krayers

My husband & 2 friends have asked me to put together a trip somewhere in Europe for the last of May or first of June. They've never been to Europe at all. I've visited Provonce, Munich, Lucerne & Paris very briefly. We'll only have from 1 to 2 weeks. Don't mind driving some if necessary - love both the countryside & architecture, but a not really "city" people. Please help with suggestions as to what to do - I really don't want to mess this up. Some ideas tossed around have been Italy, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland - but they really don't have a strong preference. Can you help Please??

RufusTFirefly

There are dozens of possibilities.

How about 2 weeks in Bavaria and on the Mosel River? Car would be ideal for this one as there are many, many wonderful places to explore along the way.

Fly to Frankfurt. Drive to the Mosel River and stay 2 or 3 days--you can look at the famous Rhein River sights as part of a daytrip.

Drive to Bamberg via Wurzburg. Spend 2 or 3 days in Bamberg with possible daytrips to places like Coburg and Nurnberg.

Drive down the Romantic Road stopping in places like Rothenburg, Dinkelbuhl, and Nordlingen. A couple of days for that.

End up in Hohenschwangau to see Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles. A couple of days in the area.

Then drive through northern Austria to see sights like Linderhof palace, Oberammergau, the Zugspitze.

Then up to Munich to fly home.

There are a bunch of possible variations to this trip.

julies

With a car rural Brittany, Normandy and then the Loire Valley would make a nice combo. However, Bavaria would also be quite nice.

Get some Karen Brown books; she has some nice more rural itineraries for varoius countries.

mr_go

Maybe a Venice / Verona / Lake Como trip? Never a bad idea...

mr_go

Oops...you said "not city people," so maybe not Venice & Verona. But I'll stand behind the Italian Lakes suggestion.

krayers

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll start researching all of these. When you travel by car to multiple locations, to you usually reserve rooms in advance, or do you choose not to be so tied down & hope to find accomodations as you go?

RufusTFirefly

krayers--it's a personal decision. We usually have an idea more-or-less of what we want to see and do, so we generally make reservations in advance. Others don't. Whatever works for you--it's your time and your money.

Doble_Vergasser

The first bit of advice is don't force too much into the itinerary. With two weeks, anything more than four cities is probably too hectic.

Fly open jaw (into one city and out of another).

If you like the mountains, then Italy with a little Switzerland might work.

What architecture would captivate you?

There are lots of recomendations for non cities on this forum. Please do lots of research and ask us questions.

brotherleelove2004

That's the absolute perfect time to visit the Greek Islands. It's so beautiful in the Aegean Sea, especially on Santorini in the most beautiful and timeless village of Oia. You will NOT regret it!!

nessundorma

If it's countryside plus archtecture, I'd pick Germany/Bavaria.

nancy

My instant reaction to your question was England. I visited there, albeit for a month, a few years ago. Spent a week in London and the rest driving around England.

One advantage for first-timers is no language barrier. Since you didn't mention England, perhaps you haven't been there.

Altho' London is a big city, there's so much history and so much to do. I would spend a week there and then pick up a car and head to the Cotswolds. It's so picturesque, right out of storybooks You could pick up a car outside of London.

Austria

No doubt about it. Austria!

If you've never been there go see it. But please take your time. Do not try to rush through Europe in 3 days and hope to see anything. Take a really slow tour through Austria.

Contact me through my website for tips on what to see and where to go. Here just a few highlights.

Vienna (a must see)

Salzburg (absolutely!)

The Sound Of Music region (take your time here! It's just outside of Salzburg and the lakes and mountains are glorious!)

Hallstatt (A tiny village in the Sound Of Music region. 5000 years old. Must see!)

Eagles Nest and lake Koenigsee (not directly in Austria anymore but just on the border. About an hour away from the city of Salzburg. Glorious view from up there!)

Ask me for more tips on www.BeautifulAustria.com

ivee

For people who do are not really city people (but who can resist Paris?) I would not pick England (for the weather)
in June I would do mainly Italy: the best combination of countryside and architecture. You could combine it with south of France, but do not try to put 4 destinations in 10 days, better do less but do it well. I think 4 countries in 10 days: no!If it is just Italy for instance do northern tuscany by car, the crete Senese (around Sienna with just the most beautiful landscapes and villages , then go to the South near Naples and see Pompei and then take the shuttle boat ( approx 40 min.)from Naples to one of the islands (Ischia for instance with its hot springs and wonderful hotels, even if the weather should be a bit fresh then you still have warm water in the pool!also less touristic than Capri)for a few days rest before going home. Just a suggestion! I am Dutch living in the South of France and have visited all the countries you mention. But for people who have never been to Europe I would choose Italy.
So landscapes and culture and then some relaxing what do you think?

nessundorma

Just bear in mind that Rome and points south in Italy can be gaspingly hot in June.

krayers

So many places to choose from! They all seem wonderful. Personally, I was leaning a little towards Italy since it is a location I have not visited & I hear wonderful things about it, but there are so many others - Baveria for instance that I'm sure I'd love as well. I must find time to reasearch all your suggestions & also find which can fit into our budget too! Thanks to everyone who's helping us figure it out.

sheila

No-one has mentioned Scotland! Your desires have Scotland written all over them.

Lovely wether, fantastic wild flowers, great birds, lovely mountains, nice people. Why would you go anywhere else?

GreenDragon

I'll second the Scotland and Ireland suggestions -- for the reason mentioned earlier (no language barrier for those first-timers).

There are rolling hills, beautiful scenery, friendly folk -- not a lot of cities. Best to have 3 or 4 bases and do daytrips. I'm doing that in June in Ireland with two first timers, myself

ivee

if you stick to your italian idea and you have an approx budget I have some wonderful addresses (we go to Italy 4 times a year) so do not hesitate you. However do not wait too long and remember that the weekend of June 2,3 4 is whitsundays weekend and therefore rapidly booked!

ivee

PS Naples(pompei) and the islands in the bay are definitely not too hot in the beginning of June, did it many times