Opinions on vacation spots in Europe.

[ganghis]

I hiked the AV2 in the Dolomites in northern Italy a few years back.  Hands down one of the most beautiful places I've been.   I think the trail is about 100 miles long - most people take 10-12 days but I did in in 7.  Lots of ups and downs but you stay in alpine bunkhouses which come with 3 course Italian meals for dinner - so no need to pack tents and stoves.  Fascinating history too - most people start in the north where it's mostly German speaking, and then you end in the southern Dolomites where it's all Italian heritage.  And you're on all these trails that were made during WWI, with sections of cable you can hook a carabiner into (via ferrata) to get over sketchier parts.  Despite defending their homeland successfully, the german-speaking Austrians in the north got made to be part of Italy at the the end of the war and you get the feeling there is some resentment there!

[kselkhunter]

Cinque Terre in Italy was one of my favorite spots I've ever been, but that was over 20 years ago and I've heard it's pretty busy now. Was pretty tame when I was there. I would go down at dawn and chat with the local commercial fisherman. We got invited to dinner by a local fishing couple at their home, and they broke out some of their homebrew limoncello. Fun night.

Even with Paris out of the equation, if you have any interest in history the channel coast of France is worth a month on its own.  I spent time in Normandy during a cold November, loved it.  The D-Day beaches, towns surrounding, and the Normandy American Cemetery should be a mandatory stop for any Americans in Europe, imho. As impressive as that was, nothing else in Normandy disappointed.

Cinque Terre is pretty sleepy still.  Not much different.  I've been 4 times in the past 30 years, including last April.  It's truly a special place. 

[kselkhunter]

@trophyhunt

The Rick Steves guides are useful.  I've been using them since the early 1990s.  He's from Seattle, and you can see his videos on public broadcasting.  I've been all over western Europe many times using his guides, frequently returning to my favorite areas so feel free to PM with questions.  Eastern Europe is my next focus.  With Croatia and Slovenia coming up next year. 

[Stein]

I would echo some previous posts, Bayeux is an absolute can't miss spot.  I would spend 3 days there to see it all, we only spent two and were rushed.  Overlord Tours is the one to go with, our guide was a Brit living in France with a Ph.D. in French history.

I loved Istanbul, they subsidize flights so you can sometimes get amazing deals on Turkish airlines.  We flew Paris, Istanbul, Seattle for about 40% less than any other return I could find.

Junfgrau region is probably my favorite place in the world.  Murren would be my choice for sure.  Switzerland is spendy, I didn't care for Zurich as much especially given the cost.  If you like mountains, it really is like nowhere else I've been.

Germany is hard to beat, we visited Dachau, very tough mentally but highly recommended.  Munich is a nearby place to stay and the Hoffbrau Haus is really fun and great food and beer.  I love Cologne, the cathedral is beyond words and if you're into some exercise climbing to the top is amazing.

Amsterdam was one of my family's top choices, the tourist canal tours right outside the train station are affordable and a great introduction to the city.

I liked Paris, great food and the Eifle tower at night is very special and really fun to go up and walk down.  My family wasn't as impressed as I was.

Pamplona is another top spot I love for the old town charm and unbeatable tapas but really out of the way for the rest of the continent.

[Widgeondeke]

I just landed at SeaTac, returning from Spain. I would recommend Valencia & Madrid for sure. 
Norway is another spot that English is spoken by most people. Bergen was great and of course the train to Flam
In Italy, I prefer Florence, Pisa and Forte de Marni.

[trophyhunt]

I'm more of a relax and enjoy the food and drink guy.  Don't really care for big cities or traveling too much when I travel.  Last year we went to Rome, took tours of the coliseum and the vatican, both amazing places.  We went to venice for a couple nights, the food and churches were great, but the city wasn't all that great, dog poop and graffiti all over.  Then we stayed 1.5 weeks in Sicily in Ortigia, the fish market was pretty cool, the food again was amazing and our place was right on the water.  That trip had too many stops for me, this next trip we are gonna keep it to two places.  One is back to Sicily but the north coast line this time. 

[IDWAHunt]

Highly recommend Iceland to anyone who enjoys the outdoors. Even if it is only for a few days during a stopover yo a destination in Europe. Icelandair offers that feature among others im sure. The food is better than expected and the hot springs are nice to relax in.

Haven’t been to southern Europe but Tallin, Estonia was cool. Long history of conflict there with a less touristy old town nestled in the heart of a small modern city.

[farmin4u_98948]

I would echo some previous posts, Bayeux is an absolute can't miss spot.  I would spend 3 days there to see it all, we only spent two and were rushed.  Overlord Tours is the one to go with, our guide was a Brit living in France with a Ph.D. in French history.

I loved Istanbul, they subsidize flights so you can sometimes get amazing deals on Turkish airlines.  We flew Paris, Istanbul, Seattle for about 40% less than any other return I could find.

Junfgrau region is probably my favorite place in the world.  Murren would be my choice for sure.  Switzerland is spendy, I didn't care for Zurich as much especially given the cost.  If you like mountains, it really is like nowhere else I've been.

Germany is hard to beat, we visited Dachau, very tough mentally but highly recommended.  Munich is a nearby place to stay and the Hoffbrau Haus is really fun and great food and beer.  I love Cologne, the cathedral is beyond words and if you're into some exercise climbing to the top is amazing.

Amsterdam was one of my family's top choices, the tourist canal tours right outside the train station are affordable and a great introduction to the city.

I liked Paris, great food and the Eifle tower at night is very special and really fun to go up and walk down.  My family wasn't as impressed as I was.

Pamplona is another top spot I love for the old town charm and unbeatable tapas but really out of the way for the rest of the continent.

We did Turkey last year. Istanbul. Ephesus. Cappadocia. 5 weeks. If you love old world history it’s incredible. Fly Turkish air. We really felt like our dollar went a long way. From Istanbul you can hop to most anywhere in Europe easily and not costly. We did it in April. Great time of year to beat the crowds and the weather was still ok

[trophyhunt]

Not quite comfortable enough to go to places like turkey, or those other places I can't even pronounce lol.  The wife is really set on a week in florance, do a tour of the wineries, then spend a couple weeks in Sicily.  Nothing set in stone yet so I am gonna look into Bayeux, that place looks really cool and seeing the beach would be amazing.  Lots of ideas on here though, some of you guys are way more adventurous than I am, getting old sucks.

[OutHouse]

trophyhunt:

Go to Ireland. Stay in Dublin and take a bus up to Belfast. Do the taxi cab tour to learn about why northern Ireland is technically owned by the UK and all the history of that. Very informative and very cool. It's surreal to cross into the british section of belfast with a huge razor wired wall. You can sign the wall too!

[pianoman9701]

I think you would appreciate what Switzerland has to offer 👍

What a beautiful country. I've stayed in the Jungfrau region in Lauterbrunnen and Wengen. The 4K' waterfalls in Lauterbrunnen are not to be missed. Mt. Eiger in Wengen has some restaurants and hotels where you can sit and watch the climbers in the infamous north face. Bruge Belgium is home to many 400-600 year old cathedrals. The Belgian people are very nice. Holland, Amsterdam specifically, has lots of history, music, and art. The Rijksmuseum contains the world's largest collection of Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Gogh works. Even if you think you're not into art, the displays are incredibly moving. Vaya con dios!

[scotsman]

If you are in Italy, try to get to Bolzano, in the Alps kind of where the German , Swiss, Austrian and Italian borders meet. Why Bolzano? It’s the home of the Iceman museum! Absolutely fascinating to stand next to the still frozen body of a 5,000 year man, a hunter who died from an arrow wound trying to cross the Alps. All of his remarkable clothing and gear is there too. Unforgettable..

[wadu1]

Well, I like the UK so here goes see the following Stonehenge, Cotswolds, Bath, Warwick Castle (family history), Salisbury Cathedral at Rurunny Mead to see the original Magna Carta, then north Endinburg Castle, Wallace Monument (has William Wallace's Claymore) then over to the Isle of Lewis to see the Black Houses and the Standing Stones of Clanains (older than Stonehenge).  Both circles have Blue stones that are always warm to the touch. So many more it would take a travel guide to list them all. 

[jstone]

Ireland

[addicted1]

Romania