Europe is my first love when it comes to travel destinations, and because I lived in the UK for almost 4 years, Europe is the continent I have travelled to the most and covered most extensively on this blog.
NB: This page mainly relates to continental European countries. If you are looking for information about England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales see our UK/Ireland page here.
Europe stretches from Iceland and Ireland in the west all the way to Finland, Ukraine & Russia in the East. According to the UN there are 44 countries in Europe in total, though many of the countries on the list are micro states- like Monaco, Liechtenstein, San-Marino & the Holy See (Vatican City.) Some people also argue that Turkey should be included in the list of European countries but of course, like Russia, Turkey could easily be considered as being part of Asia instead.
What is so great about Europe in terms of travel is that there is such great diversity of languages, cultures and traditions within a relatively small area. Europe’s climate also varies greatly based on location, with southern areas being on average much warmer than northern ones, and inland areas seeing much greater temperature extremes than seaside places. On top of this there is so much history to learn about, with Europe’s borders having been constantly in flux for as long as Europe has existed in the minds of humans.
Europe has many beautiful cities with a wealth of beautiful architecture, most visibly in its churches, palaces and castles. Europe also features natural marvels like the Alps, that stretch 1200km across eight countries, and to the south the Mediterranean sea, which has some of the world’s best resort destinations.
Most of Europe is quite easy to navigate when you speak English, though learning some of the local tongue is always encouraged nevertheless. Europe is also very well connected by transport networks and has mainly friction-less borders which mean that most countries can be explored with ease. Many European countries use the Euro which is handy when it comes to having the right currency on hand. You can also use most European sim cards & phone plans right across the European Union, with no additional roaming costs.
The only major downsides to Europe for travellers are probably in terms of the cost of travel- though Eastern Europe tends to be a lot more affordable than Western Europe and the Nordic Countries. Some European destinations also suffer because of their sheer popularity, with destinations like Barcelona, Rome & Prague becoming quite crowded during the busy summer season. Major attractions can also have very long queues in summer.
European Destinations
Destinations guides for the European countries & cities that I have written about can be found in the links below.
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- Montenegro
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden