City trips are a great way to see different countries in Europe. Often you can find cheap flights straight to the capital of every country. And that’s perfect for weekend trips. Or you can do like we did this summer – go by car. The distance between the cities that we’ll show you here are perfect for driving. Just remember to pay the ‘vignette’ and you’re good to go! Do you want to do your own Euro-trip? Check this out!
Prague
Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic and it’s a beautiful city to visit all year around. Be aware that the summer months can be both warm and crowded. We went there in the end of August, and it was still really warm. And crowded with tourists. If you’re a person that aren’t fond of this, you should go there in the early spring or in the fall. But we loved our stay and the busy city. With its historical unbelievable beautiful old town. And the huge numbers of restaurants, bars and shops, it’s a city with something for everyone.
We lived in in the middle of the city. At the hotel Ibis Praha Wenceslas Square. And that meant that we could walk to everything. We first walked from our hotel to the Old Town. The river Vlatava floats through Prague and is a short walk away from the Old Town. So we continued our walk from the Old Town to the historic Charles Bridge which crosses the Vlatava. It’s a popular must see for all tourists. We visited in the evening, and it was dark and magical. Afterwards we found a romantic restaurant close by that was right on the river, and a bit difficult to find. During the meal we had a fantastic view of the bridge and the river floating by.
You can also rent small or big boats to get out on the river. There were maybe 100 boats on the river the evening we were there. Do you want to visit Prague? If you go by car, remember to pay the “Vignette” while driving in Europe. That’s the road toll you need to pay. Read up on the rules, you don’t want to get a fine.
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia. And it’s the country next to the Czech Republic. It’s smaller than the capital of its next-door neighbour. But it’s charming and have lots of nice things to see. We again lived very central, so that we could walk to everything. The hotel Ibis Bratislava Centrum was perfect for us. The hole Euro-trip we walked more than 10.000 steps every day. And we loved it. To see a city by foot gives you so much more. Do you agree?
Be sure to check out Laurinc Gate. That’s the gate to the historical Old Town of Bratislava. We also recommend you to visit the Bratislava Castle, the Michael’s Gate and the St. Martins Cathedral.
The city is located on the river Danube, and the sight of the river is beautiful both day and night. We recommend you to find a restaurant by the riverside after it’s dark. Then you can have dinner watching the view and the beautiful bridges full with lights. And if you go to the Bratislava Castle during the day like we did, you get a panorama view of the river and the city.
Big plus; Are you planning to do a road trip like us? Then it’s just over three hours to drive from Prague to Bratislava! Again, remember the “Vignette”.
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. And a city we liked so much that we really want to go back there again by plane. On our road trip we drove from Bratislava to Budapest. And that only took us around two hours. The city is the 10th biggest city in the European Union. But it didn’t feel that way. Just get an hotel in the middle of the city (we stayed here: Ibis Budapest City) and you can easily walk around. Or you can take the tram if you don’t fancy walking.
The city has plenty to do. A stroll over the Danube on the Liberty Bridge is a must. We recommend you to go in the evening to see all the beautiful lights. Another must-do when visiting Budapest is to go to a Ruin Bar. We stopped by the first Ruin Bar ever opened – the Szimpla Kert. And it’s really something special. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the possibility to go there in de evening/night time. But we recommend you to go at night if you can, to see it in its busiest time.
Piran
Slovenia has a coastline that’s only 47 km long. Piran is one of the cities there, located right on the Adriatic Sea. The small city is absolutely beautiful. It reminded us a lot of Italy and Croatia. Which makes sense, since they are Slovenia’s closest neighbours, one on each side. You can actually see the two countries from Piran.
If you arrive by car, you first need to find a parking spot where you are allowed to park. Afterwards, you can walk around to see everything by foot. We lived just outside Portoroz, at L.stile Glamping. So that was just a 10 minutes’ drive away.
There are tons of restaurants to choose from and it’s not too crowded. Life is pretty perfect when you can walk around in the small cosy streets, buy ice cream and watch the sun go down in the sea. All the way around the pier you can dive into the sea to cool off. Which was really necessary when we were there, because it was really warm. On the stroll around the pier you’ll also see locals hanging around in groups, and going for a swim. Such a cute little place!
Slovenia is absolutely a country we’ll go back to. If you stay in Piran you can go on day trips to many interesting places in the hole country. We went on wine-tasting in Koper, hiked to the Moon Bay (twice!) and visited the beautiful Lake Bled. We’ll write a whole post only about Slovenia later, showing you all the things we did there. Would you like that? Please let us know!
Luxembourg
Luxembourg and Luxembourg city are something special. It’s actually a micro state. And a quite popular destination that’s on many people’s bucket lists all around the world. The country has three official languages. German, French and Luxembourgish.
We had a short but sweet stay in Luxembourg city. Which we felt were very influenced by France. We stayed at the hotel Ibis Styles Luxembourg Centre Gare.
We walked through the old town. Saw the Passerelle Viaduc. Visited the Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Luxembourg. Had cake at the famous Chocolate Hause. And had a stroll through one of the city parks.
All in all, it was a nice city to see. If you have more time, you can also go outside the city, and there are many more places to see.
Our Euro-trip lasted in total three weeks. We drove through 13 countries. More from every place we visited will come later. Tip; We brought our dog on this road trip. And all these countries were dog friendly. We had no problems crossing borders with her. And all of us had a great time.
Do you want to go on a Euro-trip? Maybe you want to bring your dog like we did? We’d be more than happy to give you advice when planning your Euro-trip!
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