When you consider some destinations for your next trips, do you honestly believe that any European one is amongst your favorites? Well, if that's not the case, then it is probably because you think that European destinations are too expensive for our pockets... Keeping this in mind, I would like to share this article with you and which can be originally found on msnbc.com "
By Ondine Cohane
How does $2,500 a week sound, including the flight across the pond? The quest begins with a Mediterranean port, then on to a Spanish cultural powerhouse, an English water-sports mecca, and a gem of a Portuguese city. Plus — the art of tracking the best deals for flights to get you there. CASSIS The Côte d'Azur without the attitude — or the price tag. Near: Marseille, Provence's underrated rough-diamond metropolis Here was a good place to test the thesis of unsuspected values: that right next to one of Europe's most legendary playgrounds, the French Riviera, you can find a jewel of a seaside hideaway which, in turn, leads to a dreamy corner of Provence and a gutsy port city — all at a cost that's as soothing as the experience, with authentic B&Bs for under $200 a night and stellar restaurants with prices that won't induce heartburn. Unlike the magnets of the Côte d'Azur — St-Tropez, Cannes and Nice — Cassis, a former fishing village, remains a low-key, glitz-free Provençal getaway that's a favorite of French insiders. In fact, the very absence of celebs is a matter of civic pride. And Cassis's position, tucked under the spectacular red rocks of Cap Canaille, means that development is relatively limited, with the main action centered along the waterfront. Getting there from neighboring La Ciotat reinforces the sense of isolation: The Route des Crêtes is a dizzying mountain pass with the sea on one side and white sculpturelike rocks that look plucked out of the American West on the other. When you do break away, it's less than an hour's drive to cultural centers such as Aix-en-Provence and Marseille and to the excellent vineyards surrounding Bandol. The perfect itinerary combines the beach, the countryside, and Marseille, a port town that's quickly becoming a gastronomic center and is one of the most culturally diverse cities in southern France. The traffic gets snarled in summer, but the roads are easy to navigate outside the peak months. And if you avoid high season, hotel room rates are a fraction of their usual cost, especially if you book into the family-owned (and often charmingly eccentric) chambres d'hôtes that lie among the olive trees. "
