A CHILL THRILL

If your ideal winter vacation is somewhere with heaps of snow and extremely cold weather, then Europe is your destination to be

Winters in Europe are known to be very cold, with temperatures often dropping below zero. However, this climate is exactly what many tourists who plan to travel to Europe during this time of the year look forward to experience. We take a look at London (UK), Paris (France) and Brussels (Belgium), to find out why winter is the best time to flock to these destinations.

LONDON CALLING

Though Christmas and New Year is the best time to travel to London, the city will continue to attract tourists during the winter months. The city boasts of many popular tourist attractions. London also has the famous ‘hop on, hop off ’ bus service, which takes you to most of the tourist attractions of the city. Some popular attractions here include Madame Tussauds, Tower of London, Sea Life London Aquarium, St Paul’s Cathedral, Kensington Palace, The London Eye, The Shard, and the Thames River Cruise. As it’s winter, queues at most of these places would be shorter.

THE CITY OF LOVE

From London, you can catch a train to Paris. The ride will surely turn out to be the best train journey of your life. It will take you more than two hours to reach your destination. And on the way, you will cross picturesque countryside, vast uninhabited open spaces, hills, lakes and lush green patches. The train will halt at Paris’ Gare du Nord station. If you want to ask for help, preferably approach the young local crowd, as the majority speaks and understands English. Paris has a vast metro train network, mostly underground, which will take you almost everywhere in the city. So, if you disembark at the right station, every major landmark in the city can be reached on foot within a few minutes. Cab rides are expensive, so metro is the most economical mode of travel in Paris.

Temperatures in Paris during winter hover around 5 degrees Celsius. You might encounter long queues and lots of tourists at every major attraction in the city. It will also be chilly, so spending a lot of time in the open may get difficult. If you have heard from people that the city is expensive, well, you have heard the truth. In fact, there isn’t much difference between the prices of food sold on the streets and restaurants.

If you are in Paris, the Eiffel Tower is surely going to be on top of your ‘must visit’ list. Most people visit the tower at night, as about 336 light projectors and 20,000 light bulbs make it look magnificent. The tower’s observation decks give you a view of Paris’s floodlit bridges, churches and other landmarks. In the night, the Seine River Cruise is a popular attraction. The hour-long cruise starts at Pont Neuf and takes you past the Louvre Museum, Place de la Concorde, Pont Alexandre III Bridge, Eiffel Tower and the Notre-Dame Cathedral. A running commentary on the cruise gives you information about the different part of the city, as you sail through the Seine River.

RELAX IN BRUSSELS

You can go to Brussels from Paris by bus, which will take you around four hours to reach. Your trip to Brussels would be incomplete without a visit to the bronze sculpture of Manneken Pis. The Grand Place, Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, and Atomium are some of the other attractions in Brussels popular among tourists

PHOTOS: ISTOCK Grand Place in Brussles

PHOTO:PAWEL LIBERA/LIGHTROCKET/GETTY IMAGES Seine River Cruise in Paris

People ride the London bus

Eiffel tower in Paris