Please help plan next trip Spring 2013

Emily, All those places sound wonderful. You don't say when in spring you are going. Early spring can be very chilly in Europe, especially in mountainous areas, and Paris's weather is pretty unpredictable no matter when you go. Some of those areas are less expensive than others. How much do you want to budget? Your money will stretch much further in Croatia and Slovenia than Paris and Amsterdam. What are priorities for you? Do you have to see the Eiffel Tower by moonlight or sample fresh beer from Augustiner? All of you should plan around what is most important to each of you, compare lists, and come to a consensus. That is why I travel solo.
Keep an open attitude, even if you have to concede some things to others. You will still have a great time.

We are thinking May would be best and none of us love cold weather. None of us are really big into drinking or focused on that for a trip but we do enjoy a glass of wine/beer here and there. Right now are hoping to narrow our options as we are open to any of these and then would plan our budget. We end up being able to save by not staying in hotels and not eating out every meal.

Emily, all the tentative trips sound fantastic! Considering that you have been to Italy and London, I vote for the Paris, Brussels (although I would probably stay in Bruges instead) and Amsterdam.

I agree with Darcy. Paris, Brussels (or Bruges) and Amsterdam are not too far from each other, so you won't eat up so much time traveling from one to another. Your 2 weeks is actually 12 days, which isn't very long. Fly open jaw, into Amsterdam and out of Paris, or visa versa. For this trip I would spend at least half of the time in Paris, and split the rest of the time in the other locations. I would choose Bruges over Brussels, since it isn't as large as Paris and Amsterdam. Plus I really liked Bruges! Paris is my favorite city and there is so much to do there. Have a great trip!

Thanks everyone! Keep the trip options suggestions coming!

I'm biased but of your choices I'd pick Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. Paris is a must-see city, IMO, so it would be good to add to your list. Travel times between it and the other places mentioned are reasonable, and 2 weeks should be OK. Paris and Florence are both beautiful, art-focused cities, so if you liked Florence then I highly recommend Paris. I've not been to Belgium at all, but I am more interested in Bruges than Brussels, so you might want to look into that. I just find the pictures, trip reports from friends, and descriptions more interesting. My next trip (unplanned, maybe fall 13) will be Madrid and southern Spain (Seville and Granada, probably), so that's another option. I think your Madrid etc option would be a bit much for 2 weeks, and I found Nice highly overrated. I have not been to Croatia or Slovenia but would like to. For Greece, I'd look into the political situation. Not in terms of safety, but of infrastructure. Are the ferries running normally? Things working as usual? I've been, but it was in high school 15 years ago. I loved the islands, Athens itself was a bit blah but obviously you can't miss the Acropolis and major museums.

I'm biased but of your choices I'd pick Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. Paris is a must-see city, IMO, so it would be good to add to your list. Travel times between it and the other places mentioned are reasonable, and 2 weeks should be OK. Paris and Florence are both beautiful, art-focused cities, so if you liked Florence then I highly recommend Paris. I've not been to Belgium at all, but I am more interested in Bruges than Brussels, so you might want to look into that. I just find the pictures, trip reports from friends, and descriptions more interesting. My next trip (unplanned, maybe fall 13) will be Madrid and southern Spain (Seville and Granada, probably), so that's another option. I think your Madrid etc option would be a bit much for 2 weeks, and I found Nice highly overrated. I have not been to Croatia or Slovenia but would like to. For Greece, I'd look into the political situation. Not in terms of safety, but of infrastructure. Are the ferries running normally? Things working as usual? I've been, but it was in high school 15 years ago. I loved the islands, Athens itself was a bit blah but obviously you can't miss the Acropolis and major museums.

Agree that the situation in Greece is concerning and may make a trip there at this time not the best. Everyone, what are the reasons for Paris/Belgium/Amsterdam over Munich/Prague/Vienna?

My only reason for Paris/Bruges or Brussels/Amsterdam I'd because I've been there. I've been to Munich, but not the other places. I don't personally know about transportation between those places. I would think those places would work fine too. As long as you don't try to go to too many places and the places you choose are easy and fast to get to one another you should be fine.

I agree with others that Paris is the 'must see' city to visit. I suggest that you combine Paris with Munich if you really want to see some beautiful scenery. From Munich you can do day trips to Salzburg, Garmisch, and the Royal Castles which would all include traveling through or to the Alps. It's hard to beat Bavaria for scenery. This combination also has some travel advantages with Charlotte based airlines since US Air goes non-stop to Paris & Lufthansa goes non-stop to Munich.
Paris to Munich used to be a very long trip on the train, but the TGV now goes from Paris to Stuttgart where you connect to an ICE train to Munich..... total trip takes just over 6 hours.

Since you mentioned Budapest I am going with that city and adding a whole new country if you want to be really adventurous and take a trip over to Romania. I have been to all the places you want to visit except Madrid and of course, they are all wonderful...but sometimes I like to travel a little out of the box. Budapest will give you a beautiful city that, in my opinion, rivals any of the other great European cities, at about half the cost. From there, you can take a river boat ride to explore a village or two, and after you are finished there you can take a train to Timosara in Romania and rent a car and travel around Brasov, Singasora (sp) and Transylvania. Its amazing, and the people were wonderful. You said you like to do train and bus and that might be difficult, but driving there is so easy... you just have to share the road with the carts being pulled by the horses...makes it all the better.

Very interesting! I am really liking the idea of either doing: -Paris and Munich with day trips to Salzburg and such. or
-Munich, Prague, and Vienna. If we went with the Paris and Munich idea that one poster suggested, how should we split our time between the 2? Same question with splitting time between Munich, Prague, and Vienna? Thanks everyone!

I'll add a slightly contrarian twist... You enjoy art, monuments, scenery. You have (apparently) never been to France. Gotta fix that! You should go to Paris. But I don't think it makes sense to go to Paris, skip the rest of France, and head off to Munich. Save Munich for a Germany trip. Remember, you have less than 2 weeks, and you need to avoid trying to cross great distances. I'd do Paris, a short side trip (2-3 days) to Normandy (Mont St. Michel, Bayeux, the major D-Day sites), and another short excursion (2-3 days) to the Chateaux of the Loire valley. Those are really delightful areas - you would be hard-pressed to find more beautiful scenery anywhere in the world. Plus a day trip to Versailles. There's more to France, of course, but these are some of the top 5-star attractions in all of Europe IMHO, should not to be missed or de-prioritized, and can all be done easily in the time you have. You could even squeeze in short side trip to Bruges or Amsterdam if you want. One note: Normandy and the Loire Chateaux are best done by car. Easy to do and will make these areas a real pleasure. May is an ideal time to do these places (I'd suggest late May if you can).

I like Munich, Prague, Vienna - these are all pretty close together and easy to access via train. In fact, with two full weeks on the ground, you could easily work in another city or two. Salzburg or Berlin would probably be easiest (if you flew into Munich and out of Berlin you could make a really easy circle of Munich>Vienna>Prague>Berlin which would cut out backtracking - and even maybe spend a night in Dresden between Prague and Berlin). I did a similar trip with a friend last summer (we are also in our late 20's). It was very easy to work out (aside from an ill-advised but beautiful two nights in Interlaken - waaaaay off the easy trail). assuming you have 13 nights, and that the first day you arrive in Munich would almost be wasted due to exhaustion (an afternoon nap followed by the beer gardens would be about all you'd get to do most likely), i'd suggest: nights 1-3: Munich (day trip to Fussen if you want to see the castles) 4-6: Vienna 7-9: Prague 10: Dresden 11-13: Berlin (also lots of easy day trips here if you're interested) That gives you pretty much 3 nights in each place, which in my opinion is the perfect amount of time to get to know a city and decide if you'd ever like to return some day. You're not even 30 yet - you have plenty of time to go back in the future!
I live in Charlotte too...small world!

And I would not listen to the poster above me. I have been to both Prague and Budapest several times and if you don't want to see the "underbelly," you don't. Not once did I ever have any issues with people trying to rip me off in either city.
Both cities are beautiful. Budapest is a personal favorite of mine and I would like to return again soon.

I was just in Prague recently and had a wonderful time there. It was my second time there, the first having been probably about 7 years ago. The city has improved greatly since then. I would go back in a heartbeat. Have been to Budapest once and definitely hope to go back. Vienna is spectacular and there is so much possibility for exploring in the Austrian countryside. Such a beautiful country.

What about dropping Nice and Cinque Terre from the Spanish itinerary and stay in Spain? Grenada would give you a chance to visit the Alhambra, Cordoba and other towns with remains of Spain's Moorish past and is also close to the coast. Or from Nice, instead of going to Cinque Terre, head up into Provence and visit Arles and Avignion - beautiful country, again with interesting sites. You can rent gites (apartments) in the towns or surrounding villages and there are lots of hikes.

My husband and I went to Europe September 2010. 4 nights in London, train to Paris, picked up a rental car and toured Giverney, Honsfleur, Normandy sites, St. Malo (over the weekend) and then 6 nights staying in an apt in Rue Cler. Shopped the open markets & walked everywhere. You must see Versailles too. We actually felt we could have used at least 3 more days in Paris. Train to Bruges for 2 nights and final night in Brussels where we flew home. Bruges was beautiful, with lots of good restaurants. I would go back. Brussels was dirty and filled with graffiti, but great airport & fun to see the Mannekin Pis, get our waffles, mussels & frites and delicious beer.

Ok Europe travelers! We have decided on our cities! They are: Munich, Prague, Vienna, Salzburg. We will be going in late May. Now we could really use help with how many days to spend in each city.
We will have either 13 or 14 full days (still deciding) which includes the day of the morning we would land in Europe but not the day we would fly back. We will fly in and out of Munich so it makes the most sense to do Munich last due to having a morning flight back to the US and just travel from Munich to our first city the day we land. Would really love thoughts on should we do Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich OR Salzburg, Vienna, Prague, Munich? And REALLY need help on how many days to spend in each? We will be traveling by train between the cities and staying in vacation rentals. Thanks so much!! So excited!

Now that I am looking into it we would travel by train or bus depending on what is fastest.

Those cities are great! But I would not fly in and out of Munich-travel eats up a lot of time. At least consider open-jaw to get the most out of your vacation. I would fly into Prague, spend maybe 4 days there, take the train to Vienna for another 4 days, and from there, the rest of your cities are all on the same train line. I've not been to Salzburg but a lot of people here say it's nice, but not worth more than a night or 2. Finish up in Munich and fly home.
Sounds like you'll have a great time!

Good point. I think we will fly into Munich and out of Prague since flying out of Prague would not be direct but we already have that whole day designated for travel anyway. I have heard that there are a lot of good day trip options from Salzburg.

Emily, If you were planning to visit the Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden, keep in mind that it may or may not be open in "Spring 2013", depending on current conditions. If the access road is still covered in snow, it likely won't be open. If you are able to visit, you can either see it on your own or with a tour such as Eagle's Nest Tours. I find that I learn far more about the history with a day tour. Cheers!

Lufthansa is the only direct from CLT to MUC so we will fly that!

I generally agree that open jaw is better, although often more expensive, and in this case you are doing a "loop" of cities no matter what - Prague is not that far from Munich. So if the flight is direct and the cost significantly cheaper, I'd consider RT from Munich in this case. If you fly into Munich, it makes sense to go straight to Salzburg. I'd allow at least 2 nights there, maybe 3, depending on how much of the stuff surrounding it you want to do (Eagle's Nest, Koeningsee, hiking?, SOM tour, that sort of thing...) The town of Salzburg itself can be easily seen in a day or even less if you're fast. Hopefully it won't be too crowded in May - the crowds make the difference between "Love to linger" or "Seen the sights, let's get outta here!" for me in Salzburg. I'd devote at LEAST 3 nights to Vienna. It's my personal favorite city of all the ones you're visiting. 4 wouldn't be overkill in my book, particularly if you are into art and culture, which Vienna has in spades. With some extra time I'd definitely try to hit a winery nearby, Austrian wine is my favorite in all of Europe! I haven't been to Prague, so I can't say. Some people here love it, others don't think it's worth more than 2 nights. Munich deserves at least 3 as well, especially if you're going to see Dachau or try to visit the castles near Fuessen. If you're willing to only spend 2 nights in Prague, and don't mind a fast pace, I'd consider 2 nights in Budapest. It's only a couple hours nice train ride from Vienna, and I think it's an interesting city, a little grittier than the other places you're visiting, but unique. Otherwise I'd do 3 nights in Prague and add the extra night to Vienna, personally.

That is very helpful! Will definitely be going to the castles as a day trip from Munich. Will have to do the SOM tour in Salzburg one day. We love beautiful scenery so also thinking about Berchtesgaden which looks near the Eagle's Nest... I guess that might be enough for a whole day trip from Salzburg. Love the idea of going to an Austrian winery! Which ones do you reccommend that would be nearby Salzburg or Vienna? Have you done a day trip from Vienna to Bratislava and any thoughts on that? It looks like it a beautiful city in pictures.

Sadly all two trips to Vienna have been too short and I haven't had time to check out one of the wineries in the hills above the city. But I'm sure there's good info online. Next to the Hofburg in the innerstadt of Vienna is a great wine bar called "Weinvertiel" with 30 bottles open for tasting. It's the best wine bar experience I've had in Europe. I haven't been to Bratislava and was frustrated when I took the train from Budapest to Vienna when I realized how close it was! It's supposed to be an up-and-coming city and I'd love to do it as a day trip, so I think that would be a great plan. Brechtesgaden is very close to the Eagle's Nest. You could probably see it, the Koenginsee and the Eagle's Nest in a full day from Salzburg, but I doubt you'd have time to do the SOM tour. Some tours can be customized to combine elements around the area. We used Bob's Tour to go to the Eagle's Nest and Berchestgaden because we didn't have a car. If you skip the Eagle's Nest, it's easy to get to Berchtesgaden via public transit from Salzburg, Lee can provide details or a search of this forum will provide them.

Emily, my father was over in Berchtesgaden this past May and although the Documentation Museum (worth seeing) was open, he could not get up to Kehlstein where Hitler's house once was (now a restaurant) as it did not open until May 15th and he was going to be out of the area by then. I have not taken the EAGLE'S NEST TOUR but if you are just looking to get up on top of the mountain for the view (spectacular), depending on when you are there, it may not be open yet. My favorite view is from the top of the Zugspitze, close to Garmische. If you have the time when in Berchtesgaden, take the boat ride on Konigsee. It is a hop-on, hop-off round trip and you can get off at two places, if I remember correctly...St. Bartholomew Church and at the far end of the lake where you can walk to another, small lake that lies right at the foot of the mountains. It is usually very still there with no wind and the picture of the mountains reflected in the water is amazing. Enjoy your trip!

Thank you Lynn for the great suggestions! We will be there after May 15th so at least it will be open. We cannot wait to see some of the beautiful scenery! I see you are from Leesburg and I grew up in FL and have great memories of going to camp in Leesburg. In case anyone is wondering we decided on: 3 nights in Munich (one day we definitely be used to go see the castles) 3 nights in Salzburg 4 nights in Vienna
4 nights in Prague

I guess I will continue the Leesburg theme. I grew up there and know your Camp well... I currently live in Germany and am very familiar with Bavaria and Salzburg. Salzburg is a must see and is one of my favorite cities. There is not a lot to see there though so three nights may be a little much. You mentioned the Castles. If you can are planning going to Neuschwanstein or Hohenschwangau they are a bit of a hike outside of Munich and will eat up a whole day. You can't go wrong with your choices though. I highly recommend Cinque Terre on one of your next trips. Some of the best scenery, hiking through vineyards is very memorable and the food is AMAZING! Enjoy your trip!

I've been to most of the places mentioned and I would go with the Paris, Brussel and Amsterdam. But add Bruges, Belgium in there...that place is fascinating. If there is any time to spare, you can take a high speed train from Paris to the south of France....well worth it! Second choice would be Munich, add Rothenburg, Prague, Vienna and Salzburg.

Thanks but we already decided on our places a few months ago. I posted them a couple of posts up from this.