Lagos.
Lagos wasn’t in our original plan for Portugal, but since Erich, Nic, and Taylor (the rest of our crew from Running with the Bulls), were heading there, we decided to make a detour. And I’m so glad we did!
Lagos is a fun, very touristy, beach town in the south of Portugal. Not much in terms of nightlife, but the beach is where it’s at. Considering the scorching temperatures, we expected the water to be quite warm. NOT! It was definitely chilly. Refreshing, but cold.
Porto.
An adorable port town, built to resemble San Francisco, CA, and I think they did a pretty good job. The town that gave the country (and port wine) its very name, Porto is Portugal’s second-largest metropolis after Lisbon. The old town, centered at Ribeira, was built on the hills overlooking the Douro River, and today is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Madrid.
Warning: Unless you like 45C (113F), I wouldn’t suggest going to Madrid in the summer time. WAY TOO HOT!
We were also coming off a ridiculous four days in San Fermin and really needing to recharge our batteries, mentally and physically. Madrid was the perfect place to do just that. Though we did sneak in a little sightseeing, of course.
Bordeaux.
As I’m sure you can guess, Bordeaux is the region in France where Bordeaux wine is from. We were ready to sip delicious wine and explore the small city. However, upon arriving they were having one of the biggest heat waves of the year… 40C and we were melting. Needless to say, the sun and heat really took it out of us, so we decided to just relax. The city is small and easy to see everything in one day.
Rennes.
Most tourists only go to Rennes as a way of getting to Mont Saint Michel. A two hour train from Paris, and an hour bus from Rennes will bring you to Mont Saint Michel. The streets of Rennes are lined with cute local cafes and restaurants on every corner; people sitting outside sipping Rose. Really is an adorable town full of great walking streets. Wish we had a full day here.
Day trip to Normandy.
A quick two hour train ride from Paris, Caen is the perfect day trip to be reminded of the history that took place during WWII at the Invasion of Normandy. It is a very busy day, and can be rushed, but well worth it. Take two days if you’re a big history buff and want to see everything.
Paris.
There are so many tourist “Must Sees” in Paris; but thankfully, it’s easy to do so in just a couple of days. Here are some of our highlights:
Looking for a quick tour around Irish Country? Here’s our six-day guide to maximize your time:
Roadtrip: Torridon – Loch Ness – Stirling – Edinburgh.
Renting a car and driving on the other/wrong side of the road in another country is always a great way to explore… And usually makes for one hell of an adventure!