My friend and I have the opportunity to take our first trip to Europe in April, but we are only able to go for 6 days (tentatively April 5-11th). We are from NYC and would like to go somewhere with a
My friend and I have the opportunity to take our first trip to Europe in April, but we are only able to go for 6 days (tentatively April 5-11th). We are from NYC and would like to go somewhere with a reasonably short flight time, to maximize the actual vacation, and would also like to go somewhere that most of the tourism is confined to one major city and the nearby areas. Basically, a place like Italy is out because there are SO many places to go.
As far as what we enjoy, we are both 27 years old and love adventure - we went skydiving on our last trip. We also love to take pictures, so a lot of interesting scenic shots would be nice (eg, the Eiffel Tower, the guards in front of Buckingham Palace, a castle in Ireland).
I'm not sure how much time you actually have; guessing that you're leaving on the evening of the 5th, arriving in Europe the next morning, and returning home, arriving back in the U.S. the evening of the 11th.
That really leaves you 5-1/2 days (the last day you'll be traveling by mid-day) and you'll be pretty tired on arrival. So your idea of staying in one place with day trips near it is a good one.
Given the short time and the desire for a short flight time, there are a number of choices, but two stands out as obvious: Paris and London. Each is a large city with enough to do, see, feel that you could fill up any amount of time, and each has reasonable "in the neighborhood" trips to see a little more.
London plus Hampton Court Palace or Oxford is one thought; for Paris (my favorite), there's not only the city but a choice of many day-trippable places. The most obvious is Versailles, but Dijon and Beaune are only short train rides away (wine, mustard, medieval districts), as is Chartres (cathedral), etc. By April, Monet's gardens at Giverny are open, and while not as spectacular as in the summer, well worth a visit.
The best part of every trip is realizing that it has upset your expectation.
Your first trip is always an adventure ... I agree London or Paris. If you want the comfort of the English language, UK. Paris, IMO, would be the more venturesome and it will give you a real feel for traveling in a non-English culture (of course many people do speak some English).
Another vote for London or Paris. Both are cities loaded with five-star sights, and there are great day-trips available from either if you find yourself wanting some variety.
Yes I agree! If you are the adventureson type just being in Europe for the first time will suffice. London will certainly give you the feel of not being in the U.S., but Paris.....awww....well that is another story. There are many challenges (good such as language different foods, etc) and if I had to choose one of them it would be Paris. I guarantee you.......you will most likely be planning a second trip on your return flight home. Good luck!
We leave for Paris in June and I can't wait to take my 12 year old to see the sights.
Paris of Course.... food, wine and culture in the same place. but 3 days in Paris and 2 days in London is also possible. The Eurostar train takes only two hours from Central Paris to central London. So its possible to go and come back in two days and visit the main sites in London.
Never been to either, but Paris or London or both like a previous poster said. I'm sure you could fill 5.5 days with a lot in both cities. It's a good feel of what traveling abroad is like. London would be fun to see all of the Olympic stuff before it gets even crazier in the city.
