I’m leaving for a trip this summer to last six weeks. It’ll last from June 15-August 1, and I’ll be visitng the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Spain. I’ll be in the Netherlands (Amsterdam, primarily) the first week, spending two weeks in Germany, two in Spain, and one week in France. When doesn’t really matter, but I’d like to do them in some sort of order. In Germany, I will be spending some time in Berlin, Cologn, and Munich. I heard there is some huge concert in Köln sometime in July–anyone know about that?
I would like to do the running of the bulls in Spain, if possible. Comments on this plan?
Really, folks, let me hear your experiences of what you really liked. I want to visit a beach town in Spain that isn’t completely overrun with tourists. I don’t know a single place in France that I’m really dying to see, but my girlfriend wants to go, so there I’ll be.
I’m not quite as interested in churches and museums as I am in just meeting locals, trying the food, and maybe doing some fun activites, like going to concerts or doing some hiking.
The running of the bulls in Pamplona will definitely have the overrun-with-tourists atmosphere you hope to avoid. But if you do want to go, plan ahead. Some advice here
This link can help with what’s going on (concerts and such) What’s On When
France might surprise you, if you open yourself up to it. There are certainly some quiet beach towns there, with friendly locals, you just have to know where to look.
For France, I’d suggest the Midi-Pyrénées since you will be going to Spain. You should be able to get some good hiking there. I’ve been to the little town of Cauterets, and while it’s mostly a ski town, I was there in October and it was nice. I’d imagine it’s good in the summer too. Another nice area in the summer is the Gorges du Tarn area. We did some hiking there, and saw plenty of people rafting and a few rock climbers.
Wow, that “what’s on when” website is amazing. I could spend hours there planning things to do. That just might take care of a good 80% of my trip.
Ill look into that area you were talking about, Dag Otto. Any good beach towns in France that aren’t going to be completely booked up? I don’t really mind having lots of tourists where I go, but the problem with that is the the food often caters to the (BLANDBLANDBLAND) american pallette, and I like weird stuff.
Just about any small French town will have a small hotel or a bed and breakfast, and in the more remote regions there should be problems with everything being booked up. Of course every region of France has its own unique cuisine, and also its own wines if you’re into that sort of thing. There are numerous books and websites that can help you decide where to go. I will say that if you’re a seafood fan, you have to visit Provence and the Mediterranean coast. My favorite town in that region is Villefranche-sur-la-Mar, just east of Nice near the Italian border.
I’m not sure about the beaches. I think they will all be pretty much jammed with tourists in the summer. I can recommend Collioure as a nice place for a day or two, and also Cassis (though these places are very far apart).
As for the food, don’t expect anyone to cater to the ‘bland’ American tastes. Most tourists are European. Sure, there is enough crappy tourist food, but it’s easy enough to find better places to eat.
Any idea on how you will be traveling? Train, bus, renting a car? That might decide where you go. One city I really like, simply because it’s not really ‘touristy’ is Marseille. If your travel plans take you there, it’s worth a couple of days.
It’s a really beautiful mountain town in the Alps, famous for fondue, the first Winter Olympics, nearby Mont Blanc (the highest peak in Western Europe), and of course lots of snow-related activities. It’s a popular town with hikers and mountaineers, and running through it is a glacial-fed river that keeps things cool even in the heat of summer (my family went there in August, and it was about the only place where we didn’t swelter).
Not too far over the Italian border through the Mont-Blanc tunnel is the Cinque-Terre coastal region, Itay’s answer to the French Riviera except a bit more quaint than the jam-packed Cannes-Monaco area. Beautiful scenery abounds there. There’s also the Piedmont region around towns like Asti, in case you feel like touring a vineyard.
I’ve heard that the Running of the Bulls is a nightmare. Might be fun though if you have a hankering for debauchery. For Spain, IMHO, the must see cities are Barcelona and Granada. Barcelona is the home of my favorite architect, Antoni Gaudi, the Dali of architecture. Make sure you see the Sagrada Familia. Also, the Spanish Riviera is way better than the French Riviera.
Granada is home to the greatest example of Moorish architecture, the Alhambra. You’ve got to see it to believe it.
Don’t dismiss the churches without at least knowing what you’re missing. At some of them, you can pay a couple euros and climb the bell tower. The tower of the Ulmer Muenster (the protestant cathedral in Ulm, Germany; a catholic cathedral is a “dom”) is almost as tall as the Washington Monument. If you’ve got the heart and the stomach for it, you can climb to a small balcony about 450 feet up. On a nice day, the view would be fantastic.
And I liked the stonework, the stained glass, and the woodcarvings, too.
BladeNight in Munich is very cool. Thousands of inline skaters, through the streets of Munich every Monday(?) night in summer. There are bands playing, food stalls, and the routes take you past plenty of biergartens too.
Mont St.-Michel will be on my list when I go next year. Your timetable probably doesn’t permit but the 24 Hours of Le Mans is running on the 16th and 17th of June (central France).
I’ve spent the last 4 months in Granada, studying abroad, and I love it. It’s an amazing place, and I’m so not ready to go home. I definitely recommend a visit (and, you also have to see the Alhambra- it’s an amazing Moorish palace).
Let’s see. The things I absolutely loved in Spain include (but are not limited to):
Palacio Real and Prado, Madrid
Cathedral and old town, Santiago de Compostela
Roman ruins and Roman antiquities museum, Mérida
Aqueduct and castle, Segovia
Mezquita and synagogue, Córdoba
Cathedral and Alcázares, Seville
Alhambra, Capilla Real, and Albaicín, Granada
Sagrada Família, Rambla, Palau Nacional, Palau de la Música Catalana, Santa Maria del Mar, La Seu, Barcelona
Roman ruins and museum, Tarragona
Nuestra Señora del Pilar, Plaza del Pilar, Roman ruins, Zaragoza
Gernika (the town)
I’ve got to ditto Barcelona–not only some amazing architecture, but some beautiful parks, fantastic food, a lovely waterfront, and a very relaxing atmosphere. When I lived in the UK (getting my MA), I decided to travel to wherever I could get the cheapest flight out of London for Spring Break. Not knowing a thing about the city, I flew to Barcelona for a week and had an absolute blast.
Another emerging Spanish city is Valencia. After Madrid and Barcelona it’s the third largest city in the country. This year it’s hosting the Americas Cup and so millions have been spent on upgrading the infrastructure. The residents are hoping this will have the same effect as when the Olympics were staged in Barcelona.
As to the town itself, it has full of must-see buildings and monuments, has an ultra-modern cultural centre and is the home of Paella. We are visiting the city in September.
