This is part 2 of a 3 part series with great suggestions for Euro Summer Destinations. Of course all of these spots below are beautiful and some draw crowds, but we generally found them all to be quite peaceful and LESS crowded than other parts of Europe. I don’t think any of them are reached by cruise ship, which is a huge benefit and can keep crowds down. Many are a bit smaller so I do recommend making reservations before you visit.
Klaipeda, Lithuania
I am willing to bet you’ve never heard of this place. If you have, kudos to you! If you’ve spent part of your Euro Summer here, I’m even more impressed. We wanted to explore beyond Vilnius in Lithuania and when I started googling, this spot kept coming up. If you’re visiting in the summer, the highlight of your time here will be the Curonian Split. It is actually an extremely large sand dune that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. It is easily reached by ferry from Klaipeda and is such a great adventure. We rented bikes during our stay here and used them to get all around. The beaches are some of the most lovely and peaceful we’ve ever experienced. There are wildflowers growing on the dunes, you can bike through the forest like landscapes to get to the beaches, and you can enjoy the beach without another soul in site.
The town of Klaipeda is also extremely charming. There is wonderful food here and some absolutely lovely streets to wander. We enjoyed shopping the market here to get picnic supplies and then taking them over to the beach to enjoy. You wont find any major crowds here like some other European spots, but it deserves them! It is a really special place that I’d highly recommend.
If you’re interested in more information about our Euro Summer road trip through the Baltics you can check out my post here —-> Baltics Road Trip: Estonia, Latvia, & Lithuania
Tallinn, Estonia
Tallinn truly looks like a fairytale and feels like magic. Visiting this area in the summer is so special because you have almost endless daylight. The sun sets around midnight and rises around 4 am. The weather is also FANTASTIC. It is warm but not scorching like so many Euro Summer destinations.
The Old Town is incredible with the most stunning square, beautiful churches, lovely restaurants, gardens, a fortress, and so much more. Outside of the Old Town, Tallinn also has an area called Telliskivi creative city. This area is filled with markets, galleries, street art, cafes, etc. Both the new and old areas of Tallinn are amazing to explore and it’s neat to be able to have two such different vibes in essentially the same place!
We found Tallinn to be a city that was full of surprises! Our airbnb itself was a little a-frame inside a garden that sometimes operated as a champagne bar. There were so many charming little courtyards, wine bars, places to eat, etc that we never got bored here.
If you’re interested in tours and experiences in Tallinn you can check some out here —-> Tallinn Tours
Rovnij, Croatia
One of the things I love the most about Rovinj was that it felt like the happiest mix of Italy and Croatia. Rovinj is actually quite close to the border of Italy and many of the Croatian towns here have a bit of an Italian vibe. The alleys of Rovinj are picture perfect and so colorful. We spent our time here hanging by the sea, enjoying all of the amazing food, relaxing at the most lovely oceanside bars, and just soaking in the best of our Euro Summer. We did a food tour here that we really enjoyed and was our first introduction into Croatian cuisine. We also loved sitting at Mediterraneo Cocktail Bar, which I still consider to be one of the most beautiful places to have a drink in the world.
If you want more information on our Croatian road trip from North to South, you can check it out here —-> Road Trip: Croatia
Belluno, Italy
Belluno was our final stop on our trip in the Italian Dolomites and it truly surprised us. Upon arrival it seemed like a sleepy Italian mountain town. We weren’t sure what to think, but as our time here went on, we came to find it so incredibly charming. The streets here are stunningly beautiful and they really come alive later in the day when everyone returns from spending time in the surrounding mountains.
The local people here were incredibly kind and welcoming. We enjoyed stopping in bread shops, pasta shops, down home restaurants, the most lovely wine bars, etc. This would be a great place to base while visiting the Dolomites. Belluno is perfect if you want a more relaxed and local feel. You could easily spend your days in the mountains and your evenings sipping aperitivo and walking the lovely streets. Maybe not the Euro Summer you imagined but it is a glorious way to spend it!
We visited Belluno as the final stop on our Alta Via 1 hike in the Dolomites. If you’re interested in more information about the hike you can find it here —> Everything You Need to Know to Hike the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites
Gozo Island, Malta
Many people day trip to Gozo Island off of Malta. I highly recommend you break the mold and stay over. There is so much to offer here that we actually spent 3 days. You can take a short and easy ferry ride here from Valetta in Malta. We rented quads and rode around the island, beach hopped to some of the most unique beaches, ate incredible food, and did so much more! We had an amazing dinner experience at Maldonado Bistro that was kind of like a dinner & wine tasting show, which I highly recommend. This is really some of the best that Euro Summer has to offer!
The best thing we did on Malta was having a curated picnic on the salt flats put together by Gozo Picnic. It was so good I wrote a whole blog post about it. You can find it here —-> Picnic Experience on Gozo Island
Gozo never felt crowded, although it is admittedly a very hot Euro summer destination. There is so much to explore here and we loved how rustic and unique it was.
If you’re interested in more about Gozo I wrote a post with plenty to do —-> How to Spend 48 Hours on Gozo Island
Andros, Greece
Another Greek island that I truly believe you should see! We stayed in Batsi Bay which was the most charming little village. It had everything you could want out of a Greek vacation. We rented a quad to explore exciting beaches around the island. We also had some wonderful beaches right on our doorstep. We also used the quad to visit the Chora (which is the main town of Andros). We loved the quad, but this island is larger and I think if we returned I would rent a car instead.
We ate amazing Greek food in town and Batsi has the absolute best placement for having a beautiful meal during the sunset. We ate at the same place twice here, which we almost never do on vacation, and if you visit I highly recommend Stamatis Taverna. There are so many charming bars and cafes to relax by the water. There are bread & pastry shops to get treats and greek doughnuts. You really can make a vacation on Andros as adventurous or as relaxing as you want. You can get the pretty white washed alleys and greek Euro summer vibes without the crowds.
If this sounds like your vibe, I wrote a post about this and another lesser known island called Syros, you can find it here —-> Underrated Greek Islands: Andros & Syros
If you’re looking for tours and experiences on Andros you can check here —–> Andros Tours
Prosecco Hills, Italy
I am mind blown by how many people skip this little area of Italy between Venice and the Dolomites. But I guess that’s a plus for you and me, because you’ll have such a peaceful experience. The actual main town of the Prosecco Hills is called Conegliano. It is very charming, but we stayed just outside the town at Tenuta Mani Sagge. I couldn’t recommend doing it this way more highly. Mani Sagge has possibly the best Prosecco we’ve ever had. We loved being able to relax and taste it on the property. They had e-bikes for rent so we could ride into town, visit the castle, bike through the vineyards, and simply enjoy the surrounding area. The castle was so beautiful and had views over the entire countryside and vineyards in the area. I do recommend popping up for a drink & the view! The best part about it is the weather here is peak Euro Summer perfection.
If you’re looking for more information about visiting this area, I wrote a whole post about it here —-> The Best Way to Experience Italys Prosecco Hills
If you’re interested in staying at Mani Sagge (which you should be), you can click it out here —> Tenuta Mani Sagge
Berat, Albania
A UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most unique and special places we’ve visited. Berat has been nicknamed the city of 1000 windows for the way that the windows of the homes on the hillsides can be seen from the town. The castle up on the hill is one of the most lovely complexes we’ve seen. It’s like it’s own little world up there and it is absolutely perfect for sunset. The local people in this town were incredibly kind (as was the case all over Albania). Our guesthouse was perfection and the food at the guesthouse, and in town, was fantastic. Having dinner at Homemade food Lili was one of the highlights of our entire time in Albania. We also did a number of wine tastings in and around Berat and very much enjoyed the experience. This may not be the first place you think of when you think Euro summer, but it could and should be!
I love Berat so much of course I wrote a whole mini guide about it, you can find it here —-> Mini Guide: Berat, Albania
Vilnius, Lithuania
We found Vilnius to be an incredibly peaceful and charming place. We loved wandering the streets and alleys and seeing all the action in the bigger squares. There were lots of lovely bars, restaurants, and cafes, and it was such a bright and welcoming visit. We went on a hot air balloon ride here and had the most fantastic time! Vilnius is also home to a unique and artist area called “Uzupis” which is across the small river and has a vibe entirely it’s own. Uzupis even has it’s own constitution which you can read on the wall plaques in the neighborhood. As with Tallinn, Vilnius is bright and comfortable in the summer. You can explore almost all hours of the day and enjoy the excellent weather and daylight! This makes it another perfect Euro Summer Destination.
If you want to know more about our hot air balloon ride I have a whole post about it here —-> Hot Air Balloon Ride in Vilnius, Lithuania
If you want to just book this experience, you can click here —-> Hot Air Balloon Ride
If you’re looking for other tours in Vilnius you can find them here —–> Vilnius Tours
Courmayeur, Italy
When the mountains of Italy are being discussed I feel like it’s almost always about the Dolomites. But Courmayeur is a real charmer and should NOT be overlooked! This is where we began our Tour Du Mont Blanc Trek. But this town is so much more than just a starting point. We loved spending time here, and I honestly wished we’d had more.
The views from pretty much anywhere in this town are fantastic, and you can see Mont Blanc in the distance. I’m ashamed to admit that this was the first place in my life I had both tomato sauce and pesto sauce together on a pasta. I am a forever changed woman. We visited in the summer but you can tell how incredibly cozy it would be to visit here in the winter as well. It has such a resort town feel and has the most beautiful river running through. You can take cable cars up into the mountains from here, as well as make day hikes, or begin a longer hike from here. The town is lovely to see from above as well and I couldn’t recommend a visit here during your Euro summer more.
If you’re interested in reading more about Courmayeur I have a post you can check out here —-> Why You Should Check Out Charming Courmayeur, Italy
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