Ah Europe we love you.. and after travelling the continent for almost a year on multiple different trips, we present some of our ‘best of Europe’ awards. These range from our favourite coffee, all the way to the best beach we swam at in Europe. These are some of our personal highlights, and remember, they are only our opinions (and yours will likely differ). As we travel further, we are likely to see this list change and evolve. But for now, read on to see some of our top moments, eats and memories from Europe. Don’t forget to save this post or write down a few of these for your next visit to Europe!
The ‘best of‘ awards from our Europe travel!
The best coffee we tried in Europe:
We love our coffee, and some could say we drank our way around Europe with coffees! We tried so many amazing cafe’s and roasters around the continent, and ended up finding some truly sensational coffee, some that would be worth of a spot in Melbourne (coffee capital of the world). After sampling so many coffee’s, we decided our favourite brew was from Prolog in Copenhagen! However, we loved the coffee and our experiences so much we put together a guide to our top coffee’s in Europe (see here).
The top croissant in Europe?
Well this is easy, it’s definitely Paris (it’d be criminal to say anywhere else right?). We embarked on a croissant tour of the famous city, eating our way around the inner and outer city neighbourhoods. We visited the bustling bakers, Mamiche, sampling the best croissant of our life to date! If you know anywhere you think can top this, please comment it below. See our croissant tour of Paris here!
Our favourite island in Europe:
Our top pick here is based upon our experiences, and we acknowledge we haven’t visited many of the incredible islands on the continent. However, we spent an amazing week on Vis Island in Croatia. Boasting a calm and charming town, great day trips, amazing beaches, and some of the clearest water we have ever seen. If you’re looking to visit a European island for a getaway, check out our guide to Vis Island in Croatia.
The best pub we visited in Europe:
When one thinks of a great pub, you will often associate that with the UK. So it’s no surprise we visited some of the best pubs during our visit to England and Scotland. In particular, we found the pubs in smaller towns like Cambridge, Bath, York and the outskirts of Edinburgh were our favourites. In particular, our Sunday roast at The Granted in Cambridge was a truly unique English experience, and our meal at the historic Sheeps Heid Inn were both experiences we won’t forget. See our Cambridge experiences and tips here!
The best pasta we tried in Europe:
Of course it must be Italy! While we know there’s likely better pasta out there we haven’t tried (and we can’t wait to try in future), we sampled some of the best in the Trastevere region of Rome. We loved our 9 euro pasta at Nannarella in Trastevere, where the long lines of locals and tourists alike were worth the wait!
Our favourite beach in Europe:
Europe has some incredible coastlines and beaches, and we visited many (and still have so many to go!). While we loved the clear waters of Vis, our favourite swims there were ‘off the rocks’. We also blown away by the setting of the popular Polignano a Mare main beach, but again, the beach itself was rocky and busy. The Portugese beaches are incredibly picturesque, but the water is chilly. Additionally, the famous Zlatni Rat in Brac is definitely a close seconds. However, in a perhaps surprise pick, the beach at Himare, located along the Albanian Riviera, takes our awards. The water was crystal clear, warm, and the beach was calm and not overrun with tourists. See our guide to the charming and underrated Himare here!
The best pastries we sampled in Europe:
This is tough, as it depends on what kind of mood we are in. However, despite Copenhagen delivering some incredible ‘Danish pastries’, we can’t go past our favourite Portuguese delights.. the Pastel De Nata. Located just outside of the Lisbon city centre is Pastéis de Belém, an award winning spot that is worth the visit! See our Lisbon top picks here!
The most beautiful bougainvillea we saw Europe:
Tess LOVES these colourful flowers which are popular in the sunny regions of Europe. We observed many beautiful blooms of bougainvillea throughout the continent, but one area had so many of these flowers it takes the top spot. Antiparos Island in Greece is a charming, little island, located adjacent to the popular Paros. The stress, villas and restaurants and lined with these amazing flowers. It’s worth a visit! See our Antiparos stop and guide here!
Our favourite small town in Europe:
This is another tough pick, and we could easily have selected half a dozen locations here. Close second options include Brasov, Gjirokaster, Hornbaek, Gordes, Ostuni, Kas, Cascias, and many more. However, we land on Mostar in Bosnia as one of our top picks for small towns in Europe. Filled with charming narrow streets, friendly locals, lots of history, good food, and of course the amazing Stari Most old Bridge! See our visit to Mostar and recommendations here!
Our top accommodation we stayed at in Europe:
We stayed in some incredible accommodation in Europe, but the top pick undoubtedly goes to the amazing Castello Vicchiomaggio located in Tuscany! The beautiful villa is located in a vineyard, boasting views of rolling hills, with an infinity pool, and located in close proximity to top Tuscany towns. Take a look at Castello Vicchiomaggio here!
The best lake region we visited in Europe:
We love the lakeside towns and regions, visiting a number during our travels. While Lake Ohrid and Kotor come in close second, and we acknowledge we haven’t visit the popular Lake Como, our top pick is definitely the incredible Lake Bled in Slovenia! This charming, slightly off the radar, region is definitely a must visit. Relax, swim, hike, enjoy the views, great food, and lovely locals! A must! See our Lake Bled guide here!
One of our favourite waterfalls in Europe:
We confess to having not visited that many of the waterfalls in Europe, however, one that definitely stands out as being unique is Kravice Falls in Bosnia. Why? This was less popular than others, you could swim there, and it was definitely a little off the radar. Additionally, the stunning Plitvice Lakes, although popular, is another truly incredible spot to visit!
Our top takeaway snack from Europe:
There’s loads of amazing food located around Europe, and some of the best finds are through smaller or takeaway restaurants. However, one particular offering stands above the rest. L’As Du Fallafel in Paris was truly a top pick and a must visit when heading to the French capital! See our thoughts on this top pick here!
The top ‘bucket list’ experience in Europe:
A bold claim considering Europe is full of bucket list experiences, however after our visit to Goreme in Turkey, we con confidently say that this is top! Hot Air Ballooning in Cappadocia is definitely a truly bucket list experience that you need to add to your list! See our tips for Cappadocia here!
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