Me, too. Here are my freshest finds that reinvigorated the continent for me.

Where to Go, Stay, and Dine – Beyond the Obvious Destination

My Picks from Croatia, Slovenia, Spain, Italy, France

I promised myself I wouldn’t go to Europe again.
My heart yearns to return to Asia, all the time. I haven’t set foot in South America yet. The only place I have lived in and have seen a lot of is…Europe.

A traveler always has to decide — return to a place they already know they love, or see someplace new?

Yet with a strong dollar and a conference in one of my favorite places in the world, it wasn’t exactly hard to persuade me to reconsider. I was spending a month in Europe: some new places (Croatia, Slovenia) and some classics revisited (Spain, France, Italy.) Truth be told, my heart skips a beat every time I think about traveling in Europe. Though I know I need to venture out to see more of the world, it can be difficult to repeatedly resist Europe’s charms…

You all asked, and so I sat down to recap the best eats, stays, views, and experiences (that’s almost all the senses.) While I’ll be writing about many of these in more detail, I thought it might be helpful to have a list of everything altogether.

I’ve narrowed it down to a (*cough, short*) list.  It might seem like a random collection of recommendations, but I’m confident it will send some of you off to some of the best experiences in the world.
First off, here’s where I went:

Croatia: Dubrovnik, Mali Ston, Split, Hvar, Trogir, Plitvice, Krka, Zagreb
Slovenia: Ljubljana, Bled
Bosnia: Mostar
Spain: Málaga, Álora, Cordoba, Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Costa Brava
France: Arles, Nice, Eze, Villefranche-sur-mer
Italy: Genova, Rome

Recommendations in each category are in that order. If there’s a specific restaurant that I found to be particularly good for that dish, it is listed as well.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out! These were my highlights though, and I’ve listed extensively where I would happily return to.

(And if you find yourself at any of these places, please do let me know! I would be so happy to hear about it. Each of these places holds a special place in my travel memories!)
HAPPY EATING + TRAVELING!

Eats

Oysters in Mali Ston (Croatia) (This type of unique “flat” oyster can only be found in one bay in the whole world)

Bota Sare (also locations in Dubrovnik, Split, and Zagreb though this is the original)

Vila Koruna (three is also a small inn above the restaurant)

Struckli (Croatia) (Just do it!)

Le Bistro Esplanade, Zagreb (try one savory with salt and one sweet with sugar!)

Lamb under the iron bell (Peka) (Croatia)

Konavoski Dvori, Ljuta, Croatia (just south of the Dubrovnik airport, a taxi can easily take you)

Dalmatian Ham/Pag Cheese (Croatia)

Burek (Bosnia, throughout the region) (You had me at meat pastry.)
Veal stew with chive dumplings and buckwheat (Slovenia)

Gostilna Murka in Bled (try any of their traditional menus!)

Pumpkin Seed Oil (Slovenia) (It’s ridiculously amazing, put it on everything.)
Scorpion Fish (If freshly caught – it looks scary but it’s really, really tasty. Also try octopus salad!) (Croatia)

Gariful – Hvar, Croatia

Pan com tomate (pan amb tomaquet) (Catalunya)
Cava y Pimientos con queso y más cava (Or actually, everything from this restaurant) (Catalunya)

El Xampanyet (Carrer de Montcada 22, Barcelona)

Botifarra (a traditional Catalunyan sausage)

Can Tosca (discovered on Devour Barcelona Four Tour)

El Xampayet (above) – had an incredible botifarra with crispy chickpeas here.

Gelateria Rocambolesc – Girona, Spain

It’s own separate listing, because it’s beautiful, inventive gelato from the geniuses (the Roca brothers) who bring us El Celler de Can Roca (just named the top restaurant in the world.)

Berenjenas con Miel de Caña (Spain)

Restaurante Sol del Rio – Álora, Andalucia, Spain

Salad with foie gras shavings, caramelized apple and pomegranate (Spain)

Restaurant El Pedro – Pals, Catalunya, Spain

Pasta alla Pesto Genovese

Trattoria Da Maria (Vico Testadoro, 14r, Genova, Italy)

Pasta in Rome: cacio e pepe, carbonara, and/or amatriciana (Rome)

Flavio al Velavevodetto, Testaccio, Rome, Italy

Suppli (Italy)

Trapizzino  – Rome, Italy

Wines of note:

• Dingač (red – Croatia)
• Cava (sparkling, Catalunya)
• Anything from Empordà (Catalunya)
• Rosé (France, Provence)
• Frascanti (white – Rome, Italy)

For the cocktail lover, here are a few favorite spirits I particularly enjoyed in their respective countries:

• Rakija (Croatia) (a grappa-type spirit, try the traditional travarica made with herbs.)
• Ratifia (Mediterranean Spain and France)
• Vermouth (all over…mmm)
• Tinto de verano (Spain)
• Gin and tonic (all the rage in Spain right now)
• Aperol Spritz (Italy)

Stays

I stayed in 25+ different spots over the course of several weeks. Here were the standouts:

Hotel Adriana (Hvar, Croatia)

Importanne Resort (Dubrovnik, Croatia)

Hotel Esplanade (Zagreb, Croatia)

TOC hostel (gorgeous hostel in Madrid, Spain)

El Cortijo Valverde (just outside of Álora, Spain)

Hotel Aigua Blava (Costa Brava, Spain)

Sant Pere del Bosc (Costa Brava, Spain)

L’Auberge du Pelerin et du Voyageur (Arles, France – though I hesitate to recommend it as the staff could use some help in the polite department…it’s a beautiful, affordable, central spot where there are limited options for solo travelers. And to balance out the scales, I made an amazing French friend there!)

Abbey Hostel Genova (Genoa, Italy)

The Beehive (Rome, Italy)

Views

Soaking up the atmosphere of a beautiful place is one of my favorite things about travel. It makes me feel alive, vibrant, and optimistic about our world.
Here are a few memorable views that come immediately to mind…

• Waterfront in Hvar
• Upper Lakes of Plitvice National Park
• Dubrovnik from the tram and city walls
• Lake Bled, Slovenia
• Côte d’Azur from Eze (Le Jardin Exotique)
• The Spanish countryside in Álora
• Barcelona from Passion Tower of La Sagrada Familia
• The alleyways of Andalucia (Córdoba pictured)
• Waking up in Costa Brava
• Coastal walk in Palafrugell, Cataluynya
• By the Onyar River in Girona, Catalunya (La Terra cafe)
• The small streets of Provence (Arles pictured)
• Looking up in Genoa, Italy

Experiences

Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb (Croatia)

Climbing to the Mala Osojnica (viewpoint) of Lake Bled (Slovenia)

Swimming in Krka National Park (Croatia)

Old Bridge of Mostar (Bosnia)

Photo by Brad Bernard of MyWanderlist

Oyster farming in Mali Ston (Croatia)

Train from Ljubljana to Munich through the Austrian countryside (scenery galore!)

Zagreb coffee shops/Zagreb by night (especially with Secret Zagreb Walks)

Sitting riverside in Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Walking the El Caminito del Rey (Alora, Spain – just reopened!)

Flamenco show in Málaga (not touristy!) 

Wandering the Mesquita of Córdoba (magnificent)

Learning how to Casteller (Catalan human towers)

Yoga in the Sant Clotide Gardens (Lloret de Mar, Catalunya)

Small winery in Costa Brava (Finca Bell Lloc – they make (and raise) every product on site!)

Lunch in a traditional barraca on the beach in Costa Brava

Food Tour: Devour Barcelona

Saturday market in Arles

Discovering Testaccio + Food Tour: Eating Italy

Walking the city center of Rome by night (Best time to see Rome! Please be aware of your safety)

While this by no means encompasses my entire time in these countries, I hope it does give you a reason to dream — a reason to plan! — your next trip. Perhaps it will give you a few places or the best European travel experiences for your travel wish list. It’s also a preview of what awaits you, dear reader, in the coming months.

For now, whet your appetite over with my piece on European rail travel on Huffington Post Travel.

After all, it’s the experiences that make a place and the stories that shape the experience…

Where do you most look forward to reading about? 

Disclaimer: As a travel writer, I am often invited to experience destinations, hotels, restaurants, or tours. I only say ‘yes’ to the ones that truly interest me, and I only share those which I wholeheartedly recommend. I also pay for the majority of my travel out of my own pocket, and I so appreciate the partners who make it possible for me to bring you a wider range of experiences here on the blog.

*Some posts on this site contain affiliate links.  If you purchase something through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting the site!

The post European Experiences for the Traveler Who Has “Done” Europe appeared first on Part-Time Traveler.

I was a college student on a limited budget. I remember feeling unsure of whether I should go. What about the football games I’d miss, my boyfriend on another continent? (What a silly child I was — always book the ticket and just go.) Yet once I made the decision I began to tell everyone I knew about where I was going.

That summer I’d been working in the kitchen at the golf course near my parent’s house. The chef happened to be from Spain. I had forgotten this fact when I sputtered around asking for extra shifts (I’d need the money for Barcelona, after all.)
This chef called me into his office (uh oh.) What had I done wrong?

He reached into a wooden drawer full of pens. I panicked, thinking there would be no other reason to summon me out of the kitchen unless I was in trouble.

Instead I saw him begin to sketch what later resembled the coastline of Spain. “Oh, it’s Spain!” I shouted as I realized.

“This is not Spain, Anne. It is Catalunya. Very big difference,” he told me. I hadn’t even gotten there yet, and I already had so very much to learn.

“And this, this is a place that’s very dear to me. It’s a beautiful place just beside where I grew up.” He wrote letters next to the very rough drawing. T-o-s-s-a…

That’s what led me and ten other students on a bus, journeying out of the city and up to a beach town I hadn’t otherwise heard about. We spent the day in the sun, dancing the sardana with locals, eating fresh fish from the sea, climbing the small hill to see a small castle tower.

It took me nearly ten years to get back to that magical spot. When I headed back to Costa Brava some ten years later for work, I had changed in so many ways. To my delight, Tossa de Mar and its neighboring coastal paths and quiet villages…had not.

May it not take you as long to seek out this beautiful, peaceful, welcoming patch of our world as it took me.

—

The area is best known for resort towns like Lloret de Mar, but don’t stop exploring beyond there….

Costa Brava Towns You Should Know About

Tossa de Mar

Calella S’Alguer

Llafranc

Tamariu

Begur

Where to Stay in Costa Brava:

• Hotel San Roc (Palafrugell)
• Hotel Aiguablava (Begur)
• Hotel Trias (Palamós)
• Hotel Llevant (Llafranc)
• Sant Pere del Bosc (Lloret de Mar)

Where to Eat in Costa Brava:

• Restaurant El Pedro (Pals)
• Restaurant Aiguablava (Begur)
• Finca Bell-loc (countryside near Palamós)

What To Do in Costa Brava:

• Cap Roig gardens
• The medieval town of Pals (a bit inland)
• Costa Brava from the water (boating!)
• Walk the Cami de Ronda (coastal paths)
• Beaches (located throughout)

Don’t miss these other more well-known Costa Brava towns, villages, and nearby cities:
Cadaques
Barcelona
Girona

Ready to plan a trip?
The Costa Brava tourism site is very helpful!
My friends (and Girona residents) have a great introduction the region on Only in Costa Brava.
And don’t leave without eating as much fresh Catalunyan food as possible.

This trip was supported in part by the Costa Brava/Girona tourism board. All opinions are strictly my own!

:: save for later ::

The post Five Hidden Costa Brava Towns You Should Know About appeared first on Part-Time Traveler.

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