Want to get away and explore the continent but can’t choose where to go? Hardly surprising really given the endless choice of cultural gems dispersed amongst the array of European cities. How does one choose between the overpowering romanticism of Florence and the Gothic beauty of Prague? Between the bright lights of Amsterdam and the colourful nature of Barcelona? Or between the idyllic Paris and the historic Berlin? Well, what if you didn’t have to make that choice? Make the most of the close proximity of these European hotspots, just buy yourself an Interrail ticket…and visit them all! Pick a friend or two (or go solo), pack your rucksack and simply hop on a train. Excuse the cliché, but the world really is your oyster.
“Eleven cities in three weeks? Wow, that’s…ambitious” is what people often said when we told them our summer plans, and when having not even left the country yet and our very first train was cancelled, I must admit, I was beginning to agree. But one replacement train and a Eurostar ride later, I found myself half way up the Eiffel Tower with two of my best friends, looking out across the French capital at night. The combination of the tower lit up and sparkling against the black of the Parisian night sky, along with the panoramic views of lights piercing the darkness all across the city, made the end of day one nothing less than enchanting.
A few days and a good eleven hours on a train later we found ourselves in country number two, in the incredible city of Barcelona. If you’re looking for colour then Barcelona is the place to go. The coloured and patterned works of Antonio Gaudí, the architectural face of Barcelona, are displayed all around the city (as pointed out on our three hour city bike tour!) with arguably the most iconic being the Sagrada Familia; Gaudí’s still unfinished master-piece at the heart of the city. If you think it’s impressive from the outside just wait until you go in – it’s absolutely breathtaking! And if Gaudí’s colours weren’t enough, be sure to make your way up to the Magic Fountain one evening. This huge fountain, located in front of the National Art Museum of Catalonia, combines light, colour, music and water acrobatics to create a stunning performance, leaving no doubts as to where it gets its name. Undeniably the perfect way to end our stay in Barcelona.
The beauty of Interrail is that you can just hop on a train and within as little as three hours you could be in a totally new country. Which is great…Until the French Transport Workers decide to strike! After a few very stressful days and a replacement bus journey through France, it was ‘adiós España’ and ‘ciao Italia!’ Pizza, pasta, Prosecco, the leaning tower of Pisa, the sunset over Florence, a gondola ride in Venice and a visit to Juliet’s balcony in Verona… To name but only a few of the delights Italy had to offer. I completely fell in love with the Italian culture, and studying Italian means my return trip is already being planned!
The more eastern side of our trip gave us a day in Vienna, before a couple of days exploring the Czech capital of Prague. Despite the constant rain, our spirits were not dampened as we loved the overwhelming beauty of the gothic Czech architecture. We also enjoyed an evening of traditional food in an underground restaurant, where we were personally serenaded by a Czech violinist as stuffed animals gazed down upon us from the walls – very surreal!
Our penultimate stop was Berlin, with a visit to the Reichstag being one of the highlights of the whole trip. Not dissimilar to Paris, we were presented with panoramic views of the sun setting over the whole city as we made our way around and up the huge glass dome . The remains of the Berlin Wall are also a must see in the German capital and although we refrained from spending our limited budget on a piece of the wall (10€ for a bit of stone in a pot!), we did spare some change on getting our passports stamped at Check Point Charlie- a fitting souvenir from such an iconic historical city.
Another five hours on the train (bringing our grand total to 67 hours spent on trains) took us to Amsterdam. With friends in all the right places we had our own personal tour guide who taught us all there is to know, visiting all the landmarks. We clambered up onto the ‘I Amsterdam’ sign for a photo, and visited the infamous red light district – a very bizarre experience! Charmed by the city and its canals, Amsterdam is high on the list of places to go back to. But, having most definitely had enough of trains by this point, we boarded the ferry at Hoek van Holland and sailed our way back to English turf.
So eleven cities in three weeks may perhaps have been a little ambitious, it was at the same time very achievable, and saved us from having to choose. Having loved every second we would not hesitate in sacrificing a few nights in TP to save for another ticket for another trip to all the places we missed out the first time.
So my advice? Do it while you’re young and do it while you can – these extensive university summer holidays aren’t going to be around forever!
Harriet Barter
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