Reminiscing About Venice - My Holiday in Pictures

Being sat back at home in freezing cold England makes me want to go travelling again, and although I am set for a short break in Riga in February - which I'm sure will be great fun, its not exactly going to be warm there either at that time of the year! All the cold weather has made me think about some of the great holiday destinations in Europe I have been privileged enough to have visited in the last few years, and in turn this inspired me to start looking back at some of my old photo collections from these trips. One set of photos that made me feel a lot warmer inside were my pictures of Venice, taken during my trip to the stunning Italian city during summer 2010. I have shared below some of what I consider to be my favourite pictures from Venice here, so you too can see what a wonderful city it is - making it surely one of the best holiday destinations in Europe.

Grande Canal


Venice's biggest and most famous of all its many waterways in all its glory!

Gondolas


Venice's world renowned mode of transport - but not a cheap one!

Bridge of Sighs


There are few more famous and architecturally stunning bridges across the world - but it is now sadly covered in advertising boards :(

Fish Market


Eating fresh fish and seafood in Venice's restaurants was one of the highlights of my visit - and the fish market from which it all is bought is a great thing to visit and experience in itself.

Stay in Leeds Serviced Apartments for a Weekend Break

Although I’ve spent a lot of time visiting many of the best holiday destinations in Europe ranging from Krakow to Barcelona, its not every month that I can afford to take a holiday abroad. Sometimes I personally think it’s nice just to spend a weekend somewhere closer to home in the UK, rather than fuss around with booking flights, packing rucksacks and the like. Rather than always traveling abroad and bumming around in hostels, why not instead spend your money differently and treat yourself to a good quality hotel and enjoy all the great attractions of some of the UK’s best places and cities to visit.

When it comes to places to stay in the North of England, Leeds undoubtedly remains one of my favorite cities. It has a nightlife that is unrivaled in the north of England with many superb clubs and bars in the city centre - while Headingley is also a fantastic place to watch international cricket or rugby league and also boasts great bars like the Arc and Original Oak. The surrounding areas of Leeds also offer a great opportunity for walks in places like Otley and Ilkley. So why not book a weekend break and stay in Leeds serviced apartments and enjoy the North of England in style.

Top 10 Most Visited City Destinations in Europe

Before you set off on a backpacking holiday in Europe you will firstly of course have to have a fairly rough idea of which European cities you want to visit on your travels. Although spontaneity is important to a certain extent on any backpacking trip (as you will naturally want to gain new experiences and learn new things), you obviously don’t want to miss out on the best holiday destinations in Europe simply through poor pre planning. If sheer popularity in terms of visitor volume is anything to go by, then the city destinations below must qualify as “must visit” places for any young backpacker during your backpacking holiday around Europe. Listed below are the 10 most frequently visited cities in the continent of Europe - based on visitor numbers.

1. London
2. Paris
3. Rome
4. Barcelona
5. Dublin
6. Madrid
7. Amsterdam
8. Prague
9. Moscow
10. Vienna

Make sure you find the time to visit at least some of these fantastic city destinations on your trip! Remember, this list is compiled purely from visitor volumes - there are also several cities not on this list that I would highly recommend visiting! Please check out my other post to find out my personal thoughts on what are the best city destinations in Europe. My list is compiled slightly differently to this one - but that is simply because I have had a really great time when I have visited other less popular locations and stayed there!

Top 10 Backpacking holiday Destinations in Europe

Well I’ve been spending the last few hours of an excellent bank holiday weekend reminiscing about some of the many great cities I’ve visited across Europe over the past 12 months or so. I’ve managed to drill this down to my personal favourite top 10 backpacking holiday destinations that I would suggest to any young traveller making a trip to Europe - believe me, these are fantastic places to visit that you can’t afford to miss out on. My list is purely based on my own opinions and experiences, and takes into account a wide range of key factors that I felt affected my enjoyment of the locations and destinations the most - such as climate, nightlife, people, tourist attractions, value for money, scenery etc. Anyway here’s the list - please feel free to share your thoughts by posting a comment on my travel blog or by using the voting panel in the left hand side of the blog.

1. Budapest
2. Krakow
3. Prague
4. Dubrovnik
5. Rome
6. Amsterdam
7. Barcelona
8. London
9. Paris
10. Venice

Please note these are based only on my own experiences and views - please feel free to disagree with me! I also welcome any personal recommendations from your own backpacking holidays about what you believe to be your top 10 best backpacking holiday destinations in Europe - so as always feel free to post here!

Best European Party Destinations for Backpackers: Amsterdam

As any backpacker travelling around Europe will no doubt be aware, Holland’s capital Amsterdam has an excellent reputation of being one of the best European cities for young backpackers to go and party until the early hours – and deservedly so. The city offers up numerous bars where party goers can enjoy some cool pints of Heineken, many great restaurants in which to eat out with your friends and of course the famous coffee shops - such as the Grasshopper. Many of the best bars and coffee shops are located in the infamous Red Light District in the city – a definite eye opener for any young traveller and certainly not for the fainthearted – particularly after daylight hours. Always be safe and stay with friends when visiting this area. During the day the Heineken brewery is a good place to visit during your stay in the city of Amsterdam, and there are also many museums covering a range of tastes and functions from the arts, history of the city, and even a torture museum! If you are on a backpacking holiday in Europe but are limited by a low budget, then a simple stroll along some of Amsterdam’s many canals can be a great way of seeing the city and its beautiful architecture and style that have a unique flavour all of their own - and is in itself a nice way to spend the afternoon in the outdoors when you’ve had a few too many beers the night before and are in need of some fresh air! All in all whether you are backpacking, looking for a fun weekend away in Europe or on a big do with your mates – Amsterdam is undoubtedly the place to go and party in Europe.

Get Away For The Weekend With Winter City Breaks In Europe

Anyone else feel like they need to get away for a short city break somewhere? I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty fed up with all the freezing cold weather and snow were having in England at the moment. It’s cold, dark and quite frankly, all a little depressing sat in the office at the moment. Think its time to get the lads back together and visit some of the fantastic cities I’ve already visited on my backpacking travels around Europe. You may notice that in some of my older posts I wrote a backpackers guide to Barcelona - without a doubt one of my favourite cities to visit because it has something for everyone from the football fan, food lovers and those who are interested in the arts. Luckily at this time of year in particular I’ve found that you can get cheap flights to Barcelona relatively easily - and you can always save money by booking online. I remember visiting the city in January 2008 and was pleasantly surprised that the temperatures are still very mild - certainly a lot higher than the sub zero temperatures we’ve got in the UK at the moment.
If Spain is not the place for you, then maybe you could try a short winter break to Paris? If you are traveling with a partner as a young couple then maybe Paris could be a better option for you. Please take the time to read my blog post review of the city to get a great travel guide to France’s capital - and hopefully learn about all the best sights to see in this beautiful, historic and romantic city. Again, it seems that flights to Paris are pretty inexpensive at the this time of the year, so I would probably now is a great time to let your hair down for a few nights and begin to enjoy fine wining and dining in some of the best restaurants that Europe has to offer. So what are you waiting for, check out my city guides and forget the winter blues - get yourself on that plane right now!

Best Boat Trips and Excursions from Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is undeniably in my mind the true beauty and Jewel of the Adriatic sea. The architecture of the Old Town, its rich art and culture, the delicious fresh seafood and overall quality of life found in the city is surely second to none in the region and if you travel there you will already know that the people are always very friendly and hospitable to backpackers. However, as beautiful as it is, there is in my experience much more to a trip to Dubrovnik than just what can be found inland and if you ever get bored of the Old Town, Copacabana beach and the Lapad region of the city, you may be interested in booking one of the numerous boat trip excursions available to the many small islands that are found of Croatia's South Dalmation Coast.


One day whilst traveling in Dubrovnik I took a boat trip to the nearby Elafiti islands. These excursions are widely touted on the main strip of Lapad's bars with many competing companies vieing for the business of young travelers, and if you shop around you are sure to find a good price (I ended up paying a little under £20 for the entire trip and a delicious grilled fish lunch and free wine was included on the boat in that price).

The Elafiti islands themselves are unique and gorgeous to behold in their own right. Our boat trip took us to three of these islands in a single excursion: Kolocep, Sipan and Lopud. I found that each of the islands has its own unique charm - with Lopud in particular a fantastic place to visit. It has a really cool sandy beach (Sunj beach) where you can paddle out to around 80m without the depth going over chest high. This beach is also ideal for snorkeling with lots of fish and crabs to be found near the rocks on the left side of the beach. In the summer season you will find that kayaks can be rented to take a quick trip out into the bay at a few pounds per hour. Lopud also has an old monastery which is well worth a visit.
As well as the frequent cruises and backpackers that visit the city, Dubrovnik is also proving to become increasingly popular with newly married couples because of the unrivalled beauty of its architecture, its stunning sandy beaches and numerous fantastic restaurants which together make the city a perfect romantic holiday destination for young couples. If you have friends who are newly web planning a trip to the city, make sure you give them a great send off with a great selection of beach wedding favors to let them really make the most of their beach wedding or honeymoon trip.