Suggestions for our autumn holiday please!

March 20, 2007 9:27 AM

My partner and I went to Italy about three years ago (tuscany) and I fell in love with the place. I just love the hilltop towns, the landscape, the history and the people. We were set to go this Autumn but she just mentioned to me that she might like to go somewhere else instead but has no idea where

We will probably have about £1000 each for the two weeks for accommodation and spending. I want to go somewhere romantic (we've been together 13 years and... well... I might just be trying to plan asking a big and long overdue question), historic, traditional but pretty luxurious and away from other touristy types if possible!

Europe would be my favourite destination but it wouldn't stop me from going somewhere else if anyone has better ideas. At the minute I'm thinking Belgium, possibly Austria or the South of France. Definate no-no's are Spain and Romania (my GF just won't go back after a few bad holidays)

Please help with some ideas!

posted by twistedonion to travel & transportation (22 comments total)

I feel like I'm giving away a secret, but the Ile de Re, is ridiculously nice. Romantic (tick), historic (tick), traditional (tick), and luxurious if you pick a nice hotel, such as Le Senechal.
posted by roofus at 9:33 AM on March 20, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

Santorini is an obvious recommendation.
posted by paulsc at 9:41 AM on March 20, 2007

Some friends (a couple) had an amazing time (and took some fantastic pictures) in Malta.
posted by backwards guitar at 9:42 AM on March 20, 2007

Vienna!
posted by matteo at 9:42 AM on March 20, 2007

I went to Stockholm, Sweden last August, and it was absolutely delightful. It's a rather small but bustling city - it's possible to walk across the whole thing in less than half an hour! Lots of beautiful hills and blue water and quaint houses. I stayed in a residential (non-touristy) district and had kaffe at a local park surrounded by families out for a stroll, etc. etc.

There is a touristy district but I managed to avoid it, mostly.
posted by muddgirl at 9:43 AM on March 20, 2007

Oh man, I can't suggest the Périgord enough. I work there (archaeology) in the summers, centered around Sarlat and Les Eyzies. By autumn, all of the tourists should be gone. It's romantic, historic (castles! painted caves!), delicious (home of duck and foie gras [and I'm a vegetarian recommending this...]), and beautiful. I'd suggest proposing at Domme, a gorgeous medieval hilltop town that looks out over the Dordogne Valley.
posted by The Michael The at 9:43 AM on March 20, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

How about Aix-en-Provence?
posted by contessa at 9:44 AM on March 20, 2007

btw, email's in the profile if you want more specific Périgord/Dordogne recommendations.
posted by The Michael The at 9:44 AM on March 20, 2007

I'm probably biased because I'm a skiier, but I highly recommend Austria. I usually stay in Innsbruck and day trip to skiing, but if you're not skiing Vienna's probably a better choice.

The coffee and chocolate are incredible.The people are nice and the food is good. And Austria is cheap compared to a lot of other Alp countries.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 9:48 AM on March 20, 2007

Istanbul. People who have been there will know what I mean. It's hazy, and marvelous, and very romantic.
posted by nathancaswell at 9:58 AM on March 20, 2007

I would also suggest Turkey especially the coastal regions. Also consider coastal regions of Croatia or anything really along the Adriatic. Egypt is pretty inexpensive but it is hella hot during certain months. Turkey has great food, inexpensive and truly is chuckful of history.
posted by jadepearl at 10:21 AM on March 20, 2007

I was gonna say Greece.
posted by Sassyfras at 10:22 AM on March 20, 2007

Provence.

That's probably the next logical step if you loved Tuscany.
posted by Jay Reimenschneider at 10:28 AM on March 20, 2007

You can't beat Italy. Everything you say in your introduction is on target - the towns, the landscape, the art, the people, the cuisine, the history. Here's a couple of non-Tuscan suggestions that your Girlfriend might like.

The Italian Alps, simply because there's nowhere in the world more physically beautiful in any season. In Autumn there will be a few chairlifts working for walkers, you can stay cheaply in out of season ski-resorts and ramble through the wildflowers. The Lake District is more popular and more expensive, but you might find it more you.

The Amalfi Coast. Which you can combine with a visit to Naples, Pompeii and Vesuvius. It's impossible to describe this coast, have a look on Google Earth with the vertical exaggeration turned up and you'll start to understand.

Sicily. This is a history thing. Read The Kingdom in the Sun and then try not to go.

If there's some deep reason for not wanting to holiday in Italy, there's a cheat. Do what Benny Andajetz suggests above and base yourself in Innsbruck. Then hire a car for a day and drive from Innsbruck south across the Brenner Pass. It is the most astonishing, spectacular drive on the planet. You can make it back to Austria through Cortina in time for supper.

A couple of other suggestions. Almost all of Austria is stunningly beautiful and Saltzburg is an obvious base, but the Hohe Tauern National Park is spectacular even by Austrian standards. Have a look.

Garmisch-Parternkirchen is rather nice and it's as romatic as Germany gets. It's a good driving base, just round the corner from Neuschwanstein. You can also hop over to Innsbruck and then do the Brenner Pass. Do you see a pattern here?

Belgium? Meh. Bruges for two days. Then what? Fiendishly expensive.

The English Lakes. This is where the English go to propose (if they don't go to Miami). Walking, climbing little mountains that look huge but that you can climb in a couple of hours. In the autumn, golden bracken, mists, mushrooms, log fires and pints of beer. English spoken. Beartrix Potter and Wordsworth on tap. Just a thought.

Oh yes, finally, err .... this is complicated. Still with me? OK. Cyprus. It's a sleeply, sunny agricultural island, experiencing a tourist boom - the mountains will remind you of Tuscany - but that's not the point. The point is to take a 'mini-cruise' from Limassol to Haifa and from there visit either the Galillee or Jerusalem. There are plenty of companies offering simple and cheap three day packages - you get to spend one day in Israel. It's not enough, but it's safe and it's easy and everything is done for you. If you liked Italy, for the reasons that you gave, Israel is the next level up.
posted by grahamwell at 10:29 AM on March 20, 2007 [3 favorites has favorites]

A few comments:

Santorini is beautiful, except for the fact that it is surrounded on all sides by enormous cruise ships, and filled with tourists. I'd pass.

Istanbul is interesting, but there's really only a few days worth of activities, the markets are full of pushy vendors trying to sell you caviar and rugs, and it's kind of filthy. I have no idea what jadepearl ate, but I found the food to be boring, repetitive and mediocre.

The South of France really depends on which town you mean. Nice is a vacation hot-bed, and kind of an anti-tuscany. Other places are quite nice though.

I love Austria, Belgium and the Perigord and Provence regions of France as well.

You could probably do a fairly leisurely tour, hitting 3 or 4 major destinations, with some nice leisurely drives in between.
posted by mosch at 10:47 AM on March 20, 2007

My partner and I fell in love with the Aude region of southern France, to the extent we bought a house there. Hire a boat from Nicols or Minervois Cruisers and putter along the Canal du Midi. You will be going close to the time of the grape harvest so you will see on the local roads small tractors with heaping loads of grapes, headed for the wineries. The trees on the banks of the canal will probably be turning color then, too.
posted by jet_silver at 12:36 PM on March 20, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

Seconding the Brenner Pass. It's spectacular.
Also, how about the Czech Republic beautiful, historical, and romantic. Prague is littered with tourists, but I loved Cesky Krumlov and nearby towns toward the south. Plus it's inexpensive to travel there.
posted by bassjump at 2:37 PM on March 20, 2007

Once you're there, I mean, it's cheap to travel around the Czech Republic. Plus the countryside around the towns is lovely.
posted by bassjump at 2:41 PM on March 20, 2007

Greek Isles as in not Santorini. Hit the smaller joints like Rhodes and Patmos, maybe Samos...Mykonos is a little touristy too but could be nice depending on when you go.

Anyway they meet all your criteria and there's already a couple of good AskMe's out there on them if you search the tags (Greece, etc.).
posted by allkindsoftime at 5:16 PM on March 20, 2007

Consider Croatia and Slovenia. (And, if you do, don't forget to contact Mefite #15427.)
posted by rob511 at 6:29 PM on March 20, 2007

Thanks for all the tips! Got exactly what I expected from the mefi crowd... I think I want to visit pretty much every place you've mentioned. I started marking best answers but I think most of them are!

Been to Vienna (It's pretty much soley responsible for my career as a graphic designer - visiting there at 17 was a wonderful experience) and it had crossed my mind, not sure I want my main holiday of the year to be based in a city though.

The Czech Republic looks class and Greece would be wonderful. Trying to get my girlfriend to consider the Périgord at the minute... but for some reason she doesn't seem too keen on France and is leaning towards the Czech Republic herself.

Thanks again, you've all made me look like a real great boyfriend who has done loads of research!
posted by twistedonion at 12:51 PM on March 22, 2007

A pleasure. If you're inclining towards the Czech Republic, here's a couple of suggestions.

The valley of the Elbe, in the north of the country, becomes very pretty as it threads into Germany. Karlsbad and Marienbad are said to be very pretty too and full of history.

If you stay in Prague and fancy an adventure - drive or get the train to Venice. The drive is spectacular, through the magical Austrian tunnels as one mountain range yeilds to another. At the end of a day's drive there's Venice. Can't beat that.

The Czech republic is fun but be warned, one of the problems with communism was environmental. They raped the land. The scars are healing, but they are there.

In contrast, Slovenia is magical. It's a lovely, good natured little country with a delightful capital and a fantastic feel-good optimism about it. The place to go is Lake Bled. Really. That's the place - with a side trip to Venice. Sorted.
posted by grahamwell at 9:16 PM on March 23, 2007