Countries to visit

On this page

Bulgaria »
Great Britain »
Italy »
Croatia »
France »
Germany »
Scotland »
Slovakia »
Slovenia »
Switzerland »
Denmark »
Czech »
Hungary »

Bulgaria

In the center of Bulgaria, there is Veliko Tarnovo surrounded by monasteries worth to visit. The Veliko Tarnovo hillside development itself is quite miraculous! This is something not to miss.

Before arriving in Bulgaria, you could start practising the pronouciation of Koprivshtitsa, and then in Bulgaria you are ready to ask for a train thereto. In fact the architecture in Koprivshtitsa is something you just don't see anywhere else. The houses are old and you are allowed to enter inside.

South of Sofia lies is the holiest sanctuary of Bulgaria, the Rila monastery. It is located high up on a mountain slope between two peaks. It is also possible to spend the night in the monastery!

Varna and Nessebar are probably well known to travellers on organized tours, but quite close to the tourist centers by the Black Sea, there are lots of attractive and interesting places.

Return »

Great Britain

In South England, in the county of East Sussex, Brighton is a real mecca for Inter Rail travellers, with excellent connections to the north and to Continental Europe. Brighton is not a typically British town, but a slightly hippie-type cosmopolitan town, a melting pot of different cultures. The town supplies a variety of accomodation options for backpack travellers and great night life places. Also the beaches are worth visiting, with their lively beach parties that warmly welcome all strangers, as well. What an attitude!

Should you during the journey find yourself in London, take a day stroll for example in China Town or do some window shopping in Knightsbridge. At dusk follow the Thames river eastward toward the Tower Bridge. The majestic bridge bathing in gold and pale blue seems to belong to a fairy tale. Walk to the middle of the bridge and look to the east and then to the west toward the city center. There are millions of night lights that illuminate the metropolis and reflect in the water. Then hold your loved one's hand and kiss him/ her and thank God for your life.

Return »

Italy

By the south end of Lake Garda, you will find the extremely beautiful Desenzano. It is easily accessible by the Milano-Verona train.

The heel of the boot of Italy houses the province of Apulia which is unknown to most visitors to Italy. Though tourists often take the ferry from Bar or Brindisi to Greece or Croatia, they seldom tour around in Apulia itself. The train from Rome to Bar travels about six hours. There is also a train connection to Lecce, located low down in the heel of the boot. Lecce is a wonderful entirely baroque city. The views are fantastic and over the journey, a stop-over is worth while at the town of Ostuun, where everything is white. The sceneries from the train are breath-taking, with the blue Mediterranean and the endless olive groves. The old part of the town of Bar (which you should avoid at night time because of the Mafia) houses the church of Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas) and an amazing Byzantine influenced cathedral. There is also a very interesting Norman fortress. The local people are friendly, just like everywhere where tourists are rare.

If you have a couple of euroes to spare, you can board a local private train to visit the numerous charming little towns in the area. For example in Alberobello you will see enchanting "trolls" - ancient style cottages with witch hats. Today such cottages only exist in Alberobello; 3000 years ago, they were the rule in the neighbouring countryside, as well. The same train also takes you to the Castellana limestone caves.

Should you feel stressed by the busy life in big cities, here is a tip for relaxation. Half-way on the Roma-Napoli railway, there is the town of Formia with its railway station in the center. The peaceful and quiet atmosphere of the town together with the blue of the sea almost intoxicate a tired traveller. Here the inexpensive prices allow you to enjoy a meal in a restaurant. Please don't leave the town without seeing its night illumination. Then in the evening you can take the train up north leaving Napoli at around 10 p.m.

If you have a rather limited travel budget, your dream shopping center in Rome is the flea market in Trastever. The flea market covers an about 2 km long street full of stalls selling just about everything, from Italian leather shoes to clothes and expresso coffee makers. The objects are new and hence not really flea market stuff, but they are way less expensive than in the city center!

The flea market is open on Sunday mornings. Around noon the street is already absolutely overcrowded, so it is better to come before 9 o'clock. The market is located on the west river bank in Trastever, at a distance of a couple of kilometers south of Vatikan.

South Italy

First travel by train to Lecce, where you can take a taxi/bus to a small village called Tor del Orso (I'm not sure of its spelling).

This small village consists of a couple of shops, pizzerias, a kind of a hotel, quite a nice camping area, and a beautiful long beach full of young Italians spending their holiday. Foreign tourists hardly ever find this place, but among the Italians it seems to be very popular.

In Tor del Orso the local people normally don't speak English, but they are so kind and helpful that you forget all about language barriers.

Return »

Croatia

Every Finnish Inter Rail traveller simply has to send home a postcard saying "Olen Pulassa" ("I'm in Pula", meaning "I'm in a mess"). This town of Pula on the seashore has an amazing amphiteater and its night life is really something. Moreover the Pula hostel (Zaljev Valsaline 4) at about 10 meters from the beach is highly recommended! Of course Dubrovnik, Split , Zadar are worth visiting (www.zadar.hr), as well.

Return »

France

Avignon abounds in fine attractions, for example the Palace of the Popes. There is a hostel/camping area called Bagatelle where you can enjoy breakfast on a terrace under the shade of beautiful trees. Close to Avignon, there are the friendly ancient towns of Arles and Nîmes. And Avignon is a must.

Another place of interest would be the Ile de Ré island off La Rochelle shore. La Rochelle is accessible by train and therefrom you can take a bus, a yellow city bike, or a rented bike to the island (at a distance of about 7 km). Ile de Ré is actually a world of its own, an about 30 km long paradise island with idyllic fishing villages. Highly recommended.

If you want to enjoy a peaceful stop-over of a couple of days, Marseilles is a perfect option.

Menton on the French Riviera close to the Italian border is a charming little town with a fine camping area (like neighbouring Nice). That is, in case you want to forget the dusty big cities for a while.

Return »

Germany

Your best option for admiring the beautiful river valley landscapes, the old castles, etc., is to take, for example the Francfort - Cologne train.

An absolute must is Kehlsteinhaus in Berchtesgaden close to the south border of Germany. In fact Kehlsteinhaus or "eagle's nest" is a small cottage on a slope; the cottage was donated by a German businessman to Hitler in the early 1940's. Even the bus tour to the cottage is quite an experience: the bus winds its way along a narrow mountain road to a car park, and from there you have an about 124 meters walk inside the mount and then approximately the same distance upward by lift. High up in the cottage it really does feel like an eagle's nest.

The Rhine Valley between Koblenz and Mainz offers the traveller quite stunning views. The hillsides are covered by vineyards, with romantic small villages and majestic castles on top of the hills.

Return »

Scotland

The Highlands are not the best possible Inter Rail destination because of the few railway lines in the area. Therefore relatively inexpensive and more frequent bus services are recommended to crisscross the country. Of course the fine sceneries may well be admired from the train, as well.

Particularly the Glasgow/Edinburgh - Inverness, Inverness - Wick, and Inverness - Kyle of Lochalsh routes run through breathtaking landscapes, the last one being my personal preference. In addition, the trains are clean and modern, and there is plenty of room. It is a luxury for a backpack traveller, and there are no supplements. Free brochures on every route are distributed, with all the attractions and sights explained.

North of Inverness (in the Wick direction), there is a picturesque hostel (belonging to the SYHA hostels, which as a rule are recommendable provided that you are not looking for any wild partying), Carbisdale Castle, at a walking distance from the pretty little train station at Culrain. At least one night in a real castle is absolutely a worth while experience though not the most inexpensive accomodation option.

Loch Ness is also accessible from Inverness; you just take the bus to a village called Drumnadrochit and breathe the legendary atmosphere of the Urquhart Castle ruins on the Loch river bank. Another mythical castle is Eilean Donan Castle on the confluence of three Loch rivers; it is easily accessible by bus from Kyle of Lochalsh (bus stop at the Dornie village). Finally I want to mention the Fort William - Glasgow route running through majestic landscapes, as well.

Return »

Slovakia

The Tatra Mountains can hardly disappoint anyone who is in the least interested in trekking.

The wonderful little old town of Bratislava is absolutely worth visiting. Its evening atmosphere is quite special, with the numerous cafés and restaurants. You could actually stay there for many days and just daydream. Almost every street corner has some kind of small museum and everything is quite inexpensive, the food is delicious and the helpings are generous.

Velky Krtisis is the hottest and driest town of Slovakia. Though it doesn't in itself have many places of interest to boast, should you pass by, don't miss its wine street Vinicka with the Martiner bar. The Martiner bar is in fact the heart of the town and there you are sure to find many new friends.

At a walking distance from Velky Krtisis is the smallest town of Slovakia, Modry kamen (blue rock). There you can climb the rocks and visit the old castle. Close by there is also a little village, Suchan surrounded by a beautiful countryside. In Suchan you can see traditional handicrafts still being practised (elderly women still today dress in the traditional way) and there is an eco-farm that you can visit.

Then there is Banska Bystrica, a small town that you will always want to return to. Simply just to sit down on its central square and enjoy life.

Return »

Slovenia

Slovenia is a really pleasant surprise. It is a small country and hence the distances are never too long. The variety of landscapes in Slovenia is astonishing: the Mediterranean coastline, plains with no end, and the Alpine ski slopes. The people are friendly, unreserved and they speak English quite well. In brief, it is a very fine and safe country.

Return »

Switzerland

St. Leonardo in Switzerland boasts the biggest underground lake in Europe. What an experience! Switzerland is also in many other respects a must. Don't pay too much attention to "it is such an expensive super-westernized country". Just imagine that in one day you can experience all four seasons of the year! It is an amazingly many-facetted country.

In Switzerland it is absolutely worth while wandering about in more forgotten places in the Bernese Oberland canton and in the beautiful and peaceful Blausee (blue lake) surroundings in Kandersteg. A top sight is of course Jungfraujoch where you cannot avoid other tourists, but the sceneries are just so rewarding!

Return »

Denmark

In Copenhaguen the first thing to do is to find yourself a city bike that is not broken! There are bicycle stands at almost all street corners and you just insert a coin and the bike is yours to use. You can then return it in any stand and get your coin back. Only the problem is that almost half of the bikes are broken, so when you manage to find one in running condition, this is the easiest way to do your own personal sightseeing and to go, for example to greet the little Mermaid!

Copenhaguen is a beautiful city full of things to see and experience. There you immediately forget your own worries and just relax, for example in a street café that serves all kinds of delicacies. At the same time you can watch the most stunning acrobatic performances by street artists. Then of course there is a great variety of art and other museums, galleries, monuments, and so on, and by the way, the Danes are extremely friendly and generous people. You should absolutely go and see this wonderful city for your own.

Return »

Czech

The visitors to Prague generally go for a walk on the famous old Charles bridges and the fine royal castles.

The Mala Strana quarter of Prague features a concrete wall decorated with a majestic picture of John Lennon and an abundance of other drawings and texts. The wall is not indicated on maps, but it is certainly worth seeing! By the way you can also leave your personal message to future generations on the wall.

Close by Prague, there is a small town called Kutna Hora that you should not miss. Kutna Hora houses a chilling church with its entire decoration, including the chandeliers, being made of human bones!

Ceske Budejovice is a nice and interesting town and even nicer and more interesting it gets when you take the bus to Cesky Krumlov, a small town surronded by a river.

Return »

Hungary

To Lake Balaton!

Eger is the wine paradise of Hungary; a vineyard tour in the region is a must. The center of Eger has an outdoor bathing resort, inviting to an astonishing variety of baths.

Return »