Hi Guys,
I will b glad to help you and, i'm sure many other ppl do, but you have to be more specific: when (season) you go, for how long you can stay. If you are budget or not, going alone or with other ppl and, finally what u wanna do and see (history/architecture/arts/food/parties/what ever).
Hi Vanessa,
I would really like to go during the holidays, like around Christmas and the New year. I'm not on a budget; my best friend and I would be traveling together and would split the costs both ways. I'm just not too sure where I want to go, but I know I want to see culture, artists, museums, mimes and much more. I want adventure and glory, but something worth coming home and blogging about. Sharing the experience and having the opportunity to be there. I mean I love kayaking, I love French and Italian cuisine. I love art and classical music.
Well there are lot to see in Europe and the best places in Europe to visit! London, Croatia, Amsterdam, Berlin, are just some of the places to visit. And don't be frustrated. Enjoy.
Hi Brittney!
I will try to help to “make order” then it will be easier to make a choice.
You didn’t say how long time you have there, so I conclude it’s about 2-3 weeks or so. Let’s see.
According to your priorities, the option nu one will be Vienna.
OPTION nu1
VIENNA & AUSTRIA
Vienna is fabulous all over the year, but in pre-christmas time it is something special. They begun pre-christmas markets very early, it’s the best in Europe, I think. Vienna is all about: architecture (Baroque, Art Nouveau and some Gothic), the wold-famous Opera, city fulfilled with music of all kinds – from Mozart to street concerts, rich history background, enourmous amount of outstanding museums of all kinds, coffee-house culture (only in Vienna), great culinary expirience, layers and layers to discover. Vienna is stylish and, at my subjective opinion, it’s the most European city in whole Europe.
Christmas itself is quiet – family holidays, so, if you r in the city care for advance to be invited somewhere or to have plans. NYear event is more “outgoing” – parties and staff. You need a week, you may stay for month – you will not be “done” with it. It’s plenty of info online, you may read in my Vienna blog too.
If you r in Vienna and still have time and appetite for “more Austria”, there are many small places all around Vienna, but go to Gratz. Need couple of days there. Culture, architecture, Univercity and events.
Salzburg – just a jem. Don’t miss. You need abt 2-3 days there – it’s not big place, but wow.. how impressive! And you are in Alps, actually. All around Salzburg are one huge ski-area in winter.
If you still have time – go in direction of Italy, visit Innsbuck (fairytale!) in the way. ½ day will b enough, Innsbuck is small.
The next place is in Italy – Bolzano. It’s lovely, but you have make choices, remember? So go directly to Verona. No, not because of Romeo & Julia’s balcony (it’s bullshit), but Verona is beautiful Medieveal arch., very impressive, even for Italy where everything is perfect ;-)
Note: you’d better go between places with train of flights, winter driving is annoying, even roads are good there. But u’d better save your energy for discovery.
Food & Drink. Don’t miss: Vienniese coffee & strudel and all the rest. Traditional Viennies and Austrian cousine (its much more then schnitzel!). Beer and excellent local wines.
- P.S. From Salzburg you may move to Munich (instead of Italy). It's Bavaria, Germany - very nice indeed.
OPTION nu 2
LONDON
London is enourmous and it's so many to do that don't even think to move from there. Very impressive, interesting, intensive, noisy, quite expensive. You have everything in London, it's multicultural crowd. Great.
OTHERs:
ITALY - my personal favorite of all times. I can't be objective about Italy. As I know Christmas in Rome is less impressive as in Vienna. Rome is different from the rest of Italy, if you choose Rome (museums, history, cultural life) care to combine it with something else, more "Italian" - alike Sienna or Arezzo - some smaller and warmer town.
Dont miss: coffee (the best in the wold), icecream (the best in the wold as well), enourmous range of pastas. Drink wine with food. Enjoy.
PRAGUE - beautiful city, but i would not choose it for holidays. The mood of the city is too post-Soviet, it disturbes. If you still wanna see Prague, u may combine it with Vienna (Austria) and Budapest (Hungary), staying for 3-4 days in each place. It's reasonable distances between and makes sence. Bratislava (Slovakia) is near Vienna, but it's minore. Pity about your time, let it.
PARIS - oh, Paris is always actual, isn't it? Paris doesn't need my recommendations. Actually, I always was there in summer-autumn and have not a clue what is going at Christmas time. You should check up if they don't close for holidays (museums and some other places.) Same u need check up for Italy - they are known for making "siesta" of all kinds. Paris needs 10 days - 2 weeks alone. But if you are going to France - go somewhere else, at least one more place to discover. France is difference in diff. regions, it's like you cant understand US being in NY only.
The "second" place may be in the South France - which is quite different, or in some other region. If you do two (or 3) places - you will understand why I send you there :-)
BARCELONA - Catalunia, formally Spain. Adorable: gothic arch. and Gaudi. Very special athmosphere. May be combined with something in Spain (more traditional) or - weird choice! With Andorra - small country in 3 hrs of drive.
I think it's enough.
:-)))
Underline: if you will b you - i would choose Vienna (with additions) or London alone.
Thank you Daisy Kim, I appreciate your help. I wonder if Croatia is similar to Italy or Paris. Maybe, I had better do some serious research.
Hi Vanessa,
Thanks so much on the information given. I'd like the best of both worlds: what about Paris and South of France since the regions are different there? And I the choices of Vienna and Austria too. I would like to stay for 6 weeks along traveling there from the states. I would hope that I can. I must and I think it would be a wonderful opportunity for me to explore the area and its history. I just have decide. Another is, do you know of any resourceful services I may use to book a stay, maybe a vacation rental or time share? Also, where can I find your blog?
Thank you so much and I really do appreciate your time, concern and assistance.
Best,
Brittney
Hi!
France is a good choice and if you have 6 weeks - it's great!
FRANCE
I would begin with 10-14 days of Paris, doing South France for couple of weeks and another 2 weeks something else - may be Burgundy/Champagne or Brittany (French: Bretagne), which is very special.
Loire Valley is easily acceptable from/after Paris and it's castel(s)-land on riverbank - delicious!
Also You can combine Paris with Amsterdam. Amsterdam is absolutely lovely and it's not big as Paris - 3-4 days you can cover most of things you want to do/see. Just dont forget to eat a New Herring ;-)
VIENNA is a real delight. You will not be dissaponted. My 'Vienna blog" is something with no- beginning and no-end. I begun to drop it aftr 6th or 7th visit there, as I was asked "what the hell are you doing there" too often. So I wanted to give a one answer to everybody who asked :-) What ever, it begun the blog and it and I never has enough time to complete. It appears "from the end" (freshiest posts first), better to read from old posts to new. Partly it is personal (about friends or rollerblades, etc) but still, you have there many useful info and photos. - - http://wien.travellerspoint.com/
BOOKING
For apartments look in local cites of aprtments rent. You have accommodation here, on TP too - it's safe. Last summer I used www.booking.com - I found it well-done, trustful and very easy to use. For Vienna - they have a huge NET of aprtments rent online - dont remember IP address, bt u will find it with Google. Yes, for a week or longer stay - aprtm. is great!
Good luck!
cheers,
v.
Europe is an nice place to travel and enjoy or stay there
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