Off the beaten track recommendations
 

Myself and my partner are buying a van and driving round all of Europe next year. Over a year or saving and no time limit when out there, I can't wait!

We are going to stop off in many cities and well known places throughout each country but we are most interested in the hidden gems, the unknown waterfall lagoon, hidden glow worm caves, crazy cliffs to climb, quirky towns. Basically all the things most people aren't aware of in a travel guide and all the awesome activities you can do and see.

If anyone has been to any weird and wonderful places in Europe which not many people know about, or websites with similar things, then shoot the ideas my way, the stranger/more spectacular, the better in our eyes!

Hope you guys have some awesome experience we can do as well!!!

Sounds great, but you actually will have a time limit unless you are an EU citizen. Ninety days in any one hundred eighty day period will be your limit. Do a search on this site for lots more discussion on this.

What nationality are you? Can you stay in Europe for a year without needing a visa? What about health care insurance, and insuring the van?
You can't wild camp in many countries so yo will need to find camper parks and and camp sites. There is a lot of information about this on the web - search for camper sites, and you will find many places which allow you to park for a couple of days, but they may not have any facilities.

>>the stranger/more spectacular, the better in our eyes!<<

Besides the posts above (do you have permission to be in Europe that long?) . . .Most strange and/or spectacular places will be pretty much ON the beaten track and lots of people will know about them.

I live in the UK so visas aren't a worry, and healthcare and van insurance is easy for me to sort out closer to the time. I have plans for campgrounds and rest stops for each country I'm going too so all the necessary details I'm not worried about as I have done many roadtrips especially through Australia when I was living there.
I'm just looking for off the beaten track places I can visit along my way. Like I said before we are all about exploring the unusual so any help with cool places would be greatly appreciated.

***I live in the UK so visas aren't a worry***
That was not the question you was asked. What nationality are you?
Even if you was able to purchase and drive around Europe for that sort of time you cannot. Insurance tax and MOT will limit your time so you will have to return to renew these.
No permanent UK address no registering the vehicle either.

This thread turned into an interrogation faster than most.

All you retired educators and public officials - raise your hands.

I suspect one reason you are not getting much help on this Forum is that most of the members are not into van camping, or only did that sort of backpacking travel when they were younger, so any "hidden" spots they may have discovered are now tourist meccas. I might suggest you try Lonely Planet's Thorntree Forum. Many of the members there are younger and do the sort of trips you are contemplating.

Your trip sounds simply wonderful, and I wish I could go along.

When are you going? You could time your schedule with lots of arts festivals that happen around Europe in summer.

For instance, in The Netherlands, in june, there's Oerol, on the island of Terschelling, a week of avant garde performance and theater and musical acts.

These are off the beaten track for foreign visitors, but not for locals, so do you research and book well in advance.

Or
http://midnightsunfestival.net/

If you're going to be in France, check out the one-star attractions in the Michelin Green Guides. That's how we found the Venus of Quinipily in Baud, a town so quiet that dogs sleep in the road at mid-day.

We found interesting caves, waterfalls and swimming holes using this method.

Also there are books for most destinations called "Off-beat,"
"Insolite," "Bizarre," that you can consult.

"Myself" ... sometimes Fodors just makes my day :-)

Basically Europe has been pretty well explored over the past few thousand years so most stuff is well known, however, there are a few that are less well known

1) Picos d'Europa not fully mapped until about 100 years ago
2) The hills around Lake Bled, used by Tito to dump visiting diplomats when he wanted to give them a good time and he wanted a rest
3) Any of Tito's little islands in the Dalmatia area (see 2)
4) Any area close to or north of the Artic circle, I like Rovaniemi but watch out for the flies, Finish law seems to allow full public access to private land and there are camp sites though far apart given the population density of the place
5) Many people like the Fjords in Norway, I prefer the rounded fells between the Fjords
6) Transylvania, no really, away from the vampire tourist tat the countryside is unspoiled and the people very straight
7) The Azores, fantastic waterfalls, nice people, volcanic bubble pots, (see also Iceland)
8) Orkney

Try wadlopen in Groningen. Walking across the Wadden sea at low tide. You need a guide, don't try it without.

Consider buying a camper van from somewhere like Dutchcampers.com. You can sell it back to them at the end of your year, and they hold the insurance for you. Plus you have a LHD van for your time in Europe.

There are insurance companies in the UK that will insure a camper for a long period abroad, but you will have to return to the UK for the MOT on the vehicle. If you do an internet search you can find lots of information about this.


Of course all this is only possible if you are both EU citizens.
Make sure you have EHIC cards and some additional health care insurance, since the EHIC only entitles you to basic health care in each country, and you may be required to pay for some of it.

>>>>bilboburgler on Feb 9, 15 at 4:59am

>>>>"Myself" ... sometimes Fodors just makes my day :-)

I am happy that you are amused. Now, for the rest of us (excluding the appalling lack of colons);

>>>>Basically Europe has been pretty well explored over the past few thousand years so most stuff is well known, however, there are a few that are less well known

Comma required after "Basically"
A run-on sentence; period required after "known" with new sentence beginning with "However"

>>>>1) Picos d'Europa not fully mapped until about 100 years ago

It's Picos "de" Europa.


>>>>2) The hills around Lake Bled, used by Tito to dump visiting diplomats when he
>>>>wanted to give them a good time and he wanted a rest

>>>>3) Any of Tito's little islands in the Dalmatia area (see 2)

>>>>4) Any area close to or north of the Artic circle, I like Rovaniemi but watch out for the
>>>>flies, Finish law seems to allow full public access to private land and there are camp >>>>sites though far apart given the population density of the place

It's "Arctic Circle", and a run-on sentence.
It's "Finnish", and even more of our run-on sentence.


>>>>5) Many people like the Fjords in Norway, I prefer the rounded fells between the >>>>Fjords

>>>>6) Transylvania, no really, away from the vampire tourist tat the countryside is >>>>unspoiled and the people very straight

I'm not really sure how to fix that one.


>>>>7) The Azores, fantastic waterfalls, nice people, volcanic bubble pots, (see also >>>>Iceland)

>>>>8) Orkney



You must have laughed yourself silly putting that post together.

As I am laughing at you, Aramis.

And breath, laughing so much , another day another joke. :-)

Carry on the the good work o master of perfume.

You really had no other choice than to take that approach, did you?

I'll keep holding up the mirror for you, and you keep laughing at what you see.

And, one more.....it's cologne

Not with a name like bilboburgler.

So, Emma what are your thoughts, do you have a shape to your vacation?

People love it get into an argument on here!

Thanks to those who have actually answered my initial question. I'm basically planning on doing a circle, France up to Belgium and round clock wise finishing in Spain, obviously zig zagging to hit countries which don't quite follow that pattern.
I understand most places have been explored, but not all of them are easy to find in a book or online, which is why I was just asking a simple question to begin with.
I'm not going till next year so got a lot of time make a note of a select few cities and rural culture I want to visit in each place. I was just asking for some tips of cool places, no need for certain people to start getting rowdy haha