quote:
hi!

i’m planning a trip to europe in july ’06 and my best friend and i really enjoy beaches. it will be our first trip and we hope to combine beach-going with sightseeing. which areas should we head for? we like nightlife too! (we have 3 weeks total in europe)

one word to satisfy all at once:

Barcelona

San Sebastian, Spain

What are you particularly looking for?

hi! thanks i appreciate the suggestions.

well, we are looking for a place with a good beach with clean water, but also some nightlife and cute cafes. i’ve heard ibiza is great, but is there much culture there? we don’t want to go to a place that is totally filled with drunken tourists. a few nights like that is good, but if i want to throw my money away on nights i can’t remember, i can do that here in canada! so, maybe barcelona is a good bet. what about greece? is there a nice mix of partying and culture there too?

Cinque Terra, Italy
Stay in Monterosso, it has the biggest beach of the 5 little cities on the coast. You can hike through to the other cities, shop and take the train back…
Provence in the south of France as well…beautiful area.

There’s not much culture in Ibiza…it’s pretty much a clubber’s paradise and is quite expensive. It is worth checking out, if you wanna try this.

If you’d like, I can write a list of recommendations on beach towns all across Southern Europe that may fit what you’re looking for. As for Greece, I lived there for 15 months, and can offer you extra help on this particular country.

Southern Europe is pretty much where it’s at in the summer, and almost all my travels (and research) in Europe are in this part of Europe, so I’ll gladly answer questions as best as I can. Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Monaco, Malta, Croatia, and Cyprus. This includes both the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. If you’re interested in surfing, it’s the Atlantic coasts of Portugal, Spain, and France. Traditionally, the major sunbathing jet-set areas are: France’s Côte d’Azur; Spain’s Costa Brava, Costa del Sol, and Balaeric Islands; Greece’s Southern Aegean Islands [including Crete] and Ionian Islands…"newer" places to discover are Sardinia, Corsica, and Croatia’s Dalmatia region, among other places (but they’re filling up quickly). And there’s yet more undiscovered places. So, there’s a good mix of super-well-known places, semi-well-known, and not-well-known places.

Each time period also has its different trends. In Greece, for example, different islands are chic today compared to a generation ago. Same thing with towns on France’s Mediterranean and southern Atlantic coasts. Then there’s the different nationalities you meet in each place. Certain destinations are popular with certain nationalities of tourists.

quote:i’m planning a trip to europe in july ’06 and my best friend and i really enjoy beaches. it will be our first trip and we hope to combine beach-going with sightseeing. which areas should we head for? we like nightlife too! (we have 3 weeks total in europe)

Santander (Cantabria, Spain). But peak season starts on 16 July (Virgen de Carmen) so I would recommend that you head north after that.

Eddie, I would say peak season across Southern Europe starts in mid-July and lasts until mid-August. Wouldn’t this stand true for all of Spain?

Which brings us to the next point, sweettooth, some people prefer peak season, and others prefer to avoid it. So, it’s up to you. The season as a whole is April-November…with the tial ends of the season (April and November) being very, very light.

luv_the_beach writes:

quote:Eddie, I would say peak season across Southern Europe starts in mid-July and lasts until mid-August. Wouldn’t this stand true for all of Spain?

Yes, that’s correct. In Santander ‘Peak season’ lasts until 15 September, el dia de Cantabria. Mid-September as an end for peak season is also true for most other beach resorts in Spain & Portugal,

I wrote:

quote:… peak season starts on 16 July (Virgen de Carmen) so I would recommend that you head north after that.

Santander, the place I recommended is on the mar Cantabrico. the north coast of Spain. North from there is the U.K. & Ireland.

Maybe I should amend that: Just after los SanFermines end in Pamplona, Santander’s Santiago Festival begins: it occurs the week before Santiago (25 July) and, in addition to daily bullfights, there’s a lot of Musical action going on along calle de Burgos evenings, that whole week.

Most northern European (and Spanish) tourists in search of sun and sand don’t begin to arrive until after the Santiago festivities so it might be all right thru then (since 2006 is not a Jubilee Year for Santiago).

thanks guys, much appreciated.

Well luvthebeach, it’s not really a question of which time of year I prefer – it’s really more of a question of when I can get time off from work! I’m a teacher, so I have no choice but to go during peak season, which isn’t ideal, but it’ll have to do.

I think what we’ll do is head to some Croatian islands, smaller less-touristy ones, for some peace and quiet, but then we can easily head over to Mykonos or other Greek islands for partying. We will definitely be going to Barcelona and I’m glad there’s a great beach there, although I think it’s the Gaudi stuff that appeals to me the most there!

Hey delfrio, we are going to the Basque region as well, so San Sebastian will be on the list too – thanks for the rec.

Anyone know any great hostels in San Sebastian? Or areas within that are best to be around? I plan to visit during San Fermin 2006 and bus to and from Pamplona on a whim.. but is it too early (or worse, too late) to book hostels online?

I was not at all impressed by the beaches around Barcelona. Spend 2-3 days there and then go to 1) Dubrovnik, Croatia, or my favorite, 2) Cinque Terre, Italy.
I love beaches too!

I noticed someone mentioned Dubrovnik, so thought I’d comment..

Croatian beaches aren’t what you might imagine if you’ve grown up with beaches in the US like Florida’s, Hawaii’s, or Californias. They aren’t full of beautiful sand with tons of room to lay out. Instead, they are usually next to a beachside promendade with restaurants and are more rocky with amazing scenery near by. That said – I love them, I just think that people forget that or don’t know that.

Honestly, beaches in Europe aren’t that great! If I wanted a beach trip, I could think of tons of places in SE Asia, or the Carribean, or America, or Mexico with far better. I’d go to Europe to enjoy the charming cities, with some time spent in beach towns, but be sure you expect the right thing….. And in any case – you’ll find them to be MUCH more crowded than the beaches at home.

Have a great trip!

-A

www.eurotrek.net – start here!

Has anyone been to Ischia, the island in Italy near the coast of Naples. IT looks great, and I am planning on four nights there, just wondering if anyone had been there before and had any thoughts or advice.

ok ..beaches..
i grew up in bondi beach …. the sandpit..yeah yeah its not that great but i dont know waht u tourists really think of it..its home to me

but the beaches on the south coast of nsw in australia are another thing
i had just come back from greece ..santorini… with my handful of red pebbles black pebbles ( and a few white pebbles that i scabbed from the red beach cos the buses stopped running for the day and i couldnt get to the white pebble beach lol)

i like sandy beaches but the water in greece was so blue …not as blue as capri but then again i think they must add blueloo to the water there

so im home all agog about all the blue water in greece and then this year i stumble onto the sapphire coast of the southcoast right here in australia…
streuth ..i shoulda stayed home and saved my money ..i was in raptures…truly the most beautiful beaches i have ever ever seen. and unlike the queensland gold coast sandpits they have every few buildings to spoil the vista
so go lil aussies…. spreadthe word about the southcoast..or maybe we should keep it a secret and let the hordes trample over BONDI
go the iceburgs!!!
i dont like californian beaches that much cos they all got that baywatch pier thing happening..what is with u guys? and how come ur gulls are soooooooooooooooooooooooo huge.?? u import them from texas? gosh theyd squash the little ones at bondi!