I think I want to stay like 2-3 days each in London, Paris and Rome. Maybe stop in Switzerland.


For the ones that have been to Europe, what were some of your favorite or must see locations?

When my wife was like 20 she moved to Germany to be a nanny to a random family she found on the internet...(weird af to me) I thought about going to see whatever city that might have been, My last name is really German as well. I have found where my fathers side immigrated from but it is just old German farmlands now. There is a state in Netherlands that is the same as my last name and a college. Might be cool to see.

auschwitz-birkenau

That's way over in Poland but it would be amazing to see. Heck just the Holocaust museum in DC was awesome.

I spent a month in Italy. Florence is incredible. Rome and Venice are tourist traps so I wouldn’t bother. Genoa is amazingly beautiful! I would think any coastal town would be.

We thought about Rome because my wife being Catholic and would like to see the Vatican

Stonehenge is worth seeing. If you time it be there during the summer solstice you can hang with the druids.

Leaning tower of Pizza.

Pisa

I would only recommend during the off season. If you can imagine... that place gets insane. If you want to see the Sistine Chapel, be ready to get in line before dawn or to wait for hours.

My advice is to have accurate expectations of what you're going to see. You're going to see the Vatican yes, but you're also going to see a metric butt-ton of randos from literally all over the world also wanting to see the exact same thing as you at the exact same time. Just be prepared for that.

Some people are more tolerant of those kinds of crowds than myself. It's not one of my best qualities like my charming personality!

Italy, Germany and Spain would be cool to visit. I have no desire to visit England as that place seems dreary and boring.

I traveled quite a bit on business and my wife would fly over for a vacation a couple of times a year. I'd definitely spend some time in London, but I'd skip Rome and Paris and save them for another trip. You may not be up for day after day of crowds and lines. The Italian/French alps are really nice and Switzerland/Austria are definitely worth your time.

My best friend was nuts over Paris last year. They had a killer time. Hated London. And last month he went to Bosnia and Croatia. Said that was awesome.

Loved Florence and Venice... Budapest was neat... Paris was okay... Dan

It would be awesome.

Sounds like a beating to me. I'll pass.

we spent a week in london and it wasn’t enough. but two things i wouldn’t miss are westminster abby and the ceremony of the keys at the tower of london. for the later you have to have reservations and have to do so like six month in advance. not many people even know it exists but it was awesome.

After 15 years traveling to Europe for business meetings almost every month, my favorite locations were the airline departure lounges (first class, of course).

As a few have said, be ready for crowds and long lines. I found Stonehenge to be immensely disappointing, can’t even get within a100’ of the stones and you have to fend off all the Japanese tourists with their cameras. The town of Bath is cool, western edge of the Roman civilization in the UK. Cool Roman architecture.

I got nothing else.

I would go to all the topless beaches in Europe and plan my trip accordingly.

I’ll add that Rome was my favorite destination, but not at peak tourist season. Go to Rome in the fall or winter when the crowds are home. I spent Christmas there once, quite nice experience.

Chris has the correct answer unless you follow June’s advice.

Lived in Switzerland for three years. For incredible Alpine scenery you can't top the Glacier Express - a one day train ride between Zermatt and San Moritz. Regarding London, if you like history the British Museum is incredible - treasures pillaged from all over the world.

Florence and Siena are must sees. Rome was cool and absolutely huge but I loved Florence and Siena. Tuscany was awesome.

We had a place in Como, outside of Milan, for 4 years. Maybe the most beautiful little town in Italy. Tuscany was beautiful with great food and wine. Rome is great, but there is so much more to see in Italy. My only advice is to not try to see too much in too little time. You will end up seeing nothing. We spent some time in the Czech Republic and it was nice with some really great people. Amsterdam was a beautiful, interesting city. Have fun and enjoy your travel.

I have had reports that all things Scotland especially Edinburg, and Split Croatia. The worst was Rome and Athen due to traffic congestion, inadequate roads resulting in a lot of time in transportation. As far as Italy goes I hear good things about day trips to Pompeii.

There is a State and a college named 1ShotNoKills.....

Spent a week in Rome this past June and it was great. We got a golf cart tour on the first day and he gave us a quick look at all the high points, then we went back during the week to anywhere we wanted to spend more time.

My biggest piece of advice for Rome and Paris would be to eat locally. Get a block or more away from the biggest spots and try something you can’t find here. Not in London though, because British food sucks.

If you decide to go shoot me a PM and I’ll give you lots of tips and tricks, and pin drops for some of our favorite spots.

London has good eats if you know where to look and are willing to sped some $ for it. Chefs like Ramsey and Marco Pierre White have changed the scene from the 90's and before

We Went to Rhome and toured the coliseum and the Vatican, Both awesome that was in 2014 but I bet it hasn't changed much. Also went to Leaning tower of Pisa It itself was pretty neat but surrounding it reminded me of Juarez. Lots to see in that world, have fun.

No, its called LowT

That’s not British food. The good restaurants in London serve French food, like those above. Or Chinese, or Indian.

British food is stuff like beef pie, which is mashed potatoes with onion and lima beans and ground beef, but no salt. Or beef kidneys, or blood sausage. Fish and chips can be good provided it is crunchy and served on newspaper. When they serve it on a plate it gets soggy and gross.

As someone who makes many trips to Europe each year I second this. I go to great lengths to avoid Paris, I have zero use for that place. The rest of it isn't much better. So many amazing places in the US or Canada I'd rather go.

If you put a gun to my head and forced me to give you a list of places to visit...

In London, Cliffs of Moher Ireland, and maybe Amsterdam or Strasbourg, if you are hell bent on France. If you want to get wild there's a full nude mixed company bathhouse in Baden Baden Germany. That was a three-hour adventure I'll never forget.

After last nights Olympic opening ceremony fiasco in France, visiting Paris would definitely be a "no go"! Replace it with Edinburgh, Scotland.

Do NOT spend time in the big cities.

Just as most would recommend people to visit the smaller towns of Texas instead of Houston/DFW/Austin….to get the full experience of a region, you need to spend most of your time outside of metromesses. Big cities are pretty much the same wherever you go.

Land at the airport, rent a car, and explore the countryside.
Be sure to remember the general rule of thumb that whatever side of the vehicle the steering wheel is located, the vehicle is driven on the opposite side of the road.

USA…steering wheel on left…drive on the right
UK….steering wheel on the right…..drive on the left.

…..or just go to the train station with your Rail pass and get on a train immediately to smaller towns.

England….I recommend either the far south (Bournemouth/Portsmouth/Dover). Nicer weather…lots of maritime history.
….tell England to eff off and just land in Edinburgh, Scotland and explore Scotland….mich better topography/geography up there. Only visit Scotland June to mid September…you still risk bad weather, but you might actually get lucky with a stretch of sunshine.

Oh, and avoid big metromesses…they suck.
Scotland and Wales don’t have metromesses…even Edinburgh and Glasgow are nice and pleasant with salt of the earth people.

It's been a minute but I have been to Florence, and it's very cool. Venice was OK, as was Rome. Also spent a night in Lucerne Switzerland, I wasn't there long enough to get a feel for it but it seemed like it could be pretty good time. I went to the Vatican, I think you need to be catholic to appreciate it, or at least mildly religious which I'm not so other than being able to say I have been there it didn't move me much

France…southern France….the part that actually held the Nazis and Italian Fascists back because they can actually strategize and fight.

Sarlat
Bordeaux
Toulouse
Montpellier

Stay out of northern France…they are a bunch of Ps that surrender within two weeks.

Spain—-can’t go wrong with anywhere in Spain (minimize time spent in Madrid)
Great people (some of the senoritas there will leave your jaw on the ground and you will have to scrape it back up and reattach it to your face)
Perfect weather most of the time
Best food anywhere (the closer you get to the Mediterranean)
Best coffee in the world (makes Italian coffee and Moroccan coffee look and taste third string bush league)
Incredible museums (waaaay better than the boring French artists)
Much more interesting architecture…a blend of Roman/North African designs)
Unique, interesting people….strong willed with great senses of humor (Similar to Texans)…just don’t piss them off…especially a Spanish woman

Italy—-the islands are where it’s at…Sardinia and Corsica…like going back in time as they’ve been isolated from the mainland mostly failed state. Pompei is can’t miss though.

Not that I'm a physical specimen anymore... But, I've been there done that... ... Dan

Always wanted to go to Spain, July 7th running of the bulls, and watch a bull fight

Went to England and Ireland for a couple of weeks earlier this year. Skip London and definitely Dublin. Do see Liverpool and the rest of England. Ireland is truly a magical place.

Ramsey has about 8 restaurants in London

We liked Rome a lot. There’s a lot to see like the Tevi Fountain, Pantheon, Vatican, The Coliseum, etc. in Paris we enjoyed walking down the Champs Elyse, the Arc de Triumph, Muse’ d’Orsey and of course the Louvre. In London, we made point to enjoy and official high tea, loved Stonehenge (we found a tour that took us into the actual stone formations, highly recommended), London Tower, etc.

Have fun!

Go see a soccer game if you have a chance.

Lots of great info.

Thanks

We forgot to ask, are you taking both wives on this trip? That might matter.

I would start off in London and drive the roundabout at Lambeth Bridge, then after a couple of hours of the roundabout I would head over to StoneHenge. Driving on the left is for losers. Catch a train to Paris, make sure to buy the whole family monogrammed berets and check out the Eiffel Tower. Keep a close eye on the little ones as Paris can get bawdy. Then head over to Germany and convince some olds that you are their long lost relative and get a free stay and grub. I hear Bavarian folk dancing is great and they like to fight. Head over to Rome and rent a car, careful it's not from gypsies. Also, might want to delete any sketchy videos on your phone in case it gets stolen. Enjoy and leave your mark!

These would be my choices again:

Luxembourg - castles / American Cemetery
The Middle Rhine Valley in Germany
Belgium - Bastogne

Spain is really the only place in Europe I like. Been all over the continent.

Here are a couple of tips if you go to Rome.

- A "bar" means coffee shop. You have to pay at the register first, then give receipt to the barista. The base price is for drinking standing at the bar. There is an upcharge to take it to go. And there is a huge extra charge to sit and drink at the tables. Usually about double price to sit, but at some of the bars right by the big tourist areas they might charge $30 for an espresso.

- They will not bring your check at a restaurant until you ask for it.

- Go to the Trevi Fountain at 11PM or later. It actually prettier at night anyway, and there will be two thousand people crammed around it during the day.

- Make sure you drink from a fountain, at least once. Not the decorative fountains, but scattered throughout the city are drinking fountains that look like hydrants. They are fed by the an aqueduct that was built in ancient times. The aqueduct culminates at the Trevi Fountain, and is what supplies most of the drinking water for Rome.

- One of my favorite stops was the Viscus Caprarius museum. It is a settling tank for the aqueduct very close to the Trevi Fountain. It has been operating for 2000 years without anyone knowing it was even there. Discovered about 20 years ago when they were renovating a theater and workers heard water trickling behind a wall. Only takes about 30 minutes to go through it, but it is very interesting. https://www.vicuscaprarius.com/en/

Paris is decent to visit. Lots of see there. We also took a castle tour in the countryside which was worth the time. Food was good. We mostly took Uber.

I was there to give a presentation and attend a conference. That took 2 days. The company I do business with hosted a couple of dinners that were really good. They knew some really good restaurants.

Hotels can have pretty small rooms. We stayed within walking distance of the Arc de Triomphe.

Everyone has to go to the Eiffel Tower for sure. We went to Notre Dam. It was the year before it caught fire. Plenty to do. 3 days would be pretty jam packed.