cousinmeg

Where should we go in September 2020? Southern Italy, Southern France, Greece, Vienna/Budapest or somewhere else? We are planning a two-week trip. We enjoy food, wine, architecture, history, caves, waterfalls, cultural events, and local people (oh, and nice weather). We like a mix of big and small cities. We've been to the following: 2019: Slovenia & Croatia; 2017: Portugal (Lisbon to Porto), 2016: Spain: Barcelona to the Basque Country; 2015: France (Paris, Loire Valley, Normandy, Reims); 2010: Spain (Madrid, Cordoba, Granada, Sevilla, Nerja); 2005: Italy (Rome, Venice, Florence). We've loved every trip so far and are looking for our next big adventure.

yorkshire

I'll play. Having finally gotten to Greece this year, it is really extraordinary. But really anywhere on your list will give you what you want.

almesq

So many possibilities. Have been to both Southern Italy and Greece in the past few years and loved both. We typically travel in September as well and it was a perfect time to be in both places. On that trip to Italy, we were based in Sorrento for 6 nights which made day trips around the area very easy (Pompeii/Vesuvius, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Paestum (to see the Greek ruins), then spent 3 nights on Capri. In Greece, we spent 4 nights in Santorini, 4 nights in Crete then 2 nights in Athens, and that trip was amazing as well.

suze

How did you choose your other destinations? I think anything you list sounds fantastic. Which one is #1 for you?

I pick Greece (having never been there).

whitehall

Italy has so much of everything you like and the big tourist cities just scratch the surface.

How about the Italian Riviera/Cinque Terre:

Rapallo/Cinque Terre/20 Places/8 Nights Sept/Oct

Or the northern lakes:

Trip Report: Part 1 Northern Italian Lakes & Cities (12 days October)

Or wonderful Sardinia:

Sardinia! You Gotta Go!! 8 nights. October

Or quiet, mostly undiscovered Puglia:

7 days/6 nights in Puglia

All of these trips were in September or early October and all, at least for us, came with great weather. And all of these areas can easily support two weeks. Add Matera to Puglia and perhaps Amalfi coast as we did.

cousinmeg

Thanks for your response. Our friend's wife is really leaning toward Greece.

cousinmeg

Wow, everything you said sounds wonderful! I guess we really can't go wrong!

BDKR

The options are endless, I just want to let you know as local(in Hungary) and a frequent traveller(to Austria) that you can't go wrong with a combination of Austria and Hungary.

The weather is usually perfect in September(like we had this year) not too hot anymore and not too cold yet.

Great food and wine in both countries(the wine is better or at least more diverse in Hungary). The grape harvest is in full swing in September and you can take part in the festivals(cultural event!) and taste the must, not to mention the wines from the previous years.

Interesting architecture(especially art nuoveau) in both Vienna and Budapest.

Many waterfalls in Austria, the most amazing is the Krimml Falls and caves galore in Hungary(from the wonders of the World Heritage listed Aggtelek/Baradla cave to adventure caving under Budapest).

A long and eventful history which you can dsicover in museums, royal palaces, churches, castles,. etc.

Lot's of nice small towns for every taste(stunning but busy with tourists or calm places with few tourists)

2 weeks is a very short time for 2 countries, but with good planning you can make the most out of your short time to get a taste from a bit of everything.

I left people for last, because I'm not sure about this one. It's hard to judge people if you live among them and the observation of foreigners about Hungarians and Austrians cover a very wide range from friendly and hospitable to rude and unfriendly. I think both kind exists and a lot depends on you and your personality which type you'll meet more often. ;-)

cousinmeg

Typically, the place I went to last is my favorite! But, we had terrible weather in Croatia & Slovenia this past May....tons of rain. We picked Croatia and Slovenia because they are beautiful and our friend's wife has relatives in Slovenia. Even with the rain, I enjoyed both countries a lot. I had never seen waterfalls like I saw in Krka. Unfortunately, we had to skip the Plitvice Lake waterfalls due to the weather. Slovenia's Lake Bled and Ljubljana are wonderful areas to visit.
We went to Portugal because my grandparents had been there many, many years ago and loved it. With all the terrorism it seemed like a safe place to go. And it was, plus the people were lovely and the food was so tasty. We especially loved Porto (my husband enjoys Port wine) and our accommodations in Guimaraes at a monastery were fantastic. We also really enjoyed the Douro Valley.
I enjoyed our 2010 trip to southern Spain so much that in 2016 we went back to see the major places that we had missed (Barcelona, San Sebastian, etc.). It was great fun until we got robbed on our way to Zaragoza. This could have happened in any country, but now my husband is done with Spain.
Our 2015 trip to France was fantastic. Favorites included Paris (how could it not?), Reims (in addition to Port my husband also is a fan of champagne), and Normandy for the WWII history.
We went to Italy in 2010 because my sister organized a group of 15 people and we rented a villa in Bucine, Italy (Tuscany). It was a great trip and the inspiration for my husband and me to go back to Europe again and again.

BDKR

"It was great fun until we got robbed on our way to Zaragoza. This could have happened in any country, but now my husband is done with Spain."

On the train or by highwaymen?

Let me guess! A car pulled up next to you on the motorway and signed to pull over because it looks like some problem with the car.

cousinmeg

Thank you BDKR! The combination of Austria and Hungary sounds really good. We've never been to a grape harvest and so that would be really exciting to see that and take part in the festivals. The architecture is what has piqued my interest in Vienna and Budapest. You've touched upon all my hot buttons...food, wine, waterfalls, caves, royal palaces, castles, etc.!

cousinmeg

BDKR - regarding the robbery. We pulled off the toll road to get some gas and a bite to eat. Fifteen minutes after we hopped back on the toll road we noticed we were getting a flat tire. A "friendly" local stopped to help us. My "beware" radar went off but the local seemed so nice that I put my fears aside. Next thing you know, the local takes off running toward his parked car, along with another buddy we had not seen and yet another buddy driver. Gone were many of our smaller valuables (phones, iPAD, passports, etc.). We spent quite a while talking with the local police, but due to the language challenges, we had to file the full police report in San Sebastian. We also had to rearrange our itinerary in order to get temporary passports in Madrid. Now when we travel it is money belts all the time, and our luggage is locked with cables into our vehicle That probably explains why our next two travel picks were Portugal and Croatia/Slovenia! They are so much safer, at least that's our experience.

cousinmeg

Thank you, Whitehall, I will read all your trip reports!

cousinmeg

Thank you BDKR! The combination of Austria and Hungary sounds really good. We've never been to a grape harvest and so that would be really exciting to see that and take part in the festivals. The architecture is what has piqued my interest in Vienna and Budapest. You've touched upon all my hot buttons...food, wine, waterfalls, caves, royal palaces, castles, etc.!

kja

I've been to them all and don't think you could go wrong with any of them. BUT if waterfalls are a high priority, I'm not sure any of these would be first-choice destinations. With 2 weeks, you could consider Sicily (2 weeks is just shy of enough for its major highlights) or some other part of southern Italy; a part of southern France, a part of Greece, or VIenna + Budapest + some smaller cities / towns in that area. Unfortunately (hah!) , wonderful options for food, wine, architecture, history, cultural events, and local people abound in all of these locations
For weather, consult weatherbase.com
You can click on my screen name if you want to see my trip reports.

BDKR

https://welovebudapest.com/en/2015/0...ason-heritage/

Hungary - A love for life! | Top 5 grape harvest festivals in Hungary

https://aborfesztival.hu/en

Pepper_von_snoot

I would do Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Delft, Utrecht, Antwerp.

Thin,aristocrat 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

zebec

Hi Cousinmeg,
Its a funny chemistry that drives one's decision around choosing locales, yeah? When all is said and done, it remains a matter of personal preference----damn the torpedoes. You have a huge 'smorgasbord' to choose from, but be careful to include all members of your troupe in the final decision. It seems sensible that every person write down their first and second choices, no-one gets to take a pass. That way, you are all heard and the chances of resentment decrease.
Wishing you and yours a great trip----your choice of September proves that you value good decision-making.

I am done. The end.

BDKR

"I would do Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Delft, Utrecht, Antwerp."

The vineyards of Noord Holland, the caves of Zuid Holland and the waterfalls of Flanders? Oh, wait...

Did you actually read what kind of stuff the OP is looking for?

KarenWoo

I am partial to southern France because we have been there quite a few times since our daughter lives there with her family. And September is a nice time to visit. You could spend a week in Provence and then perhaps the second week on the French Riviera. Or pair Provence with the Dordogne. Depending on which combination you choose, you can have wineries, delicious food, beautiful scenery, caves (the Dordogne), coastal scenery, Roman ruins, small villages, flamingos, and small and big cities, such as Marseilles, Nice, Aix en Provence, St. Remy.