Sarah

Hi! I'm trying to plan a European "adventure" in the next couple of months. Can anyone, and everyone, please share with me their favorite spots in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. If there's somewhere else you think I just have to see, please let me know! Thanks!

Ken Givich

You are missing the flavor of Europe by not visiting Portugal; especially Lisbon, Cascais, Sintra and Qeluce! The people are beautiful, friendly, very gracious and most speak English. The coutryside is very remaniscant of California; especially the coastal areas. You can keep all of France, especially if you do not speak the language; rude people, expensive prices and dirty cities. Germany is spotless but austere.

Carolyn

Let's see...Switzerland: Interlaken. It is great fun and very beautiful. You can bungy jump and glacier climb in the Alps. You can white-water raft or canyon as well. It is a very pretty little town. Germany: cruise up the Rhine from Frankfurt to Cologne, Berlin, Romantic Road, Munich. I can't say enough about Germany. I loved it. The people are warm and friendly even if the language is a little harsh. It is expensive though, be prepared. France is amazing too. The Riviera is a must see, especially during the Cannes film festival. Paris is wonderful. Giverny (where Monet lived and painted) is beautiful. Versailles is amazing. I do agree that missing Spain is a mistake, but it is a fair way from your itinerary. Save it for another trip in and of itself. I travelled through the countries you listed as well as the Netherlands, Britain, Czech Republic, Italy, Austria and Spain. If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me. Have fun.

Lanny

Durnstein, Austria. An absolutely beautiful, utterly memorable treasure of a village on the Wachau. I do not think heaven could be any more beautiful, or memorable, than Durnstein.

Lori

The braurerie gasthof "Aying" 12k outside of Munich. Voted one of the top ten small breweries in the world. Also a great place to stay while exploring Munich and surrounding area. Beer beside your pillow beats mints on the pillow any day! Covered in ivy with lovely windowboxes lots of charm. Nice folks.

chip c.

The south of France is the most charming and romantic...except for the ignorant american traveler...just remember to learn "please" and "thank you" in any language and you'll do fine...if you've never been to Paris you've never lived!

Rod Hoots

Agree with one of the above that Interlaken, Switzerland is a charming place. The only ugly building in town is the Metropole Hotel - however, if you can get a room on one of the top floors facing the street there is a fantastic view from the balcony looking up a valley to a snow capped mountain. Down and to your left is a meadow in the center of town where cows graze. To be on the balcony early in the morning, with the mist below the mountain and the cowbells tinkling, is a great experience. My other recommendation is to stay at the Hotel Zum Ritter in Heidelberg, Germany. It's very historic and right in the old town. During your stay, buy some picnic food, drive south down the Neckar River and have lunch in one of the beautiful meadows along the river. Bon voyage!

Sarah

Thanks to all of you who replied! We've just added Prague to our plans and plan on spending lots of time at the French/Italian Riveria, so if anyone has more suggestions, please pass them on. Thanks!

Lisa

In Italy don't miss the wonderful Cinque Terre region. Spend at least a few days there. Venice is by * far* my favorite Italian city. Magical. A week there is not enough.
San Gimignano, Siena, Lucca are worth visits. IMO Florence is *way* overrated. Are you traveling in summer? For how long will you be in Europe? Prague is a good choice. Attractive city. Lots to see there. Skip Geneva and Zurich BTW. Much too dull and uninteresting. Lucerne is nice. In France Rouen has many interesting buildings. Mont St Michael worth a visit, be sure to stay overnight as it much different then. Nearby St. Malo is also worth a short 2 day visit. Strasberg, Colmar area is interesting. I don't like the French Riveria myself. Way too crowded, expensive and not very attractive. Monoco is more attractive. Paris is great. Spent a month there and still left with lots unseen. Saved the best for last. LOVE Germany. Berlin is exciting and very interesting. Liked Heidelberg, Rothenburg, Freiburg, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bodensee area (aka Lake Constance), Nuremberg and all of King Ludwig's castles.
Didn't like Munich.

Lorna

I must confess, that I have never been to Europe, I am an armchair traveller. Unfortunately, our budget does not allow for this kind of travel right now, but I do read quite a bit, in hopes that someday....
I just read something that may be of some help. In
France it is considered rude to approach anyone without first greeting them with a "bonjour."
It is also proper to say "au revoir" when leaving.
And, don't forget your "sil vous plait" 's and your
"merci" 's.

S. Marshall

A friend and I are headed for the Nice, France area this weekend. Do you have any suggestions for inexpensive accomodations, good food, wonderful things to see???

Charles

Hopefulu you haven't finalized your trip yet
My recommandetion would be Maastricht, Holland.
Very old town and very well preserved (happens to be my place of birth but I moved to Seattle a few years ago)
1 hours from Brussel, 2 from Amsterdam and 3 from paris, so pretty well located. Need any info? contact me [email protected]

Have fun

nikolas

My friend,try the island of Folegandros in Greece
and you became creazy.

Joyce

I totally disagree with Ken's assessment of France and the French. We have traveled in just about every country in Europe and have the French to be by far the friendliest and most helpful of all. I mean even approaching you and offering help without being asked. Granted, we have run into a couple of less than charming waiters, but you can find those anywhere. Our personal experiences, and those of several of our friends, was that the Spanish were by far the most unfriendly, almost downright hostile. This does not apply to the Portugese - they were lovely. I agree in toto with Lisa's remarks. To expound a bit further: In the Strasbourg area, highly recommend Colmar, just a few miles south. It is the birthplace of Bertholdi, of Statue of Liberty fame, and is probably our favorite place in all of France. Totally charming. We have been there three times and never tire of it. Along the Italian Riviera (Ligurian coast), our choice is Rapallo, staying at the Hotel Miramare, phone 185/50293, fax 185/273670. Rapallo is an excellent base for visiting Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure to the north and the villages of Cinque Terre to the south. All of these villages are best (most picturesquely) approached by boat, and the dock is right in front of the Miramare, a most delightful 3 star hotel. It will cost you about $70 for a double, or you can have a suite for $10 or 15 more. Be sure to ask for rooms 18 or 24, as they are a little larger than others and have a small balcony. We have stayed there twice and no doubt will again. I brought home some brochures last time, and if you are interested, e-mail me your address and I'll send you one. No, I don't get a commission. We originally chose Rapallo as our base because it was such a good train connection spot. We even went down to Florence for a day run. Silly, if you've never been there, because you can't see or do too much. It's about a 3-hr trip each way. We were there in May both times, too early for the boat to Cinque Terre, so we took the train, less than a 5 minute walk from the hotel, down to Riomaggiore. From there you can walk back through the villages, or hop the train. One ticket covers all villages, on and off. Same price (very little) as tickets between individual villages. Sorry to have been so lengthy, but I'm really enthused about both Colmar and Rapallo. There is so much to see in Europe and so little time. Have a great trip.

Sandra Engley

Springtime at the Kukenoff Gardens in Holland. This is like walking inside a rainbow! Tulips of every variety and color cover trails that cover acre after acre. This is easy to get to from anywhere in Holland. Take the train to Lisse, outside the terminal a bus waits to take you to the gardens..