First Time in Europe - Strasbourg, Munich, or Krakow?

How about Belgium and the Netherlands? I'm planning our trip right now, and there was so much I didn't know about these fascinating areas. Just sharing my excitement with you . Have a great trip!

You could include staying in the UK and visit some great places there, like Stratford Upon Avon, York and Edinburg.

If you insist on going to the continent, here are some choices:

Brugges, Belgium, Amsterdam and the Hague, Netherlands.
Strasbourg, the Black Forrest (Freiberg, Triberg and Baden Baden), and Heidelberg. Then to Lake Constance and on to Munich.

I've been in Munich and Krakow each twice.

I lean slightly towards Krakow. It has beautiful architecture. The history is amazing -- and sometimes sobering -- including the Oskar Schindler factory, Heroes Square, the Jewish neighborhood (Kazimierz), great museums, the Wieliczka salt times, Auschwitz (very sobering), Wawel Castle and numerous other sites. The main square of Krakow is probably one of the top five of the 50 I have seen in Europe. I could eat in Krakow for the rest of my life if it came to that. As for as hiking, you would be only an hour or so north of Zakopane, the Tatra Mountains and the Polish highlands: https://adventurecatcher.com/12-best-hiking-trails-in-zakopane-the-tatra-mountains/. If you want to add a second country in, northern Slovakia has what I consider even nicer mountains for hiking.

Munich also has a lot to recommend in terms of architecture. In culture, Munich has at least six major museums I can think of worth seeing and probably a number of other great places. I loved the Residenz (royal palace, https://www.residenz-muenchen.de/englisch/tourist/index.htm), Nymphenberg Palance (https://www.schloss-nymphenburg.de/englisch/palace/) and probably the best science museum anywhere (https://www.deutsches-museum.de/en). I could also eat and drink 365 days a year in Munich. You'd be right next to the Alps, a hiking paradise.

As for Strasbourg, Rick once named it one of his best kept secrets of Europe. Here's a good summary: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/strasbourg-france-bicultural-crossroads-of-europe

I definitely wouldn't consider Krakow a second city, it's the most popular city to visit in Poland. If you're looking for less crowded and potentially less hot city in Poland that also have good seafood I suggest you consider Gdansk instead of Krakow.

Gdansk is an old Hanseatic port city located on Poland's Baltic coast. Very well preserved with medieval buildings and charm galore, very walkable. Outside of Gdansk you have a lot of pristine wild baltic coastline like the Hel Peninsula dotted with old turn of the century resort towns like Sopot, a favorite of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Good biking and swimming nearby too.

Hi all, thank you so much for your thoughts and detailed responses! geovagriffith, I love the UK but have spent lots of time there; Edinburgh in particular is one of my all time favorite cities. And Carlos, this is great information - we might think about a few days in Krakow then a few days in Gdańsk and returning home from there.

I guess it’s a good thing that I’m so torn because that means we can’t go wrong!

July, smaller crowds in the outdoors (hiking, biking, swimming), and good [pescatarian] food. Go to Montenegro.

Krakow is fantastic — a fun and youthful vibe, lots of things to do, lots of history, beautiful architecture, friendly people. And it’s relatively inexpensive. I like Gdańsk a lot too.

I was just coming on here to say you can't go wrong in any of these cities. Munich is bigger and has the good and the bad associated with that. All three have amazing outdoors nearby. You would likely love any of the three. And you would equally love Germany's second city (Munich is third in terms of population, GDP, etc.) of Hamburg. Best city in the world ;). Also, for pescatarians, it might have a more accessible food scene. The nearby Wadden Sea is a one of a kind UNESCO site that outdoor buffs love, especially in July.

Strasbourg: Instead of a night or two in Heidelberg, I would recommend Freiburg and the Black Forest for outdoors. Great wine options in and around the Strasbourg region. Walkable city with great places to sit and take it all in over a drink.

Munich: Bigger city, so more options in terms of museums. Lots of good side trips to places like Berchtesgaden or Neuschwanstein or Alpine hiking or nearby cities. I do think based on what you have said that this is the city you would like least of these because it is more of a city. I think you would absolutely love it, but I think you would like the others more. There are squares and such, but the atmosphere isn't as relaxed as Strasbourg or Krakow. Great beer scene (Weihenstephan--world's oldest continuously brewing brewery--is in nearby Freising). Great city for history.

Krakow: In terms of history, this is the best of the three. A lot of it is heavy history, but there is a lot of it. Beautiful square and castle to just sit and have a beer. The old town is a bit smaller. The nearby Park Krajobrazowy Orlich Gniazd is supposed to be great for hiking, but I can't speak from experience.

Your thinking is excellent--not trying to do too much, aware of your interests, and your initial choices are great. That bodes well for a wonderful trip wherever you end up going!

Another thank you for your ideas and suggestions! HowlinMad, you’ve made some great points, and I really appreciate so much detail (I will have to get to Hamburg sometime soon!). Based on what you’ve said I think I’m leaning towards Strasbourg, and may save Munich for a larger Bavaria trip someday. :)

Since you have a week I would spend 3 days in Strasbourg then move 30 miles south to Colmar and the Alsace towns. Three days will give you a nice introduction to that wine area.

Strasbourg (plus maybe a night or two in Heidelberg), Munich, or Krakow.

Yup, July can be warm. None are really "north" by Western Europe standards, but everything is relative I guess. All three of your choices will be in full tourist swing as well. These are barely "second cities". Krakow will be packed, Munich as well. If avoiding crowds is a serious concern then you really have to find places off the radar. And there are many facinating places that are just that. But then, if there are things in those locations that interest you, just deal with the crowds and the heat and have fun. Personally, for the character and the history and the architecture, I would choose Krakow, but you cant do wrong.

Actually, if I wanted to avoid heat and crowds and see great architecture, I would do Salzburg and Graz.

Don't expect to evade crowds in July. Poland is a little too hard to get to. Consider Antwerp, Prague, Leiden, Madrid, Cologne. However, it would be good for your partner to simply take the Eurostar to Paris, summer or not, fly home from Paris.

I second Carlos that Krakow is not truly “second city”. But it is a delightful destination nonetheless. July may be crowded - June last year was, but not overwhelmingly so. Wroclaw could be a thought if you don’t want to go all the way north to Gdansk.

I am not sure you can go wrong with any of your choices. All I know is what I like best (Krakow) - but that might night be what you like best.

I read Strasbourg as Salzburg and got very excited for you. Salzburg is my favorite city in Europe and would be a wonderful option. It has everything you’re looking for.

Between Strasbourg and Munich, I would choose Strasbourg. We spent 4 nights in Colmar last July and never got bored. We lived the area so much that we returned to Strasbourg for 4 nights for the Christmas markets. It’s a great base for visiting so many places: Obernai, Gengenbach, the Alsace villages, you could even go to Basel easily.

I haven’t been to Krakow.

All 3 are lovely, well worth your time, and captivating.

Krakow has a good number of advantages other than the lovely city itself. It came through the war intact, was not obliterated.

Aside from the city which you will find fascinating, you have the logistical transportation advantage in Krakow, both going westward and eastward.

I would have loved to have had 2 more days while staying in Krakow, both devoted to day trips, one westward, then southward and the other eastward, to see 2 esoteric singular historical sites connected to WW1.