With 44 countries to choose from, deciding on a holiday destination in Europe can be bewildering.
So ease the stress with this guide to the best and worst of the continent by German TikToker Jannis M – who has been to every country on it.
Here he reveals why Italy is his overall favourite, why he’s less keen on Bulgaria and the cities he didn’t feel safe in.
THE FAVOURITES
Italy
Jannis tells MailOnline he ‘took many things into account’ before settling on Italy as his favourite country.
The intrepid traveller explains: ‘It’s very easy to get there. It’s quite affordable. Not the cheapest, but affordable. The landscapes are super diverse. You have the mountains in the north, amazing countryside in Tuscany, great cities, volcanoes and beautiful beaches – you have pretty much everything you can ask for in one country.’
He adds: ‘Of course you also have all the history, the uncountable Unesco World Heritage sites. You never get bored. You can go to the next city and see something really unique and beautiful.’
Jannis has visited every country in Europe and shares his thoughts about his favourite spots on the continent with MailOnline. He’s pictured above in Milan, Italy – his favourite country
Jannis is a fan of Italy’s ‘super diverse landscapes’. He’s pictured above in Varenna
Italian food is also a major bonus for Jannis, who describes it as ‘probably the best in the world’ and the 23-year-old traveller is also a fan of Italy’s ‘super lovely people’.
Despite one ‘bad experience’ where he got an 80-euro (£67/$82) bus fine, he describes Italy as his favourite European country ‘by far’.
Iceland
The TikTok adventurer says: ‘I would describe Iceland as cute because it’s really small. You can rent a car and drive around the entire country in a couple of days by yourself.’
Jannis, who visited Iceland during the winter, reveals: ‘It’s really the country of fire and ice.
‘You have the volcanoes and amazing icy landscapes in winter. I like cold weather and it’s never hot there in summer. Plus, we were able to see the Northern Lights.’
However, there is a ‘downside’ to Iceland. Jannis warns: ‘It’s ridiculously expensive. I’ve never seen food prices that high. I was shocked.’
And, while Jannis describes Icelandic people as ‘super nice and friendly’, he adds that ‘there aren’t a lot of them’ and the majority of people you meet in Iceland will be tourists.
Jannis loves Iceland and enjoys its cold weather and icy landscapes. LEFT: At Skogafoss waterfall. RIGHT: At Diamond Beach
But it’s still a big thumbs up for Iceland from the traveller, who says: ‘If you rent a car, I’m pretty sure you’ll have an amazing time.
‘Iceland is super safe, super clean and everything works. The streets are in great condition.’
Spain
‘Spain is affordable and has great history and great culture,’ explains Jannis.
He says: ‘You can go and see everything that you want within a couple of weeks, but just like Italy, there are always new places to explore.’
The food also has the ‘wow’ factor for the traveller.
Spain’s islands, Balearic and Canary, are a big positive for Jannis, but he tells MailOnline that the Mediterranean country also has ‘great cities like Madrid and Barcelona’.
The TikToker reveals that Valencia is his ‘all-time favourite city in Europe’.
Although Spain is firmly in Jannis’s top-European-destinations list, he does say that the country has ‘its problems’.
Valencia, where Jannis is pictured above, is the traveller’s ‘all-time favourite city in Europe’
The traveller claims: ‘They have a lot of unemployment. I would say it’s not the safest country. They have a lot of drug trafficking and what not.’
Cyprus
Jannis tells MailOnline that Cyprus is a ‘cute hidden gem in Europe’ that ‘most people just forget about’.
He says: ‘They’ve got amazing beaches even if they’re not sand beaches. It has probably the best crystal clear water I’ve ever seen in Europe.
‘It’s just a great getaway from the winter. I was there in December and it was 25 degrees. I was pretty happy.’
The traveller adds: ‘They’ve got a nice blend of different cultures. The North was taken over by the Turkish, so the north of the island is predominantly Turkish and Muslim and the south is Greek Orthodox. And you can really feel that.
‘As a tourist, you have no problem crossing the unofficial border so you can just see the Turkish side, experience some Turkish food and Turkish culture, then you also have the Greek culture and the Greek food in the south.’
Jannis also recommends exploring some of the island’s sights that are connected to ‘Greek mythology’, such as Aphrodite’s Rock and the House of Dionysus.
Jannis describes Cyprus as a ‘cute hidden gem’. He’s pictured above in Paphos
THE LEAST FAVOURITES…
Bulgaria and Romania
The traveller tells MailOnline that ‘none of the countries’ in Europe were ‘particularly bad’ but he just didn’t like Bulgaria and Romania as much as some other destinations on the continent.
He explains: ‘The reason why I had to rank Bulgaria and Romania low was because I was there when I was a kid. I was 13 and I travelled there with my grandparents and I just didn’t like it at that time.
‘It was just being confronted with the [former] Eastern Bloc for the first time. They’ve got nice beaches, but we just stayed in an all-inclusive hotel, then went round the city of Varna for a bit.’
However, Jannis explains that he is ‘dying’ to go back to both Bulgaria and Romania to give them a ‘second chance’ and make new memories as an adult as they’ve got ‘amazing people, food and culture’.
Moldova
Jannis visited Moldova in March 2023. He describes it as a ‘nice tucked away country in eastern Europe’.
Jannis ranks Moldova among his least favourite countries. He’s pictured above in breakaway region Transnistria
The traveller explains: ‘It’s cute. They’ve got great food and their culture is pretty cool.’
However, it’s unlikely he’ll be back.
He reveals: ‘It’s nice if you get the chance to go, but would I go again? Probably not. There’s not that much to do. The city of Chisinau is nice but the countryside is full of vineyards and I don’t like wine so that’s probably the main reason why I won’t go back there.’
Jannis also visited Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova.
He explains: ‘That was pretty cool. You felt like you were in the Soviet Union.’
Liechtenstein
The TikToker gives Liechtenstein a low ranking, as it’s ‘super small’ with ‘nothing there’. He explains: ‘Even the capital of Vaduz… you can just cross it on foot.’
Vatican City
The smallest country in Europe, Jannis explains that Vatican City is ‘really nice’ due to its historic sites, adding that he loved St Peter’s Dome and the Vatican Museum. However, its small size means it makes the list of least favourites for Jannis.
He says: ‘It’s just so small. You can spend a couple of hours there. You can’t even stay in Vatican City overnight, you have to stay in Rome.’
Where was the most dangerous country in Europe?
Although Jannis visited Ukraine in 2023 during the war, he reveals: ‘I would say that Ukraine during the war felt a lot safer than most western capital cities.’
While he explains that ‘overall, Europe is pretty safe’, Jannis picks out three major cities where he felt a little unsafe.
He tells MailOnline: ‘When it comes to pickpocketing, I would say Barcelona. I always had to watch my bag. And I hated Marseille. The harbour and everything was nice, but it felt sketchy. Paris as well would be in my top three.’
And the safest?
Iceland is ‘easily’ the safest country in Europe, says Jannis.
Malta, Cyprus, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Liechtenstein, Andorra and San Marino also get a thumbs up from Jannis for safety.
Perhaps surprisingly, Belarus is also included as being among the safest destinations he’s visited.
LEFT: Jannis considers Malta as one of Europe’s safest destinations. He’s pictured in the capital city, Valletta. RIGHT: The traveller was pleasantly surprised by Montenegro’s beauty. He’s pictured in Budva
What was the biggest surprise?
‘Visiting every country made me see how diverse Europe is,’ reveals Jannis. He explains: ‘You’ve got all these different cultures, all kinds of different places and different landscapes.
‘Every country is unique in its own way and has something special to offer. The cultures can be similar but also diverse. Take someone from Iceland and compare them to someone from Hungary and they’re nothing alike. But they’re all European.’
When it comes to countries, Montenegro was one of the biggest pleasant surprises for Jannis, who says: ‘I didn’t know what to expect and I found it to be one of my favourites because it’s so beautiful.’
He adds that he was also surprised by Belarus as he felt ‘super safe’ there, despite the country’s ‘bad reputation’ in ‘Western media’.
Is there anywhere he wouldn’t go back to?
As well as Moldova, Jannis says he wouldn’t be in a rush to return to Monaco.
He explains: ‘It’s just straight up luxurious and glamorous and not my kind of world. Like everything is about being rich and bling bling and I didn’t like that.’
And there are a few cities he’d avoid in future.
The traveller reveals: ‘I wouldn’t go back to Marseille. I didn’t like it there. I don’t like Berlin either. And I didn’t like Paris.’
Want more from Jannis? Follow him on TikTok – @jannistravels – or Instagram… jannistravels.
