Interesting and different places to visit in Europe

[Ozgirl75]

So, my family is coming back to the U.K. for a year, and one of the main things we want to do is travel and explore Europe.
We've already pulled together some places that we want to go, but I’d love to get some different ideas of interesting places that I might not necessarily have thought of. So, eg, I’d like to go to Barcelona but are there other places in Spain that are also lovely but less well visited?
Not necessary off the beaten track but more just, different places. And also, your must sees?

We drove there.

Thanks so much, these are amazing suggestions!
What is the new travel document that you refer to @katscamel ?

@Riverlee we’ll be living in Sussex so will probably fly - the kids can’t believe how short all the flights are and that we could literally drive through four countries in the space of time that it would take to drive the length of our state 😁

@Ozgirl75 it's the ETIAS.... dont think it comes in till late in the year but everyone (I think) travelling has to have one. I'm pretty sure it's just one for the whole trip and not for each country but obviously check it out.

Take a look at the Gatwick departures list and see what grabs you - that’s what we do.

Gorges de Verdun in Provence, the scenery is superb.
Thé Millau viaduct.

Slovenia definitely. You have Ljubljana, mountains, lakes, and a small coastline. It’s the one country that really blew me away. Hire a car and travel around. It’s a really small country so easy to see and do an awful lot in a short space of time.

Before cheapy airlines were a thing and before the Millau viaduct was built, we drove to northern Spain on holiday (the twisty mountain roads that the Millau now shortcuts were great, but slightly terrifying driving).

It seems a ridiculous thing to do now you can get there in a couple of hours, rather than a couple of days, but part of me would love to do it again, perhaps one way driving through France and over the Millau viaduct, then back past/over the Pyrnnees, spending time in Bilbauo, San Sebastian and that part of the French/Spanish border on the way, before coming back on the Bay of Biscay ferry.

Porto
Wrocław
Tallinn
Bergen
Strasbourg

Tallinn
Granada
Naples as there are so many amazing day trips you can do from there
Kotor, one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to.

@newtb i love the Gorges du Verdon, I went there with my parents when I was a child when we would go to France. Even I remember how beautiful it was and I must have only been 12 or so.

I think the ETIAS doesn’t come in until later this year, but I’ll keep my eye on it. Thank you!

Spain is lovely, rent a car and drive around a few places, plus Porto

Northern Greece -Thessaloniki, the amazing sites nearby where Alexander the Great lived, the burial site of his father in Vergina with more gold than you can imagine, followed by trip to the mountain churches of Meteora.

@BarbaraofSeville

I'm doing exactly this in May, on a motorcycle!

Lots of votes for Slovenia and that wasn’t on my list at all, so thank you for that recommendation.

My parents went on their honeymoon 50 years ago to the Isle of Man - they were even in the local paper as they went off on their motorbike 😁. It’s always held a soft spot for them too as they were bikers in the 60s and said that in most places people looked at them like they would cause trouble but in the Isle of Man everyone was welcoming of them!

We loved Riga in Latvia. Look up The Black Cat House. I aspire to that level of petty.

Vienna is beautiful.

Reykjavik was fantastic. Amazing vibe and the friendliest people.

www.holland.com/global/tourism/destinations/the-hague.htm

The Hague, Netherlands. Great food, safe, lots of history and culture etc

@RhubarbFairy our first trip is to Iceland! DH is keen to try to see the northern lights and I want to see the scenery and the kids want to see a volcano and stay in a cabin so we figured we’d head there in Feb.

Berlin
Vienna
Salzburg
Budapest
Bern
Venice
Rome
Lisbon
Stockholm
Valletta
Paris
Lyon
Ljubljana
Bath
Oxford
Edinburgh
London

Lake District
Alps
Dolomites
Greek islands
Provence
Tuscany

Have fun!

Hop on a short flight to Ireland. Head for Cork, such a different vibe from Dublin, lots of independent restaurants and shops, loads of things to see and do in a small city. Great craic for the weekend!
If you wanted to spend longer you could hire a car and take in some of the Wild Atlantic Way, a signposted route that can take you all the way from Cork around the coastline up the West coast if you so wished.

The Bodensee (Lake Constance) which borders Germany, Switzerland & Austria. Gorgeous in summer, with loads of thermal pools, and great for kids. Base yourself in the city of Konstanz, in Germany, to keep the costs down (Switzerland is expensive!).
Nearest airport is Zurich, but you can also fly to Friedrichshafen or Basel.
Don't need a car, as trains are great, plus your accommodation costs will include unlimited travel on the excellent bus service.
It's an area not well known to Brits, but everyone who does visit loves it.

La Rochelle in France
Malaga in Spain
Naples in Italy

My 3 favourite European cities.

@Hbh17 that sounds lovely!

@Ozgirl75 How long are you planning to spend in Europe?

If the non-EU rule applies to any/all of you, remember that you can only spend 90 days in every 180 in Europe, so you’ll have to space out trips or plan really carefully.

This sounds amazing. I’ve heard brilliant things about Slovenia & Slovakia. Switzerland is beautiful. Portugal, but go wider than just the main cities. Andalusia is gorgeous, although Seville is more tourist-y every time I go… I love it there, but it’s unrecognisable compared to ten years ago.