Where should we go!?

It is a touch difficult to help you know where you would like most when all we know about you is that you have a sister.

Are you teenagers or retired?

Do you prefer beaches (Hawaii) or skiing? Nightclubs or sculpture? Model trains or fine art?

Give us a clue or two?

In the mean time quickly find (library or purchase) Rick Steves' Europe Through The Back Door

I'm afraid we're no good as mindreaders.

Head down the road to the World Headquarters of the Rick Steves Empire in Edmonds and take advantage of their voluminous library of European travel books. While you are there, they have a really big sale on until the first of the year if you want to take any of their books once you have narrowed the field.

Can you do open jaw or do you have to fly back from the same airport you arrived at?
If yes. 10 days would amount to 3 destinations. You could do the classic Europe whirlwind tour:
Fly to London - (train) - Paris - (fly) - somewhere in Italy (Venice / Florence / Rome) - fly home.
You don't really have time for more destinations, sorry.

But, I agree with Nigel, give us a clue as to what you would like to do in your "opportunity of a lifetime".

Thanks, Nigel and Chris.

Brienmarie, if you're coming to visit our library and Travel Center in Edmonds, see holiday closures at http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-help/visit-our-travel-center.

Sorry I should have been much more specific. We are two 20 something's who love a whirlwind and are looking to see a bit of the culture exchange that Europe has to offer. Yes, our plane tickets are open so we are very fortunite that way. Beaches are always welcome, but in March probably not a #1 priotity. However, seeing the coast or one (or 8) of the amazing lakes the the continent has to offer would be great too. Thanks so much everyone for your insight!

Hello brienmarie. I recommend : go to two cities at Europe. I suggest London and Paris. Do not worry about the weather. Bring umbrellas.

marie,

i would ask, where do YOU 2 want to go? Realize that in Europe, you will loose 1 day.

As mentioned a library would be a good place to start. Look at travel books.

Since you can use a PC/WWW, try goggling too.

just a comment. Its great you have a round trip (R/T) ticket to parts unknown, but dont forget once you get there will cost you $$$$. If you have an idea on how much you can spend for Lodging, attractions and such, then that will make a difference too.

happy trails.

So are you saying that you have no flight reservations yet?

And that you can fly to and back from any European airport?

And that your arrival and departure airports will be determined by where you decide to go?

Keeping in mind that you will leave Seattle one day and arrive in Europe the next day, and that with the time change, it will take a full day to get back to Seattle, how many days will you actually have on the ground in Europe?

On the ground we will have 6 days. Our first thought was Dublin- London- Paris. OR -- Rome for a few days, then take a train to florence and check out that area. Are either of those options too big of an undertaking? Should we concentraite on one city?

I agree with Ron; London and Paris. Advantages: direct connection from and to Seattle. Super-fast train between them. So much to see in both of them. One is a very charismatic city, the other one a real eye candy. If you want to enjoy it and not feeling you are in a race then you don't have time for more.

brienmarie, "On the ground we will have 6 days", that's down from your original 8-10 days.
6 days = 5 nights. Depending on your arrival and departure times you may loose part or all of the first and last days. That means no more than 2 locations, based on the golden rule of at least 2 nights in any location.
So now you have to pick two good locations, with (hopefully) direct flights to or from Seattle, and with quick connections between them, so you don't waste another day on travel. Now it is down to your preferences, cities or lakes and mountains, the really old of Italy, or the layered history of Paris and London.
For a first timer, London + Paris are a good matched pair of very different cities with easy transport between them, both with opportunities for ½day trips outside the cities.

I agree on the London and Paris itinerary. If you need more challenges, take a day trip from each. There is plenty to do in these two cities, even in winter.

If you decide on London-Paris, you'll need to take the Eurostar train from one to the other. Cheap tickets go on sale 120 days in advance and sell out pretty quickly. So as soon as you have your flight dates, you should buy the train tickets. Right now you can get tickets in mid-March for £34.50 each. Full price is over £100.

Rome-Florence is not a bad idea either. It's a little simpler logistically. There are frequent high-speed trains between Rome and Florence and the train stations are in the city centers. It will be easy to get from the Rome airport straight to Florence by train, or from Florence straight to the Rome airport. You'll only have one currency to manage. Unlike London and Paris, and to some extent Rome, Florence's historic center is small and filled with many sights. In London and Paris the sights are spread out and you'll need to take public transportation to get around.

Either option is a great choice.

Rome and Florence will very likely have a better weather than London and Paris. But logistically they will be a little bit more difficult than London and Paris because there are no direct flights from Seattle to or back from them. For your short time I think the best choice will be London and Paris. Fly direct nonstop Seattle London, after short stay in London go by train Eurostar to Paris, after another short stay fly back direct nonstop to Seattle. So called open jaw.

Seatac non-stops are London, Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam.
Flying into London and home from Paris would be my favorite--traveling on the Eurostar fast train between cities.
Or, Amsterdam and Paris would also be good stops.

Twenty somethings? Get yourselves to Berlin! Maybe add Amsterdam.

Lots of fun and lots of interesting things to do in both of those cities, plus they are both cheaper than London and Paris. Spend some time online so that you visit the cities that have the sights and history that interest you the most.

Given your proximity to the mecca of travel expertise I also recommend setting up an appointment w RS travel services in order to Vulcan mindmeld w them. This does not mean you are commiting to an RS tour, just connecting face to face w a human passionate about travel. Out best frinds live in Bellevue and always utilise this connection for planning their annual European sojurn.

Congrats on your opportunity, and there are good suggestions above, but to throw in another 2 1/2 cents worth:

London and Ireland are doable on a brief trip, and you can catch a plane to/from Dublin, Cork, Shannon, or Belfast airports. Once in Ireland, you'd want to stay in the city and explore by public transportation, or hire a tour guide who'd handle the driving, or have a rental car. Bear in mind that they drive on the left in both the UK and Ireland, and if you're a 20-something younger than 25, it may cost you more or be impossible to rent a car compred to if you're over 25. We rented bikes and toured western Ireland for 2 weeks one June. Have rain gear and/or umbrellas in any event.

If you wanted to experience some of Spain, March would be much cooler than the torrid summer, especially in southern Spain. It's such a large country that we've stuck to either southern or northern Spain on any single trip, but you can experience cities like Madrid and Barcelona to the north, and Sevilla and Granada to the south. Worthwhile side excursions could include Segovia and Toledo from Madrid, Girona from Barcelona, and the Pueblos Blancos towns in the south. They drive on the right in Spain, and bus and/or train transportation is available. To maximize your time, you could fly "open jaws," into one city (like Madrid) and home from another (like Barcelona or Sevilla) to avoid backtracking.

If you're night owls anyway, the Spanish eat late and stay up late. In March, the same idea as Britain/Ireland goes - have a jacket and prepare for some rain.

Do the classic basics first: London, Paris, Rome.

I liked Paris more than I though I would. But it can be easy to feel like you're surrounded by tour groups of the old and middle aged at the usual big name sites.

For twentysomething and wanting to meet other people your age, I'll throw in a second vote for Berlin. Lots of sights to see during the day, great nightlife after that, and Germany is a very safe place even if you're staggering back to your room in the middle of the night after one too many beers. The country has also embraced the youth hostel concept like no other- get a moderately priced private double room at a hostel and you'll then get to meet under 30s from both Germany and all over the world in the common room(s). German rail is also great for cheap and easy day trips to neighboring cities, and I feel like train travel should often be on the European trip checklist.