I don't know about you, but I have the travel bug something fierce these days. Weddings ruled our travel budget earlier this year, so we haven't taken any actual vacations together in 2013. With {cv}'s work schedule, we're limited on the number of days we can jet set. Rather than spread ourselves too thin, our plan is to focus on one city. These cities are topping our list, but we can't seem to narrow it down!
Since I know I have some amazing travel vets out there, I'm intrigued to hear your take on where to go with our five days. We would likely travel in late October or early November. I know many people will be inclined to say we should hop down to the tropics, but I want an adventure--not a beach ;) Though we love Paris, we've been there twice in the last three years and want to see somewhere new!
Which of these cities would you recommend for a five-day vacation? Or are there any options missing from this list? Anything with reasonable accessibility to the Boston area would be lovely. {In other words, we don't want to spend our entire vacay in an airport!} I cannot wait to hear your suggestions! Many thanks in advance for your travel wisdom... Happy Tuesday!
PHOTO CREDITS: Venice: Jim Richardson | Quebec City: Bill Heinsohn | London: Will Van Overbeek | Barcelona: Michael Cowell | Madrid: Guido Cozzi | Rome: Bob Krist | Amsterdam: Ripani Massimo | Prague: Heimo Aga
Prague gets my number one vote, with Amsterdam trailing in a close second :) xxx
ReplyDeleteI'd go to Quebec City just to avoid the extreme jet lag.
ReplyDeletehmm, i would jaunt off to london. the flight's not bad from boston at all! or prague. :)
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I just did a trip to the UK this summer including 5 days in London. You can do a lot with 5 days in London with sightseeing, great restaurants, and walks though Hyde Park. London gets my vote!
ReplyDeleteQuebec is gorgeous -- Mike and I got engaged there and we go every year the week before Christmas, so I'm biased, but it's got the charm of going to europe, without the pricey flight!
ReplyDeleteLondon is one of my favorite places! I'm sure that the others would be great as well. But you can see loads of stuff in 5 days in London!
ReplyDeleteLondon is one of my favorite cities, but I think Prague may have it beat just by a smidge here. It was beautiful when I visited and the views were breathtaking!
ReplyDeleteI have heard amazing things about Quebec City, after seeing Montreal this past spring I would definitely recommend Canada for that european feel with a bit of modern americas & a QUICK flight. You could always pop over to Montreal for a day as well, super easy to navigate and has AMAZING food, which i don't even think they're usually known for..
ReplyDeleteIf you really are thinking to go across the pond my rec would be Prague, also easy to navigate and has delicious food. There isn't a crazy amount to see so you could definitely fit in relaxing AND siteseeing!
eeek good luck choosing :)
Oh but did I mention Barcelona is my most FAVORITE place on this planet? ie: on the med sea (beautiful blue water), grid for easy navigating, lucious hotels, delicious spanish tapas, cute cafes, amazing shopping. UGH, i can't even choose!!!!
ReplyDeleteI live in London, and I know many argue that you can't do it in five days. I disagree! You can really do the highlights and some of the off-beaten things in five days! I've done Prague, Rome, Amsterdam, and Quebec City all in four days or less, so very durable! But, my favorite recent getaway was Venice! A friend and I started in Verona to do Shakespeare things, and then took a train to Venice!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your travel planning!
Katie at walpolehopsthepond.blogspot.com
I just got back from a quick trip to Europe (Barcelona & up the Costa Brava to Montpellier, France) with my boyfriend. We left on Sunday and arrived on Monday and flew back the following Monday. I loved Barcelona. We spent 5 full days there and why I could have spent longer there I felt I got a good view of the city and did all the things I wanted to (Park Guell, Sagrada Familia, Beach, Gaudi house, Gothic district). We stayed right in the middle of Plaza Catalunya so we were close metro wise and walking wise to everything. Email me if you want any more specifics about the trip. I was hesitant the 5 days weren't going to be enough in Barcelona but I was wrong. I'm jealous of the time you are going. I have always wanted to see Europe in the Fall.
ReplyDeleteI was actually lucky to visit the last four cities you mentioned earlier this summer! I loved Madrid, but I found there weren't as many "attractions" as in the other cities. It's more about shopping and eating tapas and laying out in the park, which is great, but if you're looking for adventure I think Rome and Prague are your best bets! Amsterdam was also neat, but I'm afraid the weather won't be favorable in October, as it wasn't even nice when we went in late May. We spent most of our time cooped up in museums. I've posted about Rome, Amsterdam and Prague already on my blog (you can find the links under the Travel Tuesday page), and I'll be posting about Madrid soon if you want to learn more. :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck choosing a place! I can't wait to hear all about it.
i would love to go to rome and venice! but i think october/november is when venice floods?
ReplyDeleteI've been to Rome, Amsterdam, and London...London is amazing especially in the fall!! But I hear Prague is the best city ever! It's on my list of must do's. Stockholm is also a beautiful city full of great things to do!
ReplyDeleteBarcelona!!!! Or London (although I've never been). Prague and Venice are beautiful but more of 2-3 day trips. Whatever you two choose I know you'll have an amazing time!!!
ReplyDeleteBarcelona is my vote! I went this summer, but I think it would be even better in the fall since it isn't peak tourist season. 5 days is a perfect amount of time to see all the museums and sites. If you like architecture it's a must see! The food is also great, and it's fun to just stroll around the city. Also I found the subway system super easy to navigate, which was a huge help.
ReplyDeleteI love Prague (!) but I don't know that I'd want five days there-- I was there for a six days (but had meetings during the day) and still felt like it was a bit long for that "adventurous" feeling.
ReplyDeleteLondon or Amsterdam! I love London because there's endless things to do and who doesn't love a good British accent!? And Amsterdam is very pretty with the surrounding green fields and windmills. You can bike along the Amstel River and visit a handful of quaint little villages outside of the city! Oh, and the Amsterdam Marathon is October 20th. They might have a half and a 5k along with it! :)
ReplyDeleteMy vote is for Amsterdam or Quebec City! Of course all the places you listed would be amazing! :)
ReplyDeleteYou have to go to Prague, and you have to see the Old City. :)
ReplyDeletePrague in 5 days is doable! Beautiful city. I loved it!
ReplyDeleteHi friend! I was just reminiscing about the start of my blog days and how yours started around the same time....so happy (and proud...can I be proud? haha) of how successful your blog is!
ReplyDeletenow on to travel...eek! my coworker just went to Amsterdam and L-O-V-E-D it!
I'm super torn between Venice and Barcelona.... Barcelona was AH-MAH-ZING. I didn't give it enough credit before I traveled there. Great food, Gaudi, Picasso, and Dali. You really would have a great time.
ReplyDeleteI think if you really want to get the most out of your short time, but still want a European feel, head up to Canada! Quebec City, Montreal, or even a quick jaunt to Toronto. Toronto is a gorgeous little city, and if you get a rental car, it's a quick drive to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, which is super awesome!
ReplyDeleteI would love to go to Rome or London!!
ReplyDeleteLondon! It's amazing! Plus there is so much to see right outside the city too!
ReplyDeleteI would recommend Barcelona, Rome or Prague!
ReplyDeleteWell if you want to go somewhere warmer at that time, I would say a city in either Italy or Spain. I went to both of those places during my fall break(when I studied abroad), at the end of October, and the weather was really nice. Not super hot, and not cold. Plus, there's not too many tourists. You can't go wrong with any of them though! :)
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