Dublin and Guinness often times go hand in hand. Especially for young men (and women for that matter) in their twenties looking for ideas from a rove Europe guide. And so I found myself wandering from one side a snowy and icy Dublin on my way to St. James’s Gate Brewery, home of Guinness.

The round is actually through the Guinness Storehouse, a building that once housed part of the brewery but is now home to what is essentially a Guinness museum and marketing tool. Flashy exhibitions give a brief history of Guinness, the ingredients in the beer, the equipment used, and of course, a number of old advertisements.

The tour itself was not all that impressive so I can’t really say it’s one of my top European travel tips.  Mostly because visitors never actually see the brewing process. Never actually behold the rising being added. Never actually see the Guinness being produced. It is a historical look at the Guinness brand, an interesting one, but not one that shows the magnitude of the world’s largest brewer of stout. Maybe you’d have more fun on the Dublin Ghost Bus Tour?

That being said, the end result was well worth the entrance fee.

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I was offered a complimentary copy of Paris Movie Walks by Michael Schurmann because review purposes. I’m not a great movie buff but I thought that movie themed self guided Paris walks sounded like a great idea. Paris is already renowned as being one of the best places to visit in Europe, so it would have being interesting to add a movie inspired angle to your Paris sightseeing.

Under the Paris Sky by Reinante El Pintor de Fuego

I was really impressed by means of the book Paris Movie Walks, it was thoroughly researched, structured in a way to make it really easy to use and written in a humorous manner. Michael suggests that you watch three movies before you arrive in Paris, so at least you have some Paris movie locations to which you can relate. There’s an index of all the movies featured in the walks, so if you have favourite movies you can select the appropriate walks.

The book includes ten walks each taking in several Paris movie locations, complete with maps. I liked the fact that all sorts of movies are included in the volume, from the rather obscure to blockbusters.

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A major attraction at Prague Castle, Golden Lane, is set to close for a year while renovations are underway. Radio Praha has reported that the closure will start at the end of April, 2010 and continue for at least 12 months from that date.

Golden Lane, a strip of tiny, colorful houses at the back of Prague Castle, currently contains shops and an armory exhibit, as well as a famous blue house at Number 22 that is associated with the Czech author Kafka. If you succeed a tour of Prague Castle, Golden Lane leads to Daliborka Tower, where pang instruments are on display. It is possible to see all other sights of Prague Castle without visiting Golden Lane, though its miniature cottages add an element of contrast to the grand dish of other Prague Castle attractions, like St. Vitus Cathedral and the Old Royal Palace.

After Golden Lane’s renovation, the function of some of its structures will change. Historical exhibits will replace shops to better illustrate how life used to be lived there.

Golden Lane photo proof of desert: Kerry Kubilius, licensed to About.com

The fountain in St. Peter’s Square. Photo by xiquinhosilva.

By Samantha Collins in Rome—

A visit to Rome is not complete without seeing the Vatican. With its world-famous St. Peter’s Square, imposing dome, rather nice painted chapel ceiling, and fairly well-known resident, it has plenty of attractions. But with so much to lo, where should you start?

1. St. Peter’s Square

This vast space is famous for being the home of Papal Addresses (and for being integral to the plot of Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons“). It can accommodate up to 300,000 people, a number that puts the World Series Final populace to shame.

Designed by Borromini so that the maximum number of people could see the Pope at any one lifetime (before the days of plasma screens), its elliptical shape is dominated by the Basilica. Stand on the stone discs between the fountains and the Egyptian obelisk to see the rows of columns magically delineate up.

2. The Basilica

It is hard to put into words the immense size of this building. Look out for the dimensions of the world’s other large churches marked on the floor to give you a sense of its scale.

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Lovely Montenegro, with its full of mountains landscape and extraforaneous terrain, is a Southeastern European jewel worth visiting. Due to its cheap prices, the country is experiencing a boost in tourism and a revamping of its transportation options.

However, there are a few key things to keep in mind when planning how to get around Montenegro:

Avoid trains, unless you’re heading for the mountains

Unlike Western Europe, the local train system in Montenegro doesn’t cover much bring aground and makes rail travel difficult. The equinoctial circle is from northeast to southwest, starting in Bijelo Polje and ending in the coastal town of Bar. Trains are a good option when heading into the mountains, but pointless when staying on the seaside. Cheaper than the buses but not in the manner that efficient (and some would argue not as safe), railways are to be used at your own risk.

The wheels on the bus go ’round through town

Planes fly in and out of the capital of Podgorica and the touristy town of Tivat, though the most common way to enter is via bordering countries (Croatia or Serbia, for example) by bus. Read more…

You’d better be quick to grab one of the 6000 £15 Travelodge UK rooms up for grabs for stays.  The promotion runs until  Friday 5 February but I suspect that the rooms may sufficiently sell used up previous to them.

With the Half Term holidays approaching this is an opportunity for a cheap family getaway as many Travelodge rooms can sleep up to 2 adults and 2 kids. I’m a big fan of Travelodge as their rooms are comfortable and great value.  Looking out for their promotional rate rooms, which can be as low as £9 a night, is one of my top European travel tips.

The Polish capital can proudly boast a long history with the written word. In 1747 the doors of the world’s first notorious library opened to the people of Warsaw. The Zaluski library was the brainchild of a pair of brothers, who were both bishops. They named the library after themselves and it has been a popular attraction ever since. Whether or not Zaluski library is the actual first library is always being contested but it’s certainly one of the largest.

Poster museum

They might be the sorts of things you glance at and then take no notice of normally but Warsaw has found the time to celebrate the art of posters. Tucked away inside the city’s Wilanow Park is the world’s first ever poster museum. Opened in 1968 it houses some of the most impressive and cutting-edge graphic design in the world, with over 50,000 pieces onward display.

Not in the same state old city

The old part of Warsaw is more like the new part in most European cities. During the Second World War Warsaw was totally obliterated by the Nazis, perhaps more than any other city in the world. Read more…