Heading over to Oxford (visit son studying there 
) and then to Ireland (Dublin and County Clare) mid October. If anyone knows of any fabulous fine dining restaurants in Oxford, it would be most appreciated.
We just got back from cruising around the Greek Islamds, then spent 3 days in Venice. We flew through Brussels. We saw a little bit heightened security, but nothing unduly intrusive. The major thing we noticed was in Greece, the locals requested US currency if possible. Unfortunately for them, most of us had euros. It was a fantastic trip. The Greek Islands have been much less affected by the financial troubles in Greece because of their dependence on tourist money.
I got such a kick out of the airline people. Standing in line to board the plane we heard a lot of French, Italian, English. So we could tell who was from where. As we boarded, though, the stewards greeted each of the groups in the respective native languages. How the heck are they so good at that!
@Kajon, how fine of fine dining are you thinking?
The fanciest place (near) town is Belmond, Le Manoir aux QuatâSaisons, which has a Michelin Star (the other 2 Michelan stars in the area are the Nut Tree Inn and the Sir Charles Napier; all 3 require transport)
Usual suspects for parents taking student-kids out for a nice meal: Cote, Brownes, Gees, Cherwell Boathouse (btw, if you walk there, you walk by the Dragon school- which, yes, has dragons on the gates- which is the primary school that Emma Watson went to).
Pierre Victoire (call ahead to reserve) is genuine French (though not super formal- bare wood tables, but linen napkins) and very good. A bit farther out (but easily reached) is the Oxford Kitchen, which is excellent.
The restaurant at the top of the Ashmolean Museum is good for lunch.
If the weather is crummy, formal tea at the Old Parsonage is cosy and all that you hope a high tea will be!
You probably know this, but you really donât want a car in Oxford. If you need a taxi, Royal is the most reliable, and their app is good (fyi, taxis have a ÂŁ5 minimum).
For Dublin, there is a fun new place called the Greenhouse, right off St Stephens Green. If you are the least bit open to new foods, I recommend their surprise tasting menu (they will modify for allergies & food preferences). Absolutely brilliant.
Have a wonderful time!
Reading about all the wonderful trips people took and have a question - how do you guys plan it all out?
Weâve only gone to Europe twice - Spain and Italy - both times with a group and are realizing now that even though there are some advantages to going on an organized tour (didnât have to spend any time before the trip thinking about the logistics and figuring out the itinerary, where to stay, how to get from one place to another, ability to get into some museums and other attractions with almost no lines etc.), the last trip felt more like a travel boot camp than anything else.
We saw lots in a small amount of time but came home exhausted and are now thinking of planning our own trip next time. The problem is I have no idea where to begin.
Any advice is welcome.
Emily.
Donât try to do too much on any trip. Pick a place where you want to stay and then make short trip out to nearby sites. I find the most enjoyable part about traveling is the discovery of those little places thatâs not on any tour guide, but which you will remember for the rest of your life. Take it slow and try to stay away from the tourist traps and interact with the local population as much as possible. Use sites like Trip Advisor for other peopleâs recommendations for outings, restaurants, etc.
@Emily0722, weâve always traveled on our own and signed up for tours at our destination. My method is simple. I search early and often for cheap airfares and start there. Our family has a list of destinations and I regularly check fares. Last summer, we flew into Copenhagen for $680 and used it as a springboard to London. Still looking for this yearâs deal!
@Emily0722, we first used general books/internet to see where in general we might like to go. In Croatia, for example, there are only a handful (right now, but growing) of places that most visitors go. We planned a route (just three cities this trip) and then just planned one âexcursionâ at each place. This gave us time to just explore. We always try to stay right in the center of things, though, so that the exploring is easy and immersive. In Dubrovnik my husband scheduled an awesome private âGame of Thronesâ walking tour which blended history and the show and was funny and great (and there were plenty of bigger groups doing similar things but the private one was not that much more $$ and Iâll bet was better). In Hvar we did a walking eco tour that was amazing but tiring but good exercise. In Split we did a walking tour with an Australian/Croatian man who also teaches at the Univ of Split and was fantastic. And we always try to schedule in a day to do nothing planned, which of course ends up with some great wandering, good window shopping, and a nap for my H. Trip Advisor is a good resource for activities/tours/hotels. You can do it!
My husband planned the tours before we left (Type A) but you can almost always do it once you get there. Or do no tours at all except your own from reading about history (my favorite method in London or NYC).
In addition to Trip Advisor, I find the Fodorâs Forums helpful.
Hvar is an interesting place. Beautiful island. Perfect water. The main area seems to be a mating ground for the young rich (males) or Europe (who frequently come on large boats) and attractive females. We were there with our two young adult kids a couple of years ago and ShawWife and I dramatically increased the average age. I joked that there was a sign entering the ferry that said âDo not come here if you donât look good in a bikini.â So, absolutely beautiful place, but I would go to other islands instead.
@Emily0722, we read a little and ask our friends there or at home. For our recent trip to Berlin, we mostly asked German colleagues what they would recommend. For Paris (where we have been a number of times), my wife picked a couple of destinations from art magazines. A number of our friends hire travel agents who plan elaborate trips (get picked up from the hotel by a driver at 8 AM, 8:30-9:15 at X, drive to Y, 9:45-11 at Y, drive to Z and see it from 11:30-12:30 then lunch from 1-2:30 then âŠ). Way too much. We like to linger and as well to talk to locals.
I just got back from Oxford last week â taught for a day and had dinner at the college â but taught there in June and people took me to a pretty nice French restaurant, which may have been Pierre Victoire. Iâd rely on @collegemom3717âs experience.
@shawbridge â Agree re Hvar. We joked that it was the Daytona Beach of Europe. We heard an American girl say perkily as we passed an outdoor bar, âTomorrow weâre going to rent bikes if weâre not too hungover!â lol. And Dubrovnik was AARP Central. But we still enjoyed both places, and Split was great-- a working city of all ages.
@jaylynn, we really enjoyed Dubrovnick. Didnât notice the AARP demographic. We didnât spend much time in Split. We really wanted to go to Plitvice Lakes National Park. https://www.google.com/search?q=plitvice+lakes&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwixg6qVh8LPAhXLJiYKHVmpB1MQ7AkIVA&biw=1593&bih=732. Iâm planning a trip back for that.
Yes, we had (very outdoorsy) friends go there and they loved it. Did they tell you during your visit that Croatia has so much clean drinking-quality water (much of it from that park you linked) that they wash the streets with actual drinking water every night in Dubrovnik?
@Emily0722, we typically rent apartments (eg, airbnb) in city center areas. It gives you a base, lets you control your food a lot more (you can eat at home when you feel like it), and is almost always much more cost effective.
Emily0722
For me most of the fun is in the planning.
First decide on a region. Donât try to do 12 countries in 10 days or anything. Letâs say you want to do Italy. Wherever you go, make sure you go during the off season to lower costs and more hotels and attractions are available.
Then you go to a bunch of airline websites and find the least expensive routes from your airport to Milan, Florence, Rome etc. You can even fly into one city and return from another. At some point you will find the best flight for your budget and circumstances and Voila!! You book the flights.
Then you make sure your passports are current and the fun begins filling in the blanks with where you want to go and accommodations. Personally I prefer to rent apartments as a home base so I can enjoy breakfast at leisure and wifi to research the next dayâs events.
Rick Steves is a Europe expert on âdoing it your wayâ. He has a lot of suggested itineraries in his travel books and website. Go to your local library and see if you can check out his travel guides to help you get motivated. He has lots of good suggestions on everything. They even offer a consulting service which I used once. I was confused between the trains I needed for our travel and whether or not a rail pass made any sense. I made an appt and talked with someone for 20 min on the phone which saved me from a mess since I needed several local trains not on the pass and several long hauls that were a certain type of pass.
@collegemom3717 - thanks, I will look into those dining tips! We are crossing paths with another couple and would like to take them out for a great dinner.
Emily, my dad always suggested a commercial city tour on arrival in a new place, which gives a feel for lay of the land. Then you can go back to the places that interest you. Or you can do it my less than time efficient way, which is to set off with a destination in mind, get lost. and then take a taxi to someplace familiar. But what you obtain while wandering is a feeling for the lay of the land, and the life of the average resident. And that is really the joy of travel for me.
Iâm rather a fan of written guides, Rough Guides, especially, which sometimes have greater detail on a place than I can find on the internet. Especially for less commonly touristed places. My two trips to France when my D lived there focused on Brittany and the Pyrenees. The old guidebooks were invaluable.
Appreciate everyoneâs advice. Will try figure out where we want to go next and start planning⊠slowly and probably with lots of questions posted here⊠I donât even know where to begin with getting from the airport to the hotel⊠something new to learn, might be good for the mid-life crisis that is hitting pretty hardâŠ
Emily0722, Not sure if you were serious or just kidding about ground transportation from airport to hotel but, assuming you are serious, most every airport that is civilized has a taxi zone curbside. Just be careful that someone inside or just outside the airport doors doesnât âsnagâ you first. Make sure you are at the official airport taxi zone where the cabs are lined up. Once in a foreign city, away from airport taxi zones, it is a good idea to arrange a cab with hotel or restaurant personnel. In Mexico, for example, I wonât just climb into any cab out on the street.
Emily. If your accommodation is far from the airport and/or taxi is very costly determine your accommodation first. Then ask the hotel or apartment manager what they recommend for transport to the accommodation.
If saving money is important there are always recommendations in the travel guides. Get out a map and get really familiar with where your accommodation is in relation to the airport and local train stations (and possibly subways). If you pack light you can try subway or other alternate. But be warned that, in Europe, you may be hauling that luggage up and down and up and down multiple stairways traversing through the underground. Been there, done that. Never again.
Iâve planned quite a number of trips and, Emily, youâve received some great advice here. Once our destination is selected, I look on several airline search engines (i.e. kayak, skyscanner) and also set up one or two alerts to seek out the best fare. If we have friends that have been to that destination, I ask if they still have their itinerary and for any details/recommendations. I also agree that we try to balance wanting to see everything of interest to us with having a relaxed schedule so we donât come home exhausted.
I then google things like âtop sights in Xâ just to get oriented. It doesnât mean those 10 sights are all ones weâd want to visitâit just helps me get acquainted with that destination. Tripadvisor, which I find a bit addictive (like CC!) fills in much of the rest in terms of sights, logistics, restaurants, accommodations, etc. Through tripadvisor, for example, we found an excellent food tour in Prague and a wonderful Jewish tour in Budapest.
Itâs also good to know that, if Europe is your destination, that there are numerous low cost airlines there and flying within Europe tends to be incredibly inexpensive. Our last trip took us to Prague, Budapest and a couple locations in France. We flew into Budapest and out of Paris because it was the least expensive configuration we found and then flew very easily and inexpensively between the countries (less than $100 each leg).
Itâs very likely D3 will be studying abroad in Sydney in the spring and Iâm excited to plan to visit her. Weâve not been and I donât know much about that part of the world.