I am planning my first trip to Western Europe. I have a few things in mind but looking for people that have some experience. We are planning for around 30-34 days starting in France and ending in Italy.
First trip to western Europe
- Thread starter Brianj5600
- Start date
My daughter did this fall ‘24. 6 1/2 weeks. Her and her best friend. They utilized the train system.
My experience is Italy only. Rome and the Amalfi Coast were both very memorable.
Enjoy.
The Normandy coast is a must-visit destination, IMO. You'll need a rental car, though. The many tolls from CDG/Paris to the Normandy area are quite expensive ~$150USD total, IIRC. I stayed in Bayeux, seen the tapestry. You'll gain a deep sense of awe and respect after seeing what the Allies overcame on D-Day.
I visited the village of my earliest known ancestor (1585) on Oleron Island. It's a semi-touristy destination renowned for their sea salted caramel.
Driving the French countryside was pleasant, lots and lots of sunflower farms make for a pretty landscape. History sites everywhere you go it seems.
Go to Germany, drive the Autobahn, check out Nurburgring.
Above all, my favorite destination has been Switzerland. I went snowboarding in Saas-Fee. You can take a train to Visp, then bus to Saas-Fee. Cars are not allowed in the village, but a car park is nearby. Just get in to the mountains. Hike if you want, or don't. A Swiss mountain village is an experience on to itself. . . the scenery, the air. . the food. . .
I visited the village of my earliest known ancestor (1585) on Oleron Island. It's a semi-touristy destination renowned for their sea salted caramel.
Driving the French countryside was pleasant, lots and lots of sunflower farms make for a pretty landscape. History sites everywhere you go it seems.
Go to Germany, drive the Autobahn, check out Nurburgring.
Above all, my favorite destination has been Switzerland. I went snowboarding in Saas-Fee. You can take a train to Visp, then bus to Saas-Fee. Cars are not allowed in the village, but a car park is nearby. Just get in to the mountains. Hike if you want, or don't. A Swiss mountain village is an experience on to itself. . . the scenery, the air. . the food. . .
Been to France a couple of times. Seems every time we went there was some protest or strike going on. Last Aug we took the train from London to Paris for the day. Our train was delayed due to rioting and 30 seconds after we left the station they closed the roll up doors and sealed it up tight. Took the hop on hop off bus around the city. Sporadic groups of rioters and Police around the city seen from the bus. National Police were stationed through out the city. No issues at the tourist areas and it didn’t affect us as the wind was blowing the smoke from their fires and the teargas from the Police away from us. Luckily by evening the train station was open and we got back to London ok. In London the Tube operators were on strike until our last day in London.
Italy is fantastic. We spent 3 days in Rome staying in the old part of town and everything we wanted to see was in walking distance. The food is unbelievable in Italy and the locals were warm and inviting. Traveled up the Mediterranean coast heading to Barcelona staying in small towns along the way. Monaco was nice but expensive. France was our least favorite country.
One thing to remember when traveling in Europe are the pick pockets and tourist scams. I had my CC compromised in Belgium after I paid for a canal boat ride luckily I had another card.
Coming from the US Europe obviously has much more history to enjoy.
Don’t know how you are getting around but the Euro rail pass, Uber and local transportation work great for us.
Have you applied for your ETIAS to enter Europe or the ETS for the UK from the US? You’ll need them before you arrive.
We’re heading to Poland for 2 weeks in Aug. It’s my ancestral home on both sides of my family.
Italy is fantastic. We spent 3 days in Rome staying in the old part of town and everything we wanted to see was in walking distance. The food is unbelievable in Italy and the locals were warm and inviting. Traveled up the Mediterranean coast heading to Barcelona staying in small towns along the way. Monaco was nice but expensive. France was our least favorite country.
One thing to remember when traveling in Europe are the pick pockets and tourist scams. I had my CC compromised in Belgium after I paid for a canal boat ride luckily I had another card.
Coming from the US Europe obviously has much more history to enjoy.
Don’t know how you are getting around but the Euro rail pass, Uber and local transportation work great for us.
Have you applied for your ETIAS to enter Europe or the ETS for the UK from the US? You’ll need them before you arrive.
We’re heading to Poland for 2 weeks in Aug. It’s my ancestral home on both sides of my family.
My European experience is Germany, Greece and Ireland. I'm a big fan of history and culture, not so much big cities...for context.
Germany
Berlin is very cool for WWII history; spent one day, 2 would have been better to have more time. Took the train down to Munich where I spent 2.5 days. Lots of older history in the Bavarian area and really, really enjoyed that and the culture. I'd go back to Munich/Bavaria again in a heartbeat. The food in Germany got old; cabbage, pork belly and brats around every corner.
Greece
Athens was an interesting mix of ancient history and dirty big city. The culture and history were very interesting and the ruins...unbelievable, especially the Acropolis. Spent a day on Mykonos (one of the closer islands) and again, history and small Greek fishing town culture were awesome. The food in Greece is amazing.
Ireland
Medevil history was very cool. Cliffs of Moor were amazing, as were the towns of Gallway and Kilkenny. People everywhere were super friendly; small coastal and inland towns were the best. Aside from a few historic places and the pubs, Dublin was, in my opinion, a nasty big city....and the pubs are everywhere in Ireland. Drinking a pint in a place that's been operatig since the 1100s was pretty cool. I wouldn't mind spending more time in the Irish countryside...castles, pubs and mutton stew. Skip the blood pudding.
Germany
Berlin is very cool for WWII history; spent one day, 2 would have been better to have more time. Took the train down to Munich where I spent 2.5 days. Lots of older history in the Bavarian area and really, really enjoyed that and the culture. I'd go back to Munich/Bavaria again in a heartbeat. The food in Germany got old; cabbage, pork belly and brats around every corner.
Greece
Athens was an interesting mix of ancient history and dirty big city. The culture and history were very interesting and the ruins...unbelievable, especially the Acropolis. Spent a day on Mykonos (one of the closer islands) and again, history and small Greek fishing town culture were awesome. The food in Greece is amazing.
Ireland
Medevil history was very cool. Cliffs of Moor were amazing, as were the towns of Gallway and Kilkenny. People everywhere were super friendly; small coastal and inland towns were the best. Aside from a few historic places and the pubs, Dublin was, in my opinion, a nasty big city....and the pubs are everywhere in Ireland. Drinking a pint in a place that's been operatig since the 1100s was pretty cool. I wouldn't mind spending more time in the Irish countryside...castles, pubs and mutton stew. Skip the blood pudding.
Last edited:
Let's invite the resident Hungarian to the conversation. You might need to mule some Jeep parts for him. @Edgar Marton
X2 on Switzerland we spent 15 days there traveling by train around the country. Every city is unbelievably beautiful. The swiss take pride in thier transportation system the stations,trains and trams are immaculate and run like a swiss watch.
At a minimum Geneva should be on your list or maybe Zermatt to see the Matterhorn. The second half of our trip we went to Milan for 2 days which was ok but don't need to go back. Then headed south to rome for 5 days via high speed train which was pretty cool and a smooth ride at 155mph. Plenty of stuff to see and do and worth the visit. When in italy you have to be aware of your surroundings on the trains and tourist spots pickpocketing does happen. We were on a packed subway train and a local kicked off 3 normal looking teenage girls he knew were pickpockets. Another thing we noticed is all the hotel rooms we stayed in were small and the AC never worked very well. Breakfast in both countries is way different then america breads, cheese and cappuccino's
At a minimum Geneva should be on your list or maybe Zermatt to see the Matterhorn. The second half of our trip we went to Milan for 2 days which was ok but don't need to go back. Then headed south to rome for 5 days via high speed train which was pretty cool and a smooth ride at 155mph. Plenty of stuff to see and do and worth the visit. When in italy you have to be aware of your surroundings on the trains and tourist spots pickpocketing does happen. We were on a packed subway train and a local kicked off 3 normal looking teenage girls he knew were pickpockets. Another thing we noticed is all the hotel rooms we stayed in were small and the AC never worked very well. Breakfast in both countries is way different then america breads, cheese and cappuccino's
Last edited:
We went for a week in London then a week in Paris.
Another trip we started in Venice, moved to Florence, then Rome, and finally Sorrento.
I spent 2 weeks in Marid for work, but drove around the country from Atantic to Mediteranian to different places.
The next trip there would be Eastern (Hungary, Poland) or Northern Europe (Belgium, Norway, etc, and Northern Germany where my ancesters immigrated from in the 1890s).
But I have a lot left to see in the US so I may focus on the 10 or so states I haven't been to here.
Europe is so small. I've driven for a half a day in Texas and would have covered multiple countries in Europe.
Another trip we started in Venice, moved to Florence, then Rome, and finally Sorrento.
I spent 2 weeks in Marid for work, but drove around the country from Atantic to Mediteranian to different places.
The next trip there would be Eastern (Hungary, Poland) or Northern Europe (Belgium, Norway, etc, and Northern Germany where my ancesters immigrated from in the 1890s).
But I have a lot left to see in the US so I may focus on the 10 or so states I haven't been to here.
Europe is so small. I've driven for a half a day in Texas and would have covered multiple countries in Europe.
We go to Germany every 5 years and visit other parts of Western Europe. Also been for work over the years and some irregular trips to Scotland and England. Trips from 3 days to 3 weeks. We've done trips with cars, only trains, trains, planes and automobiles, bus...
We've visited Belgium, Netherlands, visited about 2/3rds of Germany, Switzerland, France, specifically Paris, England, Scotland, Italian Dolomites and the far eastern part of the country, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Portugal
Our short lists for future trips include more time in France with an interest in Bretagne, Lyon, Provence, Marseilles, and Strasbourg, Norway, Denmark, Czechia, Orkney, Shetlands and maybe Faroe Islands, Barcelona and Jerez, Amsterdam, Berlin and the north sea coast of Germany.
Our interests are diverse. Been to F1 races, art museums and shows, mountaineering, hanging on the beach, oktoberfest, distilleries in Scotland and Germany, general sightseeing, food tourism.
You can't do it all on one trip. But you can gain amazing experiences.
I think on a high level I would recommend trying to stay in a place for 2-5 days and then transit. Plan out what you'd like to do in each city/town and leave some space for discovery and rest. And laundry. Unless you're into the stank.
I think understanding the outline of what's on your list might help others suggest some itinerary that fits along the way.
We've visited Belgium, Netherlands, visited about 2/3rds of Germany, Switzerland, France, specifically Paris, England, Scotland, Italian Dolomites and the far eastern part of the country, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Portugal
Our short lists for future trips include more time in France with an interest in Bretagne, Lyon, Provence, Marseilles, and Strasbourg, Norway, Denmark, Czechia, Orkney, Shetlands and maybe Faroe Islands, Barcelona and Jerez, Amsterdam, Berlin and the north sea coast of Germany.
Our interests are diverse. Been to F1 races, art museums and shows, mountaineering, hanging on the beach, oktoberfest, distilleries in Scotland and Germany, general sightseeing, food tourism.
You can't do it all on one trip. But you can gain amazing experiences.
I think on a high level I would recommend trying to stay in a place for 2-5 days and then transit. Plan out what you'd like to do in each city/town and leave some space for discovery and rest. And laundry. Unless you're into the stank.
I think understanding the outline of what's on your list might help others suggest some itinerary that fits along the way.
I was at an outdoor market in Northern Italy and 2 Gypsy girls came up into my Personal Space. Before I could react vendors came out waving sticks and ran them off.
One of my employees went to Paris with her mother. At one of the tourist spots a lady came up and offered to weave a bracelet for her. She had her put her index fingers together and started to weave thread around them. She tied them tight and proceeded to take her purse leaving her with her hands tied together.
I like to just watch the goings on in places when I travel. After growing up in a big city I can tell who the bad players are. Once sitting outside a cafe in Barcelona I watched a beggar sitting next to an ATM. She was watching when people withdrew money and I could see her using hand signals to 2 guys in the crowed. Then I watched as they followed that person down the street out of my site. Bottom line you’re a Tourist, you stand out like black on a white background and you have money. You have to keep your head on a swivel and never let anyone get in your Personal Space which is closer than arms length. Large European cities are no different than large cities in the US, you have to watch out for the opportunists and try not to be an easy target.
One of my employees went to Paris with her mother. At one of the tourist spots a lady came up and offered to weave a bracelet for her. She had her put her index fingers together and started to weave thread around them. She tied them tight and proceeded to take her purse leaving her with her hands tied together.
I like to just watch the goings on in places when I travel. After growing up in a big city I can tell who the bad players are. Once sitting outside a cafe in Barcelona I watched a beggar sitting next to an ATM. She was watching when people withdrew money and I could see her using hand signals to 2 guys in the crowed. Then I watched as they followed that person down the street out of my site. Bottom line you’re a Tourist, you stand out like black on a white background and you have money. You have to keep your head on a swivel and never let anyone get in your Personal Space which is closer than arms length. Large European cities are no different than large cities in the US, you have to watch out for the opportunists and try not to be an easy target.
Second Venice, Amalfi coast, Rome, Barcelona, Athens.
I would add Malta and Sofia, Bulgaria. Bulgaria wasn't on my radar at all, until I went earlier this year. It's a weird, neat contrast to the rest of Europe because they're fresh out of communism.
They're also eastern orthodox vice catholic, so the churches and monasteries are different-less maintained but still very active. It was a pleasant surprise with a different vibe.
Malta is a gem, clean, welcoming, English speaking and full of great history-read up on the siege of Malta and visit those sites as well as the apostle Paul's travels there.
Normandy is cool and they are welcoming, plus, the history there is humbling. French food is wonderful, and asspensive. Honestly, in Paris and Marseille the people make their disdain for Americans almost palpable, fuck em, i won't likely travel there again. But, I've seen all the sights in France several times.
Too bad Israel is basically off limits, because it's fascinating.
Turkey is underrated, Antalya is a nice clean beach town and if you're a Christian history buff, Ephesus is pretty cool.
Rome, Venice, Milan are all cool and the art is incredible. People rave about the food, personally, I'm kinda tired of it!
I live in Sicily now, which has so many amazing sites that you may want a few days here- Etna, Taormina, Palermo, Cefalu are all great, Catania is ok, they have a great WWII museum that details all the battles on the island and all the belligerent. I was pleasantly surprised.
If you decide to see Etna, let me know and I'll feed you one night, maybe even put you up for the night if we don't have family taking up thr beds.
Haven't made it to Germany or Austria yet, but its on the list.
Reading back over that, I don't think I gave you any useful suggestions, except that there's a lot to see! You will get sick of visiting cathedrals
I would add Malta and Sofia, Bulgaria. Bulgaria wasn't on my radar at all, until I went earlier this year. It's a weird, neat contrast to the rest of Europe because they're fresh out of communism.
They're also eastern orthodox vice catholic, so the churches and monasteries are different-less maintained but still very active. It was a pleasant surprise with a different vibe.
Malta is a gem, clean, welcoming, English speaking and full of great history-read up on the siege of Malta and visit those sites as well as the apostle Paul's travels there.
Normandy is cool and they are welcoming, plus, the history there is humbling. French food is wonderful, and asspensive. Honestly, in Paris and Marseille the people make their disdain for Americans almost palpable, fuck em, i won't likely travel there again. But, I've seen all the sights in France several times.
Too bad Israel is basically off limits, because it's fascinating.
Turkey is underrated, Antalya is a nice clean beach town and if you're a Christian history buff, Ephesus is pretty cool.
Rome, Venice, Milan are all cool and the art is incredible. People rave about the food, personally, I'm kinda tired of it!
I live in Sicily now, which has so many amazing sites that you may want a few days here- Etna, Taormina, Palermo, Cefalu are all great, Catania is ok, they have a great WWII museum that details all the battles on the island and all the belligerent. I was pleasantly surprised.If you decide to see Etna, let me know and I'll feed you one night, maybe even put you up for the night if we don't have family taking up thr beds.
Haven't made it to Germany or Austria yet, but its on the list.
Reading back over that, I don't think I gave you any useful suggestions, except that there's a lot to see! You will get sick of visiting cathedrals
They are mandated by code in Italy, we have one in all our bathrooms.
Pretty sure it's for the dog to drink from.
The ad tagline could be
"Keeps you fresh, from sack to crack"
I was skeptical at first, but we have the add-on version of this at home after our Italy trip last year.
Austria and Switzerland are amazing. When you see a postcard style picture of those places, it's accurate. There was no clean-up or prep for the shot, it just always looks like that. Or it did in 2000.
We took a family trip to Italy last year and it was great.
Rome is great for history
Florence is also, and is prettier
Venice is cool for a day or so
Modena is great if you're into cars
Chianti area was amazing scenery, food, and wine
Just thinking about it now makes me want to go back.
We took a family trip to Italy last year and it was great.
Rome is great for history
Florence is also, and is prettier
Venice is cool for a day or so
Modena is great if you're into cars
Chianti area was amazing scenery, food, and wine
Just thinking about it now makes me want to go back.
I've not seen as green of a place as I did in Switzerland. It was incredible. Austria is kind of like a cheaper Switzerland.
Of the places mentioned Venice is my favorite place to visit. I like getting up early when all the boats are out picking up trash and San Marco is flooded by the high tide. Wander around while everyone sleeps.
One thing to consider that hasn't been mentioned was Dachau, outside of Munich, it was an experience like I've not had any where else and it's hard to describe. I assume many of the other camps provide similar emotions.
Last edited:
Greece: You could spend a week in Athens and not see everything. Skip Mykonos, the natives are unlike Greeks elsewhere: Rude. Santorini is worth it. Crete is a favorite, esp. Xania. But I left my heart in Delphi.
Yes, the Parisians are rude; but everyone needs to go to Paris at least once. Allocate time for the Louvre, don't rush it. There are several other museums worth your time as well - and don't forget the catacombs!
If you think you'll need to access online stuff while overseas, disconnect as much of it as possible from anything to do with any kind of phone - flip or PHOOOOOONNE both. Use email 2FA or Yubikey. I found out the hard way in Egypt that any type of phone is a single point failure - fortunately, I really didn't need anything online anyway. Google was particularly problematic, so if you need to sign into Google, take heed as they decided to phone 2FA me and not give me the usual email option. They weren't critical path, so it wasn't a problem, just an annoyance. My phone didn't work, wife's quit working after a bit.
I too would like to go to Turkey - the other half of Greek history is there. I'd probably get royally pissed off if I went to Ephesus, but I certainly wouldn't miss it!
Yes, the Parisians are rude; but everyone needs to go to Paris at least once. Allocate time for the Louvre, don't rush it. There are several other museums worth your time as well - and don't forget the catacombs!
If you think you'll need to access online stuff while overseas, disconnect as much of it as possible from anything to do with any kind of phone - flip or PHOOOOOONNE both. Use email 2FA or Yubikey. I found out the hard way in Egypt that any type of phone is a single point failure - fortunately, I really didn't need anything online anyway. Google was particularly problematic, so if you need to sign into Google, take heed as they decided to phone 2FA me and not give me the usual email option. They weren't critical path, so it wasn't a problem, just an annoyance. My phone didn't work, wife's quit working after a bit.
I too would like to go to Turkey - the other half of Greek history is there. I'd probably get royally pissed off if I went to Ephesus, but I certainly wouldn't miss it!
My wife and I did Italy 2 years ago. Florence was amazing, both the food and history.
Rapallo on the coast, and then the Cinque Terre was a great experience also. Smaller feel, and beautiful.
Rome had all the sights you have too see once, but also a big, hot, crowded city. Glad we saw it, wouldn't go twice.
Great trip overall!
Rapallo on the coast, and then the Cinque Terre was a great experience also. Smaller feel, and beautiful.
Rome had all the sights you have too see once, but also a big, hot, crowded city. Glad we saw it, wouldn't go twice.
Great trip overall!
Similar threads
