First trip to Europe November - December 2023

[jrfsp]

I personally think Malta is very over rated, particularly outside Valletta.

 

[Steady]

Dump Zurich.

Do
Nurnberg
Munich
Innsbruck
Venice
Florence
Rome
Malta
Paris


Basically jump across, work your way North to South, then back to Paris

We are doing south to north to be in Innsbruck and Nuremberg a few weeks later in December for Christmas markets with snow etc

 

[RooFlyer]

I personally think Malta is very over rated, particularly outside Valletta.

But isn't Valetta magnificent? And the megalithic temples on the main island and Gozo ain't bad either.

 

[mitti]

I would increase the amount of time in Florence/Tuscany and be sure to visit smaller cities nearby like Siena and Lucca, each with their own beauty and history.

Visiting Venice do not stay on the mainland - anyone who says they hate Venice has not stayed in Venice. At night it gets blissfully quiet as the tourists go off to their American hotels on the mainland, and you have the city to yourself with the water sloshing everywhere. The main thing with Venice is to get out of the St Mark‘s Piazza/Rialto area, you need to see it, and will cross through there many times, but the pleasures lie outside of this zone with its touristy shops and rwstaurants.

I would skip Malta too, no need to go to the island, would just be out of the way. Use these days in Italy, you will get more value from your time.

Personally Innsbruck I found incredibly dull but each to their own.

Edit: and this is not to mention Sicily! You could easily spend 4 days around Palermo, visiting Cefalù, Agrigento and the area around there. The south east side is more rugged and less touristy but equally beautiful, especially around Noto, Siracusa and Ragusa. I would not bother with Malta if you haven’t been to Sicily.

 

[Treecliffe]

I haven't been to all the places on your intinerary, but just wanted to agree with a couple of suggestions others have made.

We stayed in Sorrento instead of Naples and had a lovely view over the bay towards Naples and Mount Vesuvius. From Sorrento it is only a short train ride to Pompeii or Herculaneum, and Sorrento is also a good base for a day trip along the Amalfi Coast, or a ferry to Capri.

Venice is magical and definitely worth staying at least overnight if you can.

I liked Innsbruck, but we also stayed a couple of nights in the village of Seefeld, which is very easy to get to from Innsbruck (only about half an hour by car transfer or there is a train) It's quite a good sized village but still with Austrian charm, and had plenty of winter activities for non skiiers. I think before Christmas they do also have a Christmas Market.

 

[Steady]

We have a few days in London when we first arrive in the UK before visiting family and plan to do the typical tourist attractions.

Accommodation close to London centre looks to be much more than I would prefer to pay, Is it realistic to stay further out so long as it’s close to a train station?

I did see a 2 bedroom holiday apartment in Woolwich priced ok, it isn’t that far out, is it cheaper because it’s a bad area?

 

[VPS]

We have a few days in London when we first arrive in the UK before visiting family and plan to do the typical tourist attractions.

Accommodation close to London centre looks to be much more than I would prefer to pay, Is it realistic to stay further out so long as it’s close to a train station?

I did see a 2 bedroom holiday apartment in Woolwich priced ok, it isn’t that far out, is it cheaper because it’s a bad area?

A lot depends on the train station and how frequent the trains are and if there are good express trains.

I think if you haven't been before that it's nicer to stay in central London because it will save you a lot of time but I do understand London accommodation is horrendously expensive

I'm not familiar with Woolwich so can't comment on the location

 

[RooFlyer]

Accommodation close to London centre looks to be much more than I would prefer to pay, Is it realistic to stay further out so long as it’s close to a train station?

I always stay somewhere like Hammersmith or equivalent distance out, in easy walking distance to a tube station. If you’re staying at something like a chain hotel, of course the further distance from the tube station the cheaper, it will usually be.

 

[voulez]

Try Airbnb sometimes you find decent 2 bedder in or next to central at <A$400/night. E.g. something like this: Perfect Location Central London 2-bed Flat - Apartments for Rent in Greater London, England, United Kingdom

 

[Captain Halliday]

No, not a must. mrs and miss came across Lindt home of chocolate - Switzerland’a chocolate museum and we thought why not…..

Assuming QF ticketing woes don’t trip us up, I’ll be able to provide a ZRH report (including Lindt) by end of July.

Beyond that, I’d endorse the feedback that fewer stops done better may make for a more enjoyable experience.

While we’re doing a couple of days in ZRH it’s only because we need its airport to get us to DUB for a wedding.

As a guide: we’ve allowed 8 days in Interlaken and at this point that doesn’t even allow for a rest day!

 

[newmarket]

Naples isn’t a dump. It is… different or maybe exciting is a better word. Stay in the Centro Storico - it is an experience that you won’t get anywhere else. It’s crazy hectic and fun.

As for the rest, it seems like too much too fast.

 

[Flyfrequently]

We have been working on reducing the number of stops and doing day drips from a base.

Not sure where you are at with your plans @Steady and family, but highly recommend the "day trip" plan.
We do day trips all the time i.e. stay in Florence and train to Bologna.
We found that not as exhausting as one night stays.
Did the same in France, based ourselves in Nice for a week, did day trips to Ventamiglia Italy, Cannes, Monaco.
Enjoy

 

[Steady]

Not sure where you are at with your plans @Steady and family, but highly recommend the "day trip" plan.
We do day trips all the time i.e. stay in Florence and train to Bologna.
We found that not as exhausting as one night stays.
Did the same in France, based ourselves in Nice for a week, did day trips to Ventamiglia Italy, Cannes, Monaco.
Enjoy

Hi, Flyfrequently, we have changed most to have longer stays with day trips. This is the type of information I was interested in, thanks to all the suggestions.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Hi, Flyfrequently, we have changed most to have longer stays with day trips. This is the type of information I was interested in, thanks to all the suggestions.

Happy to share our experience @Steady , am sure you will enjoy your travels - look forward to your thoughts afterwards.

 

[ozziflyer]

+1 Sicily over Malta if theres no specific reason.

 

[Easy Tiger]

Stay in the Centro Storico

agreed - excellent advice.