Where should I go?

Just out of curiosity, what kind of business offers those locations and not others? Intriguing......

And does your timetable force you to choose just one of the locations you listed? Or can you visit more? Three of them are geographic outliers, the other two (Vienna and Venice) closer to other places you might want to visit.

From a crowds standpoint, I'd guess Venice would be your worst choice, and Malta or Northern Ireland your best. Not that Malta offers nearly as much as your other locations. Vienna can be crowded but might be your best choice for history and architecture.

So, given the info you provided, I'd pick Vienna. Add Salzburg if you're big Sound of Music fans, but otherwise consider nearby Budapest if time and your business purposes allow.

With your requirements and my experiences in most of the areas u list, i suggest either Lisbon or Vienna / Salzburg. U do not say how long your stay will be. If u so decide on lisbon and have xtra time venture out to some interesting day trips altho Lisbon can take a wk easily. It is a blockbuster for tourist sights.

Hi,

I vote for Venice and Vienna/Salzburg, build your trip around these cities.

How many days do you have?

Belfast - a compact city, but the point of going here would be to get out of Belfast into the countryside and see mountains, the Giants Causeway etc.

Malta - a busy summer island with plenty of history and a compact size with a great, cheap bus service for getting around.

Lisbon - an under rated city with plenty of history and architecture and a pleasant climate. There are good day trips from here to Evora, Cascais and Sintra.

Vienna/Salzburg - history and architecture, but it's not an architectural style I like. Better food in Lisbon.

Venice - hideously busy and extremely expensive. I was disappointed with the food here.

So, Lisbon gets my vote, followed by Malta. More people on forum will have visited Italy than the other places that you have stated, so this will get more votes!

Thank you all! That is very helpful! We have 6 days to be in that location. We would gladly extend and visit some other nearby locations except that we'll have to hurry home to the kids. Budapest would be amazing!

It sounds like in terms of history and architecture and food Lisbon has the vote? I see us spending much of our time in places like Sintra but I'm sure Lisbon itself has more to offer than I realize. Any off the beaten path suggestions for the city?

To answer your question Dick, my husband works for a financial firm that provides sponsored vacations for its employees as part of their compensation. There are other locations available, but these are the European ones that appeal to us. Being a travel photographer myself, this works out to be a pretty good deal.

Thanks again everyone!!

Hello Elizabeth. Of the places that you mentioned, I think Vienna is the most interesting. If you will be at Europe six days, I do not recommend going to Salzburg, as it is a long distance from there to an airport for your flight to the United States. I suggest
Vienna : 3 whole days.
The fourth day : train from Vienna to Melk, check in at a hotel there.
Fifth day : Ride on a big boat on the Danube river from Melk to Krems. Walk through Krems. Train from Krems to Vienna.
Sixth day : Vienna. You could have a long leisurely lunch, and perhaps conversation with Austria people.

Unless they have a heatwave, Lisbon is relatively temperate for Southern Europe, averaging 27 degrees in the summer (80 degrees fahrenheit) and the breeze keeps it bearable.

I enjoyed riding tram 28, although this is quite touristy! If you are there on a Tuesday or Saturday, there is an antiques market known as the Thieves Market.

The Botanical Garden is tranquil and try to pick up an evening of fado singing. The Alfama district is worth meandering round and take a trip out to Cabo da Roca to the lighthouse. There are walking tours and cookery courses too.

Totally agree with the votes for Lisbon. Easy city to navigate on foot (3 great city walks in Ricks guidebook), easy transport by trams and metro, very reasonable prices, lots of history and architecture, great food, wonderful people and the "don't miss" Gulbenkian Museum. Easy day trips to Sintra and Evora.

Ron, your suggestion sounds amazing! I’ve never heard anything about Krems before. The trip offered already has a hotel reserved in Salzburg though. Why would you say Vienna is the most interesting?

Several other people have suggested Vienna now. My husband and I love hiking. Would there be some good places around Vienna or Salzburg to do that? Something easy to get to as we won’t be renting a car.

Thank you MrsEB! It will be a much needed getaway for us. Being from Oklahoma, the cooler temperatures of Ireland are awfully inviting. We really loved both Switzerland and Scotland, partly for that reason.

Jennifer, I have heard of the Thieves Market and it’s definitely something I’d be interested in! Thank you for all your suggestions and giving a simple summary of each location. It’s great to get advice from well traveled people - it’s a different perspective. :)

Thank you everyone! This has been most helpful! Right now, I’d say we are leaning towards Lisbon or Ireland. It is a few weeks yet until we sign up. Plenty of time to change our minds a dozen times ;)

In summer I would decide between N.Ireland and Vienna/Salzburg. All others can be oppressively hot. If you have bad luck Vienna too can be hot. Malta and Lisbon would be good in spring and fall. Venice is the most crowded (of course there is a reason for it. Fairy tale beautiful).

I'll put my vote in for Northern Ireland. A day to see Belfast is good - take a political taxi tour. But then get out of the city and drive up to the Antrim coast. Stunning...and in the summer it's not hot and yet you can have beautiful days. Giant's Causeway is a must, but visit first thing in the morning before the tour busses arrive. That's when it seems magical. Good pubs, some Guinness, and get over to Derry if you can. That's actually my favorite place in Northern Ireland. The ancient city walls are the only ones on the island of Ireland. The People's Gallery of paintings that describe the troubles are incredible and moving. I even created a YouTube video about it for a political science class that I developed. So, I'm kind of biased towards Northern Ireland. ;)

Thank you Wendy! Your ideas for Northern Ireland sound great! Somehow I misunderstood the trip details. Our hotel would actually be South of Belfast in New Castle (there for 3 days) and then our second hotel is just South of Dublin. So we don't actually spend all our time in N. Ireland. I will have to re-do my research now! ;)

You really should consider Venice! It is only crowded in the middle of the day and then only in a limited part of the city.

Venice is magical and perfect for relaxing without the kids! History, architecture and mostly empty just a block away from St Marks. A free trip to Venice is an amazing opportunity!! If the hotel has air conditioning I would jump on that option.

If the company is paying, I would choose the most expensive! ; )

But not Venice. We love that city, but never go in the summer.

I have visited all the places you mentioned except Malta.

The area north of Belfast is worth a day or two. The Giant's Causeway and Rope Bridge should be a part of that visit.

Venice is a very special place and despite the crowds is a must see for visiting Europe. Two days is enough there. Just try to go to St. Mark's early.

Vienna/Salzburg are very nice and I think you would find Salzburg somewhat crowded, especially in the Summer. However, it is a wonderful place to see.

Portugal is more inexpensive than your other locations but we love the people and food of Portugal. Also, there is a lot to see there. I would plan to visit Portugal so you can spend a week or ten days and visit areas around Lisbon as well as Porto and the Douro River Valley.

It is hard to tell you where to go, since all these places are nice. Suggest reviewing guidebooks and things to do on TripAdvisor.

Hello Elizabeth. I think the best places for you to go to in the Summer are Vienna, or Lisbon. I think being at southern Ireland requires a minimum of 4 whole days, and renting a car. You said : if you will go to Ireland you would be at southern Ireland 3 days.
If you will go to Vienna, I recommend --
First whole day : Schonbrun Palace, and Schonbrun Park. (Schonbrun Palace is the best royal palace in Europe).
Second day : walk into a few buildings in the Hoffburg Palace complex. And walk through the Vienna Opera House with a guide.
Third day : Walk into two beautiful old churches in Vienna. And ride in a tram on the entire Ring road. And walk in the park that is in the city center.
If you go to Vienna and Salzburg, you would not have time for riding on a big boat on the Danube river (from Melk to Krems). Going to Vienna and Salzburg is quite doable.
A place for walking. Well, at Salzburg is a path that is along the river, out of the town. If you go there, I suggest rent a bicycle that day. If you do that, go on that path in the morning of your last day in Austria. In the afternoon, ride in a train from Salzburg to Munich. Hotel in Munich one night. The next day, fly from airport of Munich toward your home.

Ireland gets my vote. The weather will be comfortable and the crowds won't be crazy. Summer will be hot and crowded in Malta (good if beach/water sports is your main draw), muggy and crowded in Venice (go in October), Vienna/Salzburg might be decent weather, but they will be pretty crowded (nothing compared to Venice). I can't offer an opinion on Lisbon, I haven't been there yet.