I would say that since last time you were in the North…this time go south. Spain, Italy, or Greece would be a good start. Each country could easily eat up 3 weeks but with some creative flying (open jaw flights) you could do it. An Italy/Greece combo or a Spain/Portugal combo could work. If you have a problems with hot weather than Scotland/Ireland would also make for an excellent trip. There are loads of options!

1. Go as early in the summer as you can. Europeans go on vacation in August and many tourist destinations are absolutely packed starting the end of July. You’ll even find places (business destinations as opposed to tourist destinations) where some hotels and restaurants are closed for staff vacations.

2. What interests you? Beaches? clubs and nightlife? history? art and architecture? scenery? outdoor stuff? Will you be miserable if it’s hot and the hotel/hostel’s not air conditioned? Will your budget cover 3 weeks in expensive places like Scandinavia?

3. Don’t forget Eastern Europe. It’s generally cheaper, less crowded and has many wonderful sights.

Amy where you from in MN? Im in Plymouth.

St Paul technically, but I am currently in Portland and will be moving here or Seattle in the next couple of months. I will miss it there but can’t deal with the winters anymore..especially after chasing the summer for the last 15 months. I’ve become a weather wimp!

quote:
Amy where you from in MN? Im in Plymouth.

I’m from Portland!

Anyway, I was thinking of this itinerary:

Jun 17- PDX to Barcelona via Frankfurt
Jun 20- Barcelona to Nice/Monaco
Jun 24- Nice/Monaco to Genoa
Jun 27- Genoa to Rome
Jul 2- Rome to Naples
Jul 5- Naples to Venice
Jul 8- Venice to Frankfurt
Jul 10- Frankfurt to PDX

It’s kind of a laid back trip, but i like it that way. What do you guys think? Does it look good?

looks good for a laid back trip but what do you plan to do in Genoa for three days?

im not sure, but doing a lotta nothing sounds good.

How about hop around the Cinque Terre towns. From what I remember Genoa wasn’t the most picturesque but the hike from town to town is really great…or if you don’t like hiking…the trains go to all 5 too.

Small world LEX. We should meet up for a drink sometime! How old are you?

Chase-
Maybe cut a day out Genoa and add it to Rome. Other than that looks good!

AmyMN- where exactly is cinque terre? Ive heard its great but i dont really know much about it.

Cinque Terre is best visited from Florence. BTW, I’d cut Genoa completely and go to Florence / Cinque Terre, just enough time.

Cinque Terre is a group of 5 small villages that cling to the cliffs and beaches along the coast from Genoa to La Spezia. They are in order from N to S: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarolo, and Riomaggiore. Check out this map for a better idea: http://goeurope.abou… (scroll down a little)

Monterosso is the bigger one and a good place to start the hike, if interested. The hike is 12K and will take you up and down the cliffs and can be strenuous at times but totally doable especially if the temp is not in the 90’s like it was for us…whew! YOu will hike through gardens, olive trees, lemon trees, vineyards, and bougainville not too mention the little villages themselves. Vernazza has a great little cove to jump in the water and cool off and there area loads of little cafes and eateries (the area is known for its pesto) for a boost.

There are many places to stay along the way…all types of accommodation. We stayed in Riomaggiore and took the train to the top (Monterosso) and hiked back. If you get tired you can always hop on the train. I would highly suggest hanging out in this area but maybe spend a couple of extra Euros on your accommodation as we went with rock bottom and ended up with bed bugs! If you have any other questions let me know.