European vacation - July 2018

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.....3-4 days in a European city enroute to U.S. from India in mid-July..........
India is hot in July, most of the U.S. is hot in July..........how 'bout somewhere cool (and hip).......my suggestions....
1. Stockholm
2. Copenhagen
3. Oslo

Ireland for a cool down?

And Scottland. What about Iceland. In July it's hot almost everywhere but not in Iceland. And there is quite a lot of natural beauty there and quite different than elsewhere.

Thank you all for your suggestions. All seem to be suggesting a northern city. Will look up more information on those cities :).

Munich, Venice, Vienna, or Salzburg.

All great places. If you go to Munich, you could also see Salzburg. Taking in Vienna as well would require more time.

I think a lot would depend on which city in Europe would your port of entry be after leaving India. If you could get a direct flight to the stopover city, it would be great. If not, check on the connections and ease or difficulty to the city you’ll visit. Another city to consider is Berlin with a side trip to Dresden or Luzern via Zurich.

Thanks! Still looking at booking tickets to India and back, so pretty open to where the stopover would be.

The places you list are in southern Europe and can get VERY hot in July. Definitely look further north. Copenhagen is great for a few days! If you need clean air and ocean breezes after India maybe consider heading further north in Norway...Alesund and the surrounding area are really spectacular! Since you like nature, maybe the English Lake District? That would be a nice place to decompress on your way home.

With only three or four days available, I would start by looking at which cities lie on an India - USA flight route. I would personally be looking for a city that you can reach from India in one hop, but also with direct, one-stop flights to the states. If you end up at a city that isn't a major hub in this way, you could easily lose the best part of a day just making connections.

This would narrow down your options of course, but I think it would be worth it.

How about Milan? It's a great city with some outstanding architecture and history (notably the Duomo), but is also just 90mins by car from Bellagio and the gorgeous Lake Como area.

Another option, given that you haven't mentioned Spain, might be Madrid or Barcelona, though I haven't checked the flight routes available. It would be hot in July though.

Anywhere north, especially on the sea should be pretty nice in July. That said, I visited St. Petersburg in late July and it was about 97. The Scandinavian capitals, Scotland, Ireland, etc. are all good choices in high summer. The weather is best and the days are amazingly long. Another spot is the north coast of Spain. It's often rainy but beautiful in the high summer months - as are much of Normandy and Brittany in France.

I can't offer advice regarding Scandinavia, but as an ex-pat Brit, I couldn't recommend Scotland or Ireland if you only have three days, unless there is some other compelling reason to visit. Even in summer, the UK generally has very unpredictable weather and, while this would be a nuisance on a two-week visit, a rainy, chilly spell could easily encompass your whole three days.

It's a great place to visit, with lots to see and do, and I heartily recommend it to travellers, with the proviso that they venture outside London! Just be aware that UK summers are notoriously fickle and horrible spells can easily last a week or more.

There's a reason why many people think Brits are obsessed by the weather....... ;-)

Berlin. The weather is a little more temperate. Plenty of history, some big parks, hot nightlife. Only drawback is a shortage of long-haul airlines, thanks to the astonishingly long delays in completing a new international gateway. Connections to other major airports are easy enough, and Berlin hotels are within a fairly moderate price range.

Thank you for all the responses. Everyone has interesting suggestions. Will be checking out all the cities mentioned and the connections they offer back to MSP, as yes, it is not fun spending a whole lot of time with connections.