7 Europe Travel Ideas You Haven’t Thought Of

AFAR

Whether you’ve never traveled to Europe before or you’ve been there a dozen times, chances are you don’t have these seven European travel ideas on your radar yet—from underrated and off-the-beaten path, to popular destinations with a twist. AFAR Editor, Chloe Arrojado speaks with two other travel experts, journalist and writer Mark Ellwood and Deputy Editor, Tim Chester, to get their recommendations on five of the best places to travel to in Europe right now.  Get more inspiration for European travels:  https://rebrand.ly/pcsrim2  Listen to the full podcast: https://www.afar.com/podcasts/unpacked/s2-e18-where-to-go-summer-2023  More podcasts by AFAR: https://www.afar.com/podcasts     ---- CONNECT WITH AFAR Afar.com is a digital and print magazine that publishes travel tips, guides, news, and stories: https://www.afar.com  Get updates on the latest articles, travel news, and more from AFAR by signing up for the AFAR newsletter: https://afar.com/newsletters  Follow AFAR on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfarMedia Follow AFAR on Twitter: https://twitter.com/afarmedia Follow AFAR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afarmedia Follow AFAR on Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/afarmedia  ---- CREDITS  Claudia Cardia - Video Editor Jessie Beck - Senior Manager, SEO & Video Elizabeth See - Designer Sarika Bansal - Editorial Director Michelle Heimerman - Photo Editor Chloe Arrojado - Associate Editor, Destinations  MUSIC “Lion” by Blackway / Musicbed  FOOTAGE / PHOTOGRAPHY Storyblocks iStock  --- 00:00 European travel ideas 00:33 A history-filled island 02:35 Lesser-visited Spain 03:15 Festival season in Edinburgh 03:43 Most unlikely month for Paris 04:22 Iceland ... in the summer? 04:51 A Croatia alternative 05:11 Italy's Prosecco road 06:11 End

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:04 Hi.

00:04 My name is Chloe Araujaro, and welcome to the latest episode

00:08 of Where to Go Next.

00:09 In this edition, we're talking to some of AFAR's staff

00:11 on recommended destinations in Europe.

00:14 This conversation is actually a part of a longer podcast,

00:17 which I highly recommend you listen to.

00:19 Link in the description.

00:20 But for now, listen in on a little bit of the conversation

00:23 and get some of AFAR's recommended destination

00:26 with a twist.

00:27 So let's get into it.

00:27 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:31 I'm obsessed with Malta.

00:36 I stumbled on Malta because I was on a cruise.

00:39 I was on a silver sea cruise in the summer last August.

00:42 And Malta was a curious box check.

00:45 I thought it was going to be like many still

00:48 British English-speaking cultures,

00:51 a little unappealing.

00:53 And the ignorance of that kind of staggered me,

00:55 because when I got there, Malta is this fascinating collision

01:01 of Arab culture, Sicilian culture, British culture,

01:05 that has sat at the fulcrum of the Mediterranean for millennia

01:10 and has been important to everybody.

01:13 One of the oldest human excavations,

01:16 one of the oldest evidence of human habitation

01:20 anywhere in Europe is the Hypogeum in Malta,

01:24 which only 80 people can go into every day.

01:26 And it was carved out in the Stone Age

01:30 using stone equipment from the limestone.

01:34 They didn't even have tools.

01:37 But you've got this incredible history.

01:39 And then Malta is coming in.

01:42 There's a new Contemporary Art Museum opening.

01:44 There are three or four new hotels opening.

01:47 There's a real effort to upgrade its tourism,

01:50 because historically, it was very much older British people

01:53 going on package holidays.

01:55 And it's such a pity to miss the chance to see Valletta,

01:59 which was built almost overnight as a defensive effort

02:03 by the Knights of Malta.

02:05 So it has a uniformity of architecture

02:07 that is Ottoman meets Venetian.

02:10 And it was built as a grid, so it air conditions.

02:14 So even in August, when you're standing in central Valletta,

02:18 the beach breezes whiz through the town.

02:21 And you aren't sweltering.

02:23 Quite the reverse.

02:24 You're really quite cool.

02:26 And it is the most interesting, eccentric,

02:31 slightly hard-to-pin-down place.

02:34 - I lived for, I think, eight or nine months in Logroño,

02:41 which is kind of below the Basque region.

02:44 When people go to Spain, they're like,

02:45 "Okay, let's go to south of Spain, Sangria in hand,

02:48 we'll have the time of our lives, doing fiestas."

02:52 But I think there's a lot to be said about northern Spain

02:55 and just exploring that region,

02:57 especially since there are so many smaller cities

03:00 that you can find, and the scenery is just gorgeous.

03:03 - Speaking of northern Spain,

03:06 our Barcelona-based editor put together

03:08 a road trip itinerary through Costa Brava,

03:10 the coastal region of Catalonia.

03:12 We'll have a link at the end of the video,

03:13 so definitely check it out.

03:15 - Edinburgh, I think, especially in August,

03:18 there's several festivals happening.

03:20 You've got the book festival, the comedy festival,

03:22 the theater festival,

03:24 and it's just such a fun time to be there.

03:26 I went to Edinburgh for Rough Guides years ago,

03:29 and for one night, I just decided to say yes to every flyer

03:32 and every person on the street who approached me

03:35 about their show and just followed the...

03:38 And it's the kind of place you can do that

03:39 and have a good night, and yeah, it's good fun.

03:42 - Historically, August has been a great hack to visit Paris

03:47 because it was when the hotel rates

03:49 were historically at their lowest.

03:51 So if you wanted to visit Paris affordably,

03:54 you might have to forgo some of the restaurants,

03:57 but it was the cheapest time to score accommodation,

03:59 and it always felt very counterintuitive

04:01 that what felt like peak season,

04:03 Paris would always be deserted

04:04 because the Bobos were all on the Idrées.

04:07 So the prices have gone up a little bit,

04:10 but you know, Paris, if you want to go to Paris affordably,

04:13 and you're happy to...

04:14 There are more restaurants than the Buffalo Grill.

04:16 There are a few more open, I think,

04:18 and you can get a bistro in August.

04:20 I think the mistake we make is when we picture Europe

04:26 in the summer, we picture the Mediterranean.

04:29 Whatever happens to the weather in the Med,

04:32 Iceland will very likely not be quite so intolerable.

04:37 And the Nordics, the UK, Iceland, Northern Europe,

04:41 as Southern Europe boils, Northern Europe is very pleasant.

04:45 And so don't forget that you can just shift

04:47 a little further north.

04:48 But again, I'm British, so I would say that.

04:51 - I have a soft spot for Slovenia

04:55 as an alternative to Croatia.

04:57 It has about 30 miles of coastline, Adriatic, North Adriatic.

05:01 Tiny, but very pretty port town, Piran, there,

05:05 and some good wines.

05:06 And I didn't get to Lake Bled,

05:08 but obviously, you know, that's a big one.

05:10 - My favorite road trip is in Italy.

05:14 I spent a lot of my childhood in Italy.

05:15 I worked in Italy.

05:17 If you go north from Venice,

05:20 you end up where all of the Prosecco in the world comes from

05:23 and all of the vineyards are on one road between two towns,

05:28 Cornigliano and Valdobbiadre.

05:30 And you can drive along the Prosecco Road.

05:33 It is very well side-posted.

05:35 And you go to these little vineyards,

05:38 most of which are just old family run,

05:41 and you knock on the door of a barn

05:45 and some Italian guy comes out and pours you some Prosecco,

05:48 and then you buy a couple of bottles.

05:50 He speaks no English. It doesn't matter.

05:53 It is the loveliest scenery to do any time of year.

05:57 I've done it in the winter. I've done it in the summer.

05:59 But it is the antithesis of those congested roads

06:02 in Southern Italy on the Amalfi Coast,

06:04 where you just think, "This is LA traffic,

06:06 but with Italian scenery."

06:09 Go to the Prosecco Road.

06:11 Thanks for watching this video by far.

06:12 And let us know in the comments,

06:14 which of these destinations are you most excited to visit?

06:16 As always, be sure to hit the like button

06:19 and subscribe for more travel tips and inspiration.

06:21 Bye.

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