Best of Eastern Europe

You can spend a couple of months exploring Europe and still feel like you have not seen everything. Generally speaking, a two-week Europe trip should be just enough if you are looking to cover its major highlights. However, if you want a comprehensive travel experience within this duration, it is better that you focus on a region or a few countries rather than traveling all over the continent. 

Choose a single country or schedule your trip around a handful of cities in different countries. While larger European cities may require three to four days to explore, you can get around smaller destinations in a day or two. Planning your trip around a particular region will cut down your travel time and save your time in transit.

Citizens of the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, and Japan can visit Italy (along with the free-movement zone of Schengen in the EU) for 90 days as tourists without requiring a visa.

While it is true that Italy is not an expensive destination, it is not exactly a budget destination either. Your vacation funds will go much further in Italy than they would in Scandinavia or the UK, with daily budgets of around USD150 per person sufficient for mid-range travelers who do not want to miss out on any of the country’s most important sights. Most banks have ATM machines (called bancomat) with English language options. All you need to do is look for the US or the UK flag. Plus, most machines accept both Visa and Mastercard. Please keep in mind that you will withdraw your cash in euros, with EUR1 slightly more than its USD equivalent.

It was not too long ago that finding anyone who spoke English in Italy was an ordeal. This is not the case anymore. Most people in the cities have some understanding of the language, although numbers decrease as you move further into the countryside. Therefore, it is better to know a few basic phrases in Italian (per favore means please and grazi means thank you) if you are heading for the country. This will not only make your stay in the country easier but also ensure that you show respect to the people and their culture.

The best time to visit Italy is between the months of April and June as well as from September to October. The weather on the Italian Peninsula during these months is ideal for going out on sightseeing tours, hiking, and exploring treasures stretching from Palermo to the lagoons of Venice. Traveling to Italy during July and August is avoided by many because of the summer heat and crowds, while the period between November to March sees the fewest visitors in big cities. However, these months coincide with the prime skiing season in the Alps, while southern parts of Italy, such as Sicily, remain relatively warm during this time of year.