Advice needed: European travel

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I think Liechtenstein would be very interesting to visit. However, I’m just looking for a couple of places that aren’t too far from each other. I don’t want to keep checking into hotels, just trying for a minimum of hassle.

The chocolate train sounds like a pretty scenic train trip, with a chocolate factory tour at the end of it, of course!

Where in the Swiss Alps was the bike trip? We’re just going to rent a bike for a day in Luzern, I think. That is, if we ever end up actually going on a trip that I plan.

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We had bikes with us when we stayed a week in the Jura district, a relaxing region with dairy farms and cheese making on the border of France south of Basel. One of my favorite hotel/restaurants in the world (not super fancy by any means) is on the Doubs river on the french side; http://www.hotel-restaurant-lefrance.com/flash/en/#top. Unfortunately it would be tough to see much of the region without a car.

All the way across the country, we also loved the Italian area near Lago Maggiore. We stayed in a small hotel on a hill above Locarno, accessible by train but a long way from Geneva.

One thing on my bucket list is to go back to Mount Titlis on a sunny day. We had clouds and snow in August. It is a short train ride/day trip from Lucerne. Given that you are planning 7 days, your itinerary looks nice but try to add this in.

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Busdriver, the area has a number of attractions, but Liechtenstein per se is really a simple dot on the map. If you were not looking for it, or check on the bank balances in your foundation, you might miss it entirely. The biggest entertaining part is that you seem to have to cross several borders (with fees) to get in and out.

The good news is that you can schedule the visit as there are a number of close-by cities that are worth of an overnight. It is a very pretty part of the world but Liechtenstein is not a true destination.

PS There is nothing wrong with your trip. I think that there is more to see in the Munich-Salzburg-Vienna corridor with a bit of Switzerland, but that is not the question you posed. I also think that the German side of Switzerland is a tad more expensive and less “jovial.”

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“One thing on my bucket list is to go back to Mount Titlis on a sunny day. We had clouds and snow in August. It is a short train ride/day trip from Lucerne. Given that you are planning 7 days, your itinerary looks nice but try to add this in.”

That sounds like a great suggestion. I’ll definitely only do it if it’s a nice day, though.

"There is nothing wrong with your trip. I think that there is more to see in the Munich-Salzburg-Vienna corridor with a bit of Switzerland, but that is not the question you posed. I also think that the German side of Switzerland is a tad more expensive and less “jovial.” "

I would definitely like to do a trip that direction one day, also. In particular, would love to visit Salzburg. However, we’re looking for mountains, lakes, and scenic train rides, so avoiding any particularly large cities if possible.

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I would suggest to search this site with Brussels or Madrid. There have been countless threads on those two cities.

However, if you’d define the lengths of the stay a bit better, I think several here could give you better ideas of what is doable. Both cities will be pretty easy to navigate and cause no great problems to a group of young people. For most in Madrid, spending two days around the broad area around Salamanca/Castellana (from Bernabeu stadium to Atocha) plus the Grand Via and Puerta del Sol is ideal. Add a couple of museums for interest, and that should take care of two days.

A similar pattern applies to Brussels. Stay around the Gare Centrale and the downtown area (Grand Place, Fish Market, Place St Gery, La Bourse, etc should suffice. For an experience, have them go to Place St Catherine and have lunch on the street at Noordzee accompanied with the best “French” fries from Decorte. The truck should be parked across the open air restaurant. It is a TOP restaurant in Belgium despite its democratic look. Around the area, one will find the original Pain Quotidien. Drinks around or on the Grand Place are great. Check the Roy d’Espagne or Cirio for a trip down history. Google Grand Place and there will be tons of restaurants (many are tourist traps) and bars. Chez Leon serve great Belgium fare but the best months are not the summer for mussels.

They should try the sandwiches, waffles, crepes at the place I linked above (across the Ibis) – they cannot go wrong with that.

For the gourmet, head to the Sablon area (Sand Market) and enjoy chocolates and other delicacies. All of this is within walking distance. The Manneken-Pis is forgettable.

If they are into comic books, Brussels is the world’s capital of the genre. If they are interested in architecture, they should check the Art Nouveau and Deco with names like Horta. There are a number of easy to navigate museums but that may not be their cup of tea. And tea should not be high on the list as Belgium is easily the best country in terms of beer and chocolate.

All in all, it would take a Herculean effort to have a bad meal and a bad time in 24 hours in Brussels, and especially for teenagers. Paris and Brussels will deliver the best food and will serve as a nice comparison to other cities in Europe, where good decent food is not that easy to found.

For one day, I’d stick to eating well and have a good time at one of the many terraces. I am not sure that kids should be doing much more than that!

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Gotcha! I traveled from Munich to Konstanz and Lucerne. The Bodensee was really nice, and you will have zero problems making it a wonderful trip.

And no, I did not find the Nazi treasure at the bottom of the Bodensee! :slight_smile:

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What, no treasure??

There are so many great places to see. I can only hope to be in good enough shape to do so, when I retire.