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Big Europe Trip - advice / suggestions?
Hi girls-
Well, DH gave me the go-ahead on a 6-7 week trip through Europe this summer (he's planning to take a sabbatical from work), so this is the itinerary I've sketched out. I wanted to get advice and see if there was anything you absolutely thought I was missing. We've traveled to Europe several times before but all of these locations are new to us, so that's why we're planning this trip. If there are places you think we're missing (especially in Spain / Portugal), sights you'd recommend in any of the destinations (or restaurants, hotels, etc.) or any advice you have... I would appreciate it! TIA!
Itinerary:
Lisbon, Portugal - 4 days
Lagos, Portugal - 2 or 3 days
Seville, Spain - 4 days (including a one-day trip to Cordova)
Grenada, Spain - 2 days (see the Alhambra, that's about it)
Madrid, Spain - 3 days (maybe - I'm not sold on Madrid)
Barcelona, Spain - 5 days
Nice, France - 5 days (would love to know if you think Cannes is better than Nice... will include one-day trip to Monaco here)
Cinque Terre - 3 days
Lake Como, Italy - 2 days (just to relax at Hotel Grand Termezzo)
Venice, Italy - 3 days
Ljubljana, Slovenia - 4 days (use as base for exploring Slovenia)
Croatia - haven't yet figured out an exact itinerary but likely 10-12 days, knowing I want to visit Plitvice Lakes and Dubrovnik, along with trips to Bosnia and Montenegro
For transportation, we're going to go with whatever is most efficient since we're not really working with a tight budget, so our goal is to maximize our comfort and time not on planes, trains, or buses.
Any thoughts? If you've been to Croatia what's an itinerary you'd recommend? Any places you'd skip over? We might cut Madrid out as the city doesn't interest me so would love to hear what you think there.
We know that we won't be able to see everything in these locations - and I'm trying to make it so that some are city / action-packed, and some are just relax, drink wine, and lay by the pool / lake / ocean, etc. So thoughts and suggestions would be welcomed!
Re: Big Europe Trip - advice / suggestions?
In terms of Madrid, I spent two days in the city, including a half-day trip to El Escorial. With a third day, you could day trip to either Toledo or Segovia.
I think 2 days in Granada is sufficient; same amount of time I had.
I LOVED Sevilla and spent two days there. In addition to a day-trip to Cordoba, I would also recommend visiting some of the white hill towns of Andalucia. You would probably have to rent a car for this but maybe there are some organized bus tours from Sevilla.
I spent 2 weeks in Spain about 3 years ago with my ex-husband and I blogged about it here: http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Wanderlust-Travelers/Trips/2171
In terms of Nice, France, I think it is a great city to base yourself from on the Riviera. I stayed overnight in Antibes but in hindsight would have preferred Nice. You can check out my travel blog link below which has an entry on the French Riviera.
You will love Slovenia! It is such a beautiful and clean country and one of my favorite places in Europe. I have two entries on Slovenia in my old travel blog as well: http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Wanderlust-Travelers/Trips/49
I have never been to Croatia, but it's high up on my priority list. Aside from the places you mentioned, I have heard good things about Hvar, Korcula, and Split.
In general, I feel like you've got a great pace through Spain--relaxing so that you can get to know a place, allowing for day trips, etc.
I would consider adding in Basque Country in your Spain itinerary. It's different and very pretty. I've been to Spain many times and did research in Barcelona at one point, but still one of the highlights for me was renting a car and driving along the coastline (near Bermeo). It was absolutely breathtaking--the lush green hills, the bright blue water, and these amazing white houses...
Guernica is another wonderful place to visit. It's very tranquil and there is a surprising amount to see--a museum on the history of Basque Country, the seat of Vizcaya parliament (with an amazing, huge stained glass ceiling), the museum of peace, the market, a sculpture garden. It's shocking that this was the town where the Nazis practiced their technique for Blitzkrieg, especially once you are standing there, staring out over green hills, feeling like you are in the middle of nowhere. There is a trail marked by oak leaves (the oak tree is a sacred thing/the soul of Basque country), so you don't really need to plan a lot in advance. If you can see two things, do the Parliament (allow 1 hour) and the museum of peace (allow 2-3 hours).
I like Bilbao but I get that it's not everyone's cup of tea. For me personally, I love exploring the old city part and I like art. I appreciate that it's not as popular as some other places in Spain; fewer people!
San Sebastiaan is another popular place and you could get a few days by the beach. Most people love the city, but I wasn't really sold on it. The aquarium was truly fabulous but nothing else really captured my imagination. Others will feel differently I'm sure.
We also enjoyed Pamplona (in neighboring Navarre) for a few hours en route. We did a walk of the city centre, a look out from the city walls, a meal at the cafe where Hemmingway supposedly ate, and walked the route of running with the bulls in a half day. I could have stayed longer and enjoyed more of the fun smaller shops.
Are you planning to do any day trips from Barcelona?
To comment on your Portugal portion - I just got back from Lisbon and 4 days is perfect, there is definitely enough to do there. We were there for a full week but took a very slow pace and relaxed a lot. Within Lisbon, I'd at least do one full day in the Belem suburb, it's a quick 10 minute train ride. We initially scheduled an afternoon in Belem and ended up going back the next day because we didn't get to everything in that area (incredible monastery, Tower of Belem, a handful of interesting museums - especially the National Coach Museum, and it's easy to be waylaid by a long lunch at a cafe followed by the famous pastries). I'd also do a day trip (plan for a long day) to Sintra - take a train from Lisbon to Sintra and from the Sintra train station buy a bus pass to a handful of the main sites - the Moorish castle, several palaces). I'd skip Cabo do Roca and the Oceanarium if you don't have the time. I highly recommend looking into the Lisboa Card - it's a great deal if you plan on using public transportation and visiting a number of the main attractions. I'd do something like this:
Day 1 - take the 28 tram (sort of the "tourist line") to the Castelo do Sao Jorge, the Se (cathedral), and explore the Alfama district. Definitely check out Chiado and Baixa at night - the streets are lined with restaurants and wine bars.
Day 2 - take the train from Cais do Sodre to Belem and spend the entire day there. Torre de Belem, Monasteiro de Jeronimos, National Coach Museum, pastries at Pasteis de Belem (can't miss it), traditional lunch somewhere.
Day 3 - take the train from Rossio station to Sintra. The area is very easy to get around - right at the train station you can buy a rountrip bus ticket to the nearby castle and palaces. We didn't find any good cafes there because it's more on the touristy side so maybe pack snacks and plan on dinner back in Lisbon.
Day 4 - choose from some of the smaller attractions in Lisbon. I really liked the azulejo (tile) museum - amazing tile exhibits within an old Carmelite convent. I also liked the Carmo convent - open-air museum in the ruins of a gothic cathedral with an interesting history. The Oceanarium is a hike and while fun is not a must-see in my opinion unless you're really into aquariums.
I'm going to post a trip review but this is pretty much it! My husband and I both loved Lisbon. We didn't go to Lagos as it's too cold this time of year but it looks beautiful as well. Have fun, your trip sounds incredible!
In Croatia I would also recommend visiting Rovinj on the Istrian peninsula. It is a lovely coastal town where the Venetian influence is evident everywhere you turn. We much preferred it to Venice as it it less touristy and much less expensive as well.
Brela is a wonderful beach destination where you can easily stop on your way to or from Dubrovnik.We found it to be breathtaking with the mountains right by the pebble beach. Also, in nearby Makarska you can easily take a boat tour of the islands like Hvar and Brac which should not be missed! You can simply walk along the water and find a tour easy enough. I believe when we were there it was only 20 USD for an all day tour with lunch which is a total steal!
If you will have a car you may want to consider a stop in Slovenia to stay at the Castle Otocec near Novo Mesto. It is a 13th century castle that has been turned into a 5 star hotel. It was our favorite hotel of our trip by far! The castle and setting are just beautiful, the service was outstanding the the restaurant is superb. I really can't say enough good things about it!
01.03.09 {MARRIED BIO}
Make a pregnancy ticker
Thank you so much, all of you, for your great feedback and insight! I'm going to read it all over tonight, make some tweaks to our itinerary as some of you suggested, and then come back for more input later (and of course will welcome continual feedback on this thread as well).
You're all the best for sharing your advice!
I think that sounds awesome!
And along with Llublijana I've heard great things about Pula.
In Spain, I would use the high speed trains (AVE) to get to the different cities. What month are you coming to Spain? In the summer it will be crazy hot, especially in Seville so you might take that into consideration.
I live in Madrid and I think it is a great city especially if you want to do some day trips to El Escorial, Toledo, Segovia, and Avila.
I really dont like Seville but I think it is matter of personal opinion.
Me too! We went to Bled/Ljubljana/Trieste/Zagreb/Plitvice in April and it was fantastic. Croatia takes a long, long time to get around so I'd plan on stopping a few times along the way and see if you can fly somewhere from the other end to save some time. If you go from Ljubljana over to Croatia then travel along the coast to Dubrovnik, there are tons of places you can fly to from there. Where are you flying into and out of?
Typically I've heard on message boards that for an extended trip, try not to stay anywhere less than 3 days since packing/unpacking gets pretty tedious (definitely get some packing cubes if you don't already have them, they make everything so much easier!). We regularly don't do this and usually regret it. 2 nights somewhere is really only 1 full day and pretty much anywhere deserves more than that.
Sounds like a seriously fantastic trip!
BFP Apr 2012, EDD Dec 19 2012 * twin h/b at 6wk, 9wk scan * Baby A lost at 12wks, Baby B was my rainbow born at 36wks
Oh - and Granada is a seriously lovely city. We went for two nights a few years ago as part of a Spain trip and it was our favourite place. The cathedral is awe-inspiring and the little twisty streets are really fun to walk around, there's definitely more to it than the Alhambra. I thought Madrid was really lovely but if you're looking to save some time, it might be nice to rent an apartment in Barcelona for a week and just relax on the beach and explore that part of the coast. Barcelona has been on my list for ages now, I've heard only fantastic things about it.
And I wholeheartedly agree about Sintra, it's amazing. We were just in Portugal in May and did 5 nights relaxing by the SW coast and 2 nights in Lisbon and we definitely could have spent much longer in Lisbon, it's a fantastic city. It is definitely worth getting out of the city and exploring the coast a bit, my Portuguese friend had us go practically to the most SW part, it's apparently much less touristy then the rest of Portugal and we had several opportunities to have an entire beach to ourselves, it was just gorgeous.
BFP Apr 2012, EDD Dec 19 2012 * twin h/b at 6wk, 9wk scan * Baby A lost at 12wks, Baby B was my rainbow born at 36wks
I think your trip sounds amazing. Granada is a lovely city. I honestly wished I had spent more time there than two days. Make sure you book your tickets to Alhambra in advance it sells out quickly. You can purchase them online. I would also suggest going early and avoiding the tourist bus crowd.
Madrid wasn't my favorite city. I loved their museums and the palace. I would look into taking a day trip to see Toledo. The old city is amazing and the cathedral is one of the most jaw dropping I've ever been in.