Best Weekend Trips around Europe – Part 1
A century ago, the “Grand European Tour” was an important rite of passage; young people spent over a year abroad, traveling and experimenting life before figuring out what they wanted to do and settling into the confines of adult life. Today’s version of this is a bit more… down to earth. While a comparatively larger number of people are able to travel abroad, the actual trips are short vacations or just occasional outings, as we can’t really afford to take a year off from reality. So here is today’s list of the best Weekend Trips around Europe.
A romantic trip to Bruges. While many a (post-modern) Romeo and Juliet choose Venice as the ultimate romantic destination, with gondola rides and endless walks through the narrow streets of the floating city, you may be interested to know that the Northern part of Europe has a Venice of its own. The medieval city of Bruges in Belgium is the capital of the Flemish region of Flanders. It strikes the traveler with its intact 13th century traditional architecture (which earned it a place on the UNESCO world heritage list) and with the quiet beauty of its countless streams that bisect the city.
A shopping trip to Milan. This Italian metropolis is a well-established capital city of world fashion. Aside from finance and the famous Opera, fashion and shopping are vital parts of this city’s life. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a glass-roofed construction resembling the old Crystal Palace, was opened in 1867 and has been a Mecca of shopping. Prada and Louis Vuitton are featured, but if you are in for a more informal outing, you can also have a snack at McDonald’s.
We have many other interesting destinations for Best Weekend Trips around Europe for our next article. Until then, start looking up plane tickets, lodgings and local transportation for your Belgian/ Italian short trip!
