Second destination

You know just seeing my name on this thread will make eyes roll. In truth the options are endless, but I don't get out much ... by choice ... soooo .... nope, I wont say it. But if you click on my name it goes to my profile page where you might see links to a place that might be interesting.

Second choice, Istanbul, third Paris.

Brugges, Belgium

One day by train or plane?

Vienna, Paris, Berlin or Prague if going by train. Plane (or night trains) open up Madrid, Rome, Budapest, Istambul.

And I'll add, the specifc architecture and history interests vary across these many cities.

Honeymoon? Paris!!! Very easy by train; only about 3.5 hours, no changes.

I’ll repeat here what I replied to your other similar question. What are the interests of the future wife? Even if the honeymoon is a surprise for her, please take her interests into consideration. Happy wife = happy life

Well said, Dutch Traveler. If it's a surprise, he probably can't go wrong with Paris, but she might have interests that would align with London.

I linked Amsterdam with Vienna and Budapest for no other reason than I like to wind up any trip to the Continent with time in Budapest as it never disappoints. Otherwise, I'd have chosen a couple of cities in Belgium--Bruges, Ghent, perhaps.

Copenhagen in Denmark, Bergen in Norway or Lübeck in Germany.

Larger cities are not a good destination for honeymoons.

MarkK,
One large city that is always perfect for a honeymoon is Paris! One of a kind, romantic, gives a lifetime of sweet memories!
Otherwise, you are probably correct.

All the ideas are well and good, but all in northern Europe and similar to Amsterdam.
Why not do a nice change up and go to southern Europe. Then it is like having two vacations in one.
Suggestions would be Greece, Italy, Spain, maybe Malta.
Or as suggested once here, Istanbul.

This trip will be in summer, remember. Some places mentioned could be too hot to enjoy.

In summer, I might well choose Stockholm. It's really quite a beautiful place.

Why not stay in the Netherlands. There are many other sights other than Amsterdam, all easily accessed by train and they might be quieter than the big cities. Off the top of my head, The Hague is interesting for having most of the political centres. Delft and Haarlem are very pretty, could go north for something more rural. Paris is lovely, but hot in the summer and crowded.

If distance is a concern, then I recommend Paris as this second destination. If not, then Berlin.

More Suggestions: Think out of the box. There is a lot more to see than the top ten for American tourists. If you want nature think about Slovakia or Montenegro. Slovakia has one of the most stunning mountain 5 star hotels at Western Europe 4 star prices. Montenegro has a cute hotel with the most stunning views of a valley or another a luxury resort in the lower part of the mountians. If you want a city with endless things to do and culture new to you but you want to travel a bit better for once, then Istanbul and Budapest are inexpensive but among the most culturally vibrant. If you want standard US Movies Fairy Tale, Paris of course, maybe Venice? Malta comes to mind too.

You told us what he wants. What does she want?

How about a southern European location? We just returned from Lisbon, Portugal and had a wonderful time. Italy is loaded with great destinations and Spain and Greece are other exciting options. While not southern Europe, hiking in the mountains of Switzerland is a great summertime experience. BTW - if they're flying from the U.S. to Amsterdam, they should consider flying home from their second destination rather than doubling back to Amsterdam.

Flying from Amsterdam to Copenhagen is a good option or taking the Eurostar from Amsterdam to Paris would be another fun choice. Book multi city flights so that you arrive in Amsterdam and then fly home from your final destination.

A big help is what "too much travel" means.
And is he limited to by car, train, or plane? IOW, you can easily drive to Germany, Belgium, France, or similar in car. A little farther if by train (and choosing night trains, too). And, flying, of course gets you all over.

Besides the comment I made in the Netherlands forum (above), I'd also ask where your son and his wife have already been - alone and together.

Still, Paris has different architecture and history than Amsterdam, and is an "easy" city for newlyweds and long married folks to enjoy.

Judy, I do not consider Paris spefically romantic; it is just a functional city of a centralized countrywith some exceptional constructons.

And the department Paris is with 105 sqkm not a large city.

Judy, I agree with you. Of course you have to plan it correctly to tap the best of the romance. Still pretty hard to not find sucess in Paris. As much as I love Budapest, I would give Paris a little edge on the romantic scale. Its a bit more intimate than Budapest and that works for the ocassion.

If the Germans apparently dont see romance quite the same .... LOL.

Larger cities are not a good destination for honeymoons.

Generalizations are not good statements .... Paris proves that. Some cites, most of the great ones at least, have zones or neighborhoods that function as smaller towns. About 25 years ago, things may have changed by now, I spent a romantic week on the Île Saint-Louis. Yes, we took a few "day trips" off the island, but basically lived the life on about 12 streets and loved it.

I agree with Berlin with the information we have. But it helps to know how long for each place, how much travel / mode of transportation, other interests, are day trips a thing? It's very different saying "three days in Amsterdam, train somewhere for two days" and "we have two weeks and want to spend one in Amsterdam and then train somewhere mountainous for some hiking."

From Amsterdam there is SO MUCH to see and do--Literally across the Markemeer you can get to Frisia, where they have their own language, architecture, etc. Towns like Hindeloopen would be a nice side trip. And of course there is Haarlem, Kinderdijk, or many more. So a week in Amsterdam is a good start. From there, I would go with interests--his and hers--and mode of transport to determine what is next. Oh, and time. I wouldn't go from Amsterdam to Berlin for just one or two nights, but I wouldn't want to spend an entire week in a small village somewhere (well, I would, but only if I have the time and no other things I want to see).

You didn't say how much time they had to spend in Europe.

One place very dfferent than Amsterdam is a short flight to Zurich and spending some time in the Alps in a nice rented apartment or hotel in either Wengen or Murren. The scenery is spectacular and generally no hustle and bustle of a big city. I have never met anyone who disliked the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland.

Architecture--Prague or Vienna
History-London, Berlin