Considering a trip to Europe in Oct 25 or Early 2026?

[jorcus]

Really appreciate all of the suggestions so far. Please keep them coming in.
I actually would rather do this trip in 2025. However I have my TS plans pretty much set at the moment. 2 trips next year.

Also DW had a surgical repair on her left hip. Not a hip replacement but a repair to the labrum and ball joint on the hip. She needs to get better for our Aruba trip in May.

Understandably she is not in the mindset to think about a trip to Italy or Greece.

I am focused on those destinations first since that has been on her wish list. Once I get those boxes checked then I can consider France, Spain, UK, etc.

I am really not seeing many Tours of Greece in the winter months. None. It seems they have a season from April to Oct.

All things considered above I think my trip plans will most likely shape up for April of 2026.

My plan is to rent my weeks in 2026 and do European trip or 2. Perhaps a cruise? We shall see?

I don't think you really need a tour to get around Greece. Athens is an easy airport to fly into. Lot's of people speak English, maybe because few non Greeks speak Greek. It is not too expensive. You could spend 3 or 4 days in Athens then take a ferry to an island or 2. Getting around via the Metro or Hop on Hop off buses. Going at your own pace has a lot of advantages.

 

[billymach4]

Neither Italy nor Greece need guided anything. Or an itinerary, honestly. Two countries where if you were teleported to some town at random, it will be beautiful and have great food and coffee options. It's the reason these places have been popular for the entirety of recorded history.

The people who create a by-the-minute itinerary in their quest to see absolutely everything, ironically see nothing. You can spot these people a long way off if you go there (and pay attention to your surroundings). These people are invariably miserable. They're rushed. And they're just one delay away from their entire itinerary unraveling. And then what? They don't have a plan B because they didn't do any homework. ChatGPT did the work. And these people couldn't point to their location on a map.

Spin the wheel a few times on Earth Roulette. You'll see. My favorite places aren't on the tourist radar at all. That's why they're my favorite places. Very hard to go wrong in either country:

[URLI unfurl="true"]https://earthroulette.com/countries/Italy[/URL]

Random City Generator in Greece 2026 - Holiday Destinations & Vacation Ideas - Earth Roulette

Generate random cities in Greece with our holiday destination finder. Discover vacation spots, travel destinations & hidden gems in Greece. Find your perfect random holiday in 2026!

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Perhaps I am being hesitant due to my looking at this as an American Touristo.
Not familiar with the language and I want to avoid being taken advantage of us.

 

[billymach4]

I don't think you really need a tour to get around Greece. It's an easy airport to fly into. Lot's of people speak English, maybe because few non Greeks speak Greek. It is not too expensive. You could spend 3 or 4 days in Athens then take a ferry to an island or 2. Getting around via the Metro or Hop on Hop off buses. Going at your own pace has a lot of advantages.

We don't necessarily want to tour Athens. DW wants to visit Mykonos and Santorini. High up on her wishlist

 

[Passepartout]

Billy, as I said in post 2, the vast majority of our international travel has been independent. Sure, you consult guidebooks and travel brochures and get suggestions from others who've been there. For instance ALWAYS book museum entrances ahead so you don't spend valuable time in lines.

We frequently hire an impromptu guide at the entrance or train station (thinking Pompeii)

We have found that we don't need to meet the guide's brother-in-law at his 'gift'shop. Virtually every restaurant has it's menu posted near the door. If it's in English, go somewhere else. Negotiate every taxi ride before you get in.

These things and many others are what independent travel is about.

Jim

 

[Passepartout]

We don't necessarily want to tour Athens. DW wants to visit Mykonos and Santorini. High up on her wishlist

Mykonos and Santorini are largely tourist traps, but the Athens Archeological Museum is a DO NOT miss item. Yeah, the Acropolis is waaaay crowded, but you really should see it. The beauty of the place is there are great historic streets down from it to the Plaka- the 2,000+ year-old market street lined with restaurants where (along with tourist throngs) locals sit with some retsina wine and olive tepanade on toast.

Like ALL of Southern Europe, keep your minimalist wallet in your front pocket or money belt under your clothes.

 

[ScoopKona]

Perhaps I am being hesitant due to my looking at this as an American Touristo.
Not familiar with the language and I want to avoid being taken advantage of us.

Many Italians speak better English than many Americans.

The tourists who are taken advantage of present themselves as targets. They have a ton of bags. They're wearing expensive jewelry. A fat wallet is bulging from their easily-picked back pocket. They're staring at their phone. And they have absolutely zero situational awareness. That's who gets robbed. Thieves go for the low-hanging fruit.

Italy is the easiest country on the entire planet to visit. Fly into any airport. Get on any train. Go to any town. You'll be fine. It's the tourists who want to blivet the country who think everything is so damned difficult and expensive.

 

[billymach4]

Like all the commentary. Geez I don't need no stinking guided tour. After all I grew up on the mean streets of NYC in the 70s.

 

[Hindsite]

October is a very pleasant time to visit Southern Europe, its quieter and still warm and almost everything will still be open. This also means that you don't need to be on a tour to get to see things, you can do it all yourselves, just like millions of people do every year. Do what you are comfortable with, whether it is just getting on public transport and seeing where it takes you vs taking a tried and tested schedule of locations to visit. We have yet to get ourselves into any kind of mess by just riding the bus or tram and getting off when it suits us to just go to the end of the line and back again. You could blend it with part of the time on a tour and the rest at your own plans. The only place we found it at all difficult to navigate public transport was St Petersburg Russia (shame going there isn't an option anymore) as all the signs are in Cyrillic text, so we just had to buy individual tickets and on the busses we just point to the place on the map we wanted to go, put out out hand with a handful of change in it, and the ticket lady took what was needed. They looked after us well, as the whole bus joined in to tell us when we had to get off . I am consistently uncomfortable being a tourist in Rome as you seem to need to be hyper-alert to avoid the pick-pockets and I had a bad experience as a child getting separated from my parents when visiting there, so be alert and you'll be fine.

I'd advise against Jan-March, just because a lot of things will be closed, as people say its also a good time to visit as its quiet, as long as what you want to see is open. Also, if you are using timeshares in those month, avoid doing exchanges as that could be more costly than paying direct or via II/RCI exchanges or other booking portals.

Nice trip, enjoy the planning and let us know how it goes.

 

[ScoopKona]

I am consistently uncomfortable being a tourist in Rome as you seem to need to be hyper-alert to avoid the pick-pockets

Barcelona is far worse.

But Rome is the only place I've caught thieves with their hand in my pocket. It's happened twice.

Pickpockets are easy to deal with -- don't have all your valuables in a single, easy-to-pickpocket location. You'd think this would be a "well, duh" statement. But no.

I have a travel shirt which has an interior chest pocket which both zips and velcros. (Think Napoleon with his hand under his coat. That's where.) The only way they're getting at it is to beat me unconscious first. I keep the passport, bulk of the currency and credit card in a neck pouch. And I never remove the neck pouch in public. I'll duck into a bathroom or similar so nobody sees me.

My mother in law travels with a big purse, jewelry, and usually an expensive watch. She's the very definition of "don't let this happen to you" on vacation.

 

[Ken555]

the Athens Archeological Museum is a DO NOT miss item. Yeah, the Acropolis is waaaay crowded, but you really should see it. The beauty of the place is there are great historic streets down from it to the Plaka- the 2,000+ year-old market street lined with restaurants where (along with tourist throngs) locals sit with some retsina wine and olive tepanade on toast.

I was in Athens earlier this year for a second visit and went on a “free” walking tour of the area around the Acropolis, which was a lot of fun and interesting. I combined it with a visit to the Arch Museum, which I had been previously, and it's just as interesting the second time.

I agree with all the posts re independent travel. Reviews of hotels, excursions, guides, and more are very helpful at TripAdvisor.

Next time I visit Athens, I plan on one - or two day trips to the nearby islands. Tickets can be bought last minute, are not expensive, and don't require lots of advance planning.

I also visited Albania, which was fantastic. I will return.

 

[WinniWoman]

Perhaps I am being hesitant due to my looking at this as an American Touristo.
Not familiar with the language and I want to avoid being taken advantage of us.

I want to say we did not feel rushed on our tour, but we did cover a lot so it was sometimes tiring.
That said, the tour we were on allowed for a nice amount of free time, so sometimes while other people on the tour went off shopping and doing some thrilling activity, we chose to sit and have a gelato and people watch, take in the scenery more, etc.

I am 2 years out from spine surgery with a side effect and walking in Sicily/Southern Italy meant cobblestones, steep hills and huge stairs everywhere. I handled it ok, but was happy to be able to rest here and there.

As for the language, most spoke English where we went, but it is the customs and ways of doing some things that is different. That's where our guide (who actually was from Croatia) and being on a tour made things easier. I had the Google Translate app on my phone and never used it once.

The hotel staff were helpful as well. (We were in all first class hotels or superior first class hotels).

One other thing. Regarding pick pockets. We were vigilant but honestly, we relaxed more after being there a couple of days. First off, we were with a group most of the time. We weren't in large cities like Rome or Naples, etc. Even when alone- yeah- my husband kept his cell phone wallet combo in his front pocket and I used either a waist pak or a cross body bag, but most of the time my phone/wallet combo was in my hand. Lots of times we could just leave stuff on the bus while we were our touring, too.

I didn't wear any jewelry except cheap post earrings. Hubby doesn't wear jewelry. He wore his smartwatch (which is an inexpensive one) every day as he always does.

We ended up putting most of our credit cards and money in the hotel safe or locked in our suitcases and we used Apple Pay on our phones. We barely spent any extra money since most everything was included. We brought 100 Euros with us (plus $200 for the guide's tip). Never needed to use an ATM once. We came home with $1.50 euros.

We don't shop. We spent it on a couple of tips (like the airport transport to the hotel on arrival since we arranged our own flights the day early- Odyssey arranged it but we had to pay. All tips, though are covered in the tour price btw. If we had a meal out on our own we did not tip as it is not the custom there) and to pay for a gelato here or there. We almost came home with half that $100 but at the last minute the group decided we'd all like to take a private boat tour around Capri on the Tyrranean sea, so our guide laid out the money for everyone and we paid her back the $48 Euros for the two of us.

 

[TheHolleys87]

I am really not seeing many Tours of Greece in the winter months. None. It seems they have a season from April to Oct.

All things considered above I think my trip plans will most likely shape up for April of 2026.

My plan is to rent my weeks in 2026 and do European trip or 2. Perhaps a cruise? We shall see?

We visited Greece in April 2016, and the weather was pretty nice - it was very sunny and therefore hot up on the Acropolis, but elsewhere it was pleasantly warm. We were on an 11-day tour sponsored by our church and operated by Collette. It started with a three-night cruise on a Celestyal Cruises ship, Olympia, with ports of call at Mykonos, Kusadasi (Ephesus) (Turkey), Patmos, Heraklion (Knossos), and Santorini - you most certainly could book that cruise independently, and April being at the start of the tourist season meant ours was the only ship visiting Santorini that day. I don't know what the capacity of the ship was, but it carried visitors from multiple nations, not just Americans.

IOW, I think April would be a good time of year to visit Greece, especially if you wanted to cruise the Aegean islands.

 

[Ken555]

I was in Athens earlier this year for a second visit and went on a “free” walking tour of the area around the Acropolis, which was a lot of fun and interesting.

FYI, this was the walking tour:

💎 The Hidden Gem 💎 around Acropolis (Scenic Beauty, History-Philoshophy-Tips) - GuruWalk

💎 The Hidden Gem 💎 around Acropolis (Scenic Beauty, History-Philoshophy-Tips). Guided by experts with locals. Detailed information and booking here!

www.guruwalk.com

It appears he stopped offering it, but I'm sure you could find similar tours. Guruwalk has been a good source for walking tours for me, and I'd suggest installing the app on your phone before your trip.

 

[x3 skier]

When you say "wife and I traveled independently" you are implying that you did not rely on a guided tour plan?

Correct. We did our own research, planning and booking. In most places, we did take advantage of local guided walking tours when they were available and of interest but mostly did independent sightseeing aided by guide books.

Another source is booking a cruise around the Mediterranean to get a taste of several locations to see which places we would like to spend more time on another visit.

 

[Carolinian]

For Italy, the rail network is great and easy to use, but much less so in Greece. With rental cars, driving can be a challenge due to very aggressive driving habits in both countries. However, driving makes it easier to see more things. When we did a timeshare on Corfu, we flew into Athens and rented a car to drive to the Corfu ferry. On the outbound route we overnighted near Delphi and saw the famous temples there the next morning. On the return, we took a more northerly route and overnighted near the perched monasteries, touring three of them the next morning including the one that was in a James Bond movie. I would agree with others that you should spend some time in Athens.

For a first trip to Italy, I would focus on Rome, Florence, and Venice. Those have great connections by high speed rail. There are lots of great places to see in Italy, but for a first trip, those are the big three. I would use an "open jaws" air ticket, flying into Rome and out of Venice, then connect between the three by train. Fro,m Rome, I would do a day trip by train to Pompeii. When I am travelling for leisure to Rome, I like staying in the area of the Terminii train station because it is central to getting around both by train and metro. You can take the metro between the airport and the Terminii metro stop. On trips to Venice, other than the one spring we did a timeshare exchange, and one business trip there where I got a room in a medieval palace overlooking the Grand Canal that is now a four star hotel, I have picked small hotels or guesthouse from those recommended in Rough Guide or Lonely Planet, and always had good luck.

 

[aandmrun]

I don't mean to intrude in this conversation, but I could not find a way to post a question. It has been almost 20 years since we traveled out of the country. We are now planning to go to Ireland and the UK. Do we need to get foreign currency in the US prior to traveling? We will be using our credit card for purchases, will there be a problem with this?
Thank you, in advance, for any advice you may give me.

 

[Passepartout]

I don't mean to intrude in this conversation, but I could not find a way to post a question. It has been almost 20 years since we traveled out of the country. We are now planning to go to Ireland and the UK. Do we need to get foreign currency in the US prior to traveling? We will be using our credit card for purchases, will there be a problem with this?
Thank you, in advance, for any advice you may give me.

No. You don't need to get currency exchanged before you go. Simply stop at a BANK ATM (not a commercial vendor one) at the airport where you arrive and get modest amount from your debit card. Don't use a credit card at the ATM because it will be counted as a cash advance and the high interest starts immediately. Your debit account can easily be replenished online, limiting any potential loss. In Europe, most transactions are by card anyway and there is little need for cash. Even coffee shops and taxis and vending machines take plastic. Both England and Ireland use Pound Sterling, currently worth about $1.29 each.

 

[aandmrun]

No. You don't need to get currency exchanged before you go. Simply stop at a BANK ATM (not a commercial vendor one) at the airport where you arrive and get modest amount from your debit card. Don't use a credit card at the ATM because it will be counted as a cash advance and the high interest starts immediately. Your debit account can easily be replenished online, limiting any potential loss. In Europe, most transactions are by card anyway and there is little need for cash. Even coffee shops and taxis and vending machines take plastic. Both England and Ireland use Pound Sterling, currently worth about $1.29 each.

Thank you very much for answering my question. I appreciate this.

 

[PigsDad]

Both England and Ireland use Pound Sterling, currently worth about $1.29 each.

Minor correction -- Northern Ireland uses Pound Sterling, Ireland uses Euro.

Kurt

 

[Passepartout]

Minor correction -- Northern Ireland uses Pound Sterling, Ireland uses Euro.

Kurt

My bad. That's correct. I had originally written that Ireland was Euro-land, but then thought I'd check. I knew it was one or the other. My last visit to Ireland was on a cruise ship and if I'd paid for anything ashore, I'd have used plastic.

 

[aandmrun]

Minor correction -- Northern Ireland uses Pound Sterling, Ireland uses Euro.

Kurt

Thank you.

 

[aandmrun]

My bad. That's correct. I had originally written that Ireland was Euro-land, but then thought I'd check. I knew it was one or the other. My last visit to Ireland was on a cruise ship and if I'd paid for anything ashore, I'd have used plastic.

No problem. I knew that if I asked the TUG community I would learn from them. Love this website!

 

[WinniWoman]

Please recommend how to?
Should I book a tour via an agency or tour company?
Anyone have experience with Costco Travel?

What if any possible TS Exchange might I be able to make?

Is Oct a good time to travel to Europe?

Will most likely do southern Europe? Italy or Greece?

Please share or point me to other threads where some of these questions have been answered already?

As always. Thanks in advance.

Deleted

 

[Carolinian]

With credit cards, make sure you have one that does not charge a foreign usage fee. Most major banks do, and most credit unions do one. One major bank that does not charge this fee is Capital One. If your bank charges a foreign usage fee and you are not a credit union member, you ought to be able to open a card with Cap One.

The other thing to beware of with credit cards overseas is the "dynamic currenccy conversion" scam. Hotels, restaurants, and others will tell you they will do you a favor and bill you in your own currency, the US dollar. What they don't tell you is that they do the conversion at a very bad rate to you. If you get a bill in dollars, insist that it be billed in local currency. The credit cards companies use the mid-market interbank rate for currency conversion, which is a good rate for the consumer. The dynamic currency conversion rate of hotels, restaurants, etc. is NOT.

At some tourist hot spots in some countries, scams with taxis taking credit cards are very common. I have not heard of that in the UK or Ireland, but I make it a point everywhere in Europe to pay taxis with cash.

I also often pay restaurants with cash. There are some countries like parts of Greece where there is a real danger if your credit card is out of your physical possession during the charging process that your data will be compromised and your card used by someone else. Again, I have never heard of that in the UK or Ireland, but unless it is a large restaurant bill, I usually pay those in cash, too.

Another thought is that American credit cards are chip and signature while all of the European countries have chip and PIN. That sometimes presents a problem on using American cards. I have had train stations in Austria and Germany where the ticket machines would not take a card without a PIN, but I could stand in line in front of an agenda and they could take my American cards on their machine. I have also been at one train station in Romania (Iasi, if memory serves) where the agents at the main ticket counter could not take any cards that did not have a PIN but they sent me to an office in the bowels of the station that could process my card. I found that it was helpful to get a card from a European bank that was chip and PIN and since I was living there, that was not a problem. I understand that some American banks, at least, can put a PIN on a US chip and signature card in a way that it can be used as a chip and PIN card in Europe. I have never had a problem using my US card at a hotel or restaurant.

In western Europe, rates at exchange booths are not usually very good. Using an ATM with a DEBIT card (not credit care) gets you the mid-market interbank rate and without a commission. I make it a point to use an ATM at a bank branch and during banking hours. If you must use an exchange booth, those at airports and train statoins are usually the worst on rates and commissions. In London, there is an exchange shop near Victoria Station I sometimes use that has no commission and pretty good exchange rates.

 

[WinniWoman]

With credit cards, make sure you have one that does not charge a foreign usage fee. Most major banks do, and most credit unions do one. One major bank that does not charge this fee is Capital One. If your bank charges a foreign usage fee and you are not a credit union member, you ought to be able to open a card with Cap One.

The other thing to beware of with credit cards overseas is the "dynamic currenccy conversion" scam. Hotels, restaurants, and others will tell you they will do you a favor and bill you in your own currency, the US dollar. What they don't tell you is that they do the conversion at a very bad rate to you. If you get a bill in dollars, insist that it be billed in local currency. The credit cards companies use the mid-market interbank rate for currency conversion, which is a good rate for the consumer. The dynamic currency conversion rate of hotels, restaurants, etc. is NOT.

At some tourist hot spots in some countries, scams with taxis taking credit cards are very common. I have not heard of that in the UK or Ireland, but I make it a point everywhere in Europe to pay taxis with cash.

I also often pay restaurants with cash. There are some countries like parts of Greece where there is a real danger if your credit card is out of your physical possession during the charging process that your data will be compromised and your card used by someone else. Again, I have never heard of that in the UK or Ireland, but unless it is a large restaurant bill, I usually pay those in cash, too.

Another thought is that American credit cards are chip and signature while all of the European countries have chip and PIN. That sometimes presents a problem on using American cards. I have had train stations in Austria and Germany where the ticket machines would not take a card without a PIN, but I could stand in line in front of an agenda and they could take my American cards on their machine. I have also been at one train station in Romania (Iasi, if memory serves) where the agents at the main ticket counter could not take any cards that did not have a PIN but they sent me to an office in the bowels of the station that could process my card. I found that it was helpful to get a card from a European bank that was chip and PIN and since I was living there, that was not a problem. I understand that some American banks, at least, can put a PIN on a US chip and signature card in a way that it can be used as a chip and PIN card in Europe. I have never had a problem using my US card at a hotel or restaurant.

In western Europe, rates at exchange booths are not usually very good. Using an ATM with a DEBIT card (not credit care) gets you the mid-market interbank rate and without a commission. I make it a point to use an ATM at a bank branch and during banking hours. If you must use an exchange booth, those at airports and train statoins are usually the worst on rates and commissions. In London, there is an exchange shop near Victoria Station I sometimes use that has no commission and pretty good exchange rates.

We used Apple Pay exclusively when we were in Italy, except for things like gelato.”, when we used cash. Every place we went took Apple Pay.

We did have a couple of cards on us just in case but never used them.