If you were going to Europe....

hlvonb

My FI and I are planning on going to Germany for Oktoberfest for part of our honeymoon. What would you do / where would you want to go if you were going to Europe (in general) for your honeymoon?

freebread03

I'm headed to Bulgaria, Austria, Hungary, and Slovenia in a few weeks-since you'll be in Germany, I'd also check out Austria and the Czech Republic (Prague).  From my Austria research, it's a beautiful country with a lot to do.  People also rave about Budapest-the food and the nightlife.

Jells2dot0

I've been to Munich twice and have taken different routes from there. The first time, went down into Bavaria, then over to Switzerland and northern Italy. I stayed in Zurich, Interlaken, and Lucerne. In Italy, I stayed in the Lake Como region. The second time, I went North- Rothenburg, Rhein region, then into France (Reims), Bruges Belgium, and then ended in Amsterdam. The second required a lot more traveling. It does depend on how long you want to stay and what you are looking for. FWIW, I really enjoyed Switzerland.

tlc35

We are going on a HM to Europe. We are going to Spain and Italy. I can't wait. DH has a friend who is letting us use their vacation house outside of Venice and I have always wanted to go to Spain since I speak a bit of Spanish.

manateehugger

I've done Italy, Germany, France (for a day), and the UK. 

In Italy, we mostly stayed to the north. Lake Como is stunning. Milan is fun, but I actually liked Turin a little better; the Egyptian Museum there is only second only to Cairo's. Turin is very tourist friendly thanks to the Winter Olympics - I roamed around by myself at 16 years old with no problems. 

Others have covered Germany and Switzerland better than I could - I've mostly just been to Stuttgart and Army bases. 

 

I love the UK - I've been a couple times. First trip we flew into London and stayed south, mostly in Kent, visiting Dover and Hastings. Second trip, we flew into London, took a train up to Edinburgh, took a brief tour of the Highlands and then slowly made our way by train back down to London. 

If in the UK, Bath should not be missed. It is such a sleepy, romantic town (though VERY touristy) and is largely untouched from the 1800's. Tons of Jane Austen history. It's also a short drive away from Stonehenge and Lacock (where they've filmed Harry Potter scenes and a ton of other movies). If my FI can get enough leave, I'm begging him to do a brief honeymoon trip to Bath. 

My check list includes the Croatian coastline, doing a B&B driving tour through Ireland, Austria, France for longer than a day, and Belgium. 

hlvonb

Thank you everyone. I appreciate your responses and it helps with our planning!

kerbohl

I just want to chime in - I've been living in the Netherlands for two years, and it is definitely worth a look.  Out of the two years, I was in Amsterdam for an afternoon - other places have proven even better!  But if you have limited time, do the Amsterdam thing, and maybe Utrecht if you have an afternoon.  The canals in Utrecht are wonderful - the Oudegracht (also a street name) is a great place to walk and have a coffee in the cafes.  And if you are in the Netherlands on Thursday, Gouda (about an hour from Amsterdam by train) has the cheese market.  Den Haag has some nice parks and the beach . . .
Also, I have been to Prague and it is amazing, and I am looking forward to Budapest with my FI this August.  It is supposed to be fantastic.  Switzerland is also amazing. 

[Deleted User]

If you're going to Germany, consider Rothenberg. It was my favorite place that we went while I was there a few years back. How cute is it?!:

My favorite place in Europe is Aix-en-Provence, France.  But I'm partial because I spent about 4 months there in college.  It's beautiful and quiet. Paris is only a few hours away by train.

I have a really large list of places that I'm considering for my own HM (Prague, Dubrovnik, Budapest, Bratislava, Sicily, etc etc etc) but I can't speak to them because I haven't been yet!

 

Good luck!

hlvonb

Thanks!!

manjermj

My friend and I did a 2 week loop and went from: Prague, Czech Republic to Vienna, Austria to a day trip to Bratislava, Slovakia to Salzburg, Austria (HUGE Sound of Music fans and LOVED it), to Munich, Germany to day trip to Heidlberg, Germany to Berlin, Germany. 

We loved every single city. Bratislava and Heidelberg could be missed though. Vienna, Salzburg and Munich were my favorite. We didn't love Berlin at first, but it grew on us as we explored more.

Peledreamsofrain

The part of Germany that I enjoyed most was the Rhine near the French border. Some of the greatest wines in the world are produced there, and you can take romantic river cruises. The scenery is gorgeous, with lots of steep banks covered in vineyards.

If you go North towards the Baltic, consider visiting Estonia. It's a gorgeous little country that is booming right now and full of old world charm. I also enjoyed the heck out of the art in Oslo (lots of underwater statues in canals that are very whimsical).

Hrm... overall I can't recommend Berlin or Paris. They are overpriced and crowded. Plus there's so many other parts of France and Germany that get neglected by tourists. The southern Riviera coast in France, for instance, is goooorgeous.

hlvonb

Some very good ideas! Thanks!

daria24

I've been all over Ireland & the UK, Paris, Alsace, Sevilla, Prague, Munich, Vienna, and Prague. Alsace, Sevilla, and Scotland were my favorites.

Maggie0829

If I were to go to Europe I would need a full 3 months!  I would want to go to Ireland, UK, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, etc, etc, etc.  But then again I have never been out of the good ole USA so I am just itching to see everything

icecreamS04

If you are going to be in Munich anyway, you might want to visit the castle Neuschwanstein, which is not too far away... Verona, which is "just across the Alps", is a lovely town to be visiting too, Rome is one of the nicest places to be visiting on a honeymoon in Europe (Villa d'Este, Vatican, etc.) 

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

hlvonb

All awesome ideas. I really appreciate it!

hz80408

We spent 18 days amongst Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona and London. It was awesome!  We also did a trip to Ireland in the fall for a week, which was equally an amazing experience. (trips in blog if you're interested)

Next on our European travel list is Italy and also Oktoberfest, which we'd pair with time in Belgian for more beer!

hlvonb

@hz80408  That sounds nice

hlvonb

@CMGr  thanks!

Jells2dot0

CMGr said:

Take a day cruise on the Rhine River.  Watch the castles as you float by.
Buy Asbach Uralt chocolates (dark chocolate filled with brandy!).
Go to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and shop at Kathy Wohlfart's Christmas shop.

LOVED the Christmas shop

CMGr said:

Take a day cruise on the Rhine River.  Watch the castles as you float by.
Buy Asbach Uralt chocolates (dark chocolate filled with brandy!).
Go to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and shop at Kathy Wohlfart's Christmas shop.

Jells2dot0

I have no idea why it double quoted. LOL

tiny speck

Peledreamsofrain said:

The part of Germany that I enjoyed most was the Rhine near the French border. Some of the greatest wines in the world are produced there, and you can take romantic river cruises. The scenery is gorgeous, with lots of steep banks covered in vineyards. If you go North towards the Baltic, consider visiting Estonia. It's a gorgeous little country that is booming right now and full of old world charm. I also enjoyed the heck out of the art in Oslo (lots of underwater statues in canals that are very whimsical). Hrm... overall I can't recommend Berlin or Paris. They are overpriced and crowded. Plus there's so many other parts of France and Germany that get neglected by tourists. The southern Riviera coast in France, for instance, is goooorgeous.

I agree with just about everything here, but especially the recommendation for Estonia. I spent 2 weeks there a few years ago and loved it. Really nice and beautifully preserved Old Town in the capital Tallinn; if you can get out into the countryside, even better! Estonia also uses the Euro now, which should make things a lot easier than when I was there and they had the old currency.

hlvonb

You all have been very helpful and gave us a lot of awesome suggestions! I really appreciate it

hlvonb

Thanks!

schellzinator

@hlvonb - thanks for asking this question! FI and I are currently in the process of planning our HM at the end of October - beginning of Novenber and this thread is awesome!!!

bschiefe

Because you are going to Munich, definitely go to Nueschwanstein Castle (Cinderella's castle inspiration)! I would recommend taking a train from Munich to Fussen, Germany and staying in Fussen. My fiancé and I went in college and Fussen is so beautiful! We hiked to the castle (they also have bikes to rent and a shuttle) and took the castle tours. You can also hike around Lake Alpsee into Austria. Other romantic and interesting German destinations-- Rothenberg ob der Tauber, Heidelberg, Freiburg to name a few. Look into taking a day cruise down the Rhine River. I know some stop at wineries along the way.

hlvonb

schellzinator said:

@hlvonb - thanks for asking this question! FI and I are currently in the process of planning our HM at the end of October - beginning of Novenber and this thread is awesome!!!

I am glad you are able to get some use out of this thread too!!

hlvonb

Thanks bschiefe!