Where in Europe?

[MikeMike]

If you were flying to Europe for 7-10 days where would you go?

Totally up for traveling once there.
Willing to stay in hostels.

Never been.

 

[lxskllr]

EU? Sweden to stockup on snus, then up to Finland for jul. If I had time after that, Germany.

 

[Imp]

Probably Italy, Switzerland, or Germany.

 

[SKORPI0]

 

[Sho'Nuff]

I would fly to Prague and use it as a hub to tour Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, etc. Some amazing history, castles, etc. to be found. And with the exception of Germany it will be fairly inexpensive.

 

[MikeMike]

The next question is... what airlines are recommended?
- Would prefer to purchase all tickets through mileage. Have 270k UR points.

 

[Anubis]

does Iceland count?

 

[John Connor]

Quaint old towns and the country of Germany and Tuscany.

Tuscany.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Tus...ved=0ahUKEwiH3NCeh83QAhXKyVQKHSxGCB8Q_AUIBygC

Germany.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Tus...SxGCB8Q_AUIBygC#tbm=isch&q=german+countryside

 

[KMFJD]

flights to Iceland are insanely cheap atm, $250 CDN for round trip

 

[John Connor]

Holland would be cool. I only seen it in Google Street View.

 

[Humpy]

I'd spend a week in Germany and two or three days in whatever city I was flying in and out of.

 

[MikeMike]

does Iceland count?

It's part of Europe, no?

I didn't say "EU".

Planning for sometime in July.

 

[KMFJD]

It's part of Europe, no?

I didn't say "EU".

Planning for sometime in July.

What is your budget?

 

[MikeMike]

What is your budget?

I have 270,000 Ultimate Reward points. which is around $2700 give or take in flight miles.

I'd say an additional $3K on top of that.

 

[KMFJD]

I have 270,000 Ultimate Reward points. which is around $2700 give or take in flight miles.

I'd say an additional $3K on top of that.

What do you want to do/see when you are down there, more nature or cultural, or party? Independant travel or part of a tour with similar aged people? I'd try and book a flight with one of the major European airlines with the many miles (if possible) Ireland is amazing and some of the best people you'll ever meet. Scandinavia is amazing for nature but expensive.

 

[MrSquished]

Spain, France, Italy

 

[MikeMike]

What do you want to do/see when you are down there, more nature or cultural, or party? Independant travel or part of a tour with similar aged people? I'd try and book a flight with one of the major European airlines with the many miles (if possible) Ireland is amazing and some of the best people you'll ever meet. Scandinavia is amazing for nature but expensive.

It will be with my gf.

Would love to somehow do nature for a few days and city for another few. Zurich seems like a good middle ground?

 

[Platypus]

Germany for sure, I've been all over Europe and it's been my favorite consistently. It depends on what you want to do though. You can get big city plus nature here just by taking different trains.

I moved to Germany for a few months and I'm here currently. Look me up if you want to grab a drink.

 

[Gryz]

Don't go to Scandinavia. Too expensive, not enough to see. Iceland is expensive too. The main attraction of those places is the countryside. You got woods and wide landscapes in the US too.

Don't go to Amsterdam, it's a boring filthy tourist trap, filled with drunk teenage tourists who wanna smoke pot. I wouldn't go to Brussels either. I would also skip eastern countries (Poland, Romania, Slovakia, ex-Yugoslavia, etc).

I'd stay in the southern countries if I were you. Better weather. (It's not fun if you are in London and Brussels, and you get 7 days of rain).

You got only 7 days, 10 days maybe. Don't try to travel too much. Even if you do a schedule of 1 day in a city, 1 day travel, 1 day in a city, 1 day travel, you get to see only 3 cities. You might think Europe is small, but it still takes a day to travel by plane from Madrid to Rome.

If I were you, I'd do Madrid and Rome. Or Barcelona and Venice. And for a 3rd city, if you want to see something non-mediterranean, go to Berlin. Berlin a germanic, quite different. A real world city. If you don't wanna go to Berlin, maybe go to Paris then. Or Prague.

Have fun.

 

[Murloc]

americans usually enjoy the swiss alps (usually in bern canton as it's most dramatic there) and northern Italy (verona etc.) because they see a kind of mountain landscape they don't have in their own continent (steep slopes, human presence), and they see italian cities, and it's all close together and accessible by train with nice views during the trips and linked to international airports and it can be toured in a single trip.

I second the idea of avoiding scandinavia and such because true wilderness is aplenty in north america. Europeans who go to those countries go because there isn't that kind of wilderness elsewhere in Europe, you probably want to do the opposite.

Regarding Zürich: geographically, train and airport-wise it'd be good as an arrival and departure point as you can go see the alps in canton Bern and the black forest in germany without spending too much time on trains and strikes are not a thing in Switzerland, but I can't express myself regarding the city as I've never visited.

 

[sdifox]

Are you chasing Carmen Sandiego?

 

[Exterous]

I have 270,000 Ultimate Reward points. which is around $2700 give or take in flight miles.

I'd say an additional $3K on top of that.

I'm not sure if chases travel portal is showing a lot of the cheap fares to Europe. I've tried it couple times but can't get it to match some of the sub $400 RT fares I've seen. Personally if you don't have a huge preference for area I would wait and snag one of those fares to whatever city and then travel from there. They seem to mostly be to Madrid, Dublin or Alps region cities. Alternatively round trip on United is 120K miles in economy from NA to Europe if you transfer to the airline and their availability is generally good.

For 7-10 days you might consider doing a South England + Scotland trip. Flights from London to Edinburgh are plentiful and cheap. I'm a big fan of the Scottish countryside but that's a trip where you should self drive. Be sure to stop by some Welsh castles and the Isle of Sky. There is another stone circle in North East Scotland that is much less visited but the name escapes me atm. I really liked Dunnotar Castle and, of course, Eliean Donan. Also the exchange rate is one of the best in recent history

Another option would be the alps area. Fly into Munich, Vienna, Geneva or Milan and take the train around hitting cities like those (well maybe not Geneva) and Lucerne, hallstatt, and Salzburg (and others). Grab a car from Munich or Freilassing and drive to Herrenchimsee, Ludwig s palace and Neuschweinstein.

I'd be wary of Prague not because there is anything wrong with the city just that the roads and trains are not as well integrated with neighboring countries so it takes much longer to visit than many other destinations

Last one that comes to mind is Madrid. Head North to hit Avila and Coca Castle before heading south to visit the Andalucia region, more specifically Seville, Malaga and Alhambra

 

[dullard]

I would highly recommend choosing a region of a country and focus on that. Do not under any circumstances follow Skorpio's maps. You'll be travelling non-stop and never get to do so see anything in just a week or so.

Try to go with 16.5 days as you can. Fly out Friday after work (the half day) and fly back in Sunday two weeks later. That gives you a much better international trip and maximizes the (Enjoyable Vacation Time) / (Days off Work) ratio. It just isn't worth spending so much time travelling and so much time off of work just to be in Europe for a couple of days. If you absolutely can't take two weeks off, then go with the 9.5 day option (Friday after work, the half day, and fly back in Sunday one week later). A 7-day trip to Europe is just a complete waste.

July isn't really a great time to go in Europe. The flight prices and hotel prices will be sky-high, the tourists will be everywhere, you really aren't experiencing Europe instead you are experiencing long lines, and much of Europe is hot. April/May and September/October is much better in my opinion. Only if you are going far north is it worth considering July.

 

[dullard]

Regions that I highly recommend for a first trip to Europe (roughly in this order):

* Rome to the Amalfi coast: highly romantic, beautiful, great culture, and history.
* The eastern coast of Spain. Warm, exciting, beautiful.
* Paris and Southern France (Carcassonne to Marseille). Romantic, charming villages, relaxing.
* The Croatian coastline. Italy food/culture on the cheap. Dubrovnik can't be beat. Not your typical vacation that everyone else has done (especially if you take the easy tours into Bosnia and Montenegro).
* Greek islands. Santorini is perfect with a girl friend. Beautiful, historical, and romantic.
* Paris and Northern France. Great sights, romantic, and recent history.
* Prague and the nearby areas (Vienna, Budapest). Scenery, history, buildings are actually hundreds/thousands of years old and not modern post-war reconstructions.
* Ireland coastline. Beautiful and easy for first time travelers, more castles than you'll want to see.

Choose one and you'll be thrilled.

 

[rcpratt]

Some of my favorite cities...so many more I want to hit:

1. London - by far, my favorite city the world. I could spend years exploring London.
2. Amsterdam - incredibly beautiful city with all of the canals. Very unique...you have to see the red light district and "coffee" shops at least once.
3. Munich - love the beer, love the culture. Check out Neuschwanstein nearby.
4. Prague - much cheaper city than the others, but still great food/drinks/hotels. More tourist-centric night life.
5. Rome - can't miss the architecture and all the landmarks in Rome.

That being said...you can't really go wrong. We enjoyed Paris, Florence, Zurich, Zermatt, and Cinque Terra as well. We're considering hitting Iceland, Greece, and Munich again in 2017.