Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sometimes you need to get away from the hustle and bustle. Remember to take time to chill out.
Learn about the city and get a little exercise.
Take a walking or bike tour.
Every city in Europe is filled with amazing stories and they're
drenched in history, but most visitors just wander around and have no idea what they're look-
ing at. A walking tour or a bike tour will give your visit some historical context that greatly
adds to your experience.
New Europe Tours (
neweuropetours.com
) offers free walking tours of many major cities
across Europe. The guides are normally students or young people, but they do work for tips
so it isn't totally free. I've been on a few and they're usually pretty good. The groups can get
pretty big since they're free/cheap. New Europe isn't the only free tour company so you should
be able to find many options.
Just about any city will have companies that have paid tours that are run by qualified tour
guides. Many tours will revolve around a theme (food, neighborhoods, time period, ghost/
haunted, culture, etc.), so you can find something tailored to your interests. Walking tours
usually cost anywhere from $15 to $20 and bike tours normally cost $20 to $40.
Finally, if you're really on a tight budget, there are plenty of self-guided walking tours found
in guidebooks. Most bookstores will also have a handful of books dedicated to self-guided
walking tours. If you hate reading, you can also download audio city guides.
Seek out special experiences.
Do something active every once in a while. Take a cooking
class. Go to a sporting event. Go skydiving. Go biking. Rent a scooter for the day. These ex-
periences will be the things you remember most from your trip.
Paragliding over the Swiss Alps is one of my favorite memories. It wasn't cheap, but it's an adventure I'll
never forget.
Plan your day.
Before you head of for a day of sightseeing, spend some time planning out
your day. Don't create a minute-by-minute itinerary but jot down a list of things you might
