Hello all,

We are planning a trip this fall. We had pretty much decided on Venice. But now I'm getting cold feet. Its soooo expensive and on some level it seems a little "fake" (as in, its not a "real" city anymore). I wish I could have visited Venice before it was so "discovered" and still was a "real" place.

With that thought in mind, I was wondering if there is a destination that is not to be missed in 2011. I realize everywhere in Europe has probably been "discovered"... but Im hoping for a suggestion that in 20 years people will say ... you should have seen _______ in 2010!! ITs so different now! I was thinking maybe Turkey or Croatia or ?????????

I know this is a vague question, so thanks for humoring me!

I just wanted to say that we found Venice to absolutely be a real place! The trick is get out of the tourist smash in Rialto, San Marco and along the road that connects them. We spent maybe an hour to see that and then spent the rest of our 4 days wandering the back alleys and other areas and absolutely loved it. Here are our photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/jamie.a...eat=directlink

We stayed here for about €95 a night - perfect location, right around San Marco but in a quiet non-touristy area.
http://www.aitagliapietra.com/

Venice is indeed a very real place and has been for centuries. About the only way you can find your definition of a "real place" is to wander off somewhere and discover it yourself. Most of us who travel to Europe frequently visit places that someone has discovered for us and that are really worth visiting. And, in the process, we often discover an "off the beaten path" destination that we were unaware of.

So - find your own "real place". And let us know if it is worth visiting.

You are already 30 years late to find what you want IMHO.
I would still see Venice, but spend a week and get an apartment. A nice 2nd destination that will be close to your objective is Slovenia---very close to Venice. See Piran and Ljubljana.

You might consider combining Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. We really enjoyed our trip there last fall. Dubrovnik certainly doesn't qualify as undiscovered

I agree with jamikins about Venice - there are plenty of quiet areas there where you see no tourists.

If you only want to visit cities I can suggest Krakow. There are plenty of tourists there but if you avoid Wawel, with all its tour bus crowds, the city is delightful.

If you exclude the major cities there are plenty of areas in Europe that are not visited by many tourists and plenty of wonderful places to explore. Last year I wandered through the southern Czech Republic and found delightful towns with few or no tourists.

One year I stayed in the Nice hinterland and discovered towns that had few tourists. I even visited a 14th - 15th century chapel covered with frescoes and I was the only person there. At the TI in one town the person working there was thrilled that an American was visiting.

And there are many threads here on off-the-beaten-track areas of Italy.

There's lots to explore!

Thanks all - as always!

Slovenia looks beautiful - not at all what I would have imagined.

I guess Im just nervous about choosing a locale to visit. We don't get to go on trips very often (we have two kids under 3) so I want the trip to be great. After hearing your responses, the husband is insisting on going to Venice. He thinks it will be wonderful -- so I'm trying to get over my nervousness. We want to spend 4 nights in Venice and then take a roadtrip for 3-4 days. The question is what to pair it with??

Im debated between going into the mountains to Lake Garda region & Dolomites (Bolzano, Castelrotto) or along the coast with Rovinj & Pula in Croatia.

We want something that will provide a nice compliment to Venice, scenic drives and beautiful towns. We also enjoy delicious food and nice hotels. Any opinions?

Maybe I should start a new thread?

You cant go wrong really! Dont set your expectations so high that you are disappointed no matter where you go! I always find that if you have a great outlook and enjoy yourself no matter where you are than you will have a fabulous trip! No matter where you go you will see fabulous things, eat different food, experience a different culture and have an opportunity to have a fabulous vacation!

If you are looking for something fairly close by Venice then I have to second the Slovenia option. Ljubljana is a charming city and very pretty, and Lake Bled is beautiful. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Tracy