Lily

We've been to England (London, Bath, Stratford, Devon), France (Paris, Normandy and Loire Valley) and Italy (Rome, Venice, Florence, Montepulciano) on three seperate trips (we like slow travel.) We absolutely loved Italy for the people, the food, the wine and the culture. Now we're considering other European countries to visit. My husband is leaning towards Netherlands/Germany/Austria and I'm leaning towards Spain or Greece. But we're both leaning towards Italy again as we loved it so much. Will we ever love another country as much as Italy? Are there many Fodorites who return to one country year after year?

indytravel

France.

I try to make it once, OK sometimes twice a year usually solo. I'm comfortable there with my little bit of French language skill.

When I go to Europe once a year with a friend I try someplace else. It was Greece last year and Italy this year.

I like the compromise. I get an old favorite and a new adventure almost every year.

Mimar

We had a great trip to southern Germany and Switzerland with a sidetrip to Salzburg. Switzerland has lots to see and is very well organized for travelers (though not cheap). But my favorites are Italy and England. I combine going back with other destinations. For example, we just tagged on a visit to the Italian Riviera to our trip to Provence and Nice.

dorkforcemom

Lily - I know what you mean. Prior to Italy, we had marvelous trips to England, Scotland, France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands. Then, we went to Italy! We've been 3 years in a row now and we're returning in May. Why do we keep going back? I've bought travel books to Provence & keep "playing" with the idea of going there; however, I can't let go of Italy as destination #1. Why? My husband claims Italy to have the most personality.

maitaitom

As much as I love Italy, the sheer natural beauty of Switzerland, Austria and parts of Germany are hard to beat.

degas

Yes, I keep returning to the USA every year. As much as we like to bad mouth it on this board, it is still home and a great place to live. But I have to have my Italy and France FIX every so often or I get sullen and depressed.

ira

Hi L,

>Will we ever love another country as much as Italy? Are there many Fodorites who return to one country year after year? <

maybe

Yes

Weadles

Count me among the afflicted. If it weren't for my husband's job, and the crazy traffic in Rome, we would have moved there long ago.

BostonGal

I am still new to the travel world. Re: Europe, I've only done London, Italy (Rome and north), Paris and Avignon region.
Right now, I definitely would opt to NOT repeat any trips, I've got the bug and I need to see many many other places in Europe.
But I'm sure that in future years, I'll do some repeat trips.

Way too much for me to see still though!

bobthenavigator

I know the feeling. We have managed to weave 4 trips to Spain, 2 to Portugal, 1 to Ireland, and 2 to the Alps among our 13 trips to Italy. Next May it will be the Dalmatian coast and we are considering northern Spain after that. I keep procrastinating on New Zealand because of the flight time. But, I still think we have one more trip to Italy in us---probably Piedmont and Le Marche.

richardab

I've done a lot of the same place that you have and I think the next 2 best bets are Spain and Germany.

Spain is so very different than the rest of Europe. Its hard to expalin but everything seems to be dome with a lot more passion, somewhat like the Italians. The cities are fun to visit and the countryside is beautiful. I like Madrid the best but Seville is also a very interesting and relaxed city. The tapas are awesome!

My second choice would be Germany, specifically Munich. Of all the cities I have traveled in Europe I think Munich was the cleanest and most friendly. It has great shops and restaurants and you can walk everywhere and even do a few day tours. Very sophisticated.

Another great trip that you didn't mention is the Alsace region of France. It is really so beautiful, the food is excellent and the people welcome you like they have known you for yopur whole life.

On the other hand there are a few cities that i liked but didn't really hold my attention, those are Copenhagen, Vienna and Salzburg.

azure0327

I am also guilty of wanting to return to Italy again and again. I have traveled to England, Switzerland, France, Sweden, the Netherlands and Greece. Next on my list are: Germany, Austria, Hungary, Spain and Portugal. Even though I enjoyed all the places I have been to and know there are other countries I want to visit, I always find myself wishing I could return to Italy each year, she has stolen my heart.

RufusTFirefly

Although Venice is my favorite place in Europe, Germany is my favorite country to visit. I'm more of a beer guy than a wine guy.

duckpond

SLOVENIA ! I couldn't believe it either. My husband & I visited 23 countries the first 2 yrs. we were married. This summer we decided to take his elderly mother & another older person to Slovenia to visit their long lost relatives. We weren't expecting much, but were doing this mainly as a "kind gesture" for his mom. SURPRISE! IT WAS WONDERFUL ! We spent about 4 days in 3 sections of the country...Ljubljana, the capital; Lake Bled.... TO DIE FOR ! ; and finally the costal area of Portoroz & Piran. If you go to Lake Bled be sure to take a gondola ride out to the church on the tiny island. I took a photo from the gondola of the castle on the cliff with the Julian Alps in the background & it was so awesome I had it enlarged on canvas as a wall mural. Lake Bled is one of the most beautiful areas I've ever seen. We are in our 50's but hiked up to the castle through the woods. (You can take a taxi or bus if you don't want to hike.) And the costal area of Slovenia is wonderful - We stayed in the Grand Hotel Bernardin right on the sea. I've never been in such a magnificent hotel. We didn't rent a car - just packed light, took backpacks & rode the trains from place to place. I guess I expected Slovenia would not be modern in any way, but walking down the main streets of the City of Ljubljana you saw all the young people in their jeans & little shirts & you couldn't tell you weren't in any big city in the U.S. (It was like seeing my own 3 daughters.) Since we visited 3 separate areas we got to experience a lot more than we would have by just staying put. I would highly recommend Slovenia, especially if you've already visited so many other places. ALSO.... VISITING ANY OF THE BIG GERMAN CHRISTMAS MARKETS THE FIRST WEEK OF DECEMBER IS A REAL TREAT ! (FRANKFURT IS GOOD. THEY HAVE THEM IN FRANCE & AUSTRIA & SWITZERLAND & LOTS OF OTHER COUNTRIES, TOO.) BUNDLE UP, PACK LONG UNDERWEAR & THOSE LITTLE WARMING PACKETS THAT YOU BUY AT WALMART TO PUT IN THE TOES OF YOUR BOOTS & MITTENS & CHRISTMAS SHOP FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST. DRINK SOME GLUEWEIN (HOT WINE) WHILE YOU'RE SHOPPING. HOPE THIS HELPS YOU WITH YOUR VACATION PLANS.

bookchick

Duckpond, I am praying you merely hit your "cap lock" key accidentally, as this whole business hardly warrants shouting.

In any event, yes, Italy. Hard to get out of my blood, but the plain and simple truth is, I really don't want to be "cured".

Buon Viaggio,
BC

nonnafelice

It sounds like you've only been to Northern France. If you love Italy (we do too!) you should also try Provence. You get the best of both worlds there. Provence, because it was part of the Roman empire, has a great deal of Italian influence.

We are so entranced with both France and Italy, and there is so much to see in both countries, that we already have about a dozen trips in the wishlist queue and it will be a long time before we exhaust everything they have to offer.

You could try a trip where you start out along the Mediterranean coast in either France or Italy and then end up in the other country. We haven't done that trip yet, but it's one of the ideas on our list!

geordias

Lily, I've been to the same places as you and agree that Italy is one of my favorites. But, I also love Switzerland, Germany & Austria (Bavaria area). Also Northern Italy - Lake Como area. All have spectacular scenery and fun places to visit. We drove and had no problem. English is spoken or at least understood everywhere. You can do all of these countries in one trip if you plan it right. Have fun. geordias

janemc

I'm crazy about Italy!! I try other places and return home and say, "It was good, but it's not Italy". Can't help it, can't get it out of my system and I haven't been to Rome yet.

Lily

I love all these responses! Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated as always, Lily

KT

Maybe I'm the exception, but although I adore Italy and have been there a number of times, I've also loved a number of places that are quite unlike Italy.

I used to say that my favorites were Scotland, the Netherlands, and Italy -- all for different reasons -- but I find that the more places I go, the more places I want to go back to. After a few visits to central and eastern Europe, I want to explore more in that area (and St. Petersburg is now one of my very favorite cities), a month in New Zealand was not enough, something about Dresden really grabbed me, etc. And I'm still dying to see Portugal and the Croatia, among others, for the first time.

It totally depends upon you, your interests, and your temperament. There's a whole world out there--it even extends beyond Europe--and if you're unlucky you'll want to see a lot more of it.