Afrankel

I am going backpacking next summer for 2-3 months. I studied abroad in Prague recently and I was able to travel to a lot of cities while I was there. For this backpacking trip I am primarily looking to travel to unique towns and cities. I have looked at a lot of online travel itineraries and a lot of them are repetitive with the same places. Any suggestions on amazing towns or cities (does not matter the size of the places) that I have not traveled to - I would really appreciate. I will list all the cities in Europe I have already been to, because I am looking to go to all new places. I will be backpacking alone, so I would also love any suggestions on activities to do in the places you recommend! The countries I plan on spending the most time in are Spain, Italy, France, Scandinavia, Netherlands, and Switzerland. Any traveling tips throughout these parts of Europe would be awesome as well!

Places I have been to (I would like recommendations on places to go to besides these places):
Prague, Czech Republic
Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
Kutna Hora, Czech Republic
Dresden, Germany
Berlin, Germany
Salzburg, Austria
Vienna, Austria
Hallstatt, Austria
Gothenburg, Sweden
Stockholm, Sweden
Barcelona, Spain
Rome, Italy
Naples, Italy
Mostar, Bosnia
Split, Croatia
Athens, Greece
Santorini, Greece
Mykonos, Greece
Kusadasi, Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey
Krakow, Poland
Edinburgh, Scotland
Dublin, Ireland
London, United Kingdom
Budapest, Hungry

menachem

Rotterdam! We're incredibly hip, now that Lonely Planet has discovered us

sanderskn

Looks like you've missed France so far on your travels, I could go on and on about places to visit in France. Hike through the Dordognes, visit Provence, and then head up to Brittany and Normandy. Then go to England and do some of the many "walking trails" through the countryside. Some go for hundreds of kilometers.

sanderskn

Of course go to Paris too!

sandralist

Since you want to spend time in Spain and France, consider Torino and Aosta as cities to visit in Italy.

Maybe you could fly into Switzerland and then head for Chamonix in France, and then go down into Italy that way, stopping in Aosta and then Torino. Then you could head into France via Lyon, and go to Paris if you like, but then go to Spain via Bordeaux and arriving in San Sebastian. Then move on down to Madrid. From there you should be able to find an affordable flight to the Netherlands or one of the Scandinavian countries.

But there are a zillion ways to do this. But if you are carrying a backpack in summer you might want to think about visiting Italy, Spain and France fairly early in your trip and the northernmost destinations fairly late. Anytime in summer is probably ok for Switzerland.

menachem

In France: Marseille

Afrankel

Thank you so much for the recommendations! I bought the lonely planet "Western Europe" travel book, which I've gotten some ideas from too. Since I have never been to France before it will be one of the countries I primarily focus traveling through.

kimhe

The Basque country/Euskadi in Spain, just across the border from France. Many fine, small villages as well as great and very different cities such as San Sebastian and Bilbao, fabulous coastline, beautiful landscapes and some of the best food in Europe. http://tourism.euskadi.net/en/
http://www.euskoguide.com/

isabel

Well you could start in Switzerland - a couple of lesser visited towns I loved there are Sion and Gruyeres. And in that area I loved the hike I did above Zermatt with views of the Matterhorn. Zermatt itself was super touristy and I didn't think very charming at all but the hike was a highlight and can be done as a daytrip from a base near Sion or somewhere on Lake Geneva (Lausanne - also not charming but it was where I stayed and a good base - or Montreux). I wouldn't avoid places just because they are on most 'itineraries' - so I'd suggest if you haven't been to Switzerland you spend some time in the Bernese Oberland.

Then go down into Italy. The least visited of the lakes (on the border with Switzerland) is Lake Maggiore but I thought Lake Como more intereting and there are plenty of small towns along it that are 'less visited'.

Bergamo (between Como and Milan) is one of my favorite towns. Along the Ligurian coast everyone goes to the CT but the towns of Rapallo and Camogli get relatively few tourists. Rapallo is one of my favorite Italian towns. Depending on your time you could do more of Italy (I could spend the whole time there) and among the great less common destinations are Verona, Padua, Ferrera, Mantua, Modena. If you want someplace really 'unique' (in tourist speak) go to Puglia. I'm currently writing a trip report including that region if you click on my name you'll see it.

In France I'd visit Nice and some towns along the coast but they are certainly not unique. There are some up in the hilltowns that I love that get less visitors (Vence and Tourettes). Provence - anywhere is good. Dordogne also. Strasbourg. Provins (can be a day trip from Paris).

In Spain I really enjoyed Segovia, Avilla and Salamanca (plus all the ones that are on every itinerary).

On your way to the Netherlands stop in Belgium (Antwerp and Ghent). In the Netherlands consider staying in Haarlem instead of Amsterdam (it's only a 15 min train ride).