My Top Ten Places to visit in Europe
Sep 02 '09
The Bottom Line This is my personal top-ten list of destinations in Europe as well as some travel advice.
I have visited the Scandinavian countries (I am Swedish), the Baltic countries, Russia, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Greece, Crete, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, and I've stopped by the Benelux countries, so I think I have some idea of what there is to see in Europe. There are many places that I can recommend for various reasons; however, I have not been everywhere in Europe (Spain, Ireland, some Eastern European countries), and some places I visited too long ago (Russia, Baltic countries), and other places too briefly (Britain, Benelux countries). Therefore my ten-top selection is based on a limited subset of cities and countries in Europe. My ten-top selection is also quite personal; you may feel differently. However, I hope I am describing the places well enough for you to make up your own mind.
Traveling in Europe
Assuming you are young the best way to travel in Europe is by train. This way of traveling may not be very luxurious, however, by traveling by train you will meet a lot of other youngsters and at that age you don't need a lot of luxury. You can sleep at various youth hostels, cheap hotels or on the train. There are guide books that list all the decent youth hostels in various cities around Europe. When I was about 20 years old I visited 9 countries for less then a thousand dollars by doing this.
The InterRail pass is available to anyone who has been a resident in Europe for six months and it allows you unlimited travel for a period of time in 30 countries. If you are 26 years old or less you can buy the InterRail pass cheaper. If you are 26 or under you can buy an InterRail pass that allows you to travel everyday within one month for 599 Euros. Another pass allows you to travel 8 days within one month for 299 Euros. If you are not a European resident you can buy a Eurorail pass which covers 21 countries. I should add that if you are a girl you should travel with company.
Naturally there are other ways to travel in Europe, by plane, by bus, by car, or by using ferry boats. Gas is expensive in Europe and the highway system in Europe is not as well developed as in the United States, so traveling by car will be more difficult and more expensive compared to the United States. I can recommend the ferry boats in the Baltic Sea and the ferry boat from Brindisi in Italy to Corfu in Greece. These boats are a lot of fun. I have traveled by bus quite extensively in both Europe and the United States. Traveling by bus in the United States is not something I can highly recommend. However, traveling by bus in Europe can be a quite nice experience and it is inexpensive. This is how I would rank the various traveling venues in Europe and in the United States.
United States
1. Flying/Car
2. Train
3. Bus
Europe
1. Train
2. Ferry Boats (where it applies)
3. Bus
4. Flying
5. Car
Below I am listing 10 places in Europe which I can highly recommend. I have ordered them in accordance to my personal preference.
1. Greek Islands
I've been to the Grecian Islands and to Crete, both as a youngster and with my family. There are more than 6,000 Greek Islands and of those 227 are inhabited. Crete is the largest of the Greek Islands (8,336 square kilometers or 3,219 square miles). I can add that my father in law originates from Crete (his parents were from Crete).
I have experienced some really weird stuff in Greece but that was in Athens, not the Islands. Due to the light sand and the rocky bottom the Greek Islands have incredibly blue water. In addition to the numerous beaches the Greek Islands often features interesting ancient artifacts. For example, on Crete you have the Minoan palace of Knossos, Phaistos, the port of Chania etc. I can add that my son sat in the Kings throne at Knossos (well no one protested). In case you don't know about Knossos; that was where the story about the Minotaur and Theseus allegedly took place. You also have the caves by the beach were the early persecuted Christians hid from the Roman authorities. There are many other artifacts on various other Islands.
I should add that some Islands, for example, Kos has turned into major tourist destinations and party destinations while many other Islands are more tranquil. It is up to you to decide which you want. You can also take the Island ferries and do Island hopping. Go from Island to Island to see ancient artifacts and try out different beaches. I should mention that unless you stay at a luxury hotel you most likely have to throw the toilet paper in a waste basket instead of the toilet. The Greek Islands are beautiful, rich in ancient history, has very blue water, and many beautiful beaches. I love the Greek Islands.
2. The French Riviera
I've been to Nice and Monte Carlo, and Marseille (all at different occasions). Well Marseille is not on the French Riviera but it is not far from it. Nice is the largest and most prominent city on the French Riviera. It was founded 350 BC by Greek colonists. It has a long nice beach, beach hotels, and shops and restaurants along the beach front. Unlike cities like Newport Beach or Waikiki, Nice is an old European city with many historical sites, museums, areas and streets dedicated to pedestrians, and a rich city life. One thing that you can say about Nice is that it is nice. "Nice" is a perfect name for this city. Monte Carlo, as you probably know, is a gambling city as well as a beach resort, and the capital of the Principality of Monaco.
The French Riviera or "Côte d'Azur" is the Mediterranean coastline of the south eastern corner of France to Hyères or Cassis in the west. The shore line is hilly and beautiful; however, the beaches are still soft, flat and wide. The reasons the French Riviera is one of my favorite places are the wonderful beaches, but also the wonderful and interesting cities, the amazing French Mediterranean cooking, and the beautiful surroundings.
3. Transylvania
I visited Transylvania last summer for one week. Transylvania is a region in Romania with beautiful tall mountains, forests and small farms. There are many incredibly beautiful cities in Transylvania including Brasov, Sibiu, Sighisoara, and Timisoara. Sighisoara is also known as the birthplace of Dracula, or Vlad III Tepes, or Vlad the impaler. There are many medieval citadels, fortresses and castles in Transylvania. The Bran Castle is often considered to be Dracula's castle. Even though this is not really true, it is a fun place to visit. However, Dracula's real castle is the Poenari castle.
What I like about Transylvania are the beautiful scenery, the mountains, the beautiful old cities, the hearty food, the Palinca (Plum Rum), and the Dracula theme. Regarding the Dracula theme, I recommend visiting Dracula's castles and Sighisoara.
4. The Alps
I've been to the Alps in Southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and on a few occasions I have skied in the Alps (Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Zell am See). The Alps is arguably the best known European mountain range. The Alps are relatively young mountains that often have impressive and sharp looking summits and a steep pitch. Matterhorn is a famous mountain in the Alps. In addition to the mountains there are a lot of old European cities scattered across the landscape. There are various ancient artifacts and interesting culture to see in the Alps.
One of the main reasons to visit the Alps is the skiing which is quite good. There are hundreds of ski resorts in the Alps and some of the more famous are; Zermatt, Zell am See, Kitzbühel, Val-d'Isère, Val d'Allos, Méribel , Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and many others. The skiing in the Alps is comparable to the skiing in the Rocky Mountains. I like the Alps because of the beautiful mountains, the scenery, the cities, the culture, the food, as well as the skiing.
5. The Ice Hotel in Sweden
The Ice Hotel in Northern Sweden is a hotel made entirely from Ice and Snow. It is located 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle in a small town called Jukkasjärvi, and is the largest ice hotel in the world, and it also was the first ice hotel in the world. You can rent a room and sleep in the Ice Hotel just as in any hotel, except it is going to be quite cold in your room and you sleep on top of ice blocks covered by plywood and reindeer hides.
What makes the Ice Hotel in Northern Sweden special is all the Ice Art that fills out the hotel. In a sense it is both a hotel made out of ice and an art museum made out of ice. The lobby, the hallways, and the rooms have ice sculptures, ice decorations, ice lamps, ice chandeliers, and ice furniture in them. You don't get your room until 6PM. That is so that everybody can walk around and look at all the art in the rooms until then. There is also an ice bar where all the glasses, the bar, the tables, the scene, and the musical instruments are made out of ice. You can only order cold drinks and food in the ice bar since hot items would melt the ice plates and the ice glasses. The exception is hot chocolate which is served in paper cups. There are also many activities at the ice hotel, including dog sled rides, snow mobile rides, ice fishing, reindeer sled rides, moose safari, watching the Aurora Borealis (which can quite astounding north of the Arctic Circle), visiting Sámi villages, and much more.
Many people will disagree with me that this is one of Europe's top destinations. However, I thought it was very cool (no pun intended) and my kids were so excited about it, so I think it is one of Europe's top destinations.
6. Paris
I have been to Paris several times. My wife grew up in Paris, my sister in law just moved from Paris to Dallas, and another sister in law of mine moved from Paris to Marseille a few years ago. I wrote a somewhat critical review of Paris some time ago because of what I perceive as the sometimes unfriendly Parisians. Even though I think that my opinion about that is correct, and has been confirmed by various surveys in Europe, it is also a city which offers a lot of interesting sights and experiences. Because of the latter fact, my three star rating was probably not accurate, at least not for a first time visitor.
The Eiffel tower may be the best known attraction in Paris, however, the Latin Quarters, the street cafes of Paris, the Louvre, Sacré Cœur and Montmartre, Notre Dame, Centre Georges Pompidou, Grand Palais, and Place de l'Étoile and Arc de Triomphe, are other extremely interesting and beautiful attractions, and so is the Palace of Versailles outside of Paris. However, one the greatest thing that you can do in Paris is to eat at one of the exclusive top restaurants. I doubt that you can eat as well anywhere else in the world.
7. Bucharest
Bucharest is Romania's capital and a surprisingly vibrant and beautiful city. The former communist regimes did a lot to ruin the city, however, like a Phoenix it has risen up from the ashes. There are many beautiful old buildings in Bucharest and it is often called Little Paris, or the Paris of the East. Bucharest has an interesting history and it has a world famous night life. Bucharest is filled with palaces, churches, museums, universities, and parks, and the old city is a very interesting place to see.
The main attraction in Bucharest is the Palace of the Parliament which is a gigantic palace that dwarfs the Versailles. It was built by the communist dictator Ceausescu and it is the largest palace and the largest administrative building in the world. The Palace of the Parliament is bigger than any football stadium, it has 1,100 huge rooms, and it is filled with art, enormous chandeliers, 18 meter long curtains, and marble covered floors. There are gold, crystal, and expensive materials everywhere. Around the palace Bucharest was torn down and replaced by a new white symmetrical inner city. The palace of the parliament is probably the most breathtaking building in Europe, perhaps in the world.
I liked Bucharest because it is beautiful, interesting and because of the Palace of the Parliament, but also because of the fact that people here are very friendly towards tourists, American or European. Bucharest is also safe. Unfortunately credit cards are not widely accepted and many people here cannot speak English.
8. Copenhagen
Copenhagen is a wonderful city. Stockholm the capital of my home country Sweden is another beautiful Scandinavian city; however, I think Copenhagen is even nicer than Stockholm. Stockholm may be slightly more beautiful; however, Copenhagen has a special ambiance and a very friendly population which makes it the number one Scandinavian city in my opinion (I am saying that despite being Swedish). Copenhagen has many interesting tourist attractions including; Amalienborg Palace, Christiansborg Palace, Rosenborg Palace, the marble church, and many parks, museums, beaches, and amusement parks. One of the greatest amusement parks for children that I have ever seen in the world is the Tivoli Park in Copenhagen. When we visited Tivoli we stayed the entire day until 10PM, and when we left the park my son still had a hissing fit. He had a ton of fun at the Tivoli. Ströget, the car free large and long street in Copenhagen is also a major tourist attraction. What I like about Copenhagen is the combination of tourist attractions, things for children to do, and the friendly and welcoming locals. I should add that most Danes speak English well.
9. Rome
There are a lot of amazing things to see in Rome including St. Peters Square, the Coliseum, the Arch of Constantine, Circus Maximus, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the historic centre of Rome, etc. I enjoyed very much seeing these things myself, at the same time as I had problems interacting with the locals. I was pretty close to being robbed by kids, and cheated out of my money at restaurants, and the traffic in Rome was hectic and dangerous. However, because of the sights, Rome is definitely a hot tourist destination.
10. Athens
Athens is famous for Acropolis which is an astounding ancient site. However, there are also many museums and many other ancient sights in Athens. There are many taverns with good food, ouzo, and beer in Athens. You can have a good time here. However, I have had some really strange and less inspiring experiences in Athens, which I am not going to divulge here. So I am a little wary of Athens even though I admit I also had a great time here. If you have not seen Acropolis, or the Acropolis Museum, go for it.
There are many other places I have found fascinating like the Norwegian fjords, Vienna, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Marseille, and St. Petersburg, however, I did not include them in my top-ten list for various reasons (which I am not 100% sure about). I am pretty sure London would have been on the list if I had toured London for more than one day, and I am pretty Barcelona, Moscow and Venice would have been on the list if had ever been there.
Final Recommendation
Take my list for what it is, my personal selection from an incomplete list of places. However, I hope that this list in combination with other information will give some insights into what you might want to see in Europe.
Note: Today is my one year anniversary at epinions. I joined epinions one year ago. However, I should say that my anniversary as a reviewer on epinions is not until October 7 which is when I wrote my first review.
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Epinions.com ID:
texas-swede
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Member: Thomas Wikman
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Reviews written: 355
Trusted by: 104 members
About Me:
The photo is of my daughter and a Beluga Whale, Sea World, San Antonio
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