Second Attempt. Not sure why, but previous topic was deleted. There is a bias against people that travel quickly, so I will keep this short and sweet.
Travel Advice--what is a place in Europe not featured on Rick Steve's television shows, that you would recommend to someone whose been practically everywhere.
Looking for a breathtaking experience to add to my annual summer backpacking trip!
Thanks,
David
Umm... You don't really think there are many of us who know exactly which places Rick has covered in his TV shows over the course of the last 17 years, do you? And I believe there are lots of places given prominence in his books that haven't made it into a video yet; most of those probably get a lot of US visitors.
I'll take a stab, but I make no promises.
Spain: northern Spain west of the Basque Country (Burgos, Oviedo, Leon, Santiago de Compostela), Teruel, Zaragoza. The last two are hot in the summer, however.
Portugal: Madeira (technically not in Europe, I suppose), Guimaraes, Guarda, Viseu
France: Menton (very touristy), Lyon, Montpelier, Toulouse, Albi, Pezenas, Ceret, Collioure (very touristy)--all likely to be hot during the summer. For more temperate climates: Yellow Train into the Pyrenees, Brittany. In the "maybe you'd be lucky" category: Nancy.
Italy: Vicenza; Orvieto; Puglia; Siracusa and the neighboring little Baroque towns, Piazza Armerina, and Trapani/Erice (all in Sicily). All hot in the summer, Puglia and Sicily mind-blowingly hot.
Germany: Quedlinburg, Goerlitz, Schwerin, the Bodensee, the Spreewald.
Serbia: Belgrade and Novi Sad
Croatia: Zagreb and Istria
Montenegro: Kotor, Herceg-Novi, Cetinje, Budva, Ulcinj, one or more national parks
Romania: Timisoara, Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca, Bukovina
Bulgaria: Nesebar and Sozopol
Edited to add: Forgot England and Greece!
England: Norwich, Oxford, Bletchley Park
Greece: Crete; just about any other island that isn't Mykonos, Ios, Santorini or Hydra; Pelion Peninsula
Basel Switzerland
What do you mean by "fast travel?" Can you give me an example of a "fast travel" itinerary? I consider myself a "fast traveler" but sometimes see people who travel even faster than I do and think they are nuts.
My fastest trip was probably two weeks in 2015 driving from northern Croatia down along the coast to Montenegro and back through Bosnia to Zagreb - many one-night stays (except Rovinj and Sarajevo). But, most of the places I visited were smaller places explored pretty quickly.
Rick doesn't cover much of Bosnia in his book or TV shows - Sarajevo, Mostar, and a few side stops and thats it but there's more to it than that. I found stops like the towns of Jajce and Travnik and Una National Park (near Plitvice in Croatia but very, very different) to be worthwhile and interesting - and not very touristy.
There are plenty of places in Rick's TV shows that you haven't been,unless your first three trips to Europe were long ones. I wouldn't rule out places based on their being featured in a Rick Steves video - some of them are not that touristy even if they were in a video. I would highly recommend Slovenia for example - well-covered in Rick's Croatia/Slovenia book and in at least one video - but still not very touristy, at least by Americans, especially compared to places like Italy and France.
"...bias against travel(ing) quickly...." Who cares. Do it anyway.
You are looking for suggestions. In Germany I suggest these places:
Weimar, Schwerin, Marburg an der Lahn, Naumburg an der Saale, Lüneburg,
Meissen, Kiel and its environs, Jena, Lübeck, Tübingen, Minden.
Thanks. Fast travel I mean an average of three days in a location at times less. I return to places I like multiple times. I tend to watch Rick's shows over several times for ideas, and have been to most of his destinations, so that's why I used them as a reference. I'll look into the places you've suggested that I haven't been to. I'm just looking to ad one very special place to an already crowded list for this summer. Somewhere even an experience traveler may over look, but would be swept away by in the same way as with Paris, Dubrovnik, or the villages of the Cinque Terre. Thanks!
I am not sure that there is a bias towards 'fast travel' I just find that most of those posts start with something like " Is this doable?...", 'Is this too much?..." "Would you do this?..." " Would you recommend trimming?..."
I think that is when most of us jump in and let people know how much driving time they are really facing, how they may see things in passing but not get to really experience them etc.
Enjoy your fast travel!
Love both Corsica and Sardinia for their natural beauty, great food, wonderful wines.
I don’t know what has been covered by RS, but my suggestions would be
France - Venise Verte - stay in/near Coulon. Meander on a boat trip or hire a bike and cycle around the canals in France’s answer to Venice (but without the price tag or the crowds). Gorgeous stone houses surrounded by fragrant flowers. Pretty villages aplenty.
Ile de Re just off the coast of La Rochelle for plentiful oysters and twee villages and just south of there, the island of Oleron for a less touristy experience.
England - the stunning Northumberland coast.
Rutland - like the Cotswolds but without the tourists.
The Isle of Wight - as England was 50 years ago.
The Isle of Man as you won’t meet anyone else who has ever been there! Avoid during the TT races, as it will be busy.
Scotland - Dumfries and Galloway for beautiful rolling countryside and stunning bays.
The Ardnamurchan Peninsula- one of the most stunning parts of Scotland.
Spain.
The stunning Picos de Europa in northern Spain.
The Caceres/Trujillo/Merida/Badajoz area for castles, Roman aqueducts and historical centres.
Canary Islands - Fuerteventura for an almost lunar landscape in parts. La Gomera for away from it all peace.
Reading about how you like "Fast Travel", brought this to mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jghY0MAnsPM
Enjoy your travels, where ever they take you.
Speed Walker ha!
It used to be that staying in HI hostels was limited to 3 consecutive nights, don't know if that still applies. Staying in private independent hostels, you would not encounter this rule.
Oh never a hotel for me, either a hostel, airbnb, or overnight on a bus or at the airport. I am a true backpacker in regards to accommodations.
I suggest Bornholm.
There is also the overnight train option operated now by OeBB NightJet. Features run from a seat in 6 seat compartments or the general seating area to couchettes and sleepers. Sleepers are obviously the most expensive with the compartments/general seating area the absolute cheapest. Given the choice I prefer the general seating area.
Thanks very much everyone. Definitely the right people to throw out random overlooked locations!
Rick doesn't, as far as I know, cover the Peak District of England. We loved Eyam, a medieval village with a story about the plague that is quite memorable - and they even have their own plague museum! Great pubs in the region, beautiful hikes, and of course Chatsworth House. The geological ridge in the area offers a great view of the valley below.
My husband and I are planning our 5th European trip for September. We generally don't go for less than 2 1/2 - 3 weeks.
We follow Rick's guidebooks the majority of the time and have had some wonderful experiences, thanks to him. I wouldn't discount some of the Back Door places he suggests in his books, especially away from cities.
That being said, other than Tuscany and Umbria, which we reserve before leaving the US, we spend 2-3 nights in a place; sometimes booking the day before travel. I guess that qualifies for "fast" travel.
Favorite places we have found include (some thanks to Rick's guidebooks or forum):
Moneglia, Italy (a few train stops above Cinque Terre)
Malcesine, Lake Garda (Northern Italy)
Ortesia, Italy
Zell Am See, Austria
Val d' Orcia and all the villages & towns in the area
Montefalco, Spello, and all the small hilltop villages of Umbria
Brilliant! I think its been solved! Lake Garda, Italy! Never heard of it actually. But its close to Verona which is on my list and its Beautiful. Oh my, you guys are very thoughtful for continuing to give advice Thanks!
........ or you might consider Malta.
If Lake Garda is attracting you then it’s very easy to also reach ...
Verona, Padua, Vicenza, Mantua, Bologna, Ravenna, Ferrara, Modena, Parma
Been to Bologna at least, but other areas in the region could be possible
Been to Bologna at least, but other areas in the region could be possible
I was thinking (like a backpacker) further north since it's a summer trip. Malbork castle, Gdansk Poland and the Baltic beach areas around there. It's a good time of year for weather and Poland is probably the best price for food, lodging and train transportation in Europe right now - with competition from Spain. If you want, you can catch a ferry from there to other Baltic locations.
North Sea beaches in Germany
Strasbourg, France
I wish could take a year off and see all those places actually. I always think to big, so really Lake Garda and a near by excursion might be the only extra I squeeze in. : /
However really love all the suggestions!
On the suggestion of going to Gdansk, Malbork, etc, I would look into getting a rental car for going out of the city to explore the towns/villages of the lower Vistula...interesting landscape. Not all were destroyed or suffered war damage. There are towns that came through 1945 intact. The Soviets also bypassed towns in this region This area is worth staying a week or even two in order to see the towns by bus (I took one of them), villages and landscape.
I'm hoping to combine Gdansk, Warsaw in the future (only been to Krakow) possibly next year, so possibly advice for the future, but thanks greatly...
