Top 10 European Travel Destinations

Europe is packed with must see historical places, but one probably would need a lifetime to see them all. Here I created a list of the top 10 European travel destinations to help you with your research.

Top 10 European Travel Destinations #10
ATHENS, Greece

The history of Athens begins more then 3000 years ago when during the prehistoric times its first inhabitants created their first settlement on the rock of Acropolis. Athens is a city of contradictions, as frustrating as it is seductive. It is the oldest city in Europe, yet still in a state of transition. It’s one of Europe’s safest and liveliest destinations – a heady mix of grunge and grace with an undeniable urban soul.

Top 10 European Travel Destinations #9
DUBLIN, IrelandProbably most people wouldn´t include Dublin in the top 10 European travel destinations, except the Irish of course, but I certainly love Dublin and I think it deserves to be on the list. Dublin is not the typical capital, busy and ugly with modern sky scrapers. Dublin has mostly houses. Your can barely spot a tall building in the whole city. And the locals are so friendly, you won´t even remember you are in a capital. The Irish green, the luck of the Irish and the Irish pubs are all to be tried. Be careful with the leprechauns!

Top 10 European Travel Destinations #8
FLORENCE, Italy
Florence, the city of the lily, gave birth to the Renaissance and changed the way we see the world. When we say Florence we think of famous people such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo or Dante Alighieri, to name but a few and to the sculpture of David and the jewelery shops on Ponte Vecchio. One tip for this destination: it is enjoyed best at sunset.

Top 10 European Travel Destinations #7
VIENNA, Austria
Vienna was for centuries the main stamping grounds for the Habsburg rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The empire is long gone, but many reminders of the city's imperial heyday remain, carefully preserved by the tradition-loving Viennese. Baroque with a dash of art nouveau, that´s Vienna, and the combination and pure harmony. Wherever you go, your camera won´t stop shooting, I asure you. Charge your batteries in advance!

Top 10 European Travel Destinations #6
ROME, Italy

Rome is the Eternal City, the city founded by Remus and Romulus. Here, modern and old, past and present go side by side all the time. Whether you are in Rome for 3 days, 3 weeks or 3 months, be prepared to step into the world’s biggest open air museum.

Top 10 European Travel Destinations #5
VENICE, Italy

Venice pays tribute to the waters a few centimeters every year, like a captive princess to a beast. Get lost on the Venetian streets without a map if you want to discover the full beauty of this unique European destination. Best time to visit Venice is during the carnival period in February, but in the meantime, be prepared to face the crowds as this is high season for Venice. No matter when you visit Venice, don´t do it by yourself. Be in love!

Top 10 European Travel Destinations #4
BARCELONA, Spain
Barcelona never sleeps and Gaudi is omnipresent like a God. With a warm climate throughout the year, this is a destination you can visit anytime, as many times as you want. Barcelona is alive, colorful and sexy 24/7 and it will make you feel the same too.

Top 10 European Travel Destinations #3
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands

Sometimes referred to as "The Venice of the North", Amsterdam is bike friendly, sex friendly and drugs friendly which makes it one of the most tourist friendly destinations in the world. With a stunning architecture, criss-crossing canals and top museums, Amsterdam is the third on my top 10 European travel destinations because it offers the visitor a different perspective on life.

Top 10 European Travel Destinations #2
LONDON, UK

With many internationally well known sights, London is a must visit city. The traditional red English phone booths will guarantee you the most envied by friends photo from your European holiday. They will congratulate your for your originality. Let them do that, don´t spoil it. You are a grown up and can keep a secret. People are cuing to have their picture taken in the red phone booths. Before you visit the Buckingham Palace, stop by the supermarket and buy some peanuts. Than, after watching the change of the guards, go for a walk in the beautiful park in front of the palace and feed the squirrels. They will definitely thank you for that and ask for more. And last but not least, London is the European travel destination for musicals. Go see at least one!

Top 10 European Travel Destinations #1
PARIS, France
The "city in love" is nevertheless the Nº 1 travel destination in Europe. Lovers from all around the world meet next to the banks of the River Seine, shopping lovers explore shiny shop windows, art lovers wonder in front of Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa and romantics climb the Eiffel Tower. But this symbols of Paris are just the surface. What makes Paris the Nº 1 European travel destination are the atmosphere, the cafes, the never ending walks one can take around the city without ever getting bored. The most vivid memory I have from Paris is bathing my tired feet in the fountains in front of The Louvre Museum, along with so many other tourists from every corner of the world. How do I know Paris is the European Travel Destination? Easy! Every time I plan a trip and the destination question pops up, my answer is always the same: Paris!

Read more...

Travel Itinerary

One can not plan to travel to Europe without a travel itinerary. While contracting your dream travel itinerary to Europe with your local travel agency is more delicate, first things first, you need to sketch in your mind a travel itinerary to suit your interests in order to know what to ask for. Europe is dense in must see places, packed with beautiful medieval towns and breaths ancient history and culture. Including all this marvelous destinations in your travel itinerary is impossible, but it´s worth some research in order to find out what other jewels lay in the shadow of Paris so you will have some untold and unheard stories to tell your friends when you go back.

A travel itinerary depends on how many days you can spend in Europe. I can assure you that even thou Europe looks somehow small on the map, a lifetime of traveling is not enough to see it all. I would say that if you make the financial effort of traveling to Europe it is worth spending at least two weeks on the old continent. Including just Paris or Barcelona in your itinerary will only open your appetite for more and you won´t leave satisfied.

The shortest Europe travel itinerary I would recommend is Amsterdam - London - Paris (+ Versailles Palace situated 1 hour trip from Paris) - Barcelona. Give at least three days for each in your itinerary as they are vast and dense cities you cannot ignore. Of course there are Vienna and Venice and you definetly shouldn´t forget about them, but as they are not situated on the way between the cities mentioned above, I leave it up to you to include them or not in your itinerary.

A 1 month travel itinerary is already more satisfaing. We will include the destinations from the previous travel itinerary: Amsterdam - Paris - London - Barcelona and let´s get our itinerary fat starting from here. We still have 15 days worth travel left. Vienna (2 days) - Prague (1 day) - Rome (2-3 days) - Venice (superfast in 1 day, better stay for 2 days) - Florence (1 day) - Munchen (1 day) - Dublin (1 day) - Madrid (2 days) - Copenhagen (1 day). These travel destinations will give you a pretty good idea about what Europe really is about.

In 3 months, if you are young, restless and eager to see as much as humanly possible, just have a look at my travel itinerary list on the right side of the page. Yes, I managed to see all those cities and castles in just about 3 months. There is a lot left to be seen. My list is still young. There are always places you want to go back to, like Chillon Castle in Switzerland which for me represents heaven on Earth or Dublin, the cozyest capital I´ve ever traveled to, or Venice where I spent one day of my honeymoon and loved it and want to go back. Drawing a travel itinerary is no child´s play. It´s a tough job and involves a lot of responsability. But there is one dirty little secret to know before and meanwhile and after you travel throughtout Europe. No matter how carefully your travel itinerary was developed, it is never perfect. Because of a very simple reason: you will always want to travel more.

Read more...