Europe Local Customs

  Svyturys from Klaipeda
by HORSCHECK
 
  • Svyturys from Klaipeda
      Svyturys from Klaipeda
    by HORSCHECK
  • Cafes at Pl. de la Sorbonne
      Cafes at Pl. de la Sorbonne
    by Beausoleil
  • one of many faience shops in Moustiers
      one of many faience shops in Moustiers
    by angiebabe
  • personally signed by its crafter
      personally signed by its crafter
    by angiebabe
  • Sea of flames under the cross on All Saints' Day
      Sea of flames under the cross on All...
    by J4r0
 

Most Viewed Local Customs in Europe

1.

Parlez vous francais?   Paris

Parlez vous francais?, Paris

 115 Reviews  Before our trip to Paris, my French vocabulary consisted of "croissant" and "crepe" - pronounced improperly, I may add. Armed with just these two terms, I figured we wouldn't starve but wouldn't be... 

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2.

Coffee Shops / Drugs   Amsterdam

Coffee Shops / Drugs, Amsterdam

 54 Reviews  The weed and hash menu is displayed openly for people to see. Look and decide what you want to purchase, or not. It is a CHOICE. Even though they are not really known for their weed, I have heard... 

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3.

Do As Romans Do   Rome

Do As Romans Do, Rome

 160 Reviews  News: TUSCAN VILLAGER WINS 148 MILLION EURO ON SAT, AUG 22! This week, Aug 20, was the 86th draw without a winner and pushed the pot to 146.9 million euros for Italy's SuperEnalotto jackpot. It... 

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4.

Food / Drink   Barcelona

Food / Drink, Barcelona

 92 Reviews  The locals flock to get all they can of the ham and pasteries that abound around the city. We saw the real store that only sold the jamon, and yes; it is expensive no matter how you cut it, or how... 

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5.

Carnival   Venice

Carnival, Venice

 44 Reviews  Carneval di Venezia ( Carnival of Venice ) is a must visit at least once in your lifetime, and to get into the spirit of things, a mask is a must. Venice has seen some form of mask going back to the... 

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6.

Etiquette   Vienna

Etiquette, Vienna

 29 Reviews   What I committed in Vienna, that lot of Viennese are fair. It is strange for me to see newspapers put into box (and not locked) and it is written: "put 1 euro there and bring newspaper". It means... 

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7.

Food and Drink   Berlin

Food and Drink, Berlin

 23 Reviews  The Internationales Berliner Bierfestival is a blast of a festival held near the Alexanderplatz. I counted 3 separate major stages where bands were playing, and the booths of beer vendors went on for... 

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8.

Drinking   Dublin

Drinking, Dublin

 37 Reviews  There is a famous saying that god created alcohol so that the Irish won’t take over the world. Indeed, some of the most popular sights in Ireland are alcohol-related such as Whiskey tasting or a visit... 

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9.

Beer!   Prague

Beer!, Prague

 39 Reviews   Statistically Czechs are one of the top beer drinkers in Europe. There are huge species of beer possible to buy in shops. Actually beer here is not only used for drinking, but also to make soaps,... 

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10.

Culture   Madrid

Culture, Madrid

 56 Reviews  In Spain, there's no need for a special reason to go out and celebrate, it's seems like the city is always prepare to go out and have good time. In Madrid, the official fiestas , by calender , are... 

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11.

Eating   Brussels

Eating, Brussels

 43 Reviews  Belgium chocolate is famous, and remarkably linked to Tourism. I think that it is impossible to approach Manneken Pis without being compelled to enter one of the many shops that rival to make the most... 

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12.

Lifestyle & Habits   Copenhagen

Lifestyle & Habits, Copenhagen

 25 Reviews  On the Hop on Hop off bus tour we learned about the garden allotments. In Danish culture the allotment garden has become a symbol of blue-collar culture - with all the positives and negatives... 

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13.

Food and drink   Lisbon

Food and drink, Lisbon

 49 Reviews  If you're one that loves sweets and a dessert especially after a meal, this one is for you. However, that is if you love the tropical fruit mango since this particular dessert, and very much a... 

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14.

Language   Stockholm

Language, Stockholm

 20 Reviews  One of the things Swedes really don't like is someone coming to Sweden speaking any other language than Swedish or English. The way we see it is that we have made an effort to learn the international... 

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15.

Dining and Drinking   Milan

Dining and Drinking, Milan

 25 Reviews  The custom of aperitivi is helpful when you're on a budget. Many of the bars in Milan, for the price of a drink, will give you food to go along with it. You can easily make it into a light... 

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16.

Behavior & Superstitions   Moscow

Behavior & Superstitions, Moscow

 49 Reviews  Tourist-turned-journalist: "Any advice where I should go to find hard-core authenticity? Drunk tractor drivers having a race, head-scarved babushkas with goats, men jumping into snow after the banya,... 

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17.

Dining and Drinking   Krakow

Dining and Drinking, Krakow

 4 Reviews  You will notice people walking around eating a long sandwich covered with pasta sauce and cheese. In actuality, it is a baguette, split in half. cooked in the over until the cheese is melted. Here... 

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18.

Sauna (The Finnish Sauna Society)   Helsinki

Sauna (The Finnish Sauna Society), Helsinki

 6 Reviews  We deliberately chose a hotel with a swimming pool in Helsinki and were shocked to find the pool only opened around 2 hours per day. This is because the pool is part of the sauna experience. Finnish... 

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19.

Eating / Drinking   Edinburgh

Eating / Drinking, Edinburgh

 32 Reviews  When I told one of my friends I was going to Edinburgh, he said "You must try haggis!" I asked him what it was, but he told me (ironically) that I'd better just ordered it in a restaurant in... 

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20.

Legends and urban stories   Antwerp

Legends and urban stories, Antwerp

 19 Reviews  There is some Antwerp legend (I'm afraid I don't remember the details but it's not important) about a giant and a man who fight, the man wins and cuts of the giant's hand (natives - feel free to... 

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21.

Beers / Chocolates / Flemish Frites (Fries).   Brugge

Beers / Chocolates / Flemish Frites (Fries)., Brugge

 20 Reviews  While you are in Brugge you MUST try fries with mayonnaise (of course unless you are not a big fan of mayonnaise). I never thought it would be that good until I tried it. When we ordered them, they... 

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22.

Culture   Warsaw

Culture, Warsaw

 39 Reviews   Warsaw has not one but two legends of mermaids. - One is the story of a fisherman named WARS , who while fishing in the river found a mermaid named SAWA, they fall in love and she asked him to found... 

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23.

Alcohol   Tallinn

Alcohol, Tallinn

 7 Reviews  Estonian beer proved to be really good, even from the point of taste of a spoilt German tongue. I learned that the Purity Law we Germans are so proud of (beer may contain hop, malt, water and yeast,... 

 See All 52 Local Customs in Tallinn

24.

Topless Sunbathing   Nice

Topless Sunbathing, Nice

 5 Reviews  Topless sunbathing is permitted on the beaches of the Cote d'Azur. You'll see a mix of women with their tops on or off as you enjoy the beaches. The lesson to be learned is not to stare like a... 

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25.

A matter of Lingo   Palma de Mallorca

A matter of Lingo, Palma de Mallorca

 5 Reviews  In Mallorca, anything goes. You will see old men at cafes drinking beer at ten in the morning, and young people going home from clubbing at four. There is supposedly a drinking age, but no one seems... 

 See All 29 Local Customs in Palma de Mallorca

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Christmas market at Strasbourg

by gwened

go to the best after been to many over the years in Europe, Strasbourg, Francehttp://www.noel.strasbourg.eu/index.php?page=1&id_lang=2&PHPSESSID=722591f2f51a213eb894328d554c4837hpe it helps,and need to book fast, by now most will be booked, it is very popular.

ITALY: Carnevale di Venezia

by globetrott

Carnevale di Venezia / Carneval in Venice is a great annual event and the kind of carneval is a lot different there from other places in Europe: You will see a lot of great costumes of baroque and other historic times and almost all participants will wear masks like in my main picture here.The week before Carneval will also be quite expensive when booking a hotel there and for the ordinary tourists it will be very hard to find your way through the narrow streets around St. Marks-Square, because there are parades with thousands of participants and spectators standing along the way as well.

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ITALY: post a love letter next to Juliets balcony

by globetrott

Casa di Giulietta / the house of Juliet in Verona should be on the list of places-to-see for all lovers visiting Italy.In the entrance of the building, where you can see the famous (BUT false) balcony , where Giulietta Capelletti met Romeo Montecchi, you may stick your Love-letters on a wall , where you will find already thousands of other love-letters.To post your love-letters there is to be said to be some sort of a guarantee for a love lasting forever.During the day thousands , mainly male tourists are trying to touch the right breast of the statue of Giuletta, and get a photo as well while doing so.(you will see the statue in my 2nd photo right under the balcony)Look at this statue, that is completely cleaned by all of these touches, while the face is almost black.It is ment for good luck and ever-lasting love...There is NO guarantee, but maybe it will work, so why not trying...

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IRELAND: Kissing the Blarney Stone

by globetrott

Can I tell you a secret first ? WATCHING others kissing the Blarney-stone is a lot more funny than doing it yourself !Kissing the "Blarney-Stone" is an old tradition in Ireland and lots of tourists spread the word about it to all parts of the world, so this crazy custom is still going on ! According to an old ledgends there is a magic stone on top of the castle, and who-ever kisses it, will get the gift of eloquence."Blarney" is also an expression used for words that are used by someone in order to achieve something, without really meaning to do what he had promised.Queen Elisabeth I tried to force Lord Blarney to acknowledge her officially but Lord Blarney used a thousands words in order to avoid that...The Queen finally shouted : "That is all Blarney, what he says, he does not mean!!".Kissing the Blarney-stone is in fact not really easy : At first you have to step up to the very top of...

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SCOTLAND - Traditional Highland Games

by globetrott

When in Scotland - check out the dates for " Highland Games "Highlandgames are a tradition since several hundred of years and you will see plenty of unique competitions like :Tossing the Caber - Tug of War - Pipemusic-competitions - traditional highland dances - different heavy-weight competitions.At the tourist information in Edinburg you will get a small booklet with all dates of Highlandgames of the year. - and on my link below you can search for highland-games all over Scotland in alphabetical- or chronological order !In my 1st & 2nd pic: Tossing the Caber This large and heavy piece of wood need NOT TO BE THROWN A BIG DISTANCE, but it has to be thrown in a way, that the side you hold has to go up the air, the other part has to touch the ground and the whole wood has to fall over in a straight way, that is as close as possible to 12.00 o'clock on the watch...

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GERMANY: Landshuter Hochzeit of 1475

by globetrott

Landshut is a small town north of Munich - and every 4th year they have a medieval festivity called "Landshuter Hochzeit von 1475" - 6000 participants in traditional costumes will perform a marriage that took place in Landshut in reality in the year 1475.Landshuter Hochzeit is the biggest historical event in Europe and it takes place every 4th year. The next such event will be in the year 2014.600.000 guests are attending these festivities with plenty of different events during 3 weeks, always from wednesday till sunday.Landshuter Hochzeit is NOT just like most of the other medieval-costumes-parades, it is the revival of an historic event that took place in Landshut in the year 1475 and all the people you may see in "Landshuter Hochzeit" play their part in these wedding ceremonies... www.Landshuter-Hochzeit.de

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GERMANY: celebrate your wedding in a castle

by globetrott

Maybe you are looking for a very special, romantic place for your wedding or other festivity ? The castle Kapellen-Stolzenberg can be rented for private festivities like Marriages etc. They have a nice chapel - you may see it on my picture on the right side of the castle, facing the river Rhine. Afterwards you may have champagne in the great reception-hall of the castle. For such occasions I am sure, you and your guests will be allowed to drive up to the castle by car. The carparking there is big enough anyway.In order to make a reservation for private festivities, you can apply here:Verein der Freunde und Förderer auf Schloss Stolzenfels56075 Koblenz - Rhenser Straße 33or use the Telephone & Fax-numbers below !Heiraten auf Schloss Stolzenfels

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GERMANY: Veterans meet at the bridge of Remagen

by globetrott

There are some annual events especially for veterans of WW II in Germany: At the bridge at Remagen Several Veterans-meetings are held each year - you may check for more details on my link below !There is a Friedensmuseum / Museum for peace inside the famous "Bridge of Remagen" nowadays. That bridge was built in 1916-1918 and was called "Ludendorffbrücke" after an important German General in WW I. It became one of the most important bridges over the river Rhine with 2 high & fortified towers at each side, with windows into all directions and it was obviously from the beginning planned to have guards inside the bridge watching out for foreign troups already so shortly after the 1st World War. www.78thdivision.org/www.bruecke-remagen.deIt might be the best to check ALL languages, because some of the events are not mentioned in the english translation of the webpage !!

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GERMANY: Rhine River Lights / Rhein in Flammen

by globetrott

Rhine-river-lights / Rhein in Flammen is an annual event that will take place at many places along the river Rhine, all at the same day. It is mainly a parade of various ships, daycruisers, hotelships and also some private ships. All of the villages will be lighted, Big bonfires will be burning at most of the castles along the river and fireworks will make the parade a special event, attracting thousands of people watching it from the banks of the river or preferably from one of the participating ships.In Remagen the event is called "Rhein in Flammen am Siebengebirge" and will take place on may 28th, 2011 at 09.30 p.m. ! NO entrance-fee, just come along and enjoy the great atmosphere ! The telephonenumber and link below is for Remagen only, but you may watch that event at other places as well !!

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GERMANY: medieval festivities in August & N.Y.E.

by globetrott

Mittelalterfest / a medieval festivity at the ruins of Hanstein - castle will be held each year, always at the 1st weekend of August : there is a medieval market, lots of people in historic costumes, knights fighting in tournaments, magicians, musicians with old instruments, meat will be cooked at the open fire etc.Klausenhof in Hanstein has a special festivity at New Years Eve : They celebrate it in medieval costumes and with candle-lights, traditional music and a dinner like hundreds of years ago.When you are able to understand german, take a look at their own description at the link below, because it is written in the style and spelling of the medieval times and it is a lot of fun to read it !New Years Eve in Klausenhof starts Dec. 31st at 07.00p.m.The price for the festivity is 50 euros per personchildren between 5 and 13 pay 30 EurosIncluding all drinks it is 90 euros(50 euros for...

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