I'm planning a trip to go to Europe and I would love some suggestions as to where to go?

My first choice for your question/trip would be Ireland, if you are interested. PROS: don't need to know/speak another language, although the accent takes some practice understanding, GREAT, fairly cheap, punctual, super comfortable bus system, beautiful, lots of choices of towns, small (about a 5 hours by bus, east to west, maybe a little more) so day trips are easy. and the people are amazingly friendly!!! CONS: not always great weather (lots of cloudy days, rarely higher than the 70's in the summer), accent is hard, it is picturesque, but not as dramatic as other destinations, like in the alps, etc. For towns, I would suggest Kilrush, and Kilkee, very small, but great, wonderful people. The Kilkee peninsula is beautiful, huge cliffs, horses, you can bike the whole thing, Totally wonderful, overall. Mayo county is great, that is where irish people go to get away from tourists (shhh...don't tell the tourists) and you will hear lots of gaelic which is like music. Also the dingle peninsula is very beautiful AND has a funny name! Look up northern ireland, too, you can't miss Giant's Causeway. South of dublin is nice too, lots of little fishing villages. And Kilarney, which has a sweet national park right there (rent a bike). Besides Ireland, I really loved San Sebastian, Spain. That is Basque country, but they mostly speak spanish, too, not just basque. Beautiful landscapes, a great town by the sea, it's not small, but it is small enough to get to know it very well in a short time, and the people are very nice. Plus you can try tapas, and learn to surf! Southern/southeast Germany (Bavaria) is a great place. Any where along the southern border will have amazing views of the Alps, and Bavaria is great, sausage, bier gardens, lederhosen (they actually wear them fairly often!), Munich is one of my favorite cities, and it is there. Most (not all) Germans know english. Visit Munich and Neuschwanstein Castle while there. I loved Berschtesgaden (sp.), home of Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Germany is great also, because it is at the center of Europe, so if you want visit another country, there are quite a lot of different countries to visit just a few hours train ride away. Also, I haven't been, but I have heard the Cinque Terre in Italy is incredible to see. It is 5 picturesque italian seaside villages, all within a few miles of one another, you could bike or even walk them. If you want to really get to know the culture and lifestyle, it is best to find a host. If you don't have any international connections, you should DEFINITELY check out this website. www.couchsurfing.com You can find a host or somebody to show you around safely in just about anywhere you want to go. Hope that helps!!

Slovenia: http://www.slovenia.info/ http://www.bled.si/en/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Bled

maybe Romanian countryside and / or mountains...quite picturesque...

I loved the area in France around the town of Figiac. We were staying in a converted barn in the country ( with a LOT of flies as we were close to a farm) but the whole area is lovely. WE had to hire a car as there is no transport out there. Lots of LOVELy towns eg St cirq lapopie, Rocamadour, Autoire, St Cere among others. THere are some caves in the area that have ancient rock paintings and there is some wineries in the area too. So lovely. Croatia was pretty cool as well. I am not a beach fan either but the coastline is STUNNING! THe towns are small (even the major towns) and there are a few tourists there, it would be easy enough to get away from them if you chose a smaller town. People are nice too. Slovenia had some lovely spots too....

Here is what I recommend for you as far as countryside is concerned: France- Bordeaux Champagne Normandy Loire Valley Italy- Chianti Region Arezzo Prato Valtiberina Region Amalfi Coast Spain- Mallorca Malaga Good luck and safe travels! Travel Team | The Empirical Company |(206) 338-1901 Direct | (206) 426-0299 Fax | (206) 414-8361 Mobile|(44)7005-803235 UK Direct | (44)7005-803237 UK Fax | [email protected] | www.empiricalcompany.com | www.twitter.com/empiricalco