Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Everybody here is badmouthing Brussels. Don't listen!. It's an international capital (NATO, the EC) with two cultures (French and Flemish) and the best food in Europe plus you're a short train ride from Bruges, Antwerp, Ghent and Waterloo. Traveling with small children you might want to simplify things by staying in one place for a few days. Have a wonderful trip!
I would not go in July to Europe. Expensive and hot. The tickets could probably be more than $1000 round trip...
But if you must go, the bets place would be Island. Not as hot, a lot to see though mostly nature from what I understand. In the rest of Europe, I would stick way North. Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Hamburg, Bremen, Innsbruck are good choices. Or if you can afford it, to South France and hang out on the beach and small quaint little towns.
Everybody here is badmouthing Brussels. Don't listen!. It's an international capital (NATO, the EC) with two cultures (French and Flemish) and the best food in Europe plus you're a short train ride from Bruges, Antwerp, Ghent and Waterloo. Traveling with small children you might want to simplify things by staying in one place for a few days. Have a wonderful trip!
Agreed. I far prefer Brussels to Amsterdam. I have been there a couple of times and I think it is one of my least favorite cities in Europe. I think Brussels is also far more child friendly and as mentioned above, the food is much, much better.
The other places mentioned, while interesting- like Stockholm, Copenhagen, and the like, while cool, will be insanely expensive. There will probably be places that will be inexpensive like Eastern Europe, but some of the more interesting parts over there are still dealing with the refugee crisis. I love Slovenia, but both Slovenia and Croatia have had issues with refugees walking across and there's no telling what will happen between now and July. Budapest is also great, but has also had major issues. Prague is typically about as crowded as Disney World during that time of year, but I think it's had fewer issues.
If you fly to Brussels you can easily spend a week doing a (rough) loop from Brussels - Bruges (must see) - Antwerp - Amsterdam, and possibly even go as far as Copenhagen. Easy to get around by train, the distances are short so you don't spend too much time in transportation and the weather in July won't be onerously hot (unless you are unlucky).
Alternatively, what about Munich? Lovely city for 2-3 days (including trip to Neuschwanstein Castle and Lake Konigsee, then head down to Innsbruck (3 hours by train) for a few days of stunning mountain scenery. Good beer and good food. Then when you leave, the rest of your group can head eastwards to Vienna. The downside is that July is peak travel season for this area, especially in the mountains.
You may have already been to London and Paris, but they are still major hubs to fly into. You can easily leave both cities for your full week, and at the end of the trip your group returns to those cities for the second week.
If you fly into Heathrow, have a connecting flight to Edinburgh. Wonderful little city. There are organized tours that will take you into the highlands (Loch Ness is a popular place). After a few days take the train towards London but stop in York for 2-3 nights, using it as a base to explore the surrounding countryside, which includes spectacular Yorkshire dales and several impressive country houses.
Or fly into Paris, hire a car and head for Normandy and Brittany. Coastal towns, WWII battlefields, terrific food, beaches if it's hot, and, of course, Mont Saint-Michel. We liked St. Malo a lot with its old city walls and beaches, Dinan and Dinard were lovely, and Bayeux a very pretty little town with the famous tapestry and easy access to the battlefields. On the way back to Paris you can stop at Monet's gardens in Giverney.
Alternatively, fly into Paris but take the train to Strasbourg and a do a Strasbourg-Colmar-Route de Rhone loop.
The other places mentioned, while interesting- like Stockholm, Copenhagen, and the like, while cool, will be insanely expensive.
The expensiviness of Stockholm, Copenhagen and Helsinki is tremendeously exaggerated. Hotels don't cost any more (even less) than hotels in Atlanta, from where the OP is from. Sure there are tourist traps with ridiculous prices, but if you avoid them and use public transport, it's quite possible to have even a budget holiday. And it's only for a week anyway. And the OP has already visited Paris and London which are more expensive than the Nordic capitals, so it will hardly be a shock.
Oslo on the other hand is truly expensive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MountainHi
City. One week. Cooler climate. Kid-friendly.
I suggest either Copenhagen, and north of there, the town of Helsingor, for a pleasant change from the big city, or alternatively, Oslo. I would check July weather history for all locations you're considering, because July can be rainy. July in the Swiss Alps, for example, is the beginning of the rainy season, usually, so neighboring regions could be similar. Southern Norway and sometimes Stockholm can also be rainy for at least part of the summer. Dryer areas: the Dalmatian coast, city of Dubrovnik. It will be warmer there, though.
Scandinavia doesn't have a summer rainy season. The west coast of Norway is always rainy, but that's it.
There will probably be places that will be inexpensive like Eastern Europe, but some of the more interesting parts over there are still dealing with the refugee crisis. I love Slovenia, but both Slovenia and Croatia have had issues with refugees walking across and there's no telling what will happen between now and July. Budapest is also great, but has also had major issues. Prague is typically about as crowded as Disney World during that time of year, but I think it's had fewer issues.
I see no connection between refugee crisis and enjoyment of travelling. Are the refugees likely to be stationed at Santorini or Plitvice Lakes National Park? How does that remotely affect one's trip?
I don't know why people are so easily "scared". If you are really, really conservative and scared, just stay away from major political centres. The rest of those countries are completely fine. Do you really think the Syrian migrants in any more will change the beauty of Amalfi coast, or the terrorist attack changes the safety of Mount St Michel? Grow up.
I see no connection between refugee crisis and enjoyment of travelling. Are the refugees likely to be stationed at Santorini or Plitvice Lakes National Park? How does that remotely affect one's trip?
I don't know why people are so easily "scared". If you are really, really conservative and scared, just stay away from major political centres. The rest of those countries are completely fine. Do you really think the Syrian migrants in any more will change the beauty of Amalfi coast, or the terrorist attack changes the safety of Mount St Michel? Grow up.
It has nothing to do with being "scared" so much as considering the logistical issues and being aware that it is happening.There have been real issues in E. Europe since the refugee crisis started, as there was that time in September when the train station in Budapest was turned into a makeshift refugee camp. That wouldn't have been scary so much as inconvenient if you had planned on taking a train from the Budapest train station at the time that had been happening. Until recently the main Balkan route was the route that included Macedonia, Croatia, and Slovenia, but they have now closed their borders so it is expected that Romania will be substituted. I was simply pointing out that if you go to E. Europe, the refugee crisis is something to consider since at this point we don't really know how the area will be affected with the continued border closings.
I like Stockholm and Copengagen better than Amsterdam but that's just me. Amsterdam is great but just liked the other two cities more. All good options...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
