I'm going travelling soon and am starting in Europe. Where is your favourite destination that isn't over-run with tourists?
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M$3 Answers
If you were traveling in the winter time I would recommend going to Germany, to a place called Garmisch. I stayed for a week at a resort called Edelweiss Lodge and it was incredible. All around are the highest mountains you've ever seen and they are covered with nothing but white snow. It's almost ethereal, really. I happened upon it when I first moved to Germany and though the price is a little steep, I think it was worth it and am planning to ago again this winter. The lodge is right above the town of Garmisch which has many restaurant you can dine at if you're not taking you're meals at the lodge. In ways of activity there is a castle tour as well as a ride up the mountain; which is really incredible, especially at the top when you can walk around and look down at everything. They also have a golf course, indoor wall climbing, skiing and snowboarding and much more. If you have children with you then the lodge has a program just for the kids, which is really helpful if you're wanting to have a romantic evening with your loved one.
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M$I would personally recommend Croatia, because it's absolutely gorgeous. I can't remember where we went (I didn't think we went as far inland as Zagreb), but it was really nice. It's definitely "classic" Eastern European, in that it's not high quality in a lot of places, but it's got a lot of interesting culture. Great people, too. :)
I would recommend Slovenia for the same reason. We also went to the Postojna (po-stoy-na) Caves, and that was really amazing. Halfway through the tour, they turn all the lights off for a second or two, just to show what it's like to be so far inside a cave! Scary stuff, but also really cool!
It's also worthy to note that the "tourist traps" actually have a lot of really great places to explore as well. For example, we used to live in northeast Italy, so we went to Venice all the time, and I thought the place was completely overrun with tourists - just absolutely no way to get some time to yourself. But on a trip in later years during my study abroad, my Art History professor brought us to parts of Venice that I didn't even know were there - places where people actually lived, where there were wide roads and parks, and really amazing stuff. If you wander up to the north where the Arsenal is, you'll find a whole Jewish community, trees (!), and lots of great local shops (and with decent prices - the general rule of thumb is, the closer to Saint Mark's Square the shop is, the more expensive whatever it is you're buying - and don't buy a cute Murano glass figurine in one shop, likely it exists in about ten other shops).
*** Looks like @sadie87 was ahead of me on this next Garmisch part. :) ***
Germany was also really amazing, as well as England and Scotland. We lived in southeast Germany for a couple of years, and I loved that whole region. Both countries don't offer too much in their weather, but they make up for it in greenery and great winters. If you're going during the ski season, I highly recommend Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a German city in southern Germany. It's got a lot of great skiing opportunities, and lots of other fun things to do. That whole region is just really great. I think Garmisch might be a bit touristy, but if you want to get a nice rustic view of old Germany, that's the place to do it.
If you're interested in Italy, I can definitely recommend Ferrara as a great place to go. It has a lot of history (both Medieval and Renaissance), artwork, architecture (a castle with a moat!), food (I definitely recommend the cappellacci al ragù, a type of tortellini with pumpkin filling served with meat sauce, a local dish), and totally tons more. I studied there for a semester, and got to learn all about the history and whatnot of the place. There are absolutely no tourists there whatsoever - just people studying abroad, which is few enough - so you'll get a great taste of Italy without all the big tour groups.
I think that's about all I can really recall off the top of my head... Remember though - any little place you happen to find yourself could be choc full of culture! Don't ignore the places along the way, you might be surprised. :)
If you have any questions on any part of Europe, ask - I've probably been there, or know someone who has, haha. :)
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M$
The closest I've been to Naples is the Naples military base, for a Brain Bowl tournament in high school, haha. The surrounding area was quite pretty, but I've heard mixed results about Naples itself - some people think it's a bit overrun with trash, some people think it's just as amazing as Rome... I'm not sure what to tell you.
Florence is definitely a touristy must-see, up there with Venice. They speak English quite well there, because of all the visitors, and we didn't run into too many friendly people, but I'm sure - like Venice - if you wandered around, you'd see a lot of great places. Definitely overwhelming with the amount of amazing architecture and art, I would go just for that.
My mother went to Prague with some of her friends, and really enjoyed it. I'm fuzzy on the details of what they did, but from what I heard it's definitely one of those unfound jewels like Budapest. They also went to Karlovy Vary in the CR, and enjoyed that as well. I believe Karlovy Vary was a trip to buy some Polish pottery, which was kind of an obsession of hers for awhile. ;)
Unfortunately, I don't have any personal experience with Montenegro, Sardinia or Greece. I would love to go to all three, though! Especially Greece! We were in Italy when Greece held the Olympics in 2004, and MAN I am upset we didn't get to go. Imagine - the Olympics in Greece!
Oh, and on England and Scotland - we've been to London, I definitely recommend it. Completely chaotic, and so huge it takes about a week to really explore most of it, but just steeped in English culture. Stratford-Upon-Avon was also really amazing, and for a small town it really packs a punch. Not just Shakespearian things to do there, there's some cathedrals and castles in the surrounding area to see as well. Warwick Castle was really fun to see, and Nottingham was a fun place to go, too. We went to Edinburough when I was a kid too, and though I don't remember much of it (mostly the golf museum, lots of green rolling hills, some golden statue in the city, and me having an unfortunate stomach bug), it's a good place to start getting into Scottish culture. I've had friends that have been to Ireland as well, and goodness it's a beautiful country! They loved their whole time there.
Thanks for this answer - I've taken many useful notes from it (too many to mention!) and acknowledge your point about not confining myself to non-touristy destinations entirely.
As for other areas I would like informed input on here's a few:
Naples + Florence
Prague
Montenegro
Sardinia
Greece
Budapest is definitely the place for a culinary experience and the best experiences can be had by avoiding all the touristy places. Hungarian cuisine is famous for its diversity, spices and flavors. The pastry shops/bakeries and cafes with their selection of delicacies and cakes are to die for. Also, wine tasting is a must try when in Budapest. Not sure what type of entertainment you enjoy, but ruin pubs are unique to Budapest and another must try. They are mostly frequented by locals and expats.
Hope this helps wet you appetite for a side-trip trip to Budapest. :)
- Here is a lot more info on Budapest Baths and Hungarian bath culture
- Budapest cafes
- Hungarian wine
Check out the ruin pubs:
http://visitbudapest.travel/articles/ruin-pubs-a-budapest-specialty/
This is a great event site, which covers most of Europe:
http://joobili.com/
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M$
Thanks so much for your input! I'm practically salivating at the thought of the spa baths and the snow capped mountains. I snowboard so am definitely going to find spots to do that. I was also born in Germany so that was on my list already. I've never been to Hungry but am seriously considering it now :)
Please don't stop - if you have any more suggestions I'd love to hear them.
Thanks again!