mini interrail trips OR 2 weeks somewhere hot?

[ethelb]

DH has FINALLY booked 2 weeks off for 4 weeks time. I am like a kid in a candy shop and can't really decide.

Options being considered are:
Interrail trip we have been planning for a while to places we haven't been before taking in

Berlin (possibly Cologne or Rotterdam en route)
Prague
Vienna
Verona

Or mini interail taking in

Paris
Rome (overnight sleeper)
Florence

(Not been to before except Paris obvs)

Or
Cheapy flights and hotel deal to Seville (13 nights)

(Not been to before)

Or
Split (which we have been to before and love) then airbnb self catering in Hvar

Or
Girona (we are not entirely sure how, but would include a day or two in Barcelona which I have been to many times before and love)

Outsider is: 2 weeks in a cottage in Cork

Wwyd?!

Disclaimer, DH is having a slightly difficult time at the mo and we do need to relax at some point

Seville is not really a sun and see place. Seville is fascinating so well worth
a visit Granada is also not to be missed. More relaxing might be to stay on
Southern Spain coast and then visit Seville etc
Northern Italian resorts for relaxation and then visit Venice Verona etc
Skip Rotterdam and take a German Rhine Cruise to relax

Thanks for replying concert.

Im afraid I really don't like the southern Spanish coast and found Seville wasn't easy to visit from there when I was there last, but I take your points about 2 weeks in Seville seeming a bit much.

Tell me about Grenada though!

Im not a huge fan of resorts or cruises either tbh. Sorry to be fussy!

Correct Seville will be a bit of a pain to get to.
Granada is a university town with great sights. As it is high up people have
been known to ski and sunnbathe all on the same day. Not a place to spend
a whole week in though.
Have you ever been to the Italian part of Switzerland? Awesome Laid back
like Italy but all the facilities of clean Switzerland.

We went from London to Cologne, then to Chur in Switzerland, then over the Alps on the Bernina Express, then to Milan then on to Venice and then Rome. We just took backpacks and had pre booked some lovely hotels. It was the absolute best holiday we've ever had - I'd thoroughly recommend a train holiday over a flop on the beach one.

Awks we have gone with the good old Airnbnb on Hvar option on this occassion as I think DH needs a proper break including some lying on beaches, walking in forests etc, and travelling as little as possible at the mo.

However we are very much planning on doing the interrailing trip sometime soon, maybe low season as it may be considerably cheaper and we don't exactly want to go to those places for the sun! Thanks very much for flagging the other train route over the alps. That's really helpful to know as we thought we would have to go via Innsbruck, which though lovely we went there on a honeymoon recently and aren't feeling the need to visit again so soon.

Also considering a trip to the South of Spain in October maybe, and throwing in a trip to Granada which I hadn't thought of before and looks lovely, so thanks for the suggestion upthread!

Love trip planning! My penny's worth would be to do 2/3 places with a max of 3 hours on the train. I spent 2 months interailing across 13 countries when I was 19 & have done a lot of travelling since. I talked my DH into a 2 week train trip from Nice to Milan 2 years ago. We got v cheap train fares and stopped a various places a long the way. My DH hasn't travelled much and found the train travelling very stressful - as did my then 6 year old who hated walking through opening and shutting carriage doors on a moving train trying to find our seats. Granada's beautiful and the scenery from the train in Southern Spain is magical. Why not pick one country - or simple journeys (e.g Venice - Verona, Prague - Vienna)?

I would get a cheapy flight to Venice (Traviso), spend 3 nights in there. Train to Verona (about 8-10 euros so no need for the expense of an inter rail ticket). 2 nights there (take in an opera- amazing experience), train up to Lake Garda (about 6 euros) or down to Florence (3 nights there) then train down to Rome (3 nights) then fly home from Rome or head off to Pompei and fly home from Naples.

A website called seat61 has all you need to know about travelling by rail. Inter rail tickets often work out about £40 a day but pay as you go will be cheaper if a journey is not long distance. Italy is usually 2 hour journey about 10 euros or £8.