Where to Visit? May 2019

Congratulations on your impending graduation. I am sure that your time in college was punctuated by a decent amount of research and studying, rather than just asking classmates about what would be on the final exam.

Travel is very much like that. Italy is a country of 60 million inhabitants, living in many cities and towns. Spain is likewise well populated, with sights to keep you busy for decades.

My point is that while many of us are very happy to assist you with your travels, you really need to narrow down your desires and goals that travel will help you attain. Spain is not all that close to Italy. Amsterdam and Prague are outliers if you are traveling in either Italy or Spain. A train trip from Amsterdam to Madrid will take around 20 hours by train; one from Madrid to Prague will take even longer. Your trip to Prague from Rome will take another 15 hours.

What do you want to see? Where do you want to visit? How much money do you wish to spend? What sights appeal to you? What food do you like to eat? What language(s) do you speak? Do you like art? Churches? Parks? Underground repositories of human bones?

My suggestion is this: Talk among yourselves and decide where YOU would like to travel, what YOU would like to see, how YOU would like to travel. That is your basic research that you will need to do before we are able to help you in any significant way. We can suggest, for example, the running of the bulls in Pamplona as a "fun" event, but unless you think it might be a good experience to risk death or serious injury over the Feast of St. Fermin, it may not be the best option for you. I assume that you realize that one week is about enough time to only see one city, or maybe two, in the same general geographic area. To try to make 4 stops in one week is essentially impossible, given the geographic area of your interest.

Suggest you begin your research by buying a copy of Europe Through the Back Door and The Best of Europe (https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/best-europe-guidebook). Then, when you have narrowed things down, there are many who will be able to give you valuable input on your trip.

Can you give us an idea of how long you intend to travel? It would help to know if you are going for a week or 2 months.

Well, nobody can choose your destination for you. Certain parts of Italy could be already hot as well as Spain. You are also interested in Prague. I would suggest also Vienna and Budapest but one week is not enough for all three. If you can have more time do all three otherwise Prague and Budapest, both eye-candies with gorgeous views across the river. Both have fun nightlife, many other things to do and both cities are very safe. Watch for pickpockets. It's not like Rome, Barcelona, Paris but still better be safe than sorry.

Hi all, thank you for the quick responses! I think I may be leaning more towards going to Spain, as it seems to have a nice balance between sightseeing, activities, and nightlife. We are thinking of traveling for around 1- 1 1/2 weeks!

Wbfey1 is giving you some sound advice. Since you are only going to be in Europe a week I would suggest one city with some day trips. Paris is a great city with some day trips. Rome is also fantastic with some day trips to the countryside and small villages in Umbria. Another suggestion would be split your time between Netherlands and Belgium. Once you pick a major location, people here will have a multitude of suggestions.

Congratulations on surviving college.

It will be helpful to know where you are travelling from. If you want to limit the number of flights it would be helpful to fly nonstop from your home to your destination and from your final stop to home. Depending on where you are and where you are going you could easily have 3 legs each way.

Multi-city should be cost effective, and saves backtracking.

Does your sister want to go back to Italy? (By the way - older sister or younger?)

You could easily spend all your time in Barcelona with 2-3 day trips. Great food and wine, nightlife, history that goes back to Roman times, a host of museums, wonderful architecture and outdoor activites - beaches to mountains.

For 1 week I suggest you do Barcelona and Madrid ariving in one and flying out of the other.
A week and a half, add Granada or Sevilla.

Spain is a great choice and offers the following for consideration:
1) Check for "open jaw" flights which allow arriving at one destination and departing from another. Using this tactic helps with travel efficiency by avoiding back tracking. We find it well worth paying $100 to 150 per person to avoid back tracking and there are times the cost was the same.
2) For pragmatic planning purposes lets say you have six full days of site seeing
3) Keep in mind Spain is the size of Texas and offers a variety of cultures.
4) Neither language or personal security should be a concern
5) If Barcelona then spending all the time there is well worth the experiences to be gained. Barcelona has a fabulous public transport system which is well connected to the train system. The result offers easy day trip travel to a number of destinations. Barcelona also offers the opportunity to spend a half day at the beach and say you dipped your toes into the Med! If you choose only Barcelona then I suggest starting a new post saying "Need your expertise for my first trip to Barcelona!"
6) Take a deep dive into exploring renting an apartment via a variety of venues (Air BNB is one example). Having an apt offers additional benefits in terms of more space, a kitchen (prep cheap breakfasts and light snacks so you can save money for bigger evening meals), sometimes a clothes washer, usually more bathroom space, often a landlord vested into helping with making your trip memorable and also the opportunity to integrate into the locale culture beyond a typical hotel experience. The web enables easier exploration of this form of renting and you also start a separate thread on the subject.
7) NOT Barcelona? Then a couple of thoughts......................... Arrive in Madrid and spend two full days PLUS a day trip to Toledo. Stay in an apartment. Then catch a high speed train (called and AVE) to Seville for two full days plus a day trip to Cordoba. This trip provides a solid taste of several geographic areas and cultures to provide a mouth full of travel designed to sate your needs of feeling you "got your monies worth". BTW................. Barcelona will do the same as it offers a huge menu of experiences within an easy accessible geographic area.
8) a couple of "must do's"............................ PACK LITE! Do not become a luggage mule which is a real pain in the ass and a journey killer. Everything you think you need can actually be bought in Spain so keep that mentality in mind while packing. Big Tip! Best possible souvenir to purchase? A shirt, blouse, dress, sandals.............anything fashionably wearable back home. Imagine being asked "Where did you get that? and your mom says "This old thing? I picked it up in Barcelona." Instant excellent memory. Another "Must do"...................... the day you arrive change your tummy clock to locale CULTURAL EATING time. DO NOT ALLOW your USA tummy clock to rule the eating habits to be gained while in Spain! Around five/six pm experience some tapas by dropping in at several tapas bars. This is literally a point and eat experience and asking questions is expected. Sate yourself to where you can have dinner after nine p.m. and then plan on taking a stroll after dinner. Spain lights up in the late evening and so much is gained by adopting to the local tummy clock.
9) "You Tube" the planned destinations to gain a visual expectation of your itinerary. Doing so helps take the edge off for first time visitors nervous about the travel.
10) MY MUST DO.................. when you arrive at your apt/hotel............ unpack and then immediately take a walk entirely around the block of where you are staying. Doing so helps with orientation, stretches your legs, provides a sense of place and often helps find a quaint cafe/coffee shop/pharmacy which proves to be a great assist for your trip. ALWAYS ask for help, you are not the first to make the journey and so many folks want to make your travel memories great!

Congrats on the graduation! I remember when I finished studies...felt so good, until I got a job, haha :)
Well, if you want to concentrate specifically on Europe, there are still so many places to choose from! For example, if you check this destination calendar, you might find some good ideas of where to go in May. I would vote for France (uffffff, so many beautiful regions! but let's pick Provence to combine the sea, architecture, nature, and food) and Portugal (the best coffee places in my life, ocean waves, heart-melting Fado songs, and Lisbon trams stole my heart).
Lots of people supported the Spain option. It sounds good to me too! I love this country. If you choose just Barcelona and the region of Catalonia alone, it will easily keep you busy for a week or two. If you want to travel outside of Barcelona, I would strongly recommend spending a day in Figueres—narrow streets, Salvador Dali Theatre-Museum. You could also travel to the Pyrenees to enjoy the mountains.
In terms of safety, Scandinavian countries would be the best option. May is a lovely time in Norway, especially for exploring Bergen and Stavanger areas. Well, this is best for hiking fans :)
Again, congrats on your achievement, you deserve a great trip!