Backpacking around Europe
Backpacking around Europe is an unforgettable experience, one that will change the way you see the world forever. Europe is a small continent, compared to America, but you can find here a huge variety of cultures and people. From the Mediterranean countries in the south, like Italy and Greece, to northern countries, like Denmark and Norway, you’ll encounter a huge variety of climate zones, sceneries, foods, architecture, languages and traditions. There are lots of things to see, from great cities to rural areas that look like they are from another century, from ultramodern buildings to ancient ruins.
Planning a backpack trip through Europe it’s not an easy job. Even if you take two or three months to do it, you won’t be able to see everything. You should carefully create an itinerary for you, to make sure you don’t miss the places you really want to see. The good news is that backpacking through Europe will probably be much cheaper then you estimate. Europe has a very good railroads network. You can travel by train, fast and comfortably, from one corner of Europe to the other. The prices of train tickets vary from one country to other, but they are generally affordable. You can check the sites of railway companies from the countries you want to visit, for more details and prices. Also, in most Europeans towns you can find hostels – places where your people can check in and spend the night at very affordable rates. Hostels are not luxurious, and you will have to share the room with other people, but they are clean, comfortable, usually located downtown and, more important, really cheap.
The perfect itinerary for backpacking through Europe trip should start with Great Britain. You can find a lot of direct flight form United States to London. You can visit London, an amazing city, with lots of museums. You can visit almost all museums from London for free, so it really worth spending here a few days. You can then take the Eurotunnel train to France – it’s a really short trip. While in France, you can’t miss Paris, of course, but you should also visit Loire Valley and the castles here. From France, you should take a tour through southern countries – Spain, Italy and Greece. There are so many things to see here, that it’s actually impossible to talk about them in an article. However, you shouldn’t miss Madrid, Barcelona and Alhambra while in Spain; Rome, Milan and Florence in Italy; Athens, the Acropolis and Crete in Greece. Other thing you shouldn’t miss, in France and the southern countries, is the wine. The cuisine is also amazing in all those countries, but very different form one to the other.
From Greece, you should go in Bulgaria for the beautiful beach of Black Sea and the spectacular Balkan Mountains. Romania is the next stop from the itinerary. You cant’ miss Transylvania, with outstanding landscapes, beautiful, medieval cities and castles. From Romania, you should go directly to Hungary and visit Budapest, then Austria to enjoy Wien and Czech Republic and amazing Prague – the golden city. The next logical step is Germany, for even more medieval castles and modern, vibrant cities. While in Central Europe – Romania, Czech Republic, Germany – you should definitely try the beer. It’s amazing, way better than any beer you’ll ever find in any other corner of the world, and there are hundreds of different beers. The cuisine is quite similar in those countries, tasty and a little rugged, compared with the light Mediterranean cuisine. You’ll have the opportunity to eat a lot of sausages and pork specialties.
From Germany, you have two options: Croatia and Switzerland or the northen countries: Poland, Holland, Norway, Denmark and Baltic countries. Of course, that’s not the entire Europe, but it’s a good itinerary, which will help you see as much as possible in a short period of time.
Tags: backpack, backpacking, europe, traveling