Lonely Planet Europe

By Alexis Averbuck

Lonely Planet’s Europe is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Marvel at Norway’s fjords, discover Granada’s Alhambra in Spain, and explore Moscow’s Red Square; all with your trusted travel companion. Get to the heart of Europe and begin your journey now!

Inside Lonely Planet’s Europe Travel Guide: 

Up-to-date information - all businesses were rechecked before publication to ensure they are still open after 2020’s COVID-19 outbreak

NEW top experiences feature - a visually inspiring collection of Europe’s best experiences and where to have them

Colour maps and images throughout

Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests

Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots

Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, websites, transit tips, prices

Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss

Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, people, music, landscapes, wildlife, cuisine, politics

Over 190 maps 

Covers Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium & Luxembourg, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Britain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, The Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine

 

The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet’s Europe, our most comprehensive guide to Europe, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less travelled. 

About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day. 

 

'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' – New York Times

 

'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' – Fairfax Media (Australia)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Release date: Jul 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781838696412

Book preview

Front CoverLonely Planet Logo

Europe

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Contents

PLAN YOUR TRIP

Welcome to Europe

Europe Map

Europe’s Top Experiences

Need to Know

Month by Month

Itineraries

ON THE ROAD

ALBANIA

Tirana

Berat

Gjirokastra

Saranda

Ksamil

Himara

Shkodra

Valbona

Theth

AUSTRIA

Vienna

Krems an der Donau

Linz

Graz

Klagenfurt

Salzburg

Hallstatt

Innsbruck

Lienz

BELARUS

Minsk

Nyasvizh

Mir

Brest

Hrodna

BELGIUM & LUXEMBOURG

Brussels

Bruges

Ypres

Ghent

Antwerp

Lier

Mechelen

Mons

Luxembourg

BOSNIA & HERCEGOVINA

Sarajevo

Mostar

Blagaj

Trebinje

Una River Valley

BRITAIN

London

Windsor & Eton

Canterbury

Salisbury

Stonehenge

Bath

Oxford

Stratford-upon-Avon

Cambridge

York

Chester

Lake District National Park

Cardiff

Edinburgh

Glasgow

Loch Lomond & the Trossachs

Inverness

Loch Ness

Skye

BULGARIA

Sofia

Rila Monastery

Melnik

Plovdiv

Koprivshtitsa

Veliko Târnovo

Varna

Nesebâr

Burgas

Sozopol

CROATIA

Zagreb

Rovinj

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Zadar

Split

Hvar Island

Dubrovnik

CZECH REPUBLIC

Prague

Plzeň

Český Krumlov

Karlovy Vary

Brno

Olomouc

DENMARK

Copenhagen

Roskilde

Odense

Aarhus

Skagen

ESTONIA

Tallinn

Otepää

Tartu

Pärnu

Saaremaa

FINLAND

Helsinki

Turku

Tampere

Savonlinna

Rovaniemi

Inari

FRANCE

Paris

Versailles

Giverny

Lille

Bayeux

Mont St-Michel

St-Malo

Reims

Épernay

Strasbourg

Blois

Amboise

Dijon

Beaune

Lyon

Chamonix

Sarlat-la-Canéda

Bordeaux

Biarritz

Nîmes

Marseille

Aix-en-Provence

Avignon

Nice

Cannes

St-Tropez

Monaco

Ajaccio

Bastia

Bonifacio

GERMANY

Berlin

Dresden

Leipzig & Western Saxony

Weimar

Erfurt

Munich

Bavarian Alps

The Romantic Road

Nuremberg & Franconia

Regensburg & the Danube

Stuttgart

Heidelberg

The Black Forest

Frankfurt am Main

Romantic Rhine Valley

Moselle Valley

Cologne

Hamburg

Schleswig-Holstein

Bremen City

GREECE

Athens

Nafplio

Olympia

Delphi

Meteora

Thessaloniki

Mykonos

Naxos

Santorini

Iraklio

Hania

Rhodes

Kos

Samos

Lesvos

Corfu

HUNGARY

Budapest

Sopron

Balatonfüred

Keszthely

Pécs

Szeged

Eger

ICELAND

Reykjavík

The Golden Circle

Blue Lagoon

IRELAND

Dublin

Kilkenny

Cork

Killarney

Ring of Kerry

Galway

Aran Islands

Belfast

Derry (Londonderry)

ITALY

Rome

Genoa

Cinque Terre

Turin

Milan

The Lakes

Venice

Bologna

Tuscany & Umbria

Florence

Lucca

Siena

Naples

Capri

Amalfi Coast

Sicily

KOSOVO

Pristina

Peja (Peć)

Prizren

LATVIA

Rīga

Kuldīga

Ventspils

Sigulda

Cēsis

LITHUANIA

Vilnius

Trakai

Kaunas

Klaipėda

Curonian Spit

MOLDOVA

Chişinău

Orheiul Vechi

Soroca

Gagauzia

Tiraspol

MONTENEGRO

Perast

Kotor

Ulcinj

Cetinje

Durmitor National Park

THE NETHERLANDS

Amsterdam

Haarlem

Leiden

Den Haag

Delft

Rotterdam

Utrecht

Maastricht

NORTH MACEDONIA

Skopje

Canyon Matka

Mavrovo National Park

Lake Ohrid

Ohrid

Pelister National Park

Bitola

NORWAY

Oslo

Bergen

Stavanger

Sognefjorden

Geirangerfjord

Trondheim

Tromsø

POLAND

Warsaw

Kraków

Lublin

Zakopane

Wrocław

Poznań

Gdańsk

Toruń

PORTUGAL

Lisbon

Sintra

Cascais

Faro

Tavira

Lagos

Sagres

Évora

Peniche

Óbidos

Tomar

Coimbra

Porto

Viana do Castelo

Braga

Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês

ROMANIA

Bucharest

Transylvania

Braşov

Sighişoara

Sibiu

Cluj-Napoca

Timişoara

RUSSIA

Moscow

Golden Ring

Vladimir

Suzdal

Sergiev Posad

St Petersburg

SERBIA

Belgrade

Novi Sad

Niš

SLOVAKIA

Bratislava

Poprad

High Tatras

Spišské Podhradie

Slovenský Raj & Around

Košice

SLOVENIA

Ljubljana

Lake Bled

Lake Bohinj

Bovec

Postojna

Škocjan Caves

Piran

SPAIN

Madrid

Salamanca

Segovia

Toledo

Barcelona

Tarragona

Zaragoza

San Sebastián

Bilbao

Santillana del Mar

Santiago de Compostela

Valencia

Mallorca

Ibiza

Seville

Córdoba

Granada

Málaga

Cáceres

SWEDEN

Stockholm

Uppsala

Malmö

Gothenburg

Visby

Östersund

Umeå

Kiruna & Around

SWITZERLAND

Geneva

Lausanne

Gruyères

Zermatt

Bern

Lucerne

Interlaken

Grindelwald

Wengen

Jungfraujoch

Mürren

Zürich

Basel

Locarno

Lugano

St Moritz

TURKEY

İstanbul

Gallipoli Peninsula

Çanakkale

Troy

İzmir

Selçuk

Pamukkale

Bodrum

Fethiye

Kaş

Olympos & Çıralı

Antalya

Ankara

Konya

Cappadocia

Göreme

Nemrut Dağı Milli Parkı

Kars

UKRAINE

Kyiv

Lviv

Odesa

SURVIVAL GUIDE

Directory A–Z

Accessible Travel

Accommodation

Customs Regulations

Discount Cards

Electricity

Embassies & Consulates

LGBTIQ+ Travellers

Health

Insurance

Internet Access

Legal Matters

Money

Post

Safe Travel

Telephone

Time

Toilets

Tourist Information

Travel with Children

Visas

Volunteering

Women Travellers

Work

Transport

Getting There & Away

Entering Europe

Air

Land

Sea

Getting Around

Bicycle

Boat

Bus

Car & Motorcycle

Hitching

Local Transport

Taxi

Train

Language

Behind the Scenes

Our Writers

COVID-19

We have re-checked every business in this book before publication to ensure that it is still open after the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 will continue to be felt long after the outbreak has been contained, and many businesses, services and events referenced in this guide may experience ongoing restrictions. Some businesses may be temporarily closed, have changed their opening hours and services, or require bookings; some unfortunately could have closed permanently. We suggest you check with venues before visiting for the latest information.

Welcome to Europe

As with many young travellers, Europe is where my life on the road began – in the late 1980s with a £140 InterRail ticket. Not having travelled outside Britain as a child, I’ll never forget the excitement of arriving at Paris’ Gare du Nord late at night and becoming instantly infatuated by the ‘City of Light’. Since then, I’ve travelled around Europe multiple times returning regularly to my favourite haunts and revelling in the diversity, intensity and complexity of this multilayered continent that I’ll need at least 10 lifetimes to explore properly.

shutterstock_1089086318-jpg

Parisian cafe | PETR KOVALENKOV/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

By Brendan Sainsbury, Writer

brendan-sainsbury-2014-col-jpg

twitterpng @sainsburyb

For more about our writers

Europe’s Top Experiences

1CASTLES & PALACES

Europe is full of muscular fortifications and showy palaces constructed to cement the legacy of whoever held the reins of power when they were built. It’s not difficult to track the evolution of these noble citadels from the Palatine Hill in Rome to the UK’s Tower of London, to St Petersburg’s Winter Palace. Ostentatious but built to last, they reflect the tumultuous history of the continent.

KAVALENKAVA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

The Illustrious Alhambra

Granada’s 1,000-year-old fort and palace complex was built by the Moors and rises like a heavenly apparition at the foot of the Sierra Nevada. After admiring the ornate residences and manicured gardens of its foppish Nasrid rulers, everything else threatens to be anti-climactic.

CEZARY WOJTKOWSKI/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Windsor Castle

Home to British royalty for nearly 1000 years, Windsor is a historical heavyweight even by European standards. Surrounded by a humongous park and host to a soaring gothic chapel, it’s a castle fit for a queen – which is probably why she still lives there.

LEONARD ZHUKOVSKY/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Château of Versailles

Conceived by France’s imperious Sun King in the 1600s, Versailles has been the measuring stick for every palace built since. Not surprisingly, the baroque beauty gets more annual visitors than many small countries.

MISTERVLAD/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

2COOL CAFé CULTURE

Snap a street scene in Paris, Vienna, Trieste or Barcelona and, chances are, it’ll include a café. Picture striped awnings jutting over shaded pavements, tight crowds squeezed around marble tables, and fashionable patrons sipping cappuccinos from porcelain cups. Cafes are as important to European culture as churches and battlefields. Revolutions have been plotted in them, books written, and love affairs ignited. Order a drink and soak up the atmosphere.

Parisian Style

You haven’t been to Paris until you’ve decamped outside a Latin Quarter café with a croissant and chocolat and eavesdropped on a 21st century reincarnation of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre.

Parisian cafe, Latin Quarter | JMBF/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Viennese People-Watching

When the Turks dumped their coffee outside the gates of Vienna in 1683, they did the continent a huge favour. Unchanged in decades, the cosmopolitan cafes of the Austrian capital are heavy with the air of refinement. Observe human behaviour, play cards, admire the drapes, and imbibe the fin-de-siècle atmosphere with your coffee.

Viennese café | ROSTISLAV AGEEV/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Espresso in Turin

The home of Lavazza and chocolate makes a good place to perch among the chandeliers, starched tablecloths and waistcoated wait staff while taking a well-earned ‘pausa’. Discuss the latest corruption scandal with the barista before necking your piping hot espresso and going on your merry way.

Turin café | MIKEDOTTA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

3CAPTIVATING CITIES

Stuffed with culture, history, and a healthy dose of je ne sais quoi, European cities have deep roots and complex personalities. There’s ancient Athens and spa-centric Budapest, up-all-hours Madrid and bike-friendly Amsterdam. Life in the urban entrails of the ‘old’ continent is often a little less futuristic and more haphazard than elsewhere. Sometimes you have to stay longer and dig a bit deeper. The joy is in the details.

Cosmopolitan London

Historic, constantly evolving, and hugely diverse, London is a truly global city. The British capital has an electric atmosphere that gets under your skin. Stay for a week and you’ll feel like you’ve put your finger on the planet’s pulse.

Houses of Parliament | S-F/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Eternal Rome

Other cities rise and fall, but Rome remains constant, revered as much for its trademark thin-crust pizza as it is for its ancient ruins. You can peel off the past in layers, admire multiple historical eras and even visit another country within the city limits.

Spanish Steps | F8 STUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Gothic Prague

Welcome to Europe’s biggest museum, a love letter to gothic architecture, bohemian art and Kaftaesque literature, where drinking beer is a spiritual experience, and the last revolution was more velvet than violent. It’s not quite urban perfection, but it’s dangerously close.

Charles Bridge | DALIU/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

4EURO-SOUNDS

Spewing forth from the bars, garages and backstreet balconies of Europe are multiple seams of individual sounds. Some have gone global; others have barely left the region that spawned them. From the soaring harmonies of The Beatles to Pavarotti belting ‘Nessun dorma’. From Krautrock to the Eurovision Song Contest. From South London Grime to Czech polkas. Hit the Scala, Glastonbury, Roskilde or a decrepit old tavern in Seville and partake in a bit of live entertainment.

Seville’s Flamenco Scene

Roma rhythms, Spanish folk songs, Jewish chants and Moorish laments, flamenco is a raw and powerful art best witnessed in its western Andalucian heartland.

Flamenco dancers, Plaza de España, Seville | LEONOV.O/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

All You Need is Liverpool

The Beatles kicked the door open. A veritable conveyor belt of talented bands has been milking it ever since. Take a bus down Penny Lane in Liverpool and see where it all started.

The Beatles Story museum, Liverpool | COWARDLION/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

A Night at the Scala

Opera is the kind of rousing melodramatic music that only the Italians could have invented – and where better to see it than in Milan’s Scala.

Teatro alla Scala, Milan | FORBEN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

5TRACKING THE COAST

Europe’s jagged coastline takes in a huge sweep of show-stopping scenery. There’s rugged Norway where deep, narrow fjords penetrate icy mountain ranges, plucky Ireland whose giant emerald-topped cliffs collide with the raging Atlantic, and Spain’s Costa de la Luz where epic sandy beaches provide launch sites for kite-surfers. Choose your water and select your terrain. The Mediterranean or the Baltic; Dutch dykes or Scottish Mountains.

Bay of Kotor

There’s a sense of secrecy and mystery to the Bay of Kotor. Grey mountain walls rise steeply from steely blue waters, getting higher and higher as you progress through their folds to the hidden reaches of the inner bay.

Bay of Kotor | CANADASTOCK/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

The Precipitous Amalfi

Blessed with a lattice of steep walking paths that link a network of medieval towns and villages, the precipitous Italian coastline south of Naples is a dazzling array of terraced fields, steeply stacked houses, and aromatic lemon groves.

Positano, Amalfi Coast | IGORZH/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Positano, Amalfi Coast | K_SAMURKAS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Swanky Côte d’Azur

First colonized by aristocrats, then artists and later rock royalty, the Côte d’Azur is a synonym for posh, glossy and rich. Elegant resorts front ritzy beaches.

Côte d’Azur | KIEV.VICTOR/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

6ISLAND-HOPPING ARCHIPELAGOS

From the Britain Isles to diminutive Malta, Europe is dotted with archipelagos. Sweden has more islands than any other country in the world, while Greece is famed for its idyllic clusters of holiday isles. Irrespective of national identities, archipelagos have their own nuances and flavours, adding extra complexity to Europe’s already complicated cultural patchwork. Whether you like them chilly and bleak (Skye), or sandy and fertile (Hvar), the continent’s got it covered.

Oia, Santorini | ROMAN SIGAEV/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Cyclade Beaches

Start with Mykonos, Santorini and Naxos, and work your way down the list. Greece is famous for its individualistic islands that juxtapose perfect golden beaches with idiosyncratic classical legends.

Mykonos, Cyclades | PROSLGN/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Deluxe Dalmatia

There are over 70 islands off Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, including halcyon Adriatic retreats like Hvar which mixes swank with elegance and deluxe beaches with abandoned ancient hamlets.

Hvar, Dalmatia | ERIC VALENNE GEOSTORY/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Dalmation coastline | DARIOS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

7A LESSON IN ART HISTORY

The birthplace of Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Picasso, and Velázquez. Need we say more. Europe was the continent that nurtured the ‘Old Masters’, first committed oil to canvas, and effortlessly evolved baroque, Dada, cubism, and pointillism. Art galleries are legion here, stuffed full of priceless works, as are many churches, stately homes and palaces. Choose a muse and follow the story from Giotto to Miró.

Museo del Prado, Madrid | ANIBAL TREJO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Museo del Prado

The best of Titian, Velázquez’s greatest hits, a top ten of Flemish masters; the Prado is the premier gallery in a country not short on great artists – and you’ll find them all inside these hallowed walls.

Museo del Prado, Madrid | TRABANTOS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Musée du Louvre

The world’s largest art museum is also one of its oldest and most visited. The masses arrive to see hordes of priceless treasure, including some of the finest paintings put on canvas.

Musée du Louvre, Paris | TAKASHI IMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Musée du Louvre, Paris | PAVEL L PHOTO AND VIDEO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

State Hermitage Museum

Only slightly smaller and younger than the Louvre, the Hermitage is a lesson in art history with paintings amassed by successive Tsars and communist leaders.

State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg | MISTERVLAD/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

8LIMITLESS LANDSCAPES

Despite being settled, farmed, and modified for millennia, Europe’s landscapes can still shock and awe. The Alps have epic scale, England’s patchwork of fields and hedgerows are loaded with pastoral charm, while Northern Norway exhibits a natural rawness that wouldn’t be out of place in Alaska. Visitors sometimes bypass Europe’s rural idylls for art and culture, but there are few finer experiences than watching Tuscany’s hillcrests poke through the morning mist.

Iceland

Europe’s Nordic island outpost is a land of ice and fire where geothermal springs bubble and volatile volcanos can lead to flight cancelations. All the more reason to stay longer.

Strokkur geyser, the Golden Circle | PURIPAT LERTPUNYAROJ/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

The Matterhorn

The most famous and dramatically shaped mountain in the world stabs the sky above the timber-chalet-filled village of Zermatt looking, at once, magnificent and terrifying.

JAKL LUBOS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Norway’s Fjords

Mind-boggling in more ways than one, Norway’s spectacularly twisted coastline indented with fjords would encircle the world two and a half times if it was stretched out fully.

Sognefjorden | NATALIA KABLIUK/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences

9FABULOUS FOOD SCENE

Home to some the world’s best-loved and widely copied food, European cuisine oscillates between posh French escargot and salt of the earth British fish n chips. Somewhere along the way, you’ll also want to dip your fingers into Ukrainian borscht, Neapolitan pizza, Greek baklava, Spanish tapas and Wiener schnitzel. And that just the hors d’oeuvres. You could fill a library with the nuances of European food. Bring a good appetite and get ready to experiment.

Gourmet Copenhagen

The Danish capital is a gourmet destination in its own right: people come here just for the food, a true smorgasbord of Nordic cuisine.

No Fuss Naples

Forget celebrity food boffins and molecular gastronomy; eating doesn’t get any better than the simple, passed-down-through-the-generations pizzas and pastas of Italy’s gloriously decrepit southern capital.

Michelin-Starred San Sebastián

While most cities are happy with one Michelin star, this Spanish Basque powerhouse has created a constellation with nouvelle cuisine restaurants competing with old-style taverns plying pintxos.

Pintxos, San Sebastián | ALEXANDRE ROTENBERG/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Need to Know

For more information, see Survival Guide

Currency

Euro (€) Austria, Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain

Pound (£; also called ‘pound sterling’) Britain, Northern Ireland

Local currency elsewhere.

Visas

EU citizens don’t need visas for other EU countries. Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders and Americans don’t need visas for visits of less than 90 days.

Money

ATMs are common; credit and debit cards are widely accepted.

Time

Britain, Ireland and Portugal: GMT. Central Europe: GMT plus one hour. Greece, Turkey & Eastern Europe: GMT plus two hours. Russia: GMT/UTC plus three hours.

When to Go

00-climate-eur4-jpg

High Season (Jun–Aug)

A Everybody comes to Europe and all of Europe hits the road.

A Hotel prices and temperatures are at their highest.

A Expect all the major attractions to be nightmarishly busy.

Shoulder (Apr–May & Sep–Oct)

A Crowds and prices drop, except in Italy, where it’s still busy.

A Temperatures are comfortable but it can be hot in southern Europe.

A Overall these are the best months to travel in Europe.

Low Season (Nov–Mar)

A Outside ski resorts, hotels drop their prices or close down.

A The weather can be cold and days short, especially in northern Europe.

A Some places, such as resort towns, are like ghost towns.

Useful Websites

The Man in Seat Sixty-One (www.seat61.com) Encyclopedic site dedicated to train travel plus plenty of other tips.

Hidden Europe (www.hiddeneurope.co.uk) Fascinating magazine and online dispatches from all the continent’s corners.

Couchsurfing (www.couchsurfing.org) Find a free bed and make friends in any European country.

VisitEurope (www.visiteurope.com) With information about travel in 33 member countries.

Spotted by Locals (www.spottedbylocals.com) Insider tips for cities across Europe.

Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com/europe) Destination information, hotel bookings, traveller forum and more.

Important Numbers

The number 112 can be dialled free for emergencies in all EU states. See individual countries for country-specific emergency numbers.

Exchange Rates

For current exchange rates, see www.xe.com.

Daily Costs

Budget: Less than €70

A Dorm beds: €15–30

A Museum admission: €5–15

A Pizza or pasta: €8–12

Midrange: €70–200

A Double room in a small hotel: €70–120

A Short taxi trip: €10–20

A Meals in good restaurants: per person €20–40

Top end: More than €200

A Stay at iconic hotels: from €150

A Car hire: per day from around €35

A Theatre tickets: €15–150

Accommodation

Europe offers the fullest possible range of accommodation for all budgets. Book up to two months in advance for a July visit or for ski resorts over Christmas and New Year.

Hotels Range from the local pub to restored castles.

B&Bs Small, family-run houses generally provide good value.

Hostels Enormous variety from backpacker palaces to real dumps.

Homestays and farmstays A great way to really find out how locals live.

Arriving in Europe

Schiphol Airport (Amsterdam) Trains to the centre (20 minutes).

Heathrow Airport (London) Trains (15 minutes) and tube (one hour) to the centre.

Aéroport de Charles de Gaulle (Paris) Many buses (one hour) and trains (30 minutes) to the centre.

Frankfurt Airport Trains (15 minutes) to the centre.

Leonardo da Vinci Airport (Rome) Buses (one hour) and trains (30 minutes) to the centre.

Barajas Airport (Madrid) Buses (40 minutes) and metro (15 minutes) to the centre.

Getting Around Europe

Train Europe’s train network is fast and efficient but rarely a bargain unless you book well in advance or use a rail pass wisely.

Bus Usually taken for short trips in remoter areas, though long-distance intercity buses can be cheap.

Car You can hire a car or drive your own through Europe. Roads are excellent but petrol is expensive.

Ferry Boats connect Britain and Ireland with mainland Europe; Scandinavia to the Baltic countries and Germany; and Italy to the Balkans and Greece.

Air Speed things up by flying from one end of the continent to the other.

Bicycle Slow things down on a two-wheeler; a great way to get around just about anywhere.

For much more on getting around

Month by Month

TOP EVENTS

Carnevale, Venice February

Hellenic Festival, Athens June

White Nights, St Petersburg June

Edinburgh International Festival August

Oktoberfest, Munich September

January

It’s cold but most towns are relatively tourist-free and hotel prices are rock bottom. Head to Eastern Europe’s ski slopes for wallet-friendly prices, with Bosnia and Bulgaria your best bets.

0 Orthodox Christmas, Eastern Europe

Christmas is celebrated in different ways in Eastern Europe: many countries celebrate on Christmas Eve (24 December), with an evening meal and midnight Mass. In Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia, Christmas falls in January, as per the Julian calendar.

z Küstendorf Film & Music Festival, Serbia

Created and curated by Serbian director Emir Kusturica, this international indie-fest (http://kustendorf-filmandmusicfestival.org) in the town of Drvengrad, near Zlatibor in Serbia, eschews traditional red-carpet glitz for oddball inclusions vying for the ‘Golden Egg’ prize.

z Kiruna Snöfestivalen, Sweden

In the last weekend of January this Lapland snow festival (www.snofestivalen.com), based around a snow-sculpting competition, draws artists from all over Europe. There’s also a husky-dog competition and a handicrafts fair.

February

Carnival in all its manic glory sweeps the Catholic regions. Cold temperatures are forgotten amid masquerades, street festivals and general bacchanalia. Expect to be kissed by a stranger.

z Carnevale, Italy

In the period before Ash Wednesday, Venice goes mad for masks (www.venice-carnival-italy.com). Costume balls, many with traditions centuries old, enliven the social calendar in this storied old city. Even those without a coveted invite are swept up in the pageantry.

z Karneval, Croatia

For colourful costumes and nonstop revelry head to Rijeka (www.rijecki-karneval.hr), where Karneval (Carnival) is the pinnacle of the year’s calendar. Zadar and Samobor host Karneval celebrations too, with street dancing, concerts and masked balls.

z Carnaval, Netherlands

Pre-Lent is celebrated with greater vigour in Maastricht than anywhere else in northern Europe. While the rest of the Netherlands hopes the canals will freeze for ice skating, this Dutch corner cuts loose with a celebration that would have done its former Roman residents proud.

z Fasching, Germany

Germany doesn’t leave the pre-Lent season solely to its neighbours. Fasching (or Karneval) is celebrated with abandon in the traditional Catholic regions including Bavaria, along the Rhine and particularly vibrantly in Cologne.

March

Spring arrives in southern Europe. Further north the rest of the continent continues to freeze, though days are often bright.

z St Patrick’s Day, Ireland

Parades and celebrations are held on 17 March in Irish towns big and small to honour the beloved patron saint of Ireland. While elsewhere the day is a commercialised romp of green beer, in his home country it’s time for a parade and celebrations with friends and family.

3 Ski-Jumping World Cup, Slovenia

This exciting international competition (www.planica.si) takes place on the world’s largest ski-jumping hill, in the Planica Valley at Rateče near Kranjska Gora. Held the third weekend in March, it’s a must for adrenaline junkies.

April

Spring arrives with a burst of colour, from the glorious bulb fields of Holland to the blooming orchards of Spain. On the most southern beaches it’s time to shake the sand out of the umbrellas.

0 Semana Santa, Spain

There are parades of penitents and holy icons in Spain, notably in Seville, during Easter week (www.semana-santa.org). Thousands of members of religious brotherhoods parade in traditional garb before thousands more spectators. Look for the pointed capirotes (hoods).

0 Settimana Santa, Italy

Italy celebrates Holy Week with processions and passion plays. By Holy Thursday, Rome is thronged with the faithful and even nonbelievers are swept up in the emotion and piety of hundreds of thousands thronging the Vatican and St Peter’s Basilica.

3 Budapest Spring Festival, Hungary

This two-week festival in early April is one of Europe’s top classical-music events (www.springfestival.hu). Concerts are held in a number of beautiful venues, including stunning churches, the opera house and the national theatre.

z Orthodox Easter, Greece

The most important festival in the Greek Orthodox calendar has an emphasis on the Resurrection, meaning it’s a celebratory event. The most significant part is midnight on Easter Saturday, when candles are lit and fireworks and a procession hit the streets.

z Feria de Abril, Spain

Hoods off! A weeklong party (http://feriadesevilla.andalunet.com) in Seville in late April counterbalances the religious peak of Easter. The beautiful old squares of this gorgeous city come alive during the long, warm nights for which the nation is known.

z Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day), The Netherlands

The nationwide celebration of Queen’s Day on 27 April is especially fervent in Amsterdam, awash with orange costumes and fake Afros, beer, dope, leather boys, temporary roller coasters, clogs and general craziness.

May

May is usually sunny and warm and full of things to do – an excellent time to visit. It’s not too hot or too crowded, though you can still expect the big destinations to feel busy.

3 Queima das Fitas, Portugal

Coimbra’s annual highlight is this boozy week of fado music and revelry that begins on the first Thursday in May (www.facebook.com/queimadasfitascoimbra), when students celebrate the end of the academic year.

z Beer Festival, Czech Republic

An event dear to many travellers’ hearts, this Prague beer festival (www.ceskypivnifestival.cz) offers lots of food, music and – most importantly – around 70 beers from around the country from mid- to late May.

3 Brussels Jazz Weekend, Belgium

Around-the-clock jazz performances hit Brussels during the second-last weekend in May (www.brusselsjazzweekend.be). The saxophone is the instrument of choice for this international-flavoured city’s most joyous celebration.

June

The huge summer travel season hasn’t started yet, but the sun has broken through the clouds and the weather is generally gorgeous across the continent.

z Festa de Santo António, Portugal

Feasting, drinking and dancing in Lisbon’s Alfama in honour of St Anthony (12–13 June) top the even grander three-week Festas de Lisboa (www.festasdelisboa.com), which features processions and dozens of street parties.

z White Nights, Russia

By mid-June the Baltic sun just sinks behind the horizon at night, leaving the sky a grey-white colour and encouraging locals to forget routines and party hard. The best place to join the fun is St Petersburg, where balls, classical-music concerts and other summer events keep spirits high.

z Karneval der Kulturen, Germany

This joyous street carnival (www.karneval-berlin.de) celebrates Berlin’s multicultural tapestry with parties, global nosh and a fun parade of flamboyantly costumed dancers, DJs, artists and musicians.

z Festa de São João, Portugal

Elaborate processions, live music on Porto’s plazas and merrymaking all across Portugal’s second city. Squeaky plastic hammers (for sale everywhere) come out for the unusual custom of whacking one another. Everyone is fair game – expect no mercy.

3 Glastonbury Festival, Britain

The town’s youthful summer vibe peaks for this long weekend of music, theatre and New Age shenanigans (www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk). It’s one of England’s favourite outdoor events and more than 100,000 turn up to writhe around in the grassy fields (or deep mud) at Pilton’s (Worthy) Farm.

3 Roskilde Festival, Denmark

Northern Europe’s largest music festival (www.roskilde-festival.dk) rocks Roskilde each summer. It takes place in late June to early July but advance ticket sales are on offer in December and the festival usually sells out.

z Hellenic Festival, Greece

The ancient theatre at Epidavros and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus are the headline venues of Athens’ annual cultural shindig (www.greekfestival.gr). The festival, which runs from mid-June to August, features music, dance, theatre and much more.

July

One of the busiest months for travel across the continent with outdoor cafes, beer gardens and beach clubs all hopping. Expect beautiful – even steamy – weather anywhere you go.

z Il Palio, Italy

Siena’s great annual event is the Palio (2 July and 16 August; www.thepalio.com), a pageant culminating in a bareback horse race around Il Campo. The city is divided into 17 contrade (districts), of which 10 compete for the palio (silk banner), with emotions exploding.

3 EXIT Festival, Serbia

Eastern Europe’s most talked-about music festival (www.exitfest.org) takes place within the walls of the Petrovaradin Citadel in Serbia’s second city, Novi Sad. Book early as it attracts music lovers from all over the continent with big international acts headlining.

z Východná, Slovakia

Slovakia’s standout folk festival, Východná (www.festivalvychodna.sk) is held in a village nestled just below the High Tatras.

3 Bažant Pohoda, Slovakia

Slovakia’s largest music festival (www.pohodafestival.sk) represents all genres of music from folk and rock to orchestral over eight different stages. It’s firmly established as one of Europe’s biggest and best summer music festivals.

3 Ultra Europe, Croatia

Held over three days in Split’s Poljud Stadium, this electronic music fest (www.ultraeurope.com) includes a huge beach party.

z Bastille Day, France

Fireworks, balls, processions, and – of course – good food and wine, for France’s national day on 14 July, celebrated in every French town and city. Go to the heart of town and get caught up in this patriotic festival.

z Gentse Feesten, Belgium

Ghent is transformed into a 10-day party of music and theatre (www.gentsefeesten.be), a highlight of which is a vast techno celebration called 10 Days Off.

z Medieval Festival of the Arts, Romania

The beautiful Romanian city of Sighişoara hosts open-air concerts, parades and ceremonies, all glorifying medieval Transylvania and taking the town back to its fascinating 12th-century origins.

3 Paléo Festival Nyon, Switzerland

More than 250 shows and concerts are staged for this premier music festival (http://yeah.paleo.ch) held above the town of Nyon.

August

Everybody’s going someplace as half of Europe shuts down to enjoy the traditional month of holiday with the other half. If it’s near the beach, from Germany’s Baltic to Spain’s Balearics, it’s mobbed and the temperatures are hot, hot, hot!

3 Salzburg Festival, Austria

Austria’s most renowned classical-music festival (www.salzburgfestival.at) attracts international stars from late July to the end of August. That urbane person sitting by you having a glass of wine who looks like a famous cellist, probably is.

3 Edinburgh International Festival, Britain

Three weeks of innovative drama, comedy, dance, music and more (www.eif.co.uk). Two weeks overlap with the celebrated Fringe Festival (www.edfringe.com), which draws acts from around the globe. Expect cutting-edge productions that often defy description.

z Amsterdam Gay Pride, The Netherlands

Held at the beginning of August, this is one of Europe’s best GLBT events (www.amsterdamgaypride.nl). It’s more about freedom and diversity than protest.

3 Sziget Music Festival, Hungary

A weeklong, great-value world-music festival (www.sziget.hu) held all over Budapest. Sziget features bands from around the world playing at more than 60 venues.

z Guča Trumpet Festival, Serbia

Guča’s Dragačevo Trumpet Assembly (www.guca.rs) is one of the most exciting and bizarre events in all of Eastern Europe. Hundreds of thousands of revellers descend on the small Serbian town to damage their eardrums, livers and sanity in four cacophonous days of celebration.

3 Zürich Street Parade, Switzerland

Zürich lets its hair down with an enormous techno parade (www.streetparade.com). All thoughts of numbered accounts are forgotten as bankers, and everybody else in this otherwise staid burg, party to orgasmic, deep-base thump, thump, thump.

3 Notting Hill Carnival, Britain

This is Europe’s largest – and London’s most vibrant – outdoor carnival (www.thelondonnottinghillcarnival.com), where London’s Caribbean community shows the city how to party. Food, frolic and fun are just a part of this vast multicultural two-day celebration.

September

It’s cooling off in every sense, from the northern countries to the romance started on a dance floor in Ibiza. Maybe the best time to visit: the weather’s still good but the crowds have thinned.

3 Venice International Film Festival, Italy

The Mostra del Cinema di Venezia (www.labiennale.org) is Italy’s top film fest and the longest running in the world (since 1932). The judging here is seen as an early indication of what to look for at the next year’s Oscars.

6 Oktoberfest, Germany

Despite its name, Germany’s legendary beer-swilling party (www.oktoberfest.de) starts mid-September in Munich and finishes a week into October. Millions descend for litres of beer and carousing that has no equal. If you didn’t plan ahead, you’ll have to sleep in Austria.

z Festes de la Mercè, Spain

Barcelona knows how to party until dawn and it outdoes itself for the Festes de la Mercè (around 24 September). The city’s biggest celebration has four days of concerts, dancing, castellers (human-castle builders), fireworks and correfocs – a parade of fireworks-spitting dragons and devils.

October

Another good month to visit – almost everything is still open, while prices and visitor numbers are way down. Weather can be unpredictable, though, and even cold in northern Europe.

6 Wine Festival, Moldova

Wine-enriched folkloric performances in Moldova draw oenophiles and innocent bystanders for National Wine Day in early October when over 60 producers hold court in Chişinău’s main square.

CHRISTMAS MARKETS

In December, Christmas markets (www.christmasmarkets.com) are held across Europe, with particularly good ones in Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Czech Republic. The most famous are in Nuremberg (the Christkindlmarkt) and Vienna. Warm your hands through your mittens holding a hot mug of mulled wine and find that special (or kitsch) present. Slovak Christmas markets are regarded as some of Europe’s best and a great opportunity to taste medovina (mead) and lokše (potato pancakes).

3 Belfast International Arts Festival

Held at several venues throughout the city, this huge arts festival (www.belfastinternationalartsfestival.com) has been around since 1962. Over two and a half weeks, the city sheds its gritty legacy and celebrates the intellectual and the creative without excessive hype.

November

Leaves have fallen and snow is about to in much of Europe. Even in the temperate zones around the Med it can get chilly, rainy and blustery. Most seasonal attractions have closed for the year.

3 Guy Fawkes Night, Britain

Bonfires and fireworks erupt across Britain on 5 November, recalling the foiling of a plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament in the 1600s. Go to high ground in London to see glowing explosions erupt everywhere.

3 Iceland Airwaves, Iceland

Roll on up to Reykjavík for Iceland Airwaves (www.icelandairwaves.is), a great music festival featuring both Icelandic and international acts.

December

Despite freezing temperatures this is a magical time to visit Europe, with Christmas decorations brightening the dark streets. Prices remain surprisingly low provided you avoid Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

0 Natale, Italy

Italian churches set up an intricate crib or a presepe (nativity scene) in the lead-up to Christmas. Some are quite famous, most are works of art, and many date back hundreds of years and are venerated for their spiritual ties.

Itineraries

First-Time Europe

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5 WEEKS

If this is your first visit to Europe you’ll want to experience as many of its famous cultural cities as possible – this is where your dreams become reality.

London is calling. The former capital of a huge empire is a city of massive museums, regal parks and electrifying nightlife.

Take the Eurostar to Paris and prepare to be seduced by the Eiffel Tower, Versailles and the Louvre. The art theme continues in Amsterdam, where you can admire works by Van Gogh and Rembrandt. Next travel to cosmopolitan, hedonistic Berlin in Germany where you can see the remains of the wall.

Prague in the Czech Republic is a city of intangible medieval magic. Budapest could be Prague’s twin, offering refined music and a youthful nocturnal scene. Vienna is known for its gilded coffee bars.

Time to hit southern Europe. Start in glorious Venice with its canals and gondoliers, jump on a train to the Renaissance time capsule of Florence, and then proceed to Rome. Leapfrog southern France to Spain, stopping in Barcelona where Gaudí meets Gothic, before having a grand finale in Madrid.

Itineraries

Mediterranean Europe

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5 WEEKS

Think Europe doesn’t do beaches? Think again – it does, but with lashings of culture on the side, as you’ll find during this romp along its southern shores.

Fly to Spain and claim your sun-lounger at one of Europe’s warmest year-round beaches in Málaga. Follow the coast up to Valencia next, the culinary home of paella. Pay homage to Catalonia in Barcelona, where you can soak up the seaside ambience of Gaudí’s city. Cross the border into France, then beach-hop along the Côte d’Azur to Nice with its palm-lined seafront. Take the twisty coastal corniches to beguiling Monaco and, afterwards, spend a day or two inland in the beautiful villages of Provence.

Return to Nice and take the train southeast to historic Rome. Continue south to energetic Naples, walk through ill-fated Pompeii and explore the narrow footpaths and ancient staircases of the precipitous Amalfi Coast. Cross Italy to understated Bari, from where you head across the Adriatic by ferry to the Croatian pearl of Dubrovnik with its spectacular city walls.

Bus it south through Montenegro and Albania. Pause at the walled town of Kotor in the former and the white crescent-shaped beaches of Drymades in the latter.

Greece’s Ionian Islands are next and the best is Corfu. Take a ferry to Patra, from where you can get a bus on to venerable Athens, capital of the ancient world. Move on to the port of Piraeus for an island-hopping expedition of the Cyclades, dreamy islands that include sophisticated Mykonos, laid-back Paros and volcanic Santorini. When you’ve had enough of Greek salads, set sail for Turkish port Kuşadası from lush, mountainous Samos.

Visit ancient Ephesus, one of the greatest surviving Graeco-Roman cities. Travel by bus north along the Aegean coast to the ruins of Troy and Çanakkale, the base for visiting Gallipoli Peninsula. Finish in beautiful, chaotic İstanbul.

Whirling dervishes, İstanbul, Turkey | RESUL MUSLU/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Roman Baths, Bath, Britain | ANTB/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Itineraries

From London to the Sun

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3 WEEKS

Combining the best of both worlds, this itinerary begins with the urban powerhouse of London and ends with soaking up the sun in Spain and Portugal.

Enjoy several days in London for museums, galleries and clubbing, then take a train to Bath to appreciate Roman and Georgian architecture. Save time on the way back for Oxford, the fabled university town.

Back in London, take the Eurostar from grand St Pancras station to Brussels, the ethnically diverse headquarters of the EU.

The Eurostar will whisk you southwest to romantic Paris. Having dipped into the City of Light’s cultural sights and gourmet delights, make side trips to the D-Day beaches north of Bayeux and the iconic abbey of Mont St-Michel, which reaches for the sky from its rocky island perch.

Head south by rail, stopping at lively Toulouse. Detour to the fairy-tale fortified city of Carcassonne. Cross into Spain, pausing at supercool Barcelona, where you can indulge in avant-garde Spanish cuisine.

Zip north to Basque seaside resort San Sebastián, with its envelope-pushing food scene, and then to the curvaceous Museo Guggenheim in happening Bilbao. Turn south, making a beeline for energetic Madrid, for some of Europe’s best bars. From here plan day trips to Toledo, the so-called ‘city of three cultures’, and enchanting Segovia with its Roman aqueduct.

Continue south to Granada to explore the exquisite Islamic fortress complex of the Alhambra. Continue your Andalucian adventures with the one-of-a-kind Mezquita of Córdoba, before dancing flamenco in Seville. Get the bus to Portugal’s captivating hillside capital Lisbon, where you can eat custard tarts by the sea. Finish in the wooded hills of Sintra, home to fairy-tale-like palaces and gardens.

Itineraries

Scandinavian & Baltic Highlights

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4 WEEKS

Three weeks is sufficient for the classic sights of northern Europe, though you can easily spend longer. Extra time allows detailed exploration and side trips to quieter places.

Start in Danish capital Copenhagen, the hipster of the Nordic block. Make day trips to the cathedral and Viking-boat museum at Roskilde; ‘Hamlet’s’ castle Kronborg Slot at Helsingør; Denmark’s second but no-less-trendy city Aarhus with its incredible art at ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum; and the country’s top tourist attraction, Legoland.

Take the train to charming Stockholm. Sweden’s capital spills across 14 islands with Gamla Stan the oldest and most beautiful. Side-trip to university town Uppsala, Sweden’s spiritual heart, and spend the night. Creative and happening Gothenburg, the country’s second city, has interesting galleries and museums, including a great one for kids.

It’s a 3½-hour bus ride to Oslo, where you can check out Munch’s work in a stunning setting. Norway’s capital has plenty of museums and galleries, plus the iconic Oslo Opera House.

From Oslo, take the long but scenic ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ rail day trip to Flåm and ride the world’s steepest railway that runs without cable or rack wheels. Continue by boat and bus along the stunning Sognefjord – Norway’s deepest fjord – to Bergen. Admire this pretty town from a cable car and explore the quayside Bryggen district of historic buildings. From Bergen take a side trip to the mighty 20km-long emerald-green Geirangerfjord.

Return to Stockholm for a cruise circuit of the Baltic. First stop in quirky, design-diva Helsinki, a great base for exploring the natural wonders of Finland.

Wind up proceedings in the Baltic States starting in Tallinn, the charming Estonian capital where the Old Town is a jumble of turrets, spires and winding streets. Next is Latvia’s gorgeous art nouveau Rīga followed by Lithuania’s capital Vilnius, the baroque bombshell of the Baltics.

Great Synagogue, Budapest, Hungary | MAZIARZ/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Acueducto, Segovia, Spain | SEAN PAVONE/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Itineraries

The Alps to the Balkans

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4 WEEKS

If you fancy visiting gorgeous towns on the shores of brilliant-blue lakes surrounded by turreted Alpine peaks, followed by a sojourn through the capitals of Eastern Europe, then head to Switzerland and jump on this itinerary.

Start with a few days in the spectacular Swiss Alps, ideal for hiking in summer and skiing in winter. Visit the oft-overlooked Swiss capital of Bern, and sophisticated, lakeside Zürich. Take the train to the top of Jungfrau (it’s Europe’s highest station) before heading down to visit lovely Lucerne where candy-coloured houses are reflected in a cobalt lake.

Turn east into Austria next, where, on the banks of the Danube, you’ll find elegant Vienna. Track south into Slovenia, pausing by emerald-green Lake Bled and nearby but much less-developed Lake Bohinj with the picturesque Julian Alps as the backdrop.

Time to decamp to Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, a holiday paradise of sun-dappled islands, limestone cliffs, ancient towns and Mediterranean cuisine. Aptly named Split on the Adriatic displays an interesting split between tradition and modernity, and guards Diocletian’s Palace, one of Europe’s most incredible Roman ruins. Further south, the walled marble town of Dubrovnik is heavy with history and tourists. Inland and across the border in Bosnia and Hercegovina lies Sarajevo. Forget its grisly recent past, this is a city on the rebound and a good place for winter activities, especially skiing.

Travel east through Serbia, stopping off in gritty but lively Belgrade to experience its famous nightlife and explore historic Kalemegdan Citadel. Then take a train to the relaxed Bulgarian capital of Sofia with its cityscape of onion-domed churches and Cold War–era monuments.

A train zips you through the mountains to Bulgaria’s loveliest town, Veliko Târnovo, laced with cobbled lanes and surrounded by forested hills. Finish off in seaside Varna, your base for Black Sea beaches, archaeology museums and enormous parks.

Itineraries

Eastern Europe Today

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4 WEEKS

Forget the stereotypes of the grim and grey ‘Eastern Bloc’ of the early 1990s – this half of Europe is one of the most dynamic and fast-changing places in the world.

The natural starting point is Berlin, once a city divided but now a veritable music, art and nightlife mecca.

Cross the now nonexistent iron curtain to Poland’s capital Warsaw, a vibrant city that’s survived all that history could throw at it and was meticulously restored after WWII. Further south is beautiful Kraków, the preserved royal capital which miraculously was spared destruction in WWII.

Cut across Slovakia into the Czech Republic and another remarkably intact medieval city: Prague, which has one of Eastern Europe’s most romantic historical centres.

Moving back east, you’ll encounter the Hungarian capital, Budapest, where you can freshen up at the thermal baths.

Romania had to wait a long time for its place in the sun, but it has come, especially in dynamic capital Bucharest with the world’s largest parliament building.

For another side of Romania, make a beeline for Transylvania where you can sharpen your fangs at ‘Dracula’s’ castle in Bran and enjoy the gorgeous old towns nearby.

Head north into western Ukraine where epiphanies are rife in charming Lviv, whose cityscape, like Kraków’s, miraculously survived WWII. Continue on to bustling Ukrainian capital Kyiv, one of the former Soviet Union’s more pleasant metropolises, before journeying into the past on a train to Minsk in Belarus to see how things were under communism.

Take another train to modern-day supercity Moscow, where the imposing Kremlin and adjacent Red Square are guaranteed to strike you with awe. Finally, head north to the old imperial capital of St Petersburg.

Albania

Tirana

Berat

Gjirokastra

Saranda

Ksamil

Himara

Shkodra

Valbona

Theth

Albania

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Pop 2.93 million

Why Go?

Closed to outsiders for much of the 20th century, Albania has long been Mediterranean Europe’s enigma. Until fairly recently its rumpled mountains, fortress towns and sparkling beaches were merely a rumour on most travel maps. But, with the end of a particularly brutal strain of communism in 1991, Albania tentatively swung open its gates. The first curious tourists to arrive discovered a land where ancient codes of conduct still held sway and where the wind whistled through the shattered remnants of half-forgotten ancient Greek and Roman sites. A quarter of a century after throwing off the shackles of communism, Albania’s stunning mountain scenery, crumbling castles, boisterous capital and dreamy beaches rivalling any in the Mediterranean continue to enchant. But hurry here because as word gets out about what Albania is hiding, the still-tiny trickle of tourists threatens to become a flood.

When to Go

Jun Enjoy the perfect Mediterranean climate and deserted beaches.

Jul–Aug Albania’s beaches may be packed, but this is a great time to explore the mountains.

Dec See features and shorts at the Tirana Film Festival, while the intrepid can snowshoe to Theth.

Best Places to Eat

A Onufri

A Pasta e Vino

A Met Kodra

A Otium

A Mrizi i Zanave

Best Places to Stay

A Stone City Hostel

A Rose Garden Hotel

A Trip’n’Hostel

A Hotel Mangalemi

A Hotel Rilindja

A B&B Tirana Smile

Entering the Country

Albania has good connections in all directions: daily buses go to Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Greece. There are no international train routes to/from Albania. The southern seaport of Saranda is a short boat trip from Greece’s Corfu, while in summer ferries also connect Himara and Vlora to Corfu. Durrës has regular ferries to Italy.

ITINERARIES

One Week

Spend a day in busy Tirana, checking out the various excellent museums as well as the Blloku bars and cafes. On day two, make the three-hour trip to the Ottoman-era town of Berat. Overnight there before continuing down the coast for a couple of days on the beach in Himara or Ksamil. Make sure you leave time for Butrint before spending your last night in charming Gjirokastra and returning to Tirana.

Two Weeks

Follow the first week itinerary and then head north into Albania’s incredible Accursed Mountains. Start in Italian-flavoured Shkodra, from where you can get transport to Koman for the stunning morning ferry ride to Fierzë. Continue the same day to the charming mountain village of Valbona for the night, before trekking to Theth and spending your last couple of nights in the beautiful Theth National Park before heading back to Tirana.

Essential Food & Drink

Byrek Pastry with cheese or meat.

Fergesë Baked peppers, egg and cheese, and occasionally meat.

Midhje Wild or farmed mussels, often served fried.

Paçë koke Sheep’s head soup, usually served for breakfast.

Qofta Flat or cylindrical minced-meat rissoles.

Sufllaqë Doner kebab.

Tavë Meat baked with cheese and egg.

Konjak Local brandy.

Raki Popular spirit made from grapes.

Raki mani Spirit made from mulberries.

AT A GLANCE

Area 28,748 sq km

Capital Tirana

Country Code icon-phonegif %355

Currency Lek (plural lekë); the euro (€) is widely accepted.

Emergency Ambulance icon-phonegif %127; Fire icon-phonegif %128; Police icon-phonegif %129

Language Albanian

Time Central European Time (GMT/UTC plus one hour)

Visas Nearly all visitors can travel visa-free to Albania for a period of up to 90 days

Sleeping Price Ranges

The following price categories are based on the cost of a double room in high season.

€ less than €40

€€ €40–80

€€€ more than €80

Eating Price Ranges

The following price categories are based on the cost of a main course.

€ less than 500 lekë

€€ 500–1200 lekë

€€€ more than 1200 lekë

Albania Highlights

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1 Accursed Mountains Doing the wonderful day trek between the isolated mountain villages of Valbona and Theth and experiencing some of Albania’s best scenery.

2 Berat Exploring this Unesco World Heritage–listed museum town, known as the ‘city of a thousand windows’.

3 Albanian Riviera Catching some sun at just one of the many gorgeous beaches on the Albanian Riviera.

4 Tirana Feasting your eyes on the wild colour schemes and experiencing Blloku cafe culture in the plucky Albanian capital.

5 Gjirokastra Taking a trip to this traditional Albanian mountain town, with its spectacular Ottoman-era mansions and impressive hilltop fortress.

6 Butrint Searching for the ghosts of Ancient Greece and Rome among the forest-dappled ruins of one of Europe’s finest archaeological sites.

TIRANA

icon-phonegif %04 / Pop 557,000

Lively, colourful Tirana is where this tiny nation’s hopes and dreams coalesce into a vibrant whirl of traffic, brash consumerism and unfettered fun. Having undergone a transformation of extraordinary proportions since awaking from its communist slumber in the early 1990s, Tirana’s centre is now unrecognisable from those grey days, with buildings painted in primary colours, and public squares and pedestrianised streets that are a pleasure to wander.

Trendy Blloku buzzes with the well-heeled hanging out in bars and cafes, while the city’s grand boulevards are lined with fascinating relics of its Ottoman, Italian and communist past – from delicate minarets to loud socialist murals. Add to this some excellent museums and you have a compelling list of reasons to visit.

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Tirana

1Top Sights

1 National History Museum B2

1Sights

2 Bunk’Art 2 C3

3 House of Leaves B3

4 National Archaeological Museum C5

5 National Gallery of Arts C3

2Activities, Courses & Tours

6 Tirana Free Tour C2

4Sleeping

7 B&B Tirana Smile A2

8 Green House C4

9 Tirana Backpacker Hostel A2

10 Trip’n’Hostel D1

5Eating

11 Era B4

12 King House B5

13 Met Kodra D2

14 Otium B4

6Drinking & Nightlife

15 Komiteti Kafe Muzeum C4

16 Radio B4

1 Sights

The centre of Tirana is Sheshi Skënderbej (Skanderbeg Sq), a large traffic island with an equestrian statue of the eponymous Albanian national hero at its centre. Most of the city’s sights are within walking distance of the square.

icon-top-choice oBunk’ArtMUSEUM

( icon-phonegif %067 207 2905; www.bunkart.al; Rr Fadil Deliu; 500 lekë; icon-hoursgif h9am-4pm Wed-Sun)

This fantastic conversion – from a massive Cold War bunker on the outskirts of Tirana into a history and contemporary art museum – is Albania’s most exciting new sight and easily a Tirana highlight. With almost 3000 sq metres of space underground spread over several floors, the bunker was built for Albania’s political elite in the 1970s and remained a secret for much of its existence. Now it hosts exhibits that combine the modern history of Albania with pieces of contemporary art.

icon-top-choice oNational History MuseumMUSEUM

( map Google map; Muzeu Historik Kombëtar; www.mhk.gov.al; Sheshi Skënderbej; 200 lekë; icon-hoursgif h9am-7pm)

The largest museum in Albania holds many of the country’s archaeological treasures and a replica of Skanderbeg’s massive sword (how he held it, rode his horse and fought at the same time is a mystery). The lighting might be poor but fortunately the excellent collection is almost entirely signed in English and takes you chronologically from ancient Illyria to the postcommunist era. The collection of statues, mosaics and columns from Greek and Roman times is breathtaking.

National Gallery of ArtsGALLERY

( map Google map; Galeria Kombëtare e Arteve; icon-phonegif %04 223 3975; www.galeriakombetare.gov.al/en/home/index.shtml; Blvd Dëshmorët e Kombit; adult/student 200/60 lekë; icon-hoursgif h9am-7pm)

Tracing the relatively brief history of Albanian painting from the early 19th century to the present day, this beautiful space also has temporary exhibitions. The interesting collection includes 19th-century paintings depicting scenes from daily Albanian life and others with a far more political dimension including some truly fabulous examples of Albanian socialist realism.

The ground-floor part of the gallery is given over to temporary exhibitions of a far more modern and challenging kind.

Bunk’Art 2MUSEUM

( map Google map; icon-phonegif %067 207 2905; www.bunkart.al; Rr Sermedin Toptani; 500 lekë; icon-hoursgif h9am-9pm)

The little cousin to the main Bunk’Art, this museum, which is within a communist-era bunker and underground tunnel system below the Ministry of Internal Affairs, focuses on the role of the police and security services in Albania through the turbulent 20th century. While this might not sound especially interesting, the whole thing has been very well put together and makes for a fascinating journey behind police lines.

House of LeavesMUSEUM

( map Google map; icon-phonegif %04 222 2612; www.muzeugjethi.gov.al; Rr Ibrahim Rugova; 700 lekë; icon-hoursgif h9am-7pm May–mid-Oct, 10am-5pm Tue-Sat, 9am-2pm Sun mid-Oct–Apr)

This grand old 1930s building started life as Albania’s first maternity hospital, but within a few years the focus turned from creating new life to ending lives as the hospital was converted to an interrogation and surveillance centre (read: torture house). It remained as such until the fall of the communist regime. Today, the House of Leaves is a museum dedicated to surveillance and interrogation in Albania.

Mt Dajti National ParkNATIONAL PARK

Just 25km east of Tirana is Mt Dajti National Park. It is the most accessible mountain in the country, and many locals go there to escape the city rush and have a spit-roast lamb lunch. A sky-high, Austrian-made cable car, Dajti Express ( icon-phonegif %067 208 4471; www.dajtiekspres.com; Rr Dibrës; one-way/return 500/800 lekë; icon-hoursgif h9am-10pm Jul-Aug, to 9pm May-Jun & Sep-Oct, to 7pm Nov-Apr), takes 15 minutes to make the scenic trip (almost) to the top (1611m).

National Archaeological MuseumMUSEUM

( map Google map; Muzeu Arkeologjik Nacional; Sheshi Nënë Tereza; 300 lekë; icon-hoursgif h10am-2.30pm Mon-Fri)

The collection here is comprehensive and impressive in parts, but there’s only minimal labelling in Albanian and none at all in English (nor are tours in English offered), so you may find yourself a little at a loss unless this is your field. A total renovation is on the cards, but as one staff member pointed out to us, they’ve been waiting for that since 1985 – so don’t hold your breath.

T Tours

Tirana Free TourTOURS

( map Google map; icon-phonegif %069 631 5858; www.tiranafreetour.com)

This enterprising tour agency has made its name by offering a free daily tour of Tirana that leaves at 10am year-round. In July, August and September a second tour is offered at 3pm. Tours meet outside the Opera House on Sheshi Skënderbej (look on the website for a photo indicating the exact meeting spot).

4 Sleeping

icon-top-choice oTrip’n’HostelHOSTEL €

( map Google map; icon-phonegif %068 304 8905; www.tripnhostel.com; Rr Musa Maci 1; dm/d from €10/30; icon-wifigif W)

Tirana’s coolest hostel is on a small side street, housed in a design-conscious self-contained house with a leafy garden out the back, a bar lined with old records, a kitchen and a cellar-like chill-out lounge downstairs. Dorms have handmade fixtures, curtains between beds for privacy and private lockable drawers, while there’s also a roof terrace strewn with hammocks.

Tirana Backpacker HostelHOSTEL €

( map Google map; icon-phonegif