sarahlizb

My husband and I are planning a 14 day trip (with two additional days allotted to get there from the US and back) - we just can't decide where to go! We've done a large portion of the major Western/Central European cities - London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Prague, etc.

We were thinking perhaps Portugal and Spain? Or Croatia? We both enjoy outdoor activities - our honeymoon was a 200+ mile bike ride through Ireland. A place with challenging hiking would be great, we also love coastal cities and historical sites.

We were also thinking perhaps to skip Europe this time and go to Asia? We haven't really spent much time in Asia...

Bah! Basically, anywhere in the world, 14 days. Any takers on advice for this? Neither of us are good at whittling down infinite possibilities...

lanejohann

i asked this same question back in 2006 spain/portugal vs croatia
and i remember plainly what veered me away from the former
the travel agent who had spent some time in portugal and spain made a comment that the beaches were not as beautiful as the ones here at home in australia and somehow that just made my mind up...i thought id just do those two countries later

i had also watched a getaway program travel show which showcased the island of hvar and seeing all the lavender growing wildly inspired me to take OH and do what he always wanted: an independent sail of some of the islands
we never did see any lavender except in bunches sold by little old ladies but it was one of our finest trips

we hired a car from zagreb drove to plitvice lakes then on to zadar and then to trogir
then down the coast to dubrovnik all easy driving
stayed in dubrovnik and ventured into montenegro to see kotor fjord before heading back to split
we rented a yacht and sailed to brac hvar vis and back to split..that was seven days on the water and i wish we had more time
whats more it was cheap...we could eat and shop and do all we wanted
nice change from vienna and prague which we had visited on our way to croatia

im sure portugal and spain have their merits ,.id like to go there someday especially to see the architecture

have fun deciding and safe travels!

janisj

When will you take this trip? A definite consideration is weather. Some areas can be extremely hot and crowded in the summer.

sarahlizb

It would be during the end of April/beginning of May, so I was hoping we would be able to be a bit before the peak season!

lanejohann

We went in early June to Croatia.. It wasn't crowded.. We just drove up to the old towns..found the tourist centre and they'd fix us up withi accommodation... We stayed in studio apartments in the old walled towns.. So much atmosphere!

bvlenci

At that time of year, I would suggest southern Spain, or perhaps Sicily. The weather could very well be unpleasant in Croatia at that time of year. There are lots of places to hike in Sicily. I'm not as familiar with southern Spain, but I would imagine that there are lots of outdoor activities there as well.

kimhe

Las Alpujarras in Andalucía, Spain for beautiful landscapes and hiking.
http://www.rusticblue.com/andalucia_...alpujarras.php

Close to Granada with the spectacular Alhambra.
http://www.alhambradegranada.org/en/
http://www.andalucia.com/cities/gran...hamhistory.htm

And close to the Mediterranean. The Suspiro del Moro-road from Granada down to the Med is very scenic. http://www.holavalencia.net/2010/02/...and-almunecar/

The name comes from the legenedary sigh of Boabdil, the last emir of Granada, when he at the mountain pass known as Puerto del Suspiro del Moro (Pass of the Moor's Sigh), for a last time had a look back upon the now lost city (1492). His mother shall then have said: "You cry like a woman over a city you couldn't defend as a man".

Or perhaps San Sebastián in the north (Basque Country)? The culinary capital of Spain, some of the finest city beaches on the continent and coastlines and mountains for excellent hiking. Recently voted no. 5 destination in the world by Condé Nast Traveler: http://www.sansebastianturismo.com/e...y-in-the-world
http://www.sansebastianturismo.com/en/

janisj

I was concerned re the heat of summer mostly in Spain - but April/May is the perfect time for Spain and probably the very best time of year to visit southern Spain before it gets sooooooo hot.

robertcoon

My wife and I just went to Croatia a few months ago, and LOVED it. We spent time in Dubrovnik, Zadar, Zagreb, as well as Kotor, Montenegro and Mostar, Bosnia. It was a fantastic place to visit. We'd previously traveled to a lot of the more common countries like Spain, Italy, France, Czech Republic, etc and thought Croatia was a nice detour off the beaten path.

dwdvagamundo

Concur in advice to go to southern Spain (Andalusia). It's lovely, it's unlike other parts of Europe; one of our best trips. Haven't been to Croatia.