Some of the more interesting places i've been to in Europe
@Misanthrope @horrie hastings if youre still looking for some ideas
Spanish Pyreness, between Barcelona and San Sebastian
Some stunning scenery and towns, good hiking and national parks if you're into that.
Some of the towns on the eastern side, despite being beautiful, seemed a bit dead tbh, but we didn't have too long to linger around and explore or dig too deeply.
Andorra is worth a stop. Odd little place. Not sure what to recommend specifically except just wandering around for a few days exploring and eating.
Further west things got a bit more lively, with some friends showing us around their hometown of Jaca, where I also spent a morning watching Roosters spank Souths on my laptop while scoffing down pinxos and beers. I've heard Pamplona is nice outside of Running of the Bulls season, the only time i've been there. San Sebastian is awesome and the nearby beach town of Zaurutz is a popular surfing destination in summer.
Switzerland and Iceland
Grouping these two together not due to any similar location or culture
and nor are they really 'out there' interesting destinations these days
but they're both excellent, incredible scenery, and absurdly expensive prices.
Taking the train around Switzerland is great, they have these huge window designs that means you can see every peak, glacier and lake that sweeps past.
Iceland doesn't have any trains to my knowledge, but one road around the entire country that has to be seen to be believed.
Stuttgart, Germany
The biggest Oktoberfest celebration in Germany, but with a fraction of the Aussie and American tourists? Stuttgart's Cannstater Volksfest. Afterwards you can check out some of the dozens of cool little towns and villages, go north up to the Rhine, or south down to the Alps.
Croatia (and Slovenia)
Dubrovnik gets all the attention but Split is the better town. Dobrovnik has a bit of Venice syndrome where the locals have been all but driven out and prices gone through the roof due to overtourism thanks to the fame of Game of Thrones filming and the government refusing to limit cruise ships. But head up the coast and enjoy the drive and the food. Also worth popping inland to Zargeb, one of the more underrated capitals. Zagreb, and Ljubljana across the border in Slovenia, have 2 of the best Christmas Markets going. Better than the more popular ones in bigger destinations like Salzburg.
Balkans
Visiting in late Autumn meant an already pretty thin tourist infrastructure was basically switched off so outside the major cities, it was all self-guided tours. Some really interesting history, quality food, nice people, old-world architecture, and dirt cheap prices. I remember in Montenegro paying about $15 a night for a full, modern apartment with views of the bay and mountains, and the host greeted us with beer and homemade ice cream and talked our ears off.
A stand-out were the old castles strewn about the entire coastline. Over in Scotland and Germany, the castles are renovated and decked out with cheap props and guided by dodgy actors for $30 a visit. In Albania and Bosnia, a gold coin donation lets you wander around a crumbling relic basically left alone for the last few hundred years. More enjoyable for me than the medieval fair experience you get in more developed tourism.
Albania is well worth a visit. It has a North Korea-esque history which it is still recovering from and is fascinating to learn about. Wonderful old towns like Gjirokaster and Berat, perched up in the mountains. The worst drivers on earth, which would make the dodgiest Vietnamese cabbie blush. And again, nice people and delicious food.
