In June, the beach season begins in Europe, and the festival season begins. It’s already warm in Turkey, Portugal and Spain, but not hot yet. We will tell you where you can not only relax and sunbathe, but also stroll through banana groves, feast at a medieval fair, feed peacocks and have fun at a music festival.
1. Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic – medieval castle, knightly tournament, feasts with minstrels and fireworks
Photo: @jackmartinphotoart/@deniloo1/Instagram.com
Cesky Krumlov is famous for its ancient castle complex, included in the UNESCO Heritage List, salt caves and festivals. The city has a fairy tale museum and a house of puppets, a graphite mine and a wax museum. Most tourists come to see Krumlov Castle, the second largest in the Czech Republic – its 16th-century Gothic towers, stables and fountains, the Lower Castle, painted with Baroque frescoes, and the Old Palace with a gallery of Renaissance paintings.
And from June 22 to 24, during the Celebrations of the Five-Petal Rose, the city returns to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance for three days. Tournaments and competitions are held in the squares, medieval melodies are played, historical fairs are traded, feasts and carnivals are held. The epicenter of the holiday is the estate of the Rozmberks, the last rulers of the Czech Republic. Participants and guests wear medieval costumes, play chess with live pieces and have fun at knightly tournaments. The holiday ends with fireworks.
2. Porto, Portugal – beaches, peacocks, port wine and a fire festival on the beach
Photo: Sean Pavone
Porto is one of the most beautiful cities in Portugal. Its historical center, located on the banks of the Douro River, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Porto Cathedral looks like a medieval castle, the ancient Clérigos Tower is the tallest in Portugal, and most of the cathedrals are Gothic. In the most colorful and cheerful area of Ribera, where colorful houses hang over each other, you can eat delicious food and taste the best port wine in the world.
If you are traveling with children, we recommend visiting the aquarium, Crystal Palace Park and the Livraria bookstore. Electric stingrays, sharks and tropical fish swim past the glass corridors of the aquarium. In the park, hundreds of peacocks roam the lawns and are allowed to be hand-fed. And Livraria Lello, one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world, looks like it came out of a fairy tale – with carved stairs and walls, fabulous stained glass windows and books in all languages.
And on the night of June 23-24, Porto will celebrate São João do Porto (São João do Porto) – a holiday in honor of the birthday of John the Baptist. The streets will be decorated, musicians will play in the squares, a huge bonfire will be lit on Foz beach, and fireworks will begin at midnight.
3. Zagreb, Croatia – palaces, theaters and music festival
Photo: @oko.zagreba/Instagram.com
The Croatian capital has many palaces, monasteries, museums, parks and cathedrals. Be sure to visit the symbol of the city – St. Stephen’s Cathedral, where church hierarchs and nobles were buried since the 13th century. In June, the air warms up to 24°C, the streets of the Lower Town are in full swing with life – musicians are playing, cafes and restaurants open terraces, crowds of tourists who have come to festivals walk along the streets.
Not far from the city center, on the shores of Lake Jarun, the largest music festival in Croatia, Alice In Chains, takes place at the end of June. In 2018, it will be held from June 25 to 27, among the headliners are Queens of the Stone Age, Portugal. The Man, Interpol and Kasabian. A 3-day ticket costs 63 euros, a camping pass costs another 35 euros.
4. Lycian Way, Turkey – ancient ruins, mountains, beaches and banana plantations
Photo: @gezginhayalci/Instagram.com
In June, the weather in Turkey is excellent – during the day no higher than +30°C, at night +20°C, the water warms up to +22-24°C. This is the best month to go along one of the most beautiful hiking routes in the world – the Lycian Way. This 500-kilometer road is several thousand years old, it goes through canyons and lemon groves, mountain gorges and passes, along sandy beaches with sea turtles and banana plantations.
The most interesting places of the Lycian Way: next to the small fort of Falaya there is a valley of butterflies and a huge beach. The city of Olympos has beautifully preserved ancient fortress walls, an amphitheater and carved Lycian tombs, and the best fish restaurants in the region are in the city of Kalkan.
5. Barcelona, Spain – beaches, parties, Gaudi architecture and fireworks festival
Photo: @butnomatter.theroadislife/@lonelyplanet/Instagram.com
Barcelona is loud and fun, with beaches, constant celebrations, festivals and amazing Gaudí architecture. The best time to go to the capital of Catalonia is in June, when the sea has already warmed up to 23°C, the air to 28°C, at night it never drops below 22°C, and the unbearable heat has not yet set in.
At the end of the month, on the night of June 23-24, Barcelona, like all of Spain, will celebrate Sant Joan,
which is very similar to the holiday of Ivan Kupala: people dance and sing on the beaches, burn bonfires and jump over them, swim in the night sea. Even in Barcelona, on this night, huge cardboard figures are solemnly burned in the streets and a fireworks festival is held.
Preview photo: @davideragusa
