lisagurl2

We will be in Zurich in late Oct for a few nights on business and then we'd like to go somewhere within Europe to celebrate our anniversary. Any suggestions? We have been to Paris, Rome, Venice, Florence, Athens, London, Madrid, Barcelona. We'd do a nice city or something adventurous .. we considered the northern lights but we were not excited about the accommodations...Its too cold for a greek isles...A walkable city with some great restaurants or somewhere in the country with lovely accommodations / beautiful scenery?
Suggestions?

OliverB

That's pretty broad but given the cities you've visited in the past, why not the Italian Riviera or Lake Country, Amalfi Coast, or perhaps Vienna and neighboring towns in the foothills of the Austrian alps? You could also explore some of the majestic chateaus in the French countryside. There's also the Adriatic Coast - Montenegro, Malta, etc.

kamel123

Have you considered Istanbul? The weather can be quite chilly in November, but mostly sunny and dry, and the city will be less crowded.

There are numerous ancient monuments (Hayasofya, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace...), world class museums (Archaeological Museum, Museum of Islamic Art,...), good shopping, a vibrant restaurant/nightlife scene.

Accomodation options are plenty. I have just returned from a long weekend combining stays at the two FS properties, FS Sultanahmet and FS Bosphorus, and was very pleased. There is a quite extensive thread on best places to stay in Istanbul here on the forum, and Park Hyatt receives very positive commentary, too.

lisagurl2

We've explored the countrysides of both Italy and France, but Vienna (we've been separately but not together) and Istanbul are good possibilities...as well as the Adriatic coast.

Musken

Berlin is a great city as well. Stay at hotel de Rome or the Soho house. Lots of good restaurants and things to see. Not walkable though, but taxis are cheap and public transportation is good.

FlyerEC

+1

We enjoyed our stay at Hotel du Rome last year , they had a program that tied in private visits to museums & art galleries . Some lovely shops nearby . All walking distance .
Doubt the CHRISTmas markets will have started - early Nov , if not , will be an additional treat . Huge one a short stroll away .
Easy cab rides elsewhere .

Amalfi coast will be end of season with restaurants , etc closed . It ' s ' iffy ' towards end Oct when we will be there .
Will be in Istanbul early Nov , cooler then . Now tossing between FS Bosphorous / Sultanamate & SLA .

We ' d quite an amazing experience with the aurora borealis in Finland , but accommodations do not belong in this forum ( either rustic or futuristic where we were ) .

aa213bb

Heading to Finland at the end of the year FlyerEC, and would be interested to know where you stayed for the Northern Lights - especially anywhere "futuristic".

FlyerEC

We were in Nellim , Nellim Wilderness Hotel , they now have four Aurora Bubbles besides their cabins , etc .
We could even see the aurora borealis from ours - every night !
Also went to another location for a night with glass igloos too but would have preferred to remain at Wilderness Hotel if the bubbles were ready then .

OliverB

Again, not relevant to this forum but there's the Basecamp Trapper's Hotel in Longyearbyen, Svalbard. I've always wanted to visit in December. Can you see the Northern Lights from the Lofoten Islands? I'm not sure if it's even accessible mid-winter but I've always wanted to visit Reine Robruer. There's also good skiing to in Hardangervidda Nat'l Park with lots of alpine lodging options. Otherwise, perhaps a cruise of the fjords?

Musken

When I said non walkable I meant that the city is so big that one cannot walk everywhere, but of course no problem to explore the different neighbourhoods on foot. If you stay in Hotel de Rome, lots of the better shops plus some of the main sights are walking distance.

Beginning of November will be too early for Christmas markets unfortunately. The open end November.

Ghentleman

Bruges, Belgium is a very romantic destination. Plenty of sightseeing, shopping and luxury hotels. Good restaurants too. Easily combined with a side trip to Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels or the North Sea Coast. Would recommend Zeeland (the Netherlands) for that, coast is less spoiled with ugly buildings there.

ABG

The Dolder Grand is one of the best hotel experiences in Europe..... save the plane trip and just do a long weekend at The Dolder.

malioil

This.

If you still want to visit a city, another vote for Istanbul. Try the FS Sultanahmet when there, it is a fantastic property.

lowlander

I was at the FS Sultanahmet for 3 nights last weekend and thought it overpriced with a breakfast buffet which would pass for adequate in a 4 star hotel.

malioil

I find that quite surprising! Their breakfast was not extraordinary, but I always get extremely personal service there and feel that nothing is too much for the staff. The hotel's location is wonderful as its overall 'theme', and the suite I was upgraded too, while not the largest was more than comfortable. I suppose this shows that everyones MMV.