By Sara Wiseman
As Americans, we picture July as a month dedicated to celebrate the awesomeness of our country. Hoards of people storm the streets decked out in red, white and blue and eat an excessive amount of hot dogs to celebrate our independence and may offer digits as sacrifice to fireworks to please our Founding Fathers.
However, when abroad, students need to branch out their July horizons and discover the world! Here are a few key places to visit in July:
Let’s face it, summer is all about the beaches. And the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy has some of the most gorgeous. Seriously, the cleanliness of the coast is out of the this world and the pureness of the colors constantly beg for a #NoFilter Instagram capture.
The small island of Capri and its peak of Anacapri provide some of the most sensational views as the royal blue waves crash against rigid white rock.
The food and drink in this region are also game-changers. It’s absolutely mandatory that visitors check out the limoncello as well as the freshest seafood pasta around.
Switzerland is more than skiing and snowboarding. A summer vacation in Interlaken is phenomenal. Standing in the clean streets and staring up at the mountain ranges can be surreal. Plunging into the mountain’s canyon waters can be even more surreal. There are tons of high-octane things to do that can keep any visitor entertained for a lifetime.
This one is more of a hidden gem. Cinque Terre, once hidden in its own world until an American backpacker published a book on it in the 1970s.
It has amazing hiking trails that lend themselves to quality Facebook cover photos and food to die for. Cinque Terre, part of the Liguria region, is the home of pesto and, therefore, rocks at it. Visitors can try out some amazing pesto pizza or pesto lasagna by hopping a train to one Cinque Terre’s five towns of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso.
Last but certainly the least, Barcelona. Barcelona is absolutely insane. These people literally never sleep and it’s awesome. As we all know, studying abroad (particularly in the summer) is all about raging until the sun comes up. Bring your party-hardy attitude and your beach towels to Catalonia!
Bus2alps is a student travel agency that offers numerous day and weekend trips throughout the summer months. For more information on the excursions mentioned above along with others, please visit our site here.
