European members.....I need help

Good morning all,

My husband and I are planning our vacation for this fall and we want to go to Europe. Here's what I'm looking for:

Decent weather (not freezing, not sweltering)
Not outrageously expensive
Beautiful sites
Stuff to do (historical sites, museums, foot-tours, etc.)

Does anyone have any good ideas? I've been to Paris, London and all over Ireland, but that is all. I'd like to see more. I'd prefer somewhere warm (in July, August), but not too warm.

Any ideas are appreciated.

Germany is nice to visit , but it wont be cheap . They have plenty of castle and parks ect to vistit . In Muenchen they have great beer gartens to sit out
Or you can go to switzeland , great mauntans and lots of walking in forest . But you have to love the walking part . But I don't think it will be cheap no matter where you go in europe .

I think spain or italy is in the price a lot cheaper , but hot .

Karen my home town is Northumberland.

We have the countryside and the beaches right on the door step. There is so many castles to visit such as Alnwick Castle, Raby Castle, Bamburgh Castle along with many stately homes where the dukes and duchesses still live. They open the castles etc.. to the public for a small charge which helps on the upkeep of them.

And we have plenty museums as well as lovely walks.

It's not too expensive either to stay in Northumberland.

And being the UK, the time of year that your looking at is ideal for the weather for you.

If you want any brochures sent on the area, the castles and museums etc... just let me know

I guess I don't want "cheap" but not Crazy expensive. I know that in one part of London, we paid like $40 for a sandwich!!!

Beer is gooooood

I can relate to that.
London is about 5 hours from where i live and the prices are shocking compared to where i live.

A sandwich in my area would cost approx £1.50 to purchase.

Wales is nice! Not that I'm biased or anything!!!! I can't promise nice weather, although it's really warm at the moment, but there's plenty to do. I love St. Fagans, Big Pit, Dan Yr Ogof Caves and the Gower peninsula. I sound like an advert for the Tourist board

$40 for a sandwich!!!! I hope it was gold plated!!!

Spain is very good. I got to spend a deal of 2002 there.

If you want a warm place. Andalusia (southern spain). Prices are not exactly cheap. But they ain't incredible either. Plenty of museums, monuments, there are many parks if you are a nature junkie.

One thing you should do, is in Southern Spain is to take the ferry to Morroco. A short trip, backwards and forwards. You will enjoy that one.

If you go to Spain send me a PM. I can fill you up on what to do there.

Thanks all. I'll check them all out. A co-worker is telling me about Vienna and Salzburg in Austria, so that is also a possibility.

I'll keep you informed of our decision.

Scotland is a very beautiful country. Edinburgh has the history and museums other places the beautiful lakes, mountains etc. You can go skiing at Aviemore, loads of historical and mythical places. Can also get literature for you if you like.

Italy is a fantastic place too. The Italians are very friendly people. They make a fabulous drink called limoncello ummhhh!! I had a holiday in Rome, fantastic buildings. Went to Pompeii and spent a fascinating time exploring the ancient ruined city. The views were good and you could see the volcano that had ruined the place many years ago. Went to a city called Sorento, very beautiful scenery, you could visit shops and watch crafts being hand made, fabulous antique shop there too. They make the most gorgeous ice cream you have ever tasted. The hotel we stayed in were very helpful and told us where to find everything.

Have you thought of Eastern Europe? Most of it is now in the EU so any old communist bloc associations are long gone.

My family is originally from Poland, and I've been back a couple of times. The country is warm in summer and cold in winter; has history (fabulous old cities), beaches in the north, mountains and lakes in the south, countryside AND is very, very cheap still compared to most of the rest of Europe.

Other than that, the Scandinavian countries are lovely in summer and not too hot (but pricey) as is most of France (although the south can get quite hot).

Originally Posted by fostermom28

Thanks all. I'll check them all out. A co-worker is telling me about Vienna and Salzburg in Austria, so that is also a possibility.

I'll keep you informed of our decision.

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I can definitely recommend Austria (Salzburg is my very favorite city, since it has everything - a "quaint" old city, a fortress, a cloister, beautiful churches and cemeteries, catacombs, and breathtaking scenery (Alps). It could easily be combined with a trip to Munich, Germany (terrific city, with great museums). Vienna is gorgeous, but expensive. Vienna could be combined with a trip to Budapest, Hungary (very favorably priced, and beautiful), Prague, Czech Republic, or Bratislava, Slovakia. Crossing borders is no longer a problem here (no visa is required for EU countries), and most of Western Europe uses the euro. If you're going to book a tour, I'd say southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland, or England, Wales, and Scotland. Eastern Europe is cheap, and very welcoming to tourists (we just got back from Hungary today). You can get by with just English in the large cities there, though outside the metropolises German is more useful. If you do go to Eastern Europe, be prepared for huge portions of food - there seems to be some sort of competition going on as to what restaurants can stuff their patrons!