2018 marks 10 years since my first visit to Europe. It was a family holiday with my parents and sister back in 2008 when I was living in India, when we visited London and Paris. This was officially the beginning of my love affair with these 2 incredible cities. Just 4 years later, I made London my home, and Paris my favourite city break destination!
As 2017 draws to a close, I wanted to reflect on and round up some of my favourite travel memories from my visits to European cities over the last 10 years (mostly in the last 5 years), excluding London, as there is a whole separate post on my home city.
*note that certain cities are linked to detailed blog posts.
- Paris
- Dinner under the twinkling Eiffel Tower at Les Ombres
- Intensive Technical Macaron class
- Disneyland Paris
- After hours at The Louvre
- Birthday dinner at Centre Georges Pompidou
- Alice in Wonderland-themed hotel, Le Lapin Blanc
- Christmas tree and windows at Galeries Lafayette
- Summer walk in Jardin du Luxembourg and Jardin des Tuileries
- Hot chocolate at Angelina
- Shelf-browsing at Shakespeare and Company
- Musée d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie
- Amsterdam
- Hilarious Sex Museum
- Famous paintings at Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum
- Red Light District
- Oslo
- Autumn colours at at Vigeland Sculpture Park
- Edvard Munch’s ‘Scream’ at National Gallery
- Rooftop of Oslo Opera House on a freezing cold day!
- Brussels
- Everything Tintin related!
- Belgian waffles and chocolates from literally anywhere!
- Light show at the Grand-Place
- Copenhagen
- Tivoli Gardens on New Year’s Eve
- Crazy world of Freetown Christiania
- Colourful Nyhavn
- View of NYE fireworks from AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen
- Athens
- Acropolis (including Propylaea, Temple of Athena Nike, Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Odeon of Pericles, Theatre of Dionysus, Erechtheion, and finally, the grand Parthenon)
- Istanbul
- Bargains at Grand Bazaar
- Bosphorus cruise
- Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia
- Dancing under the stars at Reina until 4 am!
- Geneva
- View from the top of Cathédrale Saint Pierre
- Tour of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider
- Fondue at Les Armures
- Chamonix and Mont Blanc
- Barcelona
- Gaudí’s fantastical architecture – Sagrada Família, Casa Milà, Casa Batlló and Park Güell
- Las Ramblas and Gothic quarter
- Catalan delicacies at Mercado de La Boqueria
- Frozen daiquiri at Barceloneta beach
- Tour of Camp Nou
- Partying at Pacha Barcelona
- Madrid
- Trying sea urchin uni at Mercado San Miguel
- Tapas at Fatigas del querer and TriCiclo
- Architecture at Plaza Mayor
- Flamenco peformance
- Museo del Prado
- Gran Canaria
- Maspalomas Dunes
- Snorkelling in the turquoise waters of Playa de Amadores
- Berlin
- Graffiti at Berlin Wall
- Checkpoint Charlie
- Berlin icons: Fernsehturm de Berlín (TV Tower) and Brandenburg Gate
- Warsaw
- Palace of Culture and Science lit in rainbow colours
- Dinner at the whimsical and romantic restaurant, U Fukiera
- Walk in Łazienki Park
- Prague
- Magical Old Town Square with its own Cinderella castle, The Church of Our Lady Before Týn and the famous Prague Astronomical Clock
- Palačinky – the Czech crêpe from Old Town Square
- Breakfast at Cafe Savoy
- Walk across Charles Bridge
- View from Castle Hill
- Vienna
- Onegin at Vienna State Opera
- Wiener Schnitzel and Sachertorte at Café Central
- Schönbrunn Palace
- Budapest
- View of Hungarian Parliament Building from Fisherman’s Bastion
- Walk across Szechenyi Chain Bridge
- Hungarian street food at Great Market Hall
- Coffee at New York Café – the most beautiful café in the world
- Bucharest
- Trying Romanian delicacies – Sarmale, Mămăligă, Pizdulice and Papanași
- Bar-hopping in the Old Town
- Dublin
- Trinity College Dublin and The Long Room
- Pint of Guinness at Temple Bar
- Rome
- Secret luxury hotel on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II
- Michelin-starred Italian food with the most breathtaking view in the world at Aroma Restaurant
- Rome’s icons – Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps and the Pantheon
- Hand-made pasta at La Carbonara dal 1906
- Caffè con panna at a Sant’Eustachio Il Caffè, an Italian coffee institution from the 1930s
- Vatican Museums and Michelangelo’s The Last Judgement at the Sistine Chapel
- Florence
- Ponte Vecchio at dusk
- Leather shopping at independent Italian designer outlets
- Florentine Steak and tiramisu at Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco
- Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus at Uffizi Gallery and Michelangelo’s David at Galleria dell’Accademia
- Florence’s best gelato at Carabe
- Train trip through the rolling Tuscan hills to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa
- Duomo at sunset
- Pizza and wine from Mercato Centrale
- Milan
- Window shopping at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and Via Monte Napoleone
- Duomo di Milano
- Pastries at Pasticceria Marchesi
- Lisbon
- Portuguese street food at Time Out Market Lisboa
- Best seafood black rice in the world at Taberna Moderna!
- Stunning view of Lisbon from rooftop bars, Limão and Bar do Bairro Alto
- Best Goan food outside Goa from Jesus é Goês
- View of 25 de Abril bridge from MAAT terrace
- Bairro Alto
- Belém Tower
- Day trip to magical Sintra
- Pastéis de nata from Piriquita in Sintra
- Venice
- Fresh seafood platter at Osteria alle Testiere
- The most colourful fairtytale island in the world, Burano
- Gondola ride on the tiny canals and under the Bridge of Sighs
- Venetian food and wine at Ostaria Antico Dolo
- Piazza San Marco and St. Mark’s Basilica
- Dubrovnik
- Game of Thrones walk around Dubrovnik Old Town
- Croatian-Asian fusion food at Azur and fried seafood at Barba
- Croatian wine tasting at D’vino Wine Bar
- Cable car to Mount Srđ
- Walk around Walls of Dubrovnik
- Banje beach
- Romantic dinner at Nautika with a sweeping view of the Adriatic Sea
- Baby bunnies at Lokrum island
- Edinburgh and Glasgow
- Hogmanay in Edinburgh
- Day trip to St Andrews
- Edinburgh Castle
- Dinner at The Witchery by the Castle
- Melrose Abbey
- Rosslyn Chapel and Rosslyn Castle
- Road trip to the Highlands – Urquhart Castle, Glencoe, Ben Nevis, Loch Ness and Inverness
- The Lighthouse at Glasgow
Nook and Cranny 