I am flying into Zurich because the fare was so very inexpensive. I'll be on the ground in Europe from September 6-13--leaving early the 14th. I don't plan to stay in Switzerland, however.
It's a short stay and I want it to be something I know I'll enjoy. I went to Greece last summer and could not get enough time on the beaches to satisfy me, but I didn't want to do the same place again this year, when there are so many other places to go, so my thought was to aim for a place with plenty of sun and water for at least a portion of this trip, while also seeing as much of Europe as possible. I'm just at a bit of a loss as to whether I should keep my itinerary confined to one country or if I should try to make use of my proximity to France and Germany, as well. It would be a fast pace, so I'm not sure as a solo traveller that I really want to stress myself too much, but I do want to make it a worthwhile time and see as much as I can in as efficient a way as I can.
I'm open to Italy, but it seems that Spain's beaches would still be quite warm in September, more so than most. I really want to swim! I don't need to spend the entire time in the water, however, so even just 2 days of the beach would be sufficient for me, or maybe 2-4 days with the time divided between different beaches, if anyone has a suggestion on that front.
I'd love to know how you would spend your time amongst these regions of Europe, if anyone has any advice at all!
Thanks so much!
Posted by
Barcelona (Catalonia)
2939 posts
Firstly... as you know, "Europe" is not a thing, it's nearly 50 different countries with over 70 different nationalities, cultures, customs and habits; and in each one you could spend a month and wouldn't get to see and to experience everything these cultures have to offer thus it makes little sense to want to visit too many different places in such a short span of time. Moreover, you'd be wasting a lot of time travelling.Secondly: Switzerland is not in the EU, not in the Schengen Area, so since you're flying there, do make sure your VISA allows for entering these other countries. I'm sure you've already taken that into account... just a reminder! :))
Then, as per beaches, the whole Mediterranean is quite warm until way into October so, in reality, you'd find warm waters in Italy, Croatia, Greece, Spain, South of France...
But I would recommend my homeland, Catalonia, more specifically the area of Costa Brava -north of Barcelona- where you'd find plenty of picturesque small coastal towns with a myriad of activities and places to visit. While in some of them, the high of their season is July/August, there are still plenty of things going on in September. Aside from the cute coves along the wild coast, there are also water-based (and air-based) activities you might enjoy, from scuba diving in a nature reserve at Illes Medes in l'Escala or in Palamós, to skydiving in Empuriabrava, hiking one of the old camins de ronda, snorkel in a via brava (waterway) along the coast, etc.
Or simply lay in one of the many beaches, or if you prefer off-the-path ones...
There are also plenty of options if you like museums, art, history, gastronomy....
Costa Brava website: http://en.costabrava.org/