Historical Places to Visit in Europe

My first trip overseas was a class trip to Spain when I was in high school and I was hooked. Unfortunately, I don’t know that I fully appreciated the history of the places we visited, so someday I’d love to recreate that trip as an adult!

Fast-forward more than 20 years and I’ve been back to Europe more than a dozen times. Some trips have been for work, some for pleasure but all have taught me something!

On other pages I share some basic historical context for the location through the centuries. Knowing a little bit of history just makes any trip so much more interesting! I won’t try and condense a history of the European continent in a few sentences, so check out the individual countries for the background in each region!

Season: I usually go to Europe for vacation during the "shoulder seasons" of Spring & Fall - the weather is generally good, crowds are lower and prices are a bit cheaper
Transport: Unless I know I won't leave the big city I typically rent a car. Many historical sites are out of the way. Otherwise, I find public transportation very easy to use and so much more convenient than we have in the US.
Currency: Generally Euros, Pounds or the Polish Zloty for the places I visit but there are still many other currencies being used in Europe. I have never had a problem finding an ATM to get cash in any of the countries I've visited.