Four cities near Madrid that give visitors a taste of the real Spain

map of spain near madrid. map by openstreetmap.org.

Spain’s capital Madrid has its sights and attractions, but if you want to find authentic, historic, and unique Spanish destinations that are easy to access from Madrid, here are four marvelous cities for you to visit: Segovia, Avila, Salamanca, and Ciudad Rodrigo.

It is possible to do a day trip … Read >

The medieval fortress of Carcassonne in southern France features a complete 3 km long double wall

carcassonne, fortified town in south france

In the southern France, not far from the Mediterranean Sea nor from the Pyrenees mountain range, the walled town of Carcassonne continues to amaze visitors as it has done for two thousand years. The fortified walls protect medieval houses, a Gothic church and an ancient castle that all can be … Read >

Pretty medieval town of Colmars (almost) in the middle of nowhere in the French Alps

colmars, French Alps. photo ari hakkarainen.

Traveling in Europe often comes with surprises, especially in countries with rich history and varying landscape. Recently, our mission was to explore the high Alps in France (which we did, and it was a breathtaking experience), but little did we know that we would stumble upon a medieval town in … Read >