Category: Europe

Barcelona is well known for having both beaches and mountains, being in between both geographically, and having plenty of sunshine and culture. You will find Barcelona to be a lively city, which is also quite large. The beaches are good for sun-bathing and swimming, and there are many restaurants with different cuisine from which to choose from.

If you’re into hiking/rock-climbing, you can drive a little ways out of Barcelona to find some mountain cliffs that with sport clips.

Also, Barcelona has an amusement park nestled above the city in the mountains, called Tibidabo. It has 25 rides, excellent panoramic views, and the Sagrat Cor church. You can take a bus to Tibidabo from Barcelona, or you can take a taxi.

All opinions are my own.

Ibiza is now known for its club culture, but its sandy beaches and rocky beaches have exited for much longer. If you want a more peaceful experience, take the ferry or a short flight to Formentera, for a more traditional sun and sand experience away from the club scene.

Sunrises and sunsets are beautiful in Ibiza, especially if you view them over the water, but be warned, if you go to the main parts of the cities on the island, you will be bombarded with hecklers and peddlers selling tickets and ferry rides as you walk along the streets.

There are different cities in Ibiza, even though it is a small Balearic island, and each give a different experience. My favorite part of Ibiza was enjoying its beaches and blue ocean waters, getting away from the city itself. Hostels and hotels are plentiful, but book in advance as these get significantly higher during high-season (March/April through August), if you can.

All opinions are my own.

Hamburg is located in the northern part of Germany, and is also one of my favorite German cities because of its ambience and beauty.

Visit Planten und Blomen botanical gardens to walk through miles of gardens and parks, and get away from the city. Jungfernsteig is a place to sit on the steps and watch live performances, talk to people, eat a sandwich, or simply watch the ferries come and go on the Alster.

You won’t need a car in Hamburg, because the metro will take you everywhere you need to go within a short distance. Sometimes it can be confusing, in the beginning, so bringing a map or using an app to navigate will be really helpful.

There are plenty of sandwich shops lining the streets of Hamburg, which I enjoyed eating small sandwiches from nearly every day, but there are finer restaurants as well.

The Museum für Kunst und Geschicte and the Kunsthalle are two of my recommendations for viewing art.

Walking around Hamburg is fun, or you can take a bike, which is safe and easy. There are hostels and hotels in Hamburg, but I stayed in an apartment for a couple months, which made my experience slightly different than a shorter trip.

All opinions are my own.

Berlin has post-WWII ambience and also a culture of youthful artists and designers. It’s a place to visit if you want both history and modernity.

If you go to Berlin, you can visit Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall Park, and other tourist attractions from WWII, and you can also go to lively clubs and explore hip boutique shops, small art galleries, and so on.

Berlin is also easy to reach from any city as it has an international airport, and is also a good destination if you’re touring Europe by EURail or are taking a bus connection.

I recommend spending at least a few days in Berlin, and bringing a light jacket because it can get a little chilly, even during summer. Finding a backpacker hostel or low-cost hotel in Berlin is not a problem as there are so many around, but book a few weeks to a month in advance during the high season, as they can tend to fill up quickly.

All opinions are my own.

Paris is one of the reasons many people visit Europe and for good reason.

You will see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Seine, and nearly every other famous place if you spend only a few days here. Montmarte is a cool young place to stay, which is where my hostel/hotel was located, so I recommend this area. Rates are also lower in Montmarte and in other districts than other neighborhoods in Paris, so check before you book. Getting around by the metro is so easy you don’t need to spend more to be in a central location unless you really want to.

There is an undercurrent of romance in Paris, especially at night. In Paris, there is something for everyone, so while it is a bit more crowded and packed with tourists, at the very least, a day-trip to Paris is a good idea.

All opinions are my own.

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.