Where would you go in Europe for two months of healing time ?

[Magnoliainbloom]

I’ve had the most horrific year with ex. Sadly, I’ll have to leave my home in a few weeks. I was hoping to buy a new place, but nothing seems to be working out for me. So much has happened and feel so overwhelmed and like I can’t cope anymore. Thinking of sticking my stuff in storage and leaving the UK to go somewhere peaceful for a couple of months to process everything.

Where would you go?

South of france... Provence. Not the expensive areas by the cost, but inland. Go June/July... scenery is stunning and the food in the markets is so fresh and seasonal and there is so much to explore xxx

I just saw you wrote you dream of owning a flat in Provence. Check out the town Apt! It's surrounded by beautiful hill too villages, is very rustic and isn't a complete tourist trap xxx

Italy. I'd eat and read and swim and rest!

In the Luberon region! Gorgeous. I spent time there last year and really loved it. Visited a few hilltop villages.

Collecting moving boxes from a guy on Gumtree tomorrow. Can’t stop crying at the enormity of what’s about to hit me - how does one just pack away a life with nowhere to go to? Feels like facing death except there has to be something to meet me at the other end - just don’t know what.

Camino - yes that’s also something I’ve thought about. I’m not a Christian, but walking a pilgrimage trail would be healing. I imagine there are a fair few broken people on that trail.

Azores - always resonated me whenever I went.

Lots of Scandi recommendations. I’ve spent a fair bit of time in Norway in a very rural and breathtakingly beautiful area. It doesn’t make me feel alive in a way that Southern European countries do.

Thank you to those who posted yoga and meditation retreat recommendations. Saw a couple based in Switzerland. Yoga has helped me to get though things. I’ll be sad to leave my studio, teachers, fellow students.

After all the amazing recommendations, I’m veering towards a month of travelling between countries, walking, cycling, retreats, and a month where I’m based in one place.

For anyone interested in watching a journey to healing, I highly recommend Ben Fogle’s documentary that he made with Rhona Mitra on Channel 5. She left her life in the US to live alone in Uruguay where she rescues horses.

Walk the camino

Amazing scenery, time to reflect and amaze yourself with the challenge that you have succeeded and the chance to meet some amazing people along the way

Greek Islands. People are lovely and relaxing pace of life.

@Magnoliainbloom and I was utterly broken and lost in life when I walked the camino but somehow the act of walking everyday was almost like a reset for the soul

Italy Austria Slovenia. Get the train, enjoy the scenery!
Happy healing. You will get there.

Italy. Coast perhaps.

The camino might be v v hot and busy over the next few months. But there are plenty of other walking options across europe in alps / coast / lakes / village environments of all sorts of durations and levels of difficulty. If you search self-guided walking tours, you can choose companies that will cart your stuff between hotels/pensions if you would prefer not to carry your life on your back, or fully guided group walks, or just the maps and info so you can make your own way.

For me, I'd go to northern Italy / southern Austrian Tirol, and walk in the Dolomites and eat at the mountain huts and swim in the lakes, and rest in the wellness spas and saunas. And then move south a bit more into Italy (not too much if it's not horrendously hot) and shop at the local markets and eat simple food, and drink good coffee and wine, and read things and write things and walk some more and have a swim in the sea.

Best of luck and much love to you OP from this internet stranger. Healing is hard, but it sounds like your instincts are strong and will take you where you need to go x

My sibling walked the Camino from the French border and enjoyed it. There are loads of other pilgrimage routes in Europe, incl. many to Rome, which may be worth exploring.

As a PP said, South Tirol. I did some solo traveling around Austria and northern Italy (the area around Bolzano). Really enjoyed it.

Skyros is a Greek island that has a holistic holiday retreat that may be of interest to you. It has been running 43 years. Check it out on www.skyros.com. I went once in 2003 and it was a very unique experience. Many activities or you can enjoy quiet or both. The eco huts are sweet. Yoga in a pine circle first thing in the morning with the teacher reading poetry and burning incense overlooking the sea was just magical. DM me if you wish to discuss.

It really is. We are here in the east right now. Somewhere really quiet and 'local'. Just beautiful!

Please keep us updated OP, I am so excited for you that you get to have this adventure! I think it will do you the world of good. If you ever need tips on small swiss villages, send me a PM!

I'm going to say Sicily. Start by taking the ferry from Milazzo over to the Aeolian Islands, stay in busy Lipari and chic Panarea then end on Stromboli for some series R&R - there is nothing to do there except swim, eat, walk/hike & watch the majesty of the constantly-erupting volcano and stargaze, there are no cars, not even any streetlights. The perfect place to find yourself!

Then head back to mainland Sicily taking in the cities of Palermo and Catania, tour Mount Etna (and sample some of the best red wine you will ever taste made from grapes grown in the volcanic slopes of Etna). Finish for a few weeks of more R&R in a hotel right on the beautiful beaches below Taormina - Mazzaro or Isola Bella.

Nope, still much the same. You can drive for some time and not see much in the way of traffic. I spent a couple of months there between jobs and found it very relaxing.

Personally, if I wanted to go somewhere to unwind, I would want a bit more human interaction. Especially if coming out of a difficult relationship. I would seek diffusion and dilution.

Someone upthread mentioned the Greek islands, Spetses and trips to Hydra and other islands. That is a great idea. Spetses would be a good base and it is a great little island for cycling round in half a day. Crete would be more go to place though, eastern end.

I too would go to Greece, something about being amongst ancient things helps me find some perspective. Sun, good food and a slow way of life are so restorative.

Mallorca

I would do a couple of back to back cruises.

I’d jump around personally because two months is a long time to stick to one place. Personally a huge fan of Eastern Europe. Went to Krakow for the second time last month and it’s just beautiful, Prague is amazing too.

Greek islands definitely. There’s something about them that’s just intensely relaxing - sun, beautiful clear sea to swim in, sea views and breeze and simple but good food.

Some islands are very busy in summer but plenty aren’t - especially the ones that are harder to access. You could look at this list https://greecetravelideas.com/quiet-greek-islands/. Even the busy islands are pretty quiet away from the coast.

It’s easy to hop between islands if they are on the same ferry route, there are various websites which will show you the routes.

However, it depends whether you want to be busy to distract you from thoughts … if so then you may be better with somewhere more active like the Alps or Dolomites.

Slovenia for me as well. Swimming in Lake Bled was the most serene I've ever been.

Austria, especially around Mondsee, Greece, Kalymnos or Samos, Montenegro, which is supposed to be a closely-guarded secret or the Black Forest in Germany, maybe near Freudenstadt so that you can hike, bike or visit places like Alsace or Lake Constance on day trips.
If you really need a complete reset, I would also recommend 3 weeks' Ayurveda in Sri Lanka. During the European summer it is the low season, so you could probably find something for around €5k including flights.

Depends if you are city or country. Northern Portugal is reasonable cost. Lisbon fab but very hot in summer.

Slovenia would be a bit more clement in summer especially by a quieter lake. Ive always wanted to go to Ljubljana and lake bled but busy there in summer. Slovenian coast is lovely and into Istria area of Croatia.

How about:
FYI to Ljubljana and spend a few days there
travel to Slovenian lakes and mountains and rent a place for 2 weeks,
journey down to Slovenian coast line and on to Rovinj stopping somewhere like porec and visiting coastal towns like novigrad and vrsar and porec. Rovinj is a lovely place to base yourself and can get to pula easily plus boat to Venice

Depending on how long you wanted to stay here you could get a boat to islands or travel further into Croatia towards split via krk national park or the pltivce (spelling?) Lakes.

You have long enough to get all the way down the dalmatian coast to dubrovnik

So you wanted to try the geographical cure. How did that work out for you? If you are still yet to go on this trip, don't go to Switzerland. You will absolutely bankrupt yourself. I lived and worked there for a while and believe me, UK wages will not even scratch the surface to afford to stay there for months.