Hellobee Boards

I would always pick Paris. Its my favorite! But Barcelona is a fun city too. What kind of trips do you enjoy?

The problem I see with Paris is that so much of the joy of it is strolling the streets and sitting in front of cafes people watching, and I think it might be too cold in February. I would go for Barcelona just because I think it will be warmer.

Amsterdam because of the nightlife.

I voted Barcelona because the weather will be better and because my SIL is in Paris right now and the yellow vest protests are still messing a lot of things up and just generally making her feel uncomfortable. Hopefully they’ll be done by February but you never know with these things

I've been to Amsterdam and Paris in December and it was cold. They were fun, but it would've been much better when it was warmer. We did eastern Europe in late April a few years ago and it was still chillier than we would've preferred. My husband did Barcelona in May, as did his best friend, and both had spectacular trips

@Iced Tea: My husband and I had a bad experience in Barcelona in April of 2013 so it certainly factors into my vote, but Paris is so walkable ans beautiful I have to vote Paris. Or Amsterdam. I spent a month in Paris in December. Yes, it was chilly, but so much to do. Spain was hit really hard by the recession and we were pan-handled every section of Barcelona we walked through, and were constantly warned about pick-pocketing scams. Maybe it’s gotten way better in the last couple of years, but everyone who recommended Barcelona had been there pre-recession and had a very different experience.

Definitely Spain that time of year. Portugal or southern Italy (I'd suggest Rome and further south) would be pleasant as well. We visited Andalusia in Feb a few years ago and it was perfect.

Oh yay! Rome will be so fun! I love doing food tours in different places and this one in Rome is one of the best I’ve ever done. https://www.eatingeurope.com/rome-food-tours/taste-of-testaccio/

@Iced Tea: I would still do the Vatican. I’m not catholic, but I really loved it. You can go all the way to the top of St. Peter’s Basilica and the view is just amazing. I was there in summer and it was blazing hot, so I feel like February will be a great time to go—less tourist traffic. I’d read somewhere to arrive early in the AM, and I did that and the lines were fairly minimal. By the time I left (around noon), it was a zoo.

All I remember about the food was that I had amazing Cacio e Pepe and Carbonara, but I couldn’t tell you where. We also managed to drink half a case of Brunello di Montalcino we’d picked up on Tuscany in a couple of days, which I also highly recommend! Haha

@Iced Tea: yay! rome is an amazing city. I went in Feb 2012 and it was still pretty chilly but who cares when you can stuff your face with pizza and pasta and look at ancient buildings all day long! My #1 recommendation is a pizza place outside the vatican: Pizzarium at Via della Meloria, 43

If you and DH are into beer, I was totally surprised at the amount of microbrews in Rome. Bir & Fud was a really cool brewpub I would totally recommend.

Also look for places that do apertivo. You basically pay for drinks and there is a buffet of delicious apps you can help yourself too. So much fun! Ugh jealous. Enjoy!