Mediterranean Europe

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 included many outside the region we describe — Sudak in Ukraine, Acre in Israel, Alexandria in Egypt, and Carthage in Tunisia. Countries Alphabetic West to East Albania Andorra Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia Cyprus (Greek part) Greece Italy Kosovo Macedonia Malta Monaco Montenegro Northern Cyprus (Turkish part) Portugal San Marino Serbia Slovenia Spain Turkey Vatican City Portugal Spain Andorra (between Spain and France) Monaco (on seaside, surrounded by France) Italy Vatican City (surrounded by Rome, Italy) San Marino (near East coast of surrounding Italy) Malta (island South of Italy) Slovenia (between Italy and Croatia ) Croatia Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegro Albania Serbia Kosovo Macedonia Greece Turkey Cyprus (Greek part) Northern Cyprus (Turkish part) 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 cities are great to must sees for your vacation: Athens, Greece - Smoggy and crowed concrete city of famous Greek ruins, especially the Acropolis hill Barcelona, Spain - Another historic city with another huge, but newer and 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 not geographically on the Mediterranean sea, this city has a Mediterranean culture Marseilles, France - one of the Med's great ports Naples, Italy - center of Southern Italy Rome Italy - Eternal city of Roman ruins and papal headquarters Venice, Italy - World famous city of canals Nice, France Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia A scenic and historic lake city in the midst of high mountains, and one of the oldest human settlements in Europe. 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: Lisbon Madrid Barcelona Marseilles Venice Milan Pisa (for Florence) Rome Nice Naples Athens Istanbul Skopje By car By train By bus Get around 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 Explore the Acropolis hill in Athens Cruise to various Greek Islands, like Crete and Santorini Browse through the mammoth Grand Bazaar in Istanbul Buy Sleep Eat Drink This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!