7 Days...where to go?

Italy? What about Rome, maybe Rome and Naples?

Lisbon and Porto
Stockholm and Copenhagen.
If it were me, with only seven days, I would visit one place and get to know it, not be rushed and exhausted. Choose a smaller city such as Dijon, San Sebastian or Siena.

Hi Laura, how about Athens plus either Naxos Island (where there is an active local resident community, year-round, and many small towns and rural areas) or Kalambaka and its Meteora monasteries?

Barcelona, overnight in Toledo, Madrid. Or, since it's winter, consider Sevilla, Cordoba.

Thank you for your suggestions! Greece has always been a destination we've wanted to see but I never imagined 7 days would be enough. I found reasonable flights to copenhagen so I will need to look into this more!

Copenhagen in Feb and March-average temperature 37 F.

Laura, if you both enjoy Alpine skiing and natural spas afterwards, consider Austria and the many ski areas near Salzburg!

I have had nice weather in Greece in later February - shirtsleeves in the afternoon.

I would also consider going before Mardi Gras, Feb. 13, if you want to experience Carnival/e anywhere in Europe, such as Nice, Venice, or for the wild orange battles in Ivrea: www.storicocarnevaleivrea.it. The Carnival in Greece will be the following weekend, at Patras, for instance: http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/civilisation/patras_the_king_of_carnivals_in_greece_is_here.

Hello Laura,

Your time is limited and I understand. But I agree with earlier post that you need to pick one site and enjoy it. You can't treat Europe like Epcot. Rome is fantastic during the time of year you are planning, decent weather and small crowds. Rome is a fantastic city. I've spent a ton of time in Europe (mom was born in Germany) and I came to love Italy. Do do Rome, you will not be disappointed and if you must do another city try Florence...but I would spend all my time in magical Rome.

Hello Laura,

Your time is limited and I understand. But I agree with earlier post that you need to pick one site and enjoy it. You can't treat Europe like Epcot. Rome is fantastic during the time of year you are planning, decent weather and small crowds. Rome is a fantastic city. I've spent a ton of time in Europe (mom was born in Germany) and I came to love Italy. Do do Rome, you will not be disappointed and if you must do another city try Florence...but I would spend all my time in magical Rome.

If seven days equates to just 6 nights on the ground in Europe then I would look at just staying in Rome. You can day trip to Orvieto, Tivoli, Ostia Antica. Hopefully lots of sun in Feb/Mar.

I agree with the previous posters for Rome. We did Rome this past February and the weather was fantastic, crowds manageable, no reservations needed for restaurants. The only place we waited on line was at St. Peter's. Even the Papal audience was small. We went one hour before, got great seats and didn't stress over the crowd.

We stayed at Hotel Regno on Via del Corso, for less than 100€ a night with a great breakfast. We could walk every where, but if needed, the bus was one block away.

Where ever you decide to go, have a safe and fun trip.

That time of year, I'd stay further south - not so much for temperatures as hours of daylight vs. dark.

I wouldn't even go for 2 cities. If you have 7 days, you lose two to travel off the top so five days. Five days isn't too much time to spend in a major city. You haven't been to Rome yet and you could easily spend that time seeing sights without moving around.

Alternatively, you could focus on one area and do fairly well with 5 days. Tuscany or Andalucia might be good choices for that time of year. Either of those options would be best with a car. Pick a base, then drive to see sights in the area.

Thank you all for your suggestions! I've always wanted to do Italy and thought I would have to do it in 3 weeks. But splitting it up and focusing just on Rome is a great idea. Thank you!

I pretty much only travel on 7 day trips, and you can see and do a lot in Europe in 7 days! (Just got back from 5 great days in France, 2 nights in Chinon and 3 in Paris!) Italy is great for short trips. My mother and I have taken 3 separate weekish-long Italy trips: Milan to Venice and back (with some time on Lake Como, but probably not in February!), Naples to Sorrento to Rome, and Tuscany (Orvieto, rental car to Pisa, Lucca, back to Rome). Portugal is also great in a week, as is Nice/Provence/Monaco. And most would have reasonable temperatures in February/March. (I've only been to Portugal and Nice in December!) Find a home-base you can day-trip from on public transportation. Have a great time!

I vote for Austria (Vienna, Graz, Klagenfurt ) and the Czech Rep (Brno, Plzen, Olomouc, ), or choose eastern Germany which gets few American visitors.

Fred has good suggestion if you don't like crowds (with the exception of Vienna).

Greek Islands

mostly Florence with maybe 3 days in Rome