Only 220 miles separates Amsterdam and London in a straight line. But, check the map, and you’ll find that a dash of the North Sea and the whole Thames Estuary also comes between the two. That means simply hopping in the car and going from A to B isn’t possible. However, you can switch 16th-century … Read more
Draped over the hills around the confluence of the Rhone and Saone rivers, Lyon gazes east to the snow-capped French Alps with its proud historical monuments and edgy inner districts. Founded by the Romans and made rich by medieval bankers and traders, it’s one of the coolest spots in all of France. One moment you’ll … Read more
If you’ve been enjoying the haggis, the medieval Old Town and the hearty whisky tasting rooms of the Scottish capital but have London’s fish and chips and iconic Big Ben tower lined up next, this guide is the one you’re after. It’s got info on all the ways you can trade one city for the … Read more
Ditch the urban wear, get a-yodelling and pull on those lederhosen, because this guide is all about helping you get from the boho neighborhoods of Berlin to the hearty Bavarian beer halls of Munich. It’ll soon have you dreaming of the snow-capped German Alps and munching on weisswurst, simply by running through all the ways … Read more
Travel between two of the great romantic, artistic, and historical cities of Europe by making the hop from France’s captial to Italy’s. It’s a move that’ll see you trade a skyline dominated by the Eiffel Tower and the Sacre Coeur with the seven hills of Rome, topped by the silhouette of St Peter’s Basilica and … Read more
Paris and Brussels are next-door neighbours. They’re separated by just the poppy-spotted Flanders Fields and the winding rivers of the wooded Ardennes forest, across 160 miles of Northern Europe. All sorts of travelers make the hop from one to the other, with business commuters mingling with budget backpackers on the trains, planes, and automobiles that … Read more
If Madrid is the heart of Spain, little Toledo, sat some 41 miles to the south-west, could just be its soul. Its maze-like old city perches on a hill above the curvaceous Tagus River, rolling from Gothic cathedrals to arabesque mosques to hidden Roman ruins. If you’re keen to ditch the hubbub of the capital … Read more
You’ll cross the heartlands of the western Netherlands on the way from Eindhoven to Amsterdam. The journey points more than 65 miles northwards, from the home of the great football club of PSV and the electronics giant of Philips to the UNESCO-tagged capital of the country. It’s one that many travelers will make, especially with … Read more
There are loads of fun and fast ways to go from London to Brussels. Some will let you munch on fish and chips beneath the Gothic tops of Big Ben at midday only to be stepping onto the eye-watering Grand Place with a chocolate-topped waffle in hand before 4pm. Others mean taking to the skies … Read more
Vienna and Budapest are linked by much more than just railway lines, riverways and cycle tracks. These were the dual capitals of the vast Austro-Hungarian Empire. One of the mightiest powers of Central Europe, it reigned supreme from 1867 to 1918. Today, you can still spy out remnants of the grand Habsburg crown in both, … Read more
Millions of travelers make the trip from Poland’s cultural capital of Krakow to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Auschwitz each year. They come to pay their respects and unravel the dark history of one of Europe’s most striking and sobering places: Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Between 1940 and 1945, it was one of the principal … Read more
To hop from Lisbon to Porto is to hop from Portugal’s vibrant capital to its culture-rich and bohemian second city. Both spots should definitely be on the itinerary of anyone looking to feel the true pulse of this wave-washed country at the end of Europe. First will come Lisbon’s hilltop Moorish castles and pumping nightlife … Read more
Get ready to be enchanted by Bruges. Leaving the big-city bustle of Brussels behind, you’re about to be immersed in a fairy tale of haunting churches and silhouette spires, of cobbled lanes and drifting canals. It’s considered to be one of the best-preserved medieval centres in all of Europe, with a good dollop of Belgian … Read more
So, you’re looking to trade those proud Habsburg palaces and manicured city parks for the snow-capped outline of the Austrian Alps? A trip from Vienna to Salzburg promises to do just that in a couple of hours. There might be 160 miles of rolling forests, winding rivers, and soft hills between them, but these two … Read more