Ah, Europe—the second smallest of the seven continents, a land mass of 10.4 million sq. km bordered by the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Arctic, Black, and Caspian Seas and the Ural Mountains, home to roughly a seventh of the world’s population and 60 native languages. About 40,000 years ago, Europe’s Neanderthal population was supplanted by our dear friend Homo sapiens, followed just tens of millenia later by the first European settlements on Crete. Then before you knew it, the Minoans, Mycenaeans, Greeks, Etruscans, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Franks, Vikings, Holy Romans, and Ottomans had all come and gone, and pretty soon (following countless tragic wars, a few really long boat trips, and a few pinnacles of Western civilization), the year 2000 rolled around, and you decided that it was high time that you went and saw it all for yourself. So you loaded some film in the old camera, packed a change of socks, and got your mitts on a copy of Let’s Go: Europe 2000—and you’re ready to go. So go.
THE CULTURAL TAPESTRY
Europe has enough “culture” to keep you busy for a lifetime. But you don’t have time to see every ornate church and crumbling Roman amphitheater in all of Europe—you want the highlights, the must-sees of art and architecture, and you want them now. In London you'll find the the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, and other imperialist booty at the British Museum. An easy daytrip from London, university-dominated Cambridge is perhaps Britains most beautiful town. Across the English Channel in Paris, the Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa at the Louvre will stop you in your tracks if the vast Impressionist collections at the Musée d’Orsay haven't already. Spain is home to Bilbao’s stunning postmodern Museo Guggenheim, as well as the world’s largest collection of paintings in the Prado, Madrid. Before leaving Spain, delight in Barcelona’s fanciful Modernista buildings and its museums devoted to Picasso and Miró. Italy brings an unparalleled cultural treasure-trove, from the wriggling waterways of Venice and the Renaissance palaces of Florence, to the glories of Imperial Rome. Dive off the heel of the Italian boot into Greece, where the crumbling Acropolis still towers above Athens. Skim across the Aegean to Turkey and Istanbul’s Byzantine Hagia Sophia and Ottoman Blue Mosque (p. 915). Russia dominates Eastern Europe, from the colorful domes of the Kremlin in Moscow to the the world's largest art collection at the Hermitage, St. Petersburg. In Central Europe, Vienna was home to Mozart and Schubert, while Beethoven's Berlin, after 50 years of division, is again one of Europe's most dynamic cities. Believe it or not, the biggest sin you could commit in Amsterdam would be to miss the famed Rijksmuseum — or perhaps you' d prefer the the Hash Marijuana Hemp Museum.
FUN IN THE SUN
You may have guessed it, but even England hosts a tempting beach culture when it’s not raining, with hundreds of surfers chasing the waves at Newquay, in Cornwall. Malin Head, at Ireland’s northernmost point on the Inishowen Peninsula, offers a beach covered with semi-precious stones. Be prepared for pebbles on France's famed Riviera, but catch a ferry to the island paradise of Corsica for some of Europe's most beautiful sands. In Portugal you can party all night and sun all day along the Algarve, while on Spain’s Costa del Sol, Marbella’s beaches are lined with hip, happening clubs. The Balearic Islands are a must for party kids; Ibiza is manic by night. Most visitors to Italy don’t venture south of Rome—a huge mistake, given the breathtaking, almost unspeakable, beauty of the Amalfi Coast, where you can sunbathe with the people who invented the bikini. Bop down to the Greek islands; as the sun sets over volcanic sand beaches in Santorini, the bars salute Helios with classical music. Drag your tanned and tired self to the Blue Lagoon of Ölüdeniz, near Fethiye, in Turkey.
Europe means different things to different people. Some are struck by the region’s diversity of culture and history or the museums, theatre and architecture. For others it can be the shopping and the vibrant nightlife in cities like Barcelona, Berlin, London and Paris.
For others it is the scenery.
There aren’t many regions in the world where you move from sun-soaked beaches through dense forest to magnificent snow-capped mountains.
Although Western Europe has been popular with travellers for generations, the fall of communism has meant that countries in Eastern Europe such as Poland and Russia are becoming more accessible for travellers.
But where do you start?
There are world famous galleries and museums – the Louvre in Paris, the Prado in Madrid and a wealth of museums in London.
Or there are architectural treasures like the Parthenon in Greece, Gaudi’s works throughout Barcelona, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Colosseum and St Peter’s Basilica in Italy to name a few.
If it’s the great outdoors you want you’ll be spoilt for choice with the Swiss Alps, Norway’s beautiful fjords and the rugged Irish coast or try the tranquil Greek islands and a coastline that takes in water sports along the Atlantic, Baltic and Mediterranean coasts.
Europe’s size makes it easy to travel around and one of the best ways is by train. In just a few hours you can leave the cool mountains of northern Europe behind and arrive at the sultry and sunny Mediterranean coast.
Europe has enough “culture” to keep you busy for a lifetime. But you don’t have time to see every ornate church and crumbling Roman amphitheater in all of Europe—you want the highlights, the must-sees of art and architecture, and you want them now. In London you'll find the the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, and other imperialist booty at the British Museum. An easy daytrip from London, university-dominated Cambridge is perhaps Britains most beautiful town. Across the English Channel in Paris, the Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa at the Louvre will stop you in your tracks if the vast Impressionist collections at the Musée d’Orsay haven't already. Spain is home to Bilbao’s stunning postmodern Museo Guggenheim, as well as the world’s largest collection of paintings in the Prado, Madrid. Before leaving Spain, delight in Barcelona’s fanciful Modernista buildings and its museums devoted to Picasso and Miró. Italy brings an unparalleled cultural treasure-trove, from the wriggling waterways of Venice and the Renaissance palaces of Florence, to the glories of Imperial Rome. Dive off the heel of the Italian boot into Greece, where the crumbling Acropolis still towers above Athens. Skim across the Aegean to Turkey and Istanbul’s Byzantine Hagia Sophia and Ottoman Blue Mosque (p. 915). Russia dominates Eastern Europe, from the colorful domes of the Kremlin in Moscow to the the world's largest art collection at the Hermitage, St. Petersburg. In Central Europe, Vienna was home to Mozart and Schubert, while Beethoven's Berlin, after 50 years of division, is again one of Europe's most dynamic cities. Believe it or not, the biggest sin you could commit in Amsterdam would be to miss the famed Rijksmuseum — or perhaps you' d prefer the the Hash Marijuana Hemp Museum. 
