in the hills and stay in Seville, Granada, Cordoba. Traveling by car should be easier on your husband -since you won;t have to go long distances any day - and hotel staff can deal with luggage. And since it will be off season you should be able to get a lot of good hotel deals.

Thanks for additional input. Nytraveler, I don't know anything about Spain so that's why I have hesitated to look at it as a destination. Gruezi, I'll check out Germany, too.

When not hiking we love history, culture, and art. We are not interested in shopping or nightlife. When in London we filled a week with museums, touristy things, and a side trip to Stonehenge/Bath. I was looking at Amsterdam/PAris because I know we could fill time in those cities with things that meet our interests and don't tax my husband too much.

If you do opt for Amsterdam - which will have plenty to do, all the museums being open over Christmas, make sure you chose a hotel with a lift. Steep Amsterdam stairs are a challenge for the fit, never mind someone in a brace.

Also check that you can get health insurance for your trip, no matter where you decide to go - many companies will not cover pre-existing conditions and so should your husband have a problem while away he would not be covered.

Anyone ever used europeandestinations.com?

I am just weighing in with a comment about gotoday, which you said you were considering. I bought a couple of packages from them several years ago and was very pleased. It seemed a good way to combine two cities. I did a Paris/Rome combination and a London/Venice one.

Since then, however, I have booked my air and hotel independently. I think the prices are comparable, and I would not hesitate to use gotoday again.

Thanks, Nikki. They often have great deals (I'm on their email list) and I have been wondering about reliability.

I've spent 7-10 days in Paris on four different occassions and never come close to scratching the surface. So many great museums!

Schlegal,

If you love history, culture and art than I would say Amsterdam, Paris, and Berlin would be the top choices. So much of all of these in all 3 cities. If you've never been to any of them, then I vote Paris first, Berlin second, Amsterdam third. Probably of the three Berlin is least expensive but I'm not sure about in December. We found Berlin very reasonable (comparatively) in the summer. Paris is very pricey but much can be done to cut expenses.

Driving around Spain was hard for me with no injuries. Lots of hours in the car are just not my thing although many enjoy that. There is plenty of art, culture and history in Spain, but I think you will need to move about a bit more to keep busy and I know you want to settle in.

Again, why not Rome??? History, art, culture... Also very expensive....


gruezi

'cannot lift more than a gallon of milk at a time'

How the heck are you goning to move your baggage? Good luck on these plans. If I were him I would insist on staying home and recovering before an overseas trip.

Anyways if you are intent on going, have a safe trip.

Reliable or not, I wouldn't book a tour for the cities that you are considering. It's so easy to book hotels and transportation on your own in Europe and travel at your own pace, especially considering your husband's injury -- even if he isn't in much pain.

I have nothing against group tours, but I usually take them to places that would be difficult to be on my own and when there is a lot of driving involved (e.g., 2,000 miles through Turkey). Trains in Europe are great and it's easy to travel to another city.

Good luck, please let us all know what you decide.

Still considering where to go although the strong pull is to do a few days in Amsterdam followed by Paris, taking the train between the two. We can book an open jaw for about $770/each.

Pauljagman, I understand your concern but I am a fit and healthy 29 y/o who can easily carry all our baggage if needed--we travel often and can pack light!

I have been considering packages only because that would eliminate the stress of trying to figure out hotels plus flights to stay within our budget, which is $3000 or less for flights plus hotels.