joe7f

Sure, London, Paris, and Rome are great cities but what are the off-the-beaten-path towns that more tpunkers should visit?

--Joey

florencia9699

That's a great question!! I havent been to yet, but on my next trip I'm hitting Verona, in the north of Italy. I've also heard Assisi is absolutely gorgeous.

In the Czech Republic I hear Czesky Krumlov is breath taking.

And a friend of mine went to Füsen in Germany and absolutely loved it.

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Been to: Argentina, Chile, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt. Greece, Turkey, England, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Belgium, USA, Mexico, Spain, Monaco, Czech Republic, Ireland and Uruguay.

Next trip: Still pondering the possibilities for January 2009... * OH THE MYSTERY!! *

The travel bug is insatiable

MeTurk

Ya Cesky is a cool town, the locals are preaty cool themselfs.

The only other (slightly) off the beaten track town I went to was Villa Real de Santo Antonio and Ayamonte on the Spainish/Portugesse border. Nice towns, Villa is a tourist spot for locals so not really geared towards English speakers and Ayamonte was a very nice town with allot of English speakers. I didn't really get to enjoy the towns that much I was in a bit of a panic, it was my first proper day of backpacking and I ended up completely stranded in Villa with no idea how to get out.

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joe7f

Fussen is definitely cool.

Some of these have gotten more popular (as evidenced by the posts on the forum)

Brugge (the Venice of Belgium and a total surprise for me)
Ghent (cool down town)
Oostende (beach community).

In Spain:
Toledo (known by tourists but not on a typical tour of Europe)
Salamanca (college town with the best plaza in Europe)
Avila (<-really surprised me...loved it!)

In Ireland:

Galway (wish I spent more time here)
Westport (not much to see here but a cool stopping point on the way to or from Northern Ireland)
Killary Fjord (Leeane area, secluded and peaceful)

In Germany:

Rothenberg odT (falls into the Toledo category)
Aying (a tiny village outside Munich which is home to one of the greatest breweries in the world)

My favorite photos I took on my trip were from the above towns

--Joey

Esterina

^^^Most cities you've mentioned aren't really off the beaten path, in my sense. They aren't capitals or metropols, but still on the usual tourist path. Even towns like Rothenburg ob der Tauber is filled with tourists during the high season. I spent two weeks there in January, and despite the cold, buses of tourists came in and out every day. It gave the place a not so genuine feel. I can't imagine how bad it is in July ! But it's a very pretty town !

But it must be difficult to find real off the beaten path towns in Western Europe.

Will you share them with us ?

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people are people

joe7f

There are touristy cities for North Americans and for Europeans. Brugge, famous in Europe, is almost unknown in North America. Just to give you an idea, my father traveled all over Europe in 1974. Is very interested in travel, and had never heard of it before I got there.

The reason for this thread is I am assuming in a month or two we are going to get wave after wave of backpackers hitting Western Europe that will want something other than London, Dublin, Rome, Paris, Munich, Berlin, Barcelona, Vienna etc.

--Joey

Maineartist

Stop "shoulding" on me.

Cheers Joey.

Between Reggio Emilia and Modena is the town Correggio, Italy where the painter Correggio lived his life. His church and his house are still there. There's an HI hostel in an old medieval prison. Downstairs in the hostel is a wine bar called "The Cell". Near the hostel are good pizzeria's. I found this place in an HI hostel guide for Italy which lists them all and describes the hostels and towns.

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