taking the wife on a work trip to europe and she's never been.
it will be summer and have nearly two weeks from the end of work to go somewhere. Where should we go? Already been to london and bruges and work is in netherlands so we can do a bit of amsterdam, maastricht (which is awesome) during the work week etc but then where? I am struggling to decide, but figure we can just jump on a train or flight so anywhere is on the cards. Will then fly home from wherever we finish. It's a bit broad I know but can people hit me with some suggestions pls?

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bargearse said..
taking the wife on a work trip to europe and she's never been.
it will be summer and have nearly two weeks from the end of work to go somewhere. Where should we go? Already been to london and bruges and work is in netherlands so we can do a bit of amsterdam, maastricht (which is awesome) during the work week etc but then where? I am struggling to decide, but figure we can just jump on a train or flight so anywhere is on the cards. Will then fly home from wherever we finish. It's a bit broad I know but can people hit me with some suggestions pls?

You could spend 4 or 5 days in maybe 3 of the well worn countries (Germany, France, Greece, Italy etc) and it'll be great and easy but why not go somewhere different? Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland? Zurich is nice in the summer?

Does work pay for your flights home? It'll obviously be much cheaper through some countries.

If you eat the mushrooms in Amsterdam you will see the universe...

In all seriousness though Finland is epic for a look, and has some amazing countryside my dads from there so maybe I got to see a few things from a lucky perspective but I remember just walking the forest picking blueberries and lakaberries catching pike on fly gear and eating proper ancient forest foods, France and Spain have always been on my bucket list not the big cities but the chunk of coast and Basque Country from Bilbao south, the idea of a beer and tapas for 3-5 bucks really appeals as do the waves.

I had a friend who went over did that section France/Spain boarder he was supposed to go for two weeks , didn't get home till around six later his photos of food and country and waves made it pretty clear why he hung around so long......

Barcelona is fun, but watch your wallet on the underground, Prague is amazing. Italian hill towns, awesome

We did a train tour, but found it's great for visiting capital cities, but awkward for getting to less populated spots.

Paris, Florence, Venice, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest. I like all these places and Amsterdam is cool too. Just decide what is your priority and timetable as you don't have a lot of time. Even if you just go to one of these places you will love it. I think Berlin is probably one of the coolest places go there if you just pick one of these or Paris.

I can tell you not to go to Madrid in their summer. Its hot, and a lot of people leave the city for their holidays somewhere near the coast.

Surprisingly, the heat, despite being 40+ was pretty good as there was no humidity. I liked it, but would have been better off going to the coast to windsurf or kite.


Probably the best questions to ask are, what do you like doing and where else have you been that you liked? Some people like looking at monuments and churches, but after a short time you realise that everywhere has churches and they all start to look the same.

Wild Atlantic way road trip along the Irish west coast. 1 & 1/2 hour flight to Dublin from Schipol.

scotland and ireland, ive lived and travelled europe, for me i like the simple things

Alps - stunning in the summer as there's so much wildlife and the glaciers are amazing.

So many of the tourist European cities are flavours of the others, I'd give it a miss.

But Scotland and Ireland are awesome. Brandon bay in Ireland has surf and wind even in their 'summer'.

Been to Europe a couple of times, mostly to the big tourist spots. The train from Amsterdam to Paris only takes a couple of hours. To me Paris was everything I expected with lots to do, see, drink and eat. A quick train trip from there gets you to Versailles and in a different direction, Monet's garden.

A very short flight from Paris is Prague, absolutely gorgeous. Everywhere in Europe is short flight, Austria, Switzerland although expensive.

As it's only a short trip I would go to places which give you maximum bang for your buck and your time.

Some people think them too touristy, (you are a tourist after all) but I recommend the Hop on Hop off buses. They give you the lay of the land and really help with knowing where everything is in the city.

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cauncy said..
scotland and ireland, ive lived and travelled europe, for me i like the simple things

Is that how you got your Guinness addiction?

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THE PIN PULLER said..

cauncy said..
scotland and ireland, ive lived and travelled europe, for me i like the simple things

Is that how you got your Guinness addiction?

To be sure to be sure,

The french back country, the dept du var 83, bargemon, clavier ,callas, provencale country, leading to the gorges du verdon and lac de saint croix, amazing , easily reached with an easy jet flight and car hire from nice airport, then head down to to tour the cote d azur, dont book accomadation let yourself be led by the regions, always been a highlight of my life, so many spots are getting flooded with tourists, these are still quite undescovered

Taking the ship from the Faroe Islands to Iceland was great... several fjords were travelled through on leaving Torshavn (literally 'Thor's Harbour). 1700 berths, but only 45 pax... but it was mid-winter.

we've done a drive your own canal boat (nothing like the English long boats) in France and Italy. Travel at 6 knots, stop at any village on the trip, buy local produce and wine. Accommodation and travel in one package. We've been to Europe 8 or 9 times, and the river/canal trips are some of the best memories...

Balkan peninsula would be my pic for a romantic getaway with the Mrs. The croatian coast and islands are amazing and a very economical option.

The bonus round is to visit montenegro. I spent a week in Kotor which i rate as one of the best places I have travelled to. They have military fortifications over 1000 years old that you are free to explore however you like. The landscape is AMAZING.

Other suggestions of mine would be;
Copenhagen - think of a cleaner version of amsterdam where people are friendlier. Check out the anarchaist freetown settlement of Christiania while you're there. Food is also excellent. Overall not as expensive as everyone says (ie cheaper than sydney)
Berlin for culture, history and fun times if you're that way inclined.
Barcelona - excellent food and drink, weather is very pleasant, go to park Guell, buy a 1 euro beer and walk to very top of hill (it's free), enjoy your beer in the sun poverlooking the sagrada familia with vistas out over the Mediterranean.
Morocco - Essaouira (wind sports mecca and ancient city), Marrakech (the souk and main square are another world at night) and Chefchouen (picturesque blue town in the hills) where you should procure the services of a local guide to take you into the hills to see the farmers crops ;) )
Greece - havent really been to the mainland but the islands are amazing. Have to check out santorini for the crazy landscape for a few days but then visit some of the less visited islands where it is really laid back. Hire a quad bike and explore the islands. Suggestions for other islands include Paros and Milos.

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JulianRoss said..
we've done a drive your own canal boat (nothing like the English long boats) in France and Italy. Travel at 6 knots, stop at any village on the trip, buy local produce and wine. Accommodation and travel in one package. We've been to Europe 8 or 9 times, and the river/canal trips are some of the best memories...

This sounds like a pretty great idea!

You get the whole euro holiday experience but it's also sounds a somewhat relaxed so you end up getting a bit of down time?

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MDSXR6T said..

JulianRoss said..
we've done a drive your own canal boat (nothing like the English long boats) in France and Italy. Travel at 6 knots, stop at any village on the trip, buy local produce and wine. Accommodation and travel in one package. We've been to Europe 8 or 9 times, and the river/canal trips are some of the best memories...

This sounds like a pretty great idea!

You get the whole euro holiday experience but it's also sounds a somewhat relaxed so you end up getting a bit of down time?

Yep, The last one we did was on the Charante River near Cognac in France. Cruise down the river, stop and swim, find a village, hit the bakery, taste some wines, go to a restaurant where you don't know what you're ordering. Have a fantastic meal, sleep and repeat. Doesn't get any better

What about Istanbul? With cheap flights from anywhere in Europe and Turkish Lira tumbling down it wouldn't cost too much and it's truly a unique experience.

Paris just get the no go zone app and it will be fine

I'd go to Austria or Switzerland and do some summertime bobsledding. There are plenty of them to choose from in both countries.

That bobsledding is awesome! I hope he just chose to not use the brakes, as I would be using them a lot.

There's a lake in Germany (could be Switzerland) near the town of Getfuched. That's were you should go.

thanks everyone for the awesome suggestions so far.
Check this place in austria out. Hallstatt

I tend to like pretty places. Bruges was nice and Maastricht was awesome - a ye olde walled city with draw bridges, ramparts, cobblestone streets, and water mills etc. All of the very pretty old places.
we'll go to giethoorn in netherlands as well.

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JulianRoss said..
we've done a drive your own canal boat (nothing like the English long boats) in France and Italy. Travel at 6 knots, stop at any village on the trip, buy local produce and wine. Accommodation and travel in one package. We've been to Europe 8 or 9 times, and the river/canal trips are some of the best memories...

Tick for the canal. Have done a couple in UK = long boat 3-6knts - pubs - really scenic getting nowhere fast!! On the bucket list to do wine regions in France..
If you like some exercise, combination, there are some great bike tours, in a lot of countries. Can do expensive = all booked with guide, for example down Seine on sleep-on with chef and daily rides to be met by boat and night's stop-over, or basic = quality bike and organisation, along planned route you take at your own pace - friend's we hike and bike with have done a number. They recommended a particular company and rated islands off Croatia as one of the best Scenic and old monasterys etc = can find out details if you like this idea...
Cheers
AP

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bargearse said..

Check this place in austria out. Hallstatt

if you like mountains, I would go to the Dolomiti mountains in Northern Italy, just across the border from Austria. We go there in the winter but been few times in the summer too.

another idea: rent a mountain bike in Austria and ride the Dachstein Runde (or similar). I did that last year and it was awesome (I brought my own bike).
If you don't feel like climbing almost 3000 m each day , you can rent an ebike and do it the easy way . They take your luggage from town to town and book hotels for you so you only need to bring a day pack and ride light

www.radurlaub.com/en/mountain-bike/dachsteinrunde.html

On a different tack altogether, (have you been watching "who do you think you are"), do some family history research and visit your roots.

Spain has the best food hands down... France being a good 2nd.
You can fly in to Barcelona rent a car and stay in castles.
www.icastelli.net/en/theme-stay/stay-in-a-castle/spain


You could also start in south Spain drive to Italy... Spanish castles are comparatively cheap and they usually have a good spread like Lamb in a wood fired over.

Switzerland is nice, but f me it's expensive.

Forget Europe...
Russia?
Turkey?

Just go. It's all incredible.

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bargearse said..
taking the wife on a work trip to europe and she's never been.
it will be summer and have nearly two weeks from the end of work to go somewhere. Where should we go? Already been to london and bruges and work is in netherlands so we can do a bit of amsterdam, maastricht (which is awesome) during the work week etc but then where? I am struggling to decide, but figure we can just jump on a train or flight so anywhere is on the cards. Will then fly home from wherever we finish. It's a bit broad I know but can people hit me with some suggestions pls?

totally depends on what you want to see..
you want nice untouched nature? go to norway for example the Lofoten area.


want to see historical sites or ancient castles?

maybe go to austria


photos of Lofoten below

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aeolos said..

bargearse said..
taking the wife on a work trip to europe and she's never been.
it will be summer and have nearly two weeks from the end of work to go somewhere. Where should we go? Already been to london and bruges and work is in netherlands so we can do a bit of amsterdam, maastricht (which is awesome) during the work week etc but then where? I am struggling to decide, but figure we can just jump on a train or flight so anywhere is on the cards. Will then fly home from wherever we finish. It's a bit broad I know but can people hit me with some suggestions pls?

totally depends on what you want to see..
you want nice untouched nature? go to norway for example the Lofoten area.


want to see historical sites or ancient castles?

maybe go to austria


photos of Lofoten below

Wow awesome

No crowds, no big buildings, no pollution