<p>We actually made a three day stop in Europe in December. We had a few options…Amsterdam, London, Munich or Brussels. We chose Brussels. To be honest, it was great. We took a train to Bruge for a day in the middle of our three days. That was charming also…and only really a “day trip”. I personally loved Brussels but we were there during the Christmas season with the street vendors and music/light shows. I’m not sure I would have loved it so much at another time of the year.</p>
<p>kataliamom is right on with Istanbul…especially in the Spring. (where do you think the Dutch got all those tulips!?)
Fantastic people, history, easy to get around, wonderful food and my favorite hotel in the world.
:[Witt</a> Istanbul Hotel – Award Winning Boutique Hotel](<a href=“http://www.wittistanbul.com%5DWitt”>http://www.wittistanbul.com)</p>
<p>and now that Turkish Air has non stop flights from Los Angeles, it’s easy and cheap for the likes of me.</p>
<p>Coureur,
Thank you SO much for sharing the great info on Rome upthread. Our family will be in Italy in a few weeks (as I have posted on the bucket list thread) and I have sent your comments to the other family members to enhance their anticipation. It will be the first time in Italy for any of us and is a celebration of our nuclear family before both kids have left the nest (the younger is graduating from college just prior to our trip, the elder is well settled in her career and city.)
Your details are terrific and much appreciated.</p>
<p>If you’re into modern (and not so modern) design, Munich hands down. Paris is the obvious choice. London also. St. Petersburg as said by others for absolute art (kinda like London) and Rome. </p>
<p>Hard to nail down without additional details about likes and dislikes.</p>
<p>You should avoid London during the Olympics, but that doesn’t affect the entire summer.</p>
<p>What place has icons of various sorts that you would be thrilled to see? Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower? Which cuisine makes you salivate at the thought? Paris, in a few days last spring sure made my heart sing, A trip to Giverney would give you a quick taste of the countryside. I have always loved London. Prague is a very good learning experience, as the history is fascinating, and most places are easy to walk to in the city. If you like beer and hearty food, even better. </p>
<p>I’m going to throw out a few outlliers. Salzburg is heartbreakingly beautiful, and Vienna is a special place, both for the music lover. I don’t know much about Spain, but Madrid is on my list.</p>
<p>I have never been to Marid, and it is on my list too. If you could get a direct flight to Barcelona, it is also a good place to visit. Architecture is really amazing and food is great.</p>
<p>Paris, Vienna, Barcelona, Florence, Milan, Rome, Madrid, London</p>
<p>With only 3 days I would do Paris or Copenhagen.</p>
<p>my favorite place in Europe is the swiss alps, away from the hustle and bustle. But there are many great cities… I would recommend Rome if you haven’t been. If you aren’t as into the ruins, perhaps I would suggest Paris, Vienna, or Berlin.</p>
<p>It’s been a few years but we arrived in Munich on a Monday and left Thursday-H back to work on Friday. Enjoyed a city tour, night life, Zugspitze snow, lots of museums and churches, Dachau, traveled all around city, Austria. We rented car with another couple and had a great time. One group in group (Sales awards) took a day trip to Paris. We are in CA.</p>
<p>Good thing my beloved Elbonia did not make the list… We don’t need more tourists :)</p>
<p>Another factor to consider is ease of travel. If you’re flying out of Chicago or DC etc you have lots of choices. If out of Cinci, Atlanta, Boston, Philly, etc. a few less. When I lived in Detroit we had KLM non-stop to Amsterdam, for very low prices. </p>
<p>Munich has a few interesting must-see’s like the BMW museum, some important architecture / design museums (ok, not the Louvre or the British Museum), the Bavarian castles, and the like. If you’re a motorhead, Turin (amazing). Fashion? Milan or Paris. etc. If you want to escape the world, Grenoble.</p>
<p>Paris or Rome…both fabulous cities, rich in history and culture. Both are walking and cafe cities…</p>
<p>Great suggestions! Thank you. For now, the travel plans are more like wishful thinking, but the trip might happen after all, so please keep them coming! It is interesting to hear the different opinions and reasons.</p>
<p>Rome, Rome, Rome … I have been lucky to visit a lot of places and many in Europe. Rome is my favorite - it has it all. History, wonderful people, art, culture, food. You can walk everywhere. (Downsides: crowded and hot during the summer.)</p>
<p>St. Petersburg, Russia, an undiscovered gem!</p>
<p>The unfortunate part of this question is that it is leading to a number of capitals, with the usual suspects. Of course, Rome, London, and Paris are nice. But it is also the stereotypical answer and that is why the cities are full with tourists. Some do enjoy the visits and others … wonder why they ended up doing what everyone recommended. </p>
<p>The reality is that is that cities’ experience will greatly vary with individual tastes. Remember your last family trip? Did everyone enjoy the same activities? Did the kids enjoy it as much as the parents? I remember my mother and sister NOT wanting to leave the Louvre and enjoying every nook and cranny of the Rue Faubourg St Honor</p>
<p>I was planning on a couple day trip just for a mileage qualifying run last year. I was thinking about hiking the Cinque Terra. But most of the trail isn’t open due to the floods, some of the beautiful towns are still under reconstruction, plus it’s a bit of a pain to get there. I was only going to do it because I didn’t get my fill last summer.</p>
<p>I would stay away from Russia without being in a tour group, unless you are very adventurous. Some of the police still have the communist mentality, so I don’t think I’d go there without a good guide. London is one of those cities that some can’t stand, dirty, crime, though others manage to look past it. I wouldn’t take a chance on London or St Petersburg.</p>
<p>You can’t go wrong with Rome or Florence, if you’re into museums and don’t mind crowds, and you’re looking for a big city. Sure, it can be hot if you go during the summer, but it’s tolerable if you don’t mind heat, have lightweight clothes and book an air conditioned hotel. Don’t assume there is air conditioning! I’d go back to Rome in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>Without a doubt, PARIS. </p>
<p>Xiggi’s not so far off with the Brussels suggestion, but I only truly appreciated it AFTER having lived in Paris for the better part of the year. Then it was…Ahhh…so nice. :)</p>
<p>I usually find myself agreeing with Oldfort, but in this instance, I must respectfully disagree: the food in Paris can be to die for. One of my favorite restaurants was not a French restaurant, but a Moroccan one in Paris. My D1 and I went there several times, several years apart, and the waitstaff/chef recognized us each time when we walked in; they treated us like celebrities and pampered us with their absolute best recipes. We still reminisce about those meals to this day.</p>
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<p>My brother works in films (location accounting, not acting), and at present he is in Budapest filming *Die Hard 5 (*or 6 or 9 or whatever), and he speaks highly of it. He worked on *The Pink Panther<a href=“Steve%20Martin”>/I</a> in Prague and swears it is every bit as nice as Paris.</p>
<p>Whatever you decide, you are very lucky to be there.</p>
<p>It totally depends on the sort of thing you like. I wouldn’t put Paris at the top of my list and don’t really understand what people think is so terribly special or magical about it and I’ve been there a number of times. Somehow the diesel fumes, heavy traffic, very urban feel, crowds of people, detract from anything magical for me. But a lot of people obviously like it and it’s worth seeing if you’ve never been there. </p>
<p>I’m with xiggi - see if you can see something outside of just the big cities. You could for example, visit London but make sure you get out of there to see a bit of the countryside - perhaps on your way to Stonehenge, Bath, etc. You could go to Paris but spend some time going to Versailles to some other place near but out of Paris proper. Rome is interesting and has a lot of iconic historical sights and if you can swing it you can make an excursion from there outside of Rome. You could also go to Frankfurt and spend some time going up the Rhine seeing castles and other towns, go to Amsterdam or Brussels and head to Gent and Brugge (Bruges) and the windmill area of Holland (Kinderdijk) and points in between (Thumper’s trip??).</p>
<p>I mentioned some of the likely gateway cities you’d fly into but you don’t need to be stuck in the city unless you want to.</p>