5 Things You Can Do in Europe But Not in the US

Drink in Public Spaces

Drinking in public laws vary from country to country and city to city in Europe.

Yet, generally speaking, most places in Europe have an outdoor drinking culture, and it's perfectly fine in those instances to enjoy a glass of wine while admiring the sunset on a historical bridge.

This is not at all the case in the US.

Most countries in Europe allow you to drink at the age of 18, which is in line with Italian drinking laws. To compare, Germany has a much more relaxed drinking law.

If you want to experience drinking beer or wine outdoors worry-free, head to cities with a strong drinking culture. Countries that promote this culture include Germany, Italy, Austria, France, Czechia and Switzerland to just name a few.

Our most memorable experiences included Verona (Italy), Würzburg (Germany), Munich (Oktoberfest Germany), Budweis (Czechia), Ribeauvillé (France) and Venice (Italy).

Then, of course, you can also drink freely in public at a Christmas Market.

Cities in Europe where drinking in public is illegal and will get you fined include Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Barcelona (Spain), Madrid (Spain) and Prague (Czechia).

Take Part in Unique Cultural Festivities

Europe is known as the old world, and for a good reason. Unique age-old festivals are still celebrated yearly, and you won't see anything like that in the US.

Visitors are invited to participate, and they are often free of charge. You would not want to miss the opportunity to get a glimpse into these various cultures.

Here are some of our favorite cultural festival:

• Oktoberfest in Munich — takes place every September daily for 2 weeks, and it's the largest Volksfest in the world.
• Carnival in Europe — several regions have unique carnival traditions that typically predate Christianity. For example, Venice in Italy and Fasnacht in the Austrian alps.
• Traditional Christmas Markets — Town in the US started to organize Christmas markets, but the vibe is of course all the more special in places where Christmas markets came to be in the last centuries. The oldest Christmas Markets are Vienna, Augsburg, Dresden, and Nuremberg.
• Rome's Birthday — Celebrated every year since its inception, 2779 years ago on the 21st April.
• Krampus Runs — Krampus are mythical figures from the Austrian, Southern German, and Slovenian alps, and you can take part in a true Krampus parade.
• Cattle Drives — Held in various locations across the Austrian and Swiss alps, watch how the cows are coming home dressed in elaborate headgears.

Being Nude

Nudity is a part of European culture, and being naked in public is not frowned upon in several countries.

You can be legally naked at a nude beach (sometimes called an FKK beach) or at a sauna in regions where being nude in the sauna is compulsory (you heard that right).

Nude beaches are scattered across Europe, and you will find them in Germany, Italy, Croatia, Spain.

That said, being topless on European beaches is usually ok, except if you find yourself in a more conservative setting in Albania or Greece.

Nude-only saunas are the norm in Austria, Germany, South Tyrol (Northern Italy), Switzerland. You have to come naked to the sauna “village” area, but you can wrap a towel around you. The pools are also nude only.

That said, all nude only areas have rules and creeps from other parts of the world who don't know to behave will be kicked out of the area. That includes inappropriate staring.

Refer to my nude-only sauna etiquette to get acquaintance with this culture.

Eating Foods in Europe that are Banned in the US

Have you ever dreamed of trying some of these legendary raw milk cheeses, duck livers and blood sausages?

You can get raw milk at farmer's markets in Europe and unpasteurized cheese, which is usually banned in the US, is the norm in some countries, notably in France.

I can recommend a beautiful Camembert cheese from the Normandy, some Foie Gras in Alsace and the Blood Sausage in Western Europe.

Proper Absinthe is also not available in the US (the US version doesn't include some ingredients) but you need to be careful because a lot of fake Absinthe is making the rounds.

Get Absinthe in France, that's your safest bet and learn the Absinthe ritual.

Crossing Several Countries in a Day

Europe is the continent that contains several small countries and each is very different from the other one.

You can drive in one day across 3–5 countries easily.

For example, within a few hours you head from Munich to Austria, cross Austria to Liechtenstein and Switzerland and at last find yourself in Italy.

That means within a few days you can easily experience a dozen of cultures and countries, each unique in their own way, and that's pretty cool, don't you think?