zanzibar's European Adventure

[zanzibar138]

Welcome​

Hi I'm Aussie Disboarder, zanzibar. You may remember me from such TRs as:

• The Many Adventures of an Aussie Disney Honeymooner (WDW)
• The 'I Survived SDL's Opening Day' TR (SDL)
• Running for my Disney (DLR)

Introductions​

zanzibar (AKA Lana) and Hubby (AKA Ben)​

We'll be the main characters on this trip. We are recently married and live in Perth, Australia with our Australian Kelpie x, Evie.





We enjoy travelling in general, and I have had the joy of introducing Hubby to a whole new world of Disney travel!

Disney resorts visited: Me - DLR, HKDL, DLP, SDL, WDW... just one more to go! Hubby - DLR, WDW
Fave parks: Me - HKDL. Hubby - AK
Fave resorts: Me - Explorer's Lodge at HKDL. Hubby - AKL
Fave rides: Me - POTC at SDL, BGM and Mystic Manor at HKDL, EE at AK, RotR at DHS. Hubby - KJS at AK, RotR and MMRR at DHS
Fave shows: Me - Flights of Fantasy Parade at HKDL. Hubby - F! at DHS
Fave characters: Me - Dug, Chip N Dale, Minnie. Hubby - Fab 5, Chip N Dale, Eeyore, Grumpy

Mum and Dad​

I've travelled extensively with my parents, including many of my Disney trips. They are planning to join us for a large portion of this trip, although probably not the Disney portion.



Disney Resorts visited: DLR, DLP and HDKL for Mum.
Dad enjoys thrill rides and music shows. Mum enjoys theming and gentle boat rides.

Grandma​

Hubby's grandma will also be joining us for most of the trip (and in fact is a large part of the reason we're going in the first place). She will very likely have her 91st birthday on the trip! We will need to approach this trip slightly differently to make it more comfortable for her.

The Inspo​

After experiencing WDW with me, Hubby was keen to explore other Disney resorts around the world. Grandma is from the UK and has been talking for a while about doing a trip back there, so Hubby thought it would be a great opportunity to visit DLP. I would have preferred to give ourselves more of a breather before the next big trip, but since we want to take Grandma while she's still able to travel, we decided to bring the timeline forward. The earliest we could realistically make it is September 2026.

 

[zanzibar138]

The Plan so Far​

I’ll keep this page up to date with all our current plans, what we have planned, booked etc. I’ll try to keep this brief!


Itinerary so far:

Bangkok - 2 night stopover
With a late night arrival and morning departure on separate tickets, we wanted more of a buffer between flights and added an extra night. Taking the opportunity to enjoy a little bit of R&R on the way through. I don't intend to leave the hotel (hello cocktails by the pool), so have just booked a nice looking well-priced one close to the airport.

Bookings:

• Jetstar 75 Perth to Bangkok, departing at 2:50pm, arriving at 8:50pm
• The Cottage Suvarnabhumi, 2 x deluxe pool access rooms with return airport transfers, welcome drink, daily breakfast and discounted F&B at the hotel restaurant

Disneyland Paris - 5 nights
With an evening arrival at CDG, it will be late by the time we get to the Cheyenne, and our final night is room only at the Sequoia, so no park access on our arrival or departure days. However, we will still get 4 full days in the parks. My plan is to make sure we do at least 1 early opening in both parks and 1 park close to see the night time shows. On our last day, we will probably enjoy a leisurely brunch and last minute shopping at Disney Village before taking the train into Paris.

Bookings:

• Air France 199 Bangkok to Paris, departing at 11:35am, arriving at 7:10pm
• Disney Hotel Cheyenne, 2 x standard room park ticket packages
• Disney Sequoia Lodge, 1 x standard room only

Paris - 1 night
Since none of us had any special interest in Paris, this will be a quick 'tick the boxes' type trip. Our hotel is located conveniently near Arc de Triomphe, which has a direct train from Disneyland and to the Eiffel Tower area.

Bookings:

• Hotel Elysees Ceramic, 1 x triple room

Plans:

• After checking in at the hotel, head straight to Arc de Triomphe and take in the day time view from the terrace.
• Find somewhere for an early dinner.
• Take a sunset cruise along the Seine.
• Take the lift up the Eiffel Tower to the second level and take in the night time views and twinkling lights.

Salzburg - 2 nights
Initially we had planned to make Salzburg our main destination in Austria, but discovered that it would be difficult to get around with Grandma, and accommodation in the nice areas is quite expensive. So now we're stopping over on our way through to Bad Ischl and will just spend the day sightseeing. With such a short trip, I didn't have any qualms about booking a cheaper hotel near the train station. We'll be meeting up with my parents here and spending the rest of the trip together.

Since we'll be in the area, I intend to do the earliest tour at the Eisriesenwelt Ice Cave the following morning as it looks better than the one near Bad Ischl.

Bookings:

• DB ICE 119 Mannheim to Salzburg, departing at 10:52am, arriving at 3:59pm
• Arte Hotel Salzburg, 3 x extended double rooms on a low floor, with welcome drinks and free public transport in the Salzburg region

Plans:

• Consider kicking off with dinner and/or drinks at the rooftop bar in our hotel on our arrival night.
• Stroll through Mirabell Palace and Gardens on our way into town.
• Stroll through the Aldstadt (Old Town) area, maybe find a nice looking cafe for morning tea.
• Take the funicular up to Festung Hohensalzburg for the afternoon.
• Take a short hike on either Monchsberg or Kapuzinerberg for sunset views over the city.
• Early visit to Eisriesenwelt Ice Cave before lunch.

Bad Ischl - 5 nights
This didn't ended up being much cheaper than Salzburg, but the accommodation is nicer for the price and it will still be easier for Grandma to manage. It's only a small town, so everything is within a short flat walk, including the train station, Old Town area and many of the sights around town. Sightseeing here will be mostly day trips with a focus on the beautiful alpine scenery.

Bookings:

• Hotel Goldenes Schiff, 3 x classic double rooms including breakfast and sightseeing discount cards

Plans:

• Local attractions include the lovely looking Kurpark, right near the hotel, Kaiservilla on the other side of Old Town and the cable car up Katrin mountain on the outskirts of town.
• A day trip to Wolfgangsee will include a ferry across the lake and trip up Schafberg mountain on the historic cog railway.
• A day trip to Hallstatt will include a ferry across the lake and wander around the town, including the famous viewpoint. It may also include a trip up the mountain for the lookout and salt mine or possibly a short hike to a lovely looking woodland area with stream. Depending on timing and how everyone feels, we may even go further afield to Obertraun for the Koppenbruller Cave.
• A day trip to Traunsee will include a wander around Schloss Ort (small castle on an island connected by a short bridge) and Kurpark, and the trip up Grunberg mountain on the cable car, where there is a (fully wheelchair accessible) treetop walk and mountain top toboggan run.

Vienna - 2 nights
Although Vienna was always a core part of the trip for the Spanish Riding School, the more I looked into it, the more I realised I wanted to spend more time in the countryside rather than a big city, so we have condensed our stay to just 2 nights. With such a short stay, we splurged a little on a hotel in the central Inner Stadt area, which is within a short walk of everything we're interested in.

Bookings:

• Appartement-Hotel an der Riemergasse, 1 x family studio, 1 x standard studio for Mum and Dad, with a free bottle of sparkling wine per room

Plans:

• For our arrival night, head to St Stephen's Cathedral and go up one of the towers (one is fully accessible), then maybe find a rooftop bar for dinner and/or drinks.
• See the 11am performance at the Spanish Riding School from our (hopefully) front row seats. The performance is 70 minutes.
• Find somewhere nearby for lunch.
• Visit the State Hall at the National Library.

Ellesmere Port (Liverpool Area) - 1 night
Just 1 night here as a starting point for our trip to Wales, and opportunity to catch up with Grandma's rellies who live in the area. Our hotel isn't really in a touristy area, but it does look like there's some historical canals that might be an interesting place to stroll. We'll be flying into Manchester and driving from there, so will have the flexibility of a car for the Wales part of the trip.

Bookings:

• Swiss Air 1575 Vienna to Zurich, departing at 9:35am, arriving at 11:00am
• Swiss Air 394 Zurich to Manchester, departing at 11:55am, arriving at 12:50pm
• Holiday Inn Ellesmere Port by IHG, 3 x standard rooms

Plans:

• We'll probably do a lunch with the rellies since they don't really go out at night. For dinner, we can just eat at the hotel or the nearby pub.

Llangollen (Dee Valley) - 4 nights
Grandma spent a bit of time in this area as a young girl, even working in one of the hotels, so I expect we'll spend a bit of time just wandering and reminiscing. I'm also very interested in the canals in the area, with a few key points I want to get to.

Bookings:

• Airbnb, 5 bed 3 bath townhouse

Plans:

• Take a longboat cruise over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the highest in the world. I will also want to walk over this and take the short hike to the viewing point below.
• Take a horse-drawn canal cruise.
• Walk along the canal to Horseshoe Falls.
• Take the short hike to Castell Dinas Bran castle ruins at the top of the hill overlooking the town.
• Visit the historic canal tunnel and aqueduct and viaduct in Chirk.
• Visit Chirk Castle.
• Have tea at Plas Newydd, a historic house and garden in Llangollen.
• If there's time (unlikely!), consider taking a ride on the heritage railway.

Beddgelert (Snowdonia) - 7 nights
We really wanted to take our time at this part of the trip and be able to really settle in somewhere, so we've booked a whole week in this little town that is fairly central to the Snowdonia area. Most days we'll probably do a day trip somewhere. While initially we liked the look of the mountain scenery, after Austria, we've decided to focus more on historic sights and woodland areas.

Bookings:

• Airbnb, 3 bed 3 bath townhouse

Plans:

• Local attractions include the walk to Gelert's Grave (based on the town legend) and extension to Aberglaslyn Pass, historic St Mary's Church (and of course any number of historic stone buildings in town), and the Sygun Copper Mine tour. The Welsh Highland Railway passes through and has a station in town, but actually starts at the coastal town of Porthmadog and finishes at Blaenau Ffestiniog.
• Also in the central area are the old slate mines, with underground tours available as well as adventure activities like the quarry zip line and underground ropes course. There's also the famous fairytale-esque town of Betws-y-Coed, with a couple of nearby waterfalls. There's also plenty of great hiking opportunities in both areas.
• To the north is the coastal town of Conwy with its famous castle and town walls. There's also a historic garden in the area, more waterfalls, and a mountain pass known for sightings of wild ponies.
• To the west is the coastal town of Caenarfon with its famous castle. This is also where Mt Snowdon is located, which is the highest mountain in Wales, with its own mountain railway to the top (which we may skip if we do the one in Austria). There are lots of lovely hiking opportunities in this area featuring waterfalls, lakes and castle ruins.
• To the south is mostly coastal summer tourist towns. We might visit one or two and just wander around.

Cardiff - 1 night repositioning
This is really just a transit stop to get us in the right place to take the train to London. We may stop in Cardiff or one of the towns either side that also have train stations. There will be lots to see on the way down, so we'll just have to choose the route with the points of interest that most appeal to us.

London - 3 nights
I would have liked to stay longer in London, but we were already over our planned timeframe, so this will give us just enough time to do the day trip to Corringham where Dad was born and spend a day ticking off a few London sights. Our hotel is on the east side of London, but centrally located for what we want to do.

Bookings:

• Apex City of London Hotel, 3 x city double rooms, with welcome drinks

Plans:

• Day trip (via train) to Corringham, a small town in the Essex region, near Southend-on-Sea.
• Start the next day with breakfast at Sky Garden.
• Get an early start on the Tower of London if the line isn't prohibitively long.
• Go inside the Tower Bridge and walk across on the glass-floored corridors.
• Stroll along the Thames towards Westminster, checking out the bridges and anything else that looks appealing along the way.
• Take a photo of Hubby (Ben) in front of Big Ben and, if there's time, wander through St James's Park to Buckingham Palace.
• Take the water taxi back to the hotel.

Hong Kong (zanzibar) - 3 nights
Since I wasn't able to get all 3 of us on the same flight home, we decided to just do our own thing. I have chosen to fly home via Hong Kong for a quick visit to my favourite, Hong Kong Disneyland! I was aiming to fly home on the Saturday, but so far I have only seen reward flight availability for the Sunday so have just booked that for now, and 2 nights at the Hollywood Hotel. The final night at Explorer's Lodge is fully refundable in case I can get an earlier flight. I will get at least one full day at the park from open to close, possibly 2.

Bookings:

• Finnair 1338 London (Heathrow) to Helsinki, departing at 6:10pm, arriving at 11:00pm
• Finnair 99 Helsinki to Hong Kong, departing at 12:35am, arriving at 5:40pm
• Disney's Hollywood Hotel, 1 x Mickey & Friends standard room
• Disney Explorers Lodge, 1 x sea view room
• Cathay Pacific 171 Hong Kong to Perth, departing at 3:00pm, arriving at 10:40pm

Malaysia (via Paris) (Hubby and Grandma) - total 6 nights including travel time
Hubby and Grandma have chosen to travel home via Malaysia, and spend some time in Penang. They will need to leave London the same day as me, but will spend that night at an airport hotel in Paris so they are ready to get on their morning flight the next day.

Bookings:

• Ibis Paris CDG Airport, 1 x standard twin room
• Malaysia Airlines 21 Paris to Kuala Lumpur, departing at 11:25am, arriving at 6:10am the next morning
• Malaysia Airlines 1140 Kuala Lumpur to Penang, departing at 11:45am, arriving at 12:45pm
• ParkRoyal Penang Resort, 1 x deluxe twin seafacing room
• Scoot 427 Penang to Singapore, departing at 11:00am, arriving at 12:30pm
• Scoot 16 Singapore to Perth, departing at 3:40pm, arriving at 8:35pm

 

[zanzibar138]

Getting There and Around​

Those of you who know me from previous TRs will be familiar with my penchant for business class reward flights. This trip will be no exception. I refuse to sit on a plane for 20 hours unless I can get comfortable dammit!

Adding to the complexity for this trip is the requirement for 3 x business class seats so that Grandma can join us up the front too. We will likely run short on points to cover the whole journey, so plan to break up the trip via SE Asia. I can handle a 5-7 hour flight in economy to get to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok or Hong Kong. Wherever we end up flying through, we will just plan to spend 1 night at a hotel near the airport, to give us a buffer in case of delays.

From there (wherever there is!), we will plan to fly to Paris so we can spend a couple of nights there and get that ticked off. However, our main criteria will be anywhere that is a relatively easy train journey to Vienna, with somewhere suitable to stay the night if there is a change of train required. Other suitable options include:

• Brussels (train via Frankfurt)
• Frankfurt (direct train)
• Munich (direct train)
• Prague (train via Linz)
• Krakow (train via Breclav)
• Budapest (direct train)
• Milan (train via Venice)
• Zurich (direct train)

We'll spend a few days in Vienna, perhaps with a day trip out to some majestic mountain scenery, then fly direct to London. I'll be open to any of the London airports, but Heathrow is probably going to be quite suitable since it's already slightly west of London. This is just a short flight so we'll be fine to just buy economy fares. We'll go with a full service airline though, either British Airways or Austrian Airlines.

From there we'll be hiring a car (well, most likely a large van to fit all 5 of us, our luggage and possibly some sort of mobility device for Grandma) and driving to Wales. The details of our road trip are very hazy at this point. We need Grandma to give us an indication of where she wants to go. We will probably make our way from the south to the north, as we will leave her with family in the Liverpool area for the next part of the trip.

We will either leave the car in Liverpool and take the train into London or just drive back to Heathrow and take the train in from there. I'm not much of a big city person, so will only need a couple of days to tick London off. We will plan to take a day trip out to the village where Dad spent the first few years of his life.

There used to be a direct Eurostar from London to DLP, but they seem to have stopped this service, which is very unfortunate! Still, it only requires one change, or if we haven't seen Paris yet we can just take the train that far and do our couple of nights then instead.

At DLP we will plan to stay at one of the budget to mid-range hotels, probably Sequoia Lodge if we can manage it. We want at least 4 nights. If we're flying out directly from Paris, we will get Grandma to get a flight to CDG a day or 2 before we fly out. It's such a short train ride from DLP, we'll be able to go and get her from the airport, and then she can spend a day with us at DLP.

Again, we'll have to be a little flexible on departure locations. We'll want something that is an easy and fairly short train ride from DLP. There's not much that fits the bill exactly - the 2 most suitable other options are Brussels or London. In either case, we will likely take the train the day before the flight and get Grandma to meet us there too (via plane for Brussels or train for London).

I'll be trying my best to get flights back via Hong Kong, so we can swing by my favourite Disney resort. A lot has changed since my last visit there in 2019. If we can't manage that, the other options will be Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. And then a cheap economy flight back to Perth.

 

[zanzibar138]

The Points Game​

Now, in order to get our business class reward flights, we've needed to work on our points game. We still had a decent amount of points left after our US trip, but not nearly enough to cover the long haul business class for all 3 of us. I've been going through the credit cards over the last few months and am due another 210k from those (over 3 cards). Hubby and I have both been flying a fair bit for work which has given us a surprisingly decent amount of points too (plus we both now have silver status, and Hubby may even have gold before this trip!). And to get us over the line, we just recently purchased 150k 'top-up points'. I usually can't justify the cost of buying points, but this came with a bonus 75k which made it a lot more worthwhile. Once all the points come through, we should be sitting at just over 950k.

I've had a play around with flights using my new favourite tool, seats.aero. At this point, my preferred route is:

• Perth to Kuala Lumpur: AirAsia basic fares (cash) - we won't need to add much luggage on the way there
• Kuala Lumpur to Paris: Business class reward fares with Malaysia Airlines
• Brussels to Hong Kong: Business class reward fares with Air France (for some reason the taxes from Brussels are far cheaper than anywhere else)
• Hong Kong to Perth: Economy reward fares with Cathay Pacific (I wouldn't normally use points for economy, but there is no direct flight back to Perth with a low cost carrier)

That route would set us back just over 850k points for the 3 of us. It would be just over another 100k for premium economy from Hong Kong, so there's still a chance we could manage that.

Assuming that we can only get the fares with the highest taxes, and including the cash we've spent on the top-up points, we'd still only be paying just over $3,700 each, which I still see as pretty good value for mostly business class. If we get the flights I want, we would only be paying just under $2k, which is pretty much the same as an economy fare. Fingers crossed!

 

[Steppesister]

HEY, HEY!! I'm first!

Sounds like things are coming together with already some serious thought into the routes and logistics. I wish I was as savvy as you with points so I could fly premium. Just don't have the foggiest clue out. At all.

Anyway, I'll sub in and follow along as best I can.

 

[pkondz]

Following along. I tend to not comment much on PTRs, but will read and toss in the odd comment.

 

[zanzibar138]

HEY, HEY!! I'm first!

Sounds like things are coming together with already some serious thought into the routes and logistics. I wish I was as savvy as you with points so I could fly premium. Just don't have the foggiest clue out. At all.

Anyway, I'll sub in and follow along as best I can.

Welcome!

I'm a little nervous about being able to get 3 x business class fares. Might still have to consider an indirect flight from Asia to be able to manage it. I'll be much happier about our plans once I've been able to lock those in!

 

[zanzibar138]

Following along. I tend to not comment much on PTRs, but will read and toss in the odd comment.

Welcome!

Honestly, I just enjoy being able to document how my trips come together, so won't be offended if no one comments I know it's a slow burn too still being so far away. Still, it was quite incredible how quickly the last trip rolled around!

 

[pkondz]

Still, it was quite incredible how quickly the last trip rolled around!

That does tend to happen.

 

[Steppesister]

Welcome!

I'm a little nervous about being able to get 3 x business class fares. Might still have to consider an indirect flight from Asia to be able to manage it. I'll be much happier about our plans once I've been able to lock those in!

I'm sure it may take some finagling. But I have strong confidence in your skilz!

 

[zanzibar138]

Core Locations​

DLP​

Let's be honest, this trip started as an excuse to visit DLP

I've been before (and did do a TR, but none of the photo links were working anymore, so I removed it from my signature), with my parents way back in 2013. We went in late February and it was still extremely cold and even snowed!







My parents have actually been back twice without me (they did the half marathon over there when it was still going), but I haven't been back to Europe since. They don't feel a strong desire to go back again, so will probably choose to explore somewhere they haven't been while we're visiting DLP. Grandma will also very likely stay with relatives in lieu of tagging along to DLP.

Although there was definitely something magical about seeing a Disney park dusted in snow, logistically it did make things a little more difficult. Many attractions and restaurants were closed, and the cold was difficult for us Aussies to deal with. Although sometimes winter nights get down into the 30's for us, day time temperatures rarely get below 60. As well as the lacklustre weather, we apparently had some crossover with UK half term holidays, which meant that it got quite crowded. I'll be honest, it wasn't my favourite Disney experience to date.

Here we are with all our layers on, which also included thermal leggings under fleece-lined jeans



I'm looking forward to giving DLP another try. September/early October should bring more pleasant weather and seems to be out of the peak season for crowds. I've checked the calendars and it doesn't seem to be close to any long weekends or school holiday periods for France or the UK, as long as we avoid All Saints in the second half of October. Access is available for even the lowest level of AP for every week day of September 2026. The calendar doesn't go as far as October 2026 yet, but for 2025, all week days are included until Friday 17 October. We'll also have Halloween time to enjoy (although it seems parties are only on for the 1 or 2 nights around actual Halloween).

On our last trip, we stayed 5 nights at a 'good neighbour' hotel, the Hotel l'Elysee at Val d'Europe. I got us all APs for park entry. It was about the right amount of time for me, but I'm hoping to experience it from a Disney hotel this time around. We both love the rustic style, so would love to stay at Sequoia Lodge if we can. We will want at least 4 nights though, which will be pricey, so will also consider Hotel Cheyenne. Staying onsite will mean we can just walk to the parks with no need for transportation. Plus, hotel guests get 'Extra Magic Time' (entry 1 hour earlier than regular park guests for both parks). The parks open at 9:30am every day that's currently available on the calendar (right through the end of peak summer time and into early September), with a start time of 8:30am for EMT, which I think would be manageable, even for us

I've done some figures based on random weekdays this September, and for 4 nights, the cheapest option is to get bronze APs and book the hotel on a third party website in AUD. Pretty sure the Disney packages used to come with FPs or something, but there no longer seems to be any benefit, so may as well go with the most cost effective option. Sadly, they have also wildly dialed back the perks for APs. There are no hotel discounts anymore, and the bronze pass doesn't even offer any discount on food or merch. Literally just park entry on selected days, and free parking. Also, park entry requires registration, with a limit of 3 bookings at once, and for your first visit, you can only book the first day and then register for the consecutive days once you have entered the park. Disney hotels come with guaranteed park entry, whether you hold a day ticket or an AP, so it won't be a huge concern for us, but another thing to have to fluff around with that we will take into consideration when doing the sums.

I always prefer to finish a trip with Disney so, even though we could possibly coincide it with my birthday if we went straight there, we will be planning to do this as our last stop before leaving Europe.

 

[pkondz]

Let's be honest, this trip started as an excuse to visit DLP

My parents have actually been back twice without me

How dare they!!!

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more .

 

[zanzibar138]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more .

Welcome aboard!

 

[zanzibar138]

Core Locations​

Wales​

Well, I started drafting a little post to put up here and ended up just wasting hours going down the Pinterest rabbit hole... so in the interest of time I'm just going to keep this simple lol! I will include some pictures though to keep things interesting. All images borrowed from Google.

Grandma has always loved Wales. Hubby is a bit sketchy on the detail, but Grandma is from England (I assume near the Liverpool area where her family are), and it seems like his Grandad (who unfortunately passed away many years ago) was from somewhere in Wales. I will have to check the details with Grandma Hubby and Grandma have visited the UK a couple of times together, and spent some time in Wales on a bus tour. Grandma has been very keen to go back again though, and so a Wales road trip became the second core location for our trip. Mum and Dad were keen too - they have been to the UK a couple of times but never made it Wales.

I have never really taken any notice of Wales, but have since learned that it is a sparsely populated small country to the west of England. Cardiff, on the south coast, is the only major city. Wales is considered the castle capital of the world, slightly surpassed by Germany in sheer number of castles, but still the front runner for density. I started looking at road trip itinerary ideas through Pinterest (bad idea lol!), however for some strange reason, many of the itineraries are quite beach focused. As Aussies (and non-beachy Aussies at that lol!), beaches really won't be a priority for us in the UK. We're more interested in the amazingly long history and beautiful green rural landscapes. I've identified a few key areas of interest.

Brecon Beacons​

This area is mostly about the incredibly green mountain range and associated hikes. There are several of particular interest to me:

• Ystradfellte Four Waterfalls Walk: 8.5km circuit visiting (you guessed it) four beautiful lush-looking waterfalls, one of which has a path behind the falls.
• Sugar Loaf Mountain Circular: 6.9km circuit that summits Sugar Loaf Mountain in an area known for sightings of wild Welsh ponies. Having grown up riding Welsh ponies, seeing one in the wild would be amazing!
• Pen y Fan Summit Walk: 6.5km circuit that summits Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in South Britain. Since I am also planning to summit the highest mountain in Wales later in the trip, I'd be happy to ditch this one.

The hiking will keep Mum and I (and possibly Dad) busy for a couple of days, but hiking is not really Hubby's thing, and definitely not Grandma's thing. Other, less active points of interest in the area include:

• Tintern Abbey OR Llanthony Priory: Cathedral ruins among beautiful green rural landscapes. With limited time for this trip, we want to avoid too much duplication of similar attractions, and will likely pick the one that is either most appealing looking or closest to our intended driving route.
• Brecon Mountain Railway: Heritage steam train through a small part of the national park.
• Various villages with an array of historic buildings, gardens, canals with aqueducts/bridges and pubs/tea houses.
• Small selection of castles in varying degrees of disrepair, which may or may not be accessible for Grandma.

Snowdonia​

This is the quintessential 'fairytale' area of Wales. There are LOTS of hiking opportunities in this area, from mountain summits to woodland streams to ice-carved lakes. I expect Mum and I will have to pick 1 or 2 favourites.

Other points of interest include:

• Welsh Highland Heritage Rail: Another heritage steam train through a national park. There's a few trains on the list, so we might not get to this one.
• Llechwedd Slate Mine OR Sygun Copper Mine: Both tours of disused underground mines (probably not suitable for Grandma). The slate mine has an underground lake (and an entire ropes course, but that is an entirely different beast!), and the copper mine has some beautiful stalagmite and stalactite formations. I'd probably lean towards the copper mine.
• Betws-y-Coed: Beautiful fairytale type village in the middle of the woodland. There is also the nearby Swallow Falls, which has a viewing platform (at the top level) that would be accessible for Grandma.
• Snowdon Mountain: The highest mountain in Wales, with a summit that is accessible by heritage train! We will likely all take the train up, while Mum and I might hike back down.
• Caernarfon Castle: Hubby and Grandma have already been, but there was a massive restoration project in 2023 which opened up whole new areas that were previously inaccessible to guests. As part of the restoration, they installed an awesome glass lift for full accessibility to the top level. Seems like something we could all enjoy.
• South Stack Lighthouse: This would involve a decent detour, but apparently the views from this lighthouse in the north west corner of Wales are unbeatable, particularly at sunset. The lighthouse is visible from the carpark, but there is a bit of a hike to get to it, so may not be suitable for Grandma (although she might enjoy the drive).
• Conwy Town Walls: While Conwy Castle is a paid attraction, the old city walls are free to walk around. The walk is a 1.3km one-way circuit along the top of the wall, which includes 21 towers and three original gateways. While the walk itself is level, it does require a bit of a climb to get to, so unfortunately not suitable for Grandma.
• Great Orme: A high limestone headland on the north coast, accessible by heritage tram or cable car (or road or hiking). At the top is a nature reserve, dotted with historic relics and a disused copper mine.

I expect we will need a few days to explore this area!

Dee Valley​

This area is all about the Llangollen Canal. Points of interest include:

• Pontcysyllte Aqueduct: The famous UNESCO World Heritage listed stream in the sky (pictured). Just one part of the Llangollen Canal, the aqueduct itself is 307m long and sits 38m above the River Dee below. The aqueduct can be crossed on foot or on a narrow boat. Grandma will need our help to get in and out of the boat, but I think she'd enjoy the cruise.
• Horse-drawn Boat: Also available is a horse-drawn narrow boat which takes the canal in another direction to the nearby Horseshoe Falls. As much as I wanted to avoid duplication of similar attractions, I would love to do both of these!
• Chirk Castle and Garden: Well-preserved medieval castle among beautifully manicured gardens. The castle has been fully restored and furnished to reflect the medieval period. It seems to be exactly what Hubby was hoping for from a castle, and looks like it should be accessible enough for Grandma to at least be able to enjoy the ground floor and garden areas.
• Llangollen History Trail: 10km hike that takes in most of the other sights of the area that I would have been interested in, including the Llangollen Canal, River Dee, Horseshoe Falls, Llantysilio Church, ruins of Valle Crucis Abbey, and remnants of Dinas Bran Castle.

Liverpool​

This will have us finishing up about an hour out of Liverpool, which is where Grandma has family that she'd like to spend some time with. We will probably hang out for the day for me to meet the family members, and then leave Grandma to it and head for London.

 

[zanzibar138]

Core Locations​

Vienna​

As soon as my parents decided to come along, I knew we'd have to add Vienna as a core location.

Spanish Riding School​

Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamed of taking Mum to see the Spanish Riding School. We didn't quite get there on our last trip to Europe, and this may be our last trip over that way, so it became a high priority.

We will definitely go all out for this one. Performances are only on at select times (seems to be weekends at that time of year), so we will make sure we time our visit appropriately. I intend to spend as much as I need to get the seats with the best view. We may also add a behind the scenes tour.

I would also love to go out to Piber to see the stud where the Lipizzaners come from, but it's quite a big trip from Vienna and difficult to get to on public transport, so may not get to do that.

Vienna City Sights​

Vienna is a major cultural hub, and many of the 'things to do' articles are a laundry list of museums. We may be interested in a couple of museums, but mostly, they're not really our thing. Here's some things that I think may be of interest to us:

• National Library: Amazing looking Baroque library that would make Belle swoon with its ornately decorated bookshelves and ceiling frescoes. This is a definite must-see for me, and may require a village Belle disneybound
• Danube cruise: I think we would all enjoy a leisurely cruise along the Danube. This would be something highly suitable for Grandma too.
• Churches: There are a number of beautiful looking churches in the city. To avoid 'church burnout', we will pick one. St Stephen's Cathedral is the most famous. Other options are St Peter's and Jesuit Church, which are probably less impressive looking from the outside, but just as stunning on the inside.
• Palaces: I think it's worth making the effort to see one of the Baroque palaces in the area. Schonbrunn and Belvedere are the big ones with massive gardens. Hofburg is the famous winter palace. I've also read about a couple of smaller, lesser-known versions that might be nicer for us to have a quick wander.
• Music: Although we won't want to spend all our time touring museums or historic buildings, I think we will need to pick one music-related attraction to do. Options include the concert hall, opera house, music museum, and a variety of small museums based in the homes of famous composers (Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert).
• Dance: I would have loved to have attended one of the famous Viennese balls, but we will be there at the wrong time of year. Given our background, we may have to find somewhere to take a lesson in Viennese Waltz.
• Coffee houses: One thing I didn't realise Vienna was famous for is coffee houses! I expect we will frequent several during our trip.
• Rooftop bars: There are several of these that would be of interest, perhaps for some pre-dinner drinks.

Day Trips​

I've always been fascinated by Austrian scenery, ever since I first saw The Sound of Music as a little girl. I had been hoping to squeeze in a couple of days in Salzburg on the way through to Vienna, but for this trip (particularly with Grandma), it's probably better to base ourselves somewhere for a few days rather than constantly travelling from place to place. Plus, my parents and I have already seen spectacular Austrian mountain scenery on our previous trip to Innsbruck. We'd still definitely consider at least one day trip from Vienna.

• Salzburg: If I really want to see Salzburg, it's still an option, about 2.5 hours by train.
• Bratislava: The city of Bratislava is just across the border in Slovenia, and an easy train trip from Vienna. I'd also investigate the option of cruising there along the Danube. Definitely more city than scenery-based though!
• Semmering Pass: Scenic mountain pass by train. As an aside, the Lipizzaner stud is out that way, so it may be possible to add on a visit there.
• Linz: A couple of hours out of Vienna along the Danube.

Sadly Hallstatt (the picturesque lakeside village pictured above) is too far for a day trip (roughly 4 hours).

Depending on where we end up flying into, we may have already done one of these train routes on our way into Vienna, so that will probably influence our decision on where we end up taking a day trip.

 

[Steppesister]

Cool pic, not one you'd see often, I'd think. At least not to us Yanks.

so a Wales road trip became the second core location for our trip.

Such a unique trip- looking forward to more!

We're more interested in the amazingly long history and beautiful green rural landscapes.

Huh, Wales has never really been high on my list, but sure might be after this TR!

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct: The famous UNESCO World Heritage listed stream in the sky (pictured). Just one part of the Llangollen Canal, the aqueduct itself is 307m long and sits 38m above the River Dee below. The aqueduct can be crossed on foot or on a narrow boat. Grandma will need our help to get in and out of the boat, but I think she'd enjoy the cruise.

Holy smokes, what a trip!

Spanish Riding School​

Freakishly beautiful.

Music: Although we won't want to spend all our time touring museums or historic buildings, I think we will need to pick one music-related attraction to do. Options include the concert hall, opera house, music museum, and a variety of small museums based in the homes of famous composers (Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert).

I'd LOVE to see an orchestral performance in one of the big Austrian halls. Just wow!!!

Dance: I would have loved to have attended one of the famous Viennese balls, but we will be there at the wrong time of year. Given our background, we may have to find somewhere to take a lesson in Viennese Waltz.

You MUST!! I might have even prioritized this over the horses, but it'd sure be close. Both sound so amazing!!!

 

[pkondz]

Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamed of taking Mum to see the Spanish Riding School. We didn't quite get there on our last trip to Europe, and this may be our last trip over that way, so it became a high priority.

Then this is an absolute must.
I've not been to Vienna, but my sister went to the famous Zacher Hotel and had a slice of Zacher torte before strolling around the corner to the opera.

I wasn't envious in the least.

I've always been fascinated by Austrian scenery

I took the train from Munich to Venice and the Austrian scenery was... spectacular.

Salzburg: If I really want to see Salzburg, it's still an option, about 2.5 hours by train.

Now there I've been. But a loooong time ago.

 

[zanzibar138]

Core Locations​

There are a few European cities that we just want to 'tick off' while we're there. We won't plan to spend very long in each, so I'm just going to lump them all together.

Paris​

Ben has never been to Paris, so this is one to 'tick off' for him. He pretty much just wants to see the Eiffel Tower. I did get to Paris on my last trip, and didn't love it, so I'm not keen to spend too much more time there. We will most likely just have one full day, so won't be able to do too much, but I'd like to focus on things I haven't seen.

What I did last time:

• Notre Dame Cathedral: Just the actual cathedral part - we couldn't be bothered lining up to go up the tower.
• Champs Elysees: Wandered along the street, stopped off at the Disney Store
• City tours by horse-drawn carriage and pushbike: Really just going past the main points of interest with a bit of commentary.
• Eiffel Tower: Although I did have a tour booked to go up the tower, it was closed due to snow. We did hang out at the bottom for a bit, and we also went back in the evening to see the light show.
• Arc de Triomphe: Since we couldn't go up the Eiffel Tower, we decided to go up Arc de Triomphe instead for the view of Paris.

Possible points of interest for this trip:

• Eiffel Tower: I do feel like I have unfinished business and would like to go up, at least to the second floor if not the top. Ben is keen too. I'd love to go at sunset. Ben will love the light show too.
• Museum: Ben is interested in visiting The Louvre, however with such little time, I don't feel like it would be worth it. I'm more interested in Musee d'Orsay, which is in a very nice looking converted train station and has a great collection of Impressionist art. Having said that, my opinion isn't that strong, so if Ben really wants The Louvre, we'll just go there.
• Church: I've already seen Notre Dame, but I am interested in Saint Chapelle, which looks like it has amazing stained glass windows.

That's probably enough if we only have a day!

London​

This is one that Ben has been to, but I haven't. I've never had much interest in London as a city, so hadn't been planning to spend much time there. There aren't any specific attractions I really want to do, although Dad says we should visit the Tower of London. Ben didn't get there on his last visit, so that would be new for him too.

The one thing that I really want to do in London is to visit the village where my grandparents lived and where Dad was born. Looks like it's about an hour out of London on the train, right near Stanford-le-Hope, which is apparently a very historic village.

Venice​

I'm not sure if this really belongs in the 'Core Locations' section, however, it's probably the other European city that Ben frequently expresses interest in, so if we can manage to swing by without too much inconvenience, I think it would be worth it. Ben really just wants to do the gondola ride, so we won't have to be there for long.

 

[pkondz]

Ben has never been to Paris, so this is one to 'tick off' for him.

Heh. Maybe the people will tick him off.

He pretty much just wants to see the Eiffel Tower.

That's all???

Museum: Ben is interested in visiting The Louvre, however with such little time, I don't feel like it would be worth it.

I've been to Paris a couple times and have yet to visit for just this reason.

I'm more interested in Musee d'Orsay

I've heard very good things... but also haven't been.

I am interested in Saint Chapelle, which looks like it has amazing stained glass windows.

St. Chapelle is stunning! Go!

London

No comment. Last time I was there, I was 10 years old (or thereabouts.)

Ben really just wants to do the gondola ride, so we won't have to be there for long.

Do wander the city. Just... get lost. Seriously. Wonderful place. Just... if you're going to do a gondola ride, avoid the hordes around Piazza San Marco and instead... wander. We found a few gondoliers hanging around waiting (as opposed to you doing the waiting) at Ponte San Moise just a few steps away. And for much less! (This was a few years ago. YMMV)