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Europe : Mediterranean Europe

Mediterranean Europe

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Mediterranean Europe is the name of the region which encompasses those countries in the South of Europe that are close to the Mediterranean Sea. They have a common climate, so they are similar in many ways: culture, food, etc.

Historic cities with a clearly Mediterranean culture include many outside the region — Sudak in Ukraine, Acre in Israel, Alexandria in Egypt, and Carthage in Tunisia.

Countries

Other territories

  • Gibraltar in the strait between Spain and Africa

Cities

While the best parts of Southern Europe are probably the coast, and the cities can be loud, hot, and noisy, these great cities are must-sees for your vacation:

  • Athens, Greece - Smoggy and crowded concrete city of famous Greek ruins, especially the Acropolis hill
  • Barcelona, Spain - Another historic city with a huge, but unfinished, cathedral
  • Dubrovnik, Croatia - Coastal town full of orange rooftops and back streets
  • Istanbul, Turkey - City on two continents, has two massive mosques and one massive bazaar
  • Lisbon, Portugal - Although facing the Atlantic Ocean, this city still has a Mediterranean culture
  • Naples, Italy - Center of southern Italy
  • Rome, Italy - Eternal city of Roman ruins, and headquarters of the Catholic church
  • Venice, Italy - World famous city of canals

Itineraries

Understand

All countries in Mediterranean Europe share a warm to hot, mostly coastal climate. This very sunny part of Europe doesn't have as much vegetation has the rest of Europe. The culture here is quite informal compared to life in Northern Europe.

Get in

By plane

Major airports can be found in the following cities:

By car

By train

By bus

Get around

By boat

See Ferries in the Mediterranean

By car

By train

By bus

See

Do

  • Seville's old center, see the massive cathedral
  • Relax in Madrid's Plaza Mayor, and see the Prado art museum
  • Stroll the Ramblas in Barcelona
  • If you're extremely brave, participate in Pamplona's Running of the Bulls
  • See the windmills of La Mancha, imagine your Don Quixote fighting them
  • Take a romantic, but expensive gondola ride in Venice, ride the Traghetto as a cheap, non-romantic alternative
  • Get lost in the back streets of Venice
  • Visit the balcony of Juliet in Verona, even though there's no proof at all its related to Romeo and Juliet, skip the pricey museum inside the house
  • Take a ferry across either Lake Como, Maggiore, or Garda
  • Hige between towns in the Cinque Terre, and relax in a cafe overlooking the sea in Vernazza
  • Cross the Ponte Vecchio, Go to the top of the Duomo dome, relax in Boboli Gardens, and tour the Uffizi and Accademia art galleries, all in Florence
  • Visit an Italian hill town, like San Gimignano, Siena, Civita di Bagnoregio, or Orvieto
  • See the Forum in Rome
  • Stroll central Rome, including the Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Spanish steps, and memorable coin throwing experience at the Trevi Fountain
  • See facist architectire at the EUR outside Rome
  • See St. Peter's basilica, including the crypt and top of the dome, in Rome
  • Tour the Vatican Museums, including the famous Vatican staircase, Sistine Chapel, and Raphael Rooms, in Rome
  • Go to the top of Mt. Vesuvius, and see the bizarre, lunar-like landscape
  • See the destroyed Roman towns of Herculaneum or Pompeii, both ruined by Vesuvius
  • Go to Capri, ride the funicular, and see the Blue Grotto
  • Visit Lake Bled in Slovenia
  • Visit historic Dubrovnik Croatia
  • Visit the ancient Macedonian churches and monasteries around lake Ohrid
  • Explore the Acropolis hill in Athens
  • Cruise to various Greek Islands, like Crete and Santorini
  • Browse through the mammoth Grand Bazaar, the first shopping mall of the world, in Istanbul

Buy

Sleep

  • Xanascat National Network of Youth Hostels for Barcelona and Cataluña. They have 46 hostels throughout the region with rates ranging from 15€ to 25€ per night. Now offering discounts of 10% for online reservations.

Eat

Drink

This page was last edited at 19:37, on 13 October 2008 by Peter Fitzgerald. Based on work by Ryan Holliday, Jim Nicholson and Colin Jensen, Wikitravel user(s) Episteme, Eiland, Hoh, Cacahuate, DorganBot and Pashley, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.