Pittsburgher

Hope this topic hsn't been done to death but I'm looking for new ideas.

Husband and I are active late 50's, very adaptable. Have been to Turkey, Italy, Ireland, England,Amsterdam/Holland, Wales and several times to Paris but not much outside the city; I've been to China and Israel. Also together to Budapest, Vienna and Prague. We are contemplating our 2011 travel possibilities and looking for new ideas. Thinking south of France, Sienna again, Slovenia or Prague -- and any place in Central/Northern/southern Europe. We are limited to 10 days because of work schedules, just can't decide where we should head next. He would happily spend every vaca in Paris, but can be persuaded to explore new places.

We enjoy small hotels and small towns, sitting on squares watching the world go by. Lots of places we haven't been ... would prefer a 10-day trip with two or three destinations, no more than one or two flight changes out of Nashville. Don't mind driving but okay with trains as well. Haven't spent any time in Germany. Most likely to travel in Sept/Oct 2011.

Where would be your favorite place to go again?

ShelliDawn

Hi,

Since you seem to be interested in only European destinations, I would suggest posting this question on the Europe forum as well. It's much busier than this one and you're more likely to get suggestions.

janisj

For me -- w/ 10 days -- Scotland hands down. But I agree - probably best to re-post over on Europe.

thursdaysd

Yes, repost. But consider Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine.

zoecat

If you enjoy Paris, then I suggest Provence, staying in the lovely town of Lourmarin. Great food; beautiful scenery; easy daytrips; nice hiking/walks; and the town of Lourmarin is, in my opinion, perfect.

Basing in a small town or an agriturismo in the Tuscan, Le Marche, Piedmont or Umbria countryside would also be nice, providing plenty to enjoy for 10 days.

Good luck with deciding!

spcfa

I'm just back from Portugal and found it to be very charming. I'd go there again, plus it's only 5 hours from Newark (NJ). In 10 days you could see a lot.

AJMelheim

SPAIN!It fits all your criteria.

Pittsburgher

Thanks for comments. Europe is probably our most likely destination but at least one of us - the primary travel planner-- is also interested in S. America. Guess i'll check over there as well.

Would love to do a spain/portugal trip so i'll check over there for ideas.

frogoutofwater

Here are some of the favorite trips I've done with my husband in the past few years:

- Germany: Mosel River valley wine tour (liked it a lot better than the Rhine; smaller scale, more charming) plus a few nights in Berlin

- France: Wine and food tour (organized ourselves) of Champagne, northern Burgundy and Sancerre. Other regions of France we really liked (we used to live there) are La Rochelle (west coast), Corsica, and Alsace.

- Oman (boomerang-shaped country north of Yemen and south of Dubai). Possibly our favourite trip ever. For people who are curious about Arab cultures but would like a gentle introduction, Oman is wonderful. It has retained its traditions, but the people are quietly friendly and interested in meeting people. It felt like the safest place we'd ever been - we even picked up hitchhikers. Great scuba diving and few gorgeous resorts. Combine it with some shopping in Dubai.

- Morocco: We went to Morocco for part of our honeymoon, and also enjoyed it a lot. We spent about half of it in Marrakech and Essaouira (a lovely seaside town) and the other half hiking in the mountains. The second half of the trip was spent in Spain.

- Egypt: We had a great trip to Egypt last year: diving on the Red Sea, then Luxor, Aswan and Cairo.

- Spain: We spent part of our honeymoon in Barcelona and on the coast north of Barcelona around Cadaques (an isolated village that has managed to avoid the ugly development that has plagued the Spanish coast). Girona nearby is also quite nice. Barcelona is my favourite city in the world (and that's saying a lot because I used to live in Paris.)

- Italy: We rented an apartment in Umbria for a few days with friends and then moseyed up to Venice for four nights in 2009.

- I just got back from a week in Guanajuato in Mexico. This is a very safe region. There are a lot of cultural activities (it's a UNESCO world heritage site) in the city and nearby - it's definitely a good candidate for hanging out on a patio and watching the world go by. It's much less touristy than nearby San Miguel, or the coastal resorts.

Have you ever considered doing something like a self-guided walking holiday? You book the holiday through a tour company that specializes in these things (e.g., Sherpa in the UK). They book the hotels and transport your luggage from hotel to hotel. They also give you a detailed route map, and then you walk from place to place. The amount of walking varies from trip to trip, but typically it's not more than 4-5 hours per day, which leaves you with room for hang out in cafes - and enjoy eating treats you've earned with your walking. I did an enjoyable walk in southern Spain a few years ago, near Seville, and I have my eye on a walking holiday in the Greek Islands.