I want to backpack across Europe. I don’t want to go to the typical places though. I want to go to beautiful places with lots of history. My ancestors are from Ireland, so naturally I’ll go there. I do want to go to Rome and Florence and some of the places that everyone goes, so if anyone has anything to say about which big cities to go to, please do so. I would like to find some quaint little places too though. Maybe go off the beaten path a little. Thanks.
PS- Any planning tips for a trip like this are welcome, as well.
In Germany, go to Tübingen instead of Heidelberg. It’s the same beautiful university town with a castle sans tourist mobs.
Or come here to Leipzig – not as romantic, but with lots of history (trade center, music, philosophy, East German revolution) and especially interesting if you like Bach’s music.
I second TheThill’s recommendation of Tuebingen over Heidelberg.
Indeed, former East Germany’s south side is beautiful. The hiking in Thuringia and Saxony is wonderful. I recommend Jena (a really cool student town with a rich and ancient history) and Weimar, for history. Leipzig is a lot of fun too.
All of this is not too far from Berlin or Prague, if you are looking for a connection to a big city.
The whole of Europe (cities anyway) will be filled with tourists…but
Must see cities not on MAJOR tourist routes (ie not Paris, London, Barcelona, Berlin, Amsterdam, Florence etc…) include:
** Prague, ** Czech Rep. - Beautiful , historic, amazing local beers. (Okay, its on the tourist trail too. Maybe try Kutna Hora)
** Dubrovnik, **, Croatia - same.
** Copenhagen , ** (or anywhere in Scandinavia really).
Probably best just to spend a lot of your time in Ireland or England, really exploring all the nice bits, or relaxing in the South of France, cycling and sampling wines. If you rush all across Europe (I know, I’ve done it) you’ll end up having been everywhere yet having seen nothing. Best to take it easy, really see and enjoy a few places than struggle through many places.
In fact, there are just too many places to recommend. You could spend a year in Italy and still only scratch the surface of places worth seeing.
Are you travelling by train or car? Makes a massive difference to routes & experiences…
The Rough Guide company (a publisher of travel guidebooks) has a book called “First Time Europe.” Its a planning guide with excellent advice. You can find it at your local large bookstore and probably your library as well. I’ve recommended it on several similar threads, and continue to do so.
And I second your recommendations of hiking in Thuringia and Saxony! Also for folk music fans, the incredible Rudolstadt Tanz- und Folkfest begins every first Friday in July (yes this coming weekend, I hope to be there.)
Jena has also come a long way since I was first there (I lived there for several years) now complete with a real student pub scene (there only used to be one or two good ones).
For untouristed, I HIGHLY recommend Slovenia. Imagine Switzerland, except without the exorbitant prices. Mountains, beaches (which you won’t find in Switz. anyways), culture, amazing caves, etc, etc. It’s not as cheap as, say, Hungary or even Prague, but it’s also not overrun with tourists like those places are. Two thumbs up.
TheThill: I spent a year teaching in a small Thuringian town called Ilmenau. I got to know a lot of people in the area, including friends in Saxony (Leipzig). tsarina: Too bad you found Jena boring. I must have had the advantage of knowing some locals to help me infiltrate the student night life. I guess it’s kind of a random city to mention.
gitfiddle: I agree with all of the above posters in warning you not to spread yourself too thin. On the other hand, I can’t resist mentioning other favorite locations. Slovakia has many hidden gems, including the capital Bratislava (close to Vienna, Austria). Slovenia is a gorgeous country, with some great rustic locations for hiking/camping (aside from the pretty, albeit financial city of Llubllana - the capital).
You may want to check out this site for more information about off-the-beaten-path places to see in Europe. Try doing a search in the Favorite Places forum and see what you can find. Personally, I’d recommend parts of the Italian Riviera (Cinque Terre, specifically, but it’s getting more touristy every year) and Krakov for history and culture and interesting stuff.
Did you teach at the technical u. or at a smaller school? I know the area well since my wife is from around there (even though I don’t know Ilmenau itself that well).
Sorry about the hijack- - back to topic:
I can see why Jena can be seen to be boring at first glance. But it makes for a nice side trip if you’re on your way to Weimar. And while in Thuringia, don’t forget Wartburg Castle near Eisenach where Luther did much of his work.
I better stop before I start to sound like the Thuringian Tourism Board, but you asked for “off the beaten track”…
Oh yes, Slovakia does have some nice out-of-the-way areas, especially if you’re interested in hiking more or less alone through the woods. Slovensky Raj (Slovakian Paradise) is a beautiful area, just take the train to Spisska Nova Ves and a bus up into the mountain villages (we were in Dedinky). Just don’t expect anyone to speak English there!
I usually chime in on these threads to recommend Slovakia, but I see that not just one, but two other posters have beat me to it! Nadherne!
Bratislava is a bit off-putting at first, but the old city is quaint and fun, and there are some real gems if you do some research before hand.
The Tatras are wonderful hiking, and incredible scenery. Don’t overlook the Mala Karpatska, there are some fun places in there. The Vah river valley, which pretty much bisects the country north and south is lovely, and you can go from (say) Krakow to Budapest that way, or vice versa. Most younger people will speak at least some English, and everyone will be warm and hospitable.
But one word of warning, unfortunately: you might have a hard time getting through the Tatras by train to Krakow. That was the worst part of our trip – we actually got up at 3:30 a.m. to make sure everything would go right, and the Slovakian Rail in Poprad (no English, German, French and very little Russian) literally didn’t let us get to our train on time, refusing to sell us tickets for the route for some obscure reason and trying to ignore us until the train actually had left.