Honeymoon trip late June - Europe?

1,264 Views | 15 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by whasty
scott06
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AG
We're trying to get a honeymoon nailed down and have been looking at Europe. Neither of us have been overseas and have been trying to figure out where/what to do. She wants to see Paris for sure. I've even looked at the idea of flying in, doing one of the cruises there (5 day or so), then flying to Paris for a few days. We'd like to spend around 10 days total. What would be your suggestions? TIA
dcAg
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The only thing I would say is that be careful you don't run into the Italian holiday month which I think is typically in August.

Any cultures you particularly enjoy?
cadetjay02
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Get on YouTube and start watching Rick Steve's episodes. Find what looks interesting to you and go from there. Getting around over there is super easy.
Vernada
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Europe in late June will be fine.

Depending on what kind of trip you want, you could easily spend the entire trip in Paris with a few day-long excursions to Versailles and other places outside the city.

Being that it's your honeymoon and you'll have plenty to be doing up until the honeymoon, it might take some of the pressure off and make for a nice decompression time.
Kurt Gowdy
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My suggestion is do Paris and London. Fly into to either city and then fly to the other or take the Eurostar and depart back to the US from the opposite city in which you arrived.

You'll be visiting two world class cities without the pressure of too much travelling, especially since you've not been to Europe before.

My wife and I did Paris years ago for our honeymoon.

Kurt Gowdy
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Quote:

Depending on what kind of trip you want, you could easily spend the entire trip in Paris with a few day-long excursions to Versailles and other places outside the city.
Versailles is absolutely necessary. We're into bike tours when we go to cities as it's a quick way to familiarize yourself with the new surroundings. I'm not sure which one it was (Fat Bike or Mike's etc.) but we did the city tour and also did the bike tour to Versailles which was excellent.
dcAg
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London, Paris, Amsterdam
jeffdjohnson
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4 days in Paris, 3 in London. 1 travel day in, 1 travel day out and 1 travel day between the two. Side trip to Versailles on one of the Paris days. Eurostar between Paris/London (it is 2.5 hours and easy).
aggiesarah2004
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AG
The husband and I are doing Europe in late June as well. London-Paris-Munich-Dsseldorf. I know it's summer and will be warm but just how warm are we talking? Will we need light jackets for nighttime, etc?
Ag_N_Houston
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AG
Don't assume it will be hot because it's June. I was in Austria and Germany in late May/early June and it was cold. I was in Paris a few days before and it was hot.
Kurt Gowdy
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It's going to be hot but any heat they'll have will be more than bearable to someone who has spent Augusts in Texas.
scott06
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Thanks for the suggestions!

What are the absolute must sees in Paris & London?

Any specific hotels you would recommend staying at?

What airlines are best to use?
Vernada
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saa06 said:

Thanks for the suggestions!

What are the absolute must sees in Paris & London?

Any specific hotels you would recommend staying at?

What airlines are best to use?


Buy Rick Steves Paris and London books. I've never regretted his hotel suggestions (or anything else he recommends).
Bulldog73
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Don't get me wrong, I like Dsseldorf, but that's really a very different smcity than the other three. As always, I urge caution when planning a several stop Euro tour.

4th of July 2009 Bonn, Germany I got hailed on. 4th of July 2014 also in Bonn it was 100 degrees. It does tend to cool off at night to the extent that a light jacket would usually be fine. It does rain a lot during that time, so I'd bring a rain jacket and call it a day.
Bulldog73
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AG
It really just depends on what y'all like. Paris is a really awesome city. I would recommend doing a bike tour there between fat tire or mikes. Both are good quality tours, English speakers, and they'll hit all the highlights. If you're into art, budget and entire day for the Lourve. Versailles is something we didn't do, and I kick myself for every time I think of that trip. The one place that I was most impressed with was the Sacre Cour. Make sure you check that out. Of course, there's the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Arc de Triumph (all would be covered on a bike tour).

I've never spent substantial time there, but aside from the big things, most of my friends aren't too impressed with London. My sister and bro in law went to Ireland and enjoyed seeing that area.

Next on my list to visit is Netherlands (not for the weed), and I go to Bonn/Koln area every year or two, and while I love the area, that more relationship driven. Although, if y'all like wine, the Mosel region would be a cool area to spend some time. Munich was pretty incredible. We spent a week or so, an hit the major sights, did a great bike tour, and went on our own exploratory trip around old town Munich.

Are beaches your thing? History? Arts? Clubs? More info is highly helpful.
aggiesarah2004
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It's the last 2 nights of our two week trip; catching the first stages of the TdF
whasty
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I hate to sound like your mother but if you're going in June, you should have had this all nailed down by now.

A bunch of random thoughts:

Anyway, I like the half in London half in Paris idea. If it's your first time going to Europe, this is a great way to do it. Eurostar between the 2 cities is the only way to go. I also like the idea of getting Rick Steves' guide books for Paris and London. He'll give you the basics on what to expect and where's a good place to stay. You'll need to learn how to use the Tube and Metro in each city. If you haven't used a subway before, don't worry, they're pretty easy. Again, Steves will explain all this. Get an Oyster card in London to save money and the Paris Metro allows you to buy tickets in bulk to save a little cash. There are pick-pockets on the trains and in all popular locations, again, don't worry too much, just be smart. Get a money belt that goes inside your clothes and avoid crowds (if possible). I have a golf windbreaker with a zippered pocket on the inside. I keep my cash and credit cards in that pocket. Before you leave, go to your bank and get several 100 Euro and Pounds for initial walking around money. Get smaller notes (i.e. 5s, 10s and some 20s). Ask your bank about using ATMs in Paris or London. That should be easy. I like to put most of my charges on my credit card. Visa and Master Card are excepted pretty much everywhere. Nowadays, they may ask you if you want your bill charged in the native currency or in US dollars. You should always charge in native currency, they generally give you a bad exchange rate for the privilege to use USDs. Let the credit card take care of the exchange rate. One last thing about credit cards, the bank that owns your card may charge you a fee to use it in Europe (usually about 3%). Call and ask. Several years ago, I switched to a Venture One card that has no fee. It was the one Rick Steves' blog suggested. Your credit card will need a chip to work in Europe but I think now all/most credit cards have one so that should not be a problem. Another thing to worry about before you leave is international data rates for your phones. Call your provider and make sure you've got it covered. I've heard horror stories of people screwing that up and getting $1000s in fees.


London:

Must sees: Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, British Museum, National Gallery, Churchill's War Rooms, St. Paul
Must dos: Take one of these bike tours, go to a pub for lunch, see a west end show, London walks tours, visit Hyde Park's speaker's corner on a Sunday, Thames river cruise, walk Whitehall from Parliament to Trafalgar Square then down the Mall to Buckingham Palace, be in Parliament square when Big Ben chimes at the hour, take the Millennium bridge from St. Paul's to the Tate Modern.
Day Trips: Hampton court is nice. I think a first timer to England should take one to Stonehenge and Bath. This will give you a good tour for English country side and a nice English town. There are tour buses doing this, look at trip advisory.

Paris:

Must sees: Louvre, Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, Saint Chapelle (many miss this but don't), Sacre-Coeur, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe
Must Do: Bike tour, Find a caf on the left bank, walk from the Louvre to the Place de la Concorde (find the guy juggling pigeons), walk the Champs-Elysees, Seine river cruise at night, beer at Montmartre
Day Trips: Versailles (easy train ride), Normandy (I love Normandy but if you try this remember it's 3 or 4 hours each way depending on traffic. Again, you can find these via trip advisory. If you're a D-Day fan and want to do this, it will be very rushed but at least you'll see Point-du-Hoc, the American Cemetery and Omaha Beach), Giverny (Claude Monet's garden with all the water lilies. It's maybe an hour and a half from Paris, should be able to find a tour on trip advisory)

London and Paris are two of the greatest city in the world. Have fun and soak up a bunch of the culture. Walk around and just wonder into a pub or caf. That's where you find some of your best memories.



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