loon22

Hello,

Looking for suggestions for a 10 day trip October 18-27 or Oct 17-27. Flying out of NYC.

We're thinking central Europe- Budapest, Prauge and Munich, but trying to find suggestions.

Is Greece or souther Italy too cold during the end of Oct?

Also looking to get best flight value. Debating paying cash or using points (chase sapphire reserve points of about 300,000). Nonstop to certain cities in Europe seem to be a bit pricey currently. Wondering if it'd make more sense to convert the points to air miles.

Thoughts and suggestions are helpful!

Eastbay1K

So you are worried about Greece or Southern Italy being too cold, but not Central Europe?

Notwithstanding the foregoing, Israel should be lovely in mid October.

loon22

Typically people travel to Southern Italy and Greece for the heat. For me, a city vacation doesn't need to be hot, actually prefer it to be cooler.

TimDP

Temperatures in Prague in October are average 50-60F high, southern Italy 60-70F.

When I visited Rome a few years ago in November, I wore a t-shirt and had a sweater on me to wear in the evening. For Italians itself it seemed rather cold as they all wore jackets
Same for a visit to Milan a few years later in the same period. As Rome and Milan are both North Italy I assume the south would be even warmer

loon22

I was in Northern Italy last September and it was pretty near perfect. Nice to hear you had great weather in November as well. Maybe I won't rule it out!

TimDP

For travel plans, take into account that there are school holidays end of October in Europe. Dates are different for each country (and even different per region in Germany) but they can have an impact on hotel prices and crowds at the major tourist attractions and airports. For Belgium: school holiday starts Oct. 27 and ends Nov. 4. In other countries it looks like to be one week earlier or lasting 2 weeks.

I forgot to mention Athens, that I also visited in November 2 years ago. Again: beautiful weather + being lucky being able to spend for over 15 minutes on my own on the Acropolis thanks to having a pre-purchased ticket and being first at the gate at opening time. Even on the photo's of Obama's visit a few days later (I spotted The Beast when Obama arrived in Athens, on the day I left) for which the entire Acropolis site was closed there were more people than mine

loon22

Wow, Awesome! Thanks for the input re the school holidays. I was scratching my head when looking at the prices to fly into certain countries/cities, especially Germany and the eastern block countries. I usually see pretty reasonable tickets. The seem to be starting at around 1k-1.5k now, while MXP and CDG are very reasonable in the 400-500 range for economy.

Antonio8069

That makes it easy.
Fly to MXP and take the train to Venice. Takes 2 h & 13 minutes. From there, you swtich to a regional train for Santa Lucia. That time of year you should get good deals or rooms on points. IMO, you have not lived until you have experienced Venice. I am here now for the Bienale, the weather is hot and the crowds overwhelming. End of October it will be much nicer. (PM me if you want advice on where to stay?)

loon22

Lol yes that isn't bad at all. I was just in Venice in September for 3 nights. I think I'm one of the rare ones who did not fall in love with it. While it's unique, I didn't find it as enjoyable as Florence or the Tuscan country side.

dreamgal3643

I'm sorry I can't speak to the weather, as I traveled during the warmer months.
But as far as location/things to see and do: Prague is like walking in a fairytale book, the sites are spectacular, esp the Charles Bridge- that alone...WOW! It seemed easier to see most of the sites in a few days versus the other places you mentioned.

I've been to Italy- Rome, Florence, Venice, and Tuscany regions- Rome ,Venice and Tuscany were my favorites. Rome/venice are must-sees. Truly unique and incredible history, sites, and things to see/do not to mention the food is awesome ! (that goes without saying).

Greece is large and there are many beaches to see. Regret that I didn't see Santorini as I hear that's the best beach to check out.

ilcannone

Moscow.

bitterproffit

My mid October Trips the past 3 years:

Trip to Paris/Amsterdam. I had a great time in Amsterdam. An ok time in Paris, things just didn't go according to plans there, but its Paris, so it was still fun. The weather was much cooler there than where I live. Amsterdam was fun since there was no summer crowds. But it was cold.

Trip to Budapest and Vienna. Lots of fun. Budapest was chilly and and windy, but the fall weather turned for a wonderful warm weekend in Vienna. Budapest was not crowded and it was a lot of fun.

Trip to Malaga and Granada. The weather was spectacular. Cool mornings and wonderfully sunny days in Granada. No crowds and the people were wonderful. A great weekend on the beach in Torremolinos, fun to walk the boardwalk, sit outside, even dip in the water as the weather was warm, but not hot.

I think I preferred Malaga/Granada the best as I love the warm weather. The crowds were gone. The people were fantastic. And the rates were lower. Alhambra was crowded, but not insane, and I pre-purchased my ticket and enjoyed a stunning fall morning in the Palace of Nasrid.

I guess it all depends on what you want to do.

Jeannietx

Austria, Budapest, Prague, Czech Republic and Hungary are great to visit in any combination of 2, 3 or all, and easily done with Rail Europe.

Santorini in Greece, Amalfi Coast in Italy and Croatia are also a good combo.

I love visiting areas in Europe by rail. Where we live passenger rail isn't really an option.

loon22

How would you suggest the Santorini, Croatia and Amalfi coast trip?

pinniped

Honestly, 21-year-old backpacker me would have tried to do all of that in a single trip, but older-more-relaxed me would definitely save Greece for a separate trip. I've certainly mixed Italy and Croatia in a single trip, but I might substitute Cinque Terre for Amalfi and just stay north for my time in Italy.

For village and rural travel, I've rented cars and had no problem driving in Italy. For bigger cities, their high-speed rail is wonderful, a huge upgrade since when I backpacked in the 90s.