We have two weeks to spend in Europe/UK and know we want most of our time to be in London and Amsterdam. We would like to see Bruges and one other small town in either Germany or England. What are your suggestions? We'd rather spend a few nights at one location vs. day trips to multiple locations. Thank you for input!
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
6784 posts
Time of year would be most helpful, as well as knowing the types of things you are interested in seeing or doing. Without knowing that, I'm not sure why you would want to add extra travel time by going out of your way for just a couple of days in Germany. England offers many choices, from Bath or Oxford, all the way to York (one of my favorite places). If you are going to Bruges, you could easily spend a couple of days in Ghent. Or in the Netherlands, how about Delft.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Late June/early July. We would be interested in seeing castles, ruins, quaint villages, half-timbered towns. Thanks!
Posted by
Schwerin
4181 posts
Aachen is not a small town but a beloved tourist destination not too far away from Bruges.
Xanten is not too far from Amsterdam and has Roman roots.
Posted by
Chicago
783 posts
For Germany, I would recommend Bacharach on the Rhine River. Other popular towns with tourists on the Rhine are St. Goar, St. Goarshausen, Boppard, Koblenz and Kaub.
As for Bacharach, the town gets its name from Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. A Medieval Pope ordered his wine from Bacharach. The surrounding area produces superb wines. It's ironic because Italy and France are synonymous with wine, but the best wine I had in Europe was in Bacharach. Weingut Fritz Bastian, an eatery in Bacharach, features what it calls the wine wheel. They put five to seven different wine types in a wheel at the table and teach guests about each one. I rented a bicycle from a storefront on the Rhine and bicycled along the river for at least 50 miles. Finally, Bacharach has an authentic Medieval castle, Burg Stahleck, https://www.romantischer-rhein.de/en/a-burg-stahleck, that houses a youth hostel. In 1996, when I was in my early 30s, I stayed there. I woke up, looked out the window of my dorm room, and there was the Rhine River.
Finally, the Rhine is served my multiple boat lines that stop in Bacharach. You can go up or down the river for a price of a ticket. A popular place to go is the Cologne to see the breathtaking Cologne Cathedral -- still one of the best cathedrals of the 50 or so I've seen in Europe -- and the Roman museum, https://roemisch-germanisches-museum.de/Homepage. The cathedral hosts frequent organ concerts.
Posted by
London
880 posts
If it were me, I would look at nice places to go not too far from London. I think you could have a really nice time in Kent- Canterbury has half-timbered buildings (plus the amazing cathedral) and that time of year is a great time to visit the Kent coast- places like Whitstable or Broadstairs. There's a big castle nearby as well (Leeds Castle) which while relatively modern was built on the site of a medieval castle. You can also get the train from Canterbury directly back to St Pancras in London if you were planning to get the Eurostar next to depart for Amsterdam.