Hello Everyone,

New to this forum, so take it easy on me pleeeeease! xx

So, my birthday's coming up and I'm turning a whole 20 years old haha and I'm looking to travel through Europe/Asia Minor for just under two weeks to celebrate. This would be during the first half of June, which I think is perfect weatherwise for this region, not blisteringly hot just yet, but pleasant weather and kids still in school, hopefully minimising the crowds if only slightly. I'm going with my boyfriend and maybe a few friends depending on final cost (can't be doing anything too lavish or Scandinavian because I am still very firmly on a student budget) and would like to hear some ideas for ideal travel itinerary considering my brain is massively overwhelmed by all the options available. Can fly out of any London airport or Birmingham to the Continent for convenience. Below are the places my boyfriend and I have already been because we want something new and below that the places we're most interested in. Nothing is a must-have and we are more keen on an epic holiday than ticking off certain places.

Where we've been:
1. Barcelona, Spain
2. Faro, Portugal and some day trips in the Algarve
3. Milan and Cinque Terre, Italy
5. Stockholm, Sweden
6. Oslo and the Nordmarka, Norway
7. Paris, St. Tropez and Lyon, France
8. Budapest, Hungary
9. Athens, Meteora, Thessaloniki and Santorini, Greece
10. Zagreb, Croatia
11. Ljubljana, Slovenia
12. Geneva, Switzerland
13. Berlin and Hamburg, Germany
14. Dublin, Ireland

We know it's a lot already on the list, but there is so much more of Europe to see, and we absolutely do not mind going back to the same countries for different cities and different experiences.

Top Points of Interest:
1. Venice, Italy
2. Rome, Italy
3. Madrid, Spain
4. Lisbon, Portugal
5. Istanbul, Turkey***
6. Prague, Czech Republic
7. Warsaw, Krakow, Gdinsk
6. General Iceland
7. SOMEWHERE HOT HOT HOT, and by that I mean beachy, this woman needs a tan.
8. The boyfriend has never been to the South of France, while I've got family there and spent a lot of summers there.
9. Amsterdam, Netherlands
10. Bruges, Belgium
11. Adriatic Coast

The most important requirements are a cultural city, something archaeological because the boyfriend's degree is in History and Archaeology, somewhere beachy but not exceptionally crowded with tourists and great food! Trains, planes and automobiles are also all valid travel options for us.

Any help, advice and/or insight would be massively appreciated folks. Go crazy with the ideas!
THANK YOU XX

Greece and/or Croatia for 12 days for the tan.

Thanks for your reply! I was thinking more of 3-4 places but Greece and Croatia are great shouts. I've already been to a fair few places in Greece so anywhere in particular you'd recommend?

Morocco

Athens for history and architecture and one of the islands for the beach. (Sifnos was wonderful.)

Sicily for 12 days has it all. See if you could get to some of the islands too. Lipari, Stromboli

Trains are great and a good way to get around everywhere - check out various youth railpasses for those under 28 - good rail sources and where to go by trains - www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com and BETS-European Rail Experts.

2 weeks means about 4-5 bases max IMO.

Sicily can easily take three weeks, never mind two. Or Nice as a base for the south of France, and then maybe Annecy/Chamonix or the Italian lakes.

Get a copy of Let's Go Europe- wealth of info for young travelers: https://www.letsgo.com/

The OP doesn't have two weeks. It's 12 days. IMO, that's not enough time for 3, 4 or 5 destinations unless they are all in the same area, not different countries.

I'd pick Sicily for the direct flights from London, weather, budget, history, architecture and great food. Renting a car could be expensive because of the under-age surcharge (unless your BF is over 25), but there is reasonably good public transportation if you do your homework in selecting your lodging location and sights you want to see. Obviously, if you wanted to see all of Sicily you would need more time, but that could be said about almost anywhere. Don't let that dissuade you from going there.

Or Greece if you can structure an itinerary with direct flights and ferry times that maximize your time. For example, a ferry departure at noon puts a hole in the middle of the day, impacting how much time you have for sightseeing in the morning and afternoon.

Pack light if you want to stay in multiple destinations.

I've been to Greece 3 times & I still want to go back. So much to see
Have fun & happy birthday

I would try to focus your wish list first. That will make planning a lot easier. With only 12 days and if you want HOT HOT HOT and a beach sunny enough to work on a tan inJune... cross Amsterdam and Bruges and Iceland off the list (for example).

What about in Italy or Spain combining 5 days in a city then a week at a coastal/beach resort town?

I'd choose Sicily. It's a fantastic destination and should tick all your boxes (beaches, ancient history/archaeology, plenty of more recent history and points of cultural interest, wonderful food). It is large, though, with much to see, so you will need to be selective.

Boyfriend's interests: history & archeology (St. Remy for him, near Roman ruins)
Girlfriend's interest: tanning
Answer: incompatible

You've already gotten some great input about various places where you can combine these interests. I'll add
Athens / Nafplio,
Naples and either Capri or Ishia,
Crete, and
Istanbul / Antalya …

Personally, I’d give Sicily a pass this time – as others have noted, it is a bit much for the time you have, and the beaches aren’t all that close to the best ruins.

And I’d skip Croatia this time – it has some very interesting ruins, but they are scattered and not necessarily convenient to the beaches.

But I don't think you'd go wrong with any of these places. JMO.

P.S. Or consider locations outside Europe, like the Yucatan.

We spend some time near Trieste, Italy, last year. Lots to see and do, and even early July it was not busy at all.
Plenty of history and archeology in the area (check out Aquileia and Castello di Miramare for starters) and you can combine this with Venice and some beach time in Croatia.

The Turkish Mediterranean coast for the tan plus History and History and History.....................

Malta?

Either Turkey, depending on how risk averse you are, or Greek Island hopping. In fact you could spend your whole 12 days on Crete and get everything you want there - wonderful beaches, hot weather, cheap food, public transport by bus, and wonderful archeological sites at Knossos, Phaestus, and lots more. Here's quite a comprehensive list:

Archaeological Sites and Museums in Crete