Before I uprooted my entire life to move to Europe, I wanted to come as often as possible and there were some of the questions I asked myself whenever I did attempt to come over. But I didn’t have the money or the travel skills that I have now. After living in Europe for 4 years already (how did that happen) and counting, I’ve learned a lot and I certainly made my fair share of mistakes along the way and I’m here now to share with you what I know now that I wish I had known then!
Looking to road trip your way by car through Austria and hit all the best places to visit, but don’t know where to begin? Let me guide you through scenic landscapes, fairy-tale towns, enchanting libraries, coffee and cake culture and interesting history. So, let’s begin shall we!?
While recently visiting Bruges for a sporadic, last-minute change of plans we agreed that we would include a day trip to the Belgian coast line and have some beach time. After all, our original plans were to go to a lake in Germany to soak up the Vitamin-D, but that didn’t work out.
Our weekend trip to Bruges turned out to be the BEST, last -minute decision EVER! Not only did we get a great price on our hotel, pretty good weather, lots of waffles and fries and beer, but we were also blessed with amazing weather on our last day, so we headed straight for the beach!
Let’s be honest, Bruges is definitely one of the most romantic cities in Europe which easily gets overlooked by its popular neighbor, Paris as well as Venice. Bruges is often called the “Venice of the North” with its crisscrossing canals which encloses its historic center making it one of the most beautiful canal cities in Europe. Whether you take a stroll during the day or during the night, romance will certainly be found in this quaint town as you stroll hand in hand.
Whenever I heard the word “library”, I always got cold shivers down my spine as I remembered the long, tedious hours of study hall back during my high school years. It meant endless hours of boring homework instead of hanging out with my friends. Then one day, I saw a list of the world’s MUST-SEE-LIBRARIES and the curious travelholic in me decided to click on the link. I was stunned into silence and I began wishing that I had gone to a university that had a stunning library. Maybe I would have loved studying a little bit more!
A spa with beer? Unlimited beer? Beer Bread? A bed of hay? In Prague? In Karlovy Vary? THIS is an experience I.JUST.GOTTA.HAVE!! If you’r planning a visit to the Czech Republic (Czechia), you should definitely take some time to bathe away any travel stress you might have! This is honestly one of the coolest things to do in the Czech Republic!
As we have been knee deep in wedding planning and working like crazy people over here, we needed a little break to celebrate our 3 year anniversary! I had been perusing though Pinterest one day when my eyes were suddenly delighted with a wonderful image of a couple taking a bath. Not any bath. But a BEER BATH! I knew then and there, I had to go to Karlovy Vary for the world’s first beer spa!
My darling, darling boyfriend planned and surprised me with a weekend trip to once of Europe’s most romantic cities. No, not Venice or Paris. Those can be overrated. Surprisingly, he chose Vienna, Austria as our weekend getaway. While one might not think of a large city such as Vienna even remotely romantic, and let me tell you, I was also a skeptic, I returned home with considerably different point of view. After all, what could be more romantic than strolling along beautiful buildings, wandering a castle with a love story that will move you, delicious cafes and horse-drawn carriage rides!?
The capital of South Bohemia, České Budějovice is home to a large industrial l center, which helped it to grow. The historic city center shows the wealth that the city once enjoyed with colorful, unique, intricate buildings which helps draw people in who are looking for little less touristy day trips from Prague. Like Cesky Krumlov, the town is a little hidden treasure for the Czech Republic (aka Czechia) practically void of many tourists! Just a few hours from the German border, it made for the perfect day trip!
Looking for the best place to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Europe? Consider heading to Prague to ring in the New Year by hitting up the main sights before heading down to the Charles Bridge to catch the firework display show! This was how we ended 2015, but despite it being NYE, this is also a great city guide for Prague for anyone!