We are starting to plan our trip for next summer (2011). My husband has a conference in Geneva, Switzerland July 7-10. We have done a lot of travel in Europe(Switzerland, Austria, Germany, England, northern Italy) and would like to travel to some places with great scenery, good food, etc. We are not that much into all of the museums anymore and have no interest in France. We need to rely on public transportation and trains (we've decided not to drive this trip). Any suggestions of where to go from Geneva would be helpful. We are probably talking about a two week trip (not including the time in Geneva).
Posted by
Clawson, MI, USA
199 posts
My fave corner of Europe is Northwestern Germany and Benelux. Trier is great town for scenery and food. Otherwise, you could pick either Amsterdam, Brussels, or Cologne as a base and train or drive to some great sights.
Belgium offers great food and beer plus some great cities to wander: Ghent, Antwerp, Bruges and Brussels. If you choose Amsterdam then every other city in the Netherlands is about an hour or less away by train. Cologne is also great and you can easily reach other cities by train. Also, you can take a cruise on the Rhine. Hope this helps?
Posted by
OP
Ames, IA, USA
14 posts
Thanks for the suggestions. We have not done the Benelux area. We have a German exchange student who lives in NW Germany, so have done Cologne, the Rhine cruise and smaller villages in the NW.
Would there be enough for us to see and do in the Benelux area, any suggestions, since I'm not familiar with the area? Thanks.
Posted by
OP
Ames, IA, USA
14 posts
Thanks for the suggestion. We have loved all the places we have previously visited, but would like to experience somewhere else. We had thought about more of Italy, but are shying away from there ( so many museums, people,heat).
We love Salzburg, so wouldn't mind a stop over there. We want to plan a trip where we mix the touring and also having down time, someplace we can base ourselves from and do daytrips from there. Any suggestions?
Posted by
Clawson, MI, USA
199 posts
Sharon here's some tips about Belgium and Netherlands.
Brussels Belgium: The Grand Place is one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. Galeries Royales de Saint Hubert just a couple blocks away, is one of Europe’s oldest shopping malls. The EU Parliament is in Brussels. A great, and kind of quirky restaurant in Brussels is In ‘t Spinnekopke that specializes in Belgian cuisine. Another café I like in Brussels is: A la Mort Subite.
Bruges is worth a day or two by itself although there are times it can feel like “Brugesland.” Definitely wander out of the tourist areas or take a canal tour. You can climb the Belfry (Bell Tower) if you’re in good shape. The view is great from the top. Visit the Begijnhof. If you can find De Garre stop in for a drink and a snack.
Ghent is like Bruges but less touristy. The Gravensteen castle is worth a visit.
In Amsterdam I like to walk around the Jordaan area. Find a nice café and just sit for a while. It’s not as touristy and can actually be quiet at certain times. The Jordaan is just west of the canal belt across the canal from Westerkirk (Westerchurch). If you have the stamina to climb the stairs there is a great view of Amsterdam.
Trains run once an hour to most cities in the Netherlands and take about an hour to get there. Haarlem is west of Amsterdam. It’s not as touristy or fast-paced. Rotterdam has some very interesting architecture like the Cube Apartments.