The old world is really quite old. Every other town in Europe is packed with monuments dating back several centuries. Little villages were once the capitals of a kingdom. The countries are small, but most of them were once the center of an empire that embraced the whole world.

Traveling in Europe seems to be underestimated, especially by the younger generation and budget travelers. To say it clearly: Europe offers more than most other regions in the world. There is hardly anything that cannot be found in one of the megacities, like London , Paris , Rome or Berlin .

Southern Europe offers great beaches and "Dolce Vita": good food, good weather, beautiful people, charming towns and cities. It is hardly surprising that Italy , Spain , Greece and France are always top of the bill when it comes to most popular holiday destinations.

Since 1989 Eastern Europe has become a very popular destination as well. Magnificent cities such as Prague , Budapest , Moscow and St_Petersburg all attract many visitors.

In the heart of Europe you find Germany , the most populated country of Western Europe. It has romantic castles, beautiful nature, fast paced life in big cities such as Munich , Cologne and Frankfurt and great highways.

South of Germany you find the Alps. Great for skiing, but Austria and Switzerland have a lot more to offer. Vienna , the capital of Austria, for example rates as one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

The North of Europe is not as cold as you might think. In summer cities like Stockholm , Copenhagen and Amsterdam are among the most pleasant places to be. The people are easy going and very friendly and cultural life is rich.

The United Kingdom and Ireland have that special island mentality that keeps you coming back. The Celtic spirit is still very much a life in many of the more remote areas of the islands.

Travel in Europe, especially in the rich North West, is not particularly rough or demanding, with the exception of the Balkan , Russia and the Caucasus . In Western-Europe things are well taken care of, it is easy to get from A to B, but all this comfort has a drawback: you pay for it. However, despite the high price of Europe there are still many affordable ways of having a good time without breaking the bank. Take a train from Denmark to Switzerland for less then 25 Euro with the whole family for example. But at the same time hardly any region in the world is so easy to hitch-hike like Central Europe: with the help of Germany's highways you can make with a bit of luck 1000km per day!