Europe is a large continent that offers a wide variety of different experiences, cultures, sites, climates and scenery. This means that whatever kind of holiday you’re looking for you can find it somewhere in Europe, and at the same time still enjoy a particular quaint European flavour that will set it apart from holidays in other parts of the world and the kind of luxury and amenities that you can only get from developed countries.

In terms of the climate and scenery there really is a European country for any taste; from the hot sunny beaches of Spain, Turkey and Southern France, to the milder temperatures of England and Poland, or the snow capped mountains of the Swiss Alps. And with these climates of course comes a range of different ways of life, cuisines and cultures. Whether you want to sip vodka in a market square in Krakow, eat an authentic Pretzel and admire the lederhosen in Frankfurt, or haggle for the price of a Hookah pipe in Kemer.

With the exciting cultures of Europe comes its rich history and many historical sites. With many European countries having been major players in the economic, religious and political history of the world, from the Roman Empire to Colonial Britain, there is no shortage of things to see. Among the best known of these are the Vatican City and the Coliseum in Rome, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in London. Each of these is a definite ‘must visit’, though anywhere you go in Europe you will come across countless cathedrals, monuments, architectural marvels and historical sites nestled in with the rest of the city or scenery.

At the same time all of these places offer a lot more comfort and familiarity than going farther afield to somewhere in the Middle East or Africa. In Europe you get just as much a slice of another culture, but at the same you get all of the safety, luxuries and amenities that you have come to expect from living in the West. That means the toilets will be clean, and you’ll be able to eat food you enjoy and ordered in a language you understand or at least recognise from school.

The Western location of Europe also means that there’s more to do for tourists of a consumer nature, whether it’s going shopping and looking at the designer labels in France and Italy, or going for exciting nights out that will be all the better for being in another country – and the nightlife in Europe can certainly hold its own with Magaluf in Majorca for example boasting the largest nightclub anywhere on the planet.

Europe then is the only place where you can eat real pizza, go drinking all night in an ice bar and then sit watching the sun rise by the Coliseum. Whatever your tastes and whatever your ‘holiday style’ Europe will have more to offer than you could enjoy in a lifetime.

You can read as many articles on the sites and sounds in Europe as you can get your hands on, but at the end of the day nothing will really prepare you for some of the great adventures that the continent has to offer. There's nothing quite like the experience of actually being in a country, and no amount of factual data will help you to really visualise what it's like. For this article then I will break into the first person and give a first hand account of a great journey I had in Europe – and specifically Poland – to try and give you a more authentic and nuanced account of what the experience was like for me (and what it might be like for you). Of course this is still a poor substitute for actually being there yourself, and obviously everyone's experiences will be different – that's part of the excitement of going; however hopefully this can give you just a little insight into what it's like to visit one of Europe's most exciting and different areas – and in my case with very little preparation.

Exploring Poland was my idea as it was where my family came from, but rather than brave it alone however I also brought my friend 'Goof' to sample the culture with me and offer some moral support. This is why I was at first very concerned when we arrived in our corner of Krakow (the second biggest city in Poland) to find the place to be very cold, rather dirty, and completely unwelcoming to tourists; I could feel Goof's disappointment as he wondered whether he had wasted his holiday. No one in Krakow it seemed spoke any English, so at 9pm (when we landed) we found ourselves desperately pleading with a man in a petrol station to give us a sandwich -  we even tried queuing on foot through a drive-through and getting some very odd looks. We returned to our hotel hungry of course.

The next day though things immediately started to look up. After getting a taxi into Krakow city center itself (for the equivalent of about £1 each!) we managed to order Golumpki in a very pleasant and somewhat Nordic looking pub that had swing chairs at the table – and then terrified the owners by tipping them more than the value of the meal (we had nothing smaller). We then managed to stumble upon 'Wawel Castle' completely unwittingly – literally walking accidentally into one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country completely free and finding ourselves in huge expansive courtyards. It wasn't until we got home and looked it up online that we had any idea where we'd been.

In the evening we found a pleasant café in what seemed to be the town square – surrounded by fantastic Gothic architecture which was enough to warrant several hundred photos. An opera/festival was also going on by fluke in the town square which made for a very pleasant backdrop as we sipped our pints of vodka (yes, pints are what you get when you order vodka here). The only downside was when a tramp stole Goof's drink later that night...

All this was day one – before we'd seen Auschwitz, the salt mines, Zakopane, or the literally underground night life. Krakow had surprised us pleasantly and the difficulties in navigating and communicating it turned out would only ensure we had plenty of stories when we got back. The country is a fantastic place to explore, but no more so (I would later learn) than anywhere else in Europe.

Europe has a lot to offer no matter who you are or what your interests. It is a continent with a large amount of diversity in its culture and in its climate and scenery, with places of great beauty, history and interest at every turn. Thanks to the layout of Europe it is possible to see many of these sights and have many great experiences in a single trip; you just need to know where to go.

Here we will list a few great European trips that you can try which will ensure you have a great holiday and get a taster of some of what Europe has to give. Hopefully they might inspire you for your own European trips.The Tatra Mountains (Slovakia): Arriving at the Slovak Tatra mountains you immediately get hit by the cold fresh air that fills the surrounding towns and the spectacle of the looming snow-capped mountains in the distance. The moment it becomes truly amazing however is when you actually reach some of the walks and treks that go through the mountains themselves. Many routes are easily accessible but they bring fantastic views nonetheless that make you feel instantly small in the face of the huge valleys and towering hills that stretch for miles. It's one of the best ways to easily reach such fantastic panoramas, and one of the most beautiful sights in Europe.

Paris: Travel to Paris and you immediately feel like you're in a quaint but ultimately hip film and you'll be hit instantly by the unique style and way of life of the Parisians that live there. From almost any corner of Paris you can see the Eiffel Tower in the distance – a beacon that reminds you where you are at all times – but as exciting are the stylish cafés lining the streets and facing outwards to allow for easy people watching. If you really want to try somewhere classy, then visit the Champ-Elysée – one of the wealthiest roads in Europe with some of the hippest and coolest bars and restaurants you're likely to find anywhere; and of course the arc de triomphe and Cleopatra's Needle casting their shadow over the whole thing. It's not what there is to see and do in Paris – but the very feeling you get from being there.

Tekirova: There are plenty of places to visit in Europe that can offer you your typical 'beach' holiday and a great way to relax and unwind. Turkey however, and specifically Tekirova, offers one of the best options of all. There are a wealth of all-inclusive hotels throughout Tekirova and any one of these offers laid on entertainment every night, huge pools, unlimited alcohol and all surrounded by some of the best beaches and amazing tropical scenery you could ask for.

A Romantic Weekend in Rome

            Rome is a great place to go for a romantic holiday. Paris is always considered to be the most romantic city in the world, but that overlooks just how beautiful and geared towards couples Rome is which should really be considered one of the romantic highlights as well. I went there last year with my girlfriend for a romantic city break, and we had one of the best holidays you could ask for. Here I'll outline a few of the highlights to help you plan your romantic trip to Rome, while also warning of a few of the pitfalls that you would do better to avoid.

The first thing you need to know before you travel to Rome is that it has a fantastic Metro system. For just a few Euros you get as far as you need to go on the regular service. It can at times get a little crowded like any Metro system, but it is still by far the best way to get around the city. If you're on a romantic holiday then you want things to be stress free, so using this system means you won't be stuck in traffic jams or dealing with aggressive city driving and it means you won't be twiddling your thumbs waiting for a taxi to take you wherever it is you want to go.

The real implication of the Metro system though is that you can stay anywhere you want to and as long as you're near a Metro you'll be able to get to the sights easily. The only word of caution is that some of the suburban areas are a little run down and might not be overly conducive to romance – so the nearer to the centre you stay the better the trip will be.

Once we'd worked this out and understood that we could get wherever we needed to go on the Metro, we were able to see some great highlights and enjoy some stunning scenery. The highlight for me was going around the Vatican museum by night and this is something you should definitely look into. The items on display there are not just Catholic but ancient Egyptian, Roman, Greek and gathered from cultures all around the world.  At the same time there was some very interesting art on display including an original Dali (a highlight for me though the time I spent in the modern art section was trying my patience). Seeing it all at night though made it a lot moreatmospheric (and beat the crowds), and afterwards we decided to sit in St Peter's square at night at which point it was completely empty and filled with a beautiful golden glow. It was around May so it was still warm in the evening and it felt great to kick back in such a famous place and have it all to ourselves.

The other highlight for me was a night out we spent near the Colosseum. After having a great meal (all the restaurants are of course highly romantic being Italian) and a few wines, as well as trying out the 'Ice Club de Roma' we then sat on the grass by the Colosseum itself and watched the sun come up. I've been to Paris since for a romantic jaunt and at no point did it beat those two moments.

Lads holidays are holidays for groups of male friends that typically involve clubbing, drinking, sun bathing and meeting lots of girls. For myself and my friends on a recent trip to Bulgaria this was no different except for the lots of girls part (two probably doesn't count as lots) and perhaps the alcohol in some cases as my mate was sick for half of the occasion. That was our fault of course and is no reflection on Bulgaria, so what did I make of the place? And is it a suitable destination for a 'lads' holiday?

The answer to that latter question is 'yes and no' and while in some ways Bulgaria is the perfect place for a stag do or a week of clubbing, it is certainly not the highlight of Europe in that respect. We stayed in Sunny  Beach which is the biggest tourist spot in the area. The reason we went there was that we'd heard (from our travel agent – I never normally like to go on holiday through travel agents but my friend is not of the same opinion) that Bulgaria was the next 'up and coming' country for partying and drinking. In theory we were going at just the right time and it should have been big enough to cater to our every alcohol-related need, while at the same time being too new to be expensive.

In some ways that was true and certainly the holiday was a cheap one compared to going to other European hot-spots such as Magaluf. However at the same time it had a feeling of being kind of 'half baked' and still a little bit too underground. In other words there weren't really that many people there...

There were plenty of bars around and certainly lots to do for tourists. Walking down the road you feel like you're at a carnival as you're hemmed in from either side by touristy restaurants, mini golf, stalls, tourist shops, bars and clubs. The mini-golf was a particular favourite of ours and brought us back more than a few times (perhaps we're not your typical group of guys...). The bars were also very fun and the Coyote Ugly bar in particular was a top favourite (we still have our weaknesses though). A great night can be had by getting lots of drink in and bar crawling while playing the games at the stalls. My friend 'Goof' and I managed to win ourselves a bottle of wine in a shooting range and I also found enough Dutch courage to catapult myself up into the air on a bungee rope. Drunk mini golf can also be very fun...

The problem comes when you reach the clubs and in Bulgaria this is somewhat lacking. There were four within range that I counted and of all these only one seemed to be full of people. Others seemed empty and full of smoke. This means you're not exactly spoiled for choice, and that there is very little to do once the bars have closed. There's no equivalent of BCM and it's easy to feel like you're missing something after 12.
That said though we still had a great time (despite a few blunders on our part such as trying to come home a day early) and I'd still recommend it for a slightly more chilled version of the holidays you might have in Zante or Tenerife. Accidentally discovering a construction site with what looked like hundreds of hotels in development showed us that this place really is up and coming... it's just that many people will prefer to spend a little more and go somewhere that's already arrived for their clubbing holidays.