Hey European members.....

[MDT]

I'm leaving for a European vacation in 4 days!! Fly to Barcelona, travel around Italy, stopping in Livorno, Rome, Naples, Sicily, etc...going over to Croatia then back to Venice....Won't have a ton of time in ports however, if anyone could recommend awesome stuff to do, restaurants, sights, etc., that would be fantastic...This is my first trip to Europe, so if any suggestions are appreciated!!!

Got tours already set up for the Vatican and Coliseum. Going "in country" to the Tuscany area for a day to tour a vineyard....I'm open to other suggestions as well... however, I'll have my two teenage daughters and my wife, so tame is better :)

[LadyWraith]

That'll be such an epic trip! I have no advice to add; just wanted to say bon voyage and hope we get to see pictures. :D

[Amadeus]

If I went on that trip, I'd have to visit my home country. Der Schweiz. If you ever go on another Europe trip seriously consider Switzerland. It's great.

[Roman]

I got never further south than the Gardasea (Lago Di Garda), so Italy is not my area of expertise.

In Naples you should go to Pompeji.

Venice is beautiful. When I was there many years ago it was expensive and a lot of people wanted the best of you - your money. So make sure you have set the price before you enter a boat for a guided tour, otherwise it might cost you - that was a big mistake my friends and I made all these years ago... Search for restaurants in side streets, you may save some money and get better food.

I hope others can add some more information

Enjoy your trip

Roman

[Donnie]

This is definitely worth a visit in Barcelona

Sagrada Família - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Família)

Not sure if you are into football (soccer) but we went and watched a match at the new camp which was good
Camp Nou | Official FC Barcelona website (http://www.fcbarcelona.com/camp-nou)

[sweatshirt]

Have fun =)

[MDT]

Thanks guys for the suggestions and kind words!!!

Donnie, Sagrada Familia is def on our list in Barcelona! We have an extra day in Barcelona before the ship sails, so a football match could happen :)

Donnie, we were actually thinking of going in to Pompeii when we do the Naples stop. We'll check on transportation for that.

Keep 'em coming! :)

[formica]

in Naples you gotta go eat fresh fish and Napoli pizza (v diffrent to italian base or american base), head down to the sea front, you cant really go wrong with any of the restraunts down there. Also def recomend eating out in small restraunts in the countryside of Italy, its where you find the best food, best wine and best prices :)

Bare in mind in europe, espcially the Med, that things shut down at lunchtime, plan your day around mornings and evenings, and get out of the heat between around 12-4, big tourists places dont shut down, but allot of other stuff does, find a nice shady restraunt or go back to ur hotel and put your feet up for lunchtime, its much more pleasant to do stuff later afternoon/evening, things tend to stay open pretty late for that reason - you can still get ice cream at 2am on the beach lol

Barcelona theres of course Gaudi's amazing buildings - heat wave going on at the moment, bring plenty of sun block, its gona HOT as hell

[MDT]

Barcelona - heat wave going on at the moment, bring plenty of sun block, its gona HOT as hell

I was hoping to exchange Oklahoma heat for something a little more tolerable :)

Maybe it won't seem as hot in Celsius? :)

Thanks for the tips!!

[MDT]

double post....

[lady_bug87]

If you're into military stuff I would recommend Rae Di Puglia in Pordenone (the province Venice is in) it's a bit of a drive though so you may not have time for it. But it's a WWI monument, museum, and cemetery.

If you have time on your way to Naples you could stop in at Piza which is kiiind of OK

I would also recommend a trip to Pompeii (amazingly spooky) and Sorrento (where they make the famous Limoncello and it's the part of Italy where 'La Corna' originates.

La corna (the horn) is a good luck symbol in Italian superstition which also wards off the evil eye. Its a red chili pepper with a crown on it.

In Rome I would go to the political forum ruins, circa maxima, and to La buocco de la verita (statue called 'the mouth of truth), also castelle l'ouovo (egg castle)

Also in Venice I would get on the ferry and go the islands where they make the Venetian lace, and the one where they make the blown glass. The third island is a cemetery. There is a bell tower where you can see all three islands.

And if you have time I would go to Cortina (mountain town kind of like Aspen or blue mountain) and Aqualea (a town destroyed by an earthquake around 100yrs ago)

[formica]

I was hoping to exchange Oklahoma heat for something a little more tolerable :)

Maybe it won't seem as hot in Celsius? :)

Thanks for the tips!!

just looked it up and its only 32C-34C atm which is quite suprising, nearly the same here in the UK - still far to hot for my taste lol