Europe Suggestions for September 2020 Travel

I like #4 and #5...
and maybe a #4A Portugal and a #5B Romania and Bulgaria.

I thought about adding Portugal to #4 and I'm not sure why I didn't add it lol. We do speak Spanish, so the language barrier in Spain would pretty much not exist, and I can understand a little Portuguese by reading it.

And I realized I totally left off Greece :( I guess that will be a last-minute #7.

I would suggest #5. If time permits, catch a budget airline like Vueling and take in a completely different city on your way back home--like Lisbon, for a couple of days. Or Norwegian Air Shuttle to Copenhagen.

We were in Central Europe this past fall, so it's still fresh in our minds. 16 nights are certainly doable. We had 5N in Budapest, 5N in Vienna, 2N in Cesky Krumlov, 6N Prague and ended in Amsterdam 5N before flying home. We felt Cesky Krumlov was a nice break for down time from the big cities. We were there on a Thursday and left Saturday am. In hindsight we would have liked more time in Budapest and less in Vienna and Prague. Central Europe in September is lovely, but it can be warm. Starting in Prague would be great.

Oh, I don't think you should "add Portugal" to #4. Your #4 is already a very busy (and blissful) plan.

I think #2 (Italy) is biting off too much for the time you have. The others all seem reasonably doable. But your options are all over the map, not just geographically but in terms of sights and experiences. Ibiza is about beaches and nightlife, Switzerland is mostly about scenery, Paris and other big cities are about history and art. What are you interested in doing in Europe? When you have that figured out, your choices will narrow.

Hi Sherise,

I have been to most of the places you listed and you can’t go wrong with any one of those choices. For me and my husband, if I have more than two weeks, I like to mix up my travel between cities and a smaller town, mountains or beach. Cities have amazing energy, but changing the pace for an outdoor adventure, or wine tasting in the countryside provides a welcome change of pace.

For me then, I like the Italy option and mixing time in Tuscany, wine tasting, taking a cooking class. Or choose Amalfi coast/Rome/Florence, but don’t try to rush to get to Venice.

I also love Spain and you have a nice mixture of sand and cities, plus near Barcelona and Madrid, you can take day trips to get a bit off the beaten path. In Madrid, my husband and I took a wine tour that also included Segovia and it was one of the highlights of your trip.

I also like your #3 as it combines some of my favorite cities and Octoberfest is a fun experience. For that one, you really need to book early in Munich.

Sandy

Italy-Rome, Florence and either Amalfi or Venice.

Thank you all for your replies! I'm a city girl at heart, so I enjoy the hustle and bustle of a big city. I enjoy a bit of everything Europe has to offer--the architecture, the chances for people watching, the food, the museums, and even just walking the streets and going on detours just to explore--so I guess I don't have a particular aim for these options. I figured I'd choose options that are relatively close distance to each other and easy to take a train/cheap flight to and from.

I think my Italy option is indeed biting off too much, especially if the Amalfi Coast is in the mix. And I also think if I limit cities/countries to 3, I can spend 5ish days in each spot and not feel rushed.

I like #6 and I’ll fully disclose that i absolutely love the U.K. and especially the North of England. I’ll also disclose that I’m also a city boy at heart and I love each of these cities. I consider Manchester to be the Chicago of the UK and I’m from Chicago.

You could do the north of England and leave from Scotland, perhaps fly into Manchester which is easy to do from the USA. Some combination of Manchester, Liverpool, York, Newcastle and then end in Edinburgh and fly back from there.

Of course you could always just stay in England and add a day trip to Chester from Liverpool and a day trip to Durham from Newcastle and leave Scotland for another trip. You could then just bookend the trip from Manchester. Flights from Newcastle are available, I’ve never found the pricing or schedule to be convenient, but things are always changing.

This can all be done by train.

They all work. Especially like 4 and 5. I am glad we were able to help you narrow your choices.

Sherise,
I agree with your idea of limiting "cities/countries to three." For us, we have "slowed down"
and enjoy spending more time in one location. It gives us more time for spontaneity. I always say "less is more." You have many great choices to choose from!

I like #5 and #6. I loved my trip to Vienna, Prague, and Budapest, especially Budapest. It was my favorite of the 3, maybe because I spent the most time there - 6 days, which wasn't even enough and I want to go back for more. I was in those cities in the summer and it was hot so if I went again it would probably be in Sept or Oct. I'm also anxious to go back for more of the UK. I've been to Scotland and the south of England but I want to get to the north of England and to Wales.