Any suggestions on the best European countries to backpack through for a fortnight or so? Have long service leave coming up next year. Looking at 2-3 weeks in July ending up in Oslo. Heading from there to the Arctic for a bit then plan to finish touring through Scandinavia from there.
Dubrovnik in Croatia, across to Mostar and Sarajevo in Bosnia and down to Kotor in Montenegro. Unbelievably beautiful and good value for money (for Europe). Wonderful people,loads to see and great food. Hire a car and drive from Dubrovnik. Fair way from Scandi, but wonāt be disappointed.
Yeah Croatia is a good suggestion. We went to Rovinj, Zadar and Split. Didnāt get to Dubrovnik. You can use the intercity buses as theyāre not expensive. Rovinj to Zadar we took a half an hour, fairly cheap flight. Perhaps instead of staying in Split or Dubrovnik you could try to stay on one of the nearby islands, such as Hvar, KorÄula and Mljet.
We went to Mostar from Split with a private guide.
Look up; buscroatia, Plitvice National Park (eaisily reachable from Zadar), Krka National Park and the blue cave.
Slovenia is also beaitiful.
Any suggestions on the best European countries to backpack through for a fortnight or so? Have long service leave coming up next year. Looking at 2-3 weeks in July ending up in Oslo. Heading from there to the Arctic for a bit then plan to finish touring through Scandinavia from there.
It really depends what you can afford and what your interests are. Architecture, food, nightlife, beaches, nature, history, these can take you in different directions. One things for sure, youāve gotta give places enough days to do them justice. Big cities like Paris, Rome are 4+ days I reckon. Smaller beauties like Prague, Vienna, Budapest are 3-4. Towns and coastal resorts you can do overnight stays and skip to the next one.
Probably the best 2-week stint Iāve ever had was all Italy - Rome to Cinque Terra to Florence (with Siena, San Gimignano). Famous sights, worlds top galleries, great food, outstanding coastline, beaches, ancient towns, wineriesā¦ it had everything.
Weāve just started the second stage of the trip through Spain in Madrid today. Half the last lot left for other parts and 19 new people started.
On the first trip was a retired Assistant Attorney-General of Wisconsin and on the new trip is a couple from the city where Making a Murderer happened.
All of them reckon Avery is as guilty as hell and the doco producers have followed the AFL/ASADA/CAS approach. Just leave out everything that doesnāt suit us and slant everything that does.
Been to Segovia today where thereās a magnificent Roman aqueduct and a castle with a moat - one of the many seats of Ferdinand and Isabella. But yesā¦what have the Romans ever done for us.
Cheers for the Europe suggestions. Lots of time and planning to go, canāt do too many countriesā justice in under a month but good to get some ideas on some of the better ones.
Any suggestions on the best European countries to backpack through for a fortnight or so? Have long service leave coming up next year. Looking at 2-3 weeks in July ending up in Oslo. Heading from there to the Arctic for a bit then plan to finish touring through Scandinavia from there.
Dubrovnik in Croatia, across to Mostar and Sarajevo in Bosnia and down to Kotor in Montenegro. Unbelievably beautiful and good value for money (for Europe). Wonderful people,loads to see and great food. Hire a car and drive from Dubrovnik. Fair way from Scandi, but wonāt be disappointed.
Yeah Croatia is a good suggestion. We went to Rovinj, Zadar and Split. Didnāt get to Dubrovnik. You can use the intercity buses as theyāre not expensive. Rovinj to Zadar we took a half an hour, fairly cheap flight. Perhaps instead of staying in Split or Dubrovnik you could try to stay on one of the nearby islands, such as Hvar, KorÄula and Mljet.
We went to Mostar from Split with a private guide.
Look up; buscroatia, Plitvice National Park (eaisily reachable from Zadar), Krka National Park and the blue cave.
Slovenia is also beaitiful.
Agreed BG, Slovenia is beautiful. We did, Ljubljana, Bled, Zagreb, Zadar, Split, Mostar, Sarajevo, Foca, Kotor, Dubrovnik. Incredible trip, driving along the Drina River in Bosnia, unbelievable. Knew weād regret missing Korcula, Hvar and Plitvice NP but ran out of time. Love to go back.
Any suggestions on the best European countries to backpack through for a fortnight or so? Have long service leave coming up next year. Looking at 2-3 weeks in July ending up in Oslo. Heading from there to the Arctic for a bit then plan to finish touring through Scandinavia from there.
It aināt near Scandinavia, but turkey is one of my favourite destinations. Istanbul, down to Effes, Pammukale and Fetihye, then hop on a low cost back packer boat for a cruise down the Aegean coast. Easily one of the best things Iāve ever done. Then head on up through the middle to Cappadocia for a hot air balloon ride and back to Istanbul.
Great food, cheap beer, backgammon til the early mornā¦
Does anyone have advice about Namibia and/or Botswana? Weāre looking into returning to Southern Africa and will definitely redo Kruger if we do. Problem is I like new passport stamps and want to do another country at least. Botswana is notoriously expensive, which is a personal turn off, but Iād like to do it unless Namibia is cheaper and nearly as impressive. We prefer to avoid group tours longer than a few days. Anyone know if either of these countries is doable as a non group tour destination?
Does anyone have advice about Namibia and/or Botswana? We're looking into returning to Southern Africa and will definitely redo Kruger if we do. Problem is I like new passport stamps and want to do another country at least. Botswana is notoriously expensive, which is a personal turn off, but I'd like to do it unless Namibia is cheaper and nearly as impressive. We prefer to avoid group tours longer than a few days. Anyone know if either of these countries is doable as a non group tour destination?
In 1998 we used a South African company called Drifters to do a 2 week loop from JoāBurg up to Botswana via Vic Falls & back.
Drifters sat somewhere between the back-of-truck backpacker outfits & expensive Game Tour operators. Looks like they are still running, might be worth a look - http://www.drifters.co.za/site-map/private-botswana-tours
It was a great trip. We took Mokoros (dugout canoes with local polers) into the Okavango Delta & camped out, visited Chobe NP etcā¦ Lots of wildlife, esp. Elephants. We preferred it to a similar 2 week trip thru the Kenyan NPās because it felt closer to nature. Though in retrospect, it was probably a bit dangerous taking a tiny dugout thru the labyrinthine, Hippo-infested delta. And I wouldnāt go white-water rafting below Vic Falls again. But heyā¦
Cheers Gnik, Iāll look them up. We went to Vic Falls last time, both sides, actually did the Zambezi in canoes - no real rapids, just a few bumpy bits, but plenty of hippos- and then flew to SA. We only stayed in one camp site in Kruger and definitely want to do at least 3 this time and then head off for a week or so to a country nearby. We wonāt do a guided tour in SA but might have to do one if we go to Botswana or Namibia. 3 weeks max is the aim so we want to limit the options, basically Kruger and one country.
Anyone ever had conversations with French Canadians? I donāt think I had until Saturday night.
We were getting towards the end of a curry in Marylebone when a group of 7 people (6f, 1m) were looking for an outside table. I wrote off their being Canadian due to the absence of the āoat of the hoase, ehā and committed the ultimate insult of asking if they were American.
Noā¦ QuebeƧois, and no trace of a French accentā¦or chips on the shoulders etc.
I canāt ever remember meeting any before. Plesantly surprised.
