Europe Up Close

Europe in Winter: Where to Go

Published/Revised August 29, 2017 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

The Old World is a gift that keeps giving year round, from the mercurial peaks of the warmer months, to the subzero temps of December and beyond. It’s the latter, however, that tends to capture the imagination, a time when the old town architecture and cobbled streets simmer in the chill, and warming visions of hearty fare by firelight draw the budding European tourist in. Though you’ll need a ... Read Full Article

Six Great Places for Spring Travel in Europe

Published/Revised August 29, 2017 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

It’s always a stunning time in Europe when the sleet and snow of winter make way for the glowing renewal of spring. Parks and gardens blossom and bloom, cities return life again. Ahead of the summer throngs, it’s also a fabulous time to bulk the European crowds, while keeping the back pocket in tact with friendly shoulder-season rates. From the Italian Lakes to Vienna, Budapest to Seville, we take ... Read Full Article

River Cruise: The Ultimate Shopping Shuttle

Published/Revised November 19, 2017 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

You’ve done Paris, you’ve seen Rome but when’s the last time you’ve dug for vintage treasures in Budapest? Or shopped off-the-runway furs in Vienna? For true shopaholics looking to welcome 2015 with a (fashion) bang there’s no better place than Central Europe. With local Christmas markets popping up across the region, from big cities to small hamlets, it really is the most wonderful time of the ... Read Full Article

Warm Yourself in the Thermal Baths of Budapest

Published/Revised January 16, 2018 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

If you leave Budapest without soaking in a Hungarian thermal bath, you have cheated yourself of a memorable experience. Last visit, I found myself floating naked in a body-temperature pool under a 500-year old Ottoman dome pierced by jewel-colored glass “eyes”. The Rudas (ROO-das) bath experience left me as relaxed as I’ve ever been in my life, I have to say. Thermal Baths of Budapest The ... Read Full Article

Vintage Heaven in Budapest

Published/Revised July 3, 2016 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

We’re just going to cut right to the chase on this one. If vintage fashion makes your heart beat a little faster, if you’re a treasure hunter, if you’re crazy for antiques, Budapest is THE shopping destination for you.What is a rarity in other parts of Europe, what takes painstaking research and relentless digging, is an overflowing fountain of vintage goodness in Budapest. Clothes, ... Read Full Article

Where to Stay in Budapest

Published/Revised February 4, 2018 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Where to Stay in Budapest - Editor's Picks A city of almost 2 million, Budapest, Hungary is a great European cultural and financial center that offers a fantastic selection of hotels. When choosing where to stay in Budapest, note that the forint-to-dollar exchange rate works in the dollar’s favor, and many hotels come at an exceptional value. For this reason, our ‘where to stay’ options do not ... Read Full Article

Beautiful Budapest: a Bargain for Travelers

Published/Revised April 29, 2018 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Budapest is a bargain for  travelers: it is the new Prague. Western travelers are discovering this exciting city, and prices are still much lower than in Western Europe’s top cities.Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti summed up Budapest beautifully when he once said, “If you come from Paris to Budapest you think you are in Moscow. If you come from Moscow to Budapest, you think you are in ... Read Full Article

Try These Great Budapest Cafés

Published/Revised January 16, 2018 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

One of the nice things about being a tourist in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is that you can stop for a coffee as often as you like and claim that it’s all part of the cultural experience. Hopping from one Budapest café to the next, you can sample a range of different versions of the caffeinated beverage while admiring the architecture of the establishments, dating from the 19th century to ... Read Full Article

Budapest, Hungary – Eastern Europe’s Green Gem

Published/Revised January 16, 2018 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

 Budapest, Hungary, located on the Danube, is one of the most beautiful capital cities in Europe and it is also included on UNESCO's World Heritage list. If you are a green traveler, you may not think of Hungary as an eco friendly travel destination, although it is. Within the past 10 years, the green scene has taken off in the capital city of Budapest and has moved Hungary into the 21st ... Read Full Article

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Literary Café Culture in Europe

Published/Revised July 20, 2014 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

The beautiful photographs and interesting stories in the book, Grand Literary Cafés of Europe, by Noel Fitch, provide both the background behind the history of café culture in Europe and great ideas for places to relax on your next European city trip. “Coffee is the beverage of thought, dialectic and dream”.  From the first cafés formed in Ottoman Empire to today’s chain boutiques, café culture ... Read Full Article