First time travel to Europe

Rome......

Welcome vereramirez. You have a pretty wide-open question. What would be your primary criteria for picking a destination? A week is a short time when you consider the travel time, and jet lag. What place do you and your group think of first when you think of Europe?

Paris. Or London or Rome.

Without knowing what your family interests or priorities are, close your eyes and throw a dart at a map?

What do you want to see? You don't have time to travel here, there and everywhere. So pick one city the family can agree on and do a day trip or two out of it. I love Venice so that is always my answer to this open ended question.

Without knowing anything else about the travelers I’d vote for France. Fly out Friday night from the US, spend 5 nights in Paris, go to somewhere else (Burgundy, Loire Valley, Normandy, etc.) for 2 nights then spend the last night in Paris before flying home the next Sunday. If you like to explore then take the train to the “somewhere else”, pick up a rental car when you get there, stay the last night out near the airport and return it there before your flight home. Of course, you could do the same thing with at least a dozen other European cities. I would probably avoid Italy this summer because of the Jubilee but otherwise it’s hard to go wrong. Good luck with whatever you decide!

if some of the family members are young adults try Ibeza

if some of the family members are seniors and migrated from a particular region of a particular county, go there

if same of the family members are small children, London so they can see the Peter Pan

if some of the family members are particular fans of Ikea, go to Sweden

if some of the family members are particular fans of Raki, go to Albania.

But for a first impression of Europe nothing beats Rome and Paris. This year is Jubilee year in Italy, so even better to be in Rome.

In the summer I would recommend heading north, London is always a good choice. You say where you are flying from, but many major cities have direct flights. Also, it shouldn’t be oppressively hot.

The OP has changed including some ages and preferred region

Italy is in the Mediterranean or

• Perast, https://youtu.be/q2nckBnc7_M?si=CohK_4nsI6l7chEB
• Stari Bar, https://youtu.be/OBU56OT78fw?si=tzF65lSmOXSEpWKZ
• Ulcinj, https://youtu.be/SBY7G9HHw5s?si=wjPy2V0P1mhua7Cs
• Tara River Canyon, (Motel Tara MB) https://youtu.be/9aGMZB8hB5Y?si=NFKsf6YtGAX2uVCa
• Ostrog Monastery, (Hotel & Restaurant Sokoline) https://youtu.be/ixrJu6qv46M?si=WML9Hs2hOQCsKZwE AND https://youtu.be/miNV1FVK7qI?si=iZC_lViMUEk6JGI
• Budva: https://youtu.be/GF7hyxB8Xq4?si=re2lmDTm5pRNpioH
• Kotor, https://youtu.be/G7QgBl7XNKU?si=pK1etsEr8UcAlofr

I have in my mind somewhere in the Mediterranean region, not sure where exactly though

Well, you've narrowed it down to several million square miles. Now, pick a country: Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Malta, Turkey.

And please bear in mind that most, if not all of these places will be very, very hot in the coastal areas in the summer months.

Summer as a holiday generally begins about 1 June. As a season, 21 June. Using 21 June for Budva:

https://globalmeteo.com/weather/budva/jun-21/

Not bad at all......

And the Raki is good too ......

Since it's your first time to Europe, a little professional advice might be a lot of help. If Croatia or Montenegro interests you, I know a good travel planner in the area. She would help you put together an iteniary. Tell you how to get from A to B, set up guides, and recommend accommodations. Her fee is pretty nominal, and since she is just advising, she isn't getting kickbacks on her recommendations. Of course, if you wanted, she would set up the entire holiday and subcontract all the services for you too. TurnKey custom holiday. Just PM me [don't have her details in front of me right now]

Option B, if you wanted a lot of help would be Vienna and Budapest. But that's not Mediterranean. Again, i know a guy .....

With a little over a week, I'd focus on easy flights and maximizing your time. Are you all flying from the same city? Go to your local intl airport website and you can see who flies direct. I would look at Spain, as that is typically an easy flight.

I would go to Google Flights, choose one way (easier for this xercise) put in your departure airport, date and Europe as a destination. Then filters for 15 hours trip time and 2 flight changes. See what pops up. You will need to zoom in on various areas on the map to see all the choices. There will be hundreds.

Pick a few then put those in as RT flights with dates. Go to the date matrix and adjust your dates for the best deal.

Also, I will assume cost matters too. There are some websites that give approximately cost for various destinations. It's really only useful to understand A costs more then B, not to derive actual costs. But the more economical a place is. Doesn't mean you spend less, means you get more for the same money.

Paris, hands down a great one week destination for all ages...

Maybe decide what you all want to see/do. Do you want to be in the city? In the countryside? Beach? Also keep in mind there's a lot of places on the Med that are on hillsides so you'd be navigating stairs (yes, there are flat areas too). Given the info you've provided, its a wide net you've cast. What are some of the dealbreakers? That might help narrow down your options.

when you change something in the original post, please update us down here in the answers too. It becomes a bit frustrating to always have to reread the OP to see what if anything has changed. Can you help us to help you?

Jojo Rabbit's Paris idea. Paris is always good, Not exactly Mediterranean though. I would still concentrate on where you can get help planning it. Generally the best way to learn is to do a tour or two where everything is planned out for you. Then apply that to your own self planned trip. But you are starting without the tour, which is fine, but makes a little outside help more useful. Will probalby save you some $$ in the long run too.

Jojo Rabbit's Paris idea. Paris is always good, Not exactly Mediterranean though.

I would love to know what the OP means (or thinks they mean) by "mediterranean". Are they thinking of a beach vacation? Or visiting their ancestral home in Italy...or Greece...or the south of France?

Regardless, and without further info from the OP, I say that for a one week / first time / multigenerational trip to Europe, Paris checks all the boxes of a "something for everyone" destination.

I'm planning on traveling to Europe this summer for a little over 1 week , with 3 other family members.

To me, it would be, "When you thought of taking a trip to Europe, what sprung to mind as why you would want to do that?"

IOW, if you were watching a show like Emily in Paris and that triggered your thought to visit "Europe", then Paris is an easy (and great) choice. If you were eating in a local Italian restaurant and dreaming of "real" Italian food, then Rome/Florence or much of Italy are great ideas.

If you know "why" you want to go there (countless good reasons), it makes it easier to choose "where" and maybe "what" & "when" and hopefully "how". You get the where - say Paris - then start thinking of thinking of what you want to do - museums, special events, the finish of the Tour de France, etc., - so then you can narrow down when to be there (or to avoid being there). After that, it's the how which, to me, would be finding the best DIRECT flight possible on reputable airlines. You can flip the "how" to before the "what/when" if you want to go with the best price/deal for flights and hotels, and then build up with the options that are open at that time. For big cities, museums might require timed entry tickets ahead of time, but they will be open. Special events, though, can influence hotel costs, crowd sizes, etc., and are only happening for a set period.

But, honestly, there are a multitude of great options out there for you. Enjoy!

Naaaaaa, back to my first suggestion ........ Rome. You dont need to know anything. Not even what you like or dont like. Heck, how do you know what you like or dont like till you taste it? Anyone can find what they are looking for in Rome. Quick, generally lots of flights, easy, just get a convenient (somewhat pricy) hotel well located so you can wak the city. Then spend the days wandering the streets with the DW Eyewitness Top 10 Rome travel book. Best first time Europe trip a sould could do.

Or hire a trip planner and spend a week in Montengro and save 20% and enjoy nature and locals.

A week means that on Friday 6 June you get a late flight out ot the US. You arrive at your destination one or two changes later on Saturday about 3pm.

Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday you head home to the states.

Monday you look like crud at work. But it was worth it.

The key is, dont over think it. Just go and have a great time. Nothng needs to be complicated.

Love Rome, have been there 4 times. However this may not be the year. First trip to Rome with Jubilee? Crowds, Possibly Very Hot. Could be great, also might not, especially with a group. It is so hard these days it seems.

The Jubilee, an experience of a lifetime. The perfect time to go.

You are calling it too hot and you dont even have a date? Not overly warm in June. And if the OP is from the SouthWest, maybe not overly hot in July.

Yeah, Rome in summer, in a Jubilee year with millions of extra visitors expected, for a first timer who has been told to just wing it and wander around, forget about researching, or making any plans, never mind timed entry to the major places tourists want to see. What could possibly go wrong?

haven't heard back from vera since since she first posted a couple of days ago. I wonder if she'll come back

What could possibly go wrong?

"Wrong"? Absolutely nothing. Would one have a different experience with more research and worry? Absolutely. So, do find the perfectly located hotel. Do research what one feels should be the "must see" and "must do" things and try and plan for those. The additional tourists? Sure, but this only happens once every 25 years and there is a reason it attracts tourists. He who takes advantage will have an experience that those who shy away will never comprehend. And few cities as good to wander and stare in amazement at, than Rome. Perfect for a first time. Paris too for that matter, but i think Rome still better. Carry a Dk Top 10 guide and look the things up as you discover them. Or the other suggestion, have an expert plan your trip and get off the European grid a bit. For that Montenegro comes to mind, but there are others. It's all about relaxing and taking it in. Only a week after all.

Without more information, how can anyone give a good answer.

What interests you?

Why the Mediterranean?

Are you aware in summer the Mediterranean region gets very hot?

Do you want days filled with sightseeing or do you want to lie on the beach?

The more information you give us, the better suggestions we can make. Otherwise, you'll get suggestions for every corner of Europe and then some.

Are you aware in summer the Mediterranean region gets very hot?

Your definition of “very hot” and the definition of others might be different. And not knowing when the OP is traveling its hard to say hot or not without overly generalizing. Helpful would be a link to a weather web page and a suggestion to check the weather in the locations and for the dates being considered.

Quite often when someone says Summer they mean when school lets out.
June 1
Barcelona 59 to 73 Marseille 59 to 75 Naples 61 to 76 Malta 64 to 77
Summer officially begins on 21 June
Barcelona 64 to 78 Marseille 63 to 79 Naples 66 to 81 Malta 69 to 83
Summer officially ends 22 September
Barcelona 62 to 77 Marseille 60 to 75 Naples 61 to 76 Malta 70 to 81

Nope. Not too hot to enjoy a great holiday ... at least for me because i'm from South Texas. Might be for the OP, i have no idea. Personally in most of the region (but not all cause there are places with elevation that are cooler) I would shy away from 15 July through 21 August; but thats just me.

And I used WeatherSpark. https://weatherspark.com/ and if you are interested in seeing how much the weather can vary from year to year, the same site can show you that: https://weatherspark.com/h/d/76575/2019/6/1/Historical-Weather-on-Saturday-June-1-2019-in-Naples-Italy#Figures-Temperature This is Naples and you can see from 2019 to 2024 the weather has been above and below the average. Its the weather, you just dont know. The forecasters have to look out the window before the can predict rain for the day. No way to know next June.

But probably more than half the tourist in the area come in the Summer and they cant all be wrong. Dress appropriately, be a smart traveler and have some indoor museums lined up for the hot part of the day, or do like the locals and sleep through the hot part of the day and party late into the evening.

The highs predicted by Accuweather(in Fahrenheit) for Rome:

Jun21...82

July 15....87

August 15...85

sept 22---78 (practically winter. I have to remember to pack my gloves and scarf.)

I guess this isn't hot either (from last June):

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna158539

Nigel, it's only been two days! Not long for the average person. An eternity for those of us eager to help and get this puzzle solved. LOL

....somewhere in the Mediterranean region

Does that mean only countries that have a shoreline on the sea? Does 'region' encompass anywhere within a "x" hr flight of the sea?

A lot of folks would be happy to help, but you need to narrow the question a bit so everyone is not having to try to tell you how high 'up' is

The OP has not been heard from since the original post was made 3 days ago.

Is there something wrong with me that I don't understand the big concern about how quickly an OP returns to the thread? Why is it so concerning that they may have a life and not get back to the thread right away? While I sometimes have some runs of daily forum peeks, there are times when I get busy and don't get to the forum for many days or weeks---and I may have forgotten that I posted something. (And often when I'm checking the forum very often, I tell myself to "get a life".)

Maybe it seems rude that someone has asked for information and hasn't responded on our timeline, but if questions haven't been answered to help members tailor responses, then it's the OP's loss. They aren't being rude. They have a different timeline than you. They may be overwhelmed by the bombardment of questions or they may need time to gather more information to better refine their inquiry.

This is a living community for many of us, but it is not that for newcomers (yet). The guidelines say to "return later to check for responses" but maybe for another person "later" needs to be in a week.

joe32F I actually googled it for a definition. Mostly came up with coast lines and inland to the extent that they same topography and weather patterns existed. I like, "Where Olives Grow" :-) But in usage, my favorite Iranian restaurant bills its self as Mediterranean. I look at a map and scratch my head.

CanAmCherie; nope nothiong wrong with you. Doesnt bother me either. Several good things came out of the thread.

• I learned that the Mediterranean region wasnt necessarily too hot to visit in the Summer.
• I learned a definition for Mediterranean Region
• We left some interesting information behind for some other traveler to read.

"Where Olives Grow" sounds like a title for a guidebook or a book.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I've realized my question is broad and I'll do my best to narrow it down.
Yes, I am aware that the Mediterranean region can get hot. This is not a problem as we are used to the heat (live in California). Somewhere in the coast (or at least close to the coast) would be nice, sunny weather, beach towns, good food etc...
Top 3 choices are Italy, Portugal and Spain. However, due to Jubilee this year, its really making me rethink if Italy is a good option.
I've heard it may be best to avoid Italy this year, while others say contrary.

vereramirez19,
Since you have narrowed things down to three countries, for your length of time, I vote for Portugal. When we went for the first time a few years ago, we fell in love with it. You could spend 3 days in Lisbon and 3 days in Porto (with a day trip to wine country from there). There is enough to see in and from each of these cities to occupy and enchant you. The weather will be less hot than Spain because these locations are right on the sea. It is also less expensive than Spain IMO. Of course, this is not really a Mediterranean country, but on the Atlantic. The Algarve to the south is where you will found the beaches, so 3 days there will cover the beach aspect, and it is a popular area for beach lovers. There are lots more places. Try to catch Rick's show about Portugal. It gives a good overview and is accurate, IMO, though a wee bit dated.
Spain is so big in comparison that it is difficult to narrow down what parts to visitin a week. A wealth of options! That's what makes Portugal more "navigable" for your length of time.
Have fun choosing!

Thanks for coming back OP, and narrowing down your choices. I think the idea of Portugal is spot on for all the reasons given.

I'm more of a once in a life time sort of person, so I vote for Italy.

I say head to the French Riviera, aka the Côte d'Azur; much better food than Portugal, plenty of beach / seaside towns.

Easier flight and train connections than Portugal...

And it is actually on the Mediterranean Sea...

Good luck.

Easier flight and train connections than Portugal...

LAX to Lisbon is non-stop on TAP Air Portugal. How is any place easier than that? I vote Portigual second after Rome. I think you could do well there with one week and very affordable.

Of course LAX is a guess.

I agree, go to Portugal. Lisbon and the surrounding area will be great to explore for a week. Good luck!

Just flew into LAX last night and that airport is anything but easy. It’s still “The Mess at LAX.”

Kenko,
Agree LAX is not a good airport. For us, it is our only big international one nearby (SoCal girl here). But we can fly almost everywhere direct from LAX, so we have more options than my relatives in Omaha or San Diego, for example. That being said, I prefer it to Frankfurt and Heathrow and CDG. And I'm not too fond of JFK!
There are tradeoffs...convenience of many carriers and generally lower prices due to the competition, versus seven different terminals with not very good transport between them, and a bus ride to the remote lot for ride share, taxi, shared van, and pick up by friends.

I have found that often I choose where to take a short trip based on which of the five nearby airports would be my departure airport. Long Beach is always voted as one of the top small to mid-sized airports and is terrific, as well as being close to my home.

Judy, I totally agree with you. I was even going to comment on Frankfurt ( OMG)! and Heathrow ( Yikes)! so we’re on the same wavelength. At LAX, it would be nice to not have to walk 4 miles to get to my departure gate. Just saying that getting through the terminal should not become terminal! I think I even saw passengers on electric scooters and hoverboards making their way to their gates. I live in San Diego County but the airfares at LAX are sometimes just too good to pass up. Just last week there was a roundtrip fare from LAX to New Zealand for January-March ( NZ’s prime time) for $550!
I bought a roundtrip fare to Dublin for $429.
I had thought the traffic congestion at LAX had been alleviated somewhat. It hasn’t as of yet— but I understand the improvements will be completed sometime next year.
Cheers!
-Kenko

(P.S. Since you wrote your post, LAX has had more children— twins even. It doesn’t have just 7 terminals—it now has 9)!

Agree about LAX but it is convenient. I'll take it over FRA. There is a direct link by bus to Union Station, opposite from Chinatown and Olvera St.