Welcome back for another instalment in our series of top 5’s. Following our previous foray into what we consider to be Bangkok’s top 5 amazing cafés, we’ll now venture off into Europe and take a whistlestop tour of some of its amazing cities…and with some light at the end of the tunnel in the current world-crisis, maybe we can all look forward to making some much deserved, and in some cases delayed, holiday plans.

Is it possible to whittle it down to just five? Well, no in all honesty and we’ve obviously had to leave out some wonderful destinations but a top 20 would have been seriously long-winded for a blog post, so we used some complicated algorithms to come to the final 5…Basically, ‘Where did we have the most fun?’, ‘What places offered the biggest smiles per Euro spent?’ and ‘Which cities would we definitely revisit?’

So not that complicated after all and the 20 or so shrank down to 5 (plus a couple of honorary mentions)…So let’s kick off in no particular order with…

  Paris, France

Not entirely sure that’ll come as a surprise to anyone, can’t imagine many lists like this one that wouldn’t include Paris. Why? Well, Paris is the kind of city that makes you feel good and personally, I think the language is a delight and hearing it spoken as you walk from street to street is like music, but the food, the small cobbled streets, the historic architecture, the cafés, all together make for a city that will always entice you to return.

For us, any city that offers hours and hours of eventful and entertaining walking is a winner and Paris with its famous monuments and history doesn’t fail to impress. We walk everywhere when we travel, regardless of the weather, it really is the only way to fully experience a place and Paris is just brilliant for those who love walking!

The usual and famous sights are, as you would expect, quite breathtaking but there are certain areas of Paris that simply give your camera a hard time as everything you see is a photo opportunity. Take Montmartre for example, my word this area of the city is so unbelievably picturesque you feel like you’ve stepped into an oil painting, with all it’s aforementioned cobbled stone streets and quaint little bakeries, sweet shops and restaurants.

One thing I know for sure, if we lived in mainland Europe or in the UK for that matter with its Channel Tunnel access, we would make our way to Paris a lot more often!! If you haven’t managed to visit, try to make it happen as it really is one of those cities that needs to be experienced.

Tip: Flights can often be expensive and hotels most definitely are but landing in Brussels with Ryan Air and jumping on a train from there is a good way to do it, LOT airlines have terrific deals for Paris and look for hotels slightly away from any main sections…You could save a packet.

Milan, Italy

Why Milan and not Rome? Plain and simple, boils down to the experiences…and Rome, unfortunately, wasn’t a great one for us. Milan on the other hand was. It was our first ‘weekend getaway’ – one of those, ‘shall we look for some really cheap flights and shoot off somewhere for the weekend?’ decisions. And what a great decision it turned out to be. EasyJet got us there, Bookings.com found us a roof over our heads and just €260 later we were all ready to go!! It also happened to be Milan Fashion Week and the whole place was buzzing. The words ‘very industrial’ came up countless times when we read up on it, treated as a bit of an underdog at times but don’t be fooled, Milan is a great city with lots of things to do and see. It is Italy after all.

If shopping tickles your fancy you know you’re in the right place for a start, not really our cup of tea although Espresso is so we were well at home. Stunning architecture, fashion, art, food, football and of course tons of history, Milan has so much to offer and if like us you cram as much into every minute of the day as you possibly can, you’ll find plenty to keep you entertained…and if it just happens to be Fashion Week too…there’ll be even more going on!

Tip: During the evenings, try to venture out away from the Duomo or other very popular tourist sites or areas. You’ll find it a lot more fun in areas like Calverate or Isola as you will be enjoying the evening with the locals, doing it the real Milanese way while saving money too!

Stockholm, Sweden                                                                                                  

Why Stockholm? Well, if you have ever wanted to visit a place deep into the winter months, entirely covered in snow but hasn’t completely ground to a halt then Stockholm is your place. To be fair, the majority of Scandinavia does all the above too but we haven’t managed to get to all the other places yet so Stockholm is our winter wonderland choice! It’s an absolute beauty and I am not sure if many people realise how much this city has to offer. Whether you want to spend a whole day venturing out in Gamla Stan, a wonderfully preserved 13th century medieval part of the city – which was definitely a favourite spot of ours – or visiting the equally impressive Vasa Museum, showcasing the ship that sunk not far from shore in 1628 and raised and displayed with all that remained inside 333 years later. Swedes are naturally friendly and welcoming, sophisticated too, very well versed in English and we just loved the way they greet you with a ”Hey Hey” rather than a bland old Hello.

Be prepared for any such visit in January, extremely cold is an understatement with temperatures dropping to -15°c (5°f), yes that’s right -15°, we were in fear of losing our fingers! We would advise on the purchase of some thermals. Even in such cold weather this city that makes walking a pleasure, everywhere you look is wonderfully picturesque especially covered in snow. The only downfall, if you like, would be the lack of daylight hours during the winter months, with sunrise around 9 am and dusk around 3 pm but that shouldn’t stop you from having a blast.

Swedes also have great cuisine and they love their seafood too so if you are into the likes of Herring, Crayfish, Salmon… you won’t be disappointed as there is an abundance. Generally, Scandinavian countries are known to be really expensive and yes this can be true and if you don’t do proper research then you could be paying a lot for a sit-down meal amongst other things.

If the above photo’s of a snow-covered Stockholm isn’t enough to get you itching to look up flights then you may need to read and follow the tip below because trust us on this, Stockholm in winter or otherwise, is not to be missed.

Tips: Check this link for more detailed information for any upcoming trip to Stockholm. This website is a brilliant place to find out about the city, including historical info, where to eat, things to do and pretty much anything you’ll need to know before your visit.

London, England                                                                                   

I know, I know Brexit and all that malarkey but there’s not much chance of London not being in this European top 5 whatever you think of the whole in-out saga. Anyway, I also can’t argue with the 20+ million international visitors London attracts on a yearly basis, there’s a reason for this attraction too, London really is one of the greatest cities on the planet and if anyone is hard-pressed to find ways to entertain themselves there then they are seriously doing something wrong. You name it, London has it, some of the worlds best parks, high street shopping, art galleries, museums, pubs, markets and historical sites can be found in and around London.

A walk along the banks of the River Thames will have you enjoying some of Londons most famous landmarks. Some prefer to jump on a boat and taking a tour this way. There are many boat tours available, some you can just sit and enjoy the view, others offer a day ticket with hop-on, hop-off at certain points along the river. Either way, you’ll get to see the likes of Tower Bridge, The London Eye, The Houses of Parliament, Shakespeare’s (amazing!) Globe Theatre, Tate Modern and Kew Gardens to name a few. As with Stockholm, there are many websites with travel tips but check out the brilliant Visit London website for a mass of info.

We don’t think there is anything quite like walking around London when the sun is shining and if you manage to take in places like Carnaby Street, Camden Market – unfortunately not what it used to be in our opinion, the outstanding Borough Market, Brick Lane…and from there make sure you head on to Spitalfield Market, you will not regret a single minute of your time…London for a holiday? Don’t think twice!! Book it!

Tip: Most of the budget airlines avoid Heathrow but don’t think twice about flying into Luton Airport with EasyJet or Wizz Air. From there, a National Express coach or a train into Central London is quick and relatively inexpensive. We have found return flights to and from Luton Airport for as little €29.

Krakow, Poland

Krakow is not often thought of as a holiday destination. Poland’s second city is more famed for its rich academic history and many universities, with historical buildings and monuments named after and depicting some of Poland’s greatest minds. Being a uni town the general population is in its mid-twenties during term time and gives the city a really youthful feel and makes the evenings and nightlife very lively and a lot of fun around the town square. Bars and clubs in Krakow cater to all tastes and they also have some lovely traditional pubs (in the British sense) with old thick mahogany panelling and burgundy velour seating. Cafés and restaurants have a very European feel too. June-August are the warmest months with temperatures reaching the late 20’s Celsius (82 f), with July, rather oddly also being its wettest month….as we found out as it rained quite often!

Krakow is very much a city with two sides, the lively, fun, youthful, academic side we detailed earlier but it also a very melancholic side too, having played a major role during World War II, with many monuments and areas of remembrance to the Polish Jews that suffered at the hands of the Nazis. You will find many offers of tours too with Auschwitz just 60km away from Krakow, these tours take you right to the heart of the atrocities. If you have a love of history and historic events then you may want to book one of these tours…macabre and not for the faint-hearted but most definitely one you will not forget.

When you take into consideration the very affordable flights, great value accommodation and the fact that a very decent meal can be had for less than €15 (£13.50), Krakow in terms of value for money is one of the best places Europe has to offer. To be perfectly frank, it is probably one of the only destinations that will give you a mix of all worlds and emotions; history & modernity, fun & sorrow, warm & wet…even grandeur & value for money all mixed in together. Do a bit of research for yourself and you’ll see what a great trip to Krakow you can have.

Tip: Kayak.com and Airbnb are great for rooms in Krakow, you will be amazed at how affordable they are. For example, for a group of three, a 2-bed flat with additional sofa bed, a stone’s throw from the square can be had for little over €20 (£15) per night!

So that’s The Adventurous Bug’s Top 5 European Destinations in a nutshell. Could so easily be a Top 50 with all that Europe has to offer but who has time to read through 50?! Short and sweet and not to everyone’s agreement so we would love to hear your top 5 in the comments.

Before we sign off, a couple of honourary mentions…

Athens, Greece                                                                              

Athens, as beautiful as it is, didn’t quite make our top 5 due to the fact that the majority of time spent here was work-related rather than holiday-related and thus didn’t meet the criteria for our list. The thing is though, it is a wonderfully diverse city with some remarkable historical sites. Some of its beaches are also gorgeous places although, oddly, not free of charge to enter, although this is no real surprise as the poor Greeks pay through the teeth for everything since the financial crisis. As a place to visit, in terms of prices, Athens is quite affordable depending on where you are flying from. Hotels can be a bit pricey and the cheaper ones are often a bit ropey so research well before booking. A far as the weather is concerned, no worries here as it is sun sun sun during the summer months.

Ayia Napa, Cyprus                                                                         

We couldn’t get away with not adding one of Cyprus’s most famous places. I know some of you may be screaming that Ayia Napa is hardly a city but with an entire island population of less than a million people you’d be hard-pressed to find a single ‘city’ here but hey…This is our blog so we make the rules…And Ayia Napa is in! There’s a valid reason for it too though, over the past few years we’ve stayed here countless times and it really is one of those great places to visit. Personally, it’s our favourite part of the island. The local authorities did something brilliant when they decided to regenerate the area and they managed to turn this famously rowdy, raving, young, loud, night-life drink fueled party town into a really cool place where families can now come and also enjoy a great holiday…and they’ve managed to do this without destroying the area where teenagers have been coming for years to party through the night.

But it’s the beaches and the great value hotels that keep us driving east from Larnaca at least a dozen times a year to enjoy all that Ayia Napa has to offer. Special, Special mention to Fiji Polynesian Restaurant, one of our favourite eateries on the island and one we visit as regularly as possible.

We could post hundreds of photos but maybe we’ll save them for a future post on the beauty of Cyprus.

Thank you for joining us for our take on our top 5 of Europe, we hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to add a comment and to give a thumbs up. Check out our YouTube channel too for some of our videos.

-The Adventurous Bug-

Happy Travels!