Guide to Europe

The continent of Europe stretches from the Atlantic to the west to the Ural Mountains in the east. In the south the Mediterranean and Black seas form a natural border. Geographically only a small percentage of Turkey falls within Europe, although politically Turkey is often classed as a European nation. Other nations crossing the boundaries between Europe and Asia include the obvious Russia, as well as the not so obvious Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan (a small proportion of whose territory is west of the Urals.) Stretching from the Arctic Circle to North Africa there are huge climatic differences throughout the continent from extreme cold to the very warm.

One of the greatest charms of Europe as a continent is that the dense population coupled with the relatively small area (Europe has the second smallest landmass of the continents) leads to incredible diversity. It is perfectly possible to travel through 3 or 4 countries, all with their own very individual languages, traditions and cuisines in a single day. The artistic and cultural influences of Europe upon the modern world cannot be underestimated and the region's history is particularly fascinating and well documented. Sometimes the sheer pomp and ceremony of a European destination is hard to miss and architecture tends to be sublime. Of course Europe has many different personalities and there are very different attractions. Clubbing in Ibiza or trendy Belgrade; skiing in the alps; sailing in Croatia; sunning yourself on a Greek island; shopping in Milan or catching a gig in London, whatever you want from your trip you can find it somewhere in Europe.

Europe can be further divided into a number of areas with their own distinct flavours. Probably the best known division in Europe, however, is the Iron Curtain which until 1989 separated capitalist Western Europe from communist Eastern Europe. Many of the new countries that emerged from behind that curtain in the 1990's have thrived and have confidently taken their places as members of the European Union although some are still struggling and severe poverty can be found in places. Whether successful or struggling, however, some would argue that these countries have retained certain characteristics of their past that makes them fascinating places to explore.

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Travelling by train in Europe can be an absolute joy, with most countries running fast, efficient and modern trains. There are many long distance trains in Europe so travelling by overnight train is a great way of making the most of limited holiday time.

InterRail or Eurail passes are a popular way of getting around and train trips in Europe are almost a rite of passage for many young travellers.

Search and book cheap train travel in Europe

Content Last Edited by BigTom on October 14, 2010, 1:26 pm   EDIT NOW >>

Each European nation has it's own 'flag carrier', these full service airlines operate to routes all over Europe and beyond via their own home cities. For example KLM flies all over Europe via Amsterdam, allowing someone who plans their ticket carefully the chance of a free stop in Amsterdam while travelling between two European cities.

Europe is also famous as the birth place of the budget carriers, the most famous of which are Ryanair and easyJet. These two airlines often have extremely cheap fares within Europe but you would be well advised to look at add-on fees such as fees for bags, not printing your eticket and the cost of food on board when comparing with full service carrier. They are usually still cheaper, but not always.

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There are many companies operate tours around Europe or certain parts of Europe. Perhaps the best known are Topdeck and Contiki who operate 18 - 35 bus tours around the continent. Travellers outside this age group may prefer to look towards companies like Trafalgar.

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Eurolines operate international bus journeys between 43 European cities. They sell 15 and 30 passes valid for travel between these cities with prices starting at 175 euros. As Eurolines allow unlimited travel for the duration of the pass this can compare favourably to a rail pass if the places you want to visit are among the 43 destinations served. The only restriction to be aware of is that Eurolines only operate international routes, so the pass will not cover internal travel within the countries you visit. The only exception to this rule is the Madrid Barcelona service which is covered on the pass.

Buabout operate a great 'hop on, hop off' bus service travelling around many of the most popular destinations in Europe. Passes are valid for an entire season allowing passengers the ability to hop off for as long as they like in each destination, buses run reguarly though allowing you to move on at will.

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Ferries are a popular way to get around certain parts of Europe. They are still heavily used on routes between the UK and France. There is also a popular Newcastle to Amsterdam route and a number of routes between the UK and northern Spain.

There are many ferries connecting Greece with both its own islands and a number of destinations in Italy (some of these ferries can be cheaper when purchases by an interrail pass holder)

There are also routes between Italy and both Croatia and Montenegro. Another popular route is the Barcelona to Ibiza ferry.

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