The continent of Europe offers a bounty of amazing sights and experiences for international visitors. With world-famous cities such as Paris, Rome and Barcelona, plus a vast array of cultural and culinary traditions to enjoy, this is one part of the world that you’ll want to visit again and again. Here’s more useful travel information ahead of your trip here:
  • 26 countries of Europe form the so-called Schengen zone, a borderless, common travel area. You can travel freely in this area as a visitor with either an ETIAS waiver or a Schengen visa, depending on your nationality.
  • Most nations of Europe use the euro (3-letter code: EUR) as their currency, including Germany, France, Italy and Spain. However, notable European countries that don’t use the euro include the UK and Poland.
  • Fortunately, there are only 3 time zones in Europe: Western European Time (GMT), Central European Time (GMT+1) and Eastern European Time (GMT+2). So if you’re travelling around the continent, you won’t have to worry about jet lag!
  • Europe is affectionately known as the ‘Old Continent’, and as such boasts a vast selection of UNESCO World Heritage sites to explore. These range from the Vatican in Italy to La Sagrada Familia in Spain.
  • There are several ways to travel around Europe. Virtually all European countries have at least one modern international airport, and cheap flights around the continent are common. Alternatively, for a more picturesque trip, consider the Eurail train pass.
  • Most European countries speak their own language, so you may wish to learn a few basic words of the local tongue, depending on where you’re going. That said, English is considered a lingua franca continent-wide.
Discover more about the visa requirements for Europe and other travel tips in our top articles below!