Hi peeps,

I hope you’ve been well. I missed you.

Where would you suggest I travel for a short break in March? I have some unused miles and some free time next month as I’m changing jobs, so I thought I’d plan a quick trip to Europe.

I’ve already been to Paris(3x), Rome, London, Istanbul, Prague, Dresden, Barcelona, Madrid, and Andalusia (Seville, Córdoba, Granada.)

I’m dying to go to Florence and Tuscany, but I know March is not the ideal time to visit. So maybe I could postpone this till June.

How about Seville+Lisbon in March? I’ve already been to Seville but not during Semana Santa. I was thinking of spending maybe 3 days in Seville and 4 days in Lisbon. (Maybe 1 day in Malaga too)

Any other suggestions welcome. I would love to visit Vienna, Berlin, and Amsterdam as well..

I'd go for the best weather of your wish list and head to Seville area - if seen Seville take day trips to Cordoba and Jerez de la Frontera (so-so city but neat Sherry House tours - 'sherry' being a British corruption of 'jerez' as Brits I think monopolized the industry to slake thirst of old biddies back home whose favorite drink was sherry) and practice sessions of behemoth Andalusa Horses in the local arena and some performances too. Both easy by train.

Malaga would be a huge detour from Seville for just one day only.

Lisbon 4 days nice! Day trips to Sintra for royal castles and other options,

Trains are great in Spain and getting better in Portugal - www.seat61.com - www.ricksteves.com and BETS-European Rail Experts have lots on where to go by train.

Since you have already visited Seville, would you consider spending your week in Portugal? You could visit both Lisbon and Porto, although I don’t know what the weather will be like in Porto in March. I have not been to Portugal yet, but we will be in Lisbon for 5 nights in April. Or you could spend the whole week in Lisbon and do several day trips, such as to Sintra (our plan), Cascais, perhaps Evora for a day, or Obidos.

I think Malaga and Lisbon would be a nice combination, too. We were in Malaga this past September, and loved it. It’s an under-rated city. The center is very pretty and there is lots to do. We visited the cathedral, Alcazaba, castle, Picasso Museum and the market. There is a lovely promenade along the Mediterranean, so you will have some coastal ambience, too.

An overrun hotspot of mass tourism like Florence is best visited off season. In June it will be terribly crowded, and the weather will already be rather hot. If Florence is your dream destination, then go now. Why postpone?

In early June Florence may be busy but nothing like July and August when Europeans travel. March though could have decent weather and agree with quokka about being nice time to go. Especially around Easter.

Thank you all for your replies.
The reason I wanted to postpone Florence is because I want to see the hill towns too, and I know March is not the ideal time for that.

For some reason, I can't get too excited about Lisbon. I've read mixed reviews on this forum.

Amsterdam is always nice in any weather or season and Berlin too - I've been there in winter and quite fine.

How about Morocco?

You could certainly visit Florence and Siena. As mentioned it’s preferable to visit when it’s not so busy, fewer lineups and you can see more in a shorter time.
If your trip is the latter half of March, then the countryside might be greening up a bit. There could be some interest things happening in the hill towns around Easter time.

Consider Porto in Portugal instead of Lisbon - really liked it and some easy day trips by train.

StCirq I have considered Morocco, but I feel uneasy in Islamic countries to be honest. I don't like them much.

Hmmmm....ok. The farther south you go in Europe, the more followers of Islam you're likely to encounter. Does that make you uncomfortable? Maybe you should try Iceland.

I feel uneasy in Amsterdam, personally, the only place in Western Europe I'm sure I'm going to be mowed down by a tram or a bicyclist every waking minute of the day.

Farther south you go encounter more Moslems - poppycock - Germany has millions of Turks and norther France too. Like to see any supporting data for that claim.

UK, Belgium, Netherlands also have many Muslems - come to think of it southern western Europe may have fewer Muslims than up north. Especially new immigrants/refugees who like to go to UK or Germany or Netherlands and not so much Spain or Italy or Portugal.

And being uncomfortable in Moslem countries is one thing - does not mean being uncomfortable around Muslims. BIG difference. suggest you read what OP wrote and not jump to conclusions then make misleading statements.

Actually, DH and I traveled in March for many years. We packed silk underwear but only needed it the year we forgot to pack it!

By bus and train, you have many options out of Florence.