CarolA

I am working on where I want to go next May

Let's just start with I KNOW I want three of four days in Paris, but.... I have been there A LOT and I am trying to convince myself that with 9 to 10 days I really need to do someplace else.

I will probably be traveling solo here are my thoughts so far

London - Out. Have done it a lot and don't really feel a need to go back now
Rome - Not really interested this time
Provence. I have done some of this, missed Aix, did a lot of the other biggies. Really liked this and would consider it but I am not sure I want to rent a car solo?
Dublin - Never been there, looks fun. Connections look doable
Prague - Another never been too that's on my list, no idea about connections.
Barcelona- This is a top choice right now. I have been there but only for about two days and didn't see a lot of things. Read MaiTai Tom's recent report and realized how much I missed.
Madrid - Love this city too, but I have done it a lot
Loire Valley - I did this and wasn't in love with it.
Normandy - I have done some of this and would love to go back, but once again I am not sure about this without a car.


I have other places on my list (I want to go back to Riga for some reason I just fell in love with it) and I am always open to discussions and ideas!

The plan is to fly into where ever I start and finish with Paris (I tend to shop in Paris so it need to be last!)

So if you could go anywhere with Paris

Also, any other late middle age (heck I may be older I am in my mid 50's but I feel pretty young) women ever rented a car solo? Thoughts?

sandralist

I'm not a fan of Barcelona but since your enthusiasm for it is high and it is so simple to get there, I am surprised you are listing so many other choices where you already know you wouldn't enjoy as much as Barcelona.

If you are asking because you like to have a nice "match", then there is a great deal of art history in Barcelona that is related to Paris art history so that you would get a lot of depth seeing how both cities took up some of the same ideas -- urban planning, art nouveau, modernism -- and worked them out and exchanged artists.

Early May in Barcelona is probably quite pleasant weather-wise. Late May I might find too hot, but could still be breezy.

But if you are looking for more a complete contrast to Paris, a new travel experience, I might pick Dublin.

simpsonc510

Venice or Amsterdam?

tonfromleiden

Barcelona. Marvellous city. Last year I spent six days there, and I still hadn't the feeling I had done everything I should have done.
Journey can nowadays nicely be done by direct train, which takes some 6 hours.

janisj

My choices would be Edinburgh, Amsterdam, or maybe Prague . . . but those are just mine.

If I'd never been - Venice.

pariswat

Berlin ?

Or other french cities, like Lyon or Strasbourg (and do Alsace).

Mfg

iris1745

Prague would be a solid choice. A very easy walking city.

www.inyourpocket.com/prague

P.S. Loved Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius.

annhig

you're talking about Provence but what about Nice?

no need for a car at all - lots to see, good public transport, and very easy to get to from Paris.

annhig

you're talking about Provence but what about Nice?

no need for a car at all - lots to see, good public transport, and very easy to get to from Paris.

CarolA

"I'm not a fan of Barcelona but since your enthusiasm for it is high and it is so simple to get there, I am surprised you are listing so many other choices where you already know you wouldn't enjoy as much as Barcelona."

I guess I should have pointed out I listed some of these cities just to rule out the automatic "London" response LOL!

I did Nice off a cruise ship and it didn't do much for me. Not sure why but... I don't have real desire to go back.

Lots of good suggestions. I am going to have to dig up some books and start reading.

I loved Venice, but the "commute" between these two is long and I think I will hold it until I can con my boyfriend into coming with me. (Which won't be this year due to his mother's health)

Edinburgh and Amsterdam hadn't even entered into my thoughts but they are definitely good options!

nytraveler

Of the ones you listed I would do Prague. Very different from most of central europe since it was not destroyed in WWII and everything you see if organic and authentic. The range of different architectural styles is amazing as is the music scene - from grand opera to church concerts to random groups playing on street corners. If you do this definitely stay in or right on the edge of the Old Town and you can walk almost everywhere (but take the tram up the very high hill to the castle and cathedral complex).

We just loved it and there is plenty to do for at least 4 days, longer if you decide to do a day trip or two.

Another option that you didn;t list is Berlin. This city is just fantastic, has wonderful museums, a very lively night life, easy access to a lot of day trips and the benefit of being very reasonable for western europe. I love seeing the differences between east and west sections of the city.

bjl

Carol,

To address your car rental question. One time I rented a car in Vienna (loved Vienna) as a solo female traveler, renting only for a couple of days to have a car in the Salzkammergut region. The car could be driven as an automatic or as a manual shift (no clutch), and I had no idea about this. I wished that the car rental employees would have taken me out to the car to help me get acquainted with the controls. I did have a GPS in the car. Once I understood the shift, driving was lovely. My advice, then, check out the car fully before you make a move in it.

kja

I'm a solo female traveler and have rented a car on multiple trips. Although I prefer public transportation (so I can devote all of my attention to the scenery), that hasn't always worked. I've rented for just a few days here and there (Sicily, the Yucatan, Croatia, Slovenia), and have also done 3 different 3,000 km road trips (western France, western Turkey, and northern Spain). And I did some of that driving in pre-GPS days! Personally, I prefer manual transmission, which is much easier to find, but you should be able to rent an automatic if you make that clear when you book. I take my own GPS system (a TomTom) because for me, it is less expensive in the long run, I can preprogram it, and I don't have to learn a new system on the go. But frankly, GPS systems aren't that difficult to master, so renting one is also an option. As bjl says, it can be really important to make sure you know all the car's controls before leaving the rental office, take pictures of it from all angles, etc. -- all perfectly do-able IME.

What specific concerns to you have about using a rental car?

Gretchen

Amsterdam, Normandy and Brittany.
If you missed Aix, not to worry, IMO, but Provence would definitely call me back.
Munich?

ParisAmsterdam

Amsterdam. Was there again this summer along with Paris. We never get tired of either. They're only 3 hours 15 minutes apart by train. We wandered through Northern France and Belgium and took 5 days to get there by car.

CarolA

Thanks!

I drive a manual transmission in Atlanta every day so that part is easy! I just generally like having a navigator in addition to my Garmin.

I get to spend a few days this week at a hospital playing the waiting game (my mom is having surgery) so that should give me lots of time to start researching!

Christina

I've combined many cities with Paris, but both Prague and Barcelona are two cities I love and easy to combine. I just fly between them. Czech Air has very cheap flights one-way between PRG and CDG, for example, I just took one a few months ago and it was only about 100 euro. Easyjet, my fave budget airline, has some but at less convenient times (night). Once I went to Barcelona, took the train to Perpignan France a couple days then flew the budget airline Hop between PErpignan and Paris. Lots of choices, many good and fairly easy to do.

I also went to Switzerland once and took the train from Lausanne to probably Dijon, spent a couple days, then train to Paris. IN Switzerland, I flew into Zurich, took the train to Lucerne for a couple days, then the scenic Golden Pass to Montreux a few more days, then train (through Lausanne, probalby transferred there) to France. I never rented a car on that trip.

I'm about your age and rent a car all the time, in the US and I have in Europe. I don't think much of it because I rent cars a lot when traveling in the US, I guess. I drive a lot alone just for work, and am very used to driving in big cities, so not sure your concern about renting a car alone. If you just don't want to be alone in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country, I understand that. I've only rented one in France where I can speak the language, so I understand road signs and I have had to ask for help a couple times in areas where people didn't really speak English, so it was useful, I'll admit, to know the local language. I know Spanish so could do it there also for that reason, but have never had a trip where I felt a need for it there.

Renting a car does add complications, I admit, it is much simpler not to (and expense). YOu have to worry you get the kind of car you ordered, worry about possible problems while you have it (that was one of my problems with a tire, had to discuss it with a mechanic in a rural town in Provence), then worry about getting it back upon return which can be complicated routes, or not easy to find exactly where you need to return it. Not to mention always the chance of an accident, even if caused by others (and damage/theft to the car). But if you don't even have any itinerary you must do that is mainly rural, there isn't any necessity for it.

YOu could easily do Barcelona or Prague and not worry about cars.

kja

Christina warned of some complications with rental cars, and I agree they can happen, but I would place less emphasis on them. I've arranged all but one of my rentals through gemut.com, which provides 24/7 support in English on a toll-free number. And I can attest that they were able to help when my car broke down in the middle of Istria, in a place where I had no phone and where only one person (thankfully, someone WITH a phone) spoke English. I've been in places where I got lost and didn't speak more than a few words of the local language -- it turns out that if you can point in each possible direction and say the name of your destination with a question mark -- you can get the information you need. At least, that's been my experience! As I said upthread, I prefer public transportation when it suits my needs, but have no qualms about renting a car when it fits my travel needs.

basingstoke2

Prague is a solid choice. So is Amsterdam, but if that is your pick I would think of staying in Haarlem - a lovely small city with a true Dutch vibe. Amsterdam is only a 15 minute train ride away so you could easily enjoy both. A top notch hotel in Haarlem such as Stempel's would cost about the same as a one star in Amsterdam.

RM67

Distance wise I think Paris pairs well with Barcelona (which you already have shortlisted) and some of the northern Italian cities (Verona, Turin, Milan). All of these can be done by train without the need for an overnight journey which is a big bonus in my eyes - more relaxing than flying, you aren't eating up a lot of time sitting around at the airport and you get to see some some lovely scenery en-route (admittedly, not the whole journy, just parts)