Can anyone recommend a private guide in the area of the Odenvald (Bavaria)? I am looking for someone who can speak English and could guide me for one day in the area (particularly in the town of Amorbach). Kind regards! Read More

Hi. I just bought return tickets from Adelaide, Australia to Paris arriving at CDG airport on the 20th of November 2024 and will be going back home on the 11th of January 2025. We are a family of 4 - me (will be celebrating my 50th in Europe) , my husband (51), son (20) and daughter (18). We have travelled to non-English speaking countries in the p... Read More

Hello everyone, We returned from Scotland on June 15, and we had a fabulous time!!! The weather was gorgeous, the scenery is spectacular, the food is delicious, and the crowds weren’t too bad, even on Skye! First I want to thank the following people for helping me plan a spectacular journey and for their restaurant recommendations: Janisj, MaiT... Read More

Hi everyone! My son (age 11) and I visited the Mosel / Rhine region of Germany last week during my son's April vacation break. I have previously visited this area 21 years ago (!) in 2003 with my mom. We had a very hurried itinerary back then (I was young and didn't know better... and my poor mom who had to keep up with me). This time, our itinerar... Read More

This will be my second trip to Rome. I have seen the major sites. One of my favorite galleries was the Villa Borghese, so I plan to return. Other than that, I am looking for some unique places to visit or activities to do. I love art, music and history. I know - I will be in the right place. Read More

We are currently in Switzerland and will write up a report on the go, as it’s a longish trip and I’ll never get to it once home. It’s 39 nights, mostly in the mountain and lake regions we love in Switzerland and north Italy. Our previous tri... Read More

We arrived in Paris at 6AM on Friday, zipped through passport control and were able to check into our apartment at 8AM instead of 4PM, a huge bonus. We had a nice note from the owner and two small boxes of Alain Ducasse chocolates to welcome us which was a nice surprise. We purchased our usual essentials and took a nap. We can't power through, espe... Read More

I spent twelve days in Japan (March 28-April 8) after disembarking from a cruise ship in Tokyo. Since Fodorites are always helpful with pre-trip questions, I like to provide a trip report in case it sparks someone else’s interest! I’ll cover logistics first and then summarize what I did and sights I saw.

Hi! My guy (60) and myself (F57) are flying into Bari mid July on a Monday about noon. We’re staying 3 nights in Polignano and I’m trying to get a sense of our options when we first land in Puglia for our first time, either press on directly to our accommodations and catch lunch nearby or go into Bari proper and have a... Read More

Where have you gone in Europe where someone has assumed by your face that you are from somewhere specific in Europe? Today I was musing if I shall ever finally find MY face country. You know--a place where you look around and find people who look more like you than not. My other family members have had that happen; I have not. When we travel,... Read More

Thinking of flying in and out of Naples and doing a Southern Italy loop in May. Will rent a car. Do not need to go to the tip of boot nor the heel, but a gentle, central loop. Any ideas on itinerary and base towns? Mid 70s, like to drive. Crowds in May? Read More

I don't have high hopes for this coming to fruition, but I am thinking of making a last minute travel plans to Europe at the end of June or early July for 7-9 days due to my schedule opening up during this time. I absolutely understand there are many barriers to this including costs, finding hotel availabilities, and other aspects that generally re... Read More

Hi there. I've been reading through some posts and not finding exactly what I'm looking for, so hopefully some of you who travel to France frequently can offer some recommendations for us. We will be in France for 2 weeks in early June: ~3/4 days each in Normandy (Bayeux, Honfleur); Loire (Amboise); Dordogne (Sarlat au Canada); and Provence (Avi... Read More

A few years back, we planned a 10-night trip to Northern Portugal. We did our research and amassed a ton of notes about sites, visiting hours, hikes and walks, driving routes, wine and port, food and restaurants, you name it. We were well-prepared for our departure on March 28, 2020. Well, you don’t have to guess how that turned out! Not wanting... Read More

we land at 4pm into haneda. wanted to take limousine bus to our hotel in Yanaka but think we land too late. what other options do we have to get to our hotel? how expensive wilt taxi be? it will be a Saturday and we are staying at Sawanoya Ryokan in Tokyo. Second question-I will buy the Setouchi plass on the JR site. So I can only buy it 30 days... Read More

I'm being optimistic and hoping we'll be able to travel and leave our 2 pups home with a house sitter. I am thinking about Scotland and we'd go in Fall. My husband loves cooler weather and my birthday is in October. We haven't been to Scotland. We don't like to change locations frequently. We are thinking about Edinburgh for a few days, then on... Read More

Hello! My husband and I are planning a trip to France in late September, early October of this year. We will have a total of 15 nights /16 days. We are flying into Paris (arriving early morning, jet-lagged!) and planning to take the train directly to Strasbourg. The plan is to stay there for four nights and then travel to Colmar by train for... Read More

I have been wanting to plan a trip for September but have been all over the map about where to go! Wanted some beach time because I missed Feb and March staying with a friend in Florida due to some pretty major surgery (mostly OK now), but it doesn't make good sense to me to go all the way to Europe just for the beach. A place that also had some... Read More

Hi, My wife and I are planning a trip to Rome from September 27th to October 13th, and we have a few questions: [list=1] [*]Do Americans need a visa for Italy? [*]What are some good 3-star hotels in Rome that are clean, affordable, in a SAFE area, and within walking distance of major tour... Read More

Hello, I'm coming to you all for some advice on our family's first trip to Europe. Background: parents have traveled to multiple countries as part of a group back in college and to Ireland on our own before kids but both trips were many years ago. We are now a family of 4 with kids who will be 13 and 10 when we take our trip in October of this yea... Read More

Hello everyone, Most of our reservations are made for Australia/New Zealand for this October/November, so I am now thinking ahead to 2025. I am 74 and my husband is 77, so we want to do as much international traveling as possible in the next few years. So we are planning on 2 or 3 month-long trips per year. I admit I am getting anxious about how m... Read More

We have a booking at 10:30 AM for the Tower, a 2:00 PM booking for Westminster Abbey and then 4:00 PM Thames Cruise from WM Pier to Greenwich. Please give ideas about how we can tour both around 100 min each. Yes, I know it will "not do justice" to the historical places. But I guess that's better than just taking selfies from outside, right?... Read More

I am interested in reading comments by people here who have tried to lean a language from the sites such Babel, Rosetta, and the others. I know zero about any of these. I enjoy leaning new languages but tend to be bored by strict grammar. My goal is to improve my ability to chat, or ask questions, when I travel in Italy. I can get along prett... Read More

Having had a fabulous first trip to Japan, we’re now planning a second visit next fall for 18 nights at the beginning of November. This will follow 2 1/2 weeks in Taiwan, so I’m trying to be circumspect and not make the trip too hectic. We are arriving in Kix from Taiwan so will at least have adjusted to the time difference by then. And... Read More

I'll be visiting the Ravenna Gorge Christmas markets from Strasbourg (yes, it will be a very long day!) and taking public transport. The return journey in the evening requires a change of trains in Offenburg with a 40 minute wait between trains. As a solo female traveller, I'd rather avoid the long wait in the station and am considering inste... Read More