Best Small Towns to Wind-Down
Feb 12th, 2023, 04:20 PM
#1
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Best Small Towns to Wind-Down
I am currently in the midst of planning a trip to Europe in late May- through Early June.
Realizing the brutal task that it is to visit Europe for the first time I've decided to specifically narrow in on things I want to see and to from the get go, completely cross out some visiting options.
My plan is to do 5-7 days of heavy travel (possibly as low as 4) followed up by 3-5 days of resting. I feel that a flat 2-3 weeks of going from site to site to site, would be very draining and make things unenjoyable. For that purpose I'm trying to figure out where I should be planning on doing these 3-5 days of resting. I work remotely (although my job is not that time demanding) so I'm also trying to decide whether or not to try to work during that 3-5 day period to be able to extend the amount of time I'm visiting Europe from 3-4 weeks (What I currently have saved up in PTO) to potentialy 5-6 or even a month.
Ideally the places I stop/rest have low costs places to stay and also have decent connections to transit or a well connected airport to potentially kick off the next leg of my tour.
My trip is going to only focus on 2 main countries at this current point in time, with a potential detour to Paris to see some small sights I'm interested in there.
My current plans are as follows (Days/Nights) (via plane)
1. Madrid - 4 days / 4 nights (Including initial arrival day/jetlag rest)
7. Rome - 4/4 (Via Rail)
8. Florence - 2/2
9. Venice - 3/3
10. Third Stopover 3/3 (Possibly somewhere near Venice)
11. Paris 4/4 - (Via Plane)
12. Return
Realizing the brutal task that it is to visit Europe for the first time I've decided to specifically narrow in on things I want to see and to from the get go, completely cross out some visiting options.
My plan is to do 5-7 days of heavy travel (possibly as low as 4) followed up by 3-5 days of resting. I feel that a flat 2-3 weeks of going from site to site to site, would be very draining and make things unenjoyable. For that purpose I'm trying to figure out where I should be planning on doing these 3-5 days of resting. I work remotely (although my job is not that time demanding) so I'm also trying to decide whether or not to try to work during that 3-5 day period to be able to extend the amount of time I'm visiting Europe from 3-4 weeks (What I currently have saved up in PTO) to potentialy 5-6 or even a month.
Ideally the places I stop/rest have low costs places to stay and also have decent connections to transit or a well connected airport to potentially kick off the next leg of my tour.
My trip is going to only focus on 2 main countries at this current point in time, with a potential detour to Paris to see some small sights I'm interested in there.
My current plans are as follows (Days/Nights) (via plane)
1. Madrid - 4 days / 4 nights (Including initial arrival day/jetlag rest)
- My only main interests here are Museums and historic buildings. I feel anything that has to do with food and a lot of other issues can be found cheaper and in more interesting form elsewhere.
- Main focus here is Alhambra, but also food/local culture.
- I am considering Malaga or another city on the Costa de Sol, or Sevilla.
- I am considering Sorrento instead of Napoli proper, I think the main interest in Napoli involves Pompeii and other historic museums; i'd leave cuisine on a second level.
- I am considering turning this into a longer stay and turning this into a earlier Stopover, or making it the first stopover after visiting Napoli.
7. Rome - 4/4 (Via Rail)
8. Florence - 2/2
9. Venice - 3/3
10. Third Stopover 3/3 (Possibly somewhere near Venice)
11. Paris 4/4 - (Via Plane)
12. Return
Feb 13th, 2023, 12:12 AM
#2
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Hi elmaji, please consider contacting the moderators and asking them to attach some country tags to your post. The people who answer by country won't know your post is there and it might just drop off the radar before it gets seen by the right people (not me, I am not an Italy or Spain expert).
Good luck!
Lavandula
Good luck!
Lavandula
Feb 13th, 2023, 12:21 AM
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One of the cheapest stops on your trip will be Madrid. Certainly come June the beach locations will start getting pricey.
I'm kind of confused about how you laid things out. You want a break between 5 and 7?
I'll point out you don't have to rush from site to site. Instead of spending time and money moving to a new destination just to "rest" you could go slower. The money you save on travel can add up.
I'm kind of confused about how you laid things out. You want a break between 5 and 7?
I'll point out you don't have to rush from site to site. Instead of spending time and money moving to a new destination just to "rest" you could go slower. The money you save on travel can add up.
Feb 13th, 2023, 01:28 AM
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1) Marbella is rather nice, upscale, quieter than other Costa del Sol destinations: https://mylittleworldoftravelling.co...a-vs-marbella/
2) I really liked Salerno, at the southern end of the Amalfi coast, a transport hub, lots of reasonable restaurants, pretty seafront promenade, amiable evening passagiata - - most of the serious tourists tend to head straight up to Amalfi & Positano et. al. (places that are then teeming with tourists), leaving Salerno easygoing and with a pleasant Italian crowd.
3) Bologna for medieval character, vibrant university city, and fab food; Ferrara for relaxed, easygoing town with character, you can do everything by rented bike; Padua is a touch claustrophobic for me, and Vicenza a bit small with not much going on; Trieste is going the wrong direction, but a wonderful city of Hapsburg architecture and Aperol spritzes.
Here's Salerno, with a daytrip up to Amalfi and one down to Paestum:
2) I really liked Salerno, at the southern end of the Amalfi coast, a transport hub, lots of reasonable restaurants, pretty seafront promenade, amiable evening passagiata - - most of the serious tourists tend to head straight up to Amalfi & Positano et. al. (places that are then teeming with tourists), leaving Salerno easygoing and with a pleasant Italian crowd.
3) Bologna for medieval character, vibrant university city, and fab food; Ferrara for relaxed, easygoing town with character, you can do everything by rented bike; Padua is a touch claustrophobic for me, and Vicenza a bit small with not much going on; Trieste is going the wrong direction, but a wonderful city of Hapsburg architecture and Aperol spritzes.
Here's Salerno, with a daytrip up to Amalfi and one down to Paestum:
Feb 13th, 2023, 04:33 AM
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Nick has a point. You can rest up in Sorrento quite nicely for a week. BTW the second most relaxing way to get around the Amalfi Coast is by ferry. First is by foot 
I also agree that Salerno is pleasant, in easy reach of the magnificent site of Paestum, which itself is not at all a high-octane destination.
Would say this could be your first rest, and you could cut out stopover 6 and give a little more love to Florence and Tuscany.
I also agree that Salerno is pleasant, in easy reach of the magnificent site of Paestum, which itself is not at all a high-octane destination.
Would say this could be your first rest, and you could cut out stopover 6 and give a little more love to Florence and Tuscany.
Feb 13th, 2023, 08:24 AM
#6
You say your timing is "late May through early June," but I count 36 nights in 11 hotels. You titled your post "Best small towns to wind down," but your itinerary seems more focused on big cities with only three brief stops (2 days each, not 3-5 days) in presumably smaller/quieter towns. As you've outlined, your sightseeing in the large Italian cities could be somewhat intense because of the brief time you've allotted each.
So, I'm confused as to what sort of trip you're hoping to do. And I think you're confusing yourself when you equate the number of days and nights in each place. For instance, the transit between Malaga/Sevilla and Naples/Sorrento is going to take several hours, possibly the better part of a day. Even the easier transit from Venice to Paris will take half a day. In most cases, when you say you're going to spend 4 nights in a place, it means 3 full days of sightseeing plus some time on arrival after you've checked into your lodging. I agree with Traveler_Nick that you don't need to move to a small, quiet town in order to slow down. I do like a variety of big and small towns, but I'd rather slow the itinerary down and visit fewer places overall.
You mention the possibility of using a car to see the Amalfi Coast. Drop that idea. Just use buses, ferries and the occasional taxi if necessary.
So, I'm confused as to what sort of trip you're hoping to do. And I think you're confusing yourself when you equate the number of days and nights in each place. For instance, the transit between Malaga/Sevilla and Naples/Sorrento is going to take several hours, possibly the better part of a day. Even the easier transit from Venice to Paris will take half a day. In most cases, when you say you're going to spend 4 nights in a place, it means 3 full days of sightseeing plus some time on arrival after you've checked into your lodging. I agree with Traveler_Nick that you don't need to move to a small, quiet town in order to slow down. I do like a variety of big and small towns, but I'd rather slow the itinerary down and visit fewer places overall.
You mention the possibility of using a car to see the Amalfi Coast. Drop that idea. Just use buses, ferries and the occasional taxi if necessary.
Feb 13th, 2023, 09:37 AM
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I like both Malaga and Sevilla, so you can't go wrong. I think there may be better flights connections from Malaga, but if you truly can't decide, check what possible flights you can get from both to where you want to go to see if that tips the decision.
I think Ryanair flies nonstop from SVQ to Naples, and from Malaga also, but only once a week or so. I don't think any other airline does, but you can check. My favoritate budget Euro airline is Easyjet and they fly nonstop from Malaga to Milan in Italy, that's all. They do fly to Naples but only from Ibiza or Majorca/menorca or BCN in Spain.
I think Ryanair flies nonstop from SVQ to Naples, and from Malaga also, but only once a week or so. I don't think any other airline does, but you can check. My favoritate budget Euro airline is Easyjet and they fly nonstop from Malaga to Milan in Italy, that's all. They do fly to Naples but only from Ibiza or Majorca/menorca or BCN in Spain.
Feb 13th, 2023, 01:30 PM
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I do think pulling up stakes and moving to "stopover" places will add to your overall fatigue as packing/unpacking and transportation all requires effort. Instead, I recommend just going slower at your "must see" places. You really could use another day in Florence and can easily add a day to Paris and Rome. I have a great photograph of my aunt and her friend relaxing and reading in the Tuileries Garden in Paris when they needed a "rest day."
