So, what are your tastes? Do you enjoy museums and art galleries, or are you more of a "wander around town and take pictures of buildings" type of person? Or are you out for just chill-axin'?
Anyhoo, here's some tips:
- Don't tip. If my understanding is correct, tipping is an obligatory transaction only in the US.
- "This" on Zarvox's advice on language. Showing an effort in speaking the local language - or at least "spicing up" with a few key phrases - should go a long way to endear yourself to the locals.
- Check currencies beforehand. Most of the EU uses Euro these days, but there are some notable exceptions, such as the UK and Sweden as well as the newer member nations (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania). Naturally, non-EU countries (eg. Switzerland and Norway) use their national currency. As for credit cards, Visa and MasterCard are (to my knowledge) always valid.
- Travel with your tongues as well. Try local flavours and dishes.
- In the southern parts, watch out for con men. If someone says they have a relative in your country and then try to sell you something, they're pulling your leg.
- If you decide to spend time in Ireland, I recommend renting a car over going by train. The scenery is worth stopping over at times, and some locations are best reached by car.
Places to see:
- Milan, Italy: Renaissance art a-plenty, glorious churches and shopping.
- Rome, Italy: Coliseum, Fontana di Trevi, the Vatican... Need I say more?
- Lake Garda, Italy: just a short train ride north from Milan, scenery's great.
- Pompeii, Italy: worth a visit, especially with a good guide who knows his way around in the excavated city. Take a good look at the murals. And if you don't like it, Naples is close by with a glorious view over the bay towards Vesuvius.
- Krakow, Poland: a beautiful city with Medieval architecture, decent shopping, an interesting late Medieval castle... and a good base for travelling wider in Poland.
- Wielitzka Salt Mines, Poland: a now-abandoned series of salt mines near Krakow, where the miners used salt to create quite wonderful scenes underground. Or what do you think of a subterranean chapel with a life-size statue of Pope John Paul II in salt?
- Auschwitz, Poland: Do I need to say anything?
- Wicklow Mountains, Ireland: the mountain range surrounding Dublin. Nice for driving around (if you dare to face left-side traffic AND narrow roads climbing up and down the mountainside. The scenery is brethtaking.
- Glendalough, Ireland: a serene valley located in the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough was a monastery until the end of the Middle Ages. The valley is serenely beautiful, with a visitor centre and a hotel built nearby, and paths made for walking around in the area. The ruins of the monastery of St. Kevin are still there, and the high Irish steeple is a sight to see. A must if you are in the area.
- Kildare and the Curragh plain, County Kildare, Ireland.
- Connemara, Ireland: if you're into hiking, find a hostel in Connemara in western Ireland. The mountains and moors are beautiful, and if you are in luck you might see some of the eponymous Connemara ponies.
- Dublin, Ireland: Plenty to see here in terms of museums, galleries, night clubs and parks, but don't limit yourself to the city. Travel around the country.
- Newgrange, Ireland: an impressive megalithic tomb site near Dublin.
And for pete's sake, come to Finland