Summer is near and you and your SO craving being alone, somewhere far away from all the people you know so you can enjoy each other to the maximum possible. When searching for destinations each couple has some basic things they want to keep in mind like the budget, the hotel, safety. Most prefer sunny beaches (after all it is summer) but some prefer a livelier place with a crazy nightlife and others something lively but relaxing or something completely silent, a ‘only you and me’ situation. Whichever preference you have for your vacation, here are the top ten places I have found by talking to friends and from my own experiences:
10. USA: If you’re the ‘backpacker’ type, you can book tickets to USA for around £257 (Edinburgh to Hartford, Connecticut and return, Skyscanner) in June or around £340 (London to New York and return, Skyscanner) in July. Then, by renting a car for around £40 per day or using the train you can go around the USA. Places that I was told were best to visit were Arizona (Grand Canyon and the Colorado River), San Fransisco (Chinatown, Yosemite National Park), Los Angeles (for obvious reasons), Florida (Walt Disney World), Washington and New York. Of course, there are downsides like this trip would not come cheap and depending on how long you stay you would not be able to do everything as the USA is huge but depending on each couple’s priorities you can plan your own route.
9. EuroTrip: Using interrail there are a lot of destinations to choose from: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey. There are different routes you can take depending on what each couple wants and different passes for youths under 27 for example, travel on 5 days within a period of 15 days for £186 or travel on 7 days within a period of 1 month for £221.
8. Egypt: Egypt is not only pyramids and pharaohs – which are all very interesting – but there are lot more things to do. In Cairo there are the Egyptian Museum and in Giza the Ancient Egyptian pyramids and the Great Sphinx but if you go to Hurghada (you can fly straight to Hurghada for around £160 (Skyscanner)) there are diving packages for around £17 per dive. In Sharm El Sheikh the Red Sea’s warm water is just what you need for a relaxing swim.
7. Festivals: If you and your SO are into music, there are a lot of festivals going on in the summer around Europe you can clash with your summer vacation: Creamfields, Darensbury, UK (24-27 August), Lowlands, Netherlands (18-20 August), Sziget Festival, Hungary (9-16 August), OFF Festival, Poland (4-6 August), Awakenings Festival, Spaarnwoude, Netherlands (24-25 June), Tomorrowland, Belgium (21-23 July), Positivus Festival, Latvia (14-16 July), Sea Dance, Montegro (13-15 July), Super Bock Super Rock, Lisbon, Portugal (13-15 July), EXIT Festival, Serbia (6-9 July), Balaton Sound, Zamardi, Hungary (5-9 July), Rockfest, Barcelona (30 June – 2 July), Hellfest Open Air, Clisson, France (16-18 June)
6. Portugal: If you are on a budget Portugal has one of the cheapest flight tickets for example, from Birmingham to Porto is only £39 and from London to Lisbon £77. If you and your SO want a lively nightlife Lisbon is for you but if you want something more relaxing like their golden beaches and breathtaking cliffs, Algarve or Madeira is the place for you.
5. Malta: St. Paul’s Bay and Silema are best for nightlife, bars and pubs as well as restaurants but their beaches are a bit rocky. You can have a boat tour from the Grand Harbour at 10 per person for 30 minutes and if you are into historic areas Hal Saflieni Hypogeum which is an UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
4. Greece: If you like great sandy beaches with a clear blue ocean and delicious seafood, as well as, a very relaxing but lively place for couples Santorini, Patmos or Kefalonia are the places best to go. For Santorini you can find direct flights from London at around £155 in July or you can go through Athens, Eleftherios Venizelos and then get a ferry towards Santorini or the other two islands.
3. France: We all know that Paris (from London to Paris £63 in July) is the city of love but if you are on a budget Lyon (from London to Lyon £55 in July), Biarritz (from London to Biarritz £38 in July) or Chassignolles would still be a great place to go for couples. Chassignolles is a very relaxed and beautiful village with a surrounding countryside and the only place to stay is at Auberge de Chassignolles which is a 12th century church.
2. Spain: Spain is a famous vacation spot due to its amazing food, welcoming people, lively lifestyle and warm beaches. The most popular places that you should think about are Barcelona (very artistic, beautiful beaches and lively atmosphere), Galicia (you can stay at Vigo Plaza Hotel, there are beautiful beaches and the Santiago de Compuesta Cathedral as well as the Tower of Hercules), Granada, Andalusia (great food from the locals in a tapeo, you can see the beautiful white villages while walking through the routes and its beautiful coastline of Costa del Sol) , Madrid (the capital with a lively nightlife, the Royal Palace and home of Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium for any football fans) and Majorca (sandy beaches and mountain villages).
1. Italy: I know it is very cliché to put Italy as the first place to go for couples but it is so for a reason. Places like Rome are great for historic reasons with beautiful churches, the Colosseum, and museums like the Da Vinci Museum. Venice – which I will talk from experience – is the best place to go for a relaxed vacation where you and your SO can concentrate on one another and your profound love. Venice has great views with its canals and you should really go on a gondola ride and see all the beautiful houses. It’s so small that you can walk the streets on a day and I highly recommend visiting the nearby islands Murano and Burano for a day which are equally beautiful: Burano with is coloured houses and Murano which is called the Glass Island.
Edited by Susan Akyeampong
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