# Recommend a European country! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 2, 2003, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453 "2003-12-02T06:06:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sam\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Sam\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_H)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/1 "2003-12-02T06:06:11Z")
My spouse and I would like to go to Europe for our tenth wedding anniversary next summer. We live in the U.S. So far we’re thinking Italy and Greece because friends have recommended them but we’re open to other possibilities. This would be our first trip there. Any suggestions? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/2 "2003-12-02T06:45:53Z")
I have a suggestion- narrow your search terms. Are you looking for beaches? History? Nightlife? Food? ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/3 "2003-12-02T07:33:57Z")
Go to Greece, definitely. Been there and you can’t beat the feeling. Incredibly beautiful people, beaches, and it’s fairly cheap. ---
**Author:** ![\_ceQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b9bd4f/32.png) [@\_ceQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_ceQueen)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/4 "2003-12-02T07:52:51Z")
I’d totally go to Cyprus. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/5 "2003-12-02T08:04:16Z")
Don’t go to Portugal next summer unless you like Sok-kah. ---
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/6 "2003-12-02T08:38:19Z")
Be careful where you go in Greece unless you enjoying mixing with drunk, rampaging teenagers (think Ft Lauderdale during spring break). I’d go for Italy, especially Venice given the anniversary and all. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/7 "2003-12-02T09:01:35Z")
Italy’s often better value for money, but book your hotels well in advance. Try travelling round (Venice-Milan-Florence-Rome-Naples would be a good route) - the Italian train system is excellent. DON’T drive unless you enjoy thrill-seeking :p. Other possibilities are Barcelona and Prague, although both are even busier in the summer. ---
**Author:** ![mazirian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@mazirian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mazirian)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/8 "2003-12-02T10:29:26Z")
I would reconsider Greece. The 2004 Olympic Games are held in Athens (from the 13th to 29th August) and at least the traffic and hotel situations will be catastrophic. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/9 "2003-12-02T10:31:52Z")
Go someplace different, like Estonia. Tallin’s supposed to kick ass. ---
**Author:** ![BIH\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/49beb7/32.png) [@BIH\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BIH_Boy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/10 "2003-12-02T10:56:52Z")
Go to Scotland. Beautiful scenery, lots of history, rain, cold, unreliable train services, bigotry, bad diets, alcoholism… Why do I live here? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/11 "2003-12-02T12:05:19Z")
What does your fiance consider romantic? If she’s into castles and knights, there’s a couple of options. If she wants moonlit nights on desolate beaches, that points in a different direction. If she wants lights, snooty waiters and walks in a big city, that’s a third. If she’s into nightlife and crowds it’s a fourth. Europe can have a lot to offer, but you need to be a bit more specific. And don’t try and do it all. Remember that quality is generally better than quantity, and you’ll want some quality time in a hotel room as well. Also a hint as to your budget would help. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/12 "2003-12-02T12:22:10Z")
Slovenia. Wonderful wine food and lots to do from hiking to spas. ---
**Author:** ![Fox\_in\_the\_Snow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/82dd89/32.png) [@Fox\_in\_the\_Snow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fox_in_the_Snow)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/13 "2003-12-02T12:45:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BIH Boy \* > **Go to Scotland. > Beautiful scenery, lots of history, rain, cold, unreliable train services, bigotry, bad diets, alcoholism…** Ah…Home sweet Home. An obvious choice but Catalonia is pretty special, Barcelona being the only city that comes close to Glasgow in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/14 "2003-12-02T14:41:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dutchboy208 \* > \*\*I have a suggestion- narrow your search terms. > > Are you looking for beaches? History? Nightlife? Food? \*\* I agree, it will help to tell us what your interests … oh, never mind, just go to Spain. It’s got 'em all, and you can’t possibly skip Picasso’s _Guernica_ and the Alhambra and the cathedral at Santiago and the best coffee you’ll ever have in your life and long slow-paced evenings drinking wine and eating olives. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/15 "2003-12-02T18:01:20Z")
Start in Italy, drive north into Switzerland and Austria and angle over to Prague. This will give you a wide range of food and drink experience, not to mention the scenery (Tuscany, the Alps, etc.)and the historical (and architecturally stunning) cities of Rome, Florence, Vienna and Prague, among others. Personally, my experience in Greece was a boring one (I didn’t go to Athens), but I don’t like beaches. If all you want is to sunbathe, go to Florida. Almost every country in Europe is only a day’s drive from any adjoining country (at most; Spain comes to mind as a possible exception), so you can do this easily with some planning. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/16 "2003-12-02T18:15:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ruadh \* > \*\*Go someplace different, like Estonia. Tallin’s supposed to kick ass. \*\* Tallin is indeed very cool. FWIW, my next Euro country visited shall be Iceland. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/17 "2003-12-02T18:23:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam H. \* > \*\*This would be our first trip there. \*\* For a first trip to Europe I recommend London and Paris. Paris is very romantic. London is awesome with its history and too many things to do/see. But, as mentioned above, it all depends on interests. Congrats on the 10th! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/18 "2003-12-02T19:14:23Z")
What do you consider to be summer? Italy and Greece are uncomfortably hot in july-august, and still rather hot in june and september. So if you don’t like warm climates, you’d better go to a more northern country. Otherwise Italy is better for culture. Greece apparently has beautiful islands but I’ve heard the mainland is a bit disappointing. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/19 "2003-12-02T19:30:05Z")
Spain! Spain ! Spain ! I love it. Barcelona is absolutely gorgeous and only a few hours away from the south of France. Very cheap, warm, nice beaches, great wine, awesome people, beautiful architecture, lots of olives, sexy language, and everyone naps in the afternoon. I’d go back in a second. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453/20 "2003-12-02T19:48:38Z")
If you’re going in August, _don’t_ go to Spain. It’s stinky hot and everything’s closed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-european-country/216453.md?page=2)