favorite little-known small town
Oct 26th, 2004, 01:33 PM
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I went out to a little town called Lion-sur-Mer on the Normandy coast of France. When we got off the bus, it was so very quiet. After being in Paris, it was wonderful. You could hear and smell the Channel waters, and despite the tiny D-Day memorials on the beach, there was not a tourist to be seen anywhere. Sigh... I'd go back any day.
Oct 26th, 2004, 01:46 PM
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I've a couple of favorites (will you indulge me that England IS in Europe?) - Leominster in Herefordshire - a perfect black & white town with treats for foodies and antique collectors alike (also a wonderful gallery of regional art that's pretty special). Leominster is sort of a "little sister" to Ludlow - a slightly larger town that shouldn't be missed...
On the other side of England is Holt in Norfolk - again, the best of real England - but in a county that's rarely visited by Americans. I especially like Holt around Christmas when they twinkle the entire main street in white lights - even the steeple of the church! A jewel box of a town set in a part of Norfolk favored by Londoner's for their country retreats (so lots of good restaurants, boutiques, galleries, etc.). Two great National Trust houses are nearby - Blickling & Felbrigg Halls (the Halls are closed Nov - Easter, but parks & gardens are open for long walks), and the Queen's estate at Sandringham and Holkham Hall (one of Britain's "treasure houses" are also near.
On the other side of England is Holt in Norfolk - again, the best of real England - but in a county that's rarely visited by Americans. I especially like Holt around Christmas when they twinkle the entire main street in white lights - even the steeple of the church! A jewel box of a town set in a part of Norfolk favored by Londoner's for their country retreats (so lots of good restaurants, boutiques, galleries, etc.). Two great National Trust houses are nearby - Blickling & Felbrigg Halls (the Halls are closed Nov - Easter, but parks & gardens are open for long walks), and the Queen's estate at Sandringham and Holkham Hall (one of Britain's "treasure houses" are also near.
Dec 6th, 2004, 08:24 AM
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abbynicole27,
One of my recent discoveries is the town of Morges, just west of Lausanne on Lake Geneva, Switzerland. It has a charming cobbled main street that's lined with little shops & patisseries; it has a flowered lakeside promenade that goes all the way to Lausanne; and it has a verdant lakeside park full of flowers and huge trees and wide expanses of grass. Of course, when you add in the mountains across the lake, the scnery is just gorgeious. There's not a whole lot to do there, but it seems like it would be a great base for walks into the hills to the north. I hope to spend a week there -- someday!
s
One of my recent discoveries is the town of Morges, just west of Lausanne on Lake Geneva, Switzerland. It has a charming cobbled main street that's lined with little shops & patisseries; it has a flowered lakeside promenade that goes all the way to Lausanne; and it has a verdant lakeside park full of flowers and huge trees and wide expanses of grass. Of course, when you add in the mountains across the lake, the scnery is just gorgeious. There's not a whole lot to do there, but it seems like it would be a great base for walks into the hills to the north. I hope to spend a week there -- someday!
s
Dec 6th, 2004, 09:13 AM
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How small counts as "small town?"
In October we were in Chur, Switzerland, for several days, and found it charming.
We never saw any other recognizable tourists there (cameras, etc.), and we so enjoyed walking the Old Town, which is full of little courtyards and fountains and cobblestone streets.
We stayed at Zunfthaus zur Rebleuten (sometimes spelled Rabluta), which is an old (1400s) guild hall, now a restaurant downstairs, with 10 or so rooms upstairs.
Our room was on the front overlooking the fountain in the courtyard, and was just what a room in Switzerland ought to look like--beamed sloped ceiling and wonderful fluffy down comforters.
Ahhh...
Byrd
In October we were in Chur, Switzerland, for several days, and found it charming.
We never saw any other recognizable tourists there (cameras, etc.), and we so enjoyed walking the Old Town, which is full of little courtyards and fountains and cobblestone streets.
We stayed at Zunfthaus zur Rebleuten (sometimes spelled Rabluta), which is an old (1400s) guild hall, now a restaurant downstairs, with 10 or so rooms upstairs.
Our room was on the front overlooking the fountain in the courtyard, and was just what a room in Switzerland ought to look like--beamed sloped ceiling and wonderful fluffy down comforters.
Ahhh...
Byrd
Dec 6th, 2004, 01:28 PM
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Onzain in the Loire Valley (midway between Blois and Amboise) is a nice little town that I have visited twice.
On the outskirts of the Cotswolds, Fairford is a quaint town, altho I stayed at the RAF base rather than in town.
On the outskirts of the Cotswolds, Fairford is a quaint town, altho I stayed at the RAF base rather than in town.
Dec 6th, 2004, 02:03 PM
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I think my favorite is Polignano di Mare, on the Italian Adriatic Coast south of Bari. During our several days there using it as a base to explore the area, we rarely heard English spoken. And we had the bonus of being there the first night of the patron saint's festival with all kinds of lights and activities through the town. It was fun and wonderful.
Want to see something interesting? Click on the home page for Fodors and you'll see some pictures of places behind the logo for Hotels. One is a restaurant inside a cave looking out to the sea. That's the restaurant at our wonderful little "Grotta Palazzese Hotel" there, where are stone vaulted room had a balcony that looked out to that same view and we dined in that wonderful cave two nights. It was magical.
Want to see something interesting? Click on the home page for Fodors and you'll see some pictures of places behind the logo for Hotels. One is a restaurant inside a cave looking out to the sea. That's the restaurant at our wonderful little "Grotta Palazzese Hotel" there, where are stone vaulted room had a balcony that looked out to that same view and we dined in that wonderful cave two nights. It was magical.
