EURO SUMMER

10 Things I Wish I Had Known Beforehand

1. Scams

This was by far the biggest culture shock to me as an Australian. In Europe, you need to be on high alert at all times for not only potential pickpockets (they are legit) but also because there will be plenty of scam artists roaming around popular tourist attractions. A lot of the scams are easy to spot like the rose scam where scammers will offer or give roses to tourist for free before trying to guilt them into payment. I’ve seen similar scams with balloons too. 

However, there are some less obvious such as the African bracelet scam… which I was a victim of in France. Essentially, the scammer (usually a street vendor) will engage in a friendly conversation with an unsuspecting tourist and once they gain their trust, will offer a string “friendship” bracelet as a souvenir/gift. The scammer will then begin tying the bracelet on the tourist before using this moment to forcefully grab their wrist to demand a payment. 

2. Private Beaches

Unlike Australia, not all beaches in Europe are free for public use. A lot of them require a visitor’s fee to access and usually they are seeking an exorbitant amount of money: €20 (~ $35 AUD) is a common base. The unfortunate part of this is that it’s usually the nicest beaches that are commercialised in some way. For example: Ksamil, along the Albanian Riviera has no public beaches. 

3. Rocky Beaches

Sticking with the beach theme, when I planned my 3.5 month Europe trip, I imagined a lot of my time would be spent by sandy beaches. So, I was incredibly surprised when I arrived in Nice, France during my first week to only be welcomed by rocky beaches. The theme of rocky beaches continued throughout the entire trip including Croatia, Italy and Albania. 

However, that’s not to say there aren’t nice sandy beaches in Europe. There are plenty in Southern Italy, Spain and Portugal.

4. Water is NOT complimentary

Do not expect free water at dinner as many restaurants will charge up to €2 (~$3.50 AUD) for a bottle of tap water. Many eateries will let you know that water costs extra; however, there are some that will just place the additional charge onto the final bill as an unexpected surprise.

Speaking of non-complimentary items, the bread and butter that is usually served as a free appetiser are also considered an additional charge.

5. Tipping Culture

Sticking with the restaurant theme, tipping is very much expected across Europe. Although it’s not as prevalent as in the United States, a large portion of eateries will encourage customers to provide a tip worth 10% or more. 

I had always presumed tipping was exclusively an American thing, which is why I was particularly surprised by the strong encouragement of a tip from a waiter in Naples for a €5 (~$9 AUD) pizza. 

6. Public Toilets

Two issues come to mind when thinking of European public toilets (or WC: water closets): first, they can be few and far between. Locating public restrooms can be a difficult task in major European cities and I found that it was often better to just wait until I returned home, particularly since many public toilets are not free. Many public restrooms will charge €1 (~$1.75 AUD) to use the facilities. Even hacks I would use in Australia, like using the McDonald’s toilets wouldn’t work since they often require a receipt barcode to enter the restroom area. 

7. Single-use public transport tickets

Many cities still use single-use public transport tickets. A lot of the time they are offered in addition to reusable cards or on rare occasions, they are the only option available. However, the thing that gets a lot of tourists in trouble is not necessarily the purchasing of the single-use ticket but the step proceeding this: validating the ticket. Many foreigners are unaware that this is a requirement, especially since the validating machines do not particularly grab your attention and you can stroll right past it. The consequences of  being caught with an unvalidated single-use ticket can be a fine of up to €500 (~$890 AUD). 

8. Cash

In Australia, I don’t carry a wallet because I exclusively use Apple Pay for everything. This cannot be done in Europe as many places prefer cash as the form of payment (some even only accept physical currency). This trait isn’t exclusive to eateries but a lot of hostels I stayed in across Europe required a cash payment upon arrival. 

9. It’s very hot

I thought I would be able to handle the European heat after my years of experiencing hot summer days in Australia. I was wrong. The humidity factor of Europe (particularly down South) makes the weather unbearable. For example: I could wear a hoodie on a 20-degree day in Melbourne, but wouldn’t dare in Europe. The weather in Southern Europe is consistently mid to high-30s. 

My 3.5 months in Europe were spent in constant sweat, which is why I would only target the shoulder seasons for future trips especially since I suffered heat exhaustion during Greece’s most extreme heatwave where temperatures reached 45-degrees.

10. It’s very crowded

Another incentive to visit during the shoulder season. I was expecting large crowds in Europe because it was peak season, however, Euro summer is really crowded to the point you can expect to wait hours in line for notable tourist attractions, even if you pre-book tickets. For example: I pre-booked Acropolis tickets in Athens, Greece and started lining up at 9am, however, because the queue was so long (the restricted opening hours due to the heatwave played a key part) it took 3 hours for me to reach the Parthenon.