Western European News

Western European News

Western European News

Austria

  • Language: German (Slovene, Croat and Hungarian in some southern states)
  • Capital: Vienna
  • Currency: Euro €
  • Suggested Budget: €45 to €60/day
  • Travel Visas: No visa required for EU, Australian, New Zealand, United States or Canadian citizens
  • Country Code (for phone calls): 43
  • Side of the road they drive on: Right side
  • Places to See: Vienna’s Innere Stadt, Salzburg, Hohe Tauern National Park, Salzkammergut, Innsbruck
  • Best time to go: Mid May through end of September – June is best
  • Part of the European Union (EU)

Belgium

  • Language: Dutch, French, German
  • Capital: Brussels
  • Currency: Euro €
  • Suggested Budget: €50 to €60/day
  • Travel Visas: Many visitors do not need a visa for stays of up to three months
  • Country Code (for phone calls): 32
  • Side of the road they drive on: Right side
  • Places to See: Brussels, Bruges
  • Best time to go: June through September
  • Part of the European Union (EU)

France

  • Language: French
  • Capital: Paris
  • Currency: Euro €
  • Suggested Budget: €40-€50/day
  • Travel Visas: Not required for EU, American, Australian, Japanese and most citizens of the western nation
  • Country Code (for phone calls): 33
  • Side of the road they drive on: Right side
  • Places to See: Paris, Loire Valley, Lyon, Provence, Nice
  • Best time to go: June through September
  • Part of the European Union (EU)

Germany

  • Language: German
  • Capital: Berlin
  • Currency: Euro €
  • Suggested Budget: €35-€75/day
  • Travel Visas: Not required for citizens of EU, America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand
  • Country Code (for phone calls): 49
  • Side of the road they drive on: Right side
  • Places to See: Berlin, Dresden, Munich, Hamburg
  • Best time to go: June through mid September
  • Part of the European Union (EU)

Greece

  • Language: Greek
  • Capital: Athens
  • Currency: Euro €
  • Suggested Budget: €50-€60/day
  • Travel Visas: Not required for most travelers
  • Country Code (for phone calls): 30
  • Side of the road they drive on: Right side
  • Places to See: Acropolis, Santorini, Rhodes, Olympia, Samaria Gorge, Mykonos
  • Best time to go: Mid April through November
  • Part of the European Union (EU)

Ireland

  • Language: English, Irish Gaelic
  • Capital: Republic of Ireland: Dublin, Northern Ireland: Belfast
  • Currency: Euro €
  • Suggested Budget: €65/day
  • Travel Visas: Not required for EU, Canadian, American, Australian or New Zealand citizens
  • Country Code (for phone calls): 353
  • Side of the road they drive on: Left side
  • Places to See: Dublin, Galway, Causeway Coast
  • Best time to go: July and August
  • Part of the European Union (EU)

Italy

  • Language: Italian
  • Capital: Rome
  • Currency: Euro €
  • Suggested Budget: €60-€150/day
  • Travel Visas: Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, US don’t need a visa to stay up to three months, other nationalities may need a permit to stay
  • Country Code (for phone calls): 39
  • Side of the road they drive on: Right side
  • Places to See: Rome, Venice, Syracuse, Lecce, Urbino
  • Best time to go: Mid April through October
  • Part of the European Union (EU)

Liechtenstein

  • Language: German
  • Capital: Vaduz
  • Currency: Swiss franc (Sfr) – Sfr0.95=€1
  • Suggested Budget: Sfr60-Sfr120/day
  • Travel Visas: None required for EU, American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and South African citizens
  • Country Code (for phone calls): 423
  • Side of the road they drive on: Right side
  • Places to See: Vaduz, Malbun

Luxembourg

  • Language: French, German, L?tzenbuergesch
  • Capital: Luxembourg City
  • Currency: Euro €
  • Suggested Budget: €55-€60/day
  • Travel Visas: None required for most travelers staying three months or less
  • Country Code (for phone calls): 352
  • Side of the road they drive on: Right side
  • Places to See: Luxembourg City
  • Part of the European Union (EU)

Malta

  • Language: Maltese, English
  • Capital: Valletta
  • Currency: Euro €
  • Suggested Budget: €35/day
  • Travel Visas: Not required for most travelers staying three months or less
  • Country Code (for phone calls): 356
  • Side of the road they drive on: Left side
  • Places to See: Valletta, Mdina, Beaches and festivals
  • Best time to go: Mid March through mid November – doesn’t get to cold during the rest of the year either
  • Part of the European Union (EU)

The Netherlands (Holland)

  • Language: Dutch, Frisian
  • Capital: Amsterdam
  • Currency: Euro €
  • Suggested Budget: €40-€75/day
  • Travel Visas: None required for American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand citizens and most European citizens
  • Country Code (for phone calls): 31
  • Side of the road they drive on: Right side
  • Places to See: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Maastricht
  • Best time to go: June through mid September
  • Part of the European Union (EU)

Portugal

  • Language: Portuguese
  • Capital: Lisbon
  • Currency: Euro €
  • Suggested Budget: €40-€60/day
  • Travel Visas: Not required for most visitors staying three months or less
  • Country Code (for phone calls): 351
  • Side of the road they drive on: Right side
  • Places to See: Lisbon, Lagos
  • Best time to go: April through mid November
  • Part of the European Union (EU)

Spain

  • Language: Spanish, Catalan, Basque, Galician
  • Capital: Madrid
  • Currency: Euro €
  • Suggested Budget: €50/day
  • Travel Visas: Not required for most visitors staying three months or less
  • Country Code (for phone calls): 34
  • Side of the road they drive on: Right side
  • Places to See: La Sagrada Família, Seville, Sergovia, Mallorca
  • Best time to go: Mid April through mid November – Canary Islands have good weather year round
  • Part of the European Union (EU)

Switzerland

  • Language: German, French, Italian, Romansch
  • Capital: Bern
  • Currency: Swiss franc (Sfr) – Sfr0.95=€1
  • Suggested Budget: Sfr60-Sfr100/day
  • Travel Visas: None required for EU, American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, Norway, Iceland, South African citizens
  • Country Code (for phone calls): 41
  • Side of the road they drive on: Right side
  • Places to See: Jungfrau Region, Zürich, Geneva, Bern
  • Best time to go: June through September