5 Unforgettable Europe Destinations

I’m presenting you this 5 unforgettable Europe destination because 2018 is a very dry travel season for me. I didn’t go as much as when I was based in Switzerland. As an opening of 2019, I list down this throwback list of 5 unforgettable Europe destinations. All the places I visited in Europe will always have a special place in my heart, but these are the top 5 (plus bonus) that have special memories to me.

1. Copenhagen, Denmark

If you’ve been following my blog or my Instagram, you probably know that I’m a big fan of solo traveling. Every journey will of course starts somewhere and Copenhagen is the start of my love story with traveling solo. As a female solo traveler with apprehensive parents, I want to make sure my first country to travel solo is safe enough to independently roam and wander around. No surprise in the safety part, but what makes me put Copenhagen as my top 5 is because of Ny Carlsberg Gylptotek Museum and Copenhagen Botanical Garden. It was early spring and the weather is rather gloomy and blue. I was born and raised in tropical country and to be able to enjoy indoor botanical garden with tropical plants was a winning moment for me.

Food (especially smørrebrød) is also one of the reasons to love Copenhagen. Did you know that Copenhagen is one of the leading gastronomy capital in the world and has more Michelin Star than Rome? Just from that information, I knew I chose the correct city as my first solo travel. I didn’t try (and didn’t have the cash) to dine in Noma, a.k.a. the best restaurant in the world (2010-2012, 2014). I did see the outside of Noma and promised myself to eat in the best restaurant in the world when I’m older. An advice from me is, to know where to eat because all the aesthetically pleasing restaurants in Copenhagen will make you confused and hard to choose (in short, I make your life easier. You’re welcome)

2. Budapest, Hungary

Hungary is my first Eastern Europe country I traveled to, and it went way beyond my expectation. My friend and I (it was a BFF trip) didn’t expect much for this trip and just want to travel anywhere cheaper than Switzerland. From accommodation, transportation, food and beverages, it is so much cheaper than Switzerland but that doesn’t mean we get less value/quality.

Apart from being frugal, I noticed that everywhere my eyes looked I only saw beautiful architecture. I remember this lecture I got from my university professor where he asked the difference between an architecture and a building. In Budapest, I finally understand his words. I can’t even explain it in words how beautiful the exterior and interior of buildings in Budapest. Such a rare sight to see buildings with strong characters (gothic, renaissance, baroque, etc) especially in modern times.

Budapest is very safe for solo traveling because I went to the Danube River from my accommodation by foot and I wasn’t feeling threatened by the street with dim lights or the fact that there weren’t much people wandering around at night. Budapest is full of surprises and for sure I only scratch barely the surface of it.

3. Hallstatt, Austria

Getting to Hallstatt is quite an effort if you don’t have a car or valid driving license in Europe. I was planning my road trip with my family and I purposely put Hallstatt in between our stops in Salzburg and Vienna. In the past, Hallstatt was a salt mine and now it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and become an inspiration for China to make a twin town of it.

What captivated me the most from Hallstatt is the little castle by the lake (the fourth picture below). Just by fantasizing how it feels like to live there, being surrounded and secluded by nature. I took a good minutes admiring the view with the golden hour illuminating the scenery. “A place this heavenly exist in this world!”, that’s what I kept saying in my head. No wonder royalties back in the days chose Hallstatt as their vacation destination.

4. Portofino, Italy

It started with surfing on Pinterest, looking for travel inspiration. Never in my mind that I can actually visit this little heaven in Italy. Cinque Terre or Positano may be more popular than Portofino, but this small village that used to be a fishing village, have their own ‘niche tourists’ with their high-end boutiques and luxury hotels. What an upgrade from a small fishing village in Italian Riviera to with Dior, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, Salvatore Ferragamo along the village.

The best part of Portofino is the pedestrian path from Santa Margherita Ligure. Santa Margherita Ligure is the city with train station and from there we can go by bus or by foot to Portofino. I decided to walk back to the train station in Santa Margherita Ligure after spending 3 good hours in Portofino. It gets boring if you’re in Portofino before lunch time (restaurants open from 12pm–ish) and have no cash to spend. Along the way back to Santa Margherita Ligure, I saw the picturesque scenery of beaches, villas and sea. The best and chill long walk I ever had.

5. Caumasee, Switzerland

As you may already know, Switzerland is divided into four parts: French, German, Italian and Romansh part. Caumasee or Lake Cauma is located in Romansh. Without car, the way to Caumesee seems long and endless with changing trains and buses. From the French part, it took me 4 hours to go to Caumasee (one-way). But trust me when I say you won’t regret it after you see this hidden gem.

Caumasee is your next destination for the summer, where everyone can swim and do water activities in Lake Cauma. Imagine Caumasee as the secret pool surrounded and only certain people know about it. By reading this blog post, I’m already inviting you to the cool hidden spot. Once you reach Caumasee, you’ll know why it is an unforgettable destination in Europe.

6. Ruinaulta, Switzerland (Bonus)

Just around 30-50 minutes walk from Caumasee, you can see the Grand Canyon of Switzerland, Ruinaulta. Caumasee and Ruinaulta are the best destinations for a mountain and lake lover like me. These places are not your typical “tour” destination. The moment I saw Caumasee and Ruinaulta, knowing that I went here by myself and without tour agent is just so fulfilling. I felt like a real traveler, who travel and discover.

This post is purely my opinion, but if you’d stick around my blog or Instagram, you know that I wouldn’t recommend anything if it’s not worthy. Let me know if you ahve visited any of these 5 Europe destinations and what you think about it? If you haven’t, well you better start planning for your next travel 😆