Europe has over 40 countries, so there’s a huge mix of different experiences and cultures that awaits. It’s also considered one of the easiest continents to travel across with being able to travel through lots of different countries without border checks.
Whether you’re looking for cities steeped in culture, a thrilling exploration through nature, or exploring ancient architecture, there’s a bit of everything & on this page we’ll be offering a wealth of information to help you travel around the continent, safely and cost effectively, and helping you plan an itinerary so you don’t miss some of the best places it has to offer.
Table of Contents
We’re constantly adding European travel guides and information to our website, and here you can find our latest articles!
Is Travelling in Europe Considered Safe?
Generally speaking, yes, most of Europe is considered to be safe. The majority of companies have a low level of violent crime, reliable infrastructure and good health care systems – but just like anywhere else in the world, there are a few places and risks that you might want to watch out for.
Data sources:
The above table gives you a rough idea for the most visited European countries by travellers, but it will vary per area – for example France is relatively speaking pretty high, and this will be more focused in Paris, so you need to be careful when travelling to the capital, but areas like Monaco for instance will be far lower.
Whenever you are travelling just take precaution, don’t flash your valuables, keep your bags secure and stay alert to avoid any pickpocketing or tourist scams. Don’t worry though! Generally speaking though the crime index as per above is low, anything considered below 55 is considered moderately safe, below 27 is very safe.
Most Common & Recommended Destinations
There are some wonderful places and cities you should visit in Europe, the majority of which you might find on one’s bucket list, and it’s really hard to narrow down a list – there’s just that many!
But don’t worry, I’ve been lucky enough to travel across a lot of Europe myself and will provide you with my personal top 5, with reasons as to why:
📍 Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona is such a unique and vibrant city, it’s busy and there is loads going on but it’s also got that laid back vibe you get with a coastal city, I’ve never quite seen anything like it. There’s some lovely art, wonderful food (or rather, tapas) and it’s got a real buzz about the place - there’s also some awesome places that you can hike to if nature is more your thing.
- Why should you go? A wonderful mix of culture, cuisine, art, and all on the coast.
- Expense rating: Moderate
- €100–180 per night for a mid-ranged hotel
- Must-see’s: Sagrada Familia (currently under construction, but still beautiful), Barceloneta Beach, Museu Picasso
- Best for travellers who love: Food, art, architecture and a vibrant city
- Types of travellers: Young couples, small groups or solo travellers
📍 Prague, Czech Republic
I was simply blown away by what Prague had to offer and just how beautiful the whole city was. I had the misconception that it was just for parties and stag dos, but I was so wrong. It has some of the most fascinating architecture I’ve ever seen, with a lot of gothic style and medieval buildings. It feels like a time capsule, the majority of the bars are deep underground, which we had been informed by a local was because it was one of Adolf Hitlers favourite cities, so had been largely unaffected by the war - one of the only major European cities to remain almost intact.
- Why should you go? Truly one of European most beautiful cities, and it’s budget friendly
- Expense rating: Budget
- €70–130 per night for a mid-ranged hotel
- Must-see’s: Prague Castle, Old Town Square & the Astronomical Clock
- Best for travellers who love: Architecture, charm and a beer
- Types of travellers: Travelling on a budget, couples and stag/hen parties
📍 Reykjavik, Iceland
The world's northernmost capital is full of natural beauty - I wouldn’t recommend visiting for more than a few days as it’s rather small, but it’s definitely worthwhile. You can enjoy a natural spa, see the Northern Lights if you’re lucky and explore the rather colourful Nordic town.
It’s really like no other city that you’ll see in the world, truly unique.
- Why should you go? Absolutely stunning and unique with experiences you’ll get nowhere else.
- Expense rating: Very high
- €160–300 per night for a mid-ranged hotel
- Must-see’s: The Northern Lights, Hallgrimskirkja, Hvammsvik Hot Springs
- Best for travellers who love: Nature, geology and photography
- Types of travellers: Couples, adventure seekers and nature lovers
📍 Lisbon, Portugal
A wonderfully colourful city with cobbled streets, coupled with the warm weather and vibrant feel. It’s a city full of charms that really mixes tradition with trend, there’s loads of great monuments and museums to visit as well as incredible food and music scene - it’s a pretty cool city!
- Why should you go? Full of charm, food and views - there isn’t much more you could want
- Expense rating: Moderate
- €100–150 per night for a mid-ranged hotel
- Must-see’s: Belem Tower, Tile Museum (way better than it sounds), Lisbon Street Art
- Best for travellers who love: Food, music, scenic views and a good vibe
- Types of travellers: Great for couples and solo travellers, there’s also a lot to do for families in nearby local areas
📍 Edinburgh, Scotland
It’s a pretty magical city that really takes you back in time. There’s two parts to Edinburgh, one being the more modern, but the other part is full of cobbled streets, ancient castles and old architecture. It's a good mix of culture and natural beauty, but you also have the option of more modern shopping and restaurants - also if you enjoy a drink the Royal Mile is also one not to miss!
- Why should you go? It’s a really nice vibe, it’s a city full of history and has a real story
- Expense rating: Moderate to High
- £120-200 per night for a mid-ranged hotel
- Must-see’s: The Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile & Arthur’s Seat
- Best for travellers who love: Old castles & ancient grounds, beautiful landscapes & exploring
- Types of travellers: Ideal for families, couples or solo travellers - good for everyone basically!
Destinations You Should Avoid
We never like suggesting that you should completely avoid a destination, but in our experience, and a mixture of recent events, there are a few places that we feel you should take extra caution when visiting – or just beware of some of the pitfalls.
Here are the places we would personally advise against travelling to:
Unfortunately, due to a certain dictator, there’s an ongoing war in Ukraine. It’s mostly in the Eastern region, like Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea but we would personally just say to stay away whilst the tensions continue.
This might be contentious, but I just really didn’t like it. There isn’t a whole lot to do in my opinion and anymore than a day, and you’ll be bored. I didn’t think the food was particularly great, and it was generally speaking quite expensive. There are sooo many lovely cities to visit in Europe, and this is just not one of them.
This might be another surprise, and we don’t for one second want you to think that Venice isn’t worth visiting, because it absolutely is, but…. Only at certain times of the year. The streets of Venice are really tight, and getting around, and viewing the attractions is near impossible in peak months - if you are going, avoid July to August, it gets extremely crowded.
Most Common Europe Travel Scams To Avoid
Unfortunately, just like everywhere else in the world, you need to be careful when you travel around Europe – there are a few common scams that you will see regularly, but don’t worry, we’ll go through them all in detail, helping by telling you what to watch for and how to avoid them.
The Friendship Bracelet (Always a Story)
This happens an unbelievable amount which is why it’s number one in our list, it actually happened to my wife in Tenerife and at the time we were unaware of what it was. Essentially, someone selling bracelets will come over to you and put a bracelet on your wrist, often giving you a bit of a story behind it - ours was that the gentleman had just had a baby and he was so happy he wanted to just give us a bracelet.
If you accept and let them put the bracelet on, the hounding begins. You will be asked for money relentlessly, the whole idea is that it’s to make you feel awkward as they’ve already given you it. They are persistent and won’t leave you alone for a long long time.
What To Watch For:
- Wandering salesmen walking up to you, sitting down and trying to strike up a conversation - often when you are stopped at a cafe or restaurant.
How To Avoid It:
- Just simply walk away. If you notice this scam taking place, don’t entertain it. Nothing is ever for free, don’t allow any sales people when travelling Europe to give you something or put it on you.
Pickpocketing
This is common in a lot of major cities, but I think it’s particularly more prominent in Europe. A lot of the areas are crowded, especially places like the underground, which makes it a hunting ground for pickpocketers.
What I will say is I have never personally been pickpocketed and I’ve visited a lot of major European cities, but it just takes a few searches to see how common it is, and I have seen it happen right in front of me in Paris. The Guardian has a good article on pickpocketing spots to be aware of in Europe.
What To Watch For:
- It’s extremely hard to watch for because they operate in the shadows, you won’t spot a pickpocketer, or if you do it’s likely to late.
How To Avoid It:
- All you can really do is avoid it. Use a money belt or some kind of anti-theft bag, never leave valuables in your back pocket or any unsecure pocket for that matter & don’t put yourself in situations in which you can easily be pickpocketed - for example somebody who is intentionally trying to distract you.
Unregistered Taxis / Overcharging
This happens more than you might think, it’s common if you get a taxi outside of a registered taxi rank. This is when a driver, although may look legitimate, doesn’t have the proper required licence. This is dangerous not only for insurance purposes, but it can lead to far worse and more unsafe situations, or at best, an inflated taxi bill.
What To Watch For:
- Try avoid taking a taxi outside of a rank, and always make sure they have some form of Taxi number on the outside of their vehicle - or if you get in, they will typically have some kind of taxi licence displayed as this is often law across Europe.
How To Avoid It:
- Don’t get into unmarked vehicles or flag down Taxis on the side of the road.
Rose Scam
You might see many of these, particularly in tourist hotspots, they are typically women who will be offering to hand out roses from a bunch they will be holding - seems like a lovely gesture, right? Wrong, once they hand you the rose they will quickly become aggressive in their demands for money.
What To Watch For:
- People holding a large bunch of roses and trying to hand them out to members of the public.
How To Avoid It:
- Don’t accept free items from strangers, it’s never actually free (similar to the aforementioned bracelet scam).
ATM Skimming
This is when you use your card at an ATM but it’s been tampered with and has a hidden card reader or camera ready to steal your details. It won’t take long before you start noticing some “tester” smaller withdrawals that quickly become larger.
What To Watch For:
- It’s pretty hard to see, but you can look closely at the ATM for any signs of a camera pointing towards the pin pad - or a pin pad that looks suspicious, like it’s larger or less secure than it should be.
How To Avoid It:
- Make sure you cover your ATM pin with your other hand when you type it in, and use cash machines in areas that are always busy, so much so that no one would get the time to actually mess with it.
Motorbike Phone Theft
This is scarily common in London, and it’s a pretty simple scam, or rather theft. You’ll be walking on the pavement in the busy city, just slightly too close to the road, with your phone out following Google maps & then suddenly, someone grabs it. You look up, and your phone has been taken by a passenger on a small motorbike, and it's almost out of sight already.
It’s actually something the police in the UK have official warnings out for on the Metropolitan Police website.
What To Watch For:
- It happens pretty quickly, and in congested areas, so it’s pretty hard to watch for. It’s typically on busy streets, and busy roads, where the sound of a moped wouldn’t sound out of place.
How To Avoid It:
- As the Police warning suggests, just be aware of your surroundings and try not to become distracted on your phone. Make sure you have security features on your phone to be able to find it, and lock any thieves out.
The Free Drink
You’ll find this in party hotspots, and I won’t lie, I have fallen foul of this myself. It involves a person outside of a bar or club trying to drum up business and invite you in for a free drink. They will get you in, quickly disappear and you’ll get your drinks - which is all great, until you get a rather inflated bill.
What To Watch For:
- Overfly friendly strangers trying to invite you into a bar, and they can be pretty persistent.
How To Avoid It:
- Trust your instincts, again if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Simply walk away from the “free drink” offer.
Airbnb Bait & Switch
This is becoming increasingly common, and it isn’t exclusive to just Europe. You book what appears to be a nice apartment in a good area on Airbnb, only to get to check in and they tell you that the place is unavailable but they have another one which is just as nice - which obviously doesn’t turn out to be the case.
The issue with this is that by that point, it could be late, you’ve done a lot of travelling and have just arrived in a foreign country - stressed. You may just take the offer with it being a much easier option than finding another hotel.
What To Watch For:
- It’s hard to see it coming if the reviews don’t point at this being the case, but if this happens make sure to take a minute to compose yourself and think about it clearly.
How To Avoid It:
- You should flat out refuse the new place and contact Airbnb directly, they will try and help you. Get on Booking.com and you should hopefully be able to find nearby accommodation, you might even be able to get a last minute deal.
What Else Should You Be Aware of When Travelling To Europe?
There are a couple more things that you should be aware of when travelling to Europe to ensure that you have an enjoyable, smooth and hassle free travel experience. We’ve rounded up some of the important things to keep in mind, that might be less commonly considered:
🛃 Entry Rules & Travel Documents
Every country might have slightly different rules and criteria for travelling. It’s worth being aware that you will likely need at least 6 months of a valid passport left, and if you’re coming from outside the EU you might need an ETIAS (which is very similar to the US ESTAs).
💶 Currency (& Fees)
Europe, euros, right? Well it’s used in most countries, but not all. The UK has GBP, Iceland has ISK, and Norway has NOK - just to give a few examples. Make sure you research before you go, as you might get caught out.
It’s also worth noting, if you are travelling with just a card, although card payments are widely accepted - there might be charges and fees on foreign transactions from your bank and some smaller vendors like taxis for instance may not take them.
🚆 Transport Rules Vary
Another one I’ve been caught out with, and was very close to getting a fine. There are different rules in different countries and cities when it comes to transportation. For instance, in some European countries you HAVE to buy the ticket before you get on the train, and sometimes even validate it, or you will get fined - Germany is one of those.
The travel can be slightly strange too, where public transport is paid for in zones. This is common in undergrounds, but can also be overground, and it’s typically in large cities like London, Berlin and Paris.
Another thing to be aware of is budget airlines. They're cheap, because they literally offer no extras. You will get charged for almost everything, and the heftier charges are often for luggage - also read the fine print, as an example you can get charged for not checking in online beforehand, and the fines often aren’t cheap.
🏥 Health & Insurance
I would always recommend getting travel insurance, and making sure that the cover firstly covers the area that you are travelling but also any activities you are partaking in, a lot of covers for instance will only cover the bare minimum limited emergency care.
On another note about health, tap water is usually safe to drink in the majority of European countries but you should always check beforehand.
🍽️ Different Customs
There are a few things that you might not think much of and shrug off, but you should be aware as they can be hugely inconvenient.
- Meal times can be later in some countries than you might be used to, from 8pm onwards - which can mean restaurants open late.
- Some shops have strange opening times, thanks in part to Siestas, and often in the middle of the day you’ll find the town deserted.
- Tipping isn’t as common as America, it’s appreciated but not expected.
🗣️ English is Spoken... In Most Places
Whilst English is widely spoken, and you can get away with it in most places - it’s not the case everywhere. If you are travelling to more rural and less touristy places, then you might struggle, in my experience this is particularly prominent in France.
Additional European Travel Tips & Tricks
During my time travelling around Europe I’ve picked up a few little extra travel tips and tricks to help you have an easier time of it. Here are my personal top ones to share:
📶 Travel Essentials (eSIMs & Plugs)
If you are coming from a country that doesn’t have EU data plans, then eSIMs can be a life saver – companies like Airalo and Saily offer really affordable options that allow you to keep connected in whatever country you are travelling.
Another worthy note for travel essentials is plugs – there are a few different types of socket plugs used and you’ll need a converter to help you get power. The most common plug types are Type C & Type F.
🏨 Hotel Tourist Taxes
You might have been stung with this lovely fine print if you’ve travelled in Europe before. It’s in the tiny print of the booking T&Cs for your hotel, a lovely, “tourist” tax which is often charged at a daily rate when you arrive – it’s pretty common and if you’re there for a period of time can be quite an expensive addition to your holiday, so make sure to read the booking information before you arrive – although there isn’t too much you can do about this one.
🚻 Toilet Etiquette (Greece / Cyprus / Bidets)
Ok, ok, hear me out. This might seem like a weird one, but there are a few things to be aware of around, well toileting. For instance there are some places in which public toilets require payment, and for these you will most likely need to carry around change.
Another slightly strange one is that there are several European countries that you can’t flush toilet paper and have to put it in the bin due to plumbing limitations, the most common are Greece and Turkey.
And finally, bidets. My advice would be to stay away from these strange cleaning contraptions, but, it’s likely you’ll give it a go – I’ll just leave it at that.
🥾 Get Used to Walking
It’s not like the USA, most things are often within walking distance and often, you can actually get there with less hassle by just doing exactly that. It adds up over the holiday, especially if you want to see multiple attractions, so you have to get used to walking about – a lot! 20,000 steps aren’t unusual.
FAQs
Finally, we’ll leave you with some of the remaining commonly asked questions that we see and get from readers
Do I need a visa or ETIAS?
If you’re travelling from outside the EU, potentially yes. Check the country you are travelling to and from’s entry criteria before travelling to make sure.
How long does my passport need to be valid to travel to Europe?
The general guideline is 6 months, but this varies depending on the country you are flying into and you might be able to get away within 3 months, although really we wouldn’t advise it.
Is there a limit to how many countries I can visit?
No, not at all. In fact, travelling across most of Europe is relatively easy, there are very few border checks between countries in the mainland – although it’s made slightly harder if you want to travel to the UK for instance.
What’s the best way to actually travel around Europe?
That depends. If you are travelling around mainland Europe then trains offer a really good option to be able to see a lot of the countries you are passing through at a relatively cheap cost when compared to flights.
You also might opt to hire a car if you are comfortable driving for long periods. I actually really enjoy doing this, it allows you much more control, and you can drive across a lot of Europe in a shorter time frame than you may think, but beware of cross border fees.
Edit Log
- 08/06/2025 – First published by Mathew McCorry, content checked in accordance with Editorial Guidelines.
- 22/06/2025 – Finalised content and formatting.
