Recently, I took my girlfriend to the south of Portugal after she was diagnosed with burnout following a series of anxiety attacks at work.

Honestly, I hesitated at first. A couple of people told me Portugal was “poor” or disorganized, others said the south is only worth it in the summer. But I decided to ignore all that when we started researching European beach towns that felt calm, within our budget, and still nice, ideally with a spa bc I thought she'd like that. We found a good deal on a 4-star hotel and decided to go anyway, not to sightsee or rush around, just disconnect somewhere far from home.

And it ended up being exactly what we needed! We stayed for two weeks, our room had an amazing view, there was a spa, beach nearby, and just that calm “country by the sea” feeling. I worked a little bit remotely, but most of the time we just relaxed.

One day we took a boat ride along the Algarve coast and it was one of the most impressive things we’ve seen. Oh and the food there!!! But I digress.

We just got back (jet lag is hitting hardddd), but she told me she feels like a different person now. And honestly, I can see that too.

I’m just really glad we didn’t listen to the negative comments and went for it. Sometimes you don’t need a packed itinerary or like the perfect place, just the right place and time for what we feel like we need.

PS: good pics are hers, bad or tilted ones are mine, she is here making sure I add this detail lol

A messy compilation, but mostly a series of photos from spring and summer travels in various parts of the English countryside and coastline, plus Durham.

Slides 1-2: the city of Durham in the north. Very picturesque with its cathedral and castle nestled in lush greenery.

Slide 3: climbing to the top of Roseberry Topping in Yorkshire, with sweeping views of the landscape and sea.

Slides 4-7: hiking along the Southwest coast path in Cornwall, coming across abandoned tin and copper mines from the 19th/early 20th century.

Slides 8-10: The Yorkshire coastline going towards Sandsend. That yellow gorse field smelled phenomenal - just like coconut!

Slide 11: Porthcurno beach in Cornwall

Slides 12-15: Robin Hood’s Bay and then Whitby, cute traditional village and town in Yorkshire.

Slides 16-17: Back in Cornwall on the southwest coast path, with beautiful golden hour scenery.

Slides 18-20: Back in Yorkshire in the village of Runswick Bay. The beach feels much bigger than it actually is, was impressive especially with the cliffy backdrop.

What surprised me is how accessible a lot of these places are, even without a car. Key spots like Whitby and Penzance (near the southwest coast path) have train stations, and remote villages usually have buses. Most of the time, the public transport is reliable though sometimes you may get a late bus. Altogether though, by my standards, it was good quality and more affordable than I’d imagined.

What was surprising is coming across so many tin and copper mine ruins in Cornwall. They looked impressive especially alongside the cliffs and crashing waves, but also a little apocalyptic. There definitely was a haunted atmosphere.

Sometimes I found infrastructure kinda ageing considering how wealthy the country is meant to be, but this is also an ancient land (which is why I travel it!) with a large and growing population, so I took that into account.

I just returned to Canada from my first trip to Europe. We spent 10 days between London, Amsterdam, and Ghent. I am blown away from this experience. Disclaimer: I only visited 3 areas, and was only a total of 10 days, so my experiences obviously are not fully representative of these areas or Europe as a whole. But I wanted to share it.

1. In all places, but especially Amsterdam, people seemed genuinely happy to do their job, the customer service was phenomenal, and this is without the expectation of a tip. Also, this was not just in tourist areas, also off the beaten path. People were very good at their job, appeared very happy, and very easy to engage in conversation.

2. The architecture was stunning, it seemed that around every turn, small street, or big street, the designs, upkeep, and overall appearance of things seemed so unique, intentional, and calming. I was blown away at how accessible everything was. From transportation to shared community spaces, it was amazing to see spaces designed for people and not just cars. Biking culture was amazing and the thought that, the streets seemed to be designed more for walking and biking was eye opening (specifically in Amsterdam and Ghent).

3. I’m not sure how to properly word this without sounding basic, but people (again specifically in Amsterdam and Ghent) follow the rules and show respect for others. From my interactions, interpretations, and experiences, there always seemed to be an unspoken social norms that were followed by all. Again, I’m struggling to fully explain this but maybe someone will understand what I mean.

4. The food was different, not bad, but different. I found this to be mostly true for snack or junk foods. I thought many items lacked flavor that I’m used too, for example, candy tasted less sweet, and chips tasted less flavorful. I didn’t hate this because it felt that they were less processed (were they? I don’t know lol, I could be sounding completly stupid here) but I did read that a lot of additives and preservatives are banned so maybe this is why? Please correct me if I am wrong.

Again, as I said above, this was my first time visiting, and it was only 10 days. I know my post is through rose coloured glasses, and my experiences don’t fully reflect the realities of all of Europe, or even the places I visited, but these things stood out to me specifically. I’m looking forward to planning the next trip, just have to decide when and where :)

I live just across the border in the Netherlands (Eindhoven area), so it’s only a 90-minute drive for me. I spent the day walking through the historic center yesterday.

What I love about Ghent is that it feels like a 'living' city rather than a museum. The architecture along the Graslei (where I took this) is mind-blowing when the light hits it just right. If you’re planning a trip to Belgium, don't just do a day trip here, stay for the evening when the crowds thin out and the lights come on.

Definitely my favorite discovery this winter! Has anyone else visited both Ghent and Bruges? Which one did you prefer?"

Having been to the Bosnia and Montenegro first, I was shocked to see the bill in Croatia is nearly double! For example a pizza would cost €17 to €24 in Hvar, or some fish dish could go up to €52!! Whilst the same dishes would cost around €10 in Bosnia, and around €8 in Italy. Not just for food, the accommodation is too overpriced, on average I paid 40% more than that of Italy. Lastly the city pass and attraction tickets are just out of this world, for example Dubrovnik wall climb would cost €40! Yes you heard me right €40. Is it just me finding Croatia overrated and overpriced?

Spent 4 nights in Copenhagen and 4 nights in Stockholm. Flew SAS round trip to Copenhagen and from Stockholm. Took a train between Copenhagen and Stockholm. A bit surprised that they don’t have direct fast trains between these two Nordic cities.

Btw, Loved flying with SAS. Very friendly flight attendants. Totally different than Air France, all US airlines, British airlines.

What’s refreshing about this trip was how relaxing and calm it was. No pre planning of any museums and sites. Just walk into museums, pay and enjoy.
I guess this is how France and Italy used to be years ago before the mass travel.

Copenhagen was a cute city with lovely friendly people. Whenever we got lost in metro, people came up to us and offered to help. So civil and organized. But honestly I don’t think I’d visit again. It was just too quiet for us. But if I had to start my life over again, I’d love to live there and raise my kids.
Juno bakery had the best buns even compare to ones in Stockholm. I didnt think much of it since it’s just buns made with sugar, flour and oil. I was wrong. They were completely different than cinnamon buns I was used to.
Tried a few sort of high endish restaurants that were highly recommended but to be honest, I was quite disappointed by almost all of them. I mean they were ok but nothing spectacular. Quite expensive but not as expensive as NYC after tax and tip. Very small portions. I was always hungry after.

Stockholm was lovely. I’d definitely visit again. It felt like a true cosmopolitan city whereas Copenhagen felt like a small provincial city.
Everyone seems to have good life. Restaurants and cafes were always full. People were friendly and the whole city very organized and civil… clean as expected.
Public transportation was mostly punctual and runs frequently but expensive. Ended up taking uber as it was basically the same price for two.
Restaurants we booked were mostly ok but again nothing spectacular. The bills were between $300 to $450 for two. We were keep thinking how this meal would have been half the price in France and so much better.
Loved the Swedish history museum(Viking museum )and Vasa museum.
Those two were just spectacular and so different than other museums we were used to.
I thought we’d spend like an hour at Vasa but ended up spending like 3 hours. So amazing.

My husband loved how manageable these cities were. He really loved Stockholm a lot and he’s been to everywhere(almost).
Simple, elegant, slower paced, civil, organized and pleasant.
We’d love to be back to check out other parts of these counties.

I just came back from a trip to the Czech Republic (Prague + countryside), and I’m genuinely trying to understand something, not to offend.

Almost everywhere we went (restaurants, taxis, hotels...) people felt extremely cold, sometimes borderline rude. No smiles, very abrupt tone, and a general feeling of hostility. At first I thought it was just Prague being overwhelmed by tourism (which I totally understand), but we experienced the same vibe in smaller towns as well.

What confused me the most was restaurants: service would often be unpleasant from start to finish, and yet at the end we were explicitly asked how much we wanted to tip (“10%? 15%?”). That felt really uncomfortable, especially after unfriendly service.

I’ve traveled quite a bit around Europe (including places known for being “rude” like Paris), but this felt different... more cold and transactional rather than just blunt.

So I’m honestly curious:

• Is this just Czech cultural communication?
• Is tourism fatigue really that strong?
• Or did we just have bad luck?

Would love to hear perspectives from locals or other travelers... not here to bash, just to understand.

I visited several Christmas Markets across Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, and Estonia. Visiting the markets wasn’t the main purpose of my trips, but since I was already there during winter – and because those markets are always so highly recommended – I thought, why not? I also checked markets in my own country for curiosity, had multiple visits on those actually.

Spoiler: "I would not do it again" just means the amount of markets visited on short time. I would and most likely will visit one or two next month. :)

I will have opinions – even a strong ones – especially on Northern European markets, products sold there and purchase decisions visitors make – because I want to protect our local culture, artisans and their crafts.

Warning: This is going to be a long post. Really tiny TLDR at the bottom of the post.

Let's hop back in time...

Winter 2024

When I visited more than two or three markets in a short time (weekend) they all started to blur together really quickly. Each market had its own things, like different themes, food, and decorations, but after a few markets, it became hard to remember what things were in which city. All the markets started to feel repetitive, like a general “winter/Christmas market” packed with people rather than something new and interesting in each location.

Most markets were a mix of local crafts and mass-produced souvenirs. Some really small markets in Central Europe seemed to mainly have local products - don't ask what those were, because firstly, I don't remember, and secondly, I tried Google some of those when I was there and there was nothing to be found. So just random small local markets, I would assume they sell local fresh produce there during summer and autumn. I found these by just wandering around and occasionally checking (satellite) maps for open outdoor spaces in central locations.

Unfortunately, the actual local and handmade goods often were left in shadow by imported mass produced stuff, because they can have bigger marketing budget. There was ton of "I love <city>" products made elsewhere or having a picture of wrong city... In Northern Europe, it was especially sad with local wool and wood products and sweets. There was big booths for "handmade fudge" – those were made outside of EU, with ingredients not available or used here. You could mix whatever goods you want – and then be surprised and disappointed about the €50/kg price, because you had no idea how much the candies weight (and you couldn't really say "no" after you've selected the products and mixed them together...)

I also listened and heard too many visitors choosing those mass-produced fudge and other treats instead of local ones, because "too confusing", "not sure if it's actually edible", "what if I don't like it", "what even it is" - but hey, you don't know if you're going to like the mass produced sweet either! Or if you know, and are on new country, buying familiar mass produced sweets... Why? You're anyways on a trip seeing new places, you should definitely give a go to even exotic looking local sweets! 🍭 If you're worried about allergens in food products, those are usually highlighted in a way or another in the ingredients list – so easy to spot and you can always translate the ingredient list by taking a photo of it.

Many of the conversation seemed to have root in local treats missing English descriptions. Which is true, because English is not an official language in any these countries, and many small producers don’t export their goods. But they are still happy to help you in English! And in the rare situation you don't have language in common, you most likely have device in your pocket that can help. Also, just pointing to things and smiling is often enough.

Maybe the saddest thing were local arts and crafts. Wood products, like Christmas ornaments, cutting boards etc. and wool products such as socks and scarfs. I will focus on socks, as those are the most familiar product to me.

The most beautiful, locally handmade wool socks were sold for about €30–50. This might sound expensive, but; * The wool yarn for one pair is nowadays easily €10 or more, * and even for experienced knitter it's going to take at least 4-6 hours to make them, * so they get roughly only €5/hour – and this doesn't count for taxes, paying for the market table etc.

For me, that's decent price for handmade local product. Still, many went for €20-30 synthetic "wool" socks – that are made in factory other side of the globe and could be purchased anywhere. Such a shame. Those handmade socks are so much part of northern European culture, and you usually have ones made by your grandma. The socks can easily outlive the knitter – rest in peace, mamma, socks from you are still warming my toes and heart every winter. In some point the active knitting grandma's will have too much socks to give away for their family members, so the lovely grannies sold their "overproduction" in these markets with fair price. Some even sell their socks as low as €20 per pair - leaving their under €10 for the work, so euro or two for hour of artisan work.

Buying those mass produced crafts felt a bit ironic and it broke my – and my grandma's – heart. So many travelers say they want to have "authentic local experiences", "live like a local" and so on – and still they end up saving few euros to get soulless mass produced plastic socks. I definitely understand being on budget, but if you are already spending hundreds or thousands euros for your trip, maybe you could have extra fiver or tenner for proper socks?

In Finland, it has been seen that smaller businesses has been dropping out from Christmas Markets and other events. This is highly due to small amount of goods sold and big multinational corporations stealing customers with unethically low prices, by products made elsewhere with completely different standards. Big corporations also have better possibilities for getting places at markets - they can promise to be there for multiple years, when small business can be unable to make a promise like that due to uncertainty im current times.

My main point here is - what these markets are going to be without local products and people? Just one big mass-produced event that's identical everywhere... So please, support local business. ❤️

My tips - what I would recommend for Christmas Market

Visiting too many markets will 100% get toonexhausting, no matter how big Christmas or Winter lover you are. Big crowds (and stressing for pickpocketed), long lines to get picture of you with Santa Claus and the constant comparisons with previous markets ("mulled wine was cheaper there" or "that market has less people, we should have stayed there") will easily take away from the spirit.

I would suggest choosing 1-2 big markets or 2-3 smaller ones to enjoy. You can then remember which was which!

Plan other activities too – the cities themselves are beautiful in winter, with decorative lights, cozy outdoor cafés, themed museums and events.

Don't rely on having a snow or seeing Northern Lights. It would be convient to have those always available during winter, but unfortunately that isn't possible. So I would recommend having plans for both snow and snowless days, that can be wet. And no matter on the snow situation, you can still enjoy the beautiful decorative lights in cities. Without Northern Lights, you can try to spot some cool planets and stars!

Don't stress too much about language. You're not only tourists there. Most sellers are friendly and will help, and you will most likely have translation app in your pocket. Use those to help you and actually immerse yourself to the local culture – see what they're making and selling and why. Support the actual local businesses without English information aimed at tourists – those are sometimes cheaper too.

What I would avoid:

Skip the generic, mass-produced products – like some fancy vegetable peelers or other kitchen gadgets sold by pushy vendors, that don't want you to take pictures of the products even for translation. You can usually find better, cheaper, and more ethical options in local stores that actually support small businesses. Those kitchen tool sellers are at least problematic in North Europe – they try to pressurize yourself buying their "miracle" tools quickly.

Same goes for mass produced puzzles and other toys, especially for kids – you can go to actual local toy store to have look at what they have.

TLDR

TLDR: Don't try to visit too many markets. Have some other plans too, like just walk around the beautiful cities. Don't be surprised by local languages, ask questions and use translate apps if needed – and support the local businesses, even if it requires you to put some effort into communicating. And if you're already spending hundreds or thousands for your trip, don't save €5-10 by purchasing mass-produced crap instead of local goods.

🎄 I should add, that I don't regret my travel decisions – mainly because the markets were not the main point of my travels. But if they were, I would be, just because it turns into one big blurry so easily. So I will definitely recommend checking out some Christmas Market or two if they're your thing, just spent little bit more time there to actually translate and understand all the cool local products they have.

Thank you. ❤️

This past December, I visited 14 different Christmas Markets in Europe. Visiting a Christmas Market in Europe had been a dream of mine for a while, but I couldn’t decide which ones to visit. I was in between jobs, so I decided to visit a ton of them! I visited markets in Dublin, London, Paris, Strasbourg, Colmar, Mulhouse, Basel, Stuttgart, Esslingen, Heidelberg, Tübingen, Munich, Nuremberg, and Berlin. To be clear, some cities have multiple markets, and in many cases, I went to multiple markets in the same city, so the actual number of individual markets was higher than 14, maybe more like 30. Also, to elaborate, “visiting” is here defined as “staying for at least one hour AND consuming at least one alcoholic beverage”.

I made this post to share my perspective with other potential travelers from outside of Europe who are wondering what to expect, how to plan their trip, and which markets are the best. FYI I live in the US.

TL;DR I had a great time and definitely recommend going, but most markets have a similar vibe, with only a couple dishes or drinks varying in between different regions, so I wouldn’t get hung up on which one is “the best”. I do not think it is necessary to visit 14 Christmas markets. I recommend going to the cities that look the cutest, spark your interest, or are convenient for your travel plans. My personal favorites were Strasbourg, Colmar, Esslingen, and Nuremberg. Esslingen specifically had some unique things that other markets didn't, like a medieval section, and was an insanely cute town to boot. Esslingen, Colmar, and Nuremberg had children’s areas (and possibly others, I wasn’t paying super-close attention to this). See my breakdown of specific cities at the end.

Vibes / General Info

I enjoyed the vibe of the Christmas markets, and they’re definitely more magical than in the United States. The markets themselves ARE equal or better than what I’ve seen in the US and Canada, but that being said, I think most of that magic comes from being set in the market square of a genuine medieval town rather than the quality of the markets themselves. The markets were a bit different than I expected in several ways. To be clear, I am not saying that I was disappointed because I still had a great time and I would go back.

First, the markets themselves were fairly similar and sometimes felt a bit manufactured. The huts were usually high quality, sturdy, and made of solid wood, but nonetheless very similar from one market to the next. Furthermore, the vast majority of shops that sold knick knacks didn’t sell hand-crafted items, but rather manufactured gifts and souvenirs. Also, sometimes in larger markets there were multiple locations of the same “restaurant”, with the same name, menu, and pricing, being run like a small temporary franchise. To be fair, I can understand that the city wants to guarantee a consistent quality and availability of classic snacks, so I'm not completely criticizing this. I’ve heard many Europeans label Christmas markets as ‘corporate’, but I think Europeans have a much lower threshold for labeling things as corporate than we do in America. The markets were still visually appealing, fun, and exciting, even if they were quite similar to each other.

Another difference from my expectations was the amount of Christmas lights. I know that we go pretty crazy with Christmas lights in the United States, but I still expected to see a bit more in Europe if I’m being honest. There were still some in Europe, but they were usually in pretty small pockets, with one or two highly-decorated townhouses. That being said, I anecdotally felt like there were more Christmas lights in London and Dublin than the rest of Europe, so maybe it’s an English-speaking thing. For the record, Europe uses exclusively LED Christmas lights.

Some of the markets take place amid high-rise buildings or less fairytale-esque surroundings, which is why I suggest that you choose which market you visit based on the vibe of the town/city and not on the size or quality of the market, since the quality usually doesn’t vary too much IMO.

It's also worth mentioning that some Christmas Markets close somewhat early, especially those in small towns. For example, Colmar closed at 7 pm on weekdays and Strasbourg closed at 9 pm even on weekends.

It’s also worth mentioning that all of these markets are very crowded at night, especially on weekends, even in the small towns.

Food

The food at every market I went to was always quite affordable/good value and tasty. Despite being “fast food”, I would still say that it tastes better and fresher than what you often get at American fast food restaurants. That being said, most markets had a quite limited variety of dishes. As mentioned earlier, sometimes there were multiple locations of the same “restaurant” within the market, with the same name, menu, and pricing. This was especially a problem for me in the French markets because my body constantly craves protein and the French markets sometimes didn’t have bratwurst or pork steaks or any other protein option.

I always saw regional/national specialties like crepes in every French market, bratwurst in every German market, and raclette in Basel, Switzerland, but sometimes I also could find each of these at markets in the other regions and countries as well.

Some other snacks I commonly saw were Tarte flambee/flammkuchen (cream cheese pizzas), lebkuchen (soft gingerbread cookies), spaetzle (noodles), currywurst (curry sausage), pretzels, pork steaks, Gulasch served in a bread bowl, and croque monsieurs (open-faced cheese sandwich). I didn’t often see ethnic food from non-european countries in the Christmas markets,but this was not a huge disappointment for me since I was mostly interested in eating European food while visiting.

It’s also worth pointing out that almost all of the food was simple street food. You could argue that it lacked the size or sophistication of a meal at a sit-down restaurant. For example, if you are looking for larger or complicated regional specialties like Schweinshaxe or Zwiebelrostbraten, you will need to go to a sit-down restaurant. The good news is that despite enormous crowds on the streets, I found that most restaurants weren’t too busy and I almost never had an issue walking into a restaurant and getting a seat.

Drinks

Drinks were a great way to stay warm and enjoy the atmosphere. 

Similar to food, some drinks were only found in certain places. For example, I only saw the Heisser Engel and Feuerzangenbowle in Germany.

Mulled wine was at every single Christmas market. You could always find red mulled wine, but sometimes, you could find rose or white mulled wine as well. Mulled wine was always affordable and tasty, but to be fair, it was also served with a lot less instagram flair and fewer spices from what I have experienced in the US (at potlucks or sit-down cocktail bars). Spices weren’t scooped into my cup, for example.

Drinks were almost always served in a glass that you had to pay a deposit on. Bring cash and maybe a coin purse!

Some other notable drinks that you may find :

Feuerzangenbowle - Literally, the name means fire tong punch. They soak a sugar cube in rum, set it over a glass of mulled wine with a fork, then set the cube on fire, causing it to slowly melt into the mulled wine. It tastes just like normal mulled wine to me, but it makes for an epic instagram video! I only saw it at a few markets in southern Germany, Esslingen definitely and maybe Stuttgart.

Hot cocoa - it can often be ordered with an optional shot of rum, amaretto, or vodka. Surprisingly, I never saw it offered with peppermint liqueur

Hot aperol - a spiced and heated aperol spritz, basically

Heisser engel (hot angel, politically correct name) / blonder engel (blond angel, politically incorrect name) - Orange juice, egg liqueur, egg whites, and cream

Glogg - A swedish version of mulled wine

City-by-city breakdown (my opinions) :

Dublin - I only visited the market in the castle courtyard. It was small but somewhat charming. The castle is by no means my favorite castle in Europe but it was still a cool vibe with the market.

London - There were several Christmas markets in London, but I only went to the market in Covent Garden, which was set in a cute old building. It was in a busy part of the city, so it had a different vibe than a small town’s market square. My personal impression was that London as a whole has more Christmas decorations than any other cities I visited.

Paris - I visited the market on the northwest side of the Eiffel Tower, along the Seine. The market stalls were among the ugliest/cheapest I saw on my trip, it felt like a carnival, but there was something pretty cool about sipping mulled wine in front of the eiffel tower.

Strasbourg - it is just as cute and fairytale-esque as other small towns but is significantly larger. There’s a ton to explore: several town squares, a river, and a massive cathedral to name a few. The markets were pretty well-decorated.

Colmar - a cute small old fairytale town with small markets spread throughout. They had some carnival rides too if that appeals to you.

Mulhouse - A slightly smaller and less cute/photogenic version of Colmar IMO.

Basel - Basel has more of an urban vibe and is a bit less charming than other nearby towns. The markets were a bit spread out. There was a hipster christmas market out of people’s vans in altstadt kleinbasel. It was ok.

Stuttgart - I was quite impressed by their Christmas market. I’m usually a bigger fan of the markets in small towns and not so much the big cities, but this market had the most over-the-top christmas lights and decor that I saw in Europe, and I think that more than made up for it. There were parks next to the two largest markets which made them feel less crowded and claustrophobic. The markets were very large and had a wide variety of food and drinks, including a couple of rarer finds like Feuerzangenbowle and heisser engel.

Esslingen - Probably my favorite, if I had to choose one. To start, the town itself is all-kill-no-filler German fachwerk architecture. The market is very well decorated. There is a medieval section as well as a kids area with creative games like catapult shooting and a small medieval ferris wheel. They also had a great selection of food and drinks

Heidelberg - A small, cute old town set in a steep river valley. The markets were great. The castle and the philosopher’s path are also fun to explore. The old town is a significant walk from the train station.

Tübingen - I personally think that Tubingen is the most adorable town in Europe, but they don’t go very hard for Christmas. There aren’t many Christmas lights or decorations. Also, the market is only one weekend per year, so the stalls are just cheap makeshift tents like at an American farmers’ market. I’ve heard that the market is supposedly less corporate and more mom-and-pop, but I’d take that with a grain of salt. It was still fun and beautiful though because at the end of the day, it’s still Tubingen!

Munich - I visited the main market in the Marienplatz and walked along Neuhauserstrasse towards the central train station. Despite the newer buildings in the plaza, I still really loved the vibe because of the enormous and elaborate town hall on the other side of the plaza. Despite being a large city, it was very vibey. 

Nuremberg - The old town is adorable and massive, and there is a very long and impressive town wall surrounding it. The markets were well-decorated. One market has a kids section. The city also has an amazing scenic overlook from atop the castle.

Berlin - I only visited the market on museumsinsel, across from the Berliner Dom. The location was a bit awkward and I wasn’t crazy about the vibe. There may have been better markets in the city. The food, drinks, and stalls were average.

EDIT: In case anyone was wondering why I would attempt something like this:

1 - I love Christmas! And mulled wine and hot cocoa. Probably not a big surprise! That being said, although I enjoyed all of the markets, I admittedly started to enjoy them less towards the end and started feeling a bit Christmassed out. One day, I drank 6 mugs of mulled wine and had a bit of an acid reflux attack and had to switch to exclusively boozy hot cocoa for a couple days.

2 - I wanted to visit or re-visit all of these towns anyways and I figured that the markets would only ADD to the experience and atmosphere. And after having done it, I think I still agree with that.

3 - I get major FOMO haha. I wanted to find out for myself what each of the markets are like. If I went back, I wouldn't feel the need to visit all of them.

4 - Photography is a big hobby of mine and my goal was to capture the magic of the European Christmas markets. I assumed that this would be difficult and time-consuming and that I'd be better off visiting multiple markets. I think I was right about that. Besides, some days you just don't feel like taking photos. I wanted to take photos with either no people or people who are far enough away and small enough that they aren't recognizable. To do this, I looked for less busy parts of the market that were still well-decorated, usually on the edge of a square. Ideally, I tried to get an old cathedral, cute house, fountain, or bridge in the shot as well. So you are very limited on where you can take shots like this. Most markets didn't have a shot that I wanted to take. Anyways, I shot long-exposures on a tripod so that I could stack the shots to edit people out. I had to stand and wait in the cold for lulls in the crowd. Ferris wheels were especially challenging since I had to either shoot when they weren't moving or adjust the shutter speed to get the amount of motion blur that I wanted. I also walked around every corner of each of the towns looking for photogenic buildings with Christmas lights.

Hello!

For some context: I was born in the UK, however I am first generation and both my parents are Eastern European, and I consider myself Eastern European more than British. Croatia was my first ever holiday in eastern europe, and i planned with my (also eastern European) best friend for my birthday. I was incredibly excited, as I have previously only went to my home country to visit family and never vacationed. I have been to 20 countries in total all over the world.

The reason for this context will make sense in a little while.

So, me and my best friend land in croatia. Everything is off to a good start, we check into our airbnb, and we decide to go out to explore. We get a sense of the city.

Second day comes around, and we decide to go to the beach, Bacvice beach. As most people do, when you go to the beach, you usually wear your bikini under flowy clothes, or a dress, anything that can dry quickly and you can quickly dress with and undress with.

Although I am slim, I am insecure. I have had a lot of body dysmorphia and struggled with an eating disorder so I always opt for slightly more covered clothing. So for this day, as it was just a trip to the beach and back to the airbnb, i wore a long maxi flowy beach skirt, and a crop top.

After the beach, we decided to quickly hop into the supermarket to buy lunch and some water on our way to the airbnb. As we enter the supermarket, it was pretty busy, with a few tourists i assume at the drinks aisle. Me and my friend get what we need, as by the time we finished, the store cleared out and it is just us and the cashier. As we wait by the check out for someone to help, the worker (late 40’s early 50s) approaches us. However, she first stood next to me, gave me a disgusted look, and scoffed. I already felt insecure, so I just waited awkwardly for her to get behind the cash register and just check us out. As she began checking us out, she shouted at my friend that she didn’t weigh the tomatoes that we picked out. My friend apologised, and went to the weighing machine and put it in the paper bag. The woman then began, “you guys dont know how to do anything right. So disrespectful.” Then she began pointing at the aisle of drinks that the previous tourists were at, and said “this is what your tourist friends do. They break everything. Everything is broken. GO HOME. STAY HOME. DONT COME HERE.” Me and my friend were gobsmacked, and did not reply once to her. Then she began again, “do not come here dressed like this. This is disgusting. This is for the beach, not supermarket. I dont want to see you again like this.” At this point, me and my friend still have not said a single word, and I just waited for her to finish scanning the items so i can pay and get out. As i paid, and began to leave, she repeated again, “dont dress like that.” That is when i replied “i do not need your opinion.” She then went onto saying “yes, you clearly do if you do not know how to dress.” At this point, i began speaking my native language, which is very similar to croatian and she understood me when i said “old lady, dont interfere. Im leaving.” At that, she became finally silent and stared at me with shock.

It truly saddens me, as I believe if I spoke my language earlier, she would have not spoken to me the way she did. I noticed in a lot of other instances, where me and my friend spoke english, the locals became increasingly rude.

This put a large taint on mine and my friend’s holiday, as we have never experienced anything like this before. And the fact that I am insecure and finally decided to wear something more “revealing,” and this happened, made me truly upset.

Me and my friend decided to the next day give croatia another shot, and go clubbing (something we never do.) we went to a bar, which then escorts 100+ people to another club in the centre. Me and my friend were speaking, and were in general laughing and cheery (but not obnoxious.) we were in a crowd of 50 people who were speaking and laughing much louder than us (we are just two 5’3 girls walking by ourselves.) A local Croatian lady, who was walking alongside the crowd, suddenly began shouting “shut your mouth” at us in Croatian. Me and my friend understood, and were like “what is your problem?” And she, i am being literal, began BARKING “shut your mouth” in Croatian to us. She said it 20 times within the space of like 30 seconds. Me and my friend then repeated what she said, and added a few more, and then she sped off.

Again, once we spoke a language that the Croatians understood, they stopped being nasty.

To end it all off, I know what eastern europeans can be like, and i know the socials and norms. I acted like my mother raised me to be, however me and my friend felt like aliens in Croatia, and we were constantly stared at and ridiculed. By the end of the trip, we were deeply disappointed as our expectations were higher than being bullied by the locals. Especially as we are just two girls.

EDIT: i posted this also on ask croatia subreddit. The replies i got are horrific, with majority claiming i am falsely accusing an innocent woman of slut shaming me. I am thinking now this may be an issue of attitude towards women rather than tourists in my case.

Today was heavily fueled by pasteis de nata

Started the day in the afternoon by visiting the Dobrá čajovna (“Good teahouse”) for a couple of amazing cups of tea. Tried the Earl Grey (with milk) and Darjeeling Himalaya and loved them. The atmosphere had that old European charm and they were playing music by the band Faun at the time, which I liked enough to Shazam it.

Later on, tried visiting the famous St. Vitus cathedral. It had already closed to the public unfortunately, so will have to return another day to see the inside, but the exterior architecture is nothing short of spectacular on its own.

Coming back to the old town area, there were Christmas markets everywhere. I recommend the chimney cakes. Went up on the clock tower as well to get a good panorama view of the city, however it was extremely crowded and that made the experience not as pleasant.

For dinner we tried the U Fleku restaurant, which allegedly dates back to 1499. The atmosphere inside is quite lively and enjoyable, however the food itself wasn’t really my thing. I don’t think that has to do much with how it was prepared, but rather the cuisine might not be for me. It’s very hearty, heavy food, and most dishes included pork (which personally I don’t like the taste of much). All in all, still an interesting experience.

If you haven’t had a chance to do this, I highly recommend. Maybe not 24 days, but 5 - 7 days is also good.

There is something different in spending time on sea, where there is no schedule, sea in hair, sun burns :) and smell of the salt.

I visited islands Brač, Hvar, Šolta..

Have you this experience before?

Just finished 14 days across Rome, Florence, Lake Garda, Venice, and the Swiss Alps with two families and two babies under 2. No tour operator, planned everything ourselves.

A few things nobody warned us about:

Cobblestones in Florence will destroy your stroller. Ours didn't make it past day 8.

The Italy to Switzerland train connection needs at least 90 minutes buffer. We had 30. Paid €520 in emergency taxis to make it.

Rome Metro pickpockets are genuinely professional. Wallet gone in under a minute in a crowded carriage.

Switzerland looked like a desktop wallpaper the moment we crossed the border. Not exaggerating.

Our 21 month old went silent for five minutes on top of Rigi mountain. None of us knew what to say either.

Happy to answer questions on any part of this: Swiss Travel Pass, Airbnbs, GetYourGuide bookings, toddler logistics, costs.

This is an entirely subjective and personal defense of Milan as a tourist destination. I cannot take the Milan slander as ‘business city’ on this subreddit anymore! ;)

With Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emanuele being the most famous landmarks and most obvious choices, I’d like to put a spotlight on a few other places in Milan that are absolutely breathtaking and worth checking out.

Bagatti Valsecchi Museum - originally just another rich family palazzo in the centre of the city, it is now one of the best preserved historic house museums in Europe. Yes, the art collection is impressive, but it’s the rooms with beautiful (extremely expensive already at the time of purchase) furniture, interior decor, skillfully preserved chimneys, doors, tapestries that make it a gorgeous gorgeous time capsule. Personal items of the bygone era such as gentlemen’s hats and jackets, ladies’ fans, dance cards and menus from receptions are a true cherry on top. I cannot recommend it enough.

Another palazzo located in the city centre, Poldi Pezzoli, also started out as a private residence and was turned into a museum. It combines the historical rooms with displays of an art collection spanning from archaeological finds to XIXth century masterpieces. Some of the rooms have been renovated to specifically become displays /galleries and it was done with amazing skill. Check out the armory as an example.I cannot recommend it enough.

And since it’s just around the corner, can I say - LA SCALA?! Yes, to be able to attend you need to get up at sunrise of the new season tickets day and be ready for some navigationally tricky online shenanigans, but it’s oh so worth it. Be it ballet or opera, you are in for a treat and a once in a lifetime experience, even if you are not a fan. An extremely important side note, there is also a Teatro Alla Scala Museum right next to the Teatro. Do not miss it. Between the instrument displays, the elegant evening outfits, the tasty morsels of historical information and gossip it’s such a charming trip back in time.I cannot recommend it enough.

As the city centre is quite compact, you can just walk everywhere, and that city centre is so wonderful, with surprises in every corner - beautiful buildings, galleries, flower markets, tiny cafes, just let yourself wander and explore.And if you see a sign with Princi written on it, do not miss it! This bakery has everything your heart (and stomach) may desire, both sweet and savoury, it will fill you up and not put you in debt for the next six months. I cannot recommend it enough.

Eventually sooner or later you will make your way to Sforza castle. It towers over the city centre and it gives you a good idea of the Sforza family power and position in Italy over the centuries. The castle is now a museum with works by Leonardo and Michelangelo on display, but it’s also a wonderful cultural heart of the city, with multiple events and exhibitions happening constantly. Their website is well updated in multiple languages, so it is easy to plan ahead.I cannot recommend it enough.

If you are not overwhelmed with all the richness and beauty of the art yet, you should definitely fit in Pinacoteca / Biblioteca Ambrosiana in the schedule, not just to see more of da Vinci, Botticelli, Raphael or Caravaggio, but also to admire the magnificent interiors. I cannot recommend it enough.

The one thing that is not in the immediate vicinity of the city centre is Cimitero Monumentale. I won’t exaggerate saying that one can easily spend half a day if not more there and forget to even look at the watch. The quiet beauty, the flora, the abundance of art, sculptures, monuments give such a peace of mind and a break from everything else going on outside its walls.I cannot recommend it enough.

Sadly, Casa degli Atellani (a stunning mansion from XVth century) and Leonardo da Vinci Vineyard (actual vineyard in the city gifted to Leonardo and reconstructed replanting the same grapevine that grew there during Leonardo;s time)  have been purchased and closed to the public (which should not have happened in the first place if you ask me). I’d recommend keeping an eye on them in case they become accessible again.

Last but not least, and not in Milan but nearby, in Cremona’s Violin Museum a concert hall - Auditorium Giovanni Arvedi - designed to provide one of the most unique acoustics setup in the world was built. All I am going to say is that experiencing a live concert there is otherworldly. I cannot recommend it enough.

I am not saying that those places have to be everyone’s cup of tea, but can we please not call Milan a business city, like we do Frankfurt? The gap between those two!

I thought I'd give my own (equally biased, but positive) point of view. I'm on a trip here visiting a friend, it's relatively cheap and easy to get to Sofia from where I live - and I love it. It's obviously slightly more expensive since the introduction of the Euro in January, but the people are friendly, the infrastructure, while not great, is not too dissimilar from my own country's, the food is excellent, it's not filled to the brim with tourists and there is history everywhere you rest your eyes.

A lot of people discouraged this trip, said it was just a tower in an overcrowded city with rats and smelly sewers 🥲🥲🥲 So of course I said "Let me see that for myself!"

And WOW 🤩 Just WOW!!! This lady is exactly who she thinks she is. Absolutely majestic and owns her space🥰 Sooooo worth it. If I should die tomorrow, I'm at peace with that. I've lived.

Also, was lucky enough not to see any rats, smell any sewer or be swarmed by crowds. So likely a combination of timing, planning and well olympics soon so there's probably more effort from the city to make things look right.

Don't always listen to people's projections of their experiences, things might be different for your visit 😉

During my experience as a tour guide, I've heard it countless times from clients: "it's just for fashion and business,  "Rome is better.", "there's nothing to do besides the Duomo."

All wrong!!! Milan is one of those cities that punishes people who don't dig: if you follow a standard tourist itinerary, you'll leave thinking it's overrated. If you actually walk it, neighborhood by neighborhood, it opens up in a way very few Italian cities do :D

BEFORE WE START: regards the Last Supper

There's no denying that Leonardo's Last Supper is one of the most requested attractions in Milan. But let me warn you about what social media doesn't tell you:

- you get 15 minutes. The room is small. Tickets at face value (€15) are almost always sold out months ahead. What most people end up paying is €80–200 for guided tour packages that include skip-the-line access.

- if you're genuinely into Renaissance art, perspective, Leonardo's technique, go. It's worth the effort.

- if you don't care much about painting and just want to tick a box, Milan has world-class art with zero queues and zero stress.

- there's nothing wrong with skipping it. You will not miss Milan's essence :).

DAY 1: The historic center, done properly

Start at the Duomo. But not as a tourist checkpoint, look at it seriousl: it took nearly six centuries to complete!!!! (can you imagine? SIX!). The facade alone has 135 spires and over 3,400 statues. If you go up to the terraces (which you should), book online in advance, but be careful bacause between April and October, even the skip the line tickets can still mean a queue. The most reliable way to avoid that is a small private or semi-private tour with priority access, in my opinion.

From the Duomo, walk through Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Yes it's touristy. It's also one of the most beautiful 19th-century iron-and-glass arcades in existence. Find the bull mosaic on the floor, spin your heel on it, it's a local superstition for good luck. Tacky? Yes. Do it anyway. :D

Head to Piazza della Scala and look at the opera house from outside: La Scala is one of the most acoustically important theaters in the world. You can visit the museum if you want, but the square itself is worth a few minutes.

P.S: Look at the center of the square, do you recognize that bearded man standing surrounded by his pupils at his feet? Right next to him there's also a small fountain that flows without stopping. Milanese people call it "il drago verde", or "la vedovella". You'll have to find out why yourself.

Then walk north into Brera. This is Milan's historic artistic quarter, narrow streets, no chain stores, actual character. Don't rush it. Stop somewhere for a coffee. Then go into the Academy of Fine Arts. It houses Raphael's Marriage of the Virgin, Mantegna's Dead Christ, Piero della Francesca's Montefeltro Altarpiece, and Hayez's The Kiss. You can spend 30 minutes or two hours: no crowds, no pressure, no timed entry!

Behind the Pinacoteca, through a discreet entrance, is the Orto Botanico di Brera, an 18th-century botanical garden almost no one knows about. It takes just five minutes!

Walk west to Castello Sforzesco. Most people photograph it from outside and leave. Don't! Go in.

The interior museums include Leonardo da Vinci's contributions to the castle's design, a museum of medieval weapons and tapestries, musical instruments from multiple centuries, and most importantly: Michelangelo's Pietà Rondanini, his last work, left unfinished at his death. It's raw, strange, unlike anything else he made. It has its own dedicated space and it's genuinely moving.

After the castle, walk through Parco Sempione, Milan's central park. It's huge, green, and completely free of tourist infrastructure. Head toward Corso Sempione for aperitivo. Campari was invented in Milan. A Negroni or an Aperol Spritz here, in the early evening, is exactly the right way to end the day.

DAY 2: The Roman city underneath the modern one

Milan sat on a Roman road network for centuries before becoming what it is now. If you know where to look, you can trace it on foot.

Start again at the Duomo, but this time go east through Palazzo Reale, it hosts rotating exhibitions, worth checking what's on. Walk to Piazza Santo Stefano, a quiet square with multiple historic churches in a tight radius. The Cappella di San Bartolomeo alle Ossa is one of the less-visited ones and worth a look inside. You'll find some decorations that are a bit creepy, and you won't forget them easily...

Continue past the university toward Via Torino. Walk it slowly. Turn into the small street that leads to San Sepolcro, a Romanesque church that marks what was the center of Roman Mediolanum, literally built over the ancient forum. Very few tourists find it. In the crypt there's a faithful reproduction of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, plus a replica of the Shroud of Turin, and you can also do a 3D virtual experience. Genuinely worth it.

Then San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore. If you see one church in Milan, make it this one. The entire interior, walls, arches, vaults, is covered in frescoes by Bernardino Luini, one of Leonardo da Vinci's most illustrious students, and his workshop. It's called the Sistine Chapel of Milan and that comparison holds up. Entry is free. No queues. Often nearly empty.

Continue south toward the Colonne di San Lorenzo, 16 Roman columns from the 2nd or 3rd century, standing outside a 4th-century basilica. They're just there on the street. Completely intact. Milan doesn't make a big deal of them, which is itself very Milanese.

From there it's a short walk to the Navigli for dinner or aperitivo. The canals are what's left of the network Leonardo da Vinci helped engineer. The area has become more commercial in recent years but the early evening light on the water is still worth it. Eat at a spot away from the main canal strip, one block in and prices drop significantly.

ALTERNATIVE DAY 2: Modern Milan instead

The easiest way to get around Milan is the metro or tram, keep that in mind for this route.

Take the metro to Garibaldi station. Walk out into Piazza Gae Aulenti, a raised circular square surrounded by contemporary office towers, opened in 2012. Very un-Italian in the best way. Then look up at the Bosco Verticale, two residential towers with over 900 trees and 20,000 plants integrated into the facades. It's a real building where people live. Won't blow your mind but it's genuinely interesting as architecture.

Walk down Corso Como into Brera, then over to the Castello and Parco Sempione. Inside the park there's a cascina, a traditional Lombard farmhouse, converted into a community space with a garden restaurant. It's called Cascina Nascosta. Worth a stop for lunch if you time it right.

THE PLACES MOST GUIDES IGNORE

Pinacoteca Ambrosiana. This is where the serious Leonardo content actually is. The Codex Atlanticus is the largest collection of his drawings, notes, and engineering sketches in the world. The same building has Caravaggio's Basket of Fruit, Botticelli, Titian, Luini. Entry is affordable. It's attached to a historic library that's been running since 1609.

San Satiro. A church on Via Torino that most people walk past without realizing what's inside. Bramante designed a fake perspective apse to make a shallow space appear deep. It's one of the most elegant optical illusions of the Renaissance and you're standing inside it. Free, open, nobody there.

Cimitero Monumentale. The monumental cemetery near Chinatown. Sounds morbid. It's actually an open-air museum of 19th and early 20th century sculpture, with tombs that function as major artworks in their own right. Architects, artists, and industrialists buried in Art Nouveau, Symbolist, and early Modernist structures. Free entry.

Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci. Inside a former monastery. Full-scale trains, ships, submarines, historic aircraft, and interactive science sections. The presentations of Leonardo's mechanical concepts bridge the Renaissance and modern engineering better than any book. Underrated even among Milanese.

Hangar Bicocca. A converted industrial space in the Bicocca district, north of center, reachable by metro. Anselm Kiefer's Seven Heavenly Palaces is a permanent installation: seven concrete towers rising inside the hangar, each one a different scale and texture. It's disorienting and quietly massive. Free entry. The temporary exhibitions are usually serious contemporary art.

MUDEC. The Museum of Cultures in the Tortona design district. The building was designed by David Chipperfield. The permanent collection covers non-European cultures with more intelligence than most ethnographic museums manage. Good rotating exhibitions too.

Sarpi / Chinatown. Milan has one of the oldest Chinese communities in Italy, concentrated around Via Paolo Sarpi. The street food, dumplings, hand-pulled noodles, is the real thing, not adapted for Italian tastes. Try Nove Scodelle for Sichuan. The neighborhood has a low-key, functional energy that's very different from the rest of central Milan.

Isola. North of Garibaldi, across the railway lines that once cut it off from the rest of the city. It kept its working-class identity longer than anywhere else in the center. Now it has street art, independent cafés, and small shops that haven't been gentrified into uniformity yet. Walk around without an agenda.

Cinque Vie. The five streets area between the Duomo and Sant'Ambrogio. This is the oldest part of the city, laid over the Roman grid. Small artisan studios, antiquarians, and design shops in spaces that haven't changed much in a century. Not a tourist destination. Just an area.

Practical notes:

Milan's metro is fast and covers most of what you need. Lines M1 (red), M2 (green), M3 (yellow) connect the main areas.  The new M4 and M5 connects the center with the suburbs (line M4 also the international airport of Linate). Trams are slower but good for smaller distances and also is the oldest and most scenic way of transportation in the city - > Don't waste your time and money  with Uber or a Cabs.

The historical center is entirely walkable. Day 1 as I've described it can be done on foot with no metro at all.

Aperitivo is not just a drink. In most bars it includes a free buffet or snacks. It runs from about 18:30 to 21:00. It's the most honest value-for-money thing Milan offers.

Duomo area restaurants are expensive and mostly mediocre. Walk ten minutes in any direction and quality goes up and price goes down.

Book Duomo terraces online regardless of season. From April to October, also consider priority access.

The Last Supper books out months ahead. If you want to go, plan before you arrive!

Everything in this guide except the Duomo terraces and the Last Supper is either free or under €15.

Milan rewards patience. Give it two days (or even more)  with actual attention and it's one of the best cities in Europe! :)

Happy to answer specific questions, neighborhoods, food, getting around, day trips. Ciao!

P.S: In all of this, I forgot to include the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio, one of the most illustrious and important churches in the city!

To make up for it, I’d like to suggest an itinerary that includes it: starting from the Castello Sforzesco, you can head towards Sant’Ambrogio, and very nearby there is also the Tempio della Vittoria, a solemn neoclassical memorial inaugurated in 1928 to honor the Milanese soldiers who fell in World War I. And then the Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo Da Vinci.

Back in October I traveled to Europe for the first time. I spent 2 days in Germany, 6 days in Poland, 7 days in Lithuania, and 3 in Estonia. Also a night in Latvia and Finland. The pace of travel was perfect for me and I didn’t feel rushed at all. I’ve been blown away by this experience and have been dreaming of my next trip to Europe. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip. Sorry they are not in a particular order.

Originally posted this in the generic travel sub but thought it might make sense to post just in the Europetravel sub, too. If you’ve already seen this, apologies!

We recently visited Moldova, mainly because we are Americans currently living in The Netherlands and are trying to visit every country in Europe. And the least visited country of Moldova was next on our list (#36 out of the 46). 

We did a bit of research ahead of time so we kind of knew what to expect but it never really lives up to the experience of actually being there. We took an overnight train from Bucharest, Romania to the capital of Chișinău, which was an adventure in itself. We visited the first week in April (Easter weekend) but since they celebrate Orthodox Easter in Moldova, everything was open and business went on as usual.

We spent two days in Chișinău and a third day exploring the surrounding area. The first thing we noticed that this city did not feel touristy at all. We definitely stood out as Americans and we definitely got stared at just walking around, but that’s to be expected. It probably didn’t help that we had a big camera, but still.

Even though there aren’t many touristic things to do in Chișinău, we started at the central market, which was huge and very local. This place has everything from phone chargers to fresh produce to pickled EVERYTHING. Then we wandered around to some of the main spots like the cathedral and parks. It’s not one of those cities where you’re constantly like “wow,” but it kind of grows on you the longer you’re there. It’s a fairly walkable city and we checked out their Triumphal Arch and a water tower that has a small museum in it and you can climb all the way to the top for a decent view of the city. 

The food was great, though. We kept eating this tasty stuffed fried dough food called plăcintă, the traditional mici (meat sausages), tried the polenta, and somehow every meal was like €10–15 total, even with wine. Everything is SUPER affordable in Moldova. 

The day before we flew back to our home in Amsterdam, we rented a car and drove out into the countryside, and that’s where it got more interesting. Rolling hills, vineyards everywhere, even if they were still pretty bare in April, and not many people. We stopped at the Căpriana Monastery out in the forest that was super quiet. It was a Monday, but even still, we only saw three or four other people while we were there.

Then we made a completely unnecessary detour to see what’s apparently the biggest wine barrel in the world, just sitting in a random village. No real explanation. But we like weird things like this, so the detour was worth it for us. 

The main thing we wanted to see was Mileștii Mici Winery with massive underground tunnels and holds the Guinness World Record for largest wine cellar in the entire world. You can book a wine tour where they take you around these tunnels that are anywhere from 30-80km below ground. It felt like a Disneyland ride while they drive you around the cool and humid tunnels. This was definitely the highlight of our trip to Moldova. We didn’t know what a big player Moldova is in the wine world.

We ended the trip at a traditional-looking restaurant where we had more Moldovan wine, mici, and the best chicken noodle soup that we’ve had in a long time. 

Overall it’s definitely rougher around the edges than most places in Europe and tourism isn’t as built up, but that’s kind of what made it interesting. It felt much more "real" than a lot of the other countries we have visited. We enjoy exploring places that not everybody frequents.

Curious if anyone else has been because we had no idea what to expect going in and wonder what other tourists thought about visiting this country.

I didn’t really know what to expect before visiting Romania. Most people I talked to had never been there, and online information felt very generic.

I spent about 8 days traveling through Brasov, Sibiu, and Bucharest last year, and honestly, it surprised me in a good way.

What I liked:

• The landscapes around Brasov are incredible, especially if you enjoy hiking and mountain towns.

• Food was much better than I expected, and very affordable compared to Western Europe.

• People were generally friendly and helpful, even when English wasn’t perfect.

What I didn’t love:

• Public transport between cities can be slow if you don’t plan ahead.

• Some areas feel underdeveloped once you leave the main tourist spots.

Budget-wise, Romania felt like great value. Accommodation, food, and transport were all noticeably cheaper than Italy or Spain.

Overall, it felt authentic and less “touristy” than many popular European destinations.

For those who’ve been — what places would you add? And for anyone considering Romania, what are you most unsure about?

Today is my final day in Sardinia and I would like to share a small photo recap of my trip.

My trip started may 10th, flying into Olbia from Amsterdam. From there I picked up my rental car and drove straight to my first base in Alghero. Beautiful old town and a nice long beach with plenty of places to grab something to eat or drink and watch the sunset. From here I also took a boat to the

Grotta di Nettuno. A nice boat ride along the coast and the cave is also beautiful. Bit too crowded in my opinion. It would be better to have a lower limit of visitors, but when I went it wasn't even at the max capacity of visitors. But as you have to walk the same small path up and back through the cave, the many visitors do take away a bit from the experience. Still definitely worth a visit though.

I left Alghero the 13th, and drove to Orosei, with a stop in Bosa first. Bosa is fun to walk through for a couple hours. Get lost on the small streets, take a quick trip to the fort for a nice look over the city and have a nice lunch at one of the many restaurants. I wouldn't use it as a base for the west coast, Alghero is better for that. But a perfect day trip destination.

I originally planned to go to Cagliari as well, but that would just be too much driving during my relatively short visit. That will be something for a future visit. The golf of Orosei is beautiful. Orosei is a great base to explore all the amazing beaches on the east side of the island and all the boat tours that leave from here or Cala Gonone, which is just about a 30 minutes drive away. From Orosei I also did a short day trip to the Gorrupu Canyon. There are different hiking routes that take you to the entrance of the canyon, but I chose for a jeep transfer instead, which starts right off the SS125. In 20 minutes you will be driven down to the starting point of a relatively simple hike to the starting point for the canyon. The canyon is amazing and totally worth it. The entry fee is €6 and it takes about 30 minutes to hike into the canyon and 30 minutes back. The canyon itself is not really easily accessible, so expect a lot of climbing on the big rocks. The green and orange section of the canyon can be done unsupervised and without gear, but at the end of the orange section the red section starts and you will have to turn around. The red section has to be done with a guide and with climbing gear.

After 4 nights in Orosei I continued to San Theodoro for 2 nights. Not too much to see here. There's a nice long sandy beach with plenty of room, but the weather wasn't the best the days I was here.

The final part of my trip would be in La Maddalena. It takes a short ferry trip from Palau to La Maddalena. There are 2 different ferry operators that operate daily. I don't think it matters much which one you choose, I just went for the one that departed the earliest for me. La Maddalena is small, it takes about 15 minutes to drive from north to south, but that's what makes it perfect. The city La Maddalena is pretty and has plenty of restaurants. So many beautiful beaches, but be aware that most don't have much parking if any at all. That wasn't a big deal when i was visiting, just before high season, but I can imagine that in July and August it will be different and most beaches are also really small, so they fill up quickly and you will be pretty much shoulder to shoulder. But for now it's perfect and the blue color of the water is amazing.

I had a great trip and can't wait to come back in the near future.

Picture 1: Alghero

Picture 2: Alghero

Picture 3: Alghero

Picture 4: Grotta di Nettuno

Picture 5: Grotta di Nettuno

Picture 6: Bosa

Picture 7: Bosa

Picture 8: Bosa

Picture 9: Gorrupu Canyon

Picture 10: Gorrupu Canyon

Picture 11: Gorrupu Canyon

Picture 12: Gorrupu Canyon

Picture 13: Golf of Orosei

Picture 14: Golf of Orosei

Picture 15: Golf of Orosei

Picture 16: La Maddalena

Picture 17: La Maddalena

Picture 18: La Maddalena

Picture 19: La Maddalena

Did a long stroll around Madrid one afternoon and it ended up being one of my favourite parts of my first Spain trip. Talked about my new found love of walking in another post and people were so in sync with that. So decided to post the favorite one.

Started around El Retiro / Prado side and then just kept going past Reina Sofia, through Anton Martin & Lavapies, further across towards the San Francisco el Grande side. Ended near Palos de la Frontera.

El Retiro was definitely one of the highlights. It’s the kind of place that feels worth visiting even if you do nothing except walk around slowly for a while. It’s huge, full of trees, and just has a really relaxed feel to it. Even in a chilly weather I loved it, so I can only imagine how nice it must be in spring or summer.

San Francisco el Grande also stood out a lot. Going inside was fully worth it - the dome is incredible, and the whole place just feels very grand and quiet in a way that stays with you.

The whole walk felt good. Some parts were busier and more grand around the museum side, and then other parts felt more everyday and local, which is usually the bit I enjoy most when travelling anyway. Ended up being around 6km, and somehow it never really got boring.

I went to Prague some 10 yrs ago as a student and loved it. Everything was cheap, great nightlife and free places to go.... also a great partying atmosphere and people from all over the world looking to talk and interact.

Now I visited again (jul 2024) with my wife and a couple of friends and the experience was completely different.

I felt like it was a city made for tourists. I don't mind the crowds, but everything seemed to be made for tourists and not authentic at all.

Maybe I just didn't care about this 10 yrs ago.

Also, I was not so impressed by the things to actuallly do.

The castle is ok, but nothing much different than other big European cities.

The old center was small and beautiful, but again nothing crazy cool.

The astronomical clock is nice, but with so many people we could barely see it, but also it is not a grandiose thing.

In terms of food and drink, I could find great restaurants and bars, but to be honest the typical Bohemian food gets boring after some meals.

The beers were of course amazing - and great small breweries-restaurants to try.

But all in all, I was disappointed as I had such great memories and in terms of things to do, actually there was not so many cool things.

What's your opinion?

I spent a few days exploring the center of Brussels. The Grand Place is even more impressive in person, especially with the gold leaf on the Guildhouses. I also visited the renovated Bourse building — the interior is stunning. Highly recommend walking through the small side streets to find these quiet courtyards and fountains.