helpful information
Europe
United Kingdom
Capital: London
Population: 67,738,802 as at 2023
Currency: Pounds Sterling
Languages: English, Welsh, Gaelic
Major Ethnic Groups: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Islanders, Indian, Asian, African, Arabs
Major Tourist Hubs: London, Bath, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cambridge, Oxford, Canterbury, Leeds, Glasgow, York, Cardiff, Lake District, Cotswolds, Inverness, Loch Ness, St Andrews
Major Tourist Attractions: Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, London Eye, British Museum, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Madame Tussauds, Harrods, Harry Potter/Hogwarts Tour, Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, Victoria and Albert Museum, Highclere Castle, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Marble Arch, Hyde Park, Borough Markets, Roman Baths, Globe Theatre, Abby Road, York Cathedral and many more.
Recommended Hotels: Mecure London Paddington Hotel and Russell Square Hotel for budget travellers.
Kingdom of The Netherlands
Capital: Amsterdam
Population: 17,828,593 as at 2024
Currency: Euro
Languages: Dutch, Frisian (spoken in the Northern Province of Fryslan
Major Ethnic Groups: Dutch, Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese, Indonesian
Major Tourist Hubs: Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Delft
Major Tourist Attractions: Amsterdam's Red Light District, Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum, canal cruises, Amsterdam Central Station, Royal Palace, Rotterdam Central Station, Euromast, Markthal, Fort Rotterdam, City Hall Rotterdam, Kijk-Kubus, World Heritage Kinderkijk, Amsterdam Tulip Museum, Keukenhof, Vermeer Centrum Delft Museum, Guided Pottery Workshop (Choorstraat), Peace Palace, The Hague Tower, Mauritshuis, Dom Tower, Kasteel de Haar
Recommended Hotels: Hotel Old Quarter
Germany
Capital: Berlin
Population: 84,552,242 as at 2024
Currency: Euro
Languages: German, Sorbian, Frisian
Major Ethnic Groups: German, turkish, Polish, Syrian, Romanian
Major Tourist Hubs: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Dresden, Nuremberg, Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, Heidelberg
Major Tourist Attractions: River Rhine, The Main River, The Danube River, Brandenburg Gate, Cologne Cathedral, Neuschwanstein Castle, the Berlin Wall Memorial, The Cavern Club, The Hofbrau Haus, Glockenspiel, Marienplatz, Reichstag Building, Heidelberg Castle, Hamburg Town Hall, International Maritime Museum, Mercedes Benz Museum, Schlossplatz, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Rheinuferpromenade, Konigsallee, Dresden Castle, Dresden Zwinger, Frauenkirche Dresden, Imperial Castle of Nuremberg, St Lorenz, Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds
Recommended Hotel: Ibis Munich
Austria
Capital: Vienna
Population: 9,120,813 as at 2024
Currency: Euro
Languages: German, Croatian, Slovenian, Hungarian
Major Ethnic Groups: Austrian, German, Romanian, Serbian, Turkish, Croatian
Major Tourist Hubs: Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Linz
Major Tourist Attractions: Schonbrunn Palace, St Stephens Cathedral, Belvedere Palace, Hofburg, Albertina, Vienna Natural History Museum, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Fortress Hohensalzburg, Schloss Hellbrunn, Salzburg Cathedral, Mozart's Birthplace, Mirabell Palace and Gardens, DomQuartier Salzburg, Franziskanerkirche, Golden Roof, Schloss Ambras. Tyrolean Folk Art Museum, Swarosvski Kristallwelten, Hauptplatz Linz, Linzer Mariendom, Grottenbahn
Italy
Capital: Rome
Population: 59,340,000 as at 2024
Currency: Euro
Languages: Italian, Latin, French, German, Greek, Catalan, Sardinian, Franco-Provencal, Albanian, Occitan, Croatian
Major Ethnic Groups: Italian, Romanians, Han Chinese, Ukranians, Albanians
Major Tourist Hubs: Rome, Pompeii, Sicily, Florence, Venice, Lake Como, Lucca, Milan, Genoa, Verona, Naples, Pisa, Bari, Trieste, Bologna, Assisi, Siena, Amalfi Coast, Positano, Cinque Terra
Major Tourist Attractions: Vatican - St. Peters Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Colossuem, Spanish Steps, Roman Forum, Pompeii, Pantheon, Gondola ride in Venice, Murano Glass Factory, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Castel St. Angelo, Uffizi Gallery - Statue of David, Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Leonardo Da Vinci Museum, St. Mark's Square, Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper at Basilica Santa Maria delle Grazie
Switzerland
Capital: Bern
Population: 8,921,891 as at 2024
Currency: Euro
Languages: German, French, Italian, Romansh
Major Ethnic Groups: Germans, Romamsh people, Liechtensteiners, Austrians, Italians, French, Celts
Major Tourist Hubs: Bern, Lucerne,Zurich, Interlaken, Lugano, Zermatt, Geneva, Saint Moritz, Matterhorn, Basel
Major Tourist Attractions: Lake Lucerne and Lion, Chapel Bridge, The Matterhorn, Lindt Chocolate Museum, Lausanne Cathedral, 13th Century Musegg Wall, Jean Tinguely's Carnival Fountain, Augusta Raurica, 16th Century fountains depicting Lady Justice and the Child Eater, La Maison du Gruyere, La Maison Cailler, Harder Kulm Observation Deck, Weissanau Castle ruins, and Swiss Alps
Recommended Hotels: Ibis Budget Hotel Lucerne City
France
Capital: Paris
Population: 68.4 million as at 2024
Curreny: Euro
Languages: French, Alsatian, Basque, Breton, Corsican, Occitan
Major Ethnic Groups: Germans, Bretons, Flemish, Catalonians, Basques, Corsicans
Major Tourist Hubs: Paris, Nice, Cote d'Azur, Provence, French Alps, Monaco
Major Tourist Attractions: Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris, Arc de Triomphe, Musee D'Orsay, Palace of Versaille, Monmarte, Tuileries Garden, Chateau de Chambord, Palais Garnier,Sainte Chapelle, Moulin Rouge, Normandy D Day beaches and memorials