Many of us feel that the perfect three week vacation achieves a balance between cities and rural areas, between stimulation and relaxation, and between high cuisine and simple rural cooking from local ingredients. We recommend a tour of a major city, then a week in a vacation rental in a region like Tuscany in Italy, or Provence in France, or an exploration of The Cotswolds in England.
For example, you could land in Paris, explore the city for a week, then take off for your week in Provence before heading back to Paris via Lyon and Burgundy. The advantage of a house in Provence in the middle of your vacation is that you can pack light for the other parts of your vacation because you will (usually) have clothes washing facilities in your vacation rental.
Below you'll find some ideas of European regions that offer compelling vacation experiences, from the well-trod and obvious Tuscany and Provence, to some of my favorite off the beaten track areas of Portugal and Germany. The links take you to a map and guide of the region.
1. Tuscany
James Martin
Yes, everyone loves Tuscany--and for good reason. Art, and the wealth that financed it, flourished here. Tourists have adored it for ages, and a very good tourism infrastructure has evolved. Florence, a feather in the cap of a region that sports many feathers, is a treasure trove of Renaissance art and architecture. Other great cities are spread over Italy's largest region: Pisa, Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano, Arezzo, Pistoia, and Voltera all warrant a visit.
But Tuscany isn't made up of wall-to-wall tourists; provinces like the Maremma and sub-regions like the Lunigiana don't see many tourists at all, and are a haven for those who yearn for the "real" Italy, where you'll need to speak some Italian to get the most out of a visit.
A week in the Tuscan countryside will leave you longing for more. Rent or lease a car and enjoy a snug cottage or sprawling villa, depending upon the size of your "entourage" and drive the rolling hills to discover the history, the classic cuisine, and some of the world's most compelling cities and towns.
Home Away offers over 7000 vacation properties in Tuscany (book direct). You'll find everything from apartments in Florence to sprawling villas in the Tuscan Countryside.
2. Provence, France
Provence France Picture © Wanderer's Eye Travel Photography
Provence is the ideal French Rural vacation spot. Drenched in sun, awash in wine and studded with charming towns, Provence offers tourists the chance to live like an artist or movie star. To get an idea of what you can do in a leisurely week in the Luberon you may wish to read: A Week in Provence.
We stayed at an apartment in the town of Lourmarin called Le Petit Reve. It was on the edge of town, a 5 minute walk from the center. The nice thing about Provence is that another charming town is always nearby, so you won't have to drive much to see 15 towns in a week. Like Tuscany, you're likely to find restaurants isolated in the countryside as well as in towns, exploration is encouraged.
HomeAway lists over 1300 vacation properties in Cote d'Azur - Provence, France (book direct). I suggest you start your search in the Vaucluse.
3. The Cotswolds (England)
Like walking from charming village to quaint village through verdant and gentle hills ("wolds") striped with drystone walls? Perhaps the Cotswolds are for you, especially if your romantic notion of merry old England is one of thatched roof cottages and country churches, if not Manor houses like Castle Combe.
If you would rather walk a longer distance, the Cotswold Way is approximately 103 miles long, and offers stunning views of the countryside.
The Cotswolds are immersed in some very compelling English countryside, between Bath and Stratford-upon-Avon, so you'll have no end of places to explore. United Kingdom Travel offers a list of Day Trips and Short Breaks in the Cotswolds and Oxfordshire.
The Costwods are located in what is called the "heart" of England. HomeAway lists over 400 vacation properties in the region (book direct).
4. The Dordogne (France)
The Dordogne is a fascinating region of prehistoric painted caves like Lascaux and Font de Gaume, museums like the National Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies, and a fine cuisine. Towns like Sarlat and Beynac are popular with tourists. Not convinced? See Kilby Carr's pictures: The breathtaking formations of the Dordogne Valley.
What we call the Dordogne is located in the Aquitaine region of France. HomeAway lists over 6000 rental properties in Aquitaine.
5. Pfalz (Palatinate) and the German Wine Road (Germany)
James Martin
Just north of Alsace is the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz). Within this region is a wine region I like a lot. It's the area surrounding the German Wine route. Expect castles, a forest Reserve, vineyards set on rolling hillsides, good wine at much better prices than you'll find in Alsace, and great food (try the Saumagen, but don't ask what it's made of!).
HomeAway lists over 90 vacation rentals in the Palatinate. If you'd rather stay in a small and inexpensive hotel with a great restaurant, try the Hotel Restaurant Rebmann in Leinsweiler.
6. North Holland (Nord Holland)
North Holland (Nord Holland) is one of my very favorite parts of the Netherlands. You'll find the famous cheese markets of Alkmaar and Edam, the Viking Center at Den Oever, Keukenhof gardens for tulipx, and the living museum of Zaanse Schans, where real folks demonstrate life as it was lived in the 17th and 18th centuries. The region also includes Amsterdam, for those canaled-city lovers. And you can always escape to Texel Island.
HomeAway lists over 600 vacation rentals in North Holland (book direct).
7. The Alentejo (Portugal)
James Martin
The Alentejo region of Portugal is the area east of Lisbon. It's one of those up-and-coming tourist regions with many whitewashed towns with castles, a rapidly developing wine industry (the homemade wine, Vinho de Talha, is made in 1000 liter clay pots in the same way as the Romans made wine), and a fine cuisine (try the black pork, pata negra. The wine and food comes together when you stay at a historic inn called a Pousada (see: What is a Pousada), like the Pousada de Sao Francesco in Beja. The advantage of the Alentejo over other places in this article is the value. Even luxury lodging like you'll find at a Pousada is relatively inexpensive.
If you'd like to save even more money by staying a week or more, the Alentejo region is an ideal place to rent a vacation home or cottage. There is plenty to do in the region, including exploring the nearby Schist Villages. HomeAway lists over 140 properties in the Alentejo region.
