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And
suddenly travel in Europe goes wobbly again. The weather could well
be gorgeous and there are loads of events, but school's out in the
last half of the month, and millions hit the road. Prices up, accomodation
down, crowds increase exponentially. Southern Europe gets oven-baked.
It's
a good time to hit north Europe and mountain areas. n.b. avoid prime
tourist locations the last half of July, if possible.
Map
of Europe | European
Walking Tours | Europe
Tours | Travel Directory
Europe
Festivities: see European
Festivals or Arts
Festivals for more suggestions, information and some
precise dates.
Italy:
The Palio of Siena
[medieval bareback horse race] about 2nd July and 16th August.
Venice, Festa del Redentore
- a huge flotilla of decorated boats travel around the canals; it's
a regatta with fireworks.
Germany
Rhine in Flames at Rüdesheim and Bingen, 50km from Frankfurt
- an amazing all-round fireworks display from boats, stately buildings
and the surrounding countryside.
Berlin, Love Parade - the wackiest
of local festivals, a weekend of ecstatic body-baring by 1.5 million
techno- ravers.
Ireland,
Galway Arts Festival - Ireland's biggest arts jamboree, with all
kinds of entertainment, street, theatre, music, kid's stuff, exhibitions,
concerts.
France:
Festival d'Avignon[theatre] mid July-mid August.
Chaumont Garden Festival - thirty wonderful and sometimes wacky
show gardens around a perfect chateau [castle], every year 15 May-19
October.
Paris, Bastille Day - parties,
parades, fireworks, picnics, July 14th.
Spain:
Running of the Bulls, [Los Sanfermines] Pamplona, early July, one
week.
Barcelona, Summer Festival
[del Grec], theatre, dance and music, late June - late August.
Switzerland
: Montreux International
Jazz Festival [many kinds of music featured, in spite of the name]
from early July, 2 weeks.
Netherlands:
The Hague's North Sea Jazz Festival, mid July, 3 days.
Germany:
Wagner Festival, Bayreuth [very expensive and elitist] late July
- late August.
England:
London, BBC Proms [Classical
music] Concerts mid July- early Sept.
Wimbledon Tennis Champs. June/July.
Womad world music festival, Reading, late July, 3 days.
Cambridge, Cambridge Folk Festival - the real deal for the folks
who like the music.
Scotland:
T in the Park rock festival in beautriful countryside, Balado, near
Kinross, early July, 3 days.
Wales:
International Music Eisteddfod, Llangollen, 6 days, early July.
Hungary:
Sopron festival Weeks, ancient music and dance, June & July,
Sopron.
Austria:The
Salzburg International
Festival [music], late July- end of August.
Vienna, ImPulsTanz - a dynamic
and diverse dance festival across the whole of lovely Vienna, early
July - early August.
Greece:
Athens Festival,
drama and music in ancient theatres. June-Sept.
Denmark: Roskilde Festival, north Europe's largest rock music festival,
late June-early July.
Copenhagen Jazz Festival,
early July, one week.
Copenhagen Summer Festival, chamber and classical music concerts,
end July-mid August.
Turkey: International
Istanbul Festival of Arts,
late June-mid July.
Finland:
Savonlinna Opera Fest at medieval Olavinnlinna Castle.
For sightseeing/culture:
Norway [esp. Oslo, Bergen, Risor]
Sweden [esp. Stockholm, Visby, Oland]
Finland [Helsinki]
Iceland [Reykjavik]
Austria [esp. Vienna, Land Salzburg,
St Wolfgang, Mutters, Portschach, Bad Aussee]
Belgium [esp. Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp,
Bruges, the Ardennes]
Hungary [esp. Budapest, Szentendre,
Lake Balaton, Eger]
Czech
Rep. [esp. Prague, Bohemia
province, Karlovy Vary, Karlstejn castle]
Poland [from mid-May, esp. Krakow, Tatras Mountains]
Denmark [esp.Copenhagen,
Ribe, Arhus, Mons Klint, Egeskov Castle]
UK [esp. London, Windsor, Stonehenge, Dorset, Stratford, Oxford, York, Lake
District, Edinburgh].
Ireland [Dublin, Kilkenny, Wexford]
Spain [esp.Barcelona, Seville,
Granada, Cordoba, Madrid]
Portugal [esp. Lisbon, Sintra, Evora,
and the Algarve - but little cuture at the latter, only for beaches]
Italy [esp. Venice, Florence, Rome, Genoa,
Pompeii, Amalfi, Sicily]
Croatia [esp. Dubrovnik, Hvar, Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Trogir]
Greece [esp. Athens,
the Peloponnese peninsula, Meteora, the
islands]
France [esp. Paris, Ile-de-France, Loire
Valley, the Alps, Burgandy, Avignon, Arles, Riviera]
Switzerland [esp. Zurich, Lausanne, Lucerne, Zermatt, Jungfrau Region]
Netherlands [esp. Amsterdam, Keukenhof, The
Hague, Delft,
Barrier Dam, Leiden].
Germany [esp. Berlin, Potsdam, Munich,
Berchtesgaden, Bamberg, Heidelberg,
Lubeck]
European
Country Pictures:
Austria
| England
| Finland
| Greece
| Iceland
| Italy
| Netherlands
[Holland] | Norway
| Portugal
| Russia
| Spain
| Sweden
| Switzerland
| Turkey
European
City Pictures:
Amsterdam
| Athens
| Budapest
| Edinburgh
| Genoa
| Lisbon
| London
| Madrid
| Paris
| Prague
| Rome
| Venice
| Vienna
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