We booked ourselves into a Europe tour where we spent 23 nights in multi shared accomodation such as hotels, Bungalows, hostels and chalets. We picked Expat Explore because of the price. We knew it wouldnt break the bank but it definately broke our hearts when it was all over. We visited Europes best cities and made amazing friends for life. Day 1: London - Dover - Paris
We left London, and crossed the English Channel (kept an eye out for the famous White Cliffs), and soon arrived in Paris, 'The City of Lights and Love'. On our first evening, we explored the city from the seats of our Expat Explore coach and were shown the sights of the city before we picked a nice spot for dinner. I took note of all the places of interest we wanted to explore on our free day; and afterwards indulged in the Parisian nightlife surrounding the Moulin Rouge and local bars! Day 2: Paris
The whole day wass ours! We cruised up and down the Seine River to the Eiffel Tower and notre dame and saw world famous artworks at the Louvre. The diversity of Paris meant that we could admire famous artworks, visit historical landmarks, indulge in the finest French cuisine and check out the latest fashions all in one day! We loved Paris! Day 3: Paris to Avignon
Day three we departed Paris and continued south towards the Burgundy region in France. We explored the wine cellar of a French Chateaux and had free tasters. We then continued to Avignon and relaxed in the city famous for its Papal Palace and had a delicious dinner in the Old town. Avignon was on the schedule for just a brief stopover but we couldn't get enough of it. We stayed at a campground beside the river and made it home around 4am as we couldn't get enough of the towns entertainment. Day 4: Avignon to Barcelona
We left Avignon and visited the Pont du Gard to see the famous 2000 year old Roman Aqueduct, before we headed into the second largest city in Spain, the beautiful and vibey Barcelona. That night we waited around 3 hours for the hostels horrible version of seafood paella. Except because some of us didnt like seafood, it was made with chicken. YUCK!

Day 5: Barcelona
We had a free day to enjoy the delights of Barcelona. We visited many famous sites and wondered down the vibrant La Rambla - Barcelona's busiest avenue, which is full of street artists, food stalls, markets and many restaurants! We experienced Spanish nightlife by attending one of the many night clubs and went to a show with spanish dancing, tapas and sangria. Day 9: Tuscany to Rome
We began the day with a walking tour of Florence with a local guide. After some free time there we continued to Rome, where we enjoyed the evening watching the sunset whilst having dinner. We were amazed at the history and culture which unfolded in front of your eyes. We rejoined the group after lunch for a local guided walking tour combining ancient wonders with Renaissance master pieces, captured the moment at the Spanish steps, threw my lucky penny into the Trevi Fountain and headed past the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Roman Forum and ended at the Colosseum. Its definately true what they say. That Rome wasn't built in a day! Day 10: Rome and Vatican City
Day 10 was our free day to explore the ancient city of Rome but we chose to explore the Vatican City - with an area of only 44 hectares, is officially the smallest country in the world, let alone Europe! The pope was on holiday, but even without his appearence we still got so much from the trip. William headed back to the Colleseum for the afternoon and I headed to the Pool to cool off and soak up some rays. Day 11: Pompeii William and I took a day trip to Pompeii, famous for the destruction caused by Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD in the old Roman city. We were guided through history and explored the area for hours. After pompeii we headed back to rome, had a beer, pizza and ice cream for 5euros, sat down and thought to ourselves..this is the life!
Day 12: Rome to Venice
We made our way to one of Europe's most romantic cities, Venice, the city which stretches across 117 islands. We began our evening with a local guided walking tour, learning why Venice is such a 'must see' destination. We saw the Rialto Bridge, St Mark's Square, the Bridge of Sighs and the Doge's Palace. Afterwards, we indulged in an espresso and got lost within this a"mazing" city on water. Day 13: Venice
We checked out some of the islands by vaporetto (ferry) on our free day. We watched a murano glass blowing show where they made a horse and a vase on Murano island. Burano island was full of colours and we explored it, finding more glass, lace and silk.

Day 14: Venice to Switzerland
As we headed for Switzerland we said "hello" to the majestic Swiss Alps. We enjoyed the truly spectacular drive into the breath-taking Swiss Alps where we were spoilt for mystical beauty in the foot of the mountain village in the heart of the Grindlewald region. Our accommodation here was directly below the mountains. It was cold, but truly amazing! We explored and took in the local scenery. Day 15: Jungfrau, Swiss Alps
One of the 'must see' highlights of this tour was traveling to the 'Top of Europe' - Jungfraujoch. The views left us breathless (and this wasn't just because of the high altitude!) This 4000m glacier has a beauty all of its own, and the combination of ice, snow, rock and epic views will stay with us for life. There is snow all year round, so you can make a snow man or have a snowball fight in the middle of summer! We bought a fun pass so we spent the day playing in the snow, sledging and tubing. This was by far our best "optional excursion" on our trip. Day 16: Switzerland to Liechtenstein to Munich
We departed Jungfrau for Germany with a lunch stop in Liechtenstein, the small country sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria. Our first stop in Germany was Munich. Munich had enough beer, pork, merchandise and amusement park attractions to keep us entertained during our short but fun filled stopover, and what better way to experience local cuisine than at a traditional beer hall. We ate sausages, mashed potato and sour crout alongside our 1litre beer. The beer was a workout in itself. Ive never seen such a large glass. AKA Mass. Day 17: Munich to Vienna
After the antics in Munich, we enjoyed the absolute breath-taking drive to Austria's lively capital, Vienna. We took in the atmosphere of cosmopolitan Vienna, with plenty of history, shopping and places to eat, it really is a cultural extravaganza. Another walking tour showed us around town and enjoyed drinks in a local bar. Day 18: Vienna to Budapest
We headed east towards one of the most beautiful cities in Europe - Budapest in Hungary. With numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites to behold, we started our experience with a driving tour, and we were left with a free afternoon to explore Budapest as we wished. We took a walk down the famous Danube River before finding Sir Lancelots restaurant for dinner. This place is truly unique. No knives and forks and historical characters made our night one to remember. Williams feast was made up of a roast looking pork knuckle, potatoes and coleslaw. One feed he will never forget. I stuck with the traditional hungarian goulash. To finish off the evening we headed to a cafe in town where we had a few cheap local drinks. Day 19: Budapest to Prague
On our way to Prague we stopped off in Bratislava for lunch and to explore the historic streets.

Day 20: Prague
We made it to Czech Republic's capital, Prague. Europe's (and one of the world's) most popular tourist destinations. Prague was one of the few European cities relatively untouched during the World Wars, allowing its historic architecture to stay intact. We enjoyed the many old buildings with beautiful murals on them, before an indescribable night out that left us spinning from the range of beers available at nominal prices. Just what we like, culture and a party without breaking the bank. Day 21: Prague to Berlin
As we headed to another amazing city, we had free time in Dresden for lunch where we tried some of the local food like bratwurst. We also had free time to explore the sights off this former Eastern German city - restored after it's near complete destruction in the Second World War. Then we headed to Germany's largest city, Berlin. With so much to offer Berlin is a city of culture, politics and media. We joined the group for a guided walking tour of the city and all its famous sites. We went to visit a local park where we found the cool, weird and wonderful nightlife of Berlin! People are out having barbeques, dancing, singing and just chilling out, keeping the night young. We also found one of the best night clubs in the world.. The Matrix. Day 22: Berlin
Our free day in Berlin we walked the wall all the way into town. We took photos and made our mark on the wall. The lonely planet had referred me to a local burger joint for Lunch. We found it in the middle of a traffic isle, beside the toilets and under the train tracks. My first thought was "Are we in the right place???" William can confirm that they not only sell the best burgers but amazing cheesy fries. There is also a selection of beers if your thristy. The beer hall was on the cards for dinner where we tried schnitzels, pretzels and more beer. Day 23: Berlin to Amsterdam
The last destination on our trip was Amsterdam. Before we said farewell, we where given the chance to paint the night red exploring Amsterdam on the local guided Red Light District tour. The tour name says it all, but was something you have to see. I guess. There were definately plenty of cafes to choose from and a wide range of entertainment, but we chose a local show. It contained men and women, bananas, ribbon and a pen. Day 24: Amsterdam to London
Our last day of tour before heading back to London was spent driving around the Dutch countryside, where we were able to see the town of Edam, windmills and taste some traditional Dutch cheese at the cheese and clogs factory. This day had come around so fast and before we knew it we were back in London. What a blast we had.