I’m trying to plan a trip to Europe next spring for a group of 5 adults and it’s quickly devolved into a herding cats situation. We’re struggling on picking a location, so I would love to get some ideas.
Ages are 40s-mid 70s with no major accessibility issues, but a ton of stairs/elevation change wouldn’t be doable. One person has visions of strolling quaint European villages and immersing in the local culture (I almost asked if she expected the locals to periodically break into song). One person is strongly opposed to Spain. Another is strongly opposed to a driving trip. So I’m wondering if staying in a smaller city with train access to a larger city would fit the bill best?
The dates that work for everyone (3/31-4/8) fall over Easter (4/5). How much Easter will actually impact things for a tourist? One city we had tossed around as an idea was Florence, but if Easter is going to be a big deal somewhere it seems like it would be in Italy…
European holidays are serious things, and even food can be hard to come by once the stores close. Be sure to go self-catering and get some food in a couple of days in advance.
I think your cat-herding problem will be the larger one; not the location selection.
If the individuals’ needs / desires are divergent enough, they’re not actually a group; they’re 5 individuals. Nobody will have fun and you’ll be a wreck trying to juggle the impossible.
I’d spend a few days dealing seriously and directly head-on with this. If everybody lays out their druthers and red lines it’ll be apparent to all just how large, small, or non-existent the happy zone is.
You need to get everyone together, on a zoom call if necessary, to see if there’s a consensus on where people want to go. Have some suggestions along with any pros and cons you can think of. If you can get 80% of the group to agree on a location, it’s just a matter of deciding where to stay and what to do once you get there. If you can’t get 80% to agree on a location, then you cut and run, since there’s no point trying to please everyone.
Can’t tell you what to do, but you might consider Prague, where I live. Tourists tend to really like the place and other tourist locations in the Czech Republic (lots of castles and palaces to be seen, the town called Cesky Krumlov comes highly recommended).
If there’s beer lovers among you, there’s a lot of cheap and very good beer to be had here.
Apart from there being 44 European countries (27 in the EU), and that I don’t know of a single “European holiday” (I repeat 44 countries, each with its own set of holidays), and even considering Easter as spanning most, if not all, of them, I still have to say
Wait, what?
Are you seriously saying people will not be able to get a meal in a restaurant because of Easter (or on Holidays in general)?
Its possible, varies a lot by country of course*, but Easter is a big.deal in Europe, it would be closer to Christmas or Thanksgiving in the US than, say, Arbor Day (at a minimum almost everyone will get a four-day weekend off work)
‘*’ - to be sure not to be disrupted you could go to Greece or Serbia as they celebrate Orthodox easter on a different date
Fly to London. Take Eurostar to Paris through the Chunnel. Take the night train to Berlin. Three cities where there should be something for everyone. If someone cannot find anything to be pleased in those three, dump them in the Spree. The only downside is the return flight from Berlin Brandenburg airport.
ETA: You can do it the other way around, in which case the only downside will be the return flight from Heathrow. Paris Charles De Gaulle is also bad.
LSLGuy and dolphinboy definitely hit the nail on the head. I’m hoping to have some ideas to present to the group this weekend, but I also don’t want to suggest something like Florence only to find out Italy is going to be mobbed by pilgrims (and I’m assuming Rome will be crazy busy).
So far staying somewhere near-ish Paris seems to catch the most interest, but nothing definitive yet.
In the centre of a big tourist city? There will be a few restaurants open, yes. But in smaller towns I’ve had trouble finding food of any kind just because it was Sunday, much less Easter Sunday.
And I can’t think of a European country in which Easter isn’t celebrated. Possibly Czechia, which is mostly agnostic?
Overall though, my point is that the extent to which things actually close down for holidays in Europe can be surprising to Americans. Trying to do business there at all in Summer is a struggle. Again, outside the major city centers. It’s just a different world, where the vast majority of workers actually get to be with their families for holidays.
The first thing that comes to mind from your OP is Bruges, which absolutely has that charming European vibe, and is accessible by train to Brussels, Ghent, Amsterdam, etc.
Fly to London, stay on the outskirts (inner London hotels are expensive) and use public transport to get into and around the City. (Do not drive in London!)
You have 2000 years of history, everybody speaks your language and there’s an incredible choice of restaurants, museums etc.
Just a few ideas:
Westminster Abbey, then boat trip with guide up to Tower of London
Natural History Museum, British Museum, National Portrait gallery
Open top bus ride roiund the city with guide
London Eye
Kew Gardens
My advice is to get out of this role while you still can.
How were you so lucky as to get elected tour guide? And now that I’ve typed the words, my advice is to hire a tour guide, to plan and execute the entire trip, from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave. Then everyone can hate that person, instead of you.
Is it a requirement that everyone spend all day with each other? If not, that makes things so much easier.
I’ve had several “herding cat” trips, including one to London. The thing that made it all work was that no feelings were hurt when we split up to do different things. It also meant there was stuff to talk about when we got back together again.
If every event must satisfy all people, or someone is going to be upset that their kid/partner/sibling didn’t want to go with them to the shoe museum, then I suggest aborting now.
ETA: My point being, pick someplace near a big city, and if someone wants to go to the country for a day, let them.
Yeah I was gonna suggest this. Just create an interiary based on what you think everyone (but mainly you) wants to do. Then people can join for as much or as little as they want.
Yep, that is almost exactly what I did: These are the days I’m at my conference, these are the things I want to see. I don’t care what anyone else does, but I’ll be doing those things on the days I’m available.
I tell myself that helped the other people plan, because it gave some structure, but not too much.
Also I’d add in my experience it’s not disagreement about planning that causes fall outs on vacation, it’s people who are not used to it spending all their time together, being able to do different stuff helps with that.
My daughter and I visited Italy over Easter several years ago, and it was manageable and good weather. The only huge crowds were at the Colosseum on Good Friday, where the Pope does stations of the cross, and on Easter Sunday mass at the Vatican. If you want to attend that, there is (was?) a Bishop’s office for Americans in Rome who provides tickets for good seats. We also went to Florence (and Pisa) for a few days, an easy trip. There’s enough to do in both cities that different groups could do on their own.
For Easter, we ate at McDonald’s, because how often so you get to do that in Rome!
Decide on your personal ideal European trip with zero regard for the bleating of the sheep. Tell the crowd this is what you are doing and they’re welcome to follow or not, visit those countries or others, and we’ll all meet up 2 weeks hence in [city] to fly home.
You’ll be amazed at how low-stress this whole process and trip suddenly becomes. And how cooperative your companions are.
If I were the OP herding cats I’d just plan the trip for myself. Then I’d tell everyone what my plans are and they are welcome to join. If they want to do something else they can figure it out. Maybe meet for dinner.
