Hi, I will be in Italy during the last week of May. I am looking for areas to hike (difficulty of hikes: moderate to hard) for a few days including sleeping in mountain huts on the way. Does anyone have recommendations or know of good places to hike during this time of the year? And have any knowledge regarding mountain huts that are open during th... Read More

Hello! My husband and I are planning a trip to France in late September, early October of this year. We will have a total of 15 nights /16 days. We are flying into Paris (arriving early morning, jet-lagged!) and planning to take the train directly to Strasbourg. The plan is to stay there for four nights and then travel to Colmar by train for... Read More

Hi all, we are in europe this summer to see a singer you might have heard of called Taylor Swift. haha. We see her show on August 8 in Vienna. We arrive in Vienna on the 5th and spend those 4 days exploring Venice. Then we have some options. My daughter is desperate to see Venice, so we were thinking we'd take a train there and stay for 2 nig... Read More

This may not be helpful to a lot of people, but in case anyone is thinking about doing one of the Camino routes that start in Portugal, I thought I would share it anyway. In April I cycled the Camino Portugues from Porto to Santiago de Compostela with five friends. Some day by day observations and pictures will follow. I'll start with generaliti... Read More

I'm new to Fodor's. I have a severe allergy to fur and feathers. My husband and I are traveling to the San Antonio, TX area the end of May 2024. I'm having a hard time finding hotels that do not allow pets. Does anyone know of a hotel website that prohibits animals? When we travel, I have to contact every hotel in the area to determine if they h... Read More

Hi All, Have heard the Pyrenees and the villages around them are charming and relaxing. We are planning a trip in September to Madrid/Bilbao,a bit along the coast and want to include a route through (perhaps) both French & Spanish Pyrenees and most importantly a visit through Basque country-not so keen on mountain hiking, but some easy walks with... Read More

What are the most interesting neighborhoods in Madrid and Bilbao for accommodations? We want safe, but non-touristy hotels or bed/breakfast that would be walking distance to cultural sites (art museums, galleries, local music performances, flamenco clubs) also charming streets. Like everyone else we want comfortable, clean rooms and soundproof room... Read More

We will be in Sicily for 8 nights in late May. It will be a fast paced trip, which is generally how we like to travel. We are not renting a car, but have booked a car and driver for transfers between cities and for a full day excursion of the baroque villages like Ragusa, Noto and Scicli. CATANIA, 2 nights Arrive late morning from London. Check... Read More

Our hotel is very near Placa de Catalunya so I'm thinking we might take the Aerobus upon arrival from the airport. (Unless someone has a better suggestion) Has anyone used this before? How was it? Thanks. Read More

Hi, I am doing a road trip. On 10th July we will stay the night in Moritz. And on 19th July we have to be in Zermatt. So I have 8 nights for this part of the trip. My main reason was to visit Lavender fields as we never travel to Europe in busy season of July- August. This time is an exception. I was thinking 11th July - See Moritz and drive to Mi... Read More

I'm new to the Fodor's forums and I have found some great info on both Turkey and Greece. We are seasoned travelers in our 60s who are planning to visit Turkey & Greece in Sept/Oct 2024 for about a month. We have never been to either country, and I find I'm struggling with this trip's planning more than any other place we've been. (Even more than P... Read More

Hi. I’m looking at booking a suprise trip to Slovenia for my partners 50th birthday. She likes to be quite active on holiday, but we also want to be able to chill for a lot of it. Initial plans are to fly into Ljublana and stay there for 2 or 3 nights. (Her birthday would be the 3rd night so it may be better to be somewhere else?!). Then u... Read More

Hi there. I've been reading through some posts and not finding exactly what I'm looking for, so hopefully some of you who travel to France frequently can offer some recommendations for us. We will be in France for 2 weeks in early June: ~3/4 days each in Normandy (Bayeux, Honfleur); Loire (Amboise); Dordogne (Sarlat au Canada); and Provence (Avi... Read More

I have another thread in the Europe forum about accommodations in Rome from June 29 through July 2. https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/rome-hotels-or-apartment-1722281/ Here's the dilemma: I found a place on Airbnb that is in a 2000 year ol... Read More

I'd had my heart set on a few weeks in Dordogne in September or October in a rental house with friends. Looking for a relaxing not super-charged vacation - a bit of hiking, canoeing, walking, and not-too-distance sights to visit. We are planning to go carless, but it seems to be quite difficult just to get to the Dordogne without a car from CDG.... Read More

I am planning to rent a vacation home with friends in the Dordogne in September or October. None of us wants to drive in France. I have several questions: 1. Without a car, what 's the easiest/fastest way to get to the region from Paris? Is it train to some connection point, then hire a car and driver? Are there buses from CDG? 2. Again, without... Read More

Hi all, We are looking for a nice boutique hotel in Rome for a couple of nights in the $300/night range. Somewhere in central historical Rome -- between the Spanish Steps - Piazza Navona - Trevi Fountain. I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thank you! Read More

Good evening, We'll be in London in July, and meeting up with family on a Sunday (parents + 3 adult 20-something children.) We've been to the more traditional tourist sites during a past trip and we were thinking a food tour might be fun. Looking for recommendations, or even other suggestions for one-day tours or excursions. Thanks in advanc... Read More

We are planning a road trip from the DC area to Quebec in August and want to stop for two full days in either the Catskills (Lake George?) or the Adirondacks. We are a family of four, with parents in 50s and adult children in 20s. Average activity level is light-to-moderate, with two being at the upper end of that range and one at the lower end. We... Read More

Central Asia. Where exactly is it? How is it defined? Well, it depends... The most widely accepted definition of the region incorporates the five former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan. More expansive definitions incorporate some or all of Afghanistan, East Turkestan,... Read More

Looking for feedback on using one of the VAT refund apps available for iPhone. I see there are a few options and was wondering if folks liked them. How easy and reliable are they? Also I've found different minimum purchase amounts posted online. Some sites say 100€ others say 175€ for France. Thanks all. Read More

Hi All, looking to possibly stay at this place in the summer (have a two year old and six year old). Has anyone stayed here? Reviews look great but rooms look super old and outdated. As long as they’re clean I’m basically okay. Also considering Villa Roma in upstate NY but the rooms also look super outdated. thanks! Read More

I am interested in reading comments by people here who have tried to lean a language from the sites such Babel, Rosetta, and the others. I know zero about any of these. I enjoy leaning new languages but tend to be bored by strict grammar. My goal is to improve my ability to chat, or ask questions, when I travel in Italy. I can get along prett... Read More

Greetings, Wife and I are traveling to Croatia. We will be departing from Dubrovnik (DBV). I am traveling with points business class back to states and have 2 choices: Departing from Milan (MXP) or Rome (FCO) back to states. Both flights leave around 11AM for states. There are no early morning positioning flights from DBV or... Read More

Hello fellow travelers, I'm planning a trip to Central Europe this August and would love your thoughts and any tips you might have on my itinerary. Here's what I've planned so far: (not the real dates, just examples) August 10 - Fly to Zurich, Switzerland August 11 - Lucerne, Switzerland Arrive in Zurich at ~10 AM, head t... Read More