Travel advice: Best places to go in Europe in July if you want to avoid the tourist traps?

WITH MY BEST FRIEND, ALSO 18, I'M PLANNING A TWO-WEEK EUROPE HOLIDAY IN JULY. THINKING TWO-THREE PLACES, DEFINITELY PARIS. I HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE TRAVELLING IN EUROPE AND LOOKING FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. H. RILEY, MOSMAN, NSW

Avoiding the hotspots is the obvious answer, and in July that would take Berlin, Amsterdam, London, the Greek Islands and all of Italy, Spain and France off the table. Are you sure about that? In favour of perhaps Lithuania, Bulgaria, Poland's Masurian Lakes? At 18 I'm assuming your other visits to Europe were with parents. Those visits probably included France, Britain and Italy but seeing them on your own is a very different experience. That fact alone will make this a different Europe trip.




SEND US YOUR TRAVEL QUESTIONS

Include your name and your suburb or town and send it to tripologist@fairfaxmedia.com.au All published questions will win a Lonely Planet guidebook.