So this is a random post (which I'm posting on both the US and Europe boards) and I know this is totally a matter of individual preference, but I really can't decide where to go for vacation. Here are the details - DH and I are in our late twenties, live in ATL and have about 10 days for vacation coming up at the end of June (soon, I know!). We have been wanting to do a PAR-BRU-AMS trip for a while but we are also trying to budget for this vacation as we're doing some remodeling and airfare to Europe is $$$ this summer. But then again, I don't want to take a vacation I really don't love just to save $500.

Cons for Europe are: 1) cheapest airfare is $1037 (and yes I've tried every search engine/date combination imaginable); 2) not enough time to plan a Europe trip the way I really like to; 3) it will be crowded (I've never gone to EU during "season" 4) we will end up in crappy hotels because this is so last minute. Pros for Europe: 1) probably won't spend as much on hotel as S/V; 2) tons to do - museums, checking out architecture, shopping, hanging out in cafes, etc.; 3) great inexpensive food.

Cons for Seattle/Vancouver: 1) is there really enough to do? will it be interesting?; 2) food/hotel more expensive. Pros for Seattle/Vancouver: 1) airfare is $350; 2) beautiful scenery; 3) we love to hike.

So there it is - any opinions?

Hotels and food more expensive in Seattle or Vancouver than in Paris, Amsterdam or Brussels? With the current value of the dollar v. Euro? Two words. As. If.

As for activities, well, you're right... no D'Orsays or Rijksmuseums in Seattle or Vancouver. But no Stanley Parks or Museums of Flight in Brussels either.

My take on your choice is that you've got your summer cities and winter cities turned around. Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam are fabulous off-season destinations, while Seattle and Vancouver are relatively less attractive in Nov-Feb, but great in the summer months, especially for people in their late 20s, for whom Seattle and Vancouver have so much to offer it's astonishing.

No contest IMO; others' opinions may vary.

Hello fellow Atl resident! It really is a tough choice and it's always hard for me to mentally let go of a trip I would really like to do but the timing just isn't right! We just returned from a trip to AMS / Brugge and Paris and it really was wonderful BUT airfare was bad! $1100 ATL / AMS then CDG / ATL open jaw direct Delta flights, not high season! My suggestion is do the SEA/Vancouver and begin to plan now for next spring? in Europe. We went to AMS in tulip season and it was just wonderful. That way when you go to these places you can line up the hotels you want and not go in the busy summer season. SEA/Vancouver will be a nice break from our Atl heat - a friend of mine went there last summer and gave it such glowing reports that I hope to get out there one of these days. Have a great trip whatever you decide!

"Crowded" in Europe...yes but a lot can depend on time of day and venue. I was last in the Rijksmuseum on a November day and there were lots of people there then, too....in the afternoon.

I disagree that you will "end up in crappy hotels"..there are plenty of good rooms available still.

With the Euro at what, a buck 34 cents right now it can be pricey in Europe, too.

I side with Gardyloo, although to be honest, I would make it Portland (OR) and Vancouver. (I like Portland a LOT more than Seattle but that's just a personal preference).
I lived in the Pacific NW for over a decade and now live part time in Brussels, I think you should be making your Paris/Bru/Amst trip when you're really in the mood to go there and preferably when you will have at least two full weeks.

Well, I live in Seattle, and visit Vancouver regularly, so I'm a little biased, but -- are you nuts? Go to Paris. Brussels and Amsterdam I don't know. But Paris, I mean, it's PARIS. Not only does Seattle not have the museums, etc., it doesn't have any PARIS. Just walking around the streets is enough; there's nothing of interest to see on Seattle's streets. I mean, there's a list of "attractions", like the Pike Place Market, sculpture park, ferries, etc. Vancouver's very nice, too. But.

Maybe you can afford a nicer hotel here, but are you traveling to see the inside of a hotel room, or a city? Stay in a hovel if you have to, and go outside.

I used to live in Vancouver and now I live in Paris. You certainly should do your Paris-Amsterdam-Brussels trip some time, but perhaps now (late June, 10 days, last minute trip) is not the best time. As others have mentioned, you're catching the start of high season in Europe and have limited (and somewhat expensive pickings in terms of airfare and hotels). Also, you need to shave off almost 3 days (2 on the front end, one on the back end) for travel, leaving you only 7 days for 3 cities, which is not enough time. Better to take this trip when you can spare two weeks (or at least 12 days) and can plan further in advance to get some bargains.

Vancouver is gorgeous. I tend to say that everyone there is dressed for a hiking emergency. If you like being outside, it's a great place to be (which is perhaps how I ended up living all of my adult life in places like Toronto, New York, London and Paris). There are some terrific museums, and you'll have time to fit in a short trip to Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands.

One word of caution. July 1 is a holiday in Canada (the equivalent of the US July 4). This will have an impact on airfare and hotel prices, so either plan your trip to avoid the last day or so in June and July 1, or consider going to Seattle instead.

I know that Seattle and Vancouver obviously do not have the cultural wealth of Paris, but there are plenty of interesting museums that would fill a holiday.

Just a few ideas:
Vancouver Art Gallery is having an Impressionist Monet to Dali exhibit starting sometime in June. The Emily Carr paintings are on display year round.
The Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia has a great deal of interesting aboriginal exhibits.
There are some contemporary art museums and galleries I haven't gotten around to visiting yet.
The TRIUMF particle accelerator at UBC is fun to visit (okay, I know this may be a particular taste), and you could combine this with a day of hiking in the area (along with the Museum of Anthropology).
Stanley Park, Seymour Mountain, Grouse Mountain - all great hiking spots and very close to downtown.

The Seattle Art Museum is very good. The Seattle Public Library is an interesting and fun building. The Seattle Asian Art Museum is somewhere I've been planning to visit, but haven't made it yet. Double-check what the renovation schedule is for these two - I seem to remember something is afoot. I've been meaning to get to the Museum of Flight also.

I like live theatre in both cities. When I visit Seattle, I have to admit that I sometimes put all touristic aspirations aside, and just spend a lot of time hanging out at Bauhaus Books Coffeehouse -
http://www.travelblogs.com/dougdo/coolest_coffee.htm

In both Seattle and Vancouver, in ordinary circumstances, you can get very good hotel deals with Priceline - check betterbidding.com if interested.

That said, in response to your points:
1) Perhaps nothing cheaper is available.
2) You don't really need to minutely plan a trip to PAR-BRU-AMS
3) None of these places are that crowded everywhere - there are many places to go where crowds are not in evidence. World-class attractions will tend to be crowded, but that's because they are world-class.
4) In almost all cases (barring huge conventions), you can get a nice, reasonable hotel via many booking sites, particularly ones dealing in last-minute bookings.


But in response to your next set of points:
1) Hotel costs can be cheaper or the same in SEA/YVR 2) there is much to do in SEA/YVR 3) An incredible amount of great, inexpensive food is available in Vancouver and Seattle.

Well, I live about halfway between Seattle and Vancouver (Anacortes) and spend quite a bit of time in both. The summers here can be glorious! The hiking, and scenery is wonderful. You should have no trouble in filling your ten days vacation in a memorable way. I suggest you skip the $1,100 airfares for this June and come out here.

OTOH, there is no comparison between this area and Paris. Like comparing the John Muir trail with New York city. Different kind of vacation.

My suggestion would be to do your NW vacation this summer, and then save both vacation and bucks for your PAR-BRU-AMS vacation for an off season adventure that you can plan properly.

We wait for late September, early October to visit Europe. Still a bit crowded, but nothing like June. By haunting the cheapo airfare sites, and booking far ahead, we got seats from SEA to CDG on United for $518 in late September.

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful trip!

If you love beautiful scenery, and love to hike, come to Seattle. You can do nice day-hikes right from the city, or plan to spend a night or two in the mountains and hike almost from your doorstep.

I've spent lots of time in Paris, and I'll return about every other year or so. We got bored with Seattle in about 1 1/2 days.

However, like others have stated - perhaps Paris won't fit right now.

Have you visited San Francisco/Carmel/Big Sur coast/Wine Country??? You might find it more interesting than Seattle.

Stu Dudley

Late June is one of the most beautiful times of the year in the Pacific Northwest. If Seattle and Vancouver themselves don't give you enough to do for 10 days, add Victoria and Whistler BC.

I agree that it's pretty short notice for planning a European trip. Save that for next spring or fall (shoulder season, anyway.)

Another cost factor to consider: you'll need to rent a car in Seattle. Our transit options are pathetic and embarrassing. And even if they were world-class they wouldn't go to any hiking trailheads.

Vancouver's a little easier thanks to the Skytrain, but you'll still miss half of it if you don't have a car.

Whereas in Paris a car would ruin your trip!

LOL, I totally did not expect to get a "go to Vancouver" answer from the Europe board! Thanks for all the great responses. I am now leaning towards doing the Seattle/Vancouver (or Portland as BTilke suggested, I'll have to look into that) - most of you seem to agree with me that it is too rushed for a Europe trip . . . and the more I think about it the more I agree that there are a lot of factors weighing against it. And I'm not even feeling particularly upset about not doing the Europe trip, so I think that is a sign, too. I would rather go when we have enough time to plan and I can really enjoy it, where the NW trip seems likely to be just as much fun w/o a ton of planning.

I live in Seattle too and I'm with the other poster that said, "are you nuts?" I would take Paris/Amsterdam over the Great Northwest in a heartbeat. I am assuming that you have not been to either place. If you do decide to make it Seattle, make it Seattle/Victoria and Vancouver if time permits. If you decide on Paris I stay in a little 2* hotel Hotel Andrea de Rivoli that is 84 euros for a double and it makes up for some of the airfare.

I also live in Seattle. It's a fantastic place to LIVE, but honestly I've never understood people coming to vacation here.

Go to EUROPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wait a second... I seem to be missing something. How long do you have for the trip?

I think Seattle is boring as a city of visit, but reading more carefully your post, if hiking and natural scenery is what you are after it is fairly spectacular here (outside the city).

I live between Seattle and Vancouver so I fall into the Are You Nuts? category - LOL. If I had 10 days I'd rent an apartment in Paris or check into the hotel AisleSeat recommends.

You can entertain yourself in Seattle and Vancouver for 2 days each tops. Truly. I try hard as I love cities. They're well known as good places to live but I'm with Suze - I always look at tourists in Seattle with amazement.

But the outdoors is spectacular and the best way to do a trip to the northwest is to rent a car and get out and go hiking. But June? Many of the trails are still in snow, our hiking season starts in July and isn't really great until August/September. It can be cloudy a lot in June (and in the other 11 months You can add on Victoria but again, there's perhaps a days worth of interesting activity.

I'd go to Paris despite the airfare. Or consider Stu's wine country/SF suggestion.

We loved Vancouver and Seattle but after 2 days there was not much to do unless one goes outside the city( and hike)
If you have just 10 days go only to Paris ( and some side trips).
It is fabulous!

My initial reaction (first response) was to <b>audreyleigh99</b>'s listing of Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam vs. Seattle/Vancouver. If it was just one of the European cities under consideration, and not moving around, then I would be less decisive in my recommendation. (And in fact I would recommend Amsterdam over Paris at that time, but that's just me.)

My attitude toward this, given the OP's age and time available, is that when God made time, (s)he made plenty of it. This of all years is an expensive and crowded time for Americans to visit big European capitals in the peak of visitor season. If another vacation can be taken - maybe later in the year or in the spring of next year - well, those are great times for Paris or Brussels or Amsterdam (or Brittany or the Cote d'Azur or...) when the crowds are smaller, prices are cheaper, and if the weather turns punk, the cafes and theaters are buzzing. Those cafes and theaters have been there for decades, maybe centuries, so there's no huge rush.

And as a longtime resident of these parts, I think the appeal of Portland or Seattle or Vancouver to first-timers shouldn't be under-rated. Denman Street in Vancouver or the Pearl in Portland, or Fremont in Seattle may not be the BSM or the Jordaan, but they have their own appeal, and with a car you can be in serious beautiful nature way quicker than you can from central Belgium.

Plus, you can turn on the radio in BC and tune to the French language service on the CBC, and it's almost like being in... Quebec.