Linda

We have never been to Europe, and would like to go this summer. Will have 2 weeks. What countries / cities should we see for a first trip? Thanks!

Anon

Um well, what have you always wanted to see/do? Cathedrals, people-watching, world famous icons, museums (and if so, what type - Impressionism/Expressionism/Art Noveau/Art Deco/Fauvism/Modernism?), restaurants, bistros, brasseries, famous peoples resting places, fashion, nude beaches, clothing-optional beaches? Do you have a problem with the language barriers? If so, go to England/Ireland/Scotland/Wales. If not, take a choice? Do you want to see some of the countries from where your ancestors derive? I'm not sure. Give us more input. Tell us what you're looking for, what countries interest you, what you DON'T like, what you expect, etc., etc., and people will be more than happy to respond with her/his expertise/non-expertise. Please give us at least SOME guidelines, parameters to go by.

m

I could tell you what my first trip to Europe was- I have always wanted to go to England ,so when the opportunity came-we went to London ,then after that,we went to Paris, then on to Italy,and so on and so on...Anon said it best, you sort of have to have some kind of feeling about it yourself,that will guide you some..Isn't there somewhere that you have dreamt of going someday?

Linda

Sorry, I should have given more details as to what we are looking for. <BR>We're not into museums or art. We're interested in beautiful scenery, quaint towns, pretty architecture, mountains. We only speak English.<BR>Don't care for big crowds or big cities.<BR>Thanks for any advice!

mb

First time to Europe? I would like to say that Rhine valley in Germany couldn't be missed. It's a delight! Swartzwald (the Black Forrest) mountains in South of Germany offer plenty of scenery. Once there go to Colmar (France) to see an open-air museum because the entire old town is like a museum. West of Austria (Salzburg, Innsbruck) is worthy to visit the same Prague, Budapest and don't miss the town of Sibiu in Transylvania.

Davidx

I reckon Scotland's north-west coast and mountains are among the best scenery in Europe (I am English if it matters) if you want an English speaking area. You would not have any language problems in Norway which is amazingly beautiful and where an astonishing number of people speak English. I am also something of a Spain addict and Sicily is stunning. I would be doubtful about France, great as it is, unless you are prepared to speak at least a little bit of french. When you have decided on an area I may be able to help more as I have formed the habit of making a folder of notes on the computer after a holiday.

Myer

Learn four Italian phrases (words): Hello, Good-bye, Thank you and Your Welcome and go to Italy.<BR>I would try either Lake Como(Como, Bellagio, etc) or Sorrento(Capri, Amalfi coast, Positano, Ravello, etc).<BR>I think you'll have a problem as far as not liking crowds. Would you go into an empty restaurant? I would rather go to a restaurant that is full of people.<BR>My opinion.<BR>

jw

Switzerland

Vita

Linda, I think that any place you visit will probably have it's charms. I just did two weeks in Italy - Rome, Tuscany and Florence. I had a wonderful time. I found the planning pretty easy and there's lots of info from questions and trip report on this site. The people were friendly, the food delicious and the sites incredible. It's a hard but wonderful decision to have to make. Have great time.

c

Maybe if you want to stay within an English speaking atmosphere-the English countryside.Great in the summer..I would go to Cornwall if able to go in the summer..taking a train from London then renting a car in Devon,driving wherever I wanted to go.Rent a cottage.Or Scotland, fly into Edinburgh,stay there a couple of days then travel on to one of the islands..So many places to go, so little time~

Philip

Since you only speak English and it's your first time abroad, I would suggest England, Scotland & Wales. <BR><BR>Fly into London and spend a day or two there recuperating from your jet lag. London is a big city, but it's spread out so that it doesn't feel like a big city.<BR><BR>Then head for one of the villages in the Cotswolds. "Quaint village" is the reason that the Cotswolds exist. From the Cotswolds you can make a few day trips: Stonehenge/Bath, Stratford-Upon-Avon, etc.<BR><BR>After a few days in the Cotswolds, head for Edinburgh Scotland. Edinburgh has a beautiful castle as well as the Palace of Holyroodhouse. You can also take a drive to Glamis Castle, the fictional setting of the play Macbeth and the birthplace of the Queen Mother. <BR><BR>Further north, Scotland has some beautiful areas, especially if you go into the Highlands.<BR><BR>You may also want to dip into Wales and see some of their great scenery.<BR><BR>

MaryC

Linda<BR><BR>I just brought up a thread discussing the virtues between Ireland & Scotland. This might help you.<BR><BR>I think you have a lot of great suggestions here: UK area, Germany (the Germans are known to speak EXCELLENT English - but it's best if you try to speak a few phrases of German - not difficult at all), Italy, Switzerland. All these places have wonderful scenery.

Wayne

Linda--<BR>From what you have said are your interests, my best suggestion for a summer trip is to spend it traveling across the Alps, preferably from west to east, then back again if you need to return from where you landed. Ideally, you could land in Zurich, for instance, and depart from Munich. Otherwise, make up a looped itinerary that travels outward from Munich or Zurich and returns there via a different route. Why do I suggest this? Because the Alps of Switzerland, France, Austria, Italy, and Germany offer incredible scenery, lots of charming villages, some beautiful larger cities, and lovely lakes. Learn about 10 to 15 basic words in each of German, French, and Italian, and you won't need to worry about your English. Besides, you will always be able to find someone who speaks English no matter where you are. Rent a car in Munich; it's the lowest cost, and drive through a route of your choosing. Don't worry that you haven't done it before; just make sure that some of the words you learn are those that you are likely to see on road signs. And be sure to get an autobahn pass for driving on autobahns in Switzerland and Austria; you can buy the pass at any tobacco shop and at all border crossings. And now that the euro is official, you won't need to worry about keeping several different kinds of money. Send me a direct e-mail message if you would like some specific recommendations on the route, the towns, the scenery, and places to stay overnight on the way. Good luck.

wes fowler

Linda,<BR>Where to go depends entirely upon what your interests and those of your fellow travelers are. Most of the suggestions you've received so far are the subjective responses of travelers who have suggested locations that met their interests. Only you can decide where to go and what to see.<BR><BR>To begin, determine what you hope to achieve from your trip. Visit your library and local bookstores to scan through travel guides to see what piques your interest and that of your companions. Invest time and effort in contacting the various national tourist offices for free brochures (all have websites; any good travel guide will have addresses, phone and fax numbers of national tourist offices in your country).<BR><BR>To help in your planning do a text search here on "How do you plan your European trip?" You'll get some excellent ideas about how to go about planning to maximize your European experience.<BR><BR>Finally; don't be overly ambitious. Don't try to see all of Europe in two weeks time. Europe isn't going anywhere; what you don't see on your initial trip will be available to you on future journeys.<BR><BR>If you'd like specific help in your planning, feel free to Email me directly. I'd be more than happy to offer ideas and suggestions that may be of interest and help to you. I'm not a commercial travel agent; my planning advice is free.

Bob Brown

Linda, I think Wes's offer is most generous. I consider myself to be an experienced European traveler. But, Wes has helped me sharpen my planning more than once. <BR>

A

I recently went on my first trip to Europe, and I went to Greece. It was AMAZING. Practically everyone I had contact with spoke English. Went went to Athens (only spend a day, 3 was too much), Mykonos & Santorini. Santorini was my favorite, the scenery is just unbelievably beautiful. My next trip to Greece I plan to go to the Ionian islands, which are closer to Italy. You may want to do a week in 1 or 2 of the Ionian islands and then go to Italy for a week.

rosieg

Linda, we spent 2 wonderful weeks this October in Germany and Italy. We started in Munich, and then visited many little towns south including Oberammergau where we stayed for 5 days after Munich.We stayed at the Alte Poste Hotel which was excellent. Thanks to Wes' wonderful day trip itineraries saw many things we might have missed including the Weischurch a marvel.We drove into Austria to Innsbruck and Garmisch and Reutte and it was all delightful. You don't need a car in Munich. It is a wonderful city for getting around on public transport and there is so much to see. we stayed near Leopoldestrasse in Schwabing and it was a great location. we were lucky enough to get a room in the main inn of the Englischer Garten hotel . We picked up an Opel at the train station in Munich when we were ready to travel on and drove over the Brenner pass into Italy. It was spectacular and the autobahn was excellent . we just stayed out of the left lane and let those big guys go by in a blur of fast kilometers!!<BR>We only went as far south as Verona where we had 3 days but wished we'd had more.. it too is a terrific walking around city with history at every turn.<BR>So take Wes up on his generous offer of the itineraries and enjoy.<BR>

Suzanne

Wes makes an excellent point. Do some research to see what interests you. A good first travel guide are the "Europe for Dummies" series. Sounds like you would be interested in touring the countryside. The places were English is widely spoken are England and Switzerland. I have not been to Europe but my sister and nephew have and they have given me good advice. If you are going to stay away from major cities and don't plan to learn a language I would stick to the UK or Switzerland. My sister says in other countries most of the English speakers tend to be in urban areas.

topper

Topped with how do you plan your trip?

canuck

Our first European trip was a Trafalgar Bus trip...sounds awful but it gave us a great overview of Europe with the highlights. The guide was good - giving us some local histories. We then kind of picked out the regions we really liked and wanted to return to have a more indepth visit. <BR>Certainly a bus tour isn't for anyone but we found it a good intro to Europe.