# Your best itinerary for fall in Europe



## pgnewarkboy (Jul 15, 2009)

Planning for a trip to europe in the fall season - Sept. Oct for about two weeks.  My wife and I.  No children.  We are in our sixties and more into sightseeing than eating. In other words, we like a good meal but we are not gastronomically (if that is a word) driven. We like walking in nature but are not into sporting activities or heavy duty hiking or biking.  We like history and art. We like to spend our time at places and would not like to be constantly moving from place to place.   For all you experienced Europe travellers, what kind of plan would you suggest?  Thanks.


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## vacationhopeful (Jul 15, 2009)

Where have you been in Europe before?  Which place did you like best and why?  Are you exerienced at doing the trains?  City or village?  Hints would help ...


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## Passepartout (Jul 15, 2009)

That's a wonderful time of year in Italy. Florence, Pisa, Venice. You won't find as much art and museums in as compact an area anywhere. If you need to fill more time, Cinque Terra, and Rome, Though I'd save Rome and Southern Italy for another two weeks at another time.  A few days in an Agritourismo in Tuscany or Puglia at harvest time eating the local cheeses and sipping the district's wine. Aaaah, you sure you don't want to take me as a guide?

Jim Ricks


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## pgnewarkboy (Jul 15, 2009)

vacationhopeful said:


> Where have you been in Europe before?  Which place did you like best and why?  Are you exerienced at doing the trains?  City or village?  Hints would help ...



We have been to London and about 1 hour outside of Ediburgh in Scotland.  City and or village would be fine depending on things to see.  We enjoyed London very much.  We liked the museums and the shows and the history. We used the trains in England and have no problem with using public transportation.  Being inexperienced with Europe, we would not want to miss the "biggies" but would also enjoy the not so biggies.  I guess a nice mix of highlights and some local flavor would be great.


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## mamadot (Jul 15, 2009)

Gosh it is like saying what cities in the US should I visit. We all have our personal favorites. Paris is wonderful and everyone should see it at least once. Lots to do and you can walk all  over the city.  The same is true of Rome, Madrid and Barcelona. So much history and art in all those cities.  
What ever you decide I am sure you will love your trip.


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## Carolinian (Jul 15, 2009)

I think I would do Prague and Vienna, perhaps adding Budapest.  There are some easy and good day trips from both, including a number of castles close to Prague and Bratislava, Slovakia and Sopron, Hungary from Vienna.  There are good train connections among them.  Prague and Budapest also happen to be particularly good value these days, something that will not last after the €uro arrives in both countries.


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## x3 skier (Jul 16, 2009)

*Paris and London*

If this is your first trip to Europe, I suggest a week in London and one in Paris. The weather would be pretty good and the crowds will be less. I would fly into London, Eurostar to Paris and then return from Paris.

I would take in at least two or three shows in London and make sure to see Versailles in Paris. Day trips out of each city would be a nice break and while in London, I highly recommend London Walks www.walks.com for some very nice trips around the city and area. I believe there is a similar company in Paris but have no personal experience.

Cheers


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## Bwolf (Jul 16, 2009)

London, Paris, Munich.  Perhaps you can make the Octoberfest?

London:  Drink all the lagers, ales, stouts, etc. that you can.  You may spend all the time you want at the Pub of your choice, but if you move from Pub to Pub you'll see a bit of the city.

Paris:  Drink all the wine that you can.  There are many Paris wine shops (cavistes), so you may get different views of Paris by moving from one to another. 

Munich:  Drink all the weissbier, porter, pils, etc. that you can.   _There are several Brauhaus_'s, so you'll get different views of Munich as you make the rounds.


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## beejaybeeohio (Jul 17, 2009)

*Or perhaps...*

Follow bwolfs suggestion of the Oktoberfest and spend your two weeks in the Bavaria area of Germany and Salzburgerland in Austria.  This would be a more tranquil vacation mixed in w/ Munich and Salzburg if that is what you are interested in as opposed to an city-only itinerary.

There are so many possibilities for you, and dreaming and planning is half the pleasure in any journey!


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## Maui_ed (Jul 17, 2009)

I would also suggest that Greece is great in the fall. Lots of warm weather, but not too warm. Most of the tourists have gone so the crowds are not as big of a problem. Lots of activities - if you are into ancient history, this is the place to be. There are lots of little islands surrounding Greece that make for fascinating getaways - Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, and others.

I have a couple of friends who are traveling to Greece in late September. They will be staying in Athens for a couple of nights, then out to Santorinin for a week, then on to Mykonos for a few days, before heading back to Athens, and then returning home. They will be staying at the Vedema Resort on Santorini, the Mykonos Grand Hotel on Mykonos, and the Westin Astir Beach Palace in Athens.


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## pgnewarkboy (Jul 18, 2009)

Thanks everyone for your great ideas!  Much better then I would have come up with.


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## vacationhopeful (Jul 18, 2009)

I have been toIreland, England and Scotland, along with Paris (and Brittany), Geneva, and Vienna.  But the places I would recommend are the Eastern European countries.  The exchange rate is very good, costs are lower as many of these countries are NOT YET on the Euro, and the look and feel of their cities different - almost exotic.

Budapest is one of my favorites - the onion domes, the mineral baths, the Opera House, Heroes Square, the House of Terror, the coffee houses with the Viennese pastry, Statue Park, and resistance to both the Nazis and the Russians.  See the Rick Steves DVD Budapest done in Aug 04.

Karkow, Poland would be the second city.  This city is a major university city with a youth population so alive - music and dining.  It has a small museum with a daVinci "Lady with an Ermine" and a Rembrandt "the Good Samiratain" - one or the other may be on loan (rented out) but unlike Paris, I spent 20 minutes alone with the daVinci, hung just 10 feet behind one of those velvet red ropes and me. (Security guard was talking to another staff person in the next room).  Do the 1000 yo old salt mine - 450 feet underground.  And pay your respects to Auschitz concentration camp, a very short bus ride.  Plus, Krakow has a wonderful and large town square next to Wawal Castle which has the cathedral where Pope John Paul II was Archbishop.  Karkow was NOT bombed during WWII.

Prague is too touristy for me although many here love the city.  I did love the beer.  Loved Karlovy Vary (per Casino Royale and Last Holiday movies).

All three of these cities are connected by train (overnight sleepers were very reasonable).  Train depots were all centrally located.

Hope this helps.


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## Carolinian (Jul 18, 2009)

Now is indeed a good time to see eastern Europe before the dreaded euro (€) comes in and prices go up.

Prague, Krakow, and Budapest are great choices.  I would also make a rail trip to Breslau/Wroclaw from Krakow.  Also Lviv, in Ukraine, another really great city, is an easy rail trip from Krakow, although not really a day trip.

RCI has a resort on the outskirts of Budapest that usually has good availibility.

Split and Dubrovnik in Croatia are also really great cities.  Dubrovnik is a medieval city still sitting inside intact defensive walls.  The oldest part of Split is built within the still standing walls of Roman Emporer Diocletian's palace.  There are easy day trips from Split to other medieival towns like Trogir and Hvar.  There is an overnight train, which is cheap, from Budapest to Split and a bus or ferry down the coast from Split to Dubrovnik.  I would try to time it to take the ferry, which is every other day.  You can also do a day trip by bus to Mostar, Bosnia, a fascinating city, from Split.

DAE has a seafront resort, Lavica Holiday Apartments, in the suburb_s south of Split, and connected to the city by a half-hourly city bus that stops across from the resort and takes you to the edge of Old Town.  They usually get about 20-30 or so weeks in a year, including summer weeks.

For travel guides on eastern and some western European cities, I like the In Your Pocket series, which can be downloaded online from their website, www.inyourpocket.com 





vacationhopeful said:



			I have been toIreland, England and Scotland, along with Paris (and Brittany), Geneva, and Vienna.  But the places I would recommend are the Eastern European countries.  The exchange rate is very good, costs are lower as many of these countries are NOT YET on the Euro, and the look and feel of their cities different - almost exotic.

Budapest is one of my favorites - the onion domes, the mineral baths, the Opera House, Heroes Square, the House of Terror, the coffee houses with the Viennese pastry, Statue Park, and resistance to both the Nazis and the Russians.  See the Rick Steves DVD Budapest done in Aug 04.

Karkow, Poland would be the second city.  This city is a major university city with a youth population so alive - music and dining.  It has a small museum with a daVinci "Lady with an Ermine" and a Rembrandt "the Good Samiratain" - one or the other may be on loan (rented out) but unlike Paris, I spent 20 minutes alone with the daVinci, hung just 10 feet behind one of those velvet red ropes and me. (Security guard was talking to another staff person in the next room).  Do the 1000 yo old salt mine - 450 feet underground.  And pay your respects to Auschitz concentration camp, a very short bus ride.  Plus, Krakow has a wonderful and large town square next to Wawal Castle which has the cathedral where Pope John Paul II was Archbishop.  Karkow was NOT bombed during WWII.

Prague is too touristy for me although many here love the city.  I did love the beer.  Loved Karlovy Vary (per Casino Royale and Last Holiday movies).

All three of these cities are connected by train (overnight sleepers were very reasonable).  Train depots were all centrally located.

Hope this helps.
		
Click to expand...

_


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## jerseyfinn (Jul 20, 2009)

As lots of folks have already noted, September/October are great months for lots of places in Europe. I relate to your idea of trying to centralize your trip so that you can sort of settle into a region & explore and enjoy things at leisure. It's wise not to put yourself into too much motion as there's a point where a trip turns tiresome if you get too ambitious.

I'll throw my hat into the ring and suggest targeting Spain. You'd have lots of options as Spain is a big country & it's got a diverse climate to match an equally diverse culture. You'd definitely have good weather this time of year without too much heat.

I'd suggest Costa del Sol, settling yourself in the vicinity of Malaga. The weather here in late September is still summer like, but the summer _sun sear factor _ is turned way down and the regional Estepona-Malaga microclimate is supurb. Lots of timeshare resorts to trade into here, or hotels to stay in.  

Malaga is Picasso's city and you can do day drives ( or tours ) to Granada, Cordoba, Sevilla, or Ronda.  There's scores of places to visit on smaller day trips into the surrounding mountains which are full of vista views and rustic white villages. No hiking required, but you will definitely get out and about. Each village is unique and one can stop and go and walk the streets a bit before moving on.  You're talking a lot of history here ranging from prehistoric cave drawings to the Romans, Moors, and the modern Christian era. Not necessarily huge museums as much as subltle places/ small museums to stop and take in the culture at leisure. So you'd have the option of touring or lingering on a resort to relax and take in the view of Gibraltar and Africa  from the Med until you get the energy to go out again.  Although you say that you're not a gastronomic person, you'll have no problem finding some nice places to eat and sample the authentic Andalucian food.

One could pass a couple of weeks in this region alone, or if you want to change up a bit, you could divide your trip into an Andalucían holiday concluded by a few days in Barcelona which shows you another side of Spain at a nice time of year ( lots of history and culture in a vibrant, young city which energizes anyone ).  This sort of trip might conform well to your desire to settle in and have a litany of things to do without having to move about too much between accomodations.

Well, a thought as this is but one of many possibilities that exist for Europe in the Fall. Have fun planning your trip.

Barry


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## alwysonvac (Jul 20, 2009)

> Being inexperienced with Europe, we would not want to miss the "biggies" but would also enjoy the not so biggies.



My vote for the next biggie is Paris. Great for history, art and museums.

You can easily spend two weeks in Paris. Public transportation is good for getting around and you won't have to constantly move from place to place. You can also do an overnight trip to Normandy from Paris

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94106
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81854

Or if you still have a few places in London that you will like to see then a combined London & Paris trip is easy via the Eurostar.

Or if you rather squeeze in another biggie then a combined Paris and Rome trip might work.  However Rome is not as easy to get around via public transportation like London and Paris but it's not a problem.

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93945


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## Carol C (Jul 25, 2009)

I love Spain, and one of my best trips was this one: flew using miles open-jaw, flying into Paris for 3 nights then on to Barcelona for 3 nights...then over to Mallorca for two piggybacked weeks in timeshare resorts. Flew back to the US from Barcelona. 

I love France, and one of my best trips was this one, last October: flew into London and spent 4 nights there at a B & B in Bloomsbury, then flew via RyanAir to Tours, France where I spent two nights and visited chateaux and wineries, then took the train to Paris and stayed in Le Marais for 6 nights. 

Btw, I've been to a dozen countries in Europe ever since my college backpacking days...and my favorite city is still Paris, followed by Dubrovnik, Croatia and then Florence, Italy. As for countryside and villages...it's all good, anywhere in Europe! I hope the dollar holds up so you don't get bit by the euro or pound too badly. Enjoy your adventures!


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## Carolinian (Jul 25, 2009)

I concur that Dubrovnik is outstanding, as is much of the Dalmatian coast of Croatia.  I would pick Venice, then Rome, over Florence in Italy, however.



Carol C said:


> I love Spain, and one of my best trips was this one: flew using miles open-jaw, flying into Paris for 3 nights then on to Barcelona for 3 nights...then over to Mallorca for two piggybacked weeks in timeshare resorts. Flew back to the US from Barcelona.
> 
> I love France, and one of my best trips was this one, last October: flew into London and spent 4 nights there at a B & B in Bloomsbury, then flew via RyanAir to Tours, France where I spent two nights and visited chateaux and wineries, then took the train to Paris and stayed in Le Marais for 6 nights.
> 
> Btw, I've been to a dozen countries in Europe ever since my college backpacking days...and my favorite city is still Paris, followed by Dubrovnik, Croatia and then Florence, Italy. As for countryside and villages...it's all good, anywhere in Europe! I hope the dollar holds up so you don't get bit by the euro or pound too badly. Enjoy your adventures!


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## dms1709 (Aug 5, 2009)

Hope it's not too late to chime in, but here goes.   Look at Rome, you can rent a centrally located apartment and when you need to use public transportation it is right there and after a bit of figuring it out, very convenient.  There is so much to see and do, we never left the city.  You can have a car pick you up at the airport and then take you back.  We went with three boys under the age of 8 and had to make the trip as easy as possible.  

Donna


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## Bxian (Aug 5, 2009)

Are there any area in Europe that still have decent weather in early November?


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## Carolinian (Aug 5, 2009)

Bxian said:


> Are there any area in Europe that still have decent weather in early November?



Cyprus, Malta, Sicily, and Greek Islands are still okay.  Rome and south in Italy is not bad.  Others are hit and miss.


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## happymum (Aug 5, 2009)

alwysonvac said:


> You can easily spend two weeks in Paris.



We did so last summer and wouldn't hesitate to do so again. There is so much to see and do!


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## sailingman22 (Aug 6, 2009)

I would second traveling to Greece that time of year. The weather is usually still warm and the tourist have left for the season. We are in the same age group and are planning a trip next October cruising on the Star Clipper Cruises from Athens and sailing through the Greek islands RT and then flying to Israel for a week sightseeing. I'm sure you will have a great time where ever you choose to vacation in Europe.


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## trishpmc (Aug 13, 2009)

My husband and I spent five days in Paris to celebrate my 60th birthday two years ago in the fall and wish we could have stayed longer.  It's a wonderful city to visit.  You can also take day trips to Versailles and Fontainebleau.

We visited Ireland eight years ago and are going back for another visit in September for ten days.  It's a beautiful country.

Have a great trip!


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