BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture European Travel Favourite European Destinations?

Some of my faves include:

* Southern England - Hampshire and Dorset (I grew up here, so I am biased!)

* Northern France - Brittany and Normandy

* Central Italy - Umbria and Tuscany

Try the Polish lake district Mazury.
Krak�w in the South of Poland, combined
with Zakopane in the mountains South-of it.
Southern-Bohemia in Chech republic
(the lovely city Ceksy-Krumlov)
Vienna and Budapest ( a combination
of Austria and Hungary).

Scandinavia;
The Danish island Sjaelland with Copenhagen
and Roskilde (Louisiana Museum of Modern art)
on it. From Copenhagen you take the boat to
Malm� Sweden, and enjoy Sweden and Norway
in a Scandinavian Roadmovie.

I aggree with you about Umbria and Tuscany,
it is the most lovely cultivated landscape in the
world, a perfect harmony between nature and
human intervention.
Iwent to times to Italy, in 1994 (Piza, Livorno,
Florance, Rome and Venice), doing that at
night and in the early mornings to avoid the
Tourist masses. And Umbria in 2000, between
Arezzo and Perugia, in a Castle with swimingpool
and tennis court and park (Cita di Castello).
That was the best vacation of my life. Paradise!

Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg),
from the Mountains in Luxembourg, and French
speaking part of Belgium (The Ardens), to
the Flemish cities Antwerp, Brugge, Gent,
and the Duch cities Amsterdam, Gauda, Delft,
and the Frisian province in the North (go
sailing overthere).

By the way, I live in Holland, Arnhem,
so are European myself.

Pieter:

You make some wonderful recommendations! Thank you so much.

Krak�w (Poland): I agree. Lovely.

Cesky Krumlov (Czech Republic): Have not visited, but have heard from many sources that it is gorgeous! It is certainly on my �must see soon� list.

Vienna (Austria), Budapest (Hungary) and Prague (Czech Republic): Fabulous. Some of my fave cities in Europe - especially during the holiday season.

Denmark, Sweden and Norway: Always a good choice. You just cannot go wrong up there, so long as you bring a heavy wallet. Scandinavians really are a rare breed of people - I love them.

Italy: You give excellent advice about the day-time hours in the day-tripper cities of Tuscany and Umbria. Definitely worth spending the night to experience the early morning or later evening hours without the touristy crowds. A completely different experience! I�d love to hear more about the trip of a lifetime in Umbria.

Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg: Your home! I am always looking for ideas for articles -- I�d love to get your thoughts for an article on your area. What do you suggest?

By the way, when should one refer to your country as Holland and when is it The Netherlands? In England, we regularly refer to "Holland" yet here in America "The Netherlands" is more common. Maybe it is because of the football team - I am not sure. Can you enlighten me please?

My favorite places?

Denmark, in particular K�benhavn and Roskilde, are at the top of my list.

Then comes England - London and the Yorkshire areas in particular.

Next is France - Avignon, Provence, Nice

Oh yes! More excellent choices. I wish more visitors to England would venture north.

Thanks Barrett!

I think to venture north in England, you need to REALLY like cold weather. I have been in Richmond in late June/early August and the mornings have been quite nippy. But Yorksshire was so full of neat castles and gorgeous rolling hills!

I know people who live in Halifax, and it is truly a nice area. I recall there was a public area we went to where there was a HUGE checker board laid out on the ground and people were playing. There were also tents nearby for a market they were having.

Has England done well in recovering from the mad cow scare? I recall seeing huge truckloads of slaughtered sheep when it was at its worst.

Are there many tourists in Europe during the winter?

Outside of London, what is the highest English tourist destination?


Pardon all the questions!

I was just reading an article about Eastern Europe's opening and how the Mazury Lake District is BEAUTIFUL. I am writing down your suggestions!

It looks like it!

August 6, 2004 Press Release, VisitBritain.com

VisitBritain today welcomed latest tourism figures showing that 12.5 million visitors travelled to the UK in the first half of this year � a rise of 13 per cent on last year and the �best-ever� January to June period.

During the three-month period from April to June 2004, strong year-on-year growth has been recorded from the traditional markets of North America (up 20 per cent) and Western Europe (up 11 per cent). However, the most significant increase has been driven by visitors from Eastern European and long haul destinations in the Rest of World region (rising 29 per cent).

Kenny Boyle, VisitBritain�s Director of International Marketing, said:

�Despite greater competition from new destinations, changes in global travel trends and the challenges of the past few years, visitors continue to be drawn by Britain�s unique appeal.�

Visitor spending for the year-to-date saw a rise of nine per cent, although VisitBritain pointed out that � at five per cent down on 2000 � spending for the year-to-date has yet to return to levels prior to the foot and mouth outbreaks and September 11.

Kenny Boyle added:

�Anecdotal evidence from our partners in the industry suggests that much of the increased growth in this month�s figures is coming from new and emerging markets � such as China and Russia � rather than from the traditionally high-spending North Americans...�

VisitBritain.com provides the following list, in order, from the Office for National Statistics.

Top Towns 2003, Overseas Visitors to the UK

London
Edinburgh
Manchester
Birmingham
Glasgow
Oxford
Cambridge
Bristol
Brighton/Hove
Liverpool
Cardiff
York
Nottingham
Bath
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Coventry
Leeds
Inverness
Chester
Leicester

They also provide year-by-year comparison statistics on individual tourist attractions - museums, parks, historic sites, etc. Interesting stuff.

There are usually far fewer tourists in Europe during the low season, unless you accidentally stumble into a big festival or sporting event.

There are pros and cons to winter travel.

Pros. BIG! The lack of crowds and the cost reductions. Hotel rates and plane tickets are generally cheaper and more available (but watch out for holidays!).

Cons. Weather in southern Europe is nearly always pleasant, but in other areas... brrr. You will be packing thick clothes instead of cotton T-shirts. Also daylight hours are reduced. This is most dramatic to the north. Many tourist attractions have reduced open hours and some close for the winter. Check before you leave.

If you are heading to Ibiza or Ios then the crowds are part of the attraction! The summer is certainly the best time to experience the craziness of it all.

My vote is for off season travel. Spring and autumn (shoulder season) are great. Pass on July-August travel to avoid the crowds!

What do you think?
Summer in Europe or off season travel?