A Week in Europe in February - Where to Go? Paris? Salzberg/Vienna/Prague? Spain?

I've never been to Spain, so I can't speak to Option C. My vote would be for a week in Paris, because Option A has you spending too much time traveling instead of thoroughly exploring and enjoying one place. We were in Paris last spring for five days and could have easily spent more time there. No previous knowledge of the French language, culture etc. should not factor into your decision. We found Parisians to be warm, welcoming and extremely anxious to assist tourists. We stayed in a small, family run hotel near the Eiffel Tower and they went out of their way to assist us. Paris is a beautiful city, and there is so much to see and do, so spend the week there and assimilate yourselves into the culture. Happy travels!

Option A isn't a credible option with only seven days available. Most of your chosen destinations are half a day's travel apart minimum, which means that you will lose 2 days of your week in transit.

Have regard to the fact that the hours of daylight will still be short in Europe

The whole of Europe is on high alert at present, so this shouldn't rule anywhere in or out.

Paris is great at any time of year.

Spain, either Barcelona or Bilbao if you like architecture, would be good options and a better chance of better weather.

Overall, I think they're all good (or rather, none stands out as a "bad idea").

I agree that with just a week, you shouldn't try to see Salzburg, Vienna, and Prague (particularly since you have to get back to Zurich for your flight out). However, I always say (so I'll say it again) that Vienna, Prague, and Budapest are like apples, oranges, and bananas. While Vienna will not seem that different from Germany, Prague will (I've never been to Salzburg and can't compare it). So, you could pick just two of these three.

If you're not excited about Barcelona, you should go somewhere else that does excite you. I was there in 1995 and 2015; I liked it much better on my second trip than on my first. I'm a big believer that you should go to places that call to you, when they call to you.

I can't speak to the current mood in Paris, but there are some comments on threads here by recent visitors, and they're positive. I can say that with a guidebook (Rick's is particularly good for first time visitors), being a novice traveler and not speaking French should not impede your ability to have a great visit. You certainly won't have difficulty filling your time there.

The other places that come to mind are Switzerland and Italy. Does Rome, Venice, and/or Florence tempt you? What about Bern or Luzern or Lausanne? Or even some combination of these?

Paris, by all means! There is a great train from Zurich, and 6 or 7 nights in Paris is a great intro to the city. We spent a week there last March and 3 nights there just in December. Had a wonderful time and crowds will be light. I'm with you on the heat issue, so we do a lot of city trips in winter. In fact, we'll be in Vienna and Salzburg in mid-February.

Buy Rick Steves' Paris guide and you will have all the info you need to plan and execute a week in Paris.

My choices would be: 1 - Paris if you've not been there before. Do some research and spend the whole week there with a day trip or two. In my mind it's the best place to spend a week in Europe regardless of the time of year. 2 - Spain, for the slightly warmer weather. That might be nice. 3 - Salzburg and Vienna but I would skip Prague this trip, with just a week there's not enough time for all three. Easily enough stuff to do in Vienna for 5 days, February is heart of music performance season, and 2 days is enough for Salzburg in my opinion.

Maybe you should give Venice a thought if you are able to go during Carnavale.... A really unique experience. I have been once before and am going again this year.... It feels like you are dropped in the middle of a movie set!

Vienna and this part of the world are so unpleasant in the winter, in my opinion. It will be hard to enjoy the beauty of these cities while you are shivering in the dark.

If I were you, I'd go to southern Spain - Sevilla - and make trips to Cordoba and nearby villages. What a lovely time to be there. Not hot, but sunny. Light jacket weather. Oranges everywhere. Excellent food.

I would go to Spain just because I never been there. With only one week I would consider Paris. Or if you decide for option A (one week for three cities plus travel is not enough) I would drop Salzburg and do just Vienna and Prague, then fly to Zurich.

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I add my vote for the week in Paris.
With one week to really explore and experience this wonderful city, you will feel very confident on the metro and navigating the neighborhoods.
Almost everyone who goes to Paris wishes for more time there. (My first time was 2 full weeks and even at that I have been back 4 or 5 times, although for shorter visits.)
It will set you up for many more future travels to other big cities which you can undertake without hesitation.
And you will be in PARIS!

I would do Paris. Seven days would give you an opportunity to really experience Paris as it should be experienced. If the weather is bad in Europe at that time of year, Paris is the ideal city. There is so much to do inside and the Metro makes it so easy to get around.

Hi,

Given the conditions and the different variables involved here, I would choose Option B Paris....better to stay in one spot than to race around. Ordinary, first time to Europe (unless some really esoteric interests are involved) I suggest Paris or Vienna. Heat in the summer in Vienna is more oppressive than that in Paris.

Thank you very much for your input, everyone. It looks like we are staying a week in Paris. We'll have to do the others (and Italy) some other time.

This is so exciting, just a year or two I was only dreaming about traveling these places in Europe, not to mention Paris. I better head over and try to absorb some information on the France board. Thank you, all! :)