Briefly, I spent 2 weeks (solo) past May between Germany & Austria, with main focus WWII stuff and Beethoven, of course seeing only a fraction of these beautiful places. I was thinking for next year (2 weeks) possibly Italy or in northern Europe: .Belgium, Netherlands, Normandy, northern Germany...? General focus of just enjoying all of each place. Thoughts on places, travel between, etc. This again would be mid-May. From NY area. TY
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8339 posts
I love the Netherlands, but can do without seeing the other countries on your list. Everything's just so flat up there.
The northern half of Italy is much more attracting to me, and it's culture, art, history and food is hard to pass up. It's just such an important place to see. And the mountains are also incredible in beauty.
Posted by
Sapulpa, OK, USA
6553 posts
We spent about a week in Leiden last year and loved it. Lots to do, inexpensive lodgings, great restaurants, friendly locals. Also easy connections to Amsterdam, The Hague, Haarlem, and others.
Posted by
11616 posts
We also recommend a stay in Leiden,NL. Trains made day trips so easy and it was one of the most relaxed trips we have ever taken with a lot of diverse sights to see.
But, I adore Northern Italy and have visited many times.
Posted by
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, USA
153 posts
My vote is Belgium over Netherlands. It's two cultures in one, great food and beer, and a must for history buffs(crusader, Napoleon, WW1 and 2). Maybe combine with Normandy or Eastern France.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6814 posts
If your interests include history (obviously WWII, but plenty of interesting pre-WWII history, too), great food, and beautiful scenery, it's hard to beat Normandy. One of the most beautiful parts of France. Mid-May would be an ideal time to go there.
Posted by
Sevilla
1298 posts
We spent a fortnight or so in part of northern Germany a few weeks ago, mostly Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. It was our first proper holiday in Germany - as opposed to weekend breaks - so I don't know how it compares to where you've been before. But we really enjoyed our time, especially Hamburg which is brilliant (and better than Munich & Berlin, in my opinion). I'm not going to claim that the area equals England, Spain or Italy in terms of general "wowness", but it was a grand visit and, to me anyway, more interesting than our visits to "neighbouring" countries (excepting Flanders which is the knockout destination in that part of Europe). There were certainly plenty of WWII sights in northern Germany, but much else as well, including a lot of mediaeval sights.
Posted by
Sioux Falls, SD, USA
3109 posts
Remember that your biggest opponent is FOMO - fear of missing out. You have a bunch of countries, all in the north of W Europe, but still a lot to cover.
Pick 2 of the 4 and go with those.
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
The Netherlands is wonderful and easily done by public transport.
If u wish to stay in Amsterdam book early. I recommend at least two bases.
Posted by
906 posts
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7212 posts
It’s easy to spend two weeks in the Netherlands. You could also easily spend two weeks in western France. For both trips, I recommend driving as there are a lot of small towns worth visiting in both countries. For Normandy, the roads are narrow and driving between places takes longer than one might expect. If you decided on Belgium, depending on where you planned to visit (Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, and Brussels seem to be popular), you could use trains. We also enjoyed Sicily very much as well as Germany.
Posted by
OP
New Jersey
183 posts
TY ALL Sorry it tool me a bit to get bk here. Appreciate all of the responses and will filter thru.