Highlights of a 12 country backpacking trip

The summer of 2015 will always be one of the most special, exhilarating, exhausting, adventurous, aggravating, eye-opening times of my life. I had this crazy idea to plan a 12 country backpacking tour around Europe for myself and 6 of my best friends. Yes, there were 7 of us who explored Europe together for 2 months. There were innumerable moments that brought about uncontrollable laughs, tears, jokes, fights, reflections, great joy and great sadness, but in all these moments an unforgettable experience occurred.

Enough with the mushy stuff. This article will go over each country we visited in a very brief summary and discuss the amazing highlights, as well as things that went wrong and general advice (from my perspective). Enjoy!!

Country 1: The United Kingdom (London and Edinburgh)

It was a pleasure to introduce my 6 dear American friends to my home country. It was something we discussed over the years at University but never knew if it would really happen. We spent 2 weeks in London, before moving onto Scotland.

London highlights

Tower of London. I remember visiting as a younger girl and always having the best day out. Years later as a young adult, I felt exactly the same way and so did my friends. The tour guide (which will always be a beefeater) is always funny and animated, and truly makes the experience feel very “London-ish”. The history behind it is fascinating, and seeing the crown jewels will never cease to amaze.

Les miserables at the Queens theatre. What an incredible show!! I was moved to tears. I think a trip to London without going to the theatre is a real shame. My friends and I were all very moved by the show and could not help but singing all the songs for a while after.

Buckingham Palace. It’s cliché, it’s touristy, but it’s still always a great time. For me, it was rewarding to see that my friends were so excited to finally be at a world famous place they have heard of for so many years. And of course, we had a photo shoot outside the Palace.

(Throwing up our bulls signs- we love to represent the University of South Florida.. Go bulls!)

London advice

Money! This city is dreadfully expensive for anyone who does not have pounds. The pound is strong and it will cut deep in your pocket. We were able to spend so long here as I have family here and we did not have to pay for accommodation. Otherwise, London should always be a 3 or 4-day trip on a backpacking tour.

(Loved watching them trying to figure out the British coins)

Edinburgh highlights

Sandemans walking tour. During our entire backpacking trip, this was the best walking tour we took by far. We were captivated from the beginning to the end. They always say they are free walking tours but not really. You tip at the end and although you don’t have to, it would be awful if you did not. 

(Although grey and rainy, I was all smiles in this amazing city!)

Bagpipes. We were ecstatic when we found people playing bagpipes on the street. Leaving Scotland without checking out a man in a kilt was not going to happen.

Highlands tour. The weather unfortunately was not the greatest (surprise surprise for Edinburgh), but we still had a really relaxing day driving through the hills and cute little towns. Our tour guide was the cutest little Scottish man and he kept us informed throughout. I loved seeing the iron bridge the most, formally known as the Forth bridge. It was sad to know so many people died while making this bridge, but they were a determine bunch.

Glengoyne whiskey distillery. The Scott's are known for their whiskey, so it was really interesting to see what a complex process it was to make hardcore and pure whiskey. The little taster we had nearly knocked us out.

Edinburgh advice

Weather!! Although we were there in the "summer" time, it was quite cold, rainy and grey. We had breakfast with some locals one day and they were raving about how lovely and warm the weather was. We looked at each other and thought they had lost their minds. So in short, prepare for some not so great weather.

Country 2: Spain (Barcelona)

Barcelona highlights

La Sagrada Familia. I will rave about this church until I am blue in the face. The church was so spectacular we stood outside for a good 30 minutes before even going inside, in complete awe of the detail. We also done the audio tour guide in which we all zoned out from each other for a couple of hours. We spent at least 3 hours in there and could have spent more time if we weren't so hungry.

The gorgeous streets. We wandered so much in this city. Anywhere and everywhere. The city is very colourful and vibrant and has lots of lovely side streets to stroll down. 

Picasso museum. Although many cities have a lot of Picasso museums, this museum has the most extensive pieces of Picasso's artwork. It is well layed out and not overwhelming, and is solely focused on Picasso so you get to understand his art work from the beginning to the end of his life. No pictures were allowed inside, so I got a picture of the outside.

Gaudi park and surrounding area. We decided not to actually go inside the Gaudi park as it is quite a small area in which you can see everything just by being up on a hill nearby. The surrounding area of the gaudi park was stunning, with amazing views over the city and beautiful stone architecture.

Barcelona advice

Font magica. It was an okay water fountain show, but honestly nothing special. Moreover, we had quite an issue finding decent seating. It was PACKED. If you want decent seats, you should try and get there about 45 minutes early.

Country 3: France (Paris)

Paris highlights

The Louvre. Largest museum in the world and truly you need to dedicate at least one full day to get just a taste of what the museum has to offer. My favourite parts are the Egyptian section and Napoleans former apartment. Oh and of course, don't forget to stop by the Mona Lisa.

Versailles. Always makes for a great day out. Whether exploring the castle, Marie Antoinette's estate or the elaborate gardens, you'll really be amazed to see how the French royalty lived centuries ago.

The Eiffel Tower. In the summer months, the Eiffel tower is seriously popping!! Great music, a nice bar with swinging chairs and a total relaxed vibe. The best part is of course the amazing panaromic views of Paris from wherever you are on the tower. There are 3 floors and all 3 are great. In my opinion, it's more impressive at night than at the day.

(Such a memorable bestie moment I'll never forget)

Sacre Coeur and Montmatre. By far my favourite part of Paris that gives you such a lovely Parisian feel. The Sacre Coeur is so impressive on the hill, day and night, and way worth the tiring walk up a bunch of stairs.

Paris advice.

PICKPOCKETS! Seriously please be so aware. At all times. Also, you sometimes have to get quite stern with the people trying to sell you selfie sticks or mini Eiffel towers, or else they won't leave you alone. Last but not least, do yourself a favour and stop at Laduree on the Champs d'elysees. I'm 100% certain you won't regret dropping some money on the macaroons.

Country 4: Netherlands (Amsterdam)

Amsterdam highlights

Anne Frank House. Of course this was a must! I loved reading the Anne Frank book as a child, so it was amazing to see it brought to life by seeing where she lived. In all honesty, I did shed some tears, but I left feeling so grateful for the freedom I have today.

Iamsterdam sign. The sign is iconic so you have to go see. But the most fun part is getting the perfect picture op's on the sign. Don't try this at home: we incurred injuries in the process.

Bike tour. The city of bikes. If you can ride a bike in Amsterdam successfully, you can ride a bike anywhere. Daunting at first, it eventually was exhilirating to go along with the fast-paced bike culture. When you rent a bike, make sure you get out of the city and ride out to the countryside. We came across so much beauty on our bike excursion.

Amsterdam advice

Red light district. Don't leave without seeing what it's all about. You won't see anything like it anywhere else, and it really was an eye-opening experience. According to our walking tour guide, the red light district will be pretty much distinguished in the next year or two, so take your chance while you can.

Country 5: Germany (Berlin)

Berlin highlights

The Reichstag. Great way to learn more about the German government. The reichstag has been the hub of politics in Germany since the late 1800s.

The Palace of Tears. One of the most well layed out and informative museums I have ever visited. It goes into great detail about the Berlin wall construction and division of life for many German families. The Berlin wall itself is quite close by as well.

The Holocaust Memorial. At first I thought the blocks was all there were, but there is a fantastic museum downstairs that is again, very very moving. It is free of charge to enter, and way worth a visit to get insight into the lives of many of the victims.

Berlin advice

Don't just do history. Berlin left a bad taste in my mouth, and I think it is because all the things we did were history related and therefore very depressing. It is important to know the history, but also see the fun and nice parts of the city. Also... for some reason still water is nearly impossible to get. A lot of times you'll ask specifically for still water, but will get sparkling regardless.

Country 6: Czech Republic (Prague)

Prague highlights

Charles bridge. Absoloutely beautiful bridge. Along the bridge there are multiple monuments and the view over the river is gorgeous. Our favourite part was the beautiful old school band entertaining us as we strolled across.

Prague castle. Truly stunning. From the walk uphill to get there, the view over the city, the castle itself, the surrounding buildings, the gardens and the little town it sits within.

John Lennon wall. Who doesn't love John Lennon? This is a wall dedicated to him where people can leave their mark. There was also people by the wall playing the best of John Lennon and it was amazing. Of course, we had to leave our mark, even if meant doing some form of gymnastics.

Country 7: Austria (Vienna)

Vienna highlights

Tiergarten zoo. Oldest zoo in the world and probably the best zoo in the world. This was seriously a major highlight in our trip. We had the most amazing day at this zoo. It is truly impressive and have such an extensive range of animals.

(I couldn't believe this was a zoo entrance!)

The town itself. It is such a charming city. It reminded me a lot of Paris, just a much cleaner and more peaceful version.

Schonbrunn Palace. Viennas most visited site but it is no wonder. Everything was immaculate and well kept, and as we were there in the summer everywhere was filled with beautiful flowers.

Vienna advice

Try a Viennese schnitzel. It always good to try the original. I was not dissapointed!

Country 8: Turkey (Istanbul)

Istanbul highlights

The Hagia Sofia. Phenomenal from the outside. The inside looks war torn, due to religious battle over the building. A must see!

The people. Everyone was so pleasant, no matter what arena. It was refreshing to go from grumpy faces (Berlin and Prague) to constantly smiling faces. We also got special treatment due to our sun-kissed skin, which made for a time full of laughs in Istanbul.

Europe to Asia boat ride. It was amazing to one minute be in Europe, and a 20 minute ferry ride later be in Asia. Both sides are definitely worth exploring. And generally, things are a little cheaper on the Asian side.

Istanbul advice

Mosque coverings. Even if it's baking hot, which it likely will be, remember to bring a scarf to cover your hair and shoulders for ladies, and that your legs are completely covered too.

Country 9: Greece (Athens & Corfu)

Athens highlights

Acropolis hill. Where the word ancient really means something. Everything here was ancient yet so beautiful. We were shocked by how much of a trek we had to take in order to get to the parthenon itself. It was no easy feat, so make sure to bring a big water bottle. But once you get to the top, the effort was way more than worth it.

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