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  #1  
Old 17 May 2006
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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
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  #2  
Old 18 May 2006
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Lightbulb 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.



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.



Both my choices are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Stephan
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  #3  
Old 18 May 2006
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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.......
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  #4  
Old 11 Jun 2006
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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.
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  #5  
Old 11 Jun 2006
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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.
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  #6  
Old 12 Jun 2006
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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)
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  #7  
Old 8 Sep 2008
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Quote:
Originally Posted by henryuk View Post
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.......
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.
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  #8  
Old 8 Sep 2008
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Sorry I cant pick any of these above the other so here goes, and in no particular order:
- The big fjords in central Norway like Hardanger, Sognefjord or Geiranger (this experience very much depends on the weather!)
- Lake Como, north Italy
- Costa Amalfitano, south Italy
- Meteora monasteries, north Greece
- Schwartzwald, the big forests, little towns and curvy roads in southern Germany.
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  #9  
Old 12 Sep 2008
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Slovakia, Czech republic
Dukla Pass, High Tatra's Low tatra's, Not expensive, great twisties, good , good digs etc etc and its as central as you can get in Europe, Bratislava, Vienna, Brno.
Nice run from Cherbourg is Down the coast to La Rochelle, Toulouse over the Black hills to the med and then along the coast to Genoa accrooss to Lake Garda, go up the Left side heading for the alps. Head for Vienna, into Bratislava, then To Banska Bystrica, Martin to Dukla, Dukla to Krakow, Krakow to Ostrava in the Czech Rep and then to Decin also in the czech rep up to Berlin and then back over, Via Lux and Belguim. Great Mix of Secondard roads and Highway
Noel
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  #10  
Old 12 Sep 2008
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No place like home.
Eastern Asturias remains, after 8 years of riding all over, breathtaking.
The "Picos de Europa", is in my opinion, unbeatable (and thats even though I live here) Yubiii.
Love and peace,
Dan
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