Author: stephiestewart

Dublin is a beautiful port city on the coast of Ireland, and also a European hub for international flights. If you want a lower-cost flight to Europe and don’t mind stopping in Dublin, you can book directly to Dublin and then choose from another budget airline like Easyjet.com, Vueling.com, or Ryanair.com to get to your desired city.

Plus, Dublin is a great place to visit on its own. The sunsets and sunrises in this northern-hemisphere city are picturesque, and so are its cobble-stone streets and typical European-style architecture. Dublin has a youthful, kind energy about it, which makes it seem more like a small town than a global city. It is easy to walk around most of the city on foot, but you can take a street car or taxi if you need.

Backpacker hostels in Dublin are cheap for a shared dorm room, but you can also book hotels or an Airbnb room if you want a more private room. I stayed in a mixture of these for almost two weeks, and found Dublin to be a very welcoming city.

You can visit a Leprechaun museum, plenty of other museums/tourist attractions, walk around the large and well-tended botanical garden, get a brew at an Irish pub, or simply admire the views. Dublin will not disappoint you.

All opinions are my own.

Oxford is home to many famous things, including its universities. I stayed for six weeks at Wolfson College in 2012, but the information in this post is accurate for today.

A must-see in Oxford, whether you are a person who enjoys being out in nature or not, is the Oxford Botanical Garden. It is the oldest botanical garden in Great Britain and contains many scientific gardens inside its grounds. There is also a beautiful pond, a flowing stream, grass tennis courts, cricket courts, and miles and miles of ambling gravel walks through varied botanical settings. Stepping into this place will make you feel like you’ve entered another world.

There was such beauty in Oxford, from the accents of the languages, to the street buskers, to the small bookshops and novelty stores, to the old architecture and double-decker red buses. Even walking through the neighborhoods lined with large old double-story houses was a journey in itself.

I had the opportunity to stay in Oxford for six weeks, which was a pleasant amount of time, in the summer months. It was easy to feel at home in this small town. You can also get to London by train in about an hour to an hour and a half.

As always, all opinions are my own.

Cambridge is the home of one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe, Cambridge University. Its architecture is very old and beautiful and walking around in Cambridge is quite easy.

Explore the university grounds, if you visit Cambridge. Their immaculately tended gardens, glassy rivers with punting boats, and Gothic architecture makes Cambridge a picturesque place to visit.

I also recommend punting a boat along the river in Cambridge. It’s a fun activity and surprisingly easy to keep your balance, if you are the punter.

London is well-known for its red double-decker buses and the London Eye, among other popular tourist attractions. What made London stand out for me was its youthful eclectic culture.

During my visit (in 2012, so this was before Brexit), I didn’t see any hardly any poverty in the areas I stayed in on a short four night trip, but rather a lot of quaint old apartment buildings lining the streets, and plenty of the most famous tourist attractions.

Places I visited:

The Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, and Piccadilly Circus, which is technically a metro stop but a very cool place in London to walk around due to the shops.

I also took a boat ride on the Thames, which offered a 5-course meal and views of the London Eye and other river-side buildings and attractions.

London was easy to get around using the metro, and it was full of an energy I had never experienced before. Because of the London Fashion Week, there is quite an outcropping of hip new designers and plentiful clothing boutiques, but London has so many sights and attractions, you will easily find something to do to entertain you for a day or a week.

As always, all opinions are my own.

Brussels is where the European Commission and European Parliament are located, making it an important hub for EU legislation. Brussels is also a city with old-world architecture and plenty of French speakers.

Visit Brussels to see its beautiful architecture and cultural attractions, even if you’re not so excited about it in the beginning, it very well might grow on you! I wasn’t extremely excited about heading to Brussels for four nights, but after spending time walking around the streets, I changed my opinion.

Belgium has some chilly breezes, even in the summer, so bring a jacket. The city rail system makes hopping on and hopping off at different stations fairly easy to navigate for first-timers.

I stayed in a hotel called NH City Centre, which was compact and much smaller than rooms in the US of its size. However, it had a central location and was near a metro stop, so getting around was not a problem. I would likely stay in a different place the next time I visit, however, but I don’t give the stay a bad rating.

All opinions are my own.

Known as the city that started the “eau de cologne,” Cologne is a beautiful city in north-eastern Germany with a population of roughly 1 million people.

It is very easy to fly directly into Cologne from most countries, or you can take the regional/long distance trains/planes/buses from other cities in Germany itself.

One of the great things about Germany is its interconnected rail system, and the new bus lines that are popping up. Try Flixbus for cheap tickets in between European cities, or in and around Germany. There are others, but Flixbus is the one I have tried so far, and it was a pleasant experience. You will be a little cramped, however, because it is a standard bus seat, but my journey was clean and pleasant. Bring your passport, however, because it is required.

Things to do in Cologne: if you like techno music, there is a club scene that lasts until the wee hours of the morning. Also, you can drink open containers in Germany, which is different from the United States where opened alcohol bottles in public is mainly forbidden. High-end shopping is also good here, as there are plenty of stores with nice clothes.

There is also the Cologne Dom, which is a beautiful cathedral. You can climb the stairs to the top for a good view of the surrounding city beneath you.

Walking around Cologne was mainly what I did for hours, absorbing the sights.

I stayed at a few different hostels in Cologne the four nights I was there, but all were comfortable, if slightly smaller than normal rooms in the U.S.A.

A & O Hostel was particularly nice, because I liked the location and the friendliness of the staff at the time. The rooms were also decorated in a nice, modern way, with simple amenities.

As always, all opinions are my own.