College Backpacking Trip: Europe
- LoAroundTheGlobo
- Mar 4, 2019
- 10 min read
Updated: Feb 23
Summer 2015
Summer between Sophomore and Junior year of college. Probably the best summer of my life. Around Christmastime the year before, my best friend and fellow travel bug, Schyler, expressed an interest in backpacking around Europe together. And so the planning began. Our other friend Sam added on, and we built some other reunions into the trip, as well, including meeting up with Marta who was a Spanish foreign exchange student at our high school, in Barcelona, and having my mom meet us in Berlin, where we spent a few days before finishing the trip in Prague.
We first flew in to Athens, Greece, where we navigated the narrow streets and climbed the crumbling steps of the city's many historical landmarks. As we ascended the Akropolis, we were able to learn about civilizations from many centuries ago, and experience the now bustling-life of people in Greece. During our couple of days in Athens, the people of Greece held a Referendum, in which they voted themselves out of the EU. There were protests in the streets all across the city and there were what sounded like riots by nightfall. We didn't feel unsafe per se, but we did feel a little uneasy, given the geopolitical instability and uncertainty the vote caused. To be fair, the Greeks themselves seemed uneasy and frustrated about the current economic state. They're a group very proud of their heritage so the civil unrest and anxiety was palpable.
From Athens, we caught a ferry to Mykonos, one of the Greek Islands. That place is made of dreams. White-stuccoed buildings with blue window panes and roofs, endless blossoms of bright pink flowers, the smell of authentic Greek food on the edge of every breeze, crystal blue water, gorgeous rock cliffs, and sunsets that seem to melt peacefully into the horizon. We rented ATVs one day for fairly cheap, and it was the best way for us to explore the beautiful little island. We also hit the beach clubs by night, where people from every corner of the world gathered to dance, drink, and be merry.
Next was Venice, Italy - a fantasy-world all its own. Truly one of the most unique and unimaginably charming places. It's technically a peninsula and no cars are allowed. None. All water and foot traffic. The "streets" are narrow and painted a variety of pastels, cracked and slipping into the canals on every corner. The main canals are flooded with gondolas, water taxis, and other private boats. As we explored every nook and cranny, we once saw a water ambulance with its sirens on approach a low-hanging bridge, and it had to back up several times before positioning itself perfectly-centered enough to pass under safely.
After a few days dining, shopping, and going out in Venice, we headed to Rome, Italy after that, where we baked in the hot July heat of this massive metropolis in all its glory. We picked up fresh fruit and made sangria to combat the heat exhaustion. Rome is a place so rich in history that I'm not sure people go there for any reason but to see the Coliseum, Roman Ruins, and all the other historical landmarks. We ended up attending a tour of the Coliseum and Ruins that was supposed to be three hours long, and, most attractively, allowed us to skip some of the entry lines that stretched for a half mile in some instances.
However, our amazingly passionate and knowledgeable tour guide, Donatella, didn't wrap up the tour until six hours later. The only tourists remaining with us by the end were two students from Cuba. Nevertheless, we were grateful for her expertise and soaked in all the details she happily shared about civilizations passed.
The next stop on our tour was Nice, France, a beach town in the French Riviera, a region situated along France's Mediterranean coastline. While in Nice, we took a day trip to Monaco, which is the teeniest/richest sovereign in the world. The French Riviera feels like a combination of affluence, yet approachability. The numerous yacht clubs, waterside cafes, and expensive cars make you feel like you're really in a petri dish of the world's wealthiest individuals and families. But then you talk with the locals and hike up some cliffs and just appreciate that the locals love visitors and sharing their beautiful town with the world. We were able to lounge on the pebble beach, explore the quaint streets, and dine in picturesque cafes lining the boardwalk.
During one of our days in the area, we met up with Schyler's distant relative who took us to a smaller town outside the city to celebrate Bastille Day. We sat on these rocks by the water as locals waved French flags, shot off fireworks, celebrated in the streets, and welcomed us into this patriotic day with open arms. It was truly a magical experience.
From France, we continued. onto Spain, where we met up with Marta in Barcelona; as a Spaniard, she showed us all the city's touristy hot spots, including La Sagrada Familia, Parque Guell, and the main boardwalk by the water. Although Barcelona is a beautiful place, referring to both its sights and its peoples, it is also one of the most fun places I've ever been. The nightlife is incredible and people truly party until the sun rises. So, depending on what you're looking for, Barcelona offers a variety of cultural experiences, from history, art, and paella to cathedrals, beaches, and discotecas.
We said our goodbyes to Marta, and made our way to Lisbon, Portugal. Side note: all of the international travel was mostly via flights, with various trains and a rental car (I'll get to this point later) for intra-country travel. Once on site in each city, we navigated around using the public transportation, walking, or biking. We opted to fly between countries because, according to our pre-departure calculations, flying was not only our cheapest option, but our most painless.
Back to the story: Lisbon is so very adorable. Of all the places we visited, I wish we had more time there, and it's high on my list to go back. The "city" feels more like a big town, so quaint and with bright murals and colorful buildings/bridges everywhere. Time moves slowly there in this sunshine-soaked place and the locals look like rays of sunshine themselves. We braved the many hills of Lisbon's downtown area, exploring all around the gorgeous plazas and charming neighborhoods.
One day, we went out to Sintra for a day trip to visit some of Portugal's world-famous castles. Maybe it's Portugal's geographic location, or maybe it's just the Portuguese culture, but all the people were so laid-back and easy to talk to as if the entire country has one quaint beach town vibe. During one of our nights out at a club situated on the water, we had a blast dancing and sipping mojitos before making our way back to our Airbnb; we snapped back to reality the next morning when we realized that Schyler left her Passport at the club, so once we retrieved that, we slipped out of Portugal for good.
Leaving Portugal was tough as we'd made some new friends during our short time there and relished in its good vibes, but we headed back to France, this time for Paris. No matter how many movies, postcards, or rom coms one sees about Paris, being there is something I hope everyone gets to experience at least once. It's undeniable and unavoidable: Romance is in the air. It's in the water, the croissants, the streets, the metros, the sights, the flower shops, the twinkling lights of the Eiffel Tower. It's a huge, bustling city, but all the landmarks (Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Love Lock Bridge, Catacombs, etc.) have a way of stopping you in your tracks.
We met the sweetest group of locals who actually invited us to a rooftop party one of the nights. As we were all hanging out and overlooking the city lights and sights below (including Moulin Rouge), we heard a loud banging on the door. French Police. Angry French Police. Through some chaotic translation and hand-gestured communication, our friends informed us that the French Police did not believe we could not speak French, let alone were Americans, and they thought we were pretending to be difficult! Let's just say we narrowly escaped a tricky encounter.
Somehow, someway, we managed to be in Paris for the 7th Leg of the Tour de France. On a rainy day at the Arc de Triumph, we watched the world's most famous cyclists complete their long, competitive journey toward Paris. This is one of the moments in my life that I look back on, and cannot believe that I actually experienced. There were people, spectators, dogs, media, and guards all around, and when the cyclists drew near, the crowd would go quiet as they zipped by in the blink of an eye. All that could be heard was the quick zoom of their tires on the pavement.
They circled the Arc de Triumph multiple times before a winner was crowned and the crowd slowly dissipated. Sam, Schyler, and I kept looking at each other throughout the day in pleasant disbelief that we'd witnessed the final moments of a world-famous sporting event.
On our travel day from Paris to Berline, we hit our first (and only) travel snafu and it became one of my favorite bad-idea-turned-hilarious-story moments from the trip: due to some miscommunications, a forgotten time change, and perhaps a couple of slight hangovers, we missed our flight from Paris to Berlin. After some pleading with the Hertz worker about renting us a vehicle despite the fact that we were a handful of years shy of the age minimum, he eventually caved and rented us a car to drive from Paris to Berlin. And so our journey began, all 12 hours of it. With this newfound flexibility, however, we decided to *slightly* detour from the direct route and drive through Brussels, Belgium and Amsterdam, Netherlands on our way.
We rolled into Brussels around midnight, parked on a random street corner, and walked around the city center observing all the people out for a night. We saw the main palace and lingered for maybe a couple of hours, grubbing on gyros and strolling around the main squares before we hopped back in the car and headed for Amsterdam. We got to Amsterdam when the world was waking up around dawn. The glow of a summer sunrise lit up the town like something from a movie, with yellow twinkly lights glistening off the main canal, colorful row homes lining the cobblestone streets, and the numerous bikers starting their morning commutes.
After some exploration of the local culture and main downtown area, we hit the road again, bound for Berlin to meet my mom, who was already there patiently awaiting our arrival. Being the only one of our trio who could drive manual, I drove us the entire way from Paris to Brussels to Amsterdam to then Berlin, as I braved the Autobahn, which was quite an experience to say the least. I was honestly too scared to go any faster than 80 mph (150-ish km/hour) as plenty of Audis and Mercedes blew the doors off of us. Thankful, deliriously tired, and excited to finally arrive in Berlin, we greeted my Mom and got settled into our nicest Airbnb yet (thanks Mom!).
Berlin is a really cool place. We visited the Berlin Wall, and took in all of the historical landmarks scattered about the city. Berlin is very traversable by walking, public transportation, or biking. The infrastructure literally built in special stop lights and bike lanes to accommodate all of its active citizens and tourists. Everyone is super friendly, and the city has a very grungy, modern feel.
From Berlin, the four of us then headed to Prague, Czech Republic for the last stop on our itinerary. It was bittersweet as we rounded out a 6-week journey, and reminisced on all the friendly locals and fellow travelers we'd encountered along the way, all the memories we'd shared, and all the experiences we now held dear.
That said, Prague did not disappoint. Its old-timey-meets-new-world architecture and culture took hold of our hearts fairly quickly, and we fell in love with the city as we walked almost everywhere - along the river, through the many cobblestone plazas, all throughout its quaint neighborhoods and day markets, and all about its orange-roofed promenades. We even hit the Ice Pub one night, a 7-story club (with a different theme per floor), and ventured around to all the beautiful churches and overlooks come daytime.
We really enjoyed our time in Prague, and it punctuated an incredibly special trip with people near and dear to my heart! 10 countries, 14 cities, six weeks, and countless memories later, we were finally homeward bound. We'd bopped, danced, flown, drank, swam, ate, laughed, talked, cried, and hugged our way around lots of Western Europe.
It was truly one of the funnest and fullest trips of my life. During all of our adventures, I not only had the time of my life, but I learned more about myself and what I value: new experiences, laughter, yummy food, and not taking myself too seriously. I left Europe better understanding my space in this world, and how I want others to perceive me. All the passing moments, those days jam-packed with adventure, those fun nights out, all the people... it all shaped me in ways difficult to articulate.
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To Do or Not To Do?
Yes, certainly. You can replicate this itinerary or make your own rendition of it. Or just pick and choose which cities interest you most. When anyone would ask me where my favorite place was, that question was impossible to answer because they all kept pieces of my heart, just for different reasons.
So whether you want museums, churches, beaches, clubs, or a mixture of everything, these European countries can offer you the world. My recommendation is to have a plan, have a rough idea of where you want to go, make some accommodations and nail down some of the details, but stay flexible too. Stay open-minded to extending your stay somewhere of special interest or adding a new destination entirely when you unexpectedly drive instead of fly. The cultures, the food, the sights, and the people will win you over so easily, no matter where you decide to go.
As broke college kids, we were pretty thorough with our research and always tried to make the most economical decisions. So trust me, it's possible to do this within a reasonable budget and still emerge from the trip with memories to last a lifetime. We pulled it off somehow, and you can too!
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