When should I go where in Europe?
October 7, 2010 12:16 PM Subscribe
Help me itinerary plan for 4 European vacations! What to see when in the fall and winter
So I am currently a teaching assistant in Coutances (Normandy) France. Because it's France I have several vacations through out the year and I want to make the best of them, trying to also keep in mind what places might suck in March but might be perfect in Oct/Nov. The vacation dates are as follows
Oct 23- Nov 2
Dec17- Jan 2 (Vienna planned, but other suggestions in addition welcomed)
Feb 25- March11
April 23-May 7
A Christmas trip to Vienna with my boyfriend is already planned (he is flying in and out of Vienna and I should be taking a train to get there) though we are also looking for suggestions for cities that would be worth seeing while keeping in mind holiday closures.
Not particularly looking for attractions/ places to stay or eat, but just logistically what might work for what times of year (for example, I'm hoping to explore the Netherlands in April/ May, with the chance that I might get to see the tulips) Vienna was chosen for it's "Christmasy" atmosphere.
Recommendations that don't break the bank, and everywhere in Europe is a potential option. I'm huge on the nightlife, though I like some atmosphere in a city. I'm also willing to hostel/couchsurf it all the way through. I'll also be a resident of France for over 6 months and 22 if that affects any deals/ discounts (I already have the SNCF 12-25 card)
I don't have many guidebooks to look at itineraries, just a "Europe on a budget" Rough guides one. Suggestions on how long a city "takes" to do are also really helpful.
If looked at past questions but they seemed to be geared towards what to see and do.
Thanks in advance!
So I am currently a teaching assistant in Coutances (Normandy) France. Because it's France I have several vacations through out the year and I want to make the best of them, trying to also keep in mind what places might suck in March but might be perfect in Oct/Nov. The vacation dates are as follows
Oct 23- Nov 2
Dec17- Jan 2 (Vienna planned, but other suggestions in addition welcomed)
Feb 25- March11
April 23-May 7
A Christmas trip to Vienna with my boyfriend is already planned (he is flying in and out of Vienna and I should be taking a train to get there) though we are also looking for suggestions for cities that would be worth seeing while keeping in mind holiday closures.
Not particularly looking for attractions/ places to stay or eat, but just logistically what might work for what times of year (for example, I'm hoping to explore the Netherlands in April/ May, with the chance that I might get to see the tulips) Vienna was chosen for it's "Christmasy" atmosphere.
Recommendations that don't break the bank, and everywhere in Europe is a potential option. I'm huge on the nightlife, though I like some atmosphere in a city. I'm also willing to hostel/couchsurf it all the way through. I'll also be a resident of France for over 6 months and 22 if that affects any deals/ discounts (I already have the SNCF 12-25 card)
I don't have many guidebooks to look at itineraries, just a "Europe on a budget" Rough guides one. Suggestions on how long a city "takes" to do are also really helpful.
If looked at past questions but they seemed to be geared towards what to see and do.
Thanks in advance!
Welcome to Europe!
Oct / Nov and Feb / Mar - will still be cold in much of northern and central Europe, so maybe look at options in Spain / Portugal, southern Italy or even the south of France (it's very different in a lot of ways to the north). Portugal in particular is relatively cheap. France - the trains are great so you may be able to see quite a lot on weekends. Morocco could be another fantastic option - getting there might be a little bit more expensive (though you can probably get some good deals on flights out of Paris) but once you're there, it's a lot cheaper than most of Europe.
Christmas - Vienna will be cold but it's beautiful at this time of year. You can get trains from Vienna to Prague or Budapest if you wanted to spend 3 days somewhere else. Again, they'll both be cold, and the days are short, but you'd be seeing the city at a time of year with fewer tourists around. Obviously at Christmas a lot of things close down (and often on Christmas Eve as well as Christmas Day) but in the big cities, there will still be plenty of things open.
April / May - Belgium (Brussels / Bruges) could be a good addition to Amsterdam and tulip stuff, and all very close together so very accessible.
All I'd say is don't try and cram too much into each trip - however many days you want in each city, add an extra one in which you can use to check out things that you didn't know were there beforehand, and also give you a bit of time if you have an "off" day and just want to cafe-hop and people watch.
Enjoy!
posted by finding.perdita at 12:43 PM on October 7, 2010
Oct / Nov and Feb / Mar - will still be cold in much of northern and central Europe, so maybe look at options in Spain / Portugal, southern Italy or even the south of France (it's very different in a lot of ways to the north). Portugal in particular is relatively cheap. France - the trains are great so you may be able to see quite a lot on weekends. Morocco could be another fantastic option - getting there might be a little bit more expensive (though you can probably get some good deals on flights out of Paris) but once you're there, it's a lot cheaper than most of Europe.
Christmas - Vienna will be cold but it's beautiful at this time of year. You can get trains from Vienna to Prague or Budapest if you wanted to spend 3 days somewhere else. Again, they'll both be cold, and the days are short, but you'd be seeing the city at a time of year with fewer tourists around. Obviously at Christmas a lot of things close down (and often on Christmas Eve as well as Christmas Day) but in the big cities, there will still be plenty of things open.
April / May - Belgium (Brussels / Bruges) could be a good addition to Amsterdam and tulip stuff, and all very close together so very accessible.
All I'd say is don't try and cram too much into each trip - however many days you want in each city, add an extra one in which you can use to check out things that you didn't know were there beforehand, and also give you a bit of time if you have an "off" day and just want to cafe-hop and people watch.
Enjoy!
posted by finding.perdita at 12:43 PM on October 7, 2010
Response by poster: Sorry, that should read "I'm NOT huge on the nightlife"
Also looking for more specifics. ex " Lisbon is great but plan to move on after 3 days" type things. More hints with Vienna planning would be appreciated ex. Arrive in Vienna, take the train immediately to see Prague, but make sure you're back in time for XYZ in Vienna. Don't bother going someplace new between Christmas and New Year's because there's nothing to do
Thanks again!
posted by raccoon409 at 1:31 PM on October 7, 2010
Also looking for more specifics. ex " Lisbon is great but plan to move on after 3 days" type things. More hints with Vienna planning would be appreciated ex. Arrive in Vienna, take the train immediately to see Prague, but make sure you're back in time for XYZ in Vienna. Don't bother going someplace new between Christmas and New Year's because there's nothing to do
Thanks again!
posted by raccoon409 at 1:31 PM on October 7, 2010
In the winter months, you may actually be better off in the colder places. I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but a lot of the Med has pretty wet winters which aren't warm - and snow is definitely more pleasant than rain. The other thing worth remembering is that at high latitudes (London and anywhere north) you get very short days.
posted by rhymer at 2:39 PM on October 7, 2010
posted by rhymer at 2:39 PM on October 7, 2010
For your Feb/March break I would definitely recommend Greece! (I'm not sure how much a flight would be but I think taking a train would be an excessively long trip).
I've spent a little time in Athens but for the most part I was in Nafplio(n) which is on the Peloponnese peninsula. It's gorgeous. Like really really beautiful, you can take a bus from Athens there, and there's some bus service to surrounding towns (for example you'd have to go to a nearby town for ferry trips to islands), though I had a rental car while I was there.
Best of all, it's pretty inexpensive once you get there!
posted by polexa at 2:47 PM on October 7, 2010
I've spent a little time in Athens but for the most part I was in Nafplio(n) which is on the Peloponnese peninsula. It's gorgeous. Like really really beautiful, you can take a bus from Athens there, and there's some bus service to surrounding towns (for example you'd have to go to a nearby town for ferry trips to islands), though I had a rental car while I was there.
Best of all, it's pretty inexpensive once you get there!
posted by polexa at 2:47 PM on October 7, 2010
I visited the Keukenhof (a sort of flower theme park) in the Netherlands in mid-May, and they had already harvested the tulip fields. Still pretty though, for a tourist trap.
posted by serathen at 7:10 PM on October 7, 2010
posted by serathen at 7:10 PM on October 7, 2010
Slovenia would be a really nice side trip to go with Vienna- it is a ridiculously pleasant country 3 days in Ljubljana would be enough to see everything
posted by birdbone at 6:48 AM on October 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by birdbone at 6:48 AM on October 8, 2010 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Of particular interest for the party scene/nightlife you'll want to hit Barcelona. I was just there last week and was agog when I checked out of my hotel at 6:30am and there was still a queue at the club across the street.
posted by FlamingBore at 12:37 PM on October 7, 2010