What Trafalgar tour should I take next year?

[Darth_Kitten]

I'm determined to go somewhere on vacation next year.

What are credit cards if you cannot max them out occasionally, eh? ;)

[smirkymonkey]

1. I picked continental Europe, but only if you go for more than

a week and don't try to cover too much ground in a short period of time. I think if you are going to more than 2-3 cities, then you will need more than a week. My next trip will be Prague and the Bohemian countryside.

What I usually like to do is go to a European city and then tour around the countryside or other sites within a few hours of the city, such as London, Cotswolds, Wales or Paris, Normandy, Brittany. This way, you can experience more of the culture (and not just the cities, which all tend to be very international and generic in many ways)and get to see the beautiful little towns and out of the way places that you would normally never see.

However, if you have never been to Europe, you may want to cover more ground by going to different international cities such as London, Paris, Amsterdam (or Bruges, Belgium - one of my favorite European cities.) Rome would be quite a haul from Paris and unless you are really into the Vatican and Roman ruins, (which are very lovely, don't get me wrong) I would skip it this time and stay regional. Rome is one of my LEAST favorite European cities, and I am half Italian. I much prefer Florence, Venice, Siena and the countryside.

Have fun with it - Trips always keep me motivated!

[Darth_Kitten]

2. Thanks for your detailed response!

I haven't been out of my country yet (I'm in Canada) and I figure, I'm "doing" Europe before I'm 40 (I'm 36) whether I like it or not! (haha!) I haven't been away for a "vacation" since I was 22! :(

I think I will start slow, taking about a week long (or a bit longer) vacation for starters.
I am a history buff and want to visit beautiful museums, landmarks, you name it! :)
I'm leaning towards either a week in London, or a week in Paris, but I'll see. I have more urgent expenses to pay down this year, so next year is my plan. :)

[smirkymonkey]

5. Actually, if you do a week in London, you could even take a

train out to the Cotswolds (1 to 2 hours away, depending on where you go) or rent a car. It's very beautiful and medieval with thatched roof cottages and well preserved 14th century villages. We did that when we were in London for about 10 days in the middle of our stay and it was a nice way to break up the trip and get a break from the city.

Paris is lovely too, and you could easily spend the week there with maybe a day trip to Versaille or Giverny, etc. I also love history and both cities are just filled with interesting and amazing things to do and see.

I am so excited for you! Now I can't wait to plan my trip, although I am unemployed at the moment. :)

[Aiptasia]

3. Depends on the time of year and other factors...

London in the summer can be nice, but crowded with tourists. I did London, The Netherlands and Germany last summer and it was bright, sunny and very unseasonably warm (in the 80's in Holland).

Whatever you do, if London and Amsterdam are parts of your tour, bring a windbreaker and a tote sized umbrella. Showers are very common even on nice days because of the wind patterns, but usually also blow out very quickly, too.

I stayed at a hotel in Mayfair in London, just a block from Kensington Palace and Hyde Park. It was sunny the whole time and I did the usual tourist things (London eye, Tower of London, Double Decker tour bus, pub crawl, etc.). I blame London on getting me hooked on shandies (beer and lemonaide).

One rare bonus was, the queen goes on holiday for six weeks in late July/August every year, and you can tour Buckingham Palace if your in the right place at the right time, which I did. It was amazing.

Paris is over-rated IMHO and they aren't too keen on Americans. The last time I was there was in 2002, the locals were a bit rude and unpatient, even speaking broken French. The Louvre and The Eiffel tower are worth visiting, just get out of the city after that. Once I got out into the countryside (to tour the wine regions around Bordeaux and Versailles) it was a totally different story. The French countryside is very pretty and out of Paris's tourist ridden city center, it was quite pleasant.

The Netherlands is amazing. I love Amsterdam and think of it as the Venice of the north. I've been there three times now and I usually stay at the Suissehotel on the Damrak right near the royal palace and Niewekierk. The canals are beautiful in the spring and summer. Amsterdam itself is like the little vegas of Europe because of the red light district and pot coffeebars, but i've never once felt unsafe in the old city center. The Van Gogh museum, Rijksmuseum and Anne Frank houses are "Must do's," as well as shopping on all of the side streets at and around Dam square, the Leidesplein and Westekierk. People are very friendly in holland and a good 75% speak english.

Germany is also nice along the Rhine river. Koln and Cologne Germany are picturesque, with little castle towns, farmland, etc. My grandparents are from Leipzig (east Germany) so I had to pop in and visit relatives i've never met after the fall of communism. Berlin and Leipzig are very industrial and big city. It really helps to speak some German as most Germans do not speak much English.

I'm sure you'll have a good time no matter where you pick to go.

[Darth_Kitten]

4. Thanks!!

I've got a year to decide, wherever I go I'm sure it will be an adventure. :hi:

:)

[ScrewyRabbit]

6. I would do just London for a week, with a day trip to Bath

and maybe one to the Cotswolds.

There is plenty to do in London, you can easily spend a week and not even begin to scratch the surface. Why spend all your time packing bags and checking into/out of hotels? Stay put and really explore.

I like art, so I always visit the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Tate Gallery. But if you like history don't miss the Tower or the Imperial War Museum.

[Menshevik]

7. London for 5 days, Paris for 2 or 3

Spend five days in London and you will get a fair amount of touring done, although it will leave you hungry for more. You'll love it out here. From London, you can take the Eurostar (train that goes under the English Channel via the tunnel) to Paris...it takes about 2+ hours. Paris is cool, but I like London better ;)

[Kellanved]

8. Berlin for a week?

:shrug: