Europe cruises

Europe enjoys over 400 World Heritage Sites, ranging from entire cities like Venice, to the historic centers of Tallinn, Bruges and Riga, and Norway’s spectacular Geirangerford. Other must-see sights include Gaudi’s famous Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Colosseum in Rome, Sintra (on a tour from Lisbon) and the Hermitage in St Petersburg.

This all depends on where in Europe you’re going and what you hope to see. If you’re visiting the Mediterranean, you can enjoy warm and pleasant days as early as April and well into October, while July and August generally herald the highest temperatures. Northern Europe is also best explored April-October before temperatures fall below freezing, while if you’re hoping to glimpse the Northern lights September to April offers the optimum window. 

Europe mainly operates around three time zones: Western European or WET (+0 UTC/GMT), Central European or CET (+1 UTC/GMT) and Eastern European or EET (+2 UTC/GMT).

Summers tend to be hot and dry in central Europe, Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, with temps in parts of Spain, Portugal and Italy climbing above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). Winters tend to be cold, often frosty and sometimes snowy in central and Eastern Europe, while Mediterranean winters are cool with rain. Summers are coolest in Northern Europe and winters tend to be harshest here too. 

Most European countries, particularly those in the Mediterranean, accept the Euro as currency. You’ll need Euro for France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Greece, The Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Slovakia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Estonia, Montenegro, Ireland and Latvia.

In Denmark you’ll need Danish Krone, in Sweden it’s Swedish Krona, in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland it’s British Pounds Sterling, in Iceland it’s Icelandic Krone, in Norway it’s Norwegian Krone and in Russia it’s Russian Rouble.

The official total, according to the UN, is 44 countries. However this figure is debated. Some count up to 51 countries within Europe, adding the likes of Turkey, Cyprus, Georgia and Armenia to the list.