Best Places To Visit
– Spain
– Belgium
– France
– Iceland
– Italy
– Croatia
Best Time To Visit
Depending on what you are visiting Europe for, I would say it’s best to visit during the Spring and Summer months. This would mean less rain than during the winter and warmer temperatures suitable for lots of fun things to do across Europe.
Best Food To Eat
– Paella
– Tapas
– Croissants
– Pasta
– Pizza
– Belgian Waffles
– Polish Pierogi
– Currywurst
History, landscapes and delicious food.
I have travelled to quite a few countries across Europe, but I still feel like I have barely scratched the surface. I have been to Spain, France, Iceland, Germany, Belgium, Croatia, Sweden and Poland so far, with so many I want to cross off my list. I have been to Spain and France the most, the later I have visited for the second time in 15 years.
Europe is a dream travel destination for those wanting to make their first solo trip, backpacking on a budget or looking for a luxury getaway. It is so quick and easy to explore new cities, there is so much culture and history and lots of delicious food to discover.
Intro & Culture
CURRENCY
Most of Europe uses the Euro currency but there are a few countries that have converted to their own currency. I have included some examples below.
Croatia – Croatian Kuna
Iceland – Icelandic Krona
Poland – Polish Zloty
Sweden – Swedish Krona
It is best to have some physical money on you when you travel just in case but most places will accept card payments. I use Monzo, which is an app based bank account and contactless card (there are lots of similar ones to choose from though). It also alerts you once you’ve used the card and also gives you the current exchange rate and location on purchases too.
Top Tip: Download the app “Currency Plus” to get currency conversions on the go. It updates daily and when connected to WiFi or Network to give you the latest conversion and you can have multiple currencies shown in one go.
Download here: Apple App Store // Google Play Store
LANGUAGE
In Europe, they mostly speak English which really helps when you don’t know much of the language but it’s best to try and learn some of the basic phrases to show Europeans you aren’t lazy.
TIMEZONE
Most of Europe is in a time zone that is 1 hour ahead of the UK
CUISINE
Food and eating out across Europe is amazing. There is such a huge array of multicultural influence when it comes to food and there is so much to try and explore.
01. Make the most of happy hours – Around Europe’s cities, there are a lot of bars and restaurants that have happy hours where most drinks will be half price. If you are into that kind of thing, make sure you make the most of this offer. You can also have happy hour offers for eating out but not all restaurants will have this offer. But do keep your eye out for eating deals especially near student areas.
02. When travelling on public transport, use a saver or contactless card – Do not buy a travel card ticket from a machine as you will always get caught out by peak travel fares. Make sure you have a contactless credit or debit card or have an saver card for using public transport. It will save you a lot of money.
03. In a restaurant, be sure to check for dishes of the day or a saver deal – Most of these deals will be around for students but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of a cheaper meal. Eating out especially can be quite expensive, but you don’t always have to fork out on a meal.
04. Leave taxi/Uber travel for when you have longer journeys or travelling with luggage – I wouldn’t want to be stuck in traffic in a taxi or Uber as the metre will be running and wasting money. If you can, try to use the public transport and leave a taxi/Uber as a last resort especially if you are travelling with lots of luggage. You don’t want to carry heavy suitcases around.
Budget Tips
Suggested Daily Budget: 108-120 EUR / 90-100 GBP
Note: this is a rough daily budget based on what I spent on average each day. This is a suggested budget assuming you’re staying in a hostel, eating out a little, cooking most of your meals, and using local transportation. Using the budget tips, you can always lower this number. However, if you stay in fancier accommodation or eat out more often, expect this to be higher!
Travel Tips
VISAS
You won’t need a visa to visit Europe no matter where you are travelling from but you may need to fill in an immigration card depending on where you are coming from.
Check if you need a Visa or other documentation here…
With iVisa, all of your travel document requirements are all in one place. They help give you that piece of mind when checking you have everything you need to enter a country without any hassle.
You can apply for everything from visas, tourist cards, invitation letters and health declaration forms for COVID-19 differently from their website. It’s very quick and easy to use and they are very fast at processing your applications, some things can even be FREE for whichever travel document you need. You can even pay for speedy processing and delivery if you are in a rush.
INJECTIONS
You do not need any injections to visit Europe, no matter where you are coming from.
READ MORE: A Guide to Vaccinations And Visas Around The World
CAPITAL/CITY
There are various Capitals across Europe and lots of cities to enjoy.
Belgium’s capital city is Brussels
Croatia’s capital city is Zagreb (Most people think it’s Dubrovnik)
France’s capital city is Paris
Germany’s capital city is Berlin
Iceland’s capital city is Reykjavik
Italy’s capital city is Rome
Spain’s capital city is Madrid
Sweden’s capital city is Stockholm
Poland’s capital city is Warsaw
ACCOMMODATION
There are so many hotels and accomodation across Europe depending on where you are planning to stay. These can vary from major hotel chains, AirBnB’s, homestays or hostels. Make sure you check out AirBnB and also TripAdvisor for booking your hotel or hostel.
ACCOMMODATION I’VE STAYED IN
• Apartment Stephanie, Brussels, Belgium
• Hostel Split Backpackers 2, Split, Croatia
• The White Rabbit Hostel, Hvar, Croatia
• Hostel Angelina, Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Hotel Les Jardins De La Villa, Paris, France
• Amstel House Hostel, Berlin, Germany
• Downtown Stakkholt Reykjavik Apartments, Reykjavik, Iceland
• Homestay, Vik, Iceland
• Capranica Private Suites, Rome, Italy
• ComeCasa Apartments, Milan, Italy
• Apartamento Picasso, Bergamo, Italy
• Angelica House, Florence, Italy
• Barcélo Imagine, Madrid, Spain
• Hotel GF Isabel, Tenerife, Spain
• Hotel Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
• Apart Neptun, Gdańsk, Poland
Explore Europe
DRIVING
In Europe, it is safe to drive especially if you feel confident enough driving on the opposite side of the road. Driving through Europe’s countryside is one of the best things you can do especially in France, Italy and Iceland. Throughout the cities, I wouldn’t say it was necessary as you can utilise public transport which will help you save money.
FLIGHTS
Flights to Europe can be from any major city across the world or from having a stopover in a major city if you are coming from somewhere smaller. Be sure to search Skyscanner to find your best time to fly or any of the other major cities.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
The best way of getting around Europe is by using the public transport. It is so much more affordable and you can travel to multiple places across the cities very quickly.
Packing Tips
WHAT TO WEAR
You can wear pretty much anything in Europe depending on the weather. If you are visiting any churches or places to worship, please wear appropriate clothing so you don’t offend anyone. Research the weather before you go as well so you can pack accordingly and come prepared as weather can change quite quickly.
WEATHER
Weather across Europe can vary quite a lot and also depending on whether you are on a beach holiday or visiting the mountains to ski. Make sure you check the weather before you leave and prepare for what the weather could be as it can change quite quickly.
Activities
THINGS TO SEE & DO
There is so much to see and do throughout Europe especially if you love learning about a countries history and the architecture, visiting parks and exploring nature and so much more.
