With a 6 week trip to Europe coming up this fall for my husband and I, we are looking for "must sees". He has never been so this will definitely be tourist highlights. We'll be traveling by rail for the most part (once we get to London). Can you give one (or more) suggestions on what you consider a "don't miss" for any of these places? TIA:
Reykjavik
London
Paris
Amsterdam
Berlin
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Salzburg
Venice
Florence
Rome
Sitges/Barcelona

Erin
Oh! There is a Palace in Salzburg that had really neat water fountain play... Let me see if I can find it.

Trick fountains - http://www.salzburg.info/.../hellbrunn_palace_trick...
SALZBURG.INFO
Hellbrunn palace & trick fountains : salzburg.info

Mirabelle? Or in the square ?

It's in the southern part of the city - an easy bus ride if I remember.

Erin - thanks - didn't know of this one!

Schonbrunn Palace was a superb place too. Also try to catch some of the concerts in Vienna, which can be fabulous.

Loved Schonburnn! (But I don't think they are going to Vienna!)

The Cathedral of Saints Rupert and Vergilius in Salzburg was breathtaking. We toured Europe and saw so many beautiful cathedrals, but this one was my absolute favourite.

Yay!!! For sure!

You have picked some amazing spots... Paris, Venice and Barcelona were my absolute favourites.
Paris:
- River cruise was great and surprisingly inexpensive (we did a basic one but there are many options... dinner cruises etc)
- Check out the love locks at Pont Neuf
- La Grenouille for the MOST AMAZING frog legs
- Walk from the Arc de Triumph, down Champs d'Elysses (stop at La Duree for macarons!!) and through Jardin des Tuilieres to the Louvre... so much to see along the way
- And of course the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Cour can't be missed
Barcelona:
- Take a Gaudi walking tour (there are many free ones where you tip at the end). So much amazing architecture. If you don't do the walking tour then AT LEAST check out Park Guell and Sagrada Familia
- Rent bikes to ride down the beautiful boardwalk and to Parc de la Ciutadella
- Chupitos for fiery 2€ shots and entertainment
- Relax on the beautiful beaches
- Eat lots of paella and drink lots of sangria

Wow! I can't wait! Thanks for the tips!

Yes Barcelona is amazing!
One think to know for Italy, especially Rome around the Vatican area. If your going to eat somewhere make sure they give you menus with prices. We ended up paying over $300.00 for breakfast for 8 people and it was only yogurts, fruit and pastries. Lesson learned

Good to know!

I've been to Psris, London, Amsterdam, Reykjavik, Rome, Barcelona, Belfast and Scotland.....always did the Hop On Hop Off buses. Great way to see all the sites. I'll be in Amsterdam end of April and spending week in Portugal...will do the Hop bus there too.

Yes to the hop on bus. We saw a ton of London on one. Kept missing the bus in Paris.

I love hop on - hop off.

Not in London! Really sat on the bus in London for hours. Would have had more time taking the underground. The topside traffic doesn't move at all. We fried like sausages on the bus top.

Linda Good to know.... I wonder if it depends on the company? We plan on a LOT of walking in London in any case.

The traffic was just so bad, nothing moved. If we had planned better, took the underground to specific places, we would have seen far more. I don't think the company matters. I was there 4 years ago ( I was there last summer, but didn't go to London) in July. Traffic could be better other times of year.

Often about a Venice, people say to stay on the mainland and just do daytrips into Venice. I disagree. Part of The magic of Venice is seeing it in different light and it is magical walking around after sunset - when the tourist hordes are gone. One of the cheapest "tours" going is taking the vaporetto (water bus) up and down the Grand Canal at sunset and into evening. The mansions lining the canal look amazing in the subdued light. We also rented an apartment right next to San Marco Square and visited day and night. San Marco Basilica is a must and I say pay the extra to go to the back to see the jewels etc. A guided tour of the Doge's Palace was well worthwhile. We did a sunset gondola ride on back canals. Very nice. Daytime it was gondola traffic jams. A tour to Murano to the glass museum and glass factories. You also get some great views of Venice and other islands as you travel over and back. There are great art museums detailing the history of Venice. Also the Peggy Guggenheim museum has phenomenal modern art. Again, exploring the back streets and squares gives a good sense of local life. And don't forget phenomenal prosecco and espresso.

... And gelato!

Thanks! We'll act on most of those. Even though it was a bit pricey we sprung for a hotel near Piazza San Marco.

Paris: we stayed in an airbnb apartment really close to the Louvre. Walked everywhere. Of course, did the Louvre. Love impressionists, so d'Orsay was a must. Also Orangerie for Monet. Eiffel Tower. Booked ahead for tickets to the top. Bypasses major lines. Seine River cruise. But walking and taking in the street scenes and cafes was the Paris experience. You might enjoy high end window shopping on streets like St Honoree. And of course you can search out amazes no restaurants.

Have to book Eiffel and get the Paris pass.

Yes. We found the Paris Pass worth it, as we visited most major galleries - and we could spend a couple hours, get burnt out looking at art, go walk around, sidewalk cafe it, and then return. We were in Paris for 8 nights and really made use of the 7 day pass. Buy the appropriate number of days. We bought them when we arrived at the train station. We also did the English speaking tour at Versailles and thought it was worthwhile. It helps avoid the crowds in many areas and takes you to some areas not open to the general admission people.
Also, in most cases, local flights between major centres were generally cheaper than rail.

Yes, thanks! I knew about cheap flights but we're using Eurail and focusing on the rail experience.

That's it. We did the TGV from Nice to Paris for the experience.

If you like Canadian history (or even if you don't) Head to Lille for a day. (a few hours train from Paris)
Vimy Ridge is just outside Lille and it is a must see - the Canadian National Park monument to Canadians in WW1 http://www.veterans.gc.ca/.../first-world-war/france/vimy
In Venice head to Murano to watch the glass blowers. And just walk around - you can't help but be immersed in the atmosphere in Venice.
Rome will be busy whenever you are there. The sistine chapel is beautiful, but the Vatican tour will take a day so be prepared for that. The Trevi Fountain is a must do for tourists, make sure to throw a coin in (It means you will return someday). And the Coliseum of course. Be careful of the "gladiators". They will pose for a photo but expect to be paid for it.
If you go further east - absolutely go to Croatia! It is a beautiful country, especially Dubrovnik. I would also recommend Slovenia for the Alps type of atmosphere. (both were part of Yugoslavia)
Barcelona - see the Sagrada Famillia and Gaudi buildings. There is (or was) a fountain show at night that was pretty spectacular.
Tip: We did the train through Europe. We did not book hotels in advance, and I don't know if it works now or not, but we found great deals at the hotels wicket in each train station. We did start in London and you must have a booked room there or you won't find anything, but Venice, Rome, etc were all great rooms for great prices.
Also purchase your train pass in Canada - they are cheaper here and some are not available to purchase in Europe. But be aware that not all passes cover all Europe.
Have an amazing trip. I would love to go back myself.
And do represent Canada with the maple leaf. It is true that some parts of Europe treat Canadians way better so differentiate yourself with the flag.
VETERANS.GC.CA
Canadian National Vimy Memorial - Memorials In France - First World War Memorials Overseas - Memorials Overseas - Memorials - Remembrance - Veterans Affairs Canada

I would love to fit in a trip to Vimy Ridge. Thanks for the hints.

How did you purchase your train ticket? Did you go through Eurail?

Ashley , yes. The only other times I've been to Europe, I either drove or "flew in / flew out - point to point. We're looking forward to using our Eurail pass - anybody we've talked to said the train systems in Europe are amazing! https://www.raileurope.ca/rail.../europe-rail-pass-list/...
RAILEUROPE.CA
Europe Rail Pass List: Eurail, EuroRail, Rail Passes - Rail Europe

Reykjavik golden circle possible in a day trip. If you have a week I have lots of suggestions but if it's just a stop over then just the golden circle stops. Must try hotdogs with the works and skyr.
London I enjoyed seeing a show at the savoy the most. Everything else was enjoyable but not 'can't miss'.
Paris a riverboat tour at night. You can get a Paris pass ahead of time that gives you major discounts and front of line but if you don't do ahead then you have to find the office and it's a bit out of the way.
Amsterdam my favorite was just people watching in cafes. Note cafes have coffee. Coffee shops are for other products. As for must do I missed out on Anne frank house as the tickets were sold out. I recommend buying in advance if possible. I went at tulip season and found a local to drive me to the fields just outside. Def. highlight!
Rome the highlight was trevetti fountain though go early in the morning as even in off season it's insane. Coliseum and try to find local restaurants out of tourist area. Sistine chapel worth while but again buy ticket online ahead of time to skip the line. A wee bit more money but worth avoiding a 3 hr que.
Barcelona sagrada familla a MUST! Inside is incredible. If you can also see some of the Gaudi houses. They are amazing! Search casa Batlo
If you have any questions let me know! I spent an extensive amount of time in Europe last year.

Wow! Perfect suggestions! Thanks!

. I'm jealous that you are going! I spent a year and saw 29 countries. Coming back to real life was a challenge. Enjoy!

Oh, to have a year!

Yup to have a year would be awesome. I had 5 weeks, 7 countries

Loved skyr. Lived on it!

Also, if you are into the sort of macabre, I LOVEDthe catacombs.

Camilla
Taylor posted most of my picks for Paris but include Notre Dame as well. In London I would suggest the hop on hop off bus for a day to hit the highlights of Buckingham Palace, Tower of London ( this was my favourite tour stop), Trafalgar Square, etc. If you enjoy museums, the British museum is always a great stop as they have world class collections. I think they have a larger Egyptian mummy collection than the main museum in Egypt. I loved walking along the canals in Amsterdam. The museums here are fantastic and the canal cruise was pretty good. In Vienna, I loved the summer palace of the Hapsburg family ( I think this was theirs). Rome do not miss going to Vatican City, St Peters cathedral is amazing and I also had a tour that included a tour of the Sistine Chapel - paintings on the ceiling from Michael Angelo were just WOW.

Thanks. Your post of ideas is wonderful!

I hear traffic is at times a stand still making getting from one place to another on the hop on off time consuming in London. What time of year did you go ? We are going in July and I'm trying to plan a day trip thanks

I was there in September, so not in the height of summer travel season

Reykjavik-drive the golden circle.
Venice - loved Murano and Burano
Rome - there is so much. Vatican, pantheon, Trevi fountain, Spanish steps, all of the churches, aqueducts,
Florence - do a walking tour. The Baptistry doors, David, the leather market
Barcelona - sacred familia, parc guell, bus top tour to see the architecture.

Some new ideas - thanks!

There is more to England than London - Stonehenge and Bath, York city to see the Viking village under the city, the beautiful English Lake District - Wordsworth, Beatrix potter homes there-

Liza Minnelli
Florence
I highly recommend a pasta making course! They picked us up from florence, took us to their family home in the chianti hills and taught us how to cook Pasta! They also have an airbnb. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip.
http://www.accidentaltourist.com/
ACCIDENTALTOURIST.COM
Home - Accidental Tourist

I have to try to convince my husband that we want to cook. Lol

Highly recommend a 6-10 day cruise. Such an easy way to see allot of cities and much less expensive than other modes of travel

Sorry. We have our itinerary and rail passes. No cruising for us ....this time.

I have been to all of these countries except for Iceland. Skip them all and go to Greece and travel the Greek islands. You'll thank me later.

When were you there?

Thanks, but not this trip.

Paris - Centre Pompidou was amazing even if you don't like art!
****Berlin - We did an AMAZING walking tour with Insider Tours Berlin. http://www.insidertour.com/tours.php. I specifically went to be guided by Brian Diedrich (from Edmonton) - http://www.avenueedmonton.com/.../The-Storyteller-of-Berlin/** It was HANDS DOWN the best thing I did in Europe.
Although I have been to the other places, none really stuck out as don't miss. If you have time, I would go to Halstatt, between Salzburg and Vienna for an amazing mountain town and Gondola/Caving in neighbouring Obertraun.

Thanks!

I would recommend taking a look at the Rick Steves website. Lots of excellent ideals.

Rick Steves is a travel god!

The best is his podcast guide to the Sistine chapel where he tells you best place to sit and walks you through the story of each painting. So much better than overpriced tour.

Honestly do yourself a favor and go to Gdansk in Poland. Poland in general is a must see, but the coast is beautiful.

Sorry. This is a "highlights" trip. Can't do it all in 6 weeks.

Don't miss riding bikes in Amsterdam! Zaanse schans is an open air windmill museum that I would also recommend.

Our airbnb has bikes! Great spot!

WOW! Thanks everyone for ALL the great ideas. Even having been to Europe (myself) before, your suggestions have reaffirmed some of what I already knew, and included lots I hadn't thought of! This is going to be an amazing trip! (Just wish it was 8 weeks instead of 6!)

A day trip from Paris out to Versailles is a must do.

Booking that this month!

So pretty out there!! You won't be disappointed.

Brian, in Rome we booked our Vatican Tours with Angel Tours. We were very happy - a thorough tour of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, done with great respect, which some of the other tours did not show. I would concur that in Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia was inspiring. We did the English tour, I believe at 11 am daily. Other Gaudi sites are also worthwhile. I suggest the Picasso Museum and also the Palau? Musica, a grand old concert hall - incredible decoration, lighting, glass. We were lucky to take in a Spanish guitar concert there.

Oh, you will be SO busy. London: National Gallery is free and has a stunner no art collection. British Museum is free as well. Tower of London and Crown Jewels. Cross Tower Bridge and nice walk along Thames. Also enjoyed the guided tour on the London Eye, couple with Thames lunch cruise. Day trip to Windsor Castle was a highlight. See how the queen lives - believe me, it is not too shabby!

I second the Tower of London. The beefeaters give free tours that are worth waiting to go on. I always think a trip to London without taking in a show in the west end is a waste too especially when you can get same day half price tickets.

We did a Christian tour of Rome and it was great. Very fast paced but it was Great. We also saw the vatican

Barcelona we loved seeing the church and Park Guell

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