The other day I was calculating how many countries in Europe I have visited and was disappointed to see it’s only 25. After more than 8 years living in Europe there is still so much to see.
Update: I have now been to 27 countries in Europe.
One of my travel goals is to visit every country in Europe at least once. There is no real reason for the goal, just that I think it’ll be fun to visit so many different places, to get a better understanding of the various cultures, and of course to try all the unique cuisines. 
I don’t think I’ll reach that goal this year but the plan is to achieve it by 2012. Having the goal in writing should be enough to push myself to reach the more distant places I have yet to visit. I’ll update this post as I visit each new country so I can cross them off my list.
These are the 47 countries in Europe which I plan to visit.
- Albania
- Andorra
- Austria
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kosovo
- Latvia
Liechtenstein- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Malta
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
Slovenia- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Vatican City
Which countries have you visited? What are your travel goals?
About Andrea
Looks like you’ve still got a lot of travelling to do. Will you just visit the European section of Turkey or would you venture across the Bosphorus and into Asia?
Noticed you’ve been to Albania. How was it? We’re thinking of going later this year.
Julia
I’d definitely like to see all of Turkey. It’s such a huge country though, it could take months to see everything I want
I don’t know what to say about Albania. There are some great beaches along the southern coast and historical cities worth visiting (Berat and Gjirokaster) plus the food is delicious and cheap. But so many things bug me about the country. It’s dusty and dirty (rubbish everywhere), most of the cities lack an old town (including Tirana) so all you see are communist era and modern buildings. There aren’t many parks or gardens. I’ve been a few times and don’t really like it but my husband is Albanian so I’ll probably go back again later this year.
The good thing about Europe though is that with a bit of structure you can cross off several of those countries in just 2 or 3 separate trips. In that respect the train rides are fantastic.
Yeah true. I’ll probably do Scandinavia and the Baltic States in one trip and the Balkans in another trip and then see what’s left.
Well, you know how much I love to travel, too.. and I’ve probably seen a lot less of Europe than you have! 25 countries is pretty damn good- do you actually mean COUNTRIES or cities?? I didn’t even KNOW there were that many countries in Europe!! hahaha!! So, just the fact you have visited them is a feat to me!!!
Mine would be-
Austria
Germany
Hungary
France
Ireland
Scotland
England
Portugal
Italy
Spain
That’s not many compared to you! I gotta get out there more-
I’d like to see Greece this Sept. and of course, Turkey would take me at LEAST a month!! Maybe you and I should think about that one!
Haha, countries of course! Maybe we should go backpacking around Turkey. I wouldn’t mind going this autumn. At the very least I think I’ll go to Istanbul this year.
I too have a lot of countries to go. I think your goal is a good one and hope you achieve it soon. Europe has so many great countries it is hard to know where to begin.
Love the topic of your blog
I look forward to reading more about your travels.
Well, of course I had to count, too. 17 for me–and I don’t live there. I only count countries I have spent time on the ground (outside an airport). I drove across the border into Norway, so was on Norse soil, but don’t count that. But I know everybody counts slightly differently.
Austria
Belgium
Finland
France
Germany
Hungary
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Montenegro
Netherlands
Russia (only St. Petersburg)
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
Vatican City
Thanks for the thought-provoking post. And good luck with your goal. I’m sure you’ll make it, and find it very rewarding.
I don’t count airport visits or driving through either. You’ve been to a few places I’ve yet to get to. I can’t wait to go to St Petersburg. What did you think of it?
I could relate to this post. Sometimes it seems the more traveling you do, the less traveled you feel, since you discover so many other places you haven’t heard about before.
Exactly! There is always something else to see.
I see you haven’t been to Slovenia yet. Since it is amongst the smallest European countries I guess it is very much doable in a relatively short time. I suggest a week or two, depending on your interests.
However small it might be, it is surprisingly diverse. You can get a good first impression of the highlights from the official Slovenian Tourist Board (http://www.slovenia.info). If you want to know more, you can always ask me for some local advice.
Slovenia is high on my list of places to visit. I almost made it last year when I went to Croatia but a last minute change of plans meant I went to Albania instead. I have been to Ljubljana airport but I suppose that doesn’t count
I will definitely contact you when I do get around to going so I can get the inside scoop. Thanks for the offer
I think you’ll struggle to reach your goal. You’ll have to really push yourself to do it.
You’re probably right.
You forgot slovakia! It’s beautiful(:
Nah, I didn’t forget it, I’ve already been there and crossed it off!
I loved Bratislava and can’t wait to see more of Slovakia.
I love this website! I’ve already made plans to travel to every single country in Europe when I’m a bit older and this blog is definitely preparing me for it. When reading up on your adventures, it just makes me even more anxious to visit. Your stuff are very informative and interesting
Thanks Lindsey. Let me know if you make it to Paris where I’d be happy to show you around.
So, have you been to Finland yet? If you need pointers, call me up!
I’m hoping to go to Finland next summer. It looks like somewhere I would love. I will definitely be asking your advice before I go