Your Sping Semester Study Abroad Destinations
Congratulations! You are about to embark on some of the best few months of your life so far! You probably have so many places on your list that you want to see, but are not sure how to narrow down where to actually go. These are the must see places to travel to in Europe for a study abroad semester in the spring.
Studying abroad is a big leap to make, and there will be a lot of changes in your life for the next few months. Make sure to check out our new book, ‘A Guide to Studying Abroad’ before you embark on your journey!
January:
Interlaken, Switzerland
This is the perfect place to travel to when it is cold. The snow covered alps are a gorgeous sight. Walk around, explore what the area has to offer. Go into chocolates and try a bunch of them. When you get too cold cozy up at local restaurants with some hot wine.
If you are a skier or snowboarder, you’ve got to go skiing in the Alps. That’s just such a bucket list item. You’ll have a great time.
London
London is a great place to go in the winter. There is so much to see and so many cozy pubs to go into when you get cold.
London is huge. We recommend figuring out some sort of itinerary before arriving because the city is so big that it may be difficult to know where you should see.
You have probably heard before that London’s food is not amazing. There is one place to eat that you should definitely go to. It’s an Indian restaurant called Dishoom. They have multiple locations throughout the city and the food is amazing.
February:
Paris, France
Whether you have the love of a significant other, the love of your friends, or the love of yourself, Paris is a great romantic city to travel to in February.
Paris is an amazing city, with so much to do. One thing we definitely recommend doing is picnicking near the Eiffel Tower with wine and cheese. You should do all the touristy things in Paris that you want to do, but also just take some time to wander around the city. The architecture is beautiful.
Budapest
There are many ways to stay warm in this town. Definitely go to the Széchenyi baths. These are basically gorgeous giant outdoor hot tubs. They are only around 20 euros to spend a good amount of time in them.
Another great way to get warm would be to explore the ruin bars and grab some drinks with friends. These bars were literally built in the ruins of parts of the city. It’s pretty cool to see.
Definitely try some Hungarian food. It may not be what you’re used to, but you may be pleasantly surprised to see how good it is.
March:
Dublin, Ireland
I think you can guess why you should go here in March for this one. St. Patrick’s Day! St. Patrick’s Day in the birthplace of St. Patrick’s Day is the ultimate way to celebrate it.
The Temple Bar District of Dublin goes crazy around St. Patrick’s Day. It’s a multi-day event during the holiday. You can expect to start pub hopping at 7 AM. It’s crazy.
Don’t expect to see Irish locals in Dublin during this time. They flee, and tourists (mostly Americans) take over. You may run into a lot of people that you know from your school back home.
I’m sure you aren’t coming to Ireland just for the St. Patrick’s Day festivities. For more ideas on how to spend your time in Ireland, read our 3 day Ireland itinerary.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam is a must-see when you are abroad. It’s such an interesting, but beautiful town. It almost feels like an amusement park in a way.
The town is beautiful year-round. March is the off-season for tourists in Amsterdam, so it should be easier and cheaper to find a place to stay! We recommend finding an Airbnb to give you the full narrow Amsterdam house experience.
We recommend doing a bike tour, a nighttime boat ride in the canals, seeing the Anne Frank House, and eating lots of yummy desserts.
April:
Munich, Germany
If you’re bummed because you didn’t get to go to Oktoberfest, I got good news for you. It’s not Oktoberfest, but it’s close enough for spring semester. During the last two weeks of April is Fruhlingsfest (which means Springfest) in Munich.
You can still dress up in a dirndl and lederhosen like Oktoberfest. You still get the liter beers like at Oktoberfest. Read our post about the Do’s and Don’ts of Oktoberfest to learn more about how you should prepare for Fruhlingsfest!
Prague, Czech Republic
Prague is another must-see while you are abroad. It’s cheap, beautiful, has good nightlife, and there’s so much to do. It’s a favorite city for many, and of course, we are biased since we studied abroad there.
There are so many cheap and free activities to do in Prague. Walk through Old Town Square, walk through the castle district, walk through the Jewish Quarter, and walk across the Charles Bridge. Paddle boat in the Vltava River with a view of Charles. Grab a beer up at Letna beer gardens or at the monastery by the castle. The list goes on for what you can do.
May:
Amalfi Coast
It’s finally starting to get warm, which means it’s the perfect time to eat seafood pasta and gelato on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. There is so much to see on the Amalfi.
From Positano, Sorrento, and Capri, you really can’t go wrong wherever you choose to stay. That’s unless you choose Naples. We are warning you, don’t choose to stay in Naples!
We stayed in the cutest Airbnb in a small town called Piano Di Sorrento. We didn’t even really see the main touristy areas, besides Sorrento, and we still had the best time ever. You can read more about our trip there in our blog post about how to gain inspiration through traveling.
Croatia
This is another must-see while the weather is warm. As your abroad journey is coming to a close, Croatia is a great place to relax and make your final abroad memories. It’s sometimes hard to travel with big groups but this is a great place for big groups to go.
We stayed in Split, and it was a great time. The town has a lot of ruins throughout it, which is so cool! The streets are so cute and narrow, and you can find many hidden seafood restaurants within them.
The nightlife is pretty lively there too. During the day, we recommend finding some sort of fun boat to cruise around on. If you choose to stay in Split, you should take an Uber up to the Klis Fortress, where Game of Thrones was filmed. Even if you don’t watch Game of Thrones, it’s still a super cool place to see and the views are stunning.
You really can’t go wrong with all of these places we mentioned going to. Be sure to subscribe to us below to be updated on tips to travel big and spend less during your abroad experience! If you liked this post, be sure to check out our other posts.