building5.jpg Europe is many things to many people.

Europe is the “gateway” to the world of backpacking and budget travel, especially for North Americans.

Even most European travelers start off backpacking countries neighboring their own because they’re so close in proximity and it’s extremely affordable to do so.

Most travelers easily marvel at the diversity of cultures and languages smack crammed into its relatively small area, the wealth of the region’s museums and architecture, parks, plaza’s, commercial centers, the seemingly endless restaurants, bars, taverns, and nightlife.

Other travelers are attracted to Europe’s variety of scenery, from its sun-drenched beaches and dense forests to its august mountain peaks. Most visitors are impressed by the minimal amount of bureaucracy, the well-developed tourist facilities, and efficient transport systems that make it possible to explore most of Europe with little fuss.

Western Europe is often looked upon as the hub of the developed world - at least historically. Though its growth rate is not what it was in the heady days of the 1950s and 60s, Western Europe remains an economic powerhouse and a leader in art, literature and music.

There are magnificent museums and galleries such as the British Museum in London, the Louvre in Paris and the Prado in Madrid. There are superb natural features - the soaring Swiss Alps and Pyrenees mountains, magnificent stretches of rugged coastline in western Ireland and Portugal. And there are places that are simply fun, whether it`s clubbing in London or Berlin, pub-crawling through Dublin or watching the world go by from a street cafe in Paris or Barcelona.

Central and Eastern Europe have been the source of much of what we know as ‘western’ culture, not just in literature and music (Mozart, Dvorak, Liszt, Chopin, Goethe, Kafka, etc.) but in so many other disciplines. Since 1989 these regions have undergone changes of historic proportions - in 1990 the communist regimes of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania collapsed and East Germany ceased to exist altogether. The regions’ major cities - Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Warsaw, Krakow - have, at various times, been major centers of European culture, and their museums, theaters, concert halls and historical sites are world-class. For travelers, prices almost everywhere in Eastern Europe are much lower than those in Western Europe. That’s what I’m talking about!

Mediterranean Europe evokes images of beautiful beaches (can you say, “topless?!”), the brilliant blue of the Mediterranean Sea, spectacular landscapes dotted with olive and citrus groves, outdoor cafes, wonderful food, friendly local people, exuberant festivals and a relaxed way of life. Some of Europe’s earliest and most powerful civilizations flourished around the Mediterranean, and traces of them remain in the many monuments they created - the Parthenon in Athens, the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, Fes el-Bali in Morocco. When museums and churches begin to overwhelm you, turn to the many active pursuits Mediterranean Europe has to offer, from island-hopping in Greece to lounging on a Turkish beach or climbing a volcano in Sicily.
Scandinavian Europe has everything to offer from dramatic fjords and glaciers to the treeless Arctic tundra. Scandinavia`s cities range from cosmopolitan Copenhagen to the resurgent capitals of the Baltic states - Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius - as well as St Petersburg, Russia’s most enchanting and European city. Outdoor enthusiasts will get their fill of activities in Scandinavia, be it ski-touring in Sweden, dog sledding in Finland or fjord-trekking in Norway. Bring a warm jacket. Nuff said!

Europe is an awesome region to get started on your backpacking journey or to visit again, and again, and again…

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