Late October in Europe: Where to go?

Barcelona. I have a number of friends who have traveled there recently and really enjoyed it. Nice weather, interesting place, culture, and more. Should have gone when I had the chance. ; ) Pam

Just returned from Budapest....go go go. Loved it!! Will return again when I have checked a few more destinations off my "go-to" list.

Budapest sounds lovely. You could either add Vienna (fly open-jaw) or day trips out of Budapest. Or more Italy - Amalfi Coast OR the north - Venice, Ravenna, Verona, Como

Istanbul and yes, Turkey is part of Europe as well as Asia. So you could visit two different continents.

I vote for Budapest too. I just returned last week from trip number twenty something. Yes, I am slightly biased but the weather is absolutely perfect this time of year, the food is outstanding, the beer and wine is cheap, and the theaters are in full swing. If you need help planning drop me a line.

Sicily. Anywhere and everywhere.

Orkneys, Shetlands, Outer Hebs.

James...a man of few (or no) words...

Istanbul is an excellent idea. And who knows if it will remain a place Americans can visit. The world is changing. The temperatures are going to be between 50 and about 65 so bring a sweater. Also October and November are among the wetter months in Istanbul but that might keep the costs down (off season). Did you realize that Istanbul and New York City are on about the same parallel? As is Naples, Italy more or less. Have you considered Morocco if you want warmer weather?

Morocco would certainly be fun but my partner and I are wary of going there for fear of anti-gay sentiment. A friend of mine is telling me to visit Berlin, which I might considers, but that is certain to be cold and rainy. Perhaps I will pick up Rick's Istanbul book.

I'd probably pick anything south of the Alps - Italy, Spain, France, etc. Late October is going to be both colder and have short days up north.

Coastal Maine.

So many wonderful ideas! I appreciate the tips. I suppose it will all come down to where I can get a good deal on a hotel and which locations have the most open flight loads. I am an airline employee so I can go pretty much anywhere at the same low price, but the catch is that I need to fly some place with open seats or I could get stuck in another country for ALL TIME. Istanbul is intriguing, I'll look into that. And to the person who suggested Coastal Maine, I'll be in that area in a little while. I am visiting all the U.S. National Parks and haven't yet been to Acadia. I'm looking forward to it. I'll provide updates as I can!

I love Stockholm in late October... it's chilly (although it can get quite mild during the day) but usually very sunny. The sky has got quite a different color from SoCA. And the city is just lovely. What you could also do is take one of those mini-cruises offered by Tallink Silja from Stockholm to Helsinki or Riga (a totally amazing city) or Tallinn. Instead of in a hotel you spend one night on a pretty big cruise ferry boat with all the on-board entertainment and duty free shopping etc. and the next morning you are in one of the other capitals of the Baltics. We did Riga, did a guided walking tour in the morning and visited the market halls in the afternoon. Riga was the most free, most almost-Western-like city in the former Soviet Union. To Russians it must have been like a trip to Vegas is for us now. Then the ferry leaves again in the evening and the next morning you are back in Stockholm - or in yet another great Baltic city.

Just got back from Romania and the Balkans and the weather was pretty nice when we were there. Mostly warm low 70s, a few storms and overcast days of 60s, but still nicer than Germany and Northern Europe has been (with the exception of this last weekend - a last gasp of summer before winter sets in).

Hello friends, I am writing to you from the bus (!) from Vienna to Budapest. This, it turns out, is where we went. The weather has been pleasant, though yesterday and today saw a fair amount of fog in Vienna. It's been a lovely stay, though I was a bit surprised by the general cost of things in Vienna. It is not as affordable as many of the other European destinations I've been. Museum and entry costs seem much higher than other countries. I am, however, happy with my €9.90 T mobile SIM card with 3 GB of data on it. That was a great deal and in conjunction with the Qando Vienna transit app, absolutely helped us get all over the city. Lots of shortcuts and saved walking by using this. We await Budapest with excitement.

Vienna is pricey, but it's great! And Budapest will be cheaper!

We loved Italy in late October, Spain would be great too.

Christopher, It sounds like you made a great decision! Enjoy Budapest, and if you have time when you get back, write up a trip repot - we'd love to read it!!