FYI - if you are an Alaska plan member and will be flying to Europe this summer on one of their partner airlines (Iceland, Delta, KLM, etc.), register your plan membership to get a 1,000 mile bonus. Not a whole lotta bonus, but hey, it only takes a click through the link in their emails to get it - I’ll take that. 
My husband (first generation Polish) wants to go to Poland this summer. I am so not interested – especially because he wants to hunt down a piece of land he that he thinks his dad might have owned. I just have this feeling that anyuthing I might be interested in seeing is not on the family heritage tour. Please, anyone that has some info – what should I see? (And I have never been able to eat Polish food … no idea what I am going to eat for a week.)
PS. As far as I can tell, no family still alive in Poland. His Polish relatives are buried here.
What part of Poland? My D was living in a German town right across the boarder from Poland. She crossed that boarder weekly just because the food in Poland was so good. I would never confuse the Polish food you get here with what is available in Poland. (I loved it as well)
I really want to go to Krakow. It’s on “the list”. And the prices in Poland for first class hotels and restaurants are CHEAP.
I think it has to be Warsaw.
Warsaw will be great!
May warrant its own thread but anyone want to share sandals they can wear all day walking in Europe? My feet seem to get more sensitive each year. Bought a new pair of Merrill sneakers-but-nicer-looking that should serve me well but I’d love to bring 1-2 pair of sandals. Went into a Walking Store yesterday and I found most of the sandals too unattractive and the 2 pair I liked had too high an arch and were uncomfortable.
I wore a pair of Merrill sandals to Italy, with casual sundresses and skirts. They are a dressier sandal, but still feel as comfortable as a hiking shoe. I bought and wore them a few years ago, but Merrill often makes nice-looking casual shoes, not just hiking shoes/boots.
I also recommend Jambu sandals and flats. Comfortable, attractive, lightweight, often waterproof too, and often very cute styles.
Sandal comfort by brand is tricky as some brands do better by different foot characteristics than others. Reading Zappos reviews may help narrow options down. Brands I have found comfortable include Noat, Ecco, Sofft and Naturalizer. I don’t do well with a high arch either.
I rarely wear sandals on sightseeing trips with lots of urban walking. I find my feet are exposed to too much dirt and sandals are less stable than the amazing number of fashionable, lightweight sneaker or walking shoe styles now available. Mesh keeps me cool, yet a bit less vulnerable to being stepped on or tripping on cobblestones. YMMV, but one pair may be enough. Have a great trip.
@EarlVanDorn what was your weather in Copenhagen and when were you there? We are headed there at the end of May for a Baltics cruise. I’m planning on taking short sleeves and long sleeves and light jackets, but nothing too heavy.
@cgpm59 It was both cold and somewhat rainy. The weather should be much improved by the end of May, but I strongly suggest you check the projected weather for all of the cities you plan to visit. Early June may be colder than “light jacket” weather.
Our weather was, for the most part, awful in both Copenhagen and the Netherlands.
BTW, there is a restaurant called The Olive that is considered among the city’s best and trendiest. We really enjoyed it. If you are going to have a couple of days pre-cruise you should probably go ahead and make a reservation now.
Went to Italy last Summer with the family. We flew in/out of Milan and drove around for 3 weeks. It was a great trip as soon as the youngest got over his sleepiness the first day 
Somethings I’d recommend for the family vacation:
- AirBNB was a great choice for lodging - much cheaper than multiple hotel rooms. I can recommended a great farmhouse in Tuscany if anyone is interested. Other places we stayed were good to great also but the farmhouse was special for families. At the farmhouse you can also hire the owner's cousin to do a meal and wine tasting at the place.
- My job was to plan food and we ate at some truly remarkable places and none of it was outrageously expensive. I made a pdf with the google map link to several places organized by area. So we had some specific reservations but lots of times we'd just pick one from the list where we were currently at and navigate to it. A truffle farm in Emilia Romagna, a "slow food" place in Rome, etc. it's easy to eat well in Italy but if you don't do any planning you can end up at a bunch of touristy places that are fine but not exceptional.
- We had T-mobile and data was free so that made things easier.
- Not a personal fan of Venice. It's like the Disneyland of Italy. I've been off season and while better than the summer when it can be oppressively hot and ridiculous crowded the food still isn't that great and like everything there overpriced.
@Dolemite - I PM’d you for more info on Italy.
We’ve gone to Italy three times and also stayed in Tuscan villas, also an apartment in an 11th castle. Such a cool experience esp for families or multiple family groups. We’ve always booked through a villa booking service; my husband likes one with a Boston office so that he can email/call with someone in the States.
I know Venice can be nuts during certain times but I love exploring it early in the am or after everyone has gone. Getting agreeably lost is my favorite. And it was fabulous when we were there with another family. The five teens could wander by themselves and I never had to worry about cars or not being able to eventually find them. They broke their own record every day for how many times they could eat gelato. Having an apartment there was fabulous, too, though we have a favorite tiny hotel also.
You really just can’t go wrong in Italy
Just returned. Had a great trip! Visited 8 countries in all. Scandinavia and the Baltic region, like the “heart” of Europe, is extremely crowded during the summer months! In St. Peterburg, for example, we were one of 13 cruise ships all in port at the same time. Fortunately, we got into the Hermitage early. When we were leaving, around noon, it was so crowded we could hardly get out of there. Sunsets at 11:00-ish and sunrises at 4:00-ish was strange but rather cool.
Loved every city we visited:
Bergen, Norway
Flam, Norway
Stavanger, Norway
Alborg, Denmark
Copenhagen, Denmark
Berlin, Germany
Gdansk, Poland
Tallinn, Estonia
St. Petersburg, Russia
Helsinki, Finland
Stockholm, Sweden
H and I will be going to Italy in the fall with his parents. They go often, we’ve only gone once before together (for our 10th anniversary). We’ll be staying the first week in Perugia, a few miles away from his parents and we’ll all be together for the second week in Positano. My sister will join us there too.
That second week will be a blast! But I will happily accept all suggestions. We went to the north and about as far south as Assisi on our last visit. I’ve never been to the south or to Rome, Naples, etc. I figure we’ll take the train into Rome from Perugia for a day or two.
On the day we land, since it will be so early, I thought we could stop first at Ostia Antica which is near the airport. Then head east around Rome to Tivoli and see Villa d’Este and Hadrian’s Villa. Then head up to Perugia where we can hopefully check in and take a nap.
Haven’t rented a car yet. Any tips on that? I expect it to be painful.
@jshain Any one city and one experience that stood out to you? Welcome home and glad you have a fantastic experience!
If I had to pick one, it would probably be the “civilized” hiking trails on Mt. Ulriken and Mt. Floyen in Bergen, Norway. I am not an outdoor adventure guy per se, but you cannot help but be impressed with the beauty of this magnificent country, and the trails were quite easy to navigate for us non-physical types. Also surprised by how interesting the Oil Museum was in Stavenger, Norway.
Headed to Italy with H and 2 teenage daughters.We were lucky and hit a great sale out of Philly for $625 r/t. Flying in to Venice and out of Rome. We love Venice, but were just there 2 summers ago. We rented an air bnb on a canal off of the main area (back by the Jewish “ghetto”) and found great places to eat. Anyhow, we are skipping Venice this year and heading to Bologna for a night to get over jet lag. Will hit dairy farm in Parma and a balsamic vinegar place in Modena on our drive to the Cinque Terre. Staying 3 nights and then headed to Tuscany. We still need to find an agriturismo/farm house for those 4 nights. Then on to Rome for 4 nights. We booked a great air bnb for that portion of the trip. We booked a Friday night tour of the Vatican Museums so we won’t have to wait in line. Hopefully, the museums will not be as crowded since they are timed tickets. I’ll have to find and read the Rome thread from a year ago. Love any other recommendations .
This time of year I can’t imagine the Vatican Museum not being excessively overcrowded but maybe Friday night is the best night.
I’ve booked my award tickets to Italy in October - we’re also flying into Venice and out of Rome. total stay is for two weeks.
I’ve booked a hotel in Rome for a full week - I figure we’ll do a couple day trips - and I do want to see Ostia Antica one day.
However - is one week in Rome too long?
Here’s my itinerary, and places where we’ve booked hotels:
fly into Venice
Venice - 3 nights
Florence - 3 nights (I’ve been to Florence and Tuscany before and loved it, why I’m going back.)
Orvieto - 2 nights
Rome - 7 nights
Should we take some time from Rome (or even (gasp!) Florence? - to go see Pompeii and/or Amalfi Coast or some other region? I thought about going to Cinque Terre but heard the weather is horrible there in late October.