Europe Travel Guide
European Information and Pictures
'I want to travel in Europe... I'm only going to a graveyard, but it's a most precious graveyard' Dostoevski
Europe by month | European Union and Euro | Europe Map | European Walking Tours | Europe Tours
European Travel Information
Information on driving to France from the UK, hints and links on ferries, tolls, speeding controls, insurance.
The ten best cities in Europe [massive disagreement expected here!]:
Paris [France]; Venice, Florence and Rome [Italy]; Barcelona and Seville [Spain]; Amsterdam [Netherlands]; Prague [Czech Republic]; London [England]; Istanbul [Turkey]; Vienna [Austria] Oops! That's eleven, but can't be helped. City Pictures and guides above. Travelling by Train?
The 20 cheapest cities in Europe
16 European countries use the euro [€] as currency: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain.
11 other countries in the European Union do not use the euro: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Sweden, United Kingdom [also known as UK, including 'Great' Britain].
Online visa information and applications:
UK | European Union | South Africa | Australia | New Zealand | Canada | USA
Schengen Area
The Schengen Agreement is an agreement between most EU countries and three non-EU countries [Swizterland, Norway, Iceland] to remove border controls.
People can move between the 25 countries in the 'Schengen area' without the need to show their passport at border crossings. Vatican City, Monaco and San Marino are included but Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania are not.
The UK [England, Wales, Scoland and Northern Ireland] and the Republic of Ireland do not subscribe to this accord, meaning everyone, including British/Irish people, has to show a passport on entry/exit.
San Michele in Foro, Lucca, Italy.
So what has European Travel got to offer you?
Architecture:
This crammed and chaotic part of the world has a stunning variety of architectural
styles, both public buildings and private. From Paris' Eiffel Tower to
the cramped but characterful canalside housing of Amsterdam, from Barcelona's
melting Sagrada Familia to Venice's decaying palazzos, and from London's
Houses of Parliament to Vienna's backstreets, the area has the greatest
And don't forget some amazing post-modern architecture too, ranging
from Bilbao's wacky Guggenheim museum to Berlin's crystal Reichstag.
Madrid, Plaza Mayor, Spain
Walkabout: most Euro city centres are compact, reasonably well preserved and have developed car-free or car-limited pedestrian areas that make getting around the city centres a pleasure. And then there's Venice...
History: 2,000 years of brutal, fascinating history lurks behind the civilized facades of most Euro cities. World changing civilizations like ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, Napoleonic France, Victorian England, Turkey's Ottoman Empire, Spain's conquistadors and Germany's Third Reich rose and fell in Europe - and the scars are still visible.
London, British Museum, England
Culture: The cultural heritage on show in every Euro city is staggering. Among the world beating museums and galleries are St Petersburg's Hermitage, Paris' Louvre, London's British Museum, Madrid's Prado, Istanbul's Topkapi palace, and Rome's Vatican. In most cases the building housing these treasures are treasures themselves.
Cuisine: European cuisine has also given the world some everlasting icons. Taste the original pizza in Italy, caviar in Russia, roast beef in England, coffee in Vienna, croissants in France, sausage in Germany. Then go and have a Mcdonald's if you must...
Budapest, Hungary
Style: Style and fashion are a dynamic part of everyday life in much of the Euro zone too. From London's punk/grunge/whatever to Paris' haut couture to Italian leather to Scandinavian minimalism, the creative process is constantly being pushed to the limit. Shopping in the right places in Euro cities will yield styles ranging from wild and wacky avant garde to perfect classical, though prices often require deep pockets.
Venice Carnival, Italy
Festivals: Europe's cities also offer a rich crop of strange and wonderful festivals, like the Bull Running in Pamplona [Spain], the masked Carnival in Venice [Italy], Scotland's huge and crazy Edinburgh Festival, Salzburg's prestigious music festival in Austria and, and...
Special deals on City Break Holidays in Europe!
Escape: And when you're tired of the cities, there's plenty of interest in the countryside: castles and palaces and ancient ruins and mountains and lakes and sports of every description to refresh you before you go back to the cities.
Ireland, Moher cliffs walk, County Clare
According to a Backpacker Index for 2011 the Twenty Cheapest Cities in Europe are:
1 Sofia, Bulgaria, US$20.75 per day.
2 Krakow, Poland.
3 Bucharest, Romania.
4 Budapest, Hungary.
5 Istanbul, Turkey.
6 Warsaw, Poland.
7 St Petersburg, Russia.
8 Prague, Czech Republic.
9 Zagreb, Croatia.
10 Moscow, Russia, US$46.79 per day.
11 Tallinn, Estonia.
12 Bruges, Belgium.
13 Lisbon, Portugal.
14 Berlin, Germany.
15 London, England.
16 Dubrovnik, Croatia.
17 Athens, Greece.
18 Madrid, Spain.
19 Florence, Italy.
20 Edinburgh, Scotland US$65.69 per day [but not during the Festival!].
Surprises in the list are due to the availability of cheap hotels, hostels and apartments.
