South europe
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You are currently reading a thread in /trv/ - Travel
You are currently reading a thread in /trv/ - Travel
In a few weeks I'm leaving on a cycling trip through southern Europe to all way to north cape in Norway. The map is a very rough sketch of my route. I've been in a few of the countries, but haven't really spent that much time in them.
It's a shit load of ground to cover, and too easy to miss cool places to visit, even if I spent days on researching. So if anyone has any tips on where to go and what to visit, especially under-the-radar type of places, or just beautiful nature, like mountains/coastline/national parks.
I will be wild camping, and I'm not that worried about safety, but tips on that are also appreciated.
>>1084213
Hey.
I'll try to suggest some places along or near your route.
Poland:
- Masuria
- Trail of the Eagles' Nests (from Czestochowa to Cracow) - bike trail with amazing medieval castles
- Cracow city
- Tatra mountains - but it may be little difficult for bicycling
Romania:
- DN7C road (Transfăgărășan)
- few castles of Vlad Palovnik (Dracula) - Cetatea Poienari, Peles, Bran
- Berca - muddy volcanoes
I see you don't want to visit Greece. Any good reasons to avoid it?
On my future trip I plan to see Athens, Olympia, Rion-Antirion Bridge.
Montenegro:
- Budva
- Kotor bay, with nearby towns
Croatia:
- Dubrovnik
- Split
- Krka National Park
- Zadar
- Plitvice National Park
Slovenia:
- Bled - castle and Saint Martin Church
Italy
- Pisa
- Rome and Vatican
Of course it's just a few places from many worth to see. I look for some information all the time because I plan such trip, maybe not now but I plan to see Europe on a bike just like you.
Helpful sites:
wikivoyage.org
tripadvisor.com - but sometimes there is imprecise locations of places
http://en.unesco.org/countries
http://www.amusingplanet.com/
For inspiration - relations from bike trips:
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/?o=tS
>>1084243
And as for safety, few tips that came into my head.
I suggest to look in google for images of bills. In Poland, for example, for over 20 years we have new bills. But sometimes those worth nothing old ones can be used to scam foreginers.
Due to imigration crisis some borders may be closed or with increased control.
Apart from that typical safety rules:
- avoiding dark alleys in the night
- not carrying all money in one pocket
- not looking like rich foreginer
- try to avoid political and religious topics
Leave your bike in Austria then visit Italy using public transport, when you have seen Italy pick up your bike and continue on your trip.
If you ride your bike in §Italy near or in Roma or on the Via Aurelia you will die.
>>1084243
>>1084245
Thanks for these, they seem good. I have to check those websites out.
I do want to go to Greece, but I don't have unlimited time, so I might have to skip it if I spend too much time in other countries. I'll go there for sure if I have time.
>>1084320
I might just go north Italy because of the mountains, and do southern part some other time, maybe without a bike. I'd like to see Rome, but biking big cities suck.
>>1084373
>north Italy because of the mountains
Solid plan. Biking in central or southern Italy, certainly around the big cities, is a car accident waiting to happen.
Dont mention italy without florence. The coleseum is cool, but Florence blows Rome out of the water. I dare say its the most beautiful city in all of Europe
>>1084320
do tell
>>1084402
I live in Rome, and only on alloted days where traffic is banned people dare to get their bikes out and cycle around the city.
Other than that it's like the chariot races, and people will knock you over, and rom will steal everything from you if you leave your bike for a second.
See Rome and southern Italy but not with bike and never go near Via Aurelia that takes you up western coast, because all truck drivers who don't want to take the toll motorway use Via Aurelia and probably because their trucks don't meet regulations. So if one doesn't knock you down maybe a crate will fall off and squash you.
People in Veneto, Trento, Lombardia Aosta will be civil to you, and of course Emilia Romangna because they are bike freaks up there.
>>1084401
Most tourists fit into three categories, Roman, Florentine, and Venetian. Each one says what you said about their city of choice.
Florence is ok but a huge tourist trap where they prey on the tourists to rip them off, and gets too crowded.
Veneto is much the same, but smaller. 70 euro's for a gondola ride and 5 euro's for a small bottle of water....gtfo.
Rome is best imo, a bit dirty and lived in but all the major tourist things are here and it is big enough to accomodate tourists and caters to all budgets. Florence and Venice will make a huge crater in your budget, and there are no cheap or modestly priced places to stay.
>>1084213
Why are you avoiding Riga? Cycling through Latvian countryside hardly seems more interesting or convenient.
Venice has been ruined by tourists for the past 100 years. Yes, there are a few nice buildings still, but it's hardly a city anymore, it's suffering from massive depopulation. Of all the places you can see in Northern Italy, Venice is pretty close to the bottom of the list.
>>1084619
I believe this is just some automatic Google Maps route.
>>1084213
Estonian info
If you are going to pass through otepää, near there is a somewhat famous place called "taevaskoja"
Its a park with big sand cliffs in the middle of the forest. Good place to camp out.
Also our environmental agency develops alot of random places in the woods,
basically you can find entire cabins free to use, with furniture, fireplace, log splitter. No need to set a tent next to the highway and hope you dont get squashed.
If you go straight through Riga and towards Tallinn, then Pärnu has the most famous beach in Estonia. Look at some chicks, get a nice tan.
Hopefully by the time you get there the weather will be fine.
Otherwise before Pärnu is a good bog, which i hear isnt common in the rest of Europe, if u are into that sort of thing.
Also buy some vodka.
>>1084619
This. The route through Latvia is probably the most boring possible you could take. East side of the country is already pretty much typical Eastern European countryside and you are avoiding any cities that are even mildly interesting. I sincerely recommend going to Riga, and then sticking to the shore-line as much as possible, going North to Estonia through Saulkrasti. Latvian beaches are actually surprisingly beautiful.
French Basque country?
>>1084536
>>1084386
>>1084538
This is good thanks. I'll just skip the bigger cities if it is even half as bad. I do sometimes just ride through them, but I'd rather not if the traffic is that shitty.
>>1084619
>>1084641
>>1084690
Yeah, this is an automated route. I'm still planning the exact one. Also it always changes on the go. I actually did the Kaunas - Riga - Pärnu - Tallinn route last year, and thought maybe I would go Vilnius and just do the eastern route up to Tallinn, but if there's nothing there, maybe I'll head to Riga. The beaches are nice. Luckily they're kinda small countries so it's pretty fast to go through them.
>>1084935
Might as well if I can squeeze it in
>>1084213
>passing through Albania
enjoy having your kidney stolen
>>1084538
This post is so full of stupid
Sorry
Baltics:
Visit the capitals. No exceptions. Also I would try to stay next to the sea as much as possible. In Lithuania must visit is Trakai (~30 km away from capital Vilnius).
