Tom Masters - Europe on a shoestring

An art nouveau building with Westerkerk in the background, , the Netherlands

Few places pack the punch of Europe a historical, cultural and geographical heavyweight that squares up confidently to any other continent on earth. From its northern lights to its southern shores, this drama queen keeps on thrilling, surprising and confusing with her extraordinary wealth of sights, sounds, peoples and parties. Whatever your connection to Europe whether descendent of one or more of its peoples, a current inhabitant or future visitor be prepared for sensory overload as your eyes, ears and taste buds take the trip of a lifetime through a part of planet earth that never fails to dazzle.

Europe today is a continent more united than ever, with the European Union (EU) stretching from the frozen Arctic to the tip of Africa, and a single currency now used in the majority of European states. But dont let these facts fool you with centuries of parochial development bringing about unique cultural values and traditions, the globalising sheen of the EU has little day-to-day effect on the continents myriad nationalities, all of whom retain their idiosyncrasies and fiercely guard their independence. Indeed, there are few places in the world where you can pass through so many countries in such a short span of time and witness the striking differences between each one so markedly. Beyond the EU, this is even more noticeable of course, whether in old-timer refusenik Switzerland, for whom neutrality remains sacrosanct, or the pariah state of Belarus Europes last dictatorship and a place where time has seemingly stood still since the end of communism.

Wherever you go on the continent youll find that the subject of the EU comes up again and again whether from the arch-federalist Benelux countries that passionately support the growth of the union, to your more cautious Brits, Danes and Swedes who, while in the club, still cant bear to give up their centuries-old currencies and hand over economic decisions to Brussels.

Of course, for many Europe is all about history, and oh, what a history! Even buffs will be astonished to find the layer cake of ancient and modern that Europe presents visitors with at every turn. As well as the birthplace of democracy in Athens, the Forum of Rome, the Renaissance buildings and art of Florence, the graceful canals of Venice and the Napoleonic grandeur of Paris, theres always the less expected sites such as the Moorish palaces of Andaluca, the remains of one of the Seven Wonders of the World in Turkey, the majesty of a second Venice in St Petersburg and the haunting buildings of Auschwitz in Poland.

While Europe revels and takes pride in its extraordinary heritage, it is certainly not one to be limited by it. Indeed, the continent leads the world in fashion, art, music, architecture and design; just see the street styles and music scenes of London and Berlin, the ground-breaking design in Antwerp, Copenhagen and Stockholm or the amazing displays of contemporary art, well, just about everywhere, to confirm that.

If glorious scenery is your thing, youll not be disappointed either check out the awesome fjords of Norway, the stunning scenery of the Scottish Highlands, the volcanic dramatics of Iceland, the breathtaking Alps of France, Switzerland and Italy, and the lesser-known mountains of Spain, Slovenia, southern Poland and Slovakia. For beach life you can fight for some sand on Frances Cte dAzur, Spains Costa Brava or Portugals Algarve, or far more enjoyably discover your own pristine beach in Albania, Bulgaria or on the gemlike islands of Greece and Croatia.

Of course, travel in Europe is not always about the dazzling sights and world-famous museums. Perhaps the single biggest pleasure of travelling around this incredible continent is the range of different people of all nationalities youll meet along the way whether fellow travellers or locals. However cosmopolitan your background may be, theres nothing quite like strolling the streets of Venice with a Venetian, taking a banya (steam bath) and being beaten with birch twigs by a Russian, or just kicking back, watching live music and drinking Guinness in a pub with a Dubliner.

Hassles? Therell be a few, inevitably. While Europe has to be one of the easiest and safest places on earth to travel, youll find your money wont always go very far (especially in London, Paris and much of Switzerland ouch!) and that in the summer months hostels can be booked up weeks ahead, making creative bed finding and flexibility key. A sense of humour is needed for many places. Whether its another strike by French railway workers when you really need to get somewhere, or the greediness of petty bureaucrats on the make in Belarus or Moldova, just remember that it can be these challenges and dramas that end up making the best stories of the trip.

So dont delay get planning your own European odyssey as soon as you can. With more than 45 extraordinary destinations offering incredible things to see and do, your only problem should be where to start

The door to the Circumcision Room, part of impressive Topkap , stanbul

Rome have a divine time at the Vatican, the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel in Italys

stanbul the glorious one-time Byzantine and Ottoman capital is one of the worlds truly great cities

Venice forget anything youve ever heard about this glorious city on water and come to see it with your own eyes

Paris marvel at the style, romance and pure joie de vivre of the iconic French capital

London dive into the extraordinary British capital this world in one city has culture, history, shopping and nightlife to rival anywhere else on earth

Roskilde book your tickets, pack your tent and make for the ultimate musical line-up at Scandinavias very best rock festival

Exit Festival see the modern face of Serbia as big names play in the grounds of the Petrovaradin Citadel in the countrys second city

Iceland Airwaves join the Reykjavik crowds for this great festival each October when international bands play super-intimate venues, and cheery, beery partygoers whirl from gig to gig

Glastonbury come for the fantastic line-ups and endure the mudslides at Britains most famous and notorious summer festival

Fte de la Musique roam the streets of Paris and see live music performed for free as bands and buskers take to the streets for this celebration of music

Pembrokeshire discover this sparkling corner of Wales, with soaring cliffs and golden beaches, where you can hike, bike, surf and kayak, or learn the wacky art of coasteering

Cretes southern coast hike out to Cretes southern coast through the spectacular Samaria Gorge, then recover with a cold beer in Agia Roumeli and a swim in the crystal-clear

Durmitor National Park the Tara Canyons kilometre-plus walls provide a sublime backdrop to a rafting trip through paradise

Sognefjorden trek from fjord-head to glacier and witness nature at its most sublime in one of Norways most spectacular regions

Chamonix world-class slopes are matched by world-class aprs-ski in Frances legendary Alpine centre, near

Pristina Europes newest capital fizzes with energy and ambition in the wake of Kosovos 2008 declaration of independence

Sibiu this classic Saxon town gleams after careful restoration for its 2007 turn as an EU Capital of Culture

Lviv explore Ukraines most gorgeous city, awash with Armenian, Austro-Hungarian, Italian, Jewish and Polish influences almost perfectly preserved in its Unesco-listed old town