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  1. #11
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    In Europe, we had a great time on 2 vacations. Each was 2 weeks

    1. London/Dublin and environs
    2. Italy: Venice, Florence, Rome, Pompei, Tyrol Region

    If you want to see my detailed trip reports on those trips, let me know.
    Mom to:
    DS '02
    DS '05
    Percy--the wild furry child!!! 2022----
    Simon--the first King Charles cutie 2009-2022
    RIP Andy, the furry first child, 1996-2012

    "The task of any religion is not to tell us who we are entitled to hate but to teach us who we are required to love."

  2. #12
    AnnieW625's Avatar
    AnnieW625 is online now Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    Default Share your favorite European vacation

    We did a Baltic Cruise on Oceania Cruises (smaller boats) in June, 2019; we started in Stockholm on June 12th and left Copenhagen on June 27th. The weather for most of the cruise was temperate but it was really hot in Copenhagen so it wasn’t very comfortable but overall it was okay.

    The cruise ship did lean older age wise and there weren’t many teens on board and there was only one pool but I would do another European cruise again and definitely would do a smaller cruise ship again. There are things I would do differently though excursion wise but overall I was super happy with my first cruise experience.

    I would go back to Stockholm in a heartbeat. I enjoyed the 3 days we spent there pre cruise. We stayed at an amazing hotel the Scandic Downtown Camper and could walk to a lot of sites and it felt easy to get around. We just missed Midsommer by a week but that is supposed to be a great time to be in Sweden. I felt comfortable on my own in the area as well and that would be important for me if were to go back.

    We would like to go back to Berlin as well but I don’t know where to start as to what part of the city to stay in and it seemed like a much bigger area to navigate. I kind of felt the same in Gdansk but I also think that might be a smaller area to navigate than Berlin, but it still didn’t feel quite as homey as Stockholm.

    I might also consider going back to Copenhagen but I wouldn’t spend as much time in the city as I did last time. I would want to go outside of the city and see the area.

    I wouldn’t consider going to St. Petersburg alone and without a tour but I would go back again. There and Riga were the only places where I wish I would’ve made different excursions choices.

    Helsinki as a city was ho hum (imho) as a cruise port but we went kayaking near the Baltic Sea so that was awesome.

    I could’ve spent another day in Klaipeda as well.

    Our tour stops were: Helsinki, St. Petersburg (2 days), Talinn, Gdansk, Riga, Klaipeda, Berlin (2 hour drive from port but worth it) and Copenhagen.


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    Last edited by AnnieW625; 07-21-2021 at 11:28 PM.
    Annie
    WOHM to two wonderful little girls born in April
    DD E, 17
    DD L, 13,
    baby 2, 4-2009 (our Tri-18 baby)

  3. #13
    nfceagles's Avatar
    nfceagles is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    I’ve done lots in London. Quick trips to Edinburgh, Paris, Disney Paris, Normandy. And we did a week between Barcelona and Madrid in February 2020. If you have any specific questions regarding those areas.

    It sounds like Barcelona is high on your list. My teens loved Parc Guelle, Sagrada Familia, and we loved Montserrat as a break from the city. We always stay in apartment type settings because my DS has several food allergies and we cook most of our meals. In Barcelona we really liked our apartment at Suites Avenue, booked via Booking.com. We did a Segway tour in Madrid that was my kids favorite thing the whole trip. I’m assuming you could find one in just about any major city in Europe.


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  4. #14
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    We were in Europe two summers ago during a heat wave. Our trip was planned around the women's world cup games and we spent two weeks total. We started in Paris, did a day trip to Normandy with a guide, then rented a car and drove to Luxembourg City (highly recommend) for a few nights, on to Strasbourg/Alsace region and we finished in Lyon for the finals. The Alsace region has changed hands between France and Germany over the years and is so different from most of France. Typing this out, it seems a bit whirlwind but I don't remember it that way. We don't tend towards calm and relaxing when we travel though. Renting a car has proven a great way to see areas more off the beaten path. I know I have my notes on how we did Paris with teens/tweens if needed. It was my 3rd trip to Paris, 2nd for DH and DS and it felt so fun and comfortable instead of new.

    DH and I did a trip years ago, Copenhagen to Berlin to Heidelburg to Munich/Bavaria. We rented a car after Berlin and stopped at multiple neat villages along the way. This was also a fantastic trip.

    If your family hasn't been to Europe before, a London and Paris trip with little side trips works well. Both cities, especially London, are so easy to navigate and have so much to offer. My first trip to Europe was London, Paris and Prague, all cities I highly recommend.

    DS1 and I did a Scotland/England/Paris tour a few years ago and are going on our rescheduled Italy tour (thank you Covid) next summer. I didn't have a hand in planning on these obviously.
    Mom to Two Wild and Crazy Boys and One Sweet Baby Girl

  5. #15
    jgenie is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    We’ve visited London, Paris, Rome, Venice, Florence and Portugal with our kids so far. We’ve discovered that it’s all about the food for DC and I. We had a great time exploring London. We have made multiple trips to Portugal and Italy because we feel the pull to return to both.

  6. #16
    ahisma is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    We travel a bit differently - we use credit card points and cheap flight alerts to sort out where we can go super cheap / free... and if it works with the calendar (DH teaches) we generally go. (COVID aside - of course)

    Our favorite trip was Copenhagen over the winter holidays. It's an incredible city to be in on New Years Eve, and we cannot wait to return. We really enjoy airbnb tours / activities when we travel - we've done some great ones!

  7. #17
    SASM is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    My girls and I went to Bergen, Norway in 2019 while DH and DS were at Philmont. I found deals on air travel, a wonderful cheap AirBnB, and our only splurge was a day trip through Flåm and the fiords. What I wasn't expecting was pricey restaurant options, although we found some reasonably priced ones that were yummy. Because my planner-husband wasn't with us, I allowed the girls to sleep in (it was dusk-bright all night in June so sleep was difficult to come by) and we ate a late breakfast. Snacks for a light lunch. Dinner was at a restaurant or in the AirBnB. There was a wonderful funicular overlooking the city/region with a great playground at the top...we actually did this twice. The aquarium was nice too - best chocolate chip cookies EVER!! My girls constantly reminisce about this trip.

    The girls, DH and I just recently returned from Croatia. It was wonderful!! We flew into and out of Dubrovnik. We stayed in Dubrovnik, Korčula (Old Town), Makarska (GGma is from this town - reason for the trip), and Cavtat. We visited Bol & Selca along the way. Each area was so different. The catamaran transportation was comfortable, quick, and reliable. The bus from Makarska to Dubrovnik was the worst leg - 1.5hrs late (d/t an accident) with a 4-hour drive. We wished that we took the catamaran back but the time tables were very specific (once/day). I read later that the bus transportation was understandably very unreliable, which is obviously a concern if one is on a tight schedule. I would return to the Dalmatian Coast in a HEARTBEAT!! It was absolutely gorgeous.

    Both trips were 6 nights, not including the red eye transatlantic flights heading over there.

    We also went to London, Scotland, and Ireland in 2017. This was a longer 14-day trip with car rentals, etc. It was wonderful and inspired DD2's goal to go to university abroad. It was a very long trip, though. I think 8-10 days would be the sweet spot for our family. We were ready to go home at the end of the Croatia trip BUT we definitely could have stayed longer. We did A LOT in those 6 nights!
    Last edited by SASM; 08-25-2021 at 06:13 PM.
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  8. #18
    SnuggleBuggles is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    I very much enjoy reading these!

    Question- I know some US cities have bans on short term rentals. Where’s the best place to get that sort of info so we don’t accidentally rent something problematic (which we did in Montreal and DC area- didn’t know until days before arrival when the hosts contacted us about basically sneaking around). I had researched the DC area one after the Montreal experience but while allowed per the town, they were not allowed per the condo.


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