Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with europe and vacation

Where can we go before we go to Birmingham?

k8t — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:58:33 -0800

VacationFilter. I have a conference in late March in Birmingham, UK. My travel is covered and it is the day after my spring break from university ends. So I figure why not leave a week earlier and have a vacation? But where to go? Issue 1: We (will) have a 16-month-old baby. Issue 2: We want to be somewhere warmish, especially so we don't have to bring a bunch of winter gear. Issue 3: I need to keep it pretty cheap. Issue 4: We've done Paris, Brussels, Rome and Majorca lately and I recently lived in London, so those are all out.

We like: culture and beaches and stuff that baby likes. Greece, Italy and Spain seem attractive.

Any suggestions for a place in Europe that we can fly to (cheaply) from LAX, stay for a week, and then hop into Birmingham (or Manchester?) cheaply?

We need a destination!

Zaximus — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:57:38 -0800

Help us pick a destination for a two week winter getaway! So since my girlfriend and I have successfully survived the latest round of layoffs (knock on wood), it's time to blow some of those vacation hours we've been hoarding. We'd like to take a trip for about two weeks, leaving shortly after Christmas and coming back sometime in January. So far, we have been tossing around ideas about heading to Europe but we are having a hard time deciding where specifically. I've only been to Paris before so it's all new to me, but she has studied abroad for a year and has more European traveling under her belt. We are still trying to decide on a country but locations that keep coming up in conversation are Barcelona, Venice, or Prague. Seeing as how we are terribly indecisive, I turn to you, AskMe, for recommendations.

Some things to consider:

- We're in San Jose, CA so we'll probably be starting out at the San Francisco airport.
- We're not afraid of cold weather but we don't want to be stuck indoors for two weeks.
- Wherever we end up, we'll be there for New Year's! We like fun but we'd also like to avoid NYC Times Square type events.
- We don't speak any other languages, although I can struggle my way through French if needed.

That's it! We'd love to hear your recommendations on where to go, and why. Any place you've been dying to get back to? Places you've always wanted to check out? Big cities? Small towns? Let us have it.

Thanks!

Cheap, but fun Europe!

lattiboy — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:19:10 -0800

Help me plan an October European vacation (starting/ending in Madrid) on the cheap! Since AskMe was SO helpful last time, I thought I'd try a bigger project:

I picked up a pair of airline tickets to Madrid for an incredible price about a month ago and now I'm freaking out about 10 days in Europe and the costs associated with that. I'll be traveling with my fiance and we're open to just about anything (we would like to avoid non-private hostel rooms). The travel dates are from October 1st until the 10th.

We'd like to see as much as possible (Paris and London especially) for as little as possible.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

PS The conversion rate being what it is, if EASTERN EUROPE is realistic, I'm all over that!

Planning a Short Vacation in Europe

andoatnp — Mon, 11 May 2009 07:13:46 -0800

Any tips or advice on planning a week or two vacation/layover in Europe on my way to the United States from Israel? I'll be finishing up a year abroad in Israel and flying back to the United States sometime between June 5th and June 15th and I would like to fly into Europe, hang around for a week or two and then continue on to Los Angeles. The only country that I definitely want to see is Italy so I was planning to fly from Israel to Rome and then on to Los Angeles from Rome.

My questions include:

1) Is it best to do this as part of a single itinerary or break it up? My plan was to try to fly Delta, but do airlines allow you to book your flights as some sort of package deal, or is it better to just buy the flights separately? Is there any reason to do both legs through the same airline, or does it not matter?

2) Will basically all European airports have some sort of lockers that I can use for short term storage of my bags? Are these all reasonably secure? I won't have anything expensive with me that I'm leaving behind, it would just be a pain if someone stole all my clothes.

3) Has swine flu caused any impacts on international travel in Europe? Is there anything extra I should be doing while traveling? Is there any problem with coming from a country (Israel) that has citizens diagnosed with swine flu?

4) Beyond booking a flight and a place to stay for the first couple of nights, is it possible to wing it once I'm there. My inclination is to decide what cities I want to see and where I'm going to stay a day or two in advance, but I was hoping to stay at cheap hostels, and I just wanted to make sure they all wouldn't likely be full during late June and early July.

5) I will be landing without a working phone and I would like to get a cell phone while I am there. Do most airports have a place where you can buy a pay-as-you-go phone? I have an old cell phone I can bring, so I might be able to get by just buying a SIM chip, if that is a possibility.

Thanks so much.

How can I travel in Europe on a horse?

snoogles — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:49:47 -0800

I want to spend a month in the summer either horseback riding or hiking/camping with a pack mule somewhere in Europe. How do I go about this? I'm a fairly experienced rider, but I'm also asking this question for a friend who doesn't really know how to ride, and who would be leaning more to the pack mule option. We have limited budgets. We don't want to join a week-long organized trek. We will go anywhere that's cheaply reachable from France.

- Are there companies that "rent" horses or pack animals for that long?
- Would I have to buy the animal and then try to resell it at the end of the trip? Is there any way to do this fairly cheaply that doesn't involved buying an old horse and then selling it to a glue factory?
- How easy is it to find places in the countryside (wherever in Europe) to pasture a horse for the night?
- Where would it be easiest (country/region)?
- How much would it cost for the horse + tack + feed, etc?

- Do you know of any forums/resources where there might be more answers available?

- And most importantly, is this even remotely feasible?

Where should we visit in Western Europe in August?

patrad — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:14:25 -0800

Where should we visit in Western Europe in August? Ok. so I am planning a honeymoon and after much research and debating, my finance and I decided Spain & Morocco would be the best blend of relaxation and adventure. Then I looked at the weather for August. Too hot. That and a friend of mine in Europe mentioned that most of Spain & France also go on vacation in August so a lot would be closed.

So the main question is, where are some of the best places to visit in Europe in August?

Details:10-14 days leaving around the 1st of August. We'd like a blend of relaxation and adventure.
I've been to Germany (extensively), Greece & Turkey, so would like to avoid those.

Any suggestions with explanations would be appreciated, thanks!!

What's your idea of a romantic holidy in Europe?

alopez — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 07:02:23 -0800

What are your recommendations for a romantic holiday in Europe? We are American newlyweds living in Edinburgh for a short period (1-2 years) and we'd like to make the most of the opportunity. What are some romantic holidays that we can take while we're in Europe -- and most importantly, what do you find romantic about them? We're interested
in both weekend (or 3-4 days) getaways and longer trips, in any season (including Christmas, if there's something good). We like food, wine, and art, and we like to go off the beaten path, but don't want to be prescriptive and miss out on your great advice -- if there's something wonderful that doesn't include those elements we'd love to hear it.

Best plan of attack when you have only 3 days in Europe

seekingsimplicity — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:06:23 -0800

Each year in the fall, my DH and I go to Ireland for his business meetings. These meetings last 3-4 days and then he takes 3 days of vacation and we go somewhere else in Europe. We have gone to Paris, the west coast of Ireland, Scotland and here is my question: When you have only 3 days, what would be the best plan of attack? You have to figure in travel time to the next country so it has felt very rushed. Paris in 3 days was a frantic feeling for me. Trying to see so much in such a short amount of time. My DH doesn't seem to mind but I feel like it almost makes it not very fun!

I have been to most every country in Europe so I have a different perspective than he does because I traveled there during my summers in college in a leisurely way as college students can do! He is just seeing these countries for the first time. We are talking about Venice or Switzerland next year.

Should I try to push for another day or 2? The other factor is that he is in a very high level job and feels stressed when he takes too much time away--- but I may be able to talk him into more time if his schedule permits. Also, what source should I use to find our hotels? It seems like an overwhelming maze of info out there.

Our hotel in Scotland was $150 per night (great price!), had a great location but the room was borderline---smoke smell in bathroom. Very little charm whatsoever. I have wondered if going to smaller towns in the different country would make the experience of 3 days more enjoyable? Thanks for your insight!

Screw Chevy Chase

Christ, what an asshole — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:03:51 -0800

I'm looking for underrated, obscure European vacation stops. A couple friends and I are going to Europe for a month (Nov/Dec), and we plan on doing the whole Eurorail/hostel thing across several countries. 1/3rd of the destination stops are for my choosing, and while I know they'll be making the saturated, obvious choices like Rome, Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam, etc., I'd like to spice things up with places that don't automatically spring to mind but offer the same level (if not more) of awe. Ideally, cities that aren't automatic tourist stops where most everyone speaks English and there's a McDonald's on every corner (but also not so far out of the way from mid-Europe like some hole-in-the-wall, Eastern-European Caspian city).

What sort of places have you visited that you would recommend?

Anything other than Contiki?

skepticallypleased — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:54:03 -0800

Travelling +strangers is better than travelling alone right? Well, that's a dilemma my friend (I swear, it's a friend!) is in this summer as he has time off but none of his friends do. He would like to go to Europe but be a bit social about it. Everyone mentions Contiki but I want to know if they might have any competitors that people feel are better. Do they? (Previous inquiries seem to ask for low cost alternatives or plan your own trips -- The cost of Contiki seems just right for my friend so options near or above their price range would be fine). Also, he would like to target Italy/Southern Europe -- but mostly Italy. Thanks!

Getting around the "center" of Europe.

skepticallypleased — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:22:59 -0800

We are planning to go to central Europe -- Austria, Czech, Hungary. Has anyone taken the trains in this region? How reliable and pleasurable were they? I would prefer to fly in light of the short trip but it seems that cheap airline craze I've heard so much about in Europe has, not, well a sort of cheaper part of Europe yet. Flights on Austria or Hungarian are running US$450 per segment! Thanks for any help. AskMe saved me a lot of $$$$ on our last vacation.

Show me around Europe...

disillusioned — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 18:59:30 -0800

Help plan our perfect post-cruise European itinerary! My friends and I are taking the April, 26, 2008 Carnival Freedom Transatlantic cruise. It travels from Miami, FL to St. Maarten to Funchal, Portugal to Malaga, Spain, to Livorno, Italy before ending up in Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy.

Since we'll be there, we'd love to swing north and see a bit more of Europe. The only problem is, we have no clue what to see or how to get there.

Assume around 7 days (closer to 5 might work better, though I know you can't see too much in 5) and $1,000-$1,500 for each of us for transportation & hostels/hotels/whatever. We need to end up at an airport that Aer Lingus services, since we'll be getting home by them. (The $1,000-$1,500 excludes airfare.)

What's an absolute MUST see after the cruise? Hell, what's worth seeing in any of our ports of call?

Moreover, how do we get around? I know trains are cheap and plentiful—can you point me to a "get your ass around Europe by train for cheap" site?

If you know how best to get around Europe, example cities that are easily reached one to another by train would be brilliant.

Thanks, hive mind! (I'll of course be continuing my research on this elsewhere, but I'd love to get some starting points from people who have been there and done that.)

Budget holiday ideas, early September

billtron — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:20:14 -0800

Where to go from London for a few days of vacation? My wife and I are leaving NYC for a conference in London from September 6-8 and are looking for something to do for nearly a week following the conference. We have friends in Brussels we might visit on the way somewhere, and we were looking at Marrakech, which we know practically nothing about, and Vienna, since she's never been, but we would like more ideas.

We're on graduate student budgets, and we really like nature, history, and food. We don't really like resort culture, shopping or nightlife, although a periodic bar or club is not out of the question. We speak German, French, Portuguese and a little bit of Spanish. We'd like to stay in one place the entire time, if possible.

Returning to London is not entirely necessary since we are using miles with AA to get across the Atlantic.

Combining mini European city breaks into one great two week holiday

trashcan — Sat, 19 May 2007 01:12:51 -0800

Hi, I am trying to put together a series of city breaks in Europe so that I end up with one great summer holiday of around two weeks long. I'm thinking of using easyjet or some other low cost carrier so that I can spend most of the budget on romantic and well located hotels in the best cities Europe has to offer.

The trip is for my wife and I; we are from the UK and have previously been to Paris, Barcelona and know the UK cities well so these are off the list.

These are the cities I have in mind so far:

Rome
Prague
Amsterdam

I think three is about right, we could maybe manage 4 but imagine 3/4 nights at each of these would be perfect.

What do we like? Really varied - live music (rock), art galleries, inspiring history (the Colosseum is at the top of our list at the moment), food and awesome scenery.

I am not averse to hiring a car as well as flying, but what I guess I am asking is:

are there any better (?) cities,
more inspiring destinations that I haven't considered
better methods of travel
most logical order (thinking hectic at the start and gentle at the end?)
which hotels we should consider (location, romance, pool?)
we really want to be proud of our holiday....we only get a short time off and we want to look back and think, that was cool :o)

Canary Islands advice

Nathanial Hörnblowér — Tue, 01 May 2007 12:26:20 -0800

Traveling to the Canary Islands in Sept. Where should we go? My boyfriend and I are trying to decide where in the Canary Islands to go for vacation. We'll have two weeks total and want to have a mix of some sightseeing and some R&R on the beach. Right now we're considering Tenerife but are open to suggestions. I definitely want sandy beaches somewhere close to our hotel, but so far everything I've read about Tenerife only mentions pebble beaches. We will be renting a car, so driving to the beach is an option, although not ideal. Suggestions, advice and Web site recommendations would be great.

Cheese Vacation

MrCheese!!! — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 06:45:38 -0800

European vacation with a focus on cheese? I'm starting to plan a two week European vacation and am seeking advice and tips. We'll hopefully be going next year. My main reason for going is to try a great variety of cheeses that I'll never find here in California. We also want to do general touristy stuff, but that is secondary.

Before I get down to the nuts and bolts of actually booking the trip I'd like to get a better understanding of the practicalities. I'll do more reading later on general tourist and American in Europe topics. General issues I'm wondering about now: (Please excuse the shotgun nature of this question)

- How hard is it to find good cheese shops in places we're likely to visit during a whirl-wind tour of Europe - France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, etc.? (I'm sure that's a stupid question, but there it is.)

- How much of Europe can we fit in in two weeks if our main goal is getting access to as many cheese regions as possible? My assumption is that we'll find a few cheese shops which will allow us to try cheeses from a large region. It would be nice to fit in British Isles, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and some Baltic counties. But is that doable?

- Since we speak zero non-English languages, how silly would it be to try this without a guide or interpreter?

- Here in California I'll go to a cheese shop and try lots of different cheese. But the expectation is that I'm going to then buy a bunch of cheese. That's going to be hard to do if I'm on the road without a fridge. I can buy a cooler of course, but that will just fill up and go to waste. Does anyone have a good solution here? I really need to try 50+ cheeses at a minimum.

- I'm assuming that I'll need to get hooked up with some sort of tour since I'm a clueless idiot American. I've been to Ireland on a couple freestyle trips where I just got a car and a pile of B&B vouchers, which worked out fine. But I don't think that will fly in a mad dash through France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, etc. Is this assumption valid?

(I should point out that I really like British cheeses, but I feel I can get my hands on those just fine here in the US. Or, more likely, we'll make that a separate trip.)

what's cool in europe?

foraneagle2 — Tue, 31 Jan 2006 20:35:21 -0800

What do you recommend to do in Europe? My friend from Alabama is looking for ideas and advice for a vacation in Europe. He's 22, graduating from college in May, and traveling with his 25 year old sister. The plan is to go this summer but the dates are flexible; his budget is around $3000 so he estimates a two-week visit. It will be his first time in Europe so he wants to travel a fair amount. He enjoys the outdoors, partying, etc... and is open to pretty much any suggestions.

Thanks!

Suggested gifts for bumming around Europe

Bezbozhnik — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 12:00:51 -0800

A friend of mine is off to Europe for a month this fall and as she happens to have a birthday between now and then, I figured it would be a good idea to give her presents that might be useful on such a trip. Not having done it myself, though, I'm not sure what would be most useful. Her itinerary takes her through Amsterdam, Paris, Austria, Italy and the south of France. I'm sure she's got all the usual travel paraphernalia, so I'm looking for something more Eurocentric, but not as dull as, say, a map or Frommer's or something.

Where should I stay when I visit Rhodes, Greece?

dual_action — Thu, 12 May 2005 09:47:43 -0800

For our first wedding anniversary, my husband and I want to take a trip to Greece. We narrowed it down and decided that the island of Rhodes looks great. The question is - how to get there and which village to stay in? First, is the overnight ferry to Rhodes from Athens worth it? This would save us a bundle on airline tickets plus the bonus of a little more sightseeing, but if it is a hassle to find a room in Athens and get the boat tickets arranged, we can fly straight to the island.

Second, which village should be stay in? From the pictures I’ve seen, Lindos looks wonderful, but I’m a little scared of the chair-to-chair beachfront. We want to spend lazy days lying on the (preferably nearly empty) beach consuming mass quantities of fish, rice and wine. Some basic snorkeling and ruins would be great, as well as easy access to a day trip in Turkey. Long walks around beautiful markets and fishing villages is also on the agenda. We are not against renting a car/scooter to get around and visit other villages. We are NOT interested in loud nightclubs, resorts or packed beaches.

Since we are staying about 10 days, would a hotel or a studio apartment be best? Is air conditioning needed if we are going in April/May? How difficult is it to find vegetarian food? Does anyone have a recommendation on a good travel agent we can contact in Greece to arrange things like the ferry tickets and apartment rentals? We would, of course, like to keep costs down, but are planning on spending 50-60 Euros a night on accommodations (is this too little for a clean room close to the beach/city center?)

I’ve found a lot of good information at Greece Travel and Lonely Planet, but if anyone has any other help for us, thanks!

Zurich Beaches

bob bisquick — Mon, 17 Jan 2005 09:01:51 -0800

I am going to a wedding in Zurich in May, and I would like to go to the beach to relax for a week before the wedding. Where are some good beach vacation locations where I can vacation cheaply, and still travel to Zurich for the wedding.

advice wanted for 10-12 day trip to Italy

Wallzatcha — Fri, 13 Aug 2004 13:19:01 -0800

My wife and I are planning a 10-12 day trip to Italy in late Sept. and are looking for advice. We are torn between a guided tour-type trip where the majority is planned out for you or just getting tickets and hotel rooms and making the plans while we are there. Any advice or experience? We are definitely going to visit Rome and Vatican City, probably Tuscany as well. We are hoping to enjoy a pretty laid-back trip but we don't want to get home and feel like we didn't experience enough of the culture.