Its my 50th Birthday & I want to see Europe... where to go?

Cheryl, first, congratulations on the Big Half Century Birthday, and for having kids who want to travel and celebrate with you. Two questions: First, suppose somone from Europe said she wanted to see North America in 12 days, where would you send her? Major cities, fabulous mountains, seashores, Disney, Grand Canyon, old West towns....? Obviously there's no way to create a fun and affordable vacation and see it all. Question 2, what are the 3 or 4 things in Europe that would most please you?
If you could tell us a few things you would most like to see and do, that would help us help you.

Cheryl, It would help to have some further information. For example: > What prompted the desire for this trip, other than your birthday? > What areas are all of you most interested in seeing (it's likely that each member of your group has slightly different priorities in that regard)? > Have any of you travelled in Europe before? It will be easier to provide more focused suggestions if you could provide a few details. Cheers!

12 days equals no more then three places( in my opinion) as two nights in a place only equal one full day to actually sightsee. Have you been to Europe before? Do you have any preferences?
If you have never been to Europe then I would look at London, Paris and Rome myself,, good Europe 101,, fly into London, Eurostar to Paris, fly or train to Rome( I would fly as its usually cheaper and only takes 1.5 hours , so even with time commuting to airports its faster then overnight train) , then fly home from Rome. When pricing airline tickets look for the "multi destination"( as opposed to pricing two one ways. In Europe look at Easyjet or Vueling. Keep in mind luggage restrictions when using cheapo airlines. Now, of course you could totally throw that away and do Amsterdam, Frankfurt and then finish in Rome too, actually there are hundreds of equally good combos,, so ulitimately you have to decide what appeals to you and your family.

Cheryl , I certainly agree with your sentiments. I managed to celebrate my 50th for a whole year! I think you should go to places that you have always wanted to visit (it's your birthday). I think we'll need some more info in order to give suggestions. Twelve days is enough time to cover 2-3 cities (IMO) or maybe 4 depending on where you go. Not sure about your budget. Mine usually dictates the point where I fly in/out of and that influences what cities I go to. I like train travel, too, but I don't want to spend a lot of my trip on the train (or flying) from one location to another. I think if it were me and I had 12 days and your family makeup, I'd consider a cruise.

For my hubby's 50th we did an around-the-world trip in 14 days. London-Hong-Kong, Sydney, San-Francisco. For mine we went to London, Vienna, and Salzburg (with a day trip to Budapest from Vienna). But it was just the two of us. With older teens traveling with you, I'd consider limiting the moving around. Think about getting an apartment and doing day trips. My personal favorite would be either London or Inverness Scotland. London has lots of easy to do yourself day trips by rail- Windsor, Bath, Cardiff Wales, York, Winchester, Stratford-upon-Avon, Brighton, Oxford, Cambridge, Dover, Canterburry and others are all possible. Inverness has one of the best tourist information offcies I've ever seen. And there are lots of companies that do great day trips. You can even do the Orkney Islands as a LONG day trip!!! If you share some more info about your personal interests (history- any particular period??; art- any artist or movement?; arcitechture, etc.) we can make reccomendations that will be more tailored to YOU. It is YOUR birthday, after all.

Hi, It's great you want to be in Europe for your birthday. I'm going to assume you've been there before. In that case I suggest dividing up the 12 days between Paris and Berlin or Berlin and Vienna. You can your itinerary including a day trip or two focusing on Paris and Berlin. Your family will find the cities fascinating.

If i was celebrating my birthday with a trip, i would choose places i have always wanted to see. Even if they are wide apart. If you enjoy trains- gotta be the Swiss Alps (actually anywhere in Switzerland). The train rides up to the jungfrau are an experience. My secret train wish is Scotland - the steam train from Edinburgh-ish to the west Coast

HI, I celebrated my 50th in style, too. We, my husband and I were in Paris. Need I say more! I love Paris, beautiful romantic city. However, that said, I think for the big 55, I might insist on Italy. Ah, the food, the wine, the PEOPLE.

If it's trains you like, Germany has almost 1/3 (32%) of all the rail trackage on the western continent and some of the best fares. In Germany, a true B&B (a room in a private home) is called a Privatzimmer. The best way to find Privatzimmer is to use the town website (www. town name.de). Look under "Tourismus", "Unterkunft", or "Übernachten". One word of caution, the hosts often don't speak English. Get a good map. I would suggest starting in Köln, then going to the Rhein/Mosel area. From there, make a stop in the Black Forest (anywhere but Baden-Baden), then go on to Bavaria (Rothenburg, Munich, the castles in Füssen).

A big hug and thanks for all the travel suggestions I have received so far... I appreciate all of you taking the time to help with my 50th birthday trip!! After discussing this issue with the kids, we have decided to spend the entire two weeks in Italy... The plan is to fly into Venice, spend three nights in Venice, two nights in Cirque Terre, four nights in Florence, four nights in Rome. and fly out of Rome. How's that for "narrowing down" the trip? Any suggestions on B&B's in any of these cities? Any words of warning? A big thank you once again!!
Cheryl

Your itinerary sounds good, but just a suggestion: I've been to Venice-Florence-Rome and I would find four nights in Florence to be a bit much - I think I'd rather take one of those nights and add it to Rome or Venice.

I agree with Gwen four days in Florence is a little much (my opinion), I'd take two out of Florence and move those nights to Varenna on Lake Como

50th in Paris sounds terrific! get an apt or B&B after you see Paris venture out on train day trips surrounding Paris there are many. In fact if you go in summer they haul in beach sand on banks of the Seine for sunbathers, your teenagers would prob love that for sure. Gelato, walks, sights, cafes, museums something for everyone! The beauty of Paris ahhhh.
Enjoy your milestone

Cheryl, WHEN is this trip taking place? Given the ages of your children, I'm assuming you're travelling in July or August? Also, have any of you been to Europe before? If not, I would highly recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to the trip. Packing along a copy of the Italy 2012 Guidebook would also be prudent. In "reading between the lines", I'm assuming your trip is actually 14-days, but you've allowed for the two flight days at the beginning and end? I agree with the others that four days in Florence is perhaps a bit "long". HOWEVER, using one of the four days for a day trip to Siena (travel by Bus) would be perfect! There's good information in the Guidebook concerning B&B's and Hotels. It may be a bit challenging to find a room for five, so you may have to book two rooms. You could also look for apartment rentals. That's not an option I ever use, but I'm sure the others will have lots of good suggestions. If you are travelling in July or August, I would recommend pre-booking accommodations in the Cinque Terre SOON! At this "late date" you may even have trouble finding something, and may have to take what you can get. I've been trying to book a single room for late September, and that's been "challenging". Regarding "words of warning": > Be sure you're all wearing Money Belts. Losing your Passports will NOT be a pleasant holiday memory! > Do some research on rail travel in Italy, as there can be some "pitfalls". Not validating tickets when riding Regionale trains or not having a valid reservation for premium trains may result in fines on the spot and they aren't cheap! > If you can purchase tickets for premium trains early, you may be able to get the cheap "Mini" fares. Cheers!

Once again, thank you to everyone who posted a reply to my 50th birthday trip! We are well on our way to planning a memorable trip! With appreciation... Cheryl

My husband and I spent a week in Florence last June and it still wasn't enough time for us and he (uncharacteristically) said he'd enjoy going back. So I disagree that 4 days is too long. However, I do agree with taking a day trip out of town. The Best of Tuscany tour (http://www.walkaboutflorence.com/tours/best-tuscany-tour) run by Walkabout is a great one. Trip Advisor ranks it #3 of 121 tours in Florence. It is truly an all-day thing, but there are great guides and time on your own as well. The food at the Agriturismo ain't too shabby either. Our 5-year old grand daughter even enjoyed it. Our daughter knew someone who had taken the tour before and said we should try to get Stefano as our guide. We got him without even trying and he was funny and great. One more recommendation for Florence, try to eat at the Golden View Open Bar (http://www.goldenviewopenbar.com/index.php?lng=2). On a previous trip our daughter found this place open in the middle of the afternoon when most places were closed. That can come in handy if you miss the normal lunch hour. One more thing, if you can, catch a "show" by gReY (http://www.youtube.com/user/grey2199?ob=5). If you walk to the Uffizzi from Piazza Signoria and he's performing, he will be hard to miss. He caught me and my husband said it was hilarious.

Italy sounds great 4 nights in Florence is not too much especially if you want to do a day trip to Pisa or Siena or .... Florence is fantastic and has so much to see and do have a great trip
in Florence check out Residenza Il Villino, it's fantastic

We went with Perillo tours for 2 weeks in Italy. Great tour, people of all ages on tour. Costs a little more than most tours, and I found out why. When we got to tourist sites we went straight to the head of the line. The guides pay each other off. Great time savings. There was plenty of free time and you could opt to eat on your own. All hotel breakfasts were included. It was a great trip and I would highly recommend it. Splurge! Enjoy!