What are your favorite places in Europe
 

My wife and I will leave NE China on our RTW in mid July and our route will take us thru Mongolia to Moscow and then south to Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Israel arriving in Greece in Feb. 2007. We will then ride the N coast of the Med to Morocco and then N to France. I have heard the NW Romania is a must visit place but then so are so many other areas of Europe. We would generally like to avoid as many large cities as possible (Paris, London, Rome are obvious exceptions) but there are so many place we are just not sure where to go or what to see. Here is my question: Can you suggest your ONE favorite place to visit and perhaps the reason it is your favorite?

Thanx in advance

Hard Choice!
 

One only… that’s a hard choice. I have a soft spot for Gallipoli because of its beauty and historical poignancy but in terms of unmissable sights I’ll nominate:

Cappadocia – because it’s unique to that region of Turkey and although a bit touristy has a friendly relaxed feel and good weather.

http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/sites/site_357.jpg

Outside of Europe, I’ll say Palmyra, a slice of ancient history on the Silk Route which is not visited anywhere near as much as Petra.

http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/sites/site_23.jpg

Both my choices are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Stephan

I got lost going from Albania into Greece and ended up at a high altitude lake between Albania and Macedonia - good twisting roads in the mountains, some harsh switchbacks, a bit of dirt and the most beautifull place I have been in Europe - highly recommended!! Just avoid the capital Tirana like the plague, very heavy psychotic traffic, awful roads (great fun apart from the traffic) and no signs in any language.

Croatia also fantastic place - Dubrovnik beats hell out of Paris or Rome and is a fraction of the size. Brilliant new road from Split to near the Slovenian border (made me wish I had a Fireblade - not much 'fun' but very comfortable on a sports tourer)

oops, thats two.......

J & J, I'll cheat and say my "favorite" place would be northen Italy. "Cheat" because I include Venice (though NOT in the peak summer tourist season!), and the regions of Lago di Guarda and Lago di Como. It might be nice for you two to park the bike, take a break from the road, and enjoy the network of ferries that criss-cross the beautiful lakes. The food, wine, coffee and scenery are unforgettable and the folks are just great. Forget Las Vegas- visit the real Bellagio! Also, if you want sheer, spectacular beauty in the alps, Grindlewald and the Lauterbrunnen Valley, both near Interlaken, are absolutely stunning. I know this is more than one suggestion, hope you can see at least one on your journey. Hope to see you two in Mongolia or Russia. Dave.

I agree, the Italian Alps are stunning. Just returned from Sicily through Como - absolutely stunning. I must confess, though, that Sicily is one of my favourite spots from now on. I rode down there 3rd week of May and stayed there for a week before returning. I'll definitely go back! We spent most time in the north-eastern parts of Sicily - Capo d'Orlando area. Messina is awful, but Taormina and the Etna region is great! Prices are really good, and the food and wine even better. Next time I'll spend at least a month there, riding all over the island.

Hi J&J
Sorry, can't restrict myself to one place. So here goes.

IMO the best concentration of good biking roads and nice scenery in Europe is the eastern Austria Alps (Steiermark/Karnten, extending into Slovenia), and western Czech Republic (Bohmerwald). This forms one continuous area roughly between Trieste and Prague. There is far less traffic than in the Swiss/Italian/French Alps further west, and the scenery is stunning.

Other top places:

Dubrovnik and the Croatian coast
Salamanca, Sevilla, Santiago de Compostela, Toledo, Granada (OK, I'm biased, I live in Spain...)
Gdansk, Krakow
Transylvania (Romania)

Nigelrojo, I'm with you! Choosing one favorite place in Europe just ain't right. One poor devil on this post suggested some places in southern Italy- and he's from Norway...talk about a country loaded with beautiful places! Heck, this is why I never understand the 1000 mile "iron butt" crowd, slow up and see more, not less. Have fun J&J, see you out there!

Well, I guess you grow blind of things you see every day, right? ;-)

Anyway: Norway is great too - but I loved Sicily. Of course, food and wine had a lot to do with this. And it for sure made me slow down, to put it that way. I hardly used my bike for several days indulging myself in Sicilian cuisine. Which isn't half bad, I'd say.

Indu, just so you know, I meant that many are unaware just how amazing Norway is. For you, coming from Norway, to recommend Sicily as your one choice is high praise indeed. I've always wanted to see Sicily. I have friends in Rome I intend to visit on this ride, I hope to include Sicily as well- now more than ever! Dave.

Interesting or beautiful?
 

What happened to Finland and South Spain?
Some places in Turkey also very beautiful.

I can't pass Norway.

Croatia and some parts of Italy also marvellous.

So we can't talk about only one place.

Yes, Italy is great. The Dolomites are stunning but the Apenines are fantastic too and a lot less developed. Really Peaceful.
Norway is amazing. All of it. It is quite possibly the finest country in the world.
Matt

wow, just one place?!
 

yep hard work and though i am a big italophile too, to name just one place i too have to go for Croatia. specifically, the island of Korcula. we were there in about september, camped alone on beatiful beaches, old olive terraces with unbeatable views of the blue adriatic, drank beer and coffee with friendly locals, rode empty roads and generally ahd a blast. stunning place. sure the other islands are great too.
check Out for a spin: Azure
also agree the mainland coastal roads fab riding too. shame it doesn't seem to fit into your north coast of africa route, but hey, plans are made for changing, no?
keep it upright,
andy.

Favourite places - Norway and the midnight sun....otherwise Plitvice Lakes (Croatia)......personally I found that whilst Italy is beautiful, it's busy and pricey - I'd rather be off the beaten track!

My favorite place is France, actully Pariz. I love Eiffel tower.

That lake on the Albania/Macedonia border is Lake Ohrid. We stayed there 3 weeks ago, and I can confirm it is stunningly beautiful. The old town of Ohrid is right on the lake shore, with several old churches, beaches and fantastic scenery. This place will never be mobbed by travellers because is it such a long way from everywhere and difficult to get to. It's well worth making the effort to get there though, IMHO it's up there with Plitvicka lakes and the Dolomites for sheer beauty.