I am trying to plan a trip to Europe for after I take the bar exam this summer and am having a hard time. I would love to see Italy but am open to traveling in other countries instead or in addition. I am planning to vacation for two-three weeks and would love to be somewhere where I can see the sights and relax as well. I do not mind traveling by train. Does anyone have any ideas about where I should start or the best places to go in the month of August?

August ?<BR>Avoid Italy !

Hi Nydia,<BR><BR> In August I would go to Scotland and Scandinavia.<BR><BR> Why not wait until late September for Italy?

Ira,<BR>Thanks for the tip. I have no other choice but to travel in August, so I will definitely look into Scotland and Scandinavia. Thanks!

i did my post bar trip in august, and traveled around spain and italy and it was truly perfect. we started in barcelona at the hotel claris for a few days, where we did some sightseeing, enjoyed the nightlife, explored; then we took an overnight train to La Spezia to get to Portovenere on the Ligurian Coast. It was a little bit of a trek (2 trains, walk to a town square, and a bus to the town), but very well worth it. it is a cute little fishing town with a couple of hotels, and a main street, no real beaches, no americans. we stayed here mainly because we wanted to do cinque terre but wanted to stay away from the the whole american backpacking scene. a 10 minute boat ride from right in front of our hotel (grand hotel portovenere) took us to the first town of cinque terre (can't remember which), and we walked/hiked the 5 villages and took a boat back from the last village. absolutely loved it. would highly recommend it. after 2 nights in portovenere we took a train from la spezia to venice. we stayed there a few nights, did some sightseeing, and worked in a day trip to Lido (the beach area a short (15-20 minute) boat ride away from Venice). Lido was a great break from Venice, which was overrun with tourists. mostly italians, great inexpensive restaurants, fresh produce, etc. After that, we took yet another train to Naples, from where we took a cab to Positano, on the amalfi coast, where we stayed for a week. This was definitely the highlight. Very relaxing and fun. While there, we took a couple trips to Capri and a day trip to Sorrento...all well-worth it. In the end, we hired a van (sick of trains by then) to take us to Rome, where we spent a few days shopping, sightseeing, shopping, eating, shopping, etc. email me for more info, i'd be happy to share.

just reread my email and realized it may have come off like i was againsttraveling to places with americans. i apologize, as i am not. i merely wanted to point out that portovenere is sort of off-the-beaten-path for non-italians. we only went after some fodorite postings that left us with a great impression of the place. we didn't speak any italian and it is not the easiest of places to get to, but learned quite a bit after our 3 days there, so it was quite an adventure. venice was exactly opposite--everyone spoke english and there were tourists everywhere...not as authentic an experience (as beautiful as it is). i would still go there again, however.

In a word, Austria. You will love the scenery, cities, villages and the excellent food and drink. The people are very freindly and Vienna is a wonder.