(CNN) — If you’ve been thinking that every American you know is in Europe this summer (or heading there this fall), you might be right.
“For most American travelers, this will be the first year they travel without Covid restrictions,” Dolev Azaria, founder of New York-based Azaria Travel, said in an email.
“And with such pent-up demand, top destinations in Italy, France and Greece, such as the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Tuscany, the French Riviera, St. Tropez and Mykonos, are experiencing record demand.”
For his most discerning European clients, Azaria’s agency advises to “take full advantage of places like Indonesia and especially Bali” in its upcoming opening season to escape the current hordes of tourists in the continent’s most popular spots.
In Europe, he directs clients to the French island of Corsica – “a more rustic, low-key version of its glitzy Italian neighbor Sardinia” – and Montenegro’s 295-kilometer (183-mile) coastline that stretches from a few islands. more trodden Croatian beaches and islands.
CNN Travel reached out to other European travel agents, experts and locals to find out where to go to escape the summer masses in Italy, Spain, France and Croatia — other European countries popular with American travelers — if you’re looking. go where everyone isn’t.
The Camargue, France
International tourists flock to the long-renowned yacht-filled waters of the Côte d’Azur and big-name cities such as St.Tropez, Nice and Cannes. Read also : A drunk driver gets into business in Sarasota, police say. But the South of France is much more than predictable places.
Marianne Fabre-Lanvin, co-founder of French organic wine line Souleil Vin de Bonté, points to the Camargue – a wild region of vast, empty beaches where white horses roam – for a quieter escape east of Montpellier. Accommodation ranges from a rustic stay at a traditional bull or horse farm called a manatee to a five-star boutique hotel version of a farm stay at Le Mas de Peint.
“The Camargue is not crowded. This area has very, very long beaches, so you can be alone on the beach if you want, even in the peak summer months,” says Fabre-Lanvin, naming La Plage de l’Espiguette. favourite. In the summer, the sustainable beach club L’Oyat Plage even jumps onto the sand, drawing kitesurfing kit.
Alentejo, Portugal
The Alentejo region of Portugal has miles of uninterrupted beach. To see also : Department press briefing – July 18, 2022 – United States Department of State.
When Arlindo Serrão wants to be on the coast of Portugal, away from the tourist crowds of the cities and the more popular beach destinations in the far south of the country, he leaves Lisbon for the special coast of the Alentejo region.
“People call Alentejo ‘Europe’s best kept secret’, but I don’t know how long it can stay that way,” said Portugal Dive founder Serrão.
The Alentejo offers long stretches of uninterrupted coastline and incredible wine and seafood without the hordes that descend on the Algarve’s better-known beach destinations.
Here, south of the Tróia peninsula, the beach stretches for almost 28 miles, and the outposts of Comporta and Melides are “perfect places to stay overnight and take a break from everyday life,” says Serrão.
The rooms, suites and villas at Hotel Sublime Comporta are surrounded by pine and cork trees and towering wild dunes to ensure an unforgettable stay.
In addition to its magnificent beaches, the area is known for Portugal’s largest wine producer and the country’s most marked hiking trails.
“For me, it’s a place of peace in a raw part of Portugal,” says Serrão.
Costa de la Luz, Spain
Spain’s Costa de la Luz rewards intrepid travelers who know how to set their sights beyond the Mediterranean. To see also : UN and partners meet to tackle ‘critical’ state of global food crisis.
Spaniards stream out of their stiflingly hot cities in the summer to retreat to the coast, where everyone (or their abuela) seems to own a modest second house or apartment.
The Mediterranean beaches surrounding Barcelona in northwest Spain and the sands of the Costa del Sol in the south of the country offer tanners like sardines, but you’ll have more breathing room if you head to the windier Atlantic coast instead, says Manni Coe, from Andalucia. based travel company TOMA & COE.
The 121-kilometer (75-mile) Atlantic-facing south coast between Tarifa and the Guadiana River, near the Portuguese border, has “slightly cooler temperatures, is not massively developed and is quite a hidden gem,” Coe. says.
Highlights include the beautiful fishing village of El Rompido, the great food scene in Cadiz and the wild beaches around Huelva (between Mazagón and Matalascañas). The area is also a magnet for kitesurfing.
Aeolian Islands, Sicily, Italy
Lipari is one of the volcanic Aeolian Islands, located on the northern coast of Sicily.
Sicily’s laid-back Aeolian archipelago evokes a crowd-pleasing appeal that neither the Amalfi Coast nor Capri can match.
Made up of seven main volcanic islands in a necklace in the deep turquoise waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea off the northern coast of Sicily, the Aeolian Islands are hardly lonely during Italy’s sultry summer. But their relative remoteness means they don’t come close to the American masses of Positano or Capri.
“The Aeolian Islands are far from the American idea of islands,” says Dario Ferrante of Absolute Sicilia, adding that visitors don’t come here for Caribbean-style white-sand beaches, but rather for active vacations, including hiking the Stromboli volcano. guide.
Ferrante cites Salina Island as his personal favorite for vacations, but Filicudi and Alicudi Islands he says offer the most remote and rustic experience (the latter has no cars – only donkeys to transport luggage).
He also points to the north side of Mount Etna as one of Sicily’s most beautiful and undiscovered regions. It is only 40 minutes from the popular beaches of Taormina.
“It’s perfect for total relaxation, hiking and wellness, and a paradise for wine lovers and foodies,” says Ferrante.
Zadar Archipelago, Croatia
Croatia’s Zadar coast and islands offer an experience that is “out of the world” from more crowded southern spots such as Split, Dubrovnik and the island of Hvar, suggests Alan Mandic of Croatian travel agency Secret Dalmatia.
The car-free Adriatic islands of Silba and Olib in the Zadar archipelago have stunning beaches that look almost like the Caribbean, he says. You can even spend the night at the lighthouse on the western cape of the larger Dugi Otok island.
“These are the places we go when we want to avoid the crowds in general,” says Mandic. “You don’t really see any Americans there.”
Pelion Peninsula, Greece
With such a spectacular coastline and mountains to explore, Greeks tend to vacation in their homeland during the summer, says Andria Mitsakos, founder of luxury lifestyle brand Anthologist.
And while the summer international masses may find it hard to miss the iconic white-and-blue postcard backdrops of teeming islands like Santorini and Mykonos, Mitsakos says he often heads to the mountainous Pelion Peninsula in mainland Greece’s eastern Aegean Sea. more staying under the radar.
The lush and verdant peninsula, whose western shores are fringed by Pagasetic Bay, is full of coastal and mountain villages and fresh seafood at every turn.
There are beaches all over the peninsula, but if you only hit two, Mylopotamos and Fakistra on the Aegean side are the places you can’t miss. They are hidden in natural bays, where the waters lap around the coastal cliffs like turquoise diluted by the blinding sun.
Coastal Albania
Albanian coastline in Ksamil. The Albanian coast is much less frequented by tourists than nearby Greece or Italy.
Far less visited by tourists than Greece to the south or its neighbor Italy across the Adriatic, the Balkan country of Albania remains somewhat of a secret among savvy travelers, but it’s unlikely to stay low for long.
“Croatians and Europeans in general are discovering the Albanian coast,” said Secret Dalmatia’s Mandic. “It’s stunning, it’s incredibly cheap. The food, the history, the hospitality, the nature, the beaches, it’s all here.”
Dubbed the Albanian Riviera, the beaches include Ksamil, near the Greek border, and Himare and Dhermi, further north, where you can feast on cheap platters of prawns, grilled octopus and fresh fish straight from the Ionian Sea. looking at its glittering expanse.
How many countries should I visit in Europe?
Although you could choose 3-4 countries during your two-week stay in Europe. We recommend choosing a maximum of three countries (preferably two) so you don’t feel rushed for time, or you can even opt for a European travel package.
Which country should I visit first in Europe? 1) Italy. Italy is full of ancient wonders, delicious food, coastal villages and beautiful hilltop towns. Although most people visit Rome or Venice, there are many other great places to visit such as the Cinque Terre, Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast, Florence and other areas of southern Italy.
How many countries can you visit in Europe?
There are 22 EU member states, 4 Free Trade Association member states and 3 micro-states in the Schengen area. Citizens of countries that do not need a visa to travel to Europe must apply for an ETIAS travel permit from November 2023.
What European countries are a must visit?
10 most visited countries in Europe
- France – 89.4 million visitors. …
- Spain – 82.7 million visitors. …
- Italy – 62.1 million visitors. …
- Germany – 38.8 million visitors. …
- United Kingdom – 36.3 million visitors. …
- Austria – 30.8 million visitors. …
- Greece – 30.1 million visitors. …
- Portugal – 22.8 million visitors.
Should I visit multiple countries in Europe?
By visiting several countries in Europe, you can better understand how borders have been broken down and rebuilt over the centuries. Each country’s borders may seem concrete in modern times, but were once more fluid with culture and heritage often crossing invisible lines.
What is the most beautiful country to visit in Europe?
10 most beautiful countries in Europe
- Austria. Austria, the land of Mozart and the waltz, is a blend of sparkling alpine lakes, majestic mountains and elegant cities with a rich cultural heritage and one of the highest standards of living in the world. …
- Scotland. …
- Turkey. …
- Iceland. …
- Greece. …
- Croatia. …
- France. …
- Norway.
What is the most beautiful country in Europe? According to Visit Norway, almost 10 million international tourists visited annually before the pandemic. The landscape is often cited as the main attraction, so it was no surprise when an in-depth study by Telegraph Travel found it to be the most beautiful country in Europe.
What is the most beautiful city in Europe to visit?
1. Paris, France. Paris is often considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It may sound cliché, but Paris will always be the most beautiful city in Europe for us.
What’s the most unsafe country?
The most dangerous countries to visit in 2022 are Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, according to the Travel Risk Map, an interactive tool created by International SOS security specialists.
What are the 10 most violent countries? Based on this data, the ten most violent countries were Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Burundi, Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Democratic Republic of Congo and Libya.
Which country is the most unsafe in the world?
| Country | Place | The score |
|---|---|---|
| Iceland | 1 | 1.107 |
| New Zealand | 2 | 1.269 |
| Ireland | 3 | 1.288 |
| Denmark | 4 | 1.296 |
