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Destinations Europe

Travel to Europe – France and the Benelux

If you are decided to do a trip to Europe, or you are a European inhabitant planning to tour the continent, the first decision you should take is to know exactly which part of it do you want to explore, or which cities you are planning to stay in. To give a bit of guidance in your decision, this article looks at one of the popular regions in Europe: France and the Benelux, being this last one the area that includes Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg.

One thing is for sure if you are visiting this zone of Europe. You must be in love with city tourism. If your passion is for the landscape, sightseeing, high mountains, lakes and running crystal water streams, this is probably not your place. Of course France has many interesting natural places to visit, but what I really mean is that you have better places to do this kind of tourism, such as Austria or Switzerland, which are discussed in another of my articles.

Again, the main attractive you will find in this region is the cities themselves. France has by far some of the most beautiful cities you can encounter, many of them with interesting cathedrals, churches and squares. Starting from Paris, next to the worldwide famous Eiffel Tower that so many tourists come to see from everywhere, you can walk up along Champs Elysees, considered one of the most romantic avenues in the world. Visiting the Louvre Museum will give you an insight into the past, as many treasures from the whole world are kept there inside.

Going to Belgium, you will find out that Brussels is such an impressive city too. It is not only about the monuments, but it gives this kind of cozy feeling when walking through its narrow streets. Simply enjoy every corner, and cross your fingers to claim for good weather, as it happens often that you will miss the blue of the sky. Luxembourg is a very small country placed just next to Belgium, but the capital claims for itself to be an independent region. Far from being of the size of Paris or Brussels, it gives many sightseeing opportunities.

One thing to know about this region, even if the train transport can be very good, is that at same time it will be incredibly boring. The landscape is pretty much always the same. Unless you are one of those rail lovers, I highly encourage you to take one of this quick Ryanair flights to cover the big distances. In any case, the train will be useful for the short rides, or in case you have bought one of this rail passes for the whole region.

The similarity that puts together all this people is their language. In any case, we can find very big differences between its habitants. While the French nation has adopted a kind of more luxurious and fashionable life-style, their partners in Belgium are a lot more into the casual way of life. When it comes to characters, you will find the French more arrogant, while the people in Belgium and Luxembourg are from my point of view the most nice guys you can find in the whole Europe.

Whatever you do, in conclusion, take with you the reminder that you go this region to specially admire architecture and beautifully designed cities with a lot of history to tell you. Forget a bit about the natural spots as you can find them in other places in Europe and… Practice your French!