TRAVEL > 2007 Connection Beach Guide
By Alice Verberne and Dan Thompson It’s summertime in Europe, and whether you have a day off or a few weeks, we have hot vacation recommendations to fit every budget and schedule. Best of all, we have independently checked out each featured fun spot personally during our own free time.Whether you decide to scope out Side,Turkey or chill out in Pula, Croatia, you can expect a great time. Each destination we list carries our highest recommendation, and we hope you’ll check out at least one of these destinations during your next road trip or flight abroad. See you on the beach!
Photo of Calanques, South of France, Alice Verberne
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Celebrate the sun or stars at the Frankfurt waterside
BEACH TYPE: Sandy white beach LOCATION: Scharbeutz, Germany (near Timmendorfer Strand) If you are a beach baby and grew up on the Atlantic coast, you may find inland Europe a bit dry. But the small town of Scharbeutz, Germany offers beaches along the Baltic Sea that offer a convincing alternative to America’s east coast. Its soft, sandy beaches and grassy dunes are worth the drive north on a four-day weekend. Enjoy an ice cream while building a sandcastle, go parasailing, rent a paddleboat, or just soak up the sun. Contact the ScharbeutzStrandallee Youth Hostel at +49 (0)4503-72090 or Mile Camping at +49 (0)4503-72366. Be sure to book your spot as soon as possible. —D
PRICE RANGE: $200-$500 for a family of four IDEAL AGES: All WHERE TO STAY: Family rooms are available at the very cozy ScharbeutzStrandallee Youth Hostel. There are many campgrounds in the area as well, such as Mile Camping grounds. All are a very short walk from the beach. There is a special section of beach for dogs, so you don’t have to leave your dog behing to enjoy this trip.
Weekend lounging at the Paris Plage TIME: 2-4 days BEACH TYPE: Sandy white beach
PRICE RANGE: Free to visit the beach. Cost for weekend about $250 IDEAL AGES: 2 and up
LOCATION: Paris city center along the road and river from Ile St. Louis to the Jardin des Tuileries.
WHERE TO STAY: Youth Hostel in Le d’Artagnan, Paris www.hihostels.com.
Imagine 2,000 tons of sand spread on what’s usually a busy motorway along the Siene River in downtown Paris where visitors can lounge on deck chairs under beach umbrellas that offer shade to tired tourists. Welcome to the “Paris Plage” (beach) project. The event, sponsored by the city hall, is mostly paid for by commercial sponsors, cost about two million euros, and attracts about 3 million people.
Photo by Dan Thompson
The beach is open starting the third week of July and closes by September.
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Although you will not want to swim in the Seine River, you may take a dip in the floating pool (for an additional fee). It’s filled with filtered river water and anchored on the river’s left bank
TIME: 1 day and/or night BEACH TYPE: Sandy white beach LOCATION: Frankfurt, Germany
YOU CAN dance the night away as if you were on vacation in Spain.
PRICE RANGE: 0-5 euro
WHILE YOUR KIDS learn tropical dance or waterskiing on Sundays.
IDEAL AGES: Varies according to program. Mostly for couples and young singles. WHERE TO STAY: Frankfurt Youth Hostel (Haus der Jugend) or Hotel Alleenhof (from 50 euro a night)
near the Francois Mitterrand library. If water sports become tiresome, you may want to participate in beach volleyball or watch the menagerie of cyclists parade by the Hôtel de Ville on Friday nights in the summer. Paris Plage regulations include a $48 fine for people who wear thongs, go nude (or topless), who gamble or participate in dangerous activities. So be good because the police will be watching. — A
YOU CAN set up camp and enjoy the sea breeze while grilling dinner or enjoying fresh seafood at a beachside restaurant.
YOU CAN play beach volleyball at the Hotel de Ville or under the Eiffel Tower.
WHILE YOUR KIDS build sand castles or rent paddleboats to explore the coast.
WHILE YOUR KIDS dig in the sand along the Seine or launch toy sailboats in the fountain at the Tuileries Garden.
THE WHOLE FAMILY WILL LOVE being able to bring their dog on the beach or building sandcastles during the long, sun filled days.
THE WHOLE FAMILY WILL LOVE the laid-back atmosphere and the convenience of having the beach in the middle of the city.
gram on Sundays (Beach Club Family) from noon for 5 euro. Program includes dancing, games, and water sports like waterskiing and wakeboarding.The beach is also open on Saturday at noon for relaxing daytime beach enjoyment. At night, the beach transforms into a thumping celebration open until 5 a.m.This is one place with something for families, couples, and single soldiers alike, but at different times of the day. Galerie Beach Club is located on Riederhofstr. 25 near Autobahn 661 exit 14. For more info, see http://beachclub.galerie-frankfurt.de.—D
THE WHOLE FAMILY WILL LOVE being able to spend a sunny day at the beach without having to drive so far from USAG Hessen.
A week soaking up the sun on the Turkish Riviera Turkey is a budget traveler’s paradise and, contrary to popular belief among Americans, relatively safe. Last minute travel agencies in Germany may book you an all-inclusive beach week to Side for as little as $350. Side is a less expensive option for families and couples looking for exotic adventure and relaxation at the same time. The seaside city also happens to be a breeding area for sea turtles and dolphins, making one’s odds of seeing one very good. The sandy beach
is only a short walk from Hotel Club Bella Sun and inexpensive side trips or rental cars are available. Take an all day jeep safari into the mountains for $20, visit the tomb of Saint Nicholas for $80, or simply parasail for $15. Side is also a shoppers paradise with dozens of shops selling every luxury goods imitation imaginable. We recommend this vacation for small families and couples looking to expand their travel TIME: 7 days horizons to something new. —D
Photo by Dan Thompson
TIME: 2-4 days
If you can’t make it to the beach, make the beach come to you. That’s exactly what many cities across Germany are doing. Well, sort of. From Berlin to Munich, beach cafes (called Strandcafes or Strandbars) are the latest craze, and you can find one of the biggest at the Frankfurt Galerie Beach Club on the Main River. With over 1,000 tons of beach sand and hundreds of tropical plants, they’ve created a tropical paradise that would catch an islander’s attention. While it attracts Frankfurt’s fashionistas at night, they have a relaxing kids pro-
Photo courtsey of Galerie Beach Club
Barbeque near the Baltic Sea
Photo courtsey Tourist Board
TRAVEL > 2007 Connection Beach Guide
BEACH TYPE:
YOU CAN explore Roman ruins Sandy white beach or shop the bazaar for crafts LOCATION: Side, Turkey and imitation luxury goods. WHILE YOUR KIDS snorkel along the beach and swim with sea turtles.
PRICE RANGE: $350 and up, all-inclusive (flight, hotel, meals)
THE WHOLE FAMILY WILL LOVE taking an all day ship cruize along the coast for as little as $8 per person.
WHERE TO STAY: We recommend the Hotel Club Bella Sun in Manavgat (Side) for budget oriented travelers. Ask for it when booking with a travel agent. Last minute travel deals are available at Frankfurt Airport’s Travel Market in terminal 1.
IDEAL AGES: Any
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One week sailing catamarans on the Mediterranean
WHILE YOUR FRIENDS go to nearby St. Tropez in search of movie stars and excellent cuisine.
BEACH TYPE: Sandy tan beach, rocky cliffs and pebbles
no-frills Club Med or Sierra Club. The staff is predominately French and Belgian and speak English.The welcome speech is in French (but if you download your course online in English you can follow along).
You can do the same by utilizing this four-letter acronym — UCPA.; “Union National des Centres Sportifs de Plein Air” (National Union of Outdoor Sports Centers), which is like a
Thrifty travelers will tell you that Crete is small enough to utilize the public bus system to explore the island.
TIME: Seven days
THE WHOLE GROUP WILL LOVE the local market held every Saturday morning. This trip is geared to adventure sport enthusiasts. “We loved the challenge,” said a couple that signed up for the sailing and touring trips. “We are from New Zealand and working in England at the moment; we jumped on the chance to have an affordable trip to the South of France.”
Photo by Alice Verberne
YOU CAN kite-surf, windsurf, take out a sea kayak or participate in an aerobics class during your stay on the beach near the island of Giens.
Two weeks visiting two Greek islands
The UCPA focuses on sports, not luxury. Even so, the resort is located in one of the most exclusive beaches in the world. Programs are affordable becuase of its non-profit status. — A
I gave both bus systems a try, the tourist bus and the local’s bus.
LOCATION: Héyéres, France
For 80 cents, I took the public bus to the port to visit Crete’s Spinalonga Island: but, if I had it to do over again, I would have paid $25 to take the clean, air conditioned tour bus. For me, the smell of exhaust fumes and time lost was not worth the money saved.
PRICE RANGE: about $400 per person, inclusive IDEAL AGES: 18-39 WHERE TO STAY: UCPA Center, Héyéres, France. Visit www.UCPA.com. Click on the British flag and download descriptions of excursions.
Spinalonga is famous for being one of the last leper colonies in Europe. It is closed now, but visitors are welcome who take a short ferry ride from the bay to the island will be rewarded with an excellent view. Take a trip to nearby Santorini. An island that suffered an enormous volcanic explosion 3,500 years ago. What is left is a crescent shaped land mass with steep cliffs almost a thousand feet high.
TIME: 14 days BEACH TYPE: Tufa stone, cliffs, boulders and large rocks LOCATION: The Island of Corsica PRICE RANGE: Can be done for about $1000 by camping for a family of four with a pet.
Some say Santorini may be the lost city of Atlantis. You will want to check out the cave dwellings built into the cliffs and the black and red volcanic sand beaches. It costs about $150 per person to be picked up from my hotel by bus, board a luxury ship and make a day trip to the sunken island. —A
TIME: 14 days
BEACH TYPE: Pebble beaches, volcanic cliffs and red, white and black volcanic sand. LOCATION: Crete and Santorini PRICE RANGE: $850 per person, all-inclusive
IDEAL AGES: All WHERE TO STAY: Look for package deals to Sitia, Lakias and Lerapetra for quiet beaches, lovely cafés and hotels.
Photo by Alice Verberne
IDEAL AGES: All
YOU CAN take a ship from the French ports of Marseilles and Cannes daily to Calvi. Boats leave from Genoa and Livorno, Italy to Bastia. WHILE YOUR KIDS can be one with nature by hiking down to the water to have a picnic along side the rock cliffs after spending the morning jumping off the rocks into the water to snorkel along the jagged coastline. THE WHOLE FAMILY WILL LOVE shopping at the local market in Calvi and taking hikes and bike rides along the coast and into the mountainous interior of the island. 20
Two weeks exploring Corsica This masterpiece of nature is a kind of paradise: A place unspoiled and culturally intact. Naturalists will find it most convenient to access the island by automobile packed with camping gear. This trip is perfect for families with kids and/or pets. Young couples and backpackers will find that camping in Corsica accommodates them as well where they can stroll at night under a canopy of endless stars.
Visitors like to drive from the East in Bastia over to the West of Calvi. From there head south to the campsite just outside of town, along winding roads, mountain paths and sheer cliffs to reach dead-end and precipices with magnificent vistas of the coast. From there, take the coastal highway South to Ajaccio, then head back to your starting point via the central road through the heart of the island.
This trip will put you in direct contact with nature. The pristine landscape gives credit widely accepted reports acknowledging the untouched aura of Corsica has been preserved by the passionate locals.
To save money. Pack your vehicle with supplies before driving it onboard the ship that takes you to the island. Don’t forget the bike rack. You will want to cycle to town for fresh baked bread or, perhaps, to pedal along wilderness trails. — A
Photo by Geoffrey Carter
WHERE TO STAY: Campsites located in the environs of Calvi, Piana and Ajaccio.
Photo by Indije Camping Village
TRAVEL > 2007 Connection Beach Guide
Two weeks chilling out in Istria TIME: 14 days BEACH TYPE: Pebble LOCATION: Banjole, Croatia (near Pula) PRICE RANGE: Around $1000 for a family of four IDEAL AGES: 2 and up WHERE TO STAY: Indije Camping Village (www.arenaturist.hr). When people ask for camping road tips in Europe, one place tops my list. That place is Banjole, right outside of the ancient Roman city of Pula, Croatia. The area offers pebble beaches, small islands within swimming distance, and plenty of safe and clean campgrounds. Ideal for families, the Indije Camping Village offers a full range of
facilities, like refrigerated lockers, dish washing basins, boat rentals, clean showers, and much more. Best of all, all of the camp sites are within sight of the emerald green waters of the Adriatic Sea. The pebble beach is very clean – meaning you won’t have to worry about the kids bringing sand with them into the tent or car.The nearby city of Pula offers a full size Roman coliseum and beautiful harbor. There are also plenty of grocery stores nearby. So what are you waiting for? —D
YOU CAN see the fresco depicting the sport of bullleaping, recreated at the Great Palace at Knossos on the island of Crete.
YOU CAN Fire up the Weber grill and prepare some of your favorite seafood fresh from the market before going boating or visiting historic Pula.
WHILE YOUR TEENS hike the 7-mile Samaria Gorge with dramatic cliffs ending at a beach.
WHILE YOUR KIDS soak up the sun or paddle around in a kiddy raft between small islands.
THE WHOLE FAMILY WILL LOVE the Cretan diet famous for its fresh fruits, vegetables, varieties of cheese, olive oil and bread. Grown ups will also enjoy the special Assyrtiko wine.
THE WHOLE FAMILY WILL LOVE swimming in the warm, turquoise water and snorkeling. The crystal clear water is home to colorful reefs and curious fish.
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