This is a thread I started in the Thorn tree on the lonely planet website, and I liked the responses I got so much I decided to immortalize it as the top 5 european to do list. For the original, return to the thorn tree and search for "top 5".
| morryveer [Wed 17 Apr, 15:49] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | top 5 european must-do list - (27 replies) What do you consider a must-do or a must-see in Europe? I know - big place - what are my interests and so on. I'm asking about YOUR interests, what'd you'd recommend if someone asked you the question "what are 5 things I must do or see in Europe?" Open to anything - hiking, sailing, resorts, museums, festivals, music, clubbing, biking, tours, mountians, oceans, cities, towns, castles, forests... anything. I'll start it off, from experience, my picks so far would be (not necessarily in this order): 1) Pompeii, Italy 2) Rome (fountains, Coliseum, Pantheon, city wall), Italy 3) le Louvre, Paris 4) Zermatt, (the Matterhorn) Switzerland 5) Reduced Shakespeare theatre company in London. what are your picks? Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I ran into a tree while trying to unfold the map. |
| Memphian [Wed 17 Apr, 18:07] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 1. A good start I haven't seen the Shakespeare theatre in London, but it would be hard to argue with the rest of your list. I'd have to add Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Jungfrau region of Switzerland. The farther one travels the less one knows. -- G. Harrison |
| redcanvas [Wed 17 Apr, 21:56] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 2. gondola in venice especially with the one you love! |
| fLUffYbinks [Wed 17 Apr, 22:19] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 3. from my experience since i havnt travelled to all of europe yet I can only make 3 definite must see choices. No particular order: Venice Greek islands Rome |
| swiss_lady [Wed 17 Apr, 23:59] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 4. Switzerland It's a great idea to go to Zermatt, but you should stay at least 3 or 4 days. It takes you 5 hours from Zurich (by train) to get there. Have fun! |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 00:27] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 5. Top 5 1/ Hiking in the Tatras 2/ The Chateau of the Loire Valley (Esp Chenonceaux & Chambord) 3/The Danube bend 4/Sunset at Sacre Coeur 5/The Kremlin I reckon that the time I spent hiking in the Tatras is by far the most fantastic travel memory I have. |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 00:44] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 6. Top 5 In no particular order: Norwegian Fjords, Siena, Prague, Barcelona, Amsterdam |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 00:58] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 7. °!° 1 rome 2 venice 3 prague 4 the skicross of the mount Bianco in the alps 5 lisbon sòna i cinq sòna i ses Dondin è adré a bev sòna i sèt sòna i vòt Dondin l'è al casòt |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 03:10] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 8. my five Matterhorn - from the aosta The Dordonne - villages and castles Cycling in Tuscany Walking in the Dolomites Cinque Terre - before the crowds arrive we can know all about light and optics, yet still miss the beauty of the sunset |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 03:46] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 9. My five English Lake District Greek Islands Barcelona Isle of Skye Western Norway in no partic. order. Paul |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 03:58] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 10. In no particular order Andalucia, Budapest, Paris, Estonia, Venice Zoli |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 04:18] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 11. good one visit lively Barcelona for nightlife and tapas; have a glimpse of Roman culture in Rome; enjoy fabulous mountain views above Zermatt; taste a strong beer in an Antwerp Cafe; see fantastic art and long evening sun in St. Petersburg. |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 05:31] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 12. Top 5 1. Venice 2. Vatican 3. Aya Sofia in Istanbul 4. Red Square 5. Alhambra Two roads diverged in the wood, and I, ever mindful of the 7 million missing land mines...took the one most traveled on... |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 06:52] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 13. top 5 In no particular order... 1)Dalmatia Coast (Croatia) 2)Budapest 3)Red Square 4)Lounging around in Cesky Krumlov 5)Edinburgh |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 07:10] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 14. no particular order rockclimbing in bled, slovenia eating icecream, with a knife, on a balcony overlooking la ramblas in barcelona george pompidou centre in paris trekking up to the glaciers in the pyrenees (not actully europe but not that far from spain) thunderstorm in chefchaoen, north morocco elvis and the winged monkeys are coming! |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 07:19] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 15. Amsterdam You really have to go to Amsterdam. By train not for from Paris and Berlin |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 07:37] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 16. ........... the golden ring around moscow tuscany barcelona southern bohemia berlin |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 07:55] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 17. Schotland Number 1: Scotland for the mountains, the people, Edinburgh (esp. during the fringe festival first week of august), the castles, the drinks, the heather... In no particular order: City: Barcelona (Besides Edinburgh, the only city in the world I ever liked) Mountains: Picos d'Europa (Spain) Coast: Ireland (rugged) or Holland (beautiful dunes) or country Basque(unexpected) Sunny country: Greece (culture, people, food, beaches...) |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 08:32] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 18. best Santorini Parks and cafes in Paris Amalfi coast Lounging in Amsterdam Tapas in Spain Strictly off the top of my head, could easily make an in depth top 50 list. Maybe you had too much too fast. |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 09:22] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 19. Europe Rome for its history and architectural wonders on every corner The Greek islands for their hidden beaches and sweet little restaurants Carpe diem! |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 10:43] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 20. top 5 also in no particular order... -Go to a scandinavian country for mid-summer or at least see the sun setting at midnight... -Granada -- Alhambra & albaicyn -Rome - history -Venice - for romance -Tuscany - for food and wine |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 10:50] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 21. Tough Choices Hard to pick but these were my faves, I think... - West Highlands of Scotland: Glencoe, Rannoch, etc - Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain - Zakopane, Poland - Moorish Castle, Sintra, Portugal - Pere Lachaise Cemetaire, Paris Lots and lots of honorable mentions. Wake up the damn Bambino, maybe I'll drill him in the ass. |
| [Thu 18 Apr, 14:44] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 22. 5 more Here's 5 of my favourites, in no particular order: Transylvania (Romania) Krakow (Poland) Picos de Europa (Spain - see St Petersburg (Russia) Any one of 100 places in France - try the Dordogne for starters And for 6 & 7 I'd say the Lake District and the Devon/Cornwall coasts in England. |
| [Fri 19 Apr, 13:23] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 23. when I was very young I found that one of the greatest experiences in life was to sit at sunset on the steps of Sacré Coeur with a baguette, some pâté and a bottle of cheap wine. This was with my best friend Jane who died of cancer two years ago, but one of the last things she said was that it was her favorite thing in her entire life (and believe me, she burned the candle at both ends). |
| [Fri 26 Apr, 09:35] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 24. Top 5 Wow. Tough to pick. In no order: St. Petersburg, Russia Greek Islands (do I have to pick just one?) Plitvice National Park, Croatia Carcassonne, France Rothenburg, Germany (the last three were from my most recent trip so I may be a little biased) |
| [Fri 26 Apr, 16:13] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 25. . Edinburgh International Festival Sistine Chapel, in the morning before the crowds British Museum Hiking in Glencoe, Scotland Pantheon, Rome, at sunset Apparently, I am the lizard king. |
| [Fri 26 Apr, 18:09] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 26. ... I agree with seeing the sunset at Sacre Coeur (Mont Martre) Also with the chateaux in Loire Valley The Valley of the Fallen in Spain (by Madrid, I can't remember the Spanish name, but I know you can only get there by going through El Escorial) |
| [Mon 29 Apr, 12:16] PST (Gumly Gumly -17) | 27. Top 5 European Experiences 1) Biking through Tuscany see San Gimignano and Pitigliano, Italy 2) Hiking in the Julian Alps of Slovenia 3) Tour the death camps of Aushwitz / Birkenau Poland 4) Prague, Czech 5) Santorini and other Greek Isles |