Your backpacking travel planner

As many travellers who have visited many countries across Europe will no doubt be aware, the continent has a number of cities that have become immensely popular with UK visitors on Stag Nights who head to central and Eastern European city destinations in search of some Sunshine, Fun and abundant amounts of cheap beer. Prague, Budapest, Amsterdam, Riga, Krakow and Tallinn are now all very popular destinations for Stag Weekends as they are widely accessible with cheap flight companies.


Each of these holiday destinations also offers many options for cheap hostel accommodation – and each city also provides entertainment and quality nightlife that is rarely rivaled in other locations across the world. While on a stag do, its seems to be the case these days that it is essential that the lads involved look the part - and therefore ensure that the groom is forced to don some sort of ridiculous outfit, while other members of the party should always think about picking up a personalised stag t shirt for their trip so they can enjoy all the fun of a stag night in these great European locations.

Finding places to visit in Prague is rather simple, with over 50 major landmarks within the city, there is bound to be something for the entire family to enjoy. Whether you'd like to visit the Metronome, the Prague Zoo, or the National Museum, you'll need a place that you and your family can call home during your vacation. Surprisingly, traveling in groups is actually cheaper in Prague because you can find affordable three bedroom modern Prague apartments that can accommodate the entire family or a group of backpackers for less per person than a one or two bedroom apartment.

Before you set off on a backpacking holiday in Europe you will firstly of course have to have a fairly rough idea of which European cities you want to visit on your travels. Although spontaneity is important to a certain extent on any backpacking trip (as you will naturally want to gain new experiences and learn new things), you obviously don’t want to miss out on the best holiday destinations in Europe simply through poor pre planning. If sheer popularity in terms of visitor volume is anything to go by, then the city destinations below must qualify as “must visit” places for any young backpacker during your backpacking holiday around Europe. Listed below are the 10 most frequently visited cities in the continent of Europe - based on visitor numbers.

1. London
2. Paris
3. Rome
4. Barcelona
5. Dublin
6. Madrid
7. Amsterdam
8. Prague
9. Moscow
10. Vienna

Make sure you find the time to visit at least some of these fantastic city destinations on your trip! Remember, this list is compiled purely from visitor volumes - there are also several cities not on this list that I would highly recommend visiting! Please check out my other post to find out my personal thoughts on what are the best city destinations in Europe. My list is compiled slightly differently to this one - but that is simply because I have had a really great time when I have visited other less popular locations and stayed there!

The city of Prague has become an increasingly popular European backpacking destination over the last decade or so. Its reputation as a party city is well deserved, with its nightlife second to none in Eastern/Central Europe and its numerous and ample hostels offer an easy way for backpackers to crash after a heavy session at very reasonable prices. Check out your options online then you can pre-book to ensure you have somewhere to sleep upon arrival – although with clubs like this you may not get much sleep!

Drinking out in Prague’s bars and clubs, while significantly more expensive than in previous years remains extremely good value (compared to the UK anyway) with bars away from the city centre being particularly cheap at around £1 per pint. However, the more popular and touristy location of Wenceslas Square has more upmarket bars and restaurants that while are generally fantastic places to visit can be a little more pricy. Don’t let this put you off however as this is very much party central for any backpacker. This area of town also features the famous centrepiece statue of St. Wenceslas: Duke of Bohemia in all his glory.

Another extremely popular nightspot for European and American backpackers is the famous 5 story club in Prague: The Karlovy Lazne - which is located extremely close to the town’s well known Charles Bridge. The club as you can imagine is very big (indeed, to my knowledge this is the biggest club in the whole of Prague which is an achievement in itself although it also claims to be the biggest in central Europe) – and with 5 floors to choose from you are bound to find some music to suit your taste and hang out with some cool people. This club seems to be pretty popular with both tourists and locals alike and with so much choice, a very relaxed dress code, the sheer volume of people (at weekends in particular) and good value drinks on offer its understandable why. At the end of the night if you are feeling hungry why not check out a delicious hotdog on your way out! As always, if you have any travel questions about my trips in europe please email me.