Summer in Europe

Summer in Europe - EU Train Pass

At university in London? You’re in luck because you’re really close to some of the best city breaks in Europe to spend your summer holidays. With an interrail pass, you can easily catch a train from London to Berlin, Paris or other popular student holiday destinations. There’s no need to spend a fortune to tick off your travel bucket list. There are loads of cheap European cities you can visit in between your busy university timetable. 

Europe travel itinerary

To give you a little inspiration, below is a travel itinerary from our very own Scape resident, staying in our student accommodation in London. Use it to plan the ultimate solo summer in Europe or share it with your mates and convince them to come with. Either way, your university life is about to get a whole lot richer when you discover just how many other cities near London you can easily get around to. Take notes and then off you go to explore.

But first, summer exams

Before you start planning your Summer in Europe, there’s one last hurdle to take care of – and that’s exams. But don’t stress, we’ve pulled together some of the top 5 study tips to help you ace your exams so you can head into summer 2024 worry-free. You can totally still keep your best fare finder and cheap train ticket alerts on, but make sure you set a study schedule and stick to it. You’ll have a much better summer break if you’re not riddled with exam anxiety. Good luck!

Summer in Europe – from a Scape Resident

With summer exams out the way, you can look forward to sunshine and good times. Here is some Europe travel inspo from a uni student who’s been there and done that. During summer break between 1st and 2nd year at university, I packed my life into a bag and travelled Europe with my best friend. With no clue where we would end up, we travelled through 10 countries and made memories that will last forever. It’s something I would highly recommend doing. We met amazing people from all around the globe and got to see parts of the world we probably otherwise would not have. Here are some of the highlights from my Euro trip.

Interrail – the best rail pass in Europe

Interrail was our chosen mode of transport. It was the easiest option for us as we could jump on and off between stations and overall, it just gave us a bit more freedom to explore all the places in Europe we really wanted to go to. It was also a great way to meet other travellers and get inspiration for the rest of our summer in Europe. We met all sorts of interesting people; a mother and daughter from Mexico who were touring Europe to celebrate her 15th birthday, a young couple from Berlin who were taking the train to Prague for a wedding, and a fellow uni student who was very excited about exploring Italy.

Europe travel plan

Planning a holiday in Europe is such an exciting process. We started off by deciding on which places we really wanted to go to, which was Brussels, Amsterdam, Prague and Venice. We then mapped out a route and made note of which cities we’d have to stop off in in order to break up the long train journey. We tried to stay away from overnight trains. Even though it would’ve saved on accommodation, we wanted to experience the most of every city and enjoy the 'hostel life'. Places like Berlin and Budapest were all added to our Europe travel itinerary and even though we didn't plan to spend very much time there, they ended up being the best Europe destinations overall as we didn't have any expectations.  This was our travel itinerary: Brussels > Amsterdam > Berlin > Prague > Budapest > Venice > Rome > Rimini > Paris

Off to Europe we go

We set off on the Eurostar from St. Pancras as our Interrail ticket was only valid in mainland Europe. We packed our bags with loads of clothes, looking back we probably had a different outfit for each day... not ideal when you’re carrying it on your back for a month! We also stocked up with drinks and things we could snack on whilst on the move. It was a lifesaver especially when we got to hostels late at night and were desperate for something to eat!

Travel tips

1. Berlin

We stayed at a hostel in Berlin. It was just supposed to be a stopover destination for us, but we loved the energy in the city. We went to a really cool beach bar and a trendy nightclub in an abandoned power station. Tip: Berlin is a vibey and intriguing city, but it really comes alive after midnight. We went out at 10pm and were greeted by a ghost town, but by 1am people appeared out of nowhere. If you don’t mind staying out late, you’ll love the Berlin nightlife.

2. Prague

Prague was recommended to us by almost everyone. We spent 2 nights in Prague and our hostel was the highlight of our trip. We had our own bedroom in an apartment that we shared with 3 others. There was a bar and a nightclub along with a pool and sauna... all for the small price of €7 a night! It’s such a lovely city filled with even lovelier people which made our trip all the more enjoyable.  Tip: Triple check you have the right ticket for the metro/tube. Policemen wait at metro stations close to hostels and picked us out from the crowd (they could see we were tourists) and fined us €50. Also... don't jaywalk – they can be a bit funny about that too! 

3. Budapest

Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to visit the famous Budapest Baths, but we loved tucking into the traditional Hungarian food – it was amazing. Tip: Make sure you check the weather before you go. It rained the entire time we were there and with only a few cool bars and restaurants in Budapest, we struggled to fill our time.

4. Rimini

Just 3 hours outside of Rome is the Italian coastal town of Rimini - and the highlight of our trip. After living on a budget, we decided to include a 'party spot' to our travels - somewhere to let our hair down and top up the tan. We ended up staying for 4 days! Tip: We recommend staying in a hostel in Rimini. We stayed at Sunflower Beach Backpacker Hostel close to the beach and it was the best decision as everyone who was staying there was like one big family. We all went out together, pre-drank together and danced the night away together and it was great fun.

Staying in London?

Exploring Europe by train is really easy, but if you’d rather stay in London over summer, it’s by the far the best time of year to be in the capital city. Here are some of the top things to do in London at summertime:

• Grab a drink at a rooftop bar or beer garden and enjoy awesome views over the London skyline.

• Chill out in the park. You can have a picnic or go for a swim, Hampstead Heath, Hyde Park and Richmond Park are always a favourite on a hot day.

• Watch a movie in an open-air cinema under the stars. Screen on the Canal is a lovely spot (and it’s free!)

• Attend an outdoor concert or sports match at the most iconic London venue, Wembley stadium.

• Join the parade at Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's biggest street party with over 2 million people expected.

• Smell the roses at the Chelsea Flower Show and get a bunch of flowers to brighten up your student room.

  Scape student accommodation has summer stay offers for London uni students. You can stay for a week or more in the city, it’s up to you. And if you’re already a resident, you can use your room as storage to keep your things safe because let’s face it, packing sucks. Email our team to find out more.