Enjoy this wonderful guest post – 7 reasons to take a European Weekend Break written by Lauren Hudson – she’s guilty of infecting me with some serious wanderlust!
Living in the UK we’re so fortunate to have Europe on our doorstep, and to be able to fly, cruise or take the Eurostar and be on the continent within an hour. Wanderlust be gone! With more and more people choosing to go further and further afield for their holidays – think Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Australia – Europe seems to be taking a back seat and is beginning to become a little underappreciated.
- You could travel every weekend for a year and still have more to see
With the EU now having 28 members and countless cities, it would take you more than 6 months to visit each and every country and years to visit all the major cities. From the classic beauty of Paris, to the underexplored Budapest there’s more to see than anyone can possibly imagine.
- Each and every city has a different story
We might all be under the same banner of “Europe” but that doesn’t mean all of these incredible countries are remotely “same-same-but-different”. You can explore the beaches in Cannes or Nice or jet off to Rome to see the ancient ruins. Want to do something different? Cycle round Amsterdam or see the (slightly) less explored canals of Bruges.
Think of all the different histories and stories these cities have to offer: no two are the same, not even if they’re in the same country. Take France for example, go to Nice for the beaches but Rennes for a true experience of Brittany.
- You don’t need to go far to see something amazing
You can get to Bruges, Amsterdam, Paris, Venice, Rome, Berlin, Vienna, Prague (and many, many more) in under 3 hours, so you don’t waste an entire day traveling – cutting down on the time you waste gives you even more time to explore all these wonderful cities.
- You can travel Europe very cheaply…
With no frills airlines popping up all over the place, and even British Airways offering flights to Europe one way for £39 you’re not spending hundreds of pounds to get to your dream city break. It’s not just the flights you can save money on, with companies such as Airbnb growing in popularity all over Europe it’s so much easier to visit Europe on the cheap.
Tours also don’t have to be expensive with the rise of self-guided tours such as Amsterdam UnGuided.
- …or indulge yourself in some real luxury
Heck, anyone who’s even looked at the Small Luxury Hotels of the World website (if you haven’t already – go go go!) will tell you that there are so many delightful luxury hotels for you to explore when you’re in Europe. If you need a spa in Croatia or a luxury chalet in Verbier, there’s more than enough to keep your passport burning hot!
- You don’t even need to take a day off work!
Whether you live in London or not, the number of regional airports (and London City airport for you Londoners) means that you can fly out on a Friday night after work and come home on Sunday. Or, make the most of your bank holiday weekends and make a long weekend of it and come home on the Monday! If you’re not taking any holiday, think close to home and visit Paris, Barcelona or Berlin as the flight times are even shorter. Always check the Eurostar as you’ll be amazed how many places it can take you.
- You’re making the most of your EU citizenship
With there not being any visa restrictions in the EU anymore there’s no paper faff or admin to be done before booking your European adventures. It really is as simple as booking a flight, some accommodation and packing your bags. What are you waiting for?!
With all of Europe just a short flight away, make sure you make the most of this amazing continent.
Lauren is a luxury London lifestyle, travel and food blogger who blogs at The Lifestyle Diaries. She’s always looking to connect with new readers and bloggers so come and say hi! You can find her on social media (when she’s not jet-setting!) on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Showzee (her new favourite social media site).
