From England to Italy: Five Less-Crowded Places to Check Out in Europe This Summer

It’s shaping up to be another “Summer of Europe,” with more flights than ever for both Canadians and Americans and a surging demand. Here are five of fave, mostly lesser-known places to explore.

CIRQUE DE GAVARNIE, FRANCE

 

 

The drive to get here is nice. But nothing prepared me for the moment when I came around a corner and was confronted with a truly massive, craggy circle of stone and ancient rock rising up at the end of an impossibly beautiful, green valley. There are jagged edges and smoothly worn bowls and patches of snow in shady pockets in mid-summer. Just for good measure, there’s also a wide ribbon of water spilling down the left side of the rock and falling hundreds of meters toward the valley floor; one of the prettiest waterfalls I’ve seen and also the highest in mainland France at an impressive 422 meters.

I’d seen pictures of this area of the Pyrenees mountains in southwest France, but the size and majesty had escaped me, as can often happen when one peers at miniature photos on an electronic computer screen to try to get a sense of such a wide and thoroughly impressive world.

I only had a couple hours to explore the park, which is about a one-hour drive south of Lourdes, but it left a huge impression. There’s an easy trail that takes you alongside a grey river of cool mountain water. You’ll also pass small farms dotted with pasture land and rolls of hay before you reach a wild meadow that might be filled with pale lavender wildflowers. I’m very much a sun and beach person, but something about being around mountains like this is more enthralling, more deeply emotional.

FOWEY, ENGLAND

 

I had a tremendous visit to the Cornwall region of southwest England in the fall of 2023. On my final morning in the areal I parked at the top of a hill and negotiated some steep stairs down to the village. As I walked I caught glimpses of a church spire and a blue harbour backed by verdant, green hills. 

I found a coffee shop called Brown Sugar, with friendly locals and a great barista, and took my excellent latte to the waterfront to watch the boats go by. The town seems quite prosperous, but not what I’d say overly touristed. Pebble and Salt is a gorgeous home décor store, while Kittows of Fowey is a marvelous deli and butcher shop. I was intrigued by Mad Fowey, which has a brightly colored sign and calls itself a Mechanical Art and Design Museum and Shop. “Crash, bang, wallop, it all happens in M.A.D.,” a sign read.

I also spotted the Fowey (it’s pronounced Foy, as In Joy, by the way) Aquarium, which has sea creatures from up and down the Cornish coast. An amusing sign outside said the facility is home to Shirley the Starfish and Bernard the Gurnard, and that’s tough to beat.

On the wall of The Ship Inn I discovered a small blue sign that reads, “Fowey Town Band established here in 1966. Playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order.”

I love this part of England. And I love this town.

BRATISLAVA (AND MODRA), SLOVAKIA

This is a handsome city on the Danube River in Slovakia, with a beautiful central plaza and prosperous shops. I spotted a couple of lovely flower shops with brilliantly colored bouquets, and soft green buildings with stately arches.

The main square features a lovely, creamy yellow church with a pale green spire. I also found the locals super helpful with directions and advice about what to see and where to find particular items. It’s a popular city that’s on most Danube cruise itineraries, but it’s not nearly as crowded as bigger European capitals.

Not far from the city (maybe a half-hour) is the town of Modra, where you’ll find an exceptionally fine art museum/gallery (Zoya Gallery and Zoya Museum) with an excellent winery attached (Elesko Wine Park). We stopped in on an Avalon Waterways cruise and had a truly impressive meal with wine pairings in a sun-drenched room of the museum that featured wildly colorful art on the walls. It was one of the highlights of our cruise, and very much unexpected.

PONZA, ITALY

 

Sure, Capri is lovely. But it’s often overrun with tourists from around the world. My suggestion? Try Ponza, a small but impressive and beautiful island a little north. It’s quite popular with Romans, so I suggest going in spring or fall to avoid the Italian  summer vacation schedule, which I believe is still centred around the month of August.

You can get here via a ferry from Anzio, which is an easy train ride from Rome. You’ll find those typical, ochre-orange and red-painted waterfront buildings lining the harbor, which is a deep shade of blue and filled with working-class fishing boats. I’m sure there are some yachts that pull in and now then, but this isn’t the kind of showy spot that you’ll find along the Amalfi Coast. There’s a two-level terrace right outside the port. The lower version was selling trashy t-shirts and floppy lavender hats when we visited, but the upstairs area had shops featuring designer purses and fine wines.

If the weather cooperates, a boat ride to the Blue Grotto is highly recommended. The Chiaia di Luna is a stunning, imposing bay with a beach that’s backed by sharp, sandy cliffs that rise several hundred feet in the air. Simply sensational. The island also has small, pretty churches and great swimming and diving.

SLOVENIA

I fell in love with this country on a visit in 2009. It’s an astonishing little corner of Europe that’s tucked into a little pocket with Italy (and the Adriatic Sea) on the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the east and Croatia to the south. It’s a small country that’s only a little larger than the state of Connecticut, but features more variety per square mile than any country I’ve ever seen.

The Adriatic coast feels very much like Italy, with red-tiled roofs and lively, waterfront cafes. The capital of Ljubljana feels like a miniature version of Salzburg, with a pretty castle on a hill and gorgeous, pastel buildings lining a river. Lake Bled is a fairytale spot not from Ljubljana, with a pretty lake surrounded by jagged, snow-capped mountains, a castle on a hill, and an island with a pretty church on it. I’m shocked Disney hasn’t yet made a movie about this place. (Oh, don’t miss a chance to try a Lake Bled crème cake; light and delicious). This tiny nation also features deep, raging, jade-green rivers in limestone canyons, vast caves, and pretty, rolling farmland. It’s quite an astonishing place.

MORE TRADITIONAL OPTIONS

MSN.com recently posted a useful story on how to enjoy the most popular cities of Europe, including Paris, London, Rome, Athens, Dublin and Barcelona. Hope you find it useful.