Europe Explore Europe Like Never Before!

For gay travel, Europe has a lot to offer and there are many exciting gay scenes and hot spots to visit. However while there are many clubbing areas and other gay tourist spots, nothing beats a gay parade which is a jubilant celebration that anyone can enjoy. But for the discerning gay tourist, where is the best gay parade to visit? Here we will look at the biggest gay parade in Europe, and some of the other close contenders.

The biggest gay parade in Europe is something that is not clear cut – partially as parades will vary in size year on year. However in Europe the best location for gay parades is Berlin – a true hot spot for gay travel and home to some of the largest and most vibrant gay parades in the world.

Sao Paulo in Brazil was home to arguably the largest gay parade in the world according to estimates and had over three million attendees. One of the largest parades in Europe however could have been the ‘Love Parade’ which took place in Berlin, Germany for some years. While it is theoretically an annual event, certain circumstances lead to some years being canceled. Not purely a gay parade, the love parade is however intended to spread love, tolerance and music. Sadly in 2009 the love parade was struck by tragedy when a stampede killed 21 people in attendance; and as a result the parade was called to a halt.

However the best way to find the biggest gay parade in Europe today is to wait for Gay Pride. Gay Pride parades take place in cities across Europe and each hosts huge celebrations. However, as one of the true capitals of the world for gay travel, the Gay Pride parade held in Berlin is perhaps the most impressive and is possible the biggest gay parade in Europe. The Gay Pride celebrations in Berlin include the Berlin Lesbian and Gay City Festival held in Shconeeberg and features musical performances, art, lectures, exhibits and more. On the final weekend of Gay Pride, the Berlin Gay Pride Parade then takes place in the same location starting at 12.30pm on the corner of Kururstendham and is followed by the Pride Rally.

As well as potentially Europe’s biggest gay parade, Berlin is also home to ‘Folsom Europe’ which is Europe’s largest fetish festival and is held in September. Both events are great fun and colorful celebrations that must be visited by gay travelers, but also anyone else looking for a unique and exciting experience.

Posted under Europe, Travel

Europe is a highly modern continent and one of the ways in which it demonstrates this is with its adopting of new technologies. It doesn’t take much searching to find free wifi in Europe for example, and most of the big cities, certainly in Western Europe, do provide free connections that mean you can get on with work, surf the web and download media all while on the move without having to get charged from your service provider.

Cities like Paris, Berlin and London are great for finding free wifi in Europe (Paris is particularly good), but these offerings still pale in comparison to one particular city in Europe: the city of Tallinn.

Tallinn is the capital of Estonia, and if you really want free wifi in Europe this is where you should go. In fact Tallinn provides free wifi for practically its entire city and you will find orange and black stickers on shop windows all over Tallinn promoting this fact. But not only do the shops and businesses provide this free wifi in Europe, but so too does the city itself.

Just to show how hot on free wifi in Europe Tallinn really is here are some facts. First of all Tallinn airport was the first airport in the world to offer free wifi across the airpot. In many other European and Western countries you still need to pay for internet usage at kiosks. Meanwhile even some of the buses offer free wifi (as well as flat-screen TVs and electrical outlets). The city is among the top ten in the world for free wifi, and in total there are over 64 wifi hotspots available completely free.

This is not the only example of Tallinn and Estonia being incredibly technologically advanced. Many people refer to Tallinn as something of a second ‘Silicone Valley’ and internet startups are one of the largest contributors to the Estonian economy (50% of which comes from Tallinn). Among these startups are the immensely popular Skype – the video conferencing software that is perfectly suited to free wifi in Europe.

Perhaps most amazingly of all though, Tallinn was also the home of the world’s first ever online election which truly may pave the way for the rest of the planet. Free wifi in Europe then is only the start of Tallinn’s digital pioneering, hopefully other countries will follow suite soon.

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Choosing a hotel is an incredibly important part of any journey. Even if you’re the kind of holiday maker who doesn’t intend to spend too much time in the hotel you will still find that feeling safe and warm in the room makes a big difference to how much you enjoy your stay. However many people still take the process for granted and incorrectly assume that European hotels are much of a muchness.

There are certainly things to look out for to make sure you make the most of your European travel. Here we will look at a few things to look out for with European hotels to help you choose one correctly.

 

Price: The price is of course an important selling point. You will likely have a budget and be restricted by this to an extent. At the same time though the price can sometimes reflect the quality of the hotel (you get what you pay for in other words) – so make sure that you look at the star rating of the hotel too and the other facilities on offer and then choose the cheapest of the hotels you like.

 

Location: Obviously this is very important for any hotel. It is not enough to just look for European hotels in the city you are visiting, but also hotels with good transport links, good amenities and facilities nearby and in short distance from the sites you wish to visit. You also want to make sure the area is pleasant, safe and clean. Look on Google Maps to get a good idea of the area and use route planners online to find the distance between your location and the sites you want to see. Read reviews and lookout for indicators of the area too. If you are staying in a big city, then European hotels near metro stations and underground stations will generally be very useful as these usually provide links to all the major sites.

 

Parking: Many people will travel around Europe with a car and this will mean then that they require somewhere to keep it. Look into then whether or not there is parking in your hotel – and choose one that offers somewhere free to keep your vehicle off road. If you’re parking in the street or paying for parking then other European hotels might be more convenient and cost effective.

 

Sharing: If you are staying hostels rather than European hotels, then you risk having to share with other travelers. For some people this will be off-putting as they will want to keep themselves to themselves and as they will worry about thieves. For other travelers it will be a bonus to get to socialize and meet other people. When booking your European hotels make sure to look at whether or not you’ll be sharing with other people.

 

Opening Hours: if you plan to be out all night partying then yo don’t want to stay somewhere where the last check in is 11pm. Likewise it is important to know the closing times of European hotels when you are arriving – particularly if you are running late.

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Going traveling is great fun, and especially when you are traveling from country to country and following only a very loose plan. You never know where you’re going to end up, what you’re going to see or who you’re going to meet and that makes for a fantastic adventure.

However on the other hand it can also be somewhat stressful if you don’t have a hotel reservation waiting for you and especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for. This is where budget European hotel chains come in and where they can be such a Godsend. The idea of budget European hotel chains is that you have somewhere you can stay that is recognized and safe and that will provide all the standard amenities you can expect so you won’t be left in a room full of tramps with a shared toilet and no sink. At the same time though it also means you will be getting just the basics and won’t be paying through the nose for a spa membership you don’t want. Budget European hotel chains offer exactly what most people want on a whim which is somewhere cheap but comfy to spend the night.

At the same time because they’re chains that means you know what to expect. Budget European hotel chains are standardized across the board and you can be sure that they’ll offer roughly the same things at roughly the same prices. No negotiations late at night and no nasty surprises.

To use them though you need to know the names of those budget European hotel chains. Following are some of the most popular chains across Europe along with a few basic details about what you can expect. If you see any of the following budget European hotel chains then you can breath a sigh of relief – and you can expect to pay between $20-$150 for any of them.

 

Name: Travelodge

Countries: UK, IRL, ES

En-Suite: Yes

Wifi: Charged

 

Name: ETAP

Countries: F, B, D, A, ES, GB, CH, NL, L, PL

En-Suite: Yes

Wifi: Free/Charged

 

Name: Formule 1

Countries: F, B, D, GB, ES, CH, NL

En-Suite: No

Wifi: Charged

 

Name: B&B

Countries: F, D

En-Suite: Yes

Wifi: Free

 

Name: Premiere Classe

Countries: F, B, N, PL

En-Suite: Yes

Wifi: Free

 

Name: Balladins

Countries: UK, IRL, ES

En-Suite: Yes

Wifi: Charged

Posted under Europe, Travel

Europe offers many different cultures, sites and environments to look around and explore when you go on holiday, and not all of these are completely foreign. Just like the US for instance, Europe has plenty of zoos to offer and if you’re a fan of animals then these can make for a great day out that all the family can enjoy. Here we will look at some of the top zoos for you to look around and explore. If you’re nearby and on holiday, then be sure to drop in and look at the wildlife.

Berlin Zoo:

Berlin is one of the top European zoos and one of the top tourist destinations in Berlin itself. This is the oldest German zoo, and also one of the world’s very largest. Here you’ll be able to look around at 15,000 animals – an impressive selection by any standards.

Zoo De La Palmyra:

Created in 1966 this is one of the most highly recommended zoos in Europe. This is also one of the top European zoos thanks to its commitment to introducing the animals back into their natural habitats. The animals are also interactive and you can even feed the Giraffe.

Barcelona Zoo:

Another of the top European zoos that offers activities and interaction with the animals. Among other things you can enjoy dolphin shows, picnic areas, pony rides and more.

Longleat Zoo:

Longleat in England is more safari than zoo, which makes it a different entry on our list of top European zoos. This one lets you drive through enclosures of lions and wolves, and lets you get out to feed reindeer and other animals. It also has rides and activities, a maze and more making for a great day out. It’s worth visiting too as it’s located right by stone henge which is another point of interest for tourists coming to Europe.

Prague Zoo:

Prague zoo is another top European zoos and a well known entry. With a vast selection of animals of course, as well as various shows and events and children’s zone (containing a children’s Zoo filled with safe animals for kids to play with and feed), there’s plenty to do for a whole day. At the same time this is one of the top European zoos because it offers more than just animals – also letting you see a selection of exciting fauna in the ‘Indonesian Jungle’ and ‘Monkey Island’ pavilions.

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The Statue of Liberty is one of the most iconic images in the world, and one that is completely synonymous with America… which is why it’s strange for many to learn that there is a second Statue of Liberty in France. In fact there are several more statues of liberty in France, and the Statue of Liberty herself in the US is actually called the ‘Liberty Enlightening the World’ or ‘La Liberté Éclairant le Monde’. The statue was given to the US as a gift from the French people and was designed by a French man named Frédéric Bartholdi – so it’s no wonder that they would have a second Statue of Liberty for themselves… or several (interestingly the statue is also of the Roman Goddess of Freedom – Libertas – so it is actually quite multicultural in origin).

In fact, what might be truly surprising for many to learn is that the second Statue of Liberty is not technically a European statue at all – but rather the American statue in New York Harbor. That’s right – the first Statue of Liberty was actually in The Luxembourg Gardens in Paris meaning that in a way the more famous New York statue is the second Statue of Liberty.

The statue in the Luxembourg Garden, or the Jardin du Luxembourg as it is known there, is a far smaller statue that was used by Bartholdi as preparatory work for the larger scale New York statue (as reads a bronze plaque on the statue). It was given to the Luxembourg museum in 1900, and later moved to the beautiful and serene park in 1906, A stroll through these gardens is a great way to spend a day in Paris and this European Statue of Liberty is one of several attractive statues to be seen there.

A second Statue of Liberty located in Paris is by Grenelle Bridge on the Île Aux Cygnes – an island in the Seine. This Statue of Liberty is 11.50 meters high and  and looks Southwest down the river. This statue reads two dates – ‘IV JUILLET 1776′ (the United States Declaration of Independence) and ‘XIV JUILLET 1789′ (the storming of the Bastille).

While these two statues and the ‘main’ Statue of Liberty are considered the only ‘true’ Statues of Liberty, there are many other replicas and aspects that can stake a claim to being the ‘Second Statue of Liberty’. These include the original plaster that Bartholdi used to make the New York Statue, which is now visible at the Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris; a full sized torch called the Flame of Liberty at the entrance to the Pont de l’Alma; and others outside of France such as the 35 meter copy at the Heidepark Soltau theme park in Germany, the small replica in Visnes in Norway where the copper for the New York statue was mined, the sitting Statue of Liberty in the Ukrainian City Lviv and a 17 foot tall replica on top of the ‘Liberty Shoe Factory’ in Leicester in England.

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Europe is filled with fantastic sites and fascinating culture and history. Sometimes it can seem almost as though there is too much to visit to ever really feel like you can tick ‘Europe’ off of your list. However that said, there are some places in the continent that are more famous than others and that are particularly high on most people’s ‘must see’ lists. This is particularly true of many of the cities, and it’s no surprise that Europe is so popular for city breaks. Here we will list some of the most famous European cities for you to consider visiting.

Amsterdam: Amsterdam is one of the most famous European cities for several reasons. It is first and foremost a very modern city, but at the same time it’s famous for being very liberal which makes it a great destination for stag and hen parties.

Athens: Athens is another of the most famous European cities and partly because of its expansive history – a hub of early civilization and progress. It also has a great climate which makes it great for holiday makers.

Berlin: Berlin is a very modern city that is kept highly clean and is particularly famous for its cobbled streets, war memorials and of course the chocolate. Like Paris and London it’s also one of the most famous cities in Europe due to the role of Germany on the world stage.

Budapest: Budapest is one of the most famous cities in Europe principally because it’s known for being so beautiful and featuring a large World Heritage Site. It also features 80 geothermal springs and impressive architecture such as the synagogue and huge parliament building.

London: London is one of the most famous cities in Europe because of the large amount of history and sites. There’s the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, The Millennium Wheel and many other instantly recognizable sights. Further to this London has all the other things that are synonymous with England such as the red phone boxes and the guards.

Paris: Paris has a lot going for it that makes it so famous – sites such as the Champs Elysée and the Eiffel Tower for instance, as well as its renown as the most romantic city in the world.

Rome: Again it’s the historical sites and landmarks that make Rome one of the most famous cities in Europe and some examples are the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain and the many squares.

Venice: Venice is one of the most famous cities in Europe because of the many canals running throughout the city.

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