Here are a few thoughts off the top of my head.

In London, see the Cabinet War Rooms and the Imperial War Museum.

In Paris, see the Holocaust Memorial near Notre Dame. There’s a lot more, I’m sure, but I don’t know the sites offhand. In the Marais, you can see plaques that say (in French) something like this was a school from which 55 children were deported. I’m sure there are sites related to the Occupation and Resistance also.

In Berlin, take at least one of Terry Brewer’s walking tours. He’s extremely knowledgeable about history, both recent and long past, as well as current events and Berlin in particular. The walks are oriented to hostelers, and they are very comprehensive and very long! (Superb value for 12 Euros, but you’ll be exhausted at the end of the day. http://www.brewersbe…
In Berlin you can still see the bullet marks from WWII on many buildings.

In Amsterdam, obviously the Anne Frank House. There’s also a Resistance Museum that I didn’t get to.

Near Rome, there’s the Allied cemetery of Anzio. I haven’t gone there, but it’s likely worth a visit. Just outside Rome, there’s the site of Fosse Ardeatine where several hundred people were killed in dreadful ways, as revenge for a Partisan attack against German soldiers on via Rasella in Rome. In the Jewish Ghetto area, you can again see plaques commemorating various events of the Holocaust.

I think your trip is quite possible and doable.

Perhaps you would like to go to places like Normandy, Ypres, or Flanders, but that would mean adjusting your itinerary of course. I’d get some general history books, some really detailed guidebooks, and make up your itinerary. With your special interests, I think a lot of planning is a good idea to make sure you see what you are particularly interested in.

I haven’t mentioned architecture, but there’s so much to see there, I don’t know where to start!

I don’t particularly care for Paris, so for a WWII buff, I’d suggest an overnight trip to Normandy. You can leave Paris mid-morning, spend the afternoon at "the Memorial" in Caens (a must-see in my book). The next day either rent a car and do your own tour (there are maps available for well-signed and easy to follow driving tours) or take a tour. You can catch a train back to Paris in the mid-afternoon if you’re interested in Paris night life (you could be back for an evening bus and boat tour or dinner cruise, even) or go back later in the day if you want to spend more time in Normandy.

I also loved Bastogne (Battle of the Bulge) which is a doable day trip from Brussels or Luxembourg city, but not from Amsterdam.

About an hour (by train) outside of Rome are the towns coastal towns of Nettuno and Anzio, whose beaches were the landing point of the Allied troops on their way to Rome. Both towns were pretty heavily damaged during the war.

I didn’t find Anzio all that appealing, but I really enjoyed Nettuno. It has a really nice medieval quarter, and a museum thats dedicated to the Allied landing. Also of interest is the Sicily-Rome American Cemetary, which is sobering, yet very pretty.

I took a day trip from Paris to Normandy (crazy, I know), but I was really satisfied with my experience, albeit rushed. I didn’t have enough time to spend in the region, so my tour group left early in the morning and came back to Paris around 930pm. It’s possible when time is short

Thanks guys for all info on some WWII locations. I definatly had Normandy in mind, but thanks on the insight on how long these places take to visit.

About Bastogne, I now have included staying in Brussels for a night to see Bastogne; But how do I get from Brussels to Bastogne ? Should I rent a car,taxi or can I join some type of tour from Brussels ?

In Berlin the Brewer’s walking tour is also a definate.
The locations in Rome seem pretty interesting also and I just might check them out.

I have another question, does anybody know If its possible to do a day trip from Munich to the "Eagle’s Nest" ? and is the Dachau Concentration camp near Munich ?

Hey man i did almost the same exact trip as you have planned last summer almost the same exact dates and i have a few little things u might want to think about. The chunnel from london to paris is a rip off so either find a cheap flight or ditch london for another trip. i think u most defenitely need to fit spain in expecially barcelona, o man that place is the shit. Also dont hit only the capitals or big cities after a few weeks u need to find a small relaxed to place to chill out, interlaken in swtiz is a good idea. have a great time, live it to the fullest and hit up pub crawls, and if u want real ww2 stuff u should hit up poland.

Dachau is about 30 minutes out of Munich (train and bus). It takes about 1/2 day to see. If it’s hot, make sure to bring a bottle of water as most of the camp is outside without shade.

quote:Dachau is about 30 minutes out of Munich (train and bus). It takes about 1/2 day to see. If it’s hot, make sure to bring a bottle of water as most of the camp is outside without shade.

It’s so true, take water.

Dachau was really interesting, and really worth the trip out from Munich.

I did a free walking tour with some company leaving from Marienplatz and they also offered the paying trip to Dachau. They gave us coupons at the end of the free walk, that included a student discount and a discount on the overall Dachau tour. So I decided to go for the tour.

So in the end, it only cost me 3 Euros more to have a guide take me to Dachau and tour us all around the camp and then take us back to Munich. I think from start to finish it lasted about 5 hours. It was definitly worth it to take the guided tour.

You have to pay the S-bahn fare and the local bus fare once in Dachau to get to the camp if you go on your own, so your tour fee includes all that transportation cost. So, really you pay 3 Euro for the tour and at the camp the "on your own" audio guide costs at least that much or more.

I thought Dachau was quite educational as well…I’ll also remember that day, as after I left, I met this total hottie at the s-bahn platform headed for Oktoberfest grounds w/ her friend…she was wearing green..some kickass decorative face paint..and had sparkly stuff all over….I hung out w/ her the next couple days…the sparkly stuff was a pain to wash off though…it was like stripper sparkly stuff to the extreme..but I digress..

"Go to Dachau, and find your very own hottie w/ an affinity for ‘sparkly stuff’" ….I dont think that’ll fly as a slogan.

Spain may be hard to include. But to reiterate what others have said.

"In London, see the Cabinet War Rooms" – one of my favorite smaller museums….really enjoy the history of WWII and Winston Churchill.

"In Berlin, take at least one of Terry Brewer’s walking tours." – I agree with this, there is some good architecture in Berlin as well and some of this is pointed out on these tours. The Jewish Museum is definitely a must see if nothing less than for the architecture of it.

"I’d suggest an overnight trip to Normandy….spend the afternoon at "the Memorial" in Caens…" – This is a spectacular museum and I would agree that it is a must see for a WWII history buff. The rest of the area is great as well and is highly recommended. Take your time here….it is not possible to do it as a day trip w/o a car but is possible to do as an overnight from Paris via train if you can spend time in Normandy.

"Dachau is about 30 minutes out of Munich (train and bus). It takes about 1/2 day to see." – and it is probably the most conveniently located concentration camp and really is very educational….take a tour if you can.

"If its possible to do a day trip from Munich to the "Eagle’s Nest"" – Yes it is….It has a good museum and it has a spectacular view at the top. It isn’t very far from Munich…..just leave early to get plenty of time.

Switzerland or Austria are ideal places to find a break city to rest and refuel for some more of the larger cities.

Sorry for the length….hope it helps.

Once again Thanks all for the kick A$$ info about these locations. You guys got me so pumped up I’ve already bought my Flight tickets for 5/22/06-6/22/06. Now its just a matter of time.

But if anyone else might have some additional info or know about any other locations it would be greatly appriciated…Hopefully I too can find a hottie with an affinity for sparkly stuff

quote:
Hopefully I too can find a hottie with an affinity for sparkly stuff

haha!! I hope you do!

And I looked at your first post again and realized you didnt just want WWII stuff….but also historical in general…in that case, you ought to head to pompeii and hercalaneum….you can actually take a tour or go solo from Rome as a day trip…it will definitely take the entire day (from morning til evening to get back to Rome) but it’s worth it if you’re into history…it’s just remarkable.

Thanks User,
Yeah I know theres plenty of Historical sites in Italy and Pompeii is a must. Cool,if a full day is needed then a day is reserved. Curious to see how intact the city is.

I have another question guys or gals, Leaving Interlaken where would be a better place to stay: Milan or Venice ? but I plan on visiting both.

quote:
Thanks User,
Yeah I know theres plenty of Historical sites in Italy and Pompeii is a must. Cool,if a full day is needed then a day is reserved. Curious to see how intact the city is.

I have another question guys or gals, Leaving Interlaken where would be a better place to stay: Milan or Venice ? but I plan on visiting both.

I’d stay in Venice. I’ve stayed in both…and of course there are charms to every place, but I found Milano to lack the flavor of many of the other places I stayed at in Italy. There was nice gelato..the last supper was wonderful..their metro system is quite good…best in Italy perhaps….but if as far as sheer ambience? It didnt measure up…at least I didnt think so. Sure Venice can be overrun w/ tourists…and that can bug…however, it’s singularly unique. You need to get lost in the maze that is the city….the food is very nice w/ an attractive backdrop…I had my favorite pastries at a place called Ballerin (I believe)….I remember I got there at about sunrise…before the tourists flooded the street….and that was when I found it most beautiful. You could appreciate the history…the architecture….etc. San Marcos is exquisite….Personally, I couldnt hang out there as long as I could a place like Rome…which is much more complete a city in my (and most peoples) opinion….but that isnt your question….between Milan and Venice – I take Venice.

Oh, and I remember when the streets started to flood w/ tourists, I ended up asking this girl directions to my hotel…she was very kind…and she not only did that, but she helped me plan my stay in cinque terre….she took me to her friends place which was close by, got on the internet and made a schedule for me….and then I invited her for dinner later that night. We had a very good time.

I thought it was appropriate to add that as I told you about the sparkly girl in Munchen as well haha!!

I have a Milano story but it involves false accusations by the Police…I’ll save that for another time haha!