There is much more to Italy than Rome, Florence, and Venice. We do recommend visiting those three cities if you have never been to Italy before. However, there is so much more to explore. In between trips to Croatia, we had the opportunity to go up to Trieste, very close to the Croatia and Slovenia border. Although we spent only a short time there, we found it to be a refreshing and most enjoyable way to experience Italy. Read about our short visit to Trieste in today's blog post.
One of the advantages of running small group tours to Europe, is that we get to visit a variety of different places. Sometimes we do it with our small group tours, sometimes we visit these small cities when doing research for a tour. In today's blog post The Traveling Professor tells you about his favorite small cities in Europe, one each in France, Italy, and Norway and two in Austria.
We've spent the last two Christmas seasons in Bavaria and Austria. We've enjoyed it very much with all of the traditions and special customs. In today's blog post, I will try to describe how the holiday season is celebrated in these different countries, according to our experiences in our small group tours to the Bavarian and Austrian Christmas tours that we have done in the past. My overall comment about how Christmas is celebrated in this part of the world is that it is less commercial than what we do in the United States. Of course there are malls and gift giving, but in Bavaria and Austria it seems to be more of a social event. See my blog post for more details.
As I write this, it is over 90 degrees Farenheit in the Northeast United States. Boy, do I wish I could go somewhere where it is cool now. I'm thinking of some of my favorite destinations to visit in the winter time. Check out The Traveling Professor's blog post and get some advice on some good places to go when the weather isn't hot.
The Traveling Professor recently completed a small group tour to the Christmas Markets of Austria. We visited Vienna, Steyr, Salzburg, and Innsbruck. We had a delightful time at these Austrian Christmas Markets! Our itinerary included 3 nights to visit the Vienna Christmas markets and a day trip to the Steyr Kristkindl Christmas markets. We arrived in Salzburg for the Christmas Markets there for 3 nights then 2 nights for the Innsbruck Christmas Markets. Read about my hotel recommendations and reviews here.
I am a semi-regular guest on the Scott Thompson radio program in Hamilton, Ontario. In between interviews on the eclipse and Jerry Lewis, Scott spoke with me on-air about stories he heard about tourists no longer being welcome in Europe such as this one. He also had some anecdotal stories of being treated rudely in Italy. We had about 10 minutes to talk on air and afterwards, my website lit up like a Christmas tree. See my comments on tourists being treated rudely or not being welcome in Europe.
Last year, The Traveling Professor ran the inaugural Christmas Markets of Austria and Bavaria tour. Our journey was like going back in time, to the Christmas you remember as a child. Local markets with hand-made crafts, hot mulled wine, horses clip-clopping on the cobblestone, trumpeters in the evening, carolers, and lots of good cheer. This year we go back with a slightly modified itinerary. See my blog post on what its like to visit Austria and Bavaria for at Christmas time.
The Traveling Professor took his first small group tour to Vienna last November-December when travelers went on the inaugural tour to the Austrian and the Baviarian Christmas markets. There is plenty to see and do in Vienna, and by itself, deserves a 5-7 day itself. In this blog post, The Traveling Professor tells you the Top 5 things to do in Vienna.
The Traveling Professor is adding a new small group tour for 2017: Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. There is no doubt, these are the most beautiful cities in Europe. And yes, I will go out on a limb and say they are more beautiful than my beloved Paris. The cities of Budapest, Vienna, and Prague offer an unusually good value compared to other parts of Europe. We have picked special hotels, have developed a wonderful small group tour itinerary, and have some great itineraries lined up. Read more in the blog post.
If you ask me, cities like Rome, Venice, and Paris are barely worth visiting during peak times. Our Traveling Professor small group tours avoid these cities in the summer and certain holiday periods. However, there are gems located all over Europe that can be visited any time of the year. Each has it's own charms for different reasons. On your next tour to Europe, try visiting one of these cities, even for only a day. I guarantee you will enjoy them.