Has anyone done europe?

micah856

I am thinking along the lines of Europe.  Where are the best beaches there?

TatiMarie

 Are you looking for a resort or something that has beach & city?  Barcelona has nice beaches and you would have plenty of things to do.  Otherwise, Spain has many resorts along the cost.  As well as countries like Italy, France, Croatia, Greece, etc.  I'm sure if you're a little more specific, the ladies here will be of great help.

kaesha

I've been dying to go to Croatia. Everyone I've known who has gone there has loved it!

AmoroAgain

People don't usually go to Europe for beaches. lol... But yeah, I've heard that Croatia's pretty amazing.

kmjarvey

I did Croatia last summer and it was amazing. We took an overnight boat ride from Rijeka in the north to Dubrovnik in the south. It was beautiful. Like PP said, people generally don't go to Europe for the beaches. Croatia has some of the best in Europe are most of them are coarse sand or rocky. We also took a day trip from Dubrovnik to Montenegro which is known for having sandier beaches. I can send if pictures from our trip if you want.

chelley599

I heardDubrovnik Croatia is gorgeous and the place to go for beaches now.

http://www.dubrovnik-online.com/english/english.php

jemali_2003

I agree, most people do not go to Europe for the beaches.  The Italian beaches that I went to, including Sicily, were very rocky.  The sand is not sand, but really small pebbles.  That was no very fun.  I went to the Beach in Barcelona and that was really nice.  I went in November and the water was warm, the sand was nice, but still not the ideal beach.  

mjsmc10

FI and I are going to Greece and hopefully Croatia as well... I heard that the beaches on the Greek Isles are just about the best you can get in Europe.  If you don't need Europe and just want a nice beach I lived in Fiji for a while so I could tell you a few good places to check out there

irshis20

The Spanish islands and French Riviera are known for their beaches. And in the August 2010 "Best of..." issue of Travel + Leisure, there was one or two hotels on the island of Hvar, Croatia listed as the best beach resorts. 

Greece has beautiful beaches, but if you're thinking of some of the most popular islands there - i.e. Santorini - they are so stunning in part because they are volcanic islands. Santorini has black sand beaches that are made of tiny volcanic rocks, making it hot as hell and really hard to walk on. On the other hand, Mykonos had beautiful sandy beaches. Crete is also known for its beaches.

But here's the bottom line. To me, a beach doesn't need to be powdery sand to be relaxing and gorgeous. Most of the time I'm not doing much walking on it, anyway. I just want a place to lay in a lounge chair, under an umbrella, with a beautiful view.

maratea

Barcelona has beautiful beaches that were pretty clean and not rocky, but we were told by locals the beaches get very crowded during the summer months. I've also heard really great things about Croatia, and it's the next place I'd like to visit.

AmoroAgain

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_anyone-done-europe?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:899396d6-2fdd-4159-a942-8455c254f519Post:bf0d91b0-8db6-44d5-9664-a6e84d64a95a">Re: Has anyone done europe?</a>:
[QUOTE]I agree, most people do not go to Europe for the beaches.  The Italian beaches that I went to, including Sicily, were very rocky.  The sand is not sand, but really small pebbles.  That was no very fun.  I went to the Beach in Barcelona and that was really nice.  I went in November and the water was warm, the sand was nice, but still not the ideal beach.  
Posted by jemali_2003[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I'm not a fan of Italian beaches.

LaFemmeRousse

I've done a beachy vacation in Greece and Turkey.  Many of the beaches there are beautiful, but like others have said, the coast is rocky/ pebbly so it won't be the white sand beaches you would find in the Caribbean.  Something I love about European beaches is that many of them are privately maintained, so while you could find a place to go for free and put your towel on the sand, you can also pay a small fee and "rent" luxurious padded wooden loungers, a big umbrella, and a table, and have drink and food service and access to real showers and bathrooms- we did this all over Greece and I thought it was awesome.  FWIW, I liked Turkey even more than Greece.

Other than that... Croatia is supposed to be amazing!

viewfromheaven05

we're doing a cruise of europe for our HM and we're hitting up the beaches in Lisbon and off the Italian coast.  I've heard wonderful things about their beaches and I'm really excited to go.  I dont know If I would would go with a resort, simply because you might not be able to explore the country/city youre in.

packlite

we are currently living in the UK for the next few years - here is what i would recommend:

South of France - Nice/Cannes/Monaco area is really nice, Nice has pebble beaches but is gorgeous, Cannes has the sand.

Croatia as mentioned.

Greek Isles

Ibiza - but more of a party island

Canary Islands

taccoten

Have you looked into the Amalfi Coast/Capri in Italy?  We are going there for part of our honeymoon.  I also agree that Barcelona is a nice place for the beach. 

KappaUCF20

While Europe isn't famous for their beaches, there are still some decent ones.  Someone on here a long time ago recommended Elafanisos in Greece.  The Blue Lagoon in Malta also looks beautiful.

SummerBoston10

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_anyone-done-europe?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:899396d6-2fdd-4159-a942-8455c254f519Post:8013ab5e-0948-4e69-a9b3-c24207407de5">Re: Has anyone done europe?</a>:
[QUOTE]Have you looked into the Amalfi Coast/Capri in Italy?  We are going there for part of our honeymoon.  I also agree that Barcelona is a nice place for the beach. 
Posted by taccoten[/QUOTE]

We went to Italy for our honeymoon and spent part of our time in Positano and Capri.  We spent 95% of our time at the pool, on boats, or at a "beach" club.  I say "beach" because there was no sand.  The chairs were just on these big rock slabs but you could jump right into the sea.  It was heaven!  You don't need white sandy beaches to get beach time.  We LOVED Italy and found it a great way to have a relaxing honeymoon without the same old Caribbean beaches that we see every year.  You also get the perk of culture and good food!

KerriCornell

Turkey has some amazing beaches and gorgeous resorts.  If you want to venture a little further... Dubai is amazing.
Greece has some great beaches on the Pelleponese, and I really enjoyed Malta.

Just remember, the beaches in Europe are different that the beaches in the Caribbean.  As long as you are expecting a different experience, there are some really great ones to choose from.

Lots of luck and let us know what you decide on!!!

breandmiles

Costa del Sol in spain, it seems less busy than Barcelona. I went to Barcelona in the summer and there were just people everywhere, literally, everywhere. Picture this, oodles of topless ladies like 5 ft from you and your man, personally, not something I would want to look at on my honeymoon

I heard Croatia was spectacular as well. Beaches on the Greek Islands migh be worth a shot too.

i2012do

Most places in Europe arent known for spectacular beaches.
While the beaches in places like Capri are rocky-- they are also breathtaking. You cant sit on a beach in the States and look at huge cliffs and rocks (at least on the east coast) rambling into the sea. The water is also failry calm so you can paddle out in a canoe and hang out all day, plus enjoy fabulous food.

As well, one of my favorite places on eart is Cinque Terre on the Almalfi coast-- again, rocky beaches but the most romantic place ever and beautiful water.