Ok, I have been on here before but my friend and I are coming up with some new plans. We were planning on traveling mid July through Europe (on the med coast) but now we may consider going later late august/sept. And we are also stumped as to where we want to go. Obviously you cant get everywhere you want in three months so please hand out some great cities and countries to visit. We don't want to do the normal tourist route. My friend and I are outdoor enthusiasts so being among the mountains and cliffs along the oceans sounds amazing. I also loved the smaller towns when I visited Spain last summer. Please let me know if you have any suggestions in mind.
Also which months of the ones i listed above do you recommend traveling???
Thanks, the confused but anxious traveler
You only mention Spain, i recommend the place as long as you avoid the Costa del Sol like the plague.
Have you read any guidebooks to see what countries have the outdoor pursuits that interest you?
August is the worst time to go. Period!
All Europe gets thier vacation then. Prices are jacked. Hotels are full. Lines are long. Shops are closed. Why? Because they´re all in line ahead of you.
The Med. coast is where they go.
North Europe is more expensive.
The Med. coast is largely Brit communities.
God bless you for having the sense to come for three months!
Don´t move on from a place till you are really satisfied that you dig it in context. centuries of history and folks have pased before. You may ge6t enthrauled with a certain piece of history, and decide to follow it.
And you have friends here, you haven´t met yet.
This Texan lines in Seville.
You´ll learn history and things you never covered in school.
But it takes time. Absorb, is the watchword.
There are vocabularies of grunts amd hoots, in different cultures. Like same in dog´s barking.
My favorite most loned question, in hostels and sidewalk cafes: "What´s it like where you grew up?"
They´re not use to us yanks giving a hoot. We´re so isolaTED.
thanks for the help... I have been leaning towards coming in September because I do not want to be surrounded by tourists because then everyone assumes that I am a "tourist" as well.... when in fact I am a traveler. Also, I am wondering about railways... how expensive and what places online I can look to find the best passes to get while traveling.
cheers!
#4, you'll be branded a tourist by locals and other tourists alike no matter what you think you are.
Google interrail and eurail for the railways.
The real question is why with 3 months is why you are limiting your travel plans to oceans and mountains. In my humble opinion, July-September is an excellent time to travel BUT you must realise that most of europe will be seeking their week in the sun DESPARATELY - in this period and trvale costs, hassles and rooms all reflect this demand pressure. Euro universities go back start of SEp so it gets a lot easier ( but not necessarily easy) to travel in September than August..
With all the cheap airfares available and a liking to go hiking .. Norway the Swiss Alps Gerona in Spain and the central massif region in France - oops I'm forgetting Corsica ... all these all superb places ok Norway .. you risk the weather but hey .. if you've got a rail pass .. no problem .. Croatia is also worthy of a mention but its not a cheap option these days and in August the roads are pure chaos although a stopped bus gives plenty of photo opprtunities. Portugal to but I'm still struggling to do Spain .. there's too much there ..lol
If you are feeling adventuresome .. I'd plug for Estonia in August .. cheap and great beaches ( hope for a warm day!)
The traveller/tourist issue has had a lot of airplay here .. I dare say travellers dont plan travel .. they are living it with little forethought past the next few weeks ..
Good luck and enjoy your trip. My tip is always the same agree on 5 must sees and just join the dots .. it works!
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<hr>everyone assumes that I am a "tourist" as well.... when in fact I am a traveler<hr></blockquote>
bwahahahahaha......hilarious...
You want to visit Europe for 3 months, but you have no idea what you want to see or do there? Why exactly do you want to go? I'm serious; ask yourself that question.
That aside, the time you go depends on what is most important to you. Since you say you are into outdoor activities, then I suggest summer: June-August. Yes, all of Europe heads to the beaches in August so you might want to avoid them then, so go to the mountains. You can still do a lot in Aug/Sept/Oct, but the weather turns cold pretty quick in a lot of Europe. You will have less crowds to deal with, though, in most places.
I suggest looking into traveling in the Pyrenees and renting a car is the best way to get to all the little places there. You can go by public transport, but it will be more difficult and time-consuming to do so. Do some research on what there is to do in the Pyrenees and see if it appeals to you: lots of hiking, fishing, kayaking, etc. You can visit both the Spanish and the French sides.
You want us to "hand out some great cities and countries to visit. We don't want to do the normal tourist route." I see these two things as mostly contradictory.
Let us know if we can help with some specifics.
Ok, so thanks for all of your insite. To explain myself... I am just so interested in seing everything that I want to hear some others' experiances to help me know some areas better... to see if they fit with my plans. My friend and I kind of gathered an itinerary and I will run it by you to see what you think. We plan to leave late august to Ireland and have set accomodations and a few set cities there... otherwise we just have a basic route we hope to follow... so if it seems difficult or you have tips just let me know.
From Ireland- UK (which I read isn't apart of the schengen so it wouldnt count to our 90 days)- Belgium- Germany- then not sure what countries to stop in on the way to turkey- greece- italy- switzerland- south france- spain and possibly portugal. Spain isn't a main stay since I have been to a lot of it before. Also I know croatia and switz are not schengen countries as well so that will give us more time. Please let me know if this seems like too much. And some travel tips between these places (expecially turkey, greece, italy)
cheers!
Read the Schengen rules carefully. I think you have to be out of the Schengen area for 90 days to reset the "clock" for another 90 days IN the Schengen area. Not sure of the details, but look into it.
I like Europe in the fall. There are fewer crowds, the weather is still pretty much OK, and the cultural season starts (plays, concerts, etc.). People are back to their normal routines and this can be a different experience for the traveler.
I'm really at a loss to give you any suggestions. Where to start? Really the best thing is to start digging through books and websites and find things you are interested in. Then come back here and ask for specific advice on those places. For example, let's say you look up places in Italy and decide that Florence (Firenze) is somewhere you really "must see" because of the art museums, history, the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio, etc. So then you can come back and ask people here for ideas on places to stay, what their favorite things there are, daytrips you can take from there, etc. Does that make sense? I really think that is the best way to plan your trip and get the most out of Thorn Tree dwellers.
In any case, having a route planned is good, but you don't need to hold yourself to "2 days here, 1 day there, 3 days here;" just take it as it comes and adjust it over the course of the trip. Things always come up to make you change your plans. That is the fun of traveling independently.
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