CHEAP & EASY EUROPEAN GETAWAYS

So you may have gathered, from my posts, that I like a weekend escape. I like to take a break from the every day 9-5 lifestyle, and visit new places as much as possible. And living in Europe means I have the opportunity to fly to lots of different places very easily, and most importantly...cheaply! 

In 2017 I spent a lot of my weekends travelling to various different cities, within the UK and Europe. I thought I would compile a list of some easy and cheap destinations to visit if you are short of time, but still needing that escape. 

Now with this list, it's one that i feel can continuously be added to. Cheap air travel around Europe, with budget airlines, makes it easier then ever to book a last minute weekend away. This list consists of all the weekends away i did across Europe, in 2017, to try and show how easy it really is! 

Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

From my local airport, Amsterdam is only a 20 minute flight, though this can be quite pricey at times. But if you fly from one of the London airports, you can get a great deal on flights, making this beautiful city perfect for a weekend break! Amsterdam is one of my favourite places in the world, and there is always something new to be discovered. Museums, parks, and shopping. It's a great place for people of every age and background to visit. You don't necessarily have to visit a certain place in Amsterdam, as you can just walk to your hearts content and admire the beauty that this city holds, just make sure you look twice before crossing the streets!

We all know why most people go to Amsterdam, but when you get there you realise that there is much much more to be explored. The Jordaan area is a particular favourite of mine, and it is where the Ann Frank Huis is situated. You also have Vondelpark, which is beautiful in both winter and summer, and close to museumplein which is where you can find many of the top museums that this city has to offer. 

A visit to this city is not complete without a trip to the infamous Bloemenmarkt, a flower market full of all the tulips you could ever want or imagine. If you're a big foodie like me then you must also visit the Foodhallen, a place full of different cuisines for an affordable price, and a great picture taking opportunity too! I could go on forever with my love for Amsterdam and recommendations of must do's. 

Dublin, Ireland. 

A few years ago I visited Ireland for the first time, and to be honest it was quite a rushed visit, as we only had two nights to experience such a vast and exciting place. It was our second weekend in a row, in a different country, with very little rest period in between. Not that i'm complaining. But we managed to score some low cost flights, around £40 return each, so we thought why not head on over and tick another place off our bucket list! We decided to stay in a private room in a hostel, to save on money, and ended up staying in the Temple Bar area of Dublin. Now Temple Bar is the spot to be for nightlife. Though if you are like me, and wanting a nice quiet place to stay, or a light sleeper, then it's probably not the best place to stay. Saying that, if you're coming to Dublin in the aim to drink to your hearts content, then this is the perfect place to walk in at 4 a.m.

Transport from the airport and into the city centre is very easy to navigate and also very reasonably priced. There's lots to do in Dublin and lots of Guinness to be drank! 

During our two day stay we managed to visit the castle, the oldest pub in Ireland (The Brazen Head) and of course Temple Bar. We explored the side streets, walked across the river, and had time for a little bit of shopping in between. Our step count was through the roof! 

Dublin is a great place for a weekend away, and has something for everyone. Families, couples and a group of friends. I will definitely be returning.

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

Not a very commonly talked about city, and one that I never realised was so important. There isn't a lot of activities to do in Luxembourg, but it is still a good place to visit, especially for a weekend away! Though, just be warned, the vast majority of shops and restaurants are shut on the first Sunday of each month, so if you are like me, then you'll just end up going to the airport 6 hours early to avoid getting soaked in the rain. 

There are some beautiful parks, and walks to go on within this small city. Definitely a place to be explored by foot, and maybe one to visit during the summer months. I find it fascinating that the country has three official languages, French, German and Luxembourgish, and every person is fluent in all of them. When you go to buy something, you're not sure which language is going to be used. 

Luxembourg is also one of the safest countries in the world, which is good for solo travellers and families. Flights are relatively cheap from London airports, and there are plenty of reasonably price hotels going around. I visited with no knowledge of what to expect, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. The scenery is beautiful and you don't feel as though you are in a capital city.  My favourite thing to do here was to take a leisurely stroll to Casemates Du Bock, and then follow the river back to the main city. The buildings are beautiful and there's some great picture taking spots along this route. 

The country is small, and so is the capital. Allowing you to be able to visit most, if not all, places on your list. I was pleasantly surprised, and i think it's worth a visit at least some point in your life.

Edinburgh, Scotland
A lot closer to home for me, and with lots of different transport options from London, for every budget. Edinburgh is a city that everyone should visit at least once in their life. Flights are relatively cheap and trains can give you great views of the English countryside. Edinburgh is a beautiful city, with beautiful buildings, friendly faces and lots of little cafes. You can visit at any time of the year, which is a reason i would love to go back. Maybe to a Christmas market this time around.

The castle is definitely a must visit on your trip, and offers stunning views of the city below.  Make sure you visit the Greyfriars Bobby, a statue of the famous little terrier that spent the last 14 years of its life guarding the grave of its owner.  And if you're in to walking then make sure you venture up Arthurs Seat, in Holyrood Park. 

One of the best times to visit Edinburgh is during the Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world. Thousands of performances across hundreds of venues in the space of just over three weeks, with most being free or very reasonably priced. Whilst you're their grab yourself a deep fried mars bar!


Cologne, Germany

I have a whole post on my blog dedicated to this city, so go on over and give that a read if you're looking for a more in depth experience! Cologne is very cheap to travel to, and a very easy city to explore.  

It's home to one of the most spectacular cathedrals in the world, and one of the most famous landmarks in Germany. Nearby, is the Hohenzollern Bridge, famous for the thousands of love locks that are placed in every little nook. If you're visiting, make sure to end each night with a stein of beer, and give the traditional foods like bratwurst, spätzle and sauerkraut a try. 

There are plenty of cafes, and bakeries to stop for a coffee, especially in the streets of the Old Town, so picking one will probably be the hardest decision of your visit! If you're a big chocolate fan then make sure you take a visit to the Schokoladenmuseum, where you can grab free samples and finish the day with a hot chocolate in the cafe. 



I'm sure in a few years, I will be making a "Cheap & Easy European Getaways Part II". But for now i hope this post has given you some inspiration for your next little trip! As always, feel free to leave a comment, and/or message me if you're wanting any further advice on these wonderful places.

Thanks for reading, xo

*As with all pictures featured on my blog, they are all taken by me unless otherwise noted. I use a Canon S120 and iPhone 6S.

COLOGNE | A WEEKEND AWAY

Hey everyone! 

I usually start my blog posts by saying 'recently I visited...' but I'm not going to lie, I visited Cologne in April 2017, deciding this is were we wanted to spend out long Easter bank holiday weekend. So it's been a while, a full year in fact. Nevertheless, my memory is still as vivid as ever with the help from the many photos that were taken, and a previously half written blog entry that I've decided to re-write before sharing to the world! 

We stayed in a small hotel, Hotel Alt Deutz, which was across the river from the main city. Meaning we could take a lovely little stroll across one of the many bridges every day, including the infamous Hohenzollern Bridge (also known as the one with all the love locks!)

After a short flight, we landed in Cologne, and navigated the trains to reach our hotel. Luckily we could check in early, so went straight to our room to abandon our belongings so we could head straight out and grab some food. We found a restaurant that looked over to the river, and grabbed our first taste of sauerkraut and bratwurst! (In the traditional setting, I might add) And of course, a stein or two of beer. 

I always say that the best way to discover a new place is to walk around, so that's what we did for the next three days. Though, after some food and a few hours walking we decided to head back to our hotel for an early night, seeing as we had been awake since the early morning travelling...

The next day we visited the love lock bridge of Cologne, where everyone writes their name on a padlock, adds it to the bridge and throws the key into the river below as an act to show that their love will never end. There where thousands of them on every single part of the bridge, in all different colours and all shapes and sizes. Both with our cameras in hand, we spent a good few hours strolling up and down taking hundreds of photos and watching people at new ones.

After this we decided to visit the famous Cologne Cathedral, and Germanys most famous landmark (according to Wikipedia!)

It's a truly beautiful building, with incredible architecture. The cathedral itself is close to the central station, so it's very easy to get to. You could stand for hours looking at all the details on each spire, or the carvings around each door.

The rain then decided to come down, so we took shelter in the train station for a snack and much needed coffee. Soon enough we were back out exploring the Old Town with its many side streets, grabbing pretzels, spätzle and of course more beer! Finishing the wet and windy day off with some ice cream... of course!


The sunset on the walk back to our hotel that night was beautiful, with the cathedral and the river creating a beautiful scene.

On our final day we made a last minute decision to visit the schokoladenmuseum, basically a chocolate museum that has partnered with Lindt. Meaning lots of free samples! Better then we were expecting, and you also got the opportunity to create your own Lindt chocolate bar. After eating too many samples, we made the decision to visit the onsite chocolate cafe, to eat yet more chocolate. Slowly but surely we then made our way back to the airport to catch our evening flight home.

Cologne is a perfect city for a weekend exploring, and definitely one that I will be back to explore some more.

Thanks for reading, xo

*As with all pictures featured on my blog, they are all taken by me unless otherwise noted. I use a Canon S120 and iPhone 6S.

A LONG WEEKEND IN AMSTERDAM | PHOTO DIARY

Hey everyone!

I recently made a trip to Amsterdam, officially now one of my favourite places I've visited.

We flew on a Friday from our local airport of Norwich. The flight lasted 30 minutes, with an additional 20 minutes to taxi the plane from the runway to Schipol Airport. Officially the easiest and quickest flight I have ever been on, which makes weekends away in Amsterdam a great place to escape to.

We stayed in a recently opened hotel called Mr. Jordaan. This is based in the Jordaan area of Amsterdam, and literally around the corner from Anne Frank Huis. With a short 10 minute walk to Central Station.

On the first day we landed early evening, so settled down for an hour and headed straight out for food. We visited a little place called Mr Jacketz, which sold only baked potatoes and salads, amazing! We took a different way home and had our first taste of the canals! They're beautiful in both daylight and when they are lit up by the street lamps and houses at night. 

I won't go into too much detail on what we did, and let the photos do the talking, but here's a very quick summary of the places we visited, including: Van Gogh Museum and Modern Art Museum, Diamond Museum, Flower Market, Boat Tour, Shopping and a Food Market.

We weren't able to visit the Anne Frak Huis as people start queuing from early on in the morning, and as we were a group of nine it was harder to get tickets.  

I have added some of my favourite photos from the trip, which mostly consist of the canals!

As you can see, it's a beautiful place! I'm already planning my next trip!

Thanks for reading, xo

*As with all pictures featured on my blog, they are all taken by me unless otherwise noted. I use a Canon S120 and iPhone 6S.