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We've decided that we'd rather not do the beach/sunlounger fight thing this year and instead probably do 2 shorter breaks in mediterranean* cities (or towns) for 3 or 4 days each.
Where would you recommend that have easy flights, no massive transfers and are easy to get around by public transport - and possibly smaller coastal towns nearby for half a day on the beach.
Valencia? Marseille? Naples?
Friendly rather than 'edgy' preferred! 🙂
(*open to other options as well, as long as there's sunshine!)
Barcelona?
Ever been to Barcelona?
Not Mediterranean, but Lisbon + Cascais is what we did in 2016 and it would tick most of your boxes.
Palma
Hotel prices in Barcelona seem a good deal higher than other cities in July/August.
Have a look at Cadiz in southern Spain.
Lovely place and has loads of beaches.
Fun fact: It's the oldest city in western Europe.
(EDIT: It's on the Atlantic rather than the Med though, just)
(2nd EDIT: Maybe a touch hot in July or August)
Split or Dubrovnik
Not the Med but i've always fancied Dubrovnik. Don't know much about it but it looks nice.
Nice, Cannes, Antibes immediately spring to mind. In fact, one trip would cover all of them.
Not on the Côte d'Azur: Bordeaux.
Don't dismiss the Italian lakes - Como is a favourite.
Cadiz
Edit: Beaten to it.
Valencia is friendly and an easy walking city - or hire a city bike - great cycle path network round the town and along the old river bed.
Metro from airport to centre is about 20 mins. .
Lovely old town, good beach, tons of excellent restaurants. About 2/3rds the price of Barcelona for eating out, transport, hotels etc.
Maybe a day out here ... http://mountainbikingvalencia.com !
I like Valencia - proper Spanish.
More stuff here:
http://www.visitvalencia.com/en/home
Pick two of the Maritime Republics, Pisa, Genoa, Amalfi, Venice, Ragussa (Dubrovnik)
CadizEdit: Beaten to it.
*raises glass of fino and nods*
Tarragona, cheap flights to Reus from several UK airports, nice city centre 10 km from airport. Roman amphitheatre overlooking the Med. Plenty of nice hotels. Train to Barcelona in 30 mins, beach resorts to the south such as Cambrils, which is popular with French and Spanish locals. Off the beaten track so you might have to book hotel and flights separately. Train to the local hills and Priorat wine region. Huge theme park Port Aventura if you like that sort of thing. Oh, and I live near there
Syracuse
Not all on the coast but take your pick of Andalusian towns and cities?
Cordoba, Seville, Malaga, taking in Ronda?
Flamenco heaven, if you like that sort of thing.
Valetta ,Malta.
Excellent food and tons of history.
no massive transfers
You can walk into Nice along the beach from the airport
Cannes, Perpignan, Nice, Sorrento, Venice
Syracuse, good call.
Not Pisa, there are much better places.
Alghero?
Barcelona, then you've got Girona which is beautiful a short train ride away, plus great beaches along the Costa Brava.
Valencia is great too, nice mix of town and beach.
Did a tour a few years ago of Granada, Rhonda, Cordoba and Cadiz which was fantastic.
I should grab the chance to see Naples before it's a cloud of volcanic ash climbing into the stratosphere.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10291443/Mount-Vesuvius-could-erupt-at-any-time.html
Next eruption could be like tha last one, in 1944. Damp squib compared to 79 AD
On the other hand...
[img] 
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Barcelona, then you've got Girona which is beautiful a short train ride away, plus great beaches along the Costa Brava.
Exactly what I was going to suggest. Girona is lovely. If you're feeling masochistic there's the Dali museum nearby in Figueres, but you need to get there early... Also worth hiring a car and checking out some of the medieval villages/towns in the area.
Not the med, I know but we did a few days in Biarritz and San Sebastien (and a couple of days with Basque MTB as a bonus!) - Loved both towns.
And on the Adriatic - Dubrovnik and Split are great.
Syracuse, good call.
I had a long weekend mid November in Ortigia (the island bit of Syracusa) would definitely go back.
Catania airport can be dire, allow plenty of time to check in and clear security.
In May, Mrs BigJohn and I are doing Cadiz, Tarifa and Malaga. We're familiar with the last two and Cadiz sounds excellent. About to re-watch the Rick Stein programme for tips.
I have a rule: don't go on holiday where there's a civil war going on. But I might ignore that for Beirut which has always appealed.
Not Mediterranean, but Lisbon + Cascais is what we did in [s]2016[/s] 2012 and it would tick most of your boxes.
+1
Split or Dubrovnik
Although technically on the Adriatic, +1
Not a city and not actually on the beach but a lovely town; my sister and BIL went to Lucca in Italy and LOVED the place; they flew into Pisa.
Beirut looks a good bet too if you like noise, parties and charming hospitable people with the best food in the world.
Mrs BigJohn and I are doing Cadiz, Tarifa and Malaga. We're familiar with the last two and Cadiz sounds excellent. About to re-watch the Rick Stein programme for tips.
Jerez is worth a look too if you are flying in/out of there. As is El Puerto de Santa Maria (the other town of the sherry triangle, IIRC).
And if you like your grub, visit this place: http://www.elfarodelpuerto.com/index.asp
Went there 10 years ago and it was one of the best restaurants I've eaten at.
Not a city and not actually on the beach
Classic STW.
I love Naples - it's a bit mental and not for everyone. Public transport is a bit of a joke but everything you're likely to want to see is within walking distance, apart from the the likes of Pompeii and Herculaneum which are relatively well served by he Circumvesuviana.
English isn't spoken everywhere but most Neapolitans respond well if you make a bit of an effort.
oooh. Looks like my holiday plans of flying into Split, island hopping for a week or so, and then out of Dubrovnik could be a good move...
excellent! 😀
Im with bigjohn Cadiz after watching Rck Stein.
Thread like - gonna treat me and the mrs to a trip to one of these places once I've fathomed out how to pay my tax bill.
oooh. Looks like my holiday plans of flying into Split, island hopping for a week or so, and then out of Dubrovnik could be a good move...excellent!
Do it! I lived on Kor?ula for seven months and have a real soft spot for it. The island is fascinating and the town is gorgeous. Mljet is 1/3 national park if memory serves and beautiful.
Hvar and Bra? are more touristy, but apparently have marked MTB trails now. I never actually ventured over to them.
Otherwise both Split and Dubrovnik are amazing; Split is more 'local' and Dubrovnik definitely more touristy. It's also worth mooching inland to Bosnia.
I think we've got three days in dubrovnik, three in mljet, two in korcula, three in Bol, and then a few in split (partly to head further up for a day or so). Gradually booking up all the airbnbs we can.
We went to Korcula & Dubrovnik in July. Bloody lovely. AirBnB and Expedia, and booked the day before.
Orebic and Viganj (just across from Korcula) were good too. It's bloody steep for bike riding. Make sure your cycling shoes are comfortable to walk in.
Don't take your car near Dubrovnik - the parking is ridiculously expensive. It was cheaper to take our hire car back to the airport.
Not med but ...
San Sebastian
Orebic and Viganj (just across from Korcula) were good too. It's bloody steep for bike riding. Make sure your cycling shoes are comfortable to walk in.
Did a day trail finding on the Pelješac Peninsular. Yeah, not really worth it. Some cracking trails, but loads more incredibly loose and steep ones, and an abundance of ticks at the top.
This is from said day:
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/92/215440437_6972fb9a7e_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/92/215440437_6972fb9a7e_z.jp g"/> ?zz=1[/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/k3bWi ]Peljesac Peninsular, Croatia[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/pimpmasterjazz/ ]Neil Cain[/url], on Flickr
If you do Cadiz you could also consider Tarifa. Really nice little town, try and stop in the old walled town though. Huge beach, good range of sports to go at, can get the ferry to Morocco for a day trip too.