dpBoykin

My husband and I have been married 4 years, we're in our early twenties and we have finally found a way to save up and make the trip to Europe like we have always wanted. The only issue is that neither one of us have ever traveled out of the US, except for on cruises.

My husband works in building construction management and has a love for architecture, I however love nature. We want a mix of both of course. We do not necessarily want to go to large cities.

We have absolutely so idea where to begin planning or what kind of timing is appropriate. We know that we want to see any place in Ireland and Paris, my husband also mentioned WWII sights, but other than that we are open to anything. We will only have 14-16 days to take the trip due to his work.

I would love to hear about tips, ideas, others plans and any kinds of suggestions really. I have mapped out two routes already but I have no clue whether they are good, bad or indifferent.

The frist route I mapped:
Dublin, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Milan, Zurich, Paris
I figured these were all major cities and would have something for us to see.

The second route I mapped (that I'm much more excited about):
Cong, Ireland; Bibury, Englang; Paris, France; Gruyeres, Switzerland; Bled, Slovenia; Hallstatt, Austria; Tellaro, Italy
These are all smaller towns, with more local cultures and scenery.


Please help us figure out our first major travel experience!!

socaltraveler

You have 7 countries in 14 days, so without even factoring in the travel time between these 'smaller' places, you have too much on your travel plate. You and your husband need to sit down, make a list, look at a map and perhaps read some general guides about Europe. Looking at a map would be really helpful.

Ireland and Paris, with a side trip to Normandy for WWII sites, is enough for a 2 week trip. Start small. You will return.

jamikins

With two weeks the most we would do us 4 hotel stops...you don't want to spend all your time in transit and no time seeing/enjoying the places you have come to see!

Kathie

Your proposed itineraries would keep you from seeing/doing anything in your chosen locations. With 14-16 days choose three locations at most (two would be fine). And remember to figure in how much time it will take you to get from place to place. In essence, you will lose one full day each time you change locations.

StCirq

You say you don't necessarily want to go to large cities, but your first itinerary is nothing but large cities.

In any case, neither of your plans is even close to possible given the short amount of time you have. You haven't accounted for any travel time at all. It's not as though these places are next door to each other. I'd scrap these plans and start over, preferably after studying a map and reading a few guidebooks. I'd pick no more than 4 destinations.

dpBoykin

Thanks for the advice. I am absolutely taking some of it to get more organized to begin this planning process.

@socaltraveler @jamikins @Kathie @StCirq

PalenQ

Are you planning to go by train, car, plane or thumb or bike?

Makes a big difference on how much you can comfortably fit in in a certain time frame - I always suggest trains for first timers wanting to cover a lot of ground in a short time and if going to cities - and most of your places are cities on either version and easily reached by train.

One thing with driving you may have to return the car to the same country you picked it up in or face a dauntingly steep drop-off charge for picking up in one country and dropping it in another country.

anyway for lots of good info on trains check out: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - download the latter's free online European Planning & Rail Guide for lots of sample rail itineraries in countries.

since you are under 26 or so it seems you can buy and use the bargain-priced Youth Railpasses that in most countries let you hop any train anytime - sully flexible full fare tickets allowing this are often really expensive.

dpBoykin

@PalenQ We are looking to do train at this moment. I can't imagine either of us driving while were over there. I'll absolutely look through those sites and keep in mind the Youth Railpasses. Do you have an suggestions on cities to visit? I've seen some of your other comments on other forums and you have an expansive knowledge.

jamikins

Our favourite way to travel is to spend a week in 1 place and really get yo know it....do day trips, enjoy the food and wine, see the sights.

You are young and Europe will always be here. The more times you move, the less time you gave to see the places you travel to, plus you increase your costs.

With two weeks you could do as examples:

London and Paris
A week in rural Ireland and a week in Paris
A week in Paris and a week in a rural area of France
A week in London and a week in rural England

Obviously just examples, but you get the idea. By choosing a city and then countryside in the same country or neighbouring country you can maximise your time by spending less time in transit. I used Ireland, England and France as examples, but of course other areas are equally possible.

Cars work best in the countryside to get to smaller towns. They are not needed in cities.

You can click on my name to see our trip reports and photos.

Hope this helps!

jamikins

Driving in most of Europe is no more difficult than the US. Some places have rules about driving in town centres (Italy) but outside of cities you will most likely gave no problems if you learn the rules of the road which are easy to research. I wouldn't rule out a car depending on what you want yo see. The Cotswolds for example really need a car to enjoy.

janisj

You need to focus a bit more and cut way WAY back on the number of places. And places like Bibury or Cong aren't really 'destinations' - they are places to visit in conjunction w/ a regional stay (the Cotswolds for Bibury) or Western Ireland (Cong)

I agree that in 2 weeks 4 places would be fine though 5 would work if some were convenient to each other. Of course limiting to 2 or 3 would be great too.

It sounds like you've saved up and may be on a slightly limited budget. Just remember the more places you squeeze in - the more travel - and GREATLY increased expenses.

dpBoykin

@jamikins Thank you so much. That was very helpful. My husband and I are very different and we want to see very different things, I was worried about making it all work but I think that is a good plan. I know Europe will always be there but I'm not sure we will have opportunity to visit again. Today was the first day I started thinking and what not about the actual trip. I'll use this for sure to figure this out.

dpBoykin

@janisj Thank you. I've learned a lot today on how high my expectations were and how it's just not going to happen the way I thought. We are on a limited budget, plus my husband is very money oriented in decision making.

HappyTrvlr

Ireland is wonderful and to see it well you need to rent a car. That means driving on " the other side" of the road to US drivers.
Why not Paris, then rent a car and head to Normandy, then to Loire Valley and back to Paris to fly home. You can add day trips from Paris to Chartres,Monet's home in Giverny, Versailles.
You need to slow down to see a place and experience it.

jamikins

If you slow down and spend more time in less places you can rent apartments or gites and that gives you the ability to eat meals in your flat rather than restaurant. Some of the fun can be grocery shopping in markets or local shops for breakfast and dinner stuffs.

BigRuss

Define "limited budget" - all budgets have limits, even Saudi royalty.

Also define your nightly lodging budget. If you're looking for $100/night in major cities, be prepared to be disappointed with what little you get.

Will be a bit difficult to take a train FROM Ireland to anywhere else . . .

And you need to check train schedules. With limited time, you don't need to blow a bunch of time sitting in transit . . .

jamikins

Another option is spending a week somewhere like Strasbourg. It will give you access to Alsace https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...7644953485474/ but also Western Germany and has good train links with Paris and Germany. You may not even need a car.

So many options!

Gretchen

Do you have an Irish connection? If not, it is an island (I know you know that) and can be difficult and expensive to get to the next place. Same with England although not as bad.
choose 3 cities and do day trips for your small town desires. You will be MUCH happier rather than running through train stations to get to your next hotel/town.

Sassafrass

As others have said, neither of your proposed itineraries are possible. First trip to Europe can be daunting, but congratulations on getting started. If you spend most of your time rushing from one train station to another, without stopping to absorb the sense that you are actually there, you may not have good memories, but I can say with nearly 100% certainty that you will find a way to go back if you love your first trip.
Almost any place you go will be so fascinating, it will give you both what you want. There are a few exceptions, but almost anyplace in Europe will have beautiful architecture, from medieval to modern, and interesting nature and landscape. Unless there is a particular mountain or lake you wish to see, you will find something to enjoy everywhere.

Ireland requires driving, time getting around and costs to get other places. Personally, with only two weeks, I would eliminate it.

Doing all cities is not such a good idea as international cities, even in different countries, do not offer as much variety as smaller towns and rural areas within the same country.

Have you read a lot of guide books or looked at pictures of many places? Is there a single sight you have dreamed about seeing? One thing might be for each of you to pick the one place you have your heart set on, then work around those two places.

You mentioned Paris, so perhaps start there. Spend four or five days. You husband said WWII sights. If that is a must, you could rent a car for a few days and also go to a couple of places like the Loire Valley, but if you really do not want to drive, do a WWII tour from Paris. It is kind of expensive, but gets it done. You could skip the WWII stuff, catch the fast train to Avignon and see both incredible natural areas and architecture - at least four or five days for that. So, five days in Paris, or a week in France doing WWII and chateau, or ten days doing Paris and Provence.

You could also go only to Paris, then fly or take a train to another large country like Italy for ten days and see two or three cities - areas, and fly home from there.

After Paris, you could go to Amsterdam for two or three days, then Bruges, home from Brussels or Paris.

You start to see what is actually possible. Start by choosing the single most important place and how much time is needed without rushing to see it, then the second, and how much time is needed, etc. Allow for travel time in between, including time checking out of hotel, getting to train station (or getting to airport and getting through security, time for boarding etc.), getting to next hotel, etc.

This is what is comes down to. Eliminate the rest when your two weeks is used up by the top three or four! Add little day trips to those if there is time. It is even better to choose two or three major places and add nearby places.

You did not mention Barcelona or Spain, but your husband would probably love seeing Gaudi's work in Barcelona and the Alhambra in Granada. You would probably love the mountains. Because of nature and architecture, France and just Barcelona or Italy and just Paris are good combos. England and France are good also because of easy train connections.

If you choose France, get advice from St Cirq. There are others as well, but she is an absolute expert on many areas of France. If you decide to drive in France, Stu Dudley has itineraries for his driving trips.

live42day

I am helping my two boys (24 and 29) plan their first trip alone to Europe and they have only two weeks as well. As an idea we limited it to
Amsterdam , 4 nights
train to Berlin, 4 nights.
train to Prague 4 nights
and then they leave from Frankfurt so train and two nights in Mainz.

This to me is still rushed, but they are young and can do it.
If you try to pack too much stuff in you are too tired and don't remember where you have even been in my opinion. They are on a very strict budget but it is doable if you book in advance.

I am all for 'winging it' however with limited time and limited funds you have more control over costs and spend less time looking for where to sleep if it is all done in advance.

If you husband like architecture then as Sassafrass says Barcelona is one place where a lot of architect students go to see the different styles, (we were there with an architect last fall)