Once you break through the stereotypes of Lego and pastries, Denmark offers travelers rich experiences from its Viking heritage and Renaissance castles to modern design stores and a cutting-edge food scene where you can’t move for Michelin stars.
21.07.2023 - 08:44 / roughguides.com
Central and Eastern Europe are among the culturally diverse parts of the world, preserving a plethora of deep-rooted traditions. What’s more, large tracts of the area remain off the mass-tourism radar, ensuring that there is still a great deal to explore. The following ten suggestions will ensure you get the best out of this huge, compelling and endlessly surprising region.
Bulgarian capital Sofia will only ever earn a «well-it’s-OK-I-suppose» rating on your list of travel highlights. It's second city Plovdiv that inspires the superlatives, with its enchanting blend of Roman remains, Ottoman-era mosques, stately Levantine houses and fresco-filled churches.
There’s a bohemian nightlife district in the cobbled Kapana quarter, and a host of cultural festivals – the city will be European Capital of Culture in 2019 and is already gearing itself up for the experience.
You will find more ideas for your Bulgarian holiday in our guide to the best things to do in Bulgaria.
People say that the Baltic Sea is too cold for a beach holiday, and they’re almost always right. However it is home to some of Europe’s most unique landscapes, most notably the stark dune-scape of the Curonian Spit (called Neringa in Lithuanian).
Deep forest and never-ending beaches characterize this narrow strip of land just off the coast, although it is the huge, shifting dunes above the fishing village of Nida that make an unforgettable impression.
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Estonia’s second city Tartu is one of those European gems that will have you scratching your head as to why it’s not on everybody else’s bucket list. The leafy university city offers Neo-classical architecture, cute neighbourhoods and cult drinking dens – the ideal place to take a mid-journey breather.
Big, brusque, and frequently bewildering, Warsaw is the region's only true metropolis. The city blends haughty grandeur and gritty history, suburbs which seem stranded in different epochs, and good, cheap food with lashings of beetroot.
It offers glimpses of the region’s future, too, thanks to its soaring architecture, increasingly cool design scene, and the al-fresco summer nightlife of the Wisła riverbank.
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By all means hang out with the crowds in Split and Dubrovnik, but there’s really no point in coming all the way to the Adriatic coast without visiting at least one of the islands. All of them are enchanting in their own way, but Vis is special: there’s a minimum of mass-tourist development, loads of unspoiled coves and beaches, boat trips to stunning sea-caves and some of the best food and wine in the Mediterranean.
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Prague is the city that’s got it all, the Gothic churches, the set-piece squares, the acres of park, the vast
Once you break through the stereotypes of Lego and pastries, Denmark offers travelers rich experiences from its Viking heritage and Renaissance castles to modern design stores and a cutting-edge food scene where you can’t move for Michelin stars.
When Hester Van Buren, a deputy mayor of Amsterdam, recently proposed a 1 percent increase to the city’s tourist accommodation tax — which is already among the highest in Europe — her City Council colleagues responded with a single criticism: They wanted the increase to be even bigger.
Tipping for services is a tricky part of traveling—and one that could cost you undue money (or some awkward encounters) if you don’t do your research. But it’s now easier than ever to find out how to tip in your next destination. One guide to tipping even lays it all out in one interactive map; bookmark it for those moments when you’re wondering how much to leave.
Often described as the most romantic river in the world, the Seine in Paris is poised to open a new chapter in its mythology with the revival of an old heritage: the return of public swimming.
Endless miles of scenic highways that wind coast to coast and meander around breathtaking natural wonders and ever-changing landscapes make hitting the open road second nature in the US. When it comes to the Midwest there’s often a misconception that it’s all about flyover states and repetitive countryside. But away from the big cities, industrial centers, and sprawling farmland, you can stumble upon some of the most European cities in America.
Most people think traveling from the US to Europe means crossing the Atlantic Ocean, usually on a six-plus-hour flight. However, there’s a whole other part of Europe smack in the middle of the ocean that melds the green, rocky hillsides of the UK with the Mediterranean vibes and culture of Portugal.
Europe is often seen as an over-populated, over-travelled continent. But it can still serve up huge helpings of mind-blowing natural beauty – and the peace and quiet with which to contemplate it at leisure. To prove it, we’ve listed eight of Europe’s wildest, most exhilaratingly and away-from-it-all spots – and the best ways to explore them.
So what is it that draws us to Vienna? The waltzes? The white horses? The cakes? Let’s be honest, it’s the sex.
Eastern Europe has become a popular, mysterious even, destination for the intrepid backpacker. While it’s undoubtedly impressive in its diversity, there are a number of universal lessons that every traveller will learn at some point during their time here.
For a few chunks of rock in the southern Mediterranean, Malta is a hugely versatile destination. Like its unique language, the country is an intriguing blend of Italian, Arabic and British influences, a legacy of centuries of invasion and assimilation.
Tim Chester, Web Editor: From the Turner Contemporary gallery to the proliferation of other indie art spaces, retro shops and cute cafés in the Old Town, Margate now offers much more than its beautifully dilapidated seafront. Dubbed “romantic, sexy and weird” by local girl Tracey Emin, this gem on the Isle of Thanet constitutes one of the highlights of the forthcoming Rough Guide to Kent, Sussex and Surrey for many good reasons.
Tucked away in the far northeast corner of the Netherlands is the erstwhile Hanseatic city of Groningen . Dripping in history, this charming provincial capital with bubbling arts scene is awash with green spaces, cultural attractions, fine restaurants and gabled houses reflected in the miles of scenic canals. Gilly Pickup explores this little Dutch gem.