Looking for international destination suggestions

[Fireat50]

Long time reader. First time poster. Current plan is to to travel internationally about 2/3 of the year starting in 2020. Looking for suggested destinations.

We would like to find places that we can stay in one place for at least one month. Although we enjoy brief visits to major cities, we would prefer to find smaller cities/towns that are some combination of quaint, quiet and pleasant. Preferably there would be things to do nearby, but those things may just be an interesting market, park or natural feature instead of major tourist attraction.

Positive specific characteristics of a locale for us include: easy public transport or no need for much transport (we rarely rent cars), we usually prefer moderate cost of living (more because we find it comfortable) but do make exceptions, cooler temperatures or access to easy freshwater swimming, good food, interesting cultures, reasonable internet access (e.g., stream Netflix) and an absence of crowds. English is a positive but we are fairly experienced with traveling and living in non-English speaking locations.

Hoping someone here can recommend some good options to consider.

Suggestions?

 

[davebarnes]

We just spent time in Bologna. Awesome train connections for day trips.
We are in Ljubljana now. Slovenia is a great country. Sadly, everyone speaks English. The people are very friendly.

 

[brett]

Since retiring eight years ago we have spent five winters in S/E Asia and/ or Australia. Usually a month or so in each of Thailand, Vietnam, and/or Oz.

In Sept/oct we tend to go to Southern Europe for seven weeks. Just finishing up three/fourweeks in Greece and on to two weeks in Cyprus next week. Italy, Spain, and Portugal are also favourites of ours. Next time it will be Morocco.

The world is there. Just look about and see what grabs your fancy. We have never had a language problem. Never rent cars in Thailand or Vietnam but do so elsewhere. Italy by train is easy. You need a car for Oz. You do not need a car for some of the smaller Greek Islands but you do for the Ionian Islands (where we are at the moment) and for Crete.

 

[Fireat50]

We loved Slovenia. Lake Bled was especially nice. Any less touristy places in Portugal, Thailand or Vietnam that you would recommend?

 

[brett]

In Portugal we enjoyed the north...especially the Douro Valley. In Thailand we like Koh Ngai, Koh Libong, and Baan Krut and areas south. We started at the bottom of Vietnam and worked our way north over a month. We purposely stayed away from large branded hotels and tour groups in favour of small family run hotels and restaurants. We also did a home stay in the Mekong delta area.

 

[davebarnes]

We just spent 10 days in Slovenia.
4 in Piran and 6 in Ljubljana.
A wonderful country. [Sadly] Everyone speaks English.
The people are very friendly.

 

[DrRoy]

Perhaps Chartre, France. Not far from Paris and lots to see in Normandy.

 

[Bamaman]

Please don't forget that you will be limited to 90 days within the European Union out of 180 days under the Schengen Agreement.

We were in Spain early this Summer, and found it very inexpensive to stay outside of the larger cities. We loved Granada where we rented an apartment.

Budapest is another Go To city for us, with very reasonable housing and food palatable to our American tastes.

 

[Nemo2]

Euro Disney meets most of your criteria.

 

[Fireat50]

Thanks for the suggestions. We'd considered Chartre on a previous trip and may need to dust that off again. I'll start researching the Douro Valley, Koh Ngai, Koh Libong, and Baan Krut.

 

[Rianne]

We would like to find places that we can stay in one place for at least one month. Although we enjoy brief visits to major cities, we would prefer to find smaller cities/towns that are some combination of quaint, quiet and pleasant. Preferably there would be things to do nearby, but those things may just be an interesting market, park or natural feature instead of major tourist attraction.
Suggestions?

Olomouc, Czech Republic. A University town, quaint and beautiful with a rich history. Lovely, friendly people and very affordable. The train system will take you to Vienna, Budapest, Prague for further adventure. The restaurants/food/culture...wonderful. I'd live there for an entire spring-summer. Winters might be challenging.

 

[Gumby]

We very much enjoyed Madeira. The weather is in the 65-75 degree range pretty much year round. If you want cooler, you can go uphill. Walking the levadas is very relaxing, moderate exercise and a good way to see things. You really don't need to speak Portuguese. The food is good and the culture is interesting. There is a great amount of natural beauty. We stayed in a luxury hotel (Reid's Palace), so that was expensive, but the cost of living in general didn't seem that expensive. Europeans vacation there, but you won't find many Americans. Cruise ships also stop in Funchal occasionally.

While we only spent a week, I think it would be very good for a month or more.

 

[Nemo2]

We very much enjoyed Madeira.

We'd like to stay on Madeira's Principality of Pontinha - that'd be neat, close to the dock, a good view, and lots of cats.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/principality-of-pontinha

 

[OldShooter]

Rather than jump into the deep end of the pool, I'd suggest planning some wide-ranging trips with private guides specifically tasked with your selection criteria.

One option for you might be somewhere in central Europe. We just got back (in May) from a trip that included Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. These are not grim post-communist countries. Budapest, for example, reminded us of Paris. I can give you contact information for the excellent guide/driver that we had. He works all over Europe and his rates are quite low.

 

[Teacher Terry]

One of our favorite countries is Poland. Very beautiful, inexpensive and the people are nice. Kraków is a gorgeous city.

 

[Freedom56]

Long time reader. First time poster. Current plan is to to travel internationally about 2/3 of the year starting in 2020. Looking for suggested destinations.

We would like to find places that we can stay in one place for at least one month. Although we enjoy brief visits to major cities, we would prefer to find smaller cities/towns that are some combination of quaint, quiet and pleasant. Preferably there would be things to do nearby, but those things may just be an interesting market, park or natural feature instead of major tourist attraction.

Positive specific characteristics of a locale for us include: easy public transport or no need for much transport (we rarely rent cars), we usually prefer moderate cost of living (more because we find it comfortable) but do make exceptions, cooler temperatures or access to easy freshwater swimming, good food, interesting cultures, reasonable internet access (e.g., stream Netflix) and an absence of crowds. English is a positive but we are fairly experienced with traveling and living in non-English speaking locations.

Hoping someone here can recommend some good options to consider.

Suggestions?

I traveled internationally a lot for work and now we are in our 5th year of retirement and continue to travel even more. As far as international destinations, it all depends on what you want. If you want great food and wine and all the scenic glory then, Southern France (Nice, Cannes) is a great place to be and also Italy (Amalfi coast, Stresa and Borromean islands, Tuscany region). Barcelona and Valencia in Southern Spain are also a great places to visit. I would visit Switzerland. We visit there every year and it is our base for travelling through Europe. Public transportation is great over there if you don't want to rent a car. The scenery is breathtaking and if you enjoy hiking and cycling it's even better. We recorded this video during our trip earlier this year to give you and idea.

 

[brett]

We recently travelled in The Greek Ionian Islands for three weeks. Corfu, Kefalonia, and Zakynthos. We had the impression that a fair number of people come to the first two for a month or two at a time.

We are currently on Cyprus for two weeks and it appears That longer term rentals are even more common. We are told that there is a website for Brits who own homes, apts and who wish to rent them for longer periods.

Interestingly, there is a luxury waterfront condo development beside our hotel. Big ads in English and Chinese reporting that purchase will qualify the buyer for Cyprus residency and EU passport.

 

[check6]

I would visit Switzerland. We visit there every year and it is our base for travelling through Europe. Public transportation is great over there if you don't want to rent a car. The scenery is breathtaking and if you enjoy hiking and cycling it's even better. We recorded this video during our trip earlier this year to give you and idea.]

Great video. I discovered Switzerland in '76 when stationed in Europe. Have been going back every other year for the last 20. Wengen, overlooking the Lauterbrunnen Valley is my favorite place in the world.

 

[Freedom56]

Great video. I discovered Switzerland in '76 when stationed in Europe. Have been going back every other year for the last 20. Wengen, overlooking the Lauterbrunnen Valley is my favorite place in the world.

Thanks... I married a Swiss woman, so we have been going back every year for the past 29 years. We have a home near Lausanne where we spend about two months of the year. The view of the Lauterbrunnen Valley from the bench below the church in Wengen is one of the nicest on the planet. Montreux Switzerland is our favorite city. It's absolutely stunning.

 

[brokrken]

We just spent time in Bologna. Awesome train connections for day trips.
We are in Ljubljana now. Slovenia is a great country. Sadly, everyone speaks English. The people are very friendly.

+1 to this. What a great place. But, let's keep that between us. I wouldn't want everyone finding out.

 

[anethum]

Thus far, I think that only 1 reply mentioned any locations outside of Europe. I've traveled plenty in Europe, but there's a whole lot else to see in our world.

Some ideas:

Oaxaca, Mexico. Guanajuato, Mexico. San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico.

Medellin, Colombia. Bariloche, Argentina.

Chiang Mai, Thailand (Dec-Feb only, due to excessive heat the rest of the year)

Penang, Malaysia. (One of my favorite places in Asia. Wonderful British colonial architecture. Great food (Chinese & Indian). Lots of places to visit.

These meet most of your criteria except for freshwater swimming. Bariloche is next to a huge, beautiful lake, though I think the water is pretty cold.

 

[check6]

The view of the Lauterbrunnen Valley from the bench below the church in Wengen is one of the nicest on the planet. Montreux Switzerland is our favorite city. It's absolutely stunning.

I know that bench! Another place away from the tourists is south of the train station on the lower walk past Mary's Cafe and another 5 min.

Thanks for the tip on Montreux. We have not visited the Lake Geneva area.

 

[Freedom56]

I know that bench! Another place away from the tourists is south of the train station on the lower walk past Mary's Cafe and another 5 min.

Thanks for the tip on Montreux. We have not visited the Lake Geneva area.

Man you really know the place and locations where to hide from the swarms of mobile phones with selfie sticks. The lake Geneva area is nice. We will be back next May through July. I want to ride and video record the Gelmer funicular next trip.

You should also visit Stresa Italy and Borromean Islands. It's a place where northern Italians and the Swiss spend their vacations. The place is absolutely incredible and only 20 minutes from the Swiss border and 45 minute drive north from Milan Italy.

 

[anethum]

Positive specific characteristics of a locale for us include: easy public transport or no need for much transport (we rarely rent cars), we usually prefer moderate cost of living (more because we find it comfortable) but do make exceptions, cooler temperatures or access to easy freshwater swimming, good food, interesting cultures, reasonable internet access (e.g., stream Netflix) and an absence of crowds. English is a positive but we are fairly experienced with traveling and living in non-English speaking locations.

emphasis mine

I would hardly classify as Switzerland as having a "moderate cost of living". At this time it's one of the most expensive countries in the world to visit.

 

[Freedom56]

emphasis mine

I would hardly classify as Switzerland as having a "moderate cost of living". At this time it's one of the most expensive countries in the world to visit.

I agree it's expensive living there. But no worse than many major western European cities or places like Hawaii or Tokyo. To put things into perspective, after dropping anywhere from $5000 to $9000 for two airline tickets to get there, the rest of the expenses are moderate. After 29 years of traveling to Switzerland annually, I have become numb to the costs but will say that I would rather spend money and go to a place that I really like rather than a low cost destination that will have us wishing we stayed home. You only live once.