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planning on heading over to europe in 2010 for hopefully 6 months, plan on travelling with my savings for a few months then settling in london for abit and working

just after some ideas on some places to visit, really enjoy the warmer weather, and the beach, doesnt have to be a big place, im looking for some hidden gems

My mum is getting back from 5 months over there tomorrow, so watch this space

scottroo wrote:planning on heading over to europe in 2010 for hopefully 6 months, plan on travelling with my savings for a few months then settling in london for abit and working

just after some ideas on some places to visit, really enjoy the warmer weather, and the beach, doesnt have to be a big place, im looking for some hidden gems

Steer clear of Slovakian hostels.

Hidden gems:

Bruges in Belgium.
Luxembourg
Boppard on the Rhine
Frieburg (Black Forest)
Lauterbrunnen (Switzerland)
Fussen (Germany)
Hallstatt (Austria) - wonderful
San Marino
Assisi
Lourdes
Carcassonne (not to be missed)

Sun and beaches

Greek Islands
Spanish South Coast
Elba (Italy)

Cities and large towns (apart from the usuals)

Lucerne
Budapest
Madrid
Lisbon
Athens
Istanbul - outstanding

Scenic

Norwegian Fjiords
Mont St Michel
Picos D'Europa (Spain)

Train trips

Bergen to Oslo
Switzerland to Italy

That's just for starters, from memory.

Amsterdam is interesting, but from what i've heard its in the process of being "cleaned up" at the moment.

GWW wrote:Amsterdam is interesting, but from what i've heard its in the process of being "cleaned up" at the moment.

Some good little 'bakeries'

Beaches - Nice is worth a visit. Experience lounging on stones instead of sand. Actually has its merits; you ain't covered in sand when you stand up. Plus the scenery on Nice beaches is great... lots of "white pointers"

Hidden gems - Luxembourg City (good pick R&B) is the most gorgeous city in Europe, IMO. Just across the German border, Trier is worth a look. It's a quaint university town, with some Roman ruins dotted about the city. Bruges in Belgium also quaint, but touristy.

Not hidden or beachy, but Paris is my fave Euro city. Loads to do and see, impossible to get bored there.

Amsterdam is also a must-see but be wary that it's overrun by tourists, mostly seppo college students trying to be cool.

If you are into your modern history Berlin is an awesome place to visit.

Have to agree with the other lads, Luxembourg is a hidden Gem

Croatia - Dubrovnik in particular is brilliant
Prague - Just a special place
If you need perspective on things Catch the train from Prague To Auschwitz/ Birkenau and once you've looked around there head into Krakow.

Prague castle is a must even though Prague is getting very expensive it is worth while.
Favourite town to see was Waren on the Muriitz. Massive lake in top part of Germany, a couple of hours drive from Berlin.
Dresden which is close to border of Czeck Republic is awesome for its rebuilding of buildings bombed during WW2. Aparantly the drive from there to Prague is a must do for all horney male sex tourist, I caught train myself.

Munich is good but too touristy. Venice I found average, saw enough canals in Amsterdam.

If your truly after a "hidden" gem- i wouldnt go to prague, amsterdam, lucerne, nice , brugges or any other place easy jet/ bmi baby etc etc travel to. Even alot of eastern europe like krakow/prague/ budapest these days are extremely busy and you will be fighting crowds- particularly in peak season. For a hidden gem I would reccomend not staying within cities/large towns but drive around staying in a central village. I have used the website www.sawdays.co.uk extensively and the website only recomends stunning mainly regional accomodation that will truly be a hidden gem. My most hidden gems have been- the north eastern part of provence in the alpes area is stunning in shoulder seasons- and has wonderful hiking (and wines)- all tourists are in nice or in provence proper and prices are cheap cos the peak season is winter up those ways. The peak district in derbyshire is also a lovely spot- alot quieter than the lakes district. If I was to summarise I would always stay in the town next to the one youv heard of if your looking for a hidden gem

That's good advice, stumps. Often the smaller places are so much better to visit, or use as a base.

The first thing to decide is how to get around, which can depend on how many people you're travelling with. If you're a couple, I'd go by train with a Eurail pass. Get on and off easily, usually in the middle of town. It's a great way to get around Europe. I'd always drive in America, but train in Europe.

As for what to see and where to go, it depends on your tastes.

Some less tourist-frequented parts of Europe I'd recommend in each country are"

Spain - go to the northern part (Basque country), San Sebastian - best tapas in Spain, Peaks of Europe National Park - snow mountains, alpine meadows, hiking, fishing villages, beaches, caves, old towns.

Spain- the Costa Blanca, small villages like Altea, great scenery, sun, beaches, dinner.

France - Strasbourg (french baguette with German sausage!), Brittany, Carcassonne - one of the gems of Europe. Go to Annecy, a mini-Venice on a lake in the Alps. Chamonix and the cable car to Mont Blanc.

Switzerland - Lake Thun, St Moritz - wonderful, Lucerne, even though it's busy.

Austria - Don't miss Hallstatt, a world heritage village and superb. Salzburg, like Lucerne, busy but don't miss.

Italy - anywhere. The lakes in the north - Como, etc. For a great day, take a boat trip from Lugano (?), Locarno (?) of Lake Maggiore, visiting the islands in the lake.

Eastern - Prague is good, but Budapest is well worth visiting. If you can get as far as Istanbul, it would be one of the highlights of Europe (and you can go to Gallipoli).

Germany - The Black Forest area. Hitler's retreat, Berchtesgarten is scenically superb. The Romantic Road, including Rothenberg-ob-der-Tauber, is sensational. The Moselle valley, as Pseudo said, is wonderful, including Trier.

Holland - The Alkmaar Cheese Markets are great to see.

Scandinavia - Copenhagen is well woth a visit, Oslo the same. Stockholm is a long way, but the Swedish south coast is interesting. Taking the local buses and ferries from Stavanger to Voss and the Fjiords in Norway is unforgettable.

UK - The Lake District, Clovelly, Cornwall, Wells in Somerset, Cambridge, Canterbury, the mountains and valleys of Wales, the Scottish Highlands, the fishing villages of the Scottish North-West, anywhere in Ireland, Clear Island, Arran Islands and don't leave out Northern Ireland, it's wonderful.

Yes, I like Europe

The Ash Man wrote:

GWW wrote:Amsterdam is interesting, but from what i've heard its in the process of being "cleaned up" at the moment.

Some good little 'bakeries'

'Coffee' shops, usually not hard to distinguish from the ones that actually serve coffee

After reading John Grisham's novel "Playing for Pizza" I believe Parma in Italy to be a hidden gem. Lots of history, beautiful food (pasta, pizza, meats, sausage) relatively unknown to tourists and apparently the locals like it that way.
According to the novel anyway...

Shepherd bush Walkabout in London is a must and The Church on a Sunday.

Italy is a great place, particularly the southern half, Naples area (not the city), sorrento, Capri, Amalfi are spectacular.

Agree San Marino is worth a visit. switzerland and the trip from Swiess to Italy is worth a go.

It depends what you are looking for. Night life and bif piss ups, then Spains costa's are for you, or many hotspots on the Greek islands, but if you want history, and scenery, then keep away from the big coastal tourist spots.

Not a fan of France unless it is way down on the south coast, Narbonne, Carcassone etc.

London is great. Spent a week there in Nov and again last week. Tube is cheap and easy to use and the best way of getting around the place.

Turkey is good and has plenty of of history, Ephesus, etc. Crete and Cyprus are pretty good too.

the UK has planty to offer, some brilliant scenery, plenty of history and some superb cities, but you can't guarantee the weather from one day to the next.

The UK is cheap too now, compared to the Euro zone so bear that in mind.

Just got back from a two and half week holiday to Prague, Berlin and Amsterdam. Other than it being the coldest winter Europe has experienced for years it was great. Never been so cold in my life! I will never complain about London being cold again!

Prague is absolutely beautiful and well worth a visit. The only thing I didn't like was that you can still smoke in the bars there. I'm not sure how I ever use to put up with it.

Berlin is now probably my favourite city. The history of it is really interesting. Really enjoyed it. I was there for 4 days but could have spent longer, just to see everything.

I love Munich too. Been there twice and had a great time both times. A day trip out to Dachau Concentration camp is worth it. If you get a chance to go to Oktoberfest go. The biggest party you are ever likely to attend.

Croatia is beautiful. Especially Dubrovnik, probably the prettiest city I've seen. I sailed around Croatia and it was a great way to see the amazing coast. The boat would pull up each day and you would just jump into the clear blue water. A great holiday.

Krakow is a nice city too and cheap. Had a great night out with some locals. A day trip out to Auschwitz is a must if you go to Krakow.

Amsterdam is lovely. The friendliest people I think I have met. I found it very expensive though. Not sure if that is just because the euro and pound are about even now, but we were paying close to 8 euro for a vodka and mixer and pints were over 4 euro.

I thought this was the Music thread...
ie. 'The Final Countdown'

Head off next week for 10 days in Poland then a 10 day tour of London, Paris and Rome...

First ever overseas trip and pretty excited. Any advice, hints or tips to take on board?

Phil I'm at Heathrow now waiting for a flight home, hope the weather is just as stunning as I have had.

But for London do the river boat cruise & London Eye on your first day. The cruise takes you up and down the Themes, with the guide pointing out the landmarks. Good opportunity to take photos and get an idea which ones you would like to visit in more detail. Then you can go back to them at your own pace.

Oh and don't forget to 'mind the gap' on the underground.....

Big Phil wrote:Head off next week for 10 days in Poland then a 10 day tour of London, Paris and Rome...

First ever overseas trip and pretty excited. Any advice, hints or tips to take on board?

Hmmm Polish Women's Volleyball team