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where to go

I want to take my adult daughter for an 8 day trip to Europe. She's a young 50 I'm a young 70. I'd appreciate suggestions
of a trip that allows us to hop on and off trains, or easy driving. I took another daughter to Switzerland a couple of years ago and found it was marvelously easy to roll our suitcases on and off the trains and to hotels within blocks of downtown and to get around to most of the country with flexibility. However, This daughter has recently been in much of Switzerland and parts of Italy so looking for other options.

She works a high stress job and has teens, so it need not be a whirlwind of activity, but then we don't want to sit around a spa
which we could do at home. We would be taking off from San Francisco.

I've found driving on the left side in Ireland too draining, but have enjoyed long driving trips in Germany, Italy and Croatia. Would like to try someplace new. Train would be preferred, but open to suggestions. I am open to any recommendations of countries and of specific trips you think which might work well. Any ideas or advice appreciated. Another question: How is it getting around Denmark or Sweden or Iceland by train? Thanks P.S. Do you know of any river cruises that don't just cater to a younger crowd
more her age than mine.

Thanks for any tips.

Posted by
2732 posts

Each time you move locations you've spent a good chunk of a day. Add to that getting to lodging, checking in, you really have no time to try and see many places; you'll be spending it all in transit. Consider a week in Paris. Or, split your time between Barcelona and Madrid with a day trip to Toledo.

Posted by
9186 posts

Easy answer. SFO to LHR. Stay in and experience London. Stroll in any their fabulous parks, visit free museums, enjoy theatre at night, relax in pubs, meander along canals, food booths at any of their street markets. If you must train take one to Hampton Court or Windsor.

Posted by
19998 posts

You realize of course the options are endless. But, I will throw out my favorite part of the world. Oh, and I'm not sure what 8 days includes? A full week with both weekends is 9 days, subtract 2.5 for travel and you have 6.5 to see what you are going to see. I will work from that. You can shorten it if I am wrong....

1 (Saturday) Depart US
2 Arrive Vienna
3 Vienna
4 Vienna
5 Train Vienna to Budapest
6 Budapest
7 Budapest
8 Budapest
9 (Sunday) Budapest to the States.

Posted by
451 posts
  1. Amsterdam and the Netherlands could take up that time. Fly into and out of Amsterdam.
  2. Amsterdam, Brugge, Brussels. Fly into Amsterdam and out of Brugge.
  3. Rhine River Valley - Manheim first then train downstream to Bacharach or one of the many little towns. Fly in and out of Frankfurt.
Posted by
8312 posts

I would suggest going into LHR and visiting London for half your time. Then take the Eurostar over to Paris to spend the balance of your time.
James E's suggestion for Vienna and Budapest is another great trip, as they're two of our favorite cities and very easy to travel to. They are more of the old continental Europe.

Posted by
883 posts

Yes, I think either Denmark or Sweden would work (although my personal knowledge about these countries is dated). I also think Amsterdam and the Netherlands is an excellent suggestion. It’s a compact country with excellent public transport.

Posted by
420 posts

Just curious. Are you interested in adopting another adult daughter.

Posted by
1206 posts

I totally loved Vienna and have been there twice for a total of 12 days. There is plenty to see and do just in Vienna but if you wanted to spend a day or two you could go to Salzburg too or instead of Salzburg go to the fairlytale town of Hallstatt.

In Vienna, you have tons of musuems to visit, the Schonbrunn Palace which is a day in itself, the Belevdere Palace, the Hofburg Palace. There is a butterfly house to visit, tons of lovely cafes, and you can go to the opera or a concert every night of the week. The list is endless. The city is easy to get around and the metro and tram system is excellent. Many things are in walking distance.

Hallstatt is beautiful and charming with lovely shops, walks and a lake.

Posted by
4173 posts

If you would like to try some place new with a good train system, then may I suggest Spain? Spain has one of the best high speed train systems in the world and is very well connected. Spain itself offers much diversity in terms of geography, culture, and cuisine.

From the great green north (Asturias, Basque Country) which looks like something out of Ireland - to the golden heartland (Castilla) a mountainous land dotted with vineyards, castles, and ancient ruins - to the sunny south (Andalucia) with its whitewashed villages and Moorish palaces - and the Mediterranean coast (Catalonia/Valencia) with its wild coastlines and vibrant food scene.

Unfortunately, with only 8 days, you will have to limit yourself to only one of these region - of course the choice depends on your specific interests and time you will be traveling.

Posted by
14915 posts

"...a young 70...." Bravo! My compliments are on your attitude.

I suggest also flying SFO to London, spend a few nights. If you decide to go to Finland, fly to Helsinki from London, or you can take the ferry to Helsinki from Germany , ie Travemünde or Rostock. and connect there by plane or train.

Posted by
4238 posts

Try Kraków. We spent 6 days there and didn't get to see everything. It is very walkable, and taxis were so inexpensive that we didn't even use public transport, only to go from city to city.

Posted by
19998 posts

Or, get a nice apartment in Budapest for all8 days and do overnight trips on the train, with just a small, bag to Eger and Pecs or Gyor or Balaton or the Danube Bend towns.

Posted by
1 posts

We had an amazing itinerary in Europe this summer with our young adult sons: Berlin, Prague, Vienna. We used two of our days for train travel but enjoyed the down time, having a nice breakfast before getting on the trains, enjoying reading, listening to music and relaxing while taking in the views of the countryside, and then arriving in time for a nice meal and stroll into town. I'm not sure if your 8 days included the travel days but here is what we did as an idea:
Day 1: Arrive Berlin, check into hotel, check out the surrounding area.
Day 2: Explore Berlin: Bike tour of Berlin or free walking tour of Berlin, take in a concert with the Berlin Phil (if you can get tix) or have a nice meal, visit the Reichstag (free but need reservations in advance), walk down the river, stopping off in a bier garten or/and restaurants, or check out the many museums. (could take 2 days to do all there is to do)
Day 3: Breakfast in Berlin, take the ~11 AM train from Berlin to Prague, arrive ~3.30 PM, check in to hotel, walk into town for a browse and a meal
Day 4: Explore Prague: AM Free walking tour of Prague, PM tour Prague Castle, then dinner in town.
Day 5: breakfast, then ~11 AM train to Vienna, arriving ~ 3 PM
Day 6: Explore Vienna: Free walking tour of Vienna, visit museums, listen to opera, drink beer, eat cake :-)
Day 7: Explore more of Vienna or take a day tour from Melk to Krems: Take a train from Vienna to Melk, visit the monastery, hop on a boat for a trip down the Danube, get of at Krems and enjoy a snack and a beer. Take train back to Vienna.
Day 8: Depart Vienna
If you have an extra day, spend more time in Berlin or Vienna.
We continued on to London and York, it was a great trip and we appreciated the travel days for some R&R.
Check out the Viking river cruises for an older crowd.
Good luck.

Posted by
8176 posts

Another great choice is to visit Great Britain.

You can stay a few days in London, also, take day trips to Cambridge, Canterbury, Salisbury, Stonehenge, Winchester, Bath and Oxford.

Posted by
12313 posts

Getting around Zealand by train wasn't bad. Generally if I'm trying to move around the Scandinavian capitals, I'd most likely choose plane - or ferry if I'm not in a hurry. I'd only go in July/August summer months, lots of daylight and generally reliable weather.

One idea in the area would be go to Stockholm then take a ferry on a triangle route to see Helsinki and Tallinn. Another would be a Norway cruise to the Arctic Circle (along Norway's coast). We did a Baltic Cruise that was a nice approach to the area (starting/ending in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Gdansk, Tallinn and Oslo).