Europe

There’s more to discover in Europe than you might think. From historic cities to lush green landscapes, Europe is home to so many beautiful places. Take a slow travel trip to Barcelona, get lost in a maze of streets in Granda, explore magnificent lakes in Macedonia, immerse yourself in Bulgarian history, and go by train across Poland.

Barcelona Cooking Class (+ Gazpacho Recipe)

A Barcelona cooking class is the best way to learn to cook tapas. Even better, you can learn to cook Spanish food from locals who live in Barcelona. We’re about the reveal Barcelona’s best cooking class…

Eating out is a huge part of the culture in Barcelona. The city is full of plazas and squares where friends meet for wine and tapas, and talk until the midnight hour. Most locals don’t even consider actually eating dinner until 9pm or later. Instead, Catalonians go bar-hopping in the evening and eat a different tapa at each stop.

For us early-eating Brits, a late dinner time can come as quite a shock. But it feels good to take your time, meet up for a drink, snack on tapas and unwind at the end of the day. After a while, Luke and I came to love it.

7 mins read

Best Airbnbs in Reykjavik for a Winter Break

Let me share my Airbnb wishlist for Reykjavik, Iceland. Read my list of the best Airbnbs in Reykjavik, including budget rooms, perfect apartments and luxury rental homes. 

8 mins read

Iceland Travel Guide

Iceland is a country for adventures. Waterfalls, glaciers, hiking, fjords, whale watching — Iceland is awash with incredible activities for nature lovers and adventurers. On my first trip to Iceland many years ago, I saw some breath-taking sights and have always wanted to explore more of this Nordic country.

7 mins read

Our Favourite Hikes from Around the World

I used to be a fair weather hiker. I only wanted to hike when I knew it wouldn’t rain or get too cold, when I knew I wouldn’t get too muddy, when I knew I’d be able to get a good view from where I was headed.

All that changed when I started travelling. I realised that if you wait for the perfect hiking conditions, you’ll never go hiking at all. When you’re travelling, you only have a limited time in each place and you have to make that time count.

4 mins read

Urban and Jungle at 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin

25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin – an urban jungle hotel that breaks the boundary between the concrete streets of West Berlin and the lush green zoological park. For lovers of both city streets and the green outdoors like me, the 25hours Hotel is an impressive mix.

5 mins read
Best Travel Backpack from Charlie on Travel's Eco-Friendly Travel Packing List

Berlin Green Travel Guide

Our Berlin green travel guide, for travellers who want to experience eco-friendly and sustainable Berlin.

When we arrived in Berlin, the first thing we saw was abandoned buildings and graffiti everywhere. This wasn’t the green metropolis I had been imagining and expecting at all. Then I realised, I had barely scratched the surface.

Berlin is a city that’s constantly being reconstructed, redesigned and re-purposed. You won’t meet a Berliner who doesn’t say: “You should’ve seen Berlin one year ago – it’s changed so much.” We heard that phrase over and over from different Berliners.

8 mins read
How Much Does It Cost to Travel in Bulgaria?

How Much Does It Cost to Travel in Bulgaria on a Budget? [Infographic]

Looking for cheap travel destinations in Europe for a winter break? Let me tell you how much it costs to travel in Bulgaria.

We booked our flights and set off on our winter adventure to Bulgaria after learning that there’s good skiing for bargain prices and that the cost to travel in Bulgaria is low. We weren’t disappointed by Bulgaria and travelling on a budget — even while skiing — was very doable. I have to be honest though and say that although the cost to travel in Bulgaria was good, it was even cheaper to travel in Macedonia.

6 mins read
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia

Sofia, Bulgaria – Travel Guide

Sofia was our first stop in Bulgaria. We’d planned on just passing through on our way to go skiing in Bansko, but as we slowly started to discover more and more historic sights and vegan restaurants, we slowed down.

Sofia isn’t a city like London, Paris or Rome though. It’s history is a cultural mesh of Eastern and Western influence. Churches, mosques and Soviet buildings all share the same small space of the city.

5 mins read
Travel in Macedonia - Bitola

Bitola in Macedonia (and My Big Travel Mistake)

Bitola wasn’t really part of our Macedonia travel plan. Actually, we didn’t really have a proper plan, which is what caused the mess in the first place.

After arriving in Skopje and working our socks off to catch up on freelance work, we jumped straight on a bus to Lake Ohrid – which is known as the place to go for travellers in Macedonia. We had four beautiful days in Ohrid, wiling away hours around the lake and exploring monasteries.

Then it was time to move on, except we had nowhere to go.

 

8 mins read

Lake Ohrid in Macedonia: A Beautiful Slow Weekend

Lake Ohrid is truly the jewel in Macedonia’s crown.

When we first made it past the town centre and scaled up the hillside through the old town, we looked out in wonderment over the lake and distant mountains. Lake Ohrid isn’t just any lake, this UNESCO World Heritage site is one of Europe’s oldest and deepest lakes. It is beautiful.

6 mins read
Skiing in Mavrovo, Macedonia

Skiing in Mavrovo, Macedonia: Everything You Need To Know

Mavrovo is Macedonia’s oldest national park. It’s an exceptional beauty, a small village around a large lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains – and it’s home to the Zare Lazareski ski resort.

We hadn’t initially planned to go skiing in Macedonia – since we’d already been skiing in Bansko and Charlie didn’t take to it all that well. But there’s not much going on during winter in Macedonia apart from skiing and I love it, so she put on a brave face and we took to the slopes in Mavrovo.

7 mins read

Matka Canyon in Macedonia in 1 Day

Matka Canyon is the ideal day trip from Skopje for anyone who loves nature, cool rocks and hiking. It’s hard to believe that this incredible canyon is just 15km away from the busy urban streets of Macedonia’s capital city.

4 mins read