Backpacking / Solo Travel
My gig starts mid-June which allows me to spend all of April in Europe. I'm still a broke
kid so I'm definitely going to be staying in hostels and eating some cheap / quick food.
This will be my first time in Europe and solo traveling. I have a list of some cities I want to
visit, but I would love to hear other spots I should consider. Right now I have Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, Prague, and Athens(?) (or another Greece city / island).
I'm also a big soccer fan. Any suggestions of stadiums to visit will be great as well! Thanks in advance!
Ios is a pretty fun island in the Cyclades if you want to party all night.
Los definitely looks fun and beautiful. What are your thoughts about Naxos?
Ios for a fun party island, Naxos for more relaxed expansive beaches (a good stopover if island hopping in the Cyclades)
Naxos is more laid back, good place to relax. I just notice you are planning to go in April and if you are, I don't think Ios would be a good destination for you as it's more of a summer/beach destination.
You should also hit up Italy. And from Italy you can take a cruise ship for cheap to go to Corfu, Greece. One of my favorite hostels is in Corfu - The Pink Palace.
https://thepinkpalace.com
Thanks Isaiah. You recommend any cities in Italy? Was thinking about Rome, but at the same time want to visit a place that's more under the radar.
Yeah Rome is classic. Cinque Terre is really cool - you walk along the cliffs on the water along 5 little cities.
Florence is by far my favorite in Italy and a must. Smaller, more beautiful, and less touristy than Rome. Would visit both if you have the opportunity to. Train between the two isn't bad at all.
Siena is awesome - especially if you can go for the paleo
The Pink Palace has been legendary even going back to 2000 when I backpacked in Europe
Make sure for some of the more Medditerrean locations (Greek Islands/Cinque Terre), that things are actually open in April.
I would 2nd the Florence recommendation. Might be worth checking out Bologna, its close and less touristy.
Lisbon is also really cool.
"The Cinque Terre is open all year round. Cinque Terre is a National Park situated in the north of Italy on the Mediterranean Sea. Cinque Terre consists of five beautiful hillside villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore."
https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/is-cinque-terre-open#:~:text=The%20Ci….
Yea I mean I'm sure its "open", I was referring to restaurants and bars being open since its the off season.
April isn't going to be beach weather in most of Europe so definitely take that into account. Normally I'd recommend places like the Greek islands, Croatia, and Montenegro but it's much better to go to those places between June - September
Your list is good in general. I'd add Rome / Florence if you are into history. Lisbon and Porto are also really nice. Berlin is definitely worth visiting as well if you have time.
Few underrated cities that you didn't list: Belgrade (top-tier nightlife), Krakow, Budapest (although Budapest is pretty popular these days)
Stadiums: I've been to the Bernabeu, Camp Nou, and Allianz and all were really cool to see. Or go to Belgrade and watch Red Star v. Partizan if you want to see something on the crazier side
One final piece of advice: don't try to fit too much in. Hopping from city to city every 1-2 days is exhausting. Even if you get to "see more" I don't really think it's worth it. Try to pick 6-8 places for your month and travel more slowly
Thanks for the advice! For the first half of my trip I'm planning to spend 2-3 days in each city, then the second half spend around 4 days in each. Hopefully that's enough time to soak in the beauties of the cities. I forgot how tedious logistical planning is lol.
Just some notes about solo travel:
- Private rooms in hostels are safer. If you can lock the door, all your stuff is secure inside. Also, you can bring back chicks into your private room instead of to the bunk beds.
- Lock up your passport and an extra credit card at the hostel in case your wallet gets misplaced or stolen. If you stay in a community room, there should be lockers in there.
Right now I'm planning to book in dorms for all the hostels.
You think it's wise and worth it if I book a private room for 1-2 nights? Knowing me, I feel in the middle of the trip I might need a full day to recharge my social battery.
Yeah I have stayed in the dorms extensively when I was younger. It is ok and a quick way to make friends. Just always lock up your valuables.
I am on a plane back from a three month solo trip through Europe, I can 100% say that dorms are the way to go. Super easy to make friends and as long as you lock up your stuff nobody will bother you/your stuff.
Edit: typos
Valencia is Spain was super cool. Got to visit the stadium and it was a super intimate tour- highly recommend
Yeah Valencia is awesome. I lived there for 6 months. Great city.
I loved it man. Was in barcelona for the month, but got to valencia for a few days. Much more welcoming and relaxed down there! If i may ask, what work were you doing in valencia?
Sevilla is an all time favorite
My $0.02 as someone in the same boat as you. Graduated a semester early with FT lined up for June, been solo traveling Europe for 1.5mo (Iceland, UK+Ireland, Spain+Portugal, France, Luxembourg+Belgium+Netherlands) with another 1.5mo to go (Germany+Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Italy, Greece). First-time solo traveling, first time in Europe, and limited budget. ABSOLUTELY LOVING IT.
Iceland
If it's not on your radar, please consider it. Gorgeous (and I was there in February when the weather was much worse so I can't even imagine how beautiful it is now). Iceland has a couple of recommended itineraries you can rent a car to drive yourself/do with a group tour (Golden Circle, South Coast, Snaefellsness Penninsula, etc). My favorite was South Coast: massive waterfalls which you can walk into/behind (some hidden ones you climb through gorges to get to which makes it interactive and memorable), beaches (worth it to pay to ride an Icelandic horse on said beaches, especially at sunset), stunning glaciers to hike, natural outdoor springs to swim (Blue Lagoon and Sky Lagoon), and the northern lights.
France
Honestly fuck Paris. I have a hatred of French people after this. But the Cote d'Azur (aka the French Riviera encompassing Marseille, Nice, Monaco, Cannes, St Tropez, etc.) almost makes up for the shithole that is Paris and for arrogant French assholes. Almost.
French Riviera is beautiful weather and beaches galore. Literally looks like a slice of heaven on earth. Didn't see you mention it, but you cross it to get to Munich, Prague, and Athens, so why not spend a few days there? Ever danced around a beach bonfire singing Dancing Queen while drinking rose with French girls? Yeah. Heaven.
Spain + Portugal
It's worth it to spend a day in Lisbon if you're going to Spain anyway. Stunning city that's dirt cheap with insane partying. I recommend the Yes Hostel since the admins go out of their way to make the pub crawl (what Europeans call bar hopping) a blast. Look on TikTok -- one of the admins went viral for being hype asf. Not to mention the fun day trips you can take from Lisbon to Sintra (history), Cascais (beaches), etc. Skip Porto though... YMMV but I thought it was ghetto and lacking compared to Lisbon.
Spain. You already have it on your list but I'd encourage you to spend more time here -- I wish I did. It's the only country so far where I can say I loved and lived every day I was there to the max. Madrid and Barca are classic but expand and look into Seville (amazing architecture) and Grenada/Valencia (beaches). I recommend Cats Hostel for Madrid and Kabul Party Hostel for Barca. Shout out to Kabul for getting me laid. They had a dance class night where I learned some bachata and salsa, and then used it at a club the next night to vibe with an absolute dime.
If I had known how much I would love Spain, I would've been perfectly happy spending 1/3-1/2 my trip just there.
Misc Thoughts
Haven't hit Germany, Austria, Switzerland (skiing in St Moritz), Czechia, Italy (Lake Como from Star Wars, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, and renting a vintage Alfa Romeo to drive down the Amalfi Coast), or Greece (Athens, Mykonos, Santorini) yet, so I'd take advice from the others here.
Going to echo Isaiah's tips and additionally recommend a cheap undershirt crossbody bag/sling off Amazon. Nobody can see I have anything on me even when I'm wearing Polos, and nobody has tried mugging me yet. Someone tried pickpocketing me in Paris but failed because I learned don't keep valuables in outwards facing pockets (hidden pockets such as inside face of coats are fine). Once again, fuck Paris.
Also, contrary to arb432 DON'T be afraid to move fast. 22 years old and "exhausted" doesn't compute for me. I've averaged 30k steps a day while doing "one week one country" for the last month and a half, and I'm not close to feeling it. But maybe I just like to travel differently.
Arb432 also mentioned how April isn't beach weather which is fair. Idk about you but I never actually go into the ocean I'm just there on the sand vibing, partying, and chatting girls. It's more than warm enough for that and it's March right now.
Get ready for the best month of your life. I am absolutely loving Europe and loving life. Feel free to PM and if our plans line up, lets grab a cold one. Bon voyage!
Hell yea! I'm glad you're living it up right now.
Iceland & Portugal
I won't be able to stop by this trip, but I'm definitely planning to see those countries next time. I need to see the northern lights and try out their hot springs. Portugal is probably my biggest regret in not adding to the list. I'm going to be in Spain for 4 days then Italy. The logistics in visiting Lisbon/Cascias won't be there.
Spain
I got some broken Spanish in me. Were you able to pass by speaking English? What spots did you hit up during your time in Barca and Madrid? Right now I'm just going with the flow, but if you recommend some spots I'll hit them up.
Once all my bookings are complete, I'll PM you to see if our plans line up. Cold ones on me if they do!
I'm not Hispanic/Latin and also have broken Spanish from half-assing mandatory foreign language classes since 3rd grade. Got by perfectly fine; thank god English is the lingua franca.
As for spots in each city, just google "city # day itinerary" (e.g. "Barcelona 2 day itinerary") and you'll get lists of things to do and see. Pin whatever piques your interest in google maps and use your phone to navigate around and hit what you want. This also simplifies logistics to where you only have to care about macro issues (transportation between countries/cities and lodging) and can go with the flow on the micro (what to do each day) since you can get preplanned itineraries off the internet easily.
If you're asking about party spots... tbh I can't remember the names of half the places I've been clubbing. I typically just sign up for whatever pub crawl the hostel has going and they'll take you around. In a couple of cities I've gone out of my way to hit some famous places, but hostel-run pub crawls are good enough everywhere else.
Going to hold you to those cold ones haha. Arrivederci.
Kabul hostel is still in Barcelona? Wow that takes me back - had a great time there.
Just amazing a lot of these hostels i stayed at >20 years ago are still famous.
I think my all time favorite was the Flying Pig in Amsterdam.
My least favorite was Balmers in Interlaken (we got kicked out). Funny Farm in Interlaken was much more fun/laid back.
Haha why'd you get kicked out? Would love to hear a story time. Stayed there last summer while solo backpacking for 6 weeks and loved Interlaken (absolutely gorgeous scenery).
How old are you haha. You make it sound like you’re 45 and stayed there 20 years ago.
Don’t know what’s changed but it’s still a blast. The plaza outside has something new going on each day. Stayed there three nights and there was a choir day 1, restaurant pop ups bbqing day 2, and concert day 3.
Hope this brought back some good memories my guy.
For soccer stadiums, visit Nou Camp, Bernabeau, Signal Iduna Park (Dortmunds stadium) and even Bayerns stadium assuming your list remains as is. If you go to the UK, visit Stamford Bridge, Wembley, Old Trafford and Anfield.
For other places to visit, I'd highly recommend Florence, Naples, London, Scotland (esp. the highlands), Budapest and maybe even Iceland.
My goal is to see all those stadiums you listed once in my life. Good thing I'll be able to see some of them in April. No England this trip though :/.
Naples I gotta visit. I have a friend who's family is from there. Planning to visit that city with him so he could show me more of the under-the-radar spots.
ik it’s kinda out of the way from places you’re going but copenhagen is sick
Went to Europe last year (on a tight budget), here’s some recommendations:
Hope this helps
Yea wished I booked Amsterdam. Smoking a fat one then watching a game would have been fun af.
You recommend other cheap spots? Got my first half booked, but still open into figuring out the plans for the second half of the trip. Looking at mostly cities/countries that are cheap relative to others.
Copenhagen is cool (literally). And dude why Munich? most piss boring city in Germany. Do Berlin or Hamburg instead. Oslo is also really nice.
Tbh to see Bayern play. I also heard it has great beer and beautiful sites. Not planning to stay long though.
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