When you are away for a few days the last thing you want to do is waste time. If travel days aren’t counted, you probably have 2-3 days on a weekend break and 6-7 days on a week holiday to explore your destination. If you have to queue for attractions and museums if can seriously eat into the time you have to enjoy yourself, especially if you then have to traipse around town looking for a restaurant with a free table.
So, while Rome, Venice, Paris, London and Venice are all amazing places well worth visiting in your lifetime, just make sure its not during the peak high season when they will be packed with tourists and prices will be sky-high. Save them for quieter times of year. Research the thousands of other historic cities and towns that cover Europe and visit them during the peak months. Beat the queues, get a real, authentic experience of them as they go about their everyday life not overwhelmed by tourists and simply in business to cater for them and their needs.
So where to go? Here are 3 of our favourites.
Verona, Italy
Now we admit that Verona is hardly unknown. Situated in North Italy in the same province as Venice its fame stems from its Roman Amphitheatre and as the setting for Shakespeare’s masterpiece “Romeo and Juliet”. Happily, many of Verona’s visitors do it as a day trip, leaving it quieter after the coaches have left. There is a wealth of Roman remains to explore, so much so that it is known locally as the Little Rome. You can of course see the small balcony of the house said to belong to Juliet’s family, and nearby see her tomb, the final resting place of this star-crossed lover.
Away from these main attractions, Verona is just a wonderful place to get a real feel for Italian life. The oldest square is the Piazza delle Erbe, the old Roman forum and now the perfect place to sit in a café and enjoy a glass of chilled wine or an al fresco meal.
Once refreshed you can explore the Castelvecchio or the 12th century Duomo. Churches, Palazzo, Piazza abound, as do cafes and restaurants making it a wonderful destination.
Avignon, France
Everyone knows it. Go on, sing it now: “Sur la Pont, D’Avignon…” The bridge that now goes nowhere is a symbol of this small, historic town. Not many places can boast to have been the home to Popes, but the impressive Popes Palace is a physical manifestation of the power and riches this brought to the town. It’s the biggest Gothic palace in the World and a listed UNESCO World Heritage site.
Situated in the southern French province of Provence, the scenery is as beautiful as you would expect. A walk in the Doms Garden is a wonderful way to experience this, with views over the lake, the Rhone valley all the way to the iconic Mont Ventoux. It makes the perfect place to explore the region, taking in the scenery and fantastic gastronomic opportunities, all washed down by the light wines of the region.
Porto, Portugal
Situated on the Douro River, Porto is the gateway to the Port producing areas inland. Its wealth stems from this industry and this can be seen in the merchant houses that still occupy the old town and the richly ornamented churches and public buildings that appear everywhere. Its easy to explore (you might need to stop occasionally for light refreshment as Porto is hilly and steep in places.) The old town is designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
So, this year thing outside the box, go somewhere your friends have never been to and discover that you will never run out of amazing, interesting places to visit.
