Hello,
My husband, son (8) and I are trying to decide on a two week trip starting from Zurich on July 22.
I post in Italy section too, as we are trying to decide best place to go during this high season time frame.
Looking for advice on where might be good to go with less over crowding etc.
We'll have the time to fit some of the regular tourist hot spots along the way...but looking for some inside info or at least advise on places more off the beaten track.
We are 45 and 50, architect and teacher, into food, art, design, new and old architecture, beaches, wine and wineries...maybe a boat?
Any and all advice is appreciated.
Best,
Mark
Posted by
Washington DC
27122 posts
As in Italy (actually, Andalucia is worse), the weather in mid-summer makes planning a trip to Spain a challenge. The northern coast from the Basque Country to Galicia is usually far cooler than the rest of Spain in mid-summer. Galicia seems to have some microclimates where you can run into weather more typically Spanish (including around A Coruna and Pontevedra), but Santiago de Compostela is pretty notorious for lack of sunshine; it has a large historic district. Both Bilbao (larger) and San Sebastian also have medieval districts, and the Basque Country probably has some modern architecture that would interest you; the La Rioja wine region is just to the SE. San Sebastian is popular with foodies.
The Pyrenees are a possibility, but I've only seen a bit on the French side of the border.
If you're willing to roll the dice, weather-wise, Barcelona is fabulous, and Catalunya has nice beaches. But it can certainly settle into the 80s
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4574 posts
A cruise could be gained at last minute prices, but given this is summer, a lot of places we may suggest will be at peak turist season. Also, as this is 'Spain' you could be contending with temps over 110F in Andalusia. Of course Italy can also be hot, hot, hot with both cou tries less focused on deep freeze air conditioning than USA.
Now, northern areas of either country may be less touristy and cooler but check weather history for some cities. I like Wunderground. Choose a cily, then month. Fro there, choose month and the last three years for the actual daily temps.
The Italian Alps will be accessible fro Zurich. In fact there are some interesting trains to consider that arrive just over the Italian border. You could consider the Bernina Express from Zurich for panoramic views, to Tirano Italy then on to Milan if you want.