Tag: europe

Jūrmala, the stunning beach town on the Baltic Coast in Latvia

On By Laura Ferries WriterIn europe, solo female travel1 Comment

[You can read Part 1 of my Latvia trip here.]

I was in Riga and although I easily could have spent another day or two there, when I learned that Riga is only half an hour away from the coast, I did a bit of investigation and as soon as I saw photos of Jūrmala, (pronounced Yurmala) my mind was made up- I had to go.

How to get there

Head to Rīga’s Central Station and take the train that heads in the direction of Sloka. I bought my ticket online at https://www.vivi.lv/en/ for about 1 euro 50! The journey lasts around 30 minutes and you get off the train at a station called Majori. From there, you cross the main road and walk under an arch and then you are on Jūrmala’s high street, Jomas Ieri.

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What to do in 24 hours in Riga, Latvia, as a solo female traveller

On By Laura Ferries WriterIn baltic, europe, solo female travel2 Comments

Welcome to the blog entry on the 30th country I have visited: Latvia!

Long ago, when I first fell in love with travelling abroad and seeing as much of the world as I had time for and could afford, I saw pictures of Riga in a city break brochure (remember travel brochures?!) and thought it looked stunning and have long kept the idea in mind but for years, I was put off by the unfair Stage/Hen do reputation and other places had presented themselves as holiday destinations until now.

So, in May 2025, I found reasonable flights to Riga from Manchester and booked them without much idea of what there would be to see and do there apart from pretty architecture. This is what I love about booking a trip- the research can then commence and the excitement builds as you uncover more and more of what will be waiting for you once you arrive.

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Uncover the Best of Bilbao: The Capital of Spain’s Basque Region

On By Laura Ferries WriterIn europe, spain1 Comment

Bilbao, the capital of the Basque region in the very north of Spain.

Admittedly, I knew very little about it and had never visited any of the more northern cities in Spain such as Vigo, Santander and San Sebastián. My sister’s colleague had returned from a trip to Bilbao earlier this year and sang its praises so we, and our cousin, booked on for five days this August to see what it is all about.

The Basque region spans a certain region across some of the north of Spain and some of the south of France, connected by the Bay of Biscay. They share a common language called Euskara, or Basque (easier to say for English speakers!), and there has been a political Basque independence movement for several decades which included the separatist group ETA who sadly utilised violence and terrorism, including bombings at Madrid airport in 2006.

The majority of Basque people, of course, did not and do not advocate for violence and times have moved on into perhaps more unity and acceptance of others.

In fact, today, Bilbao is a very modern, international university city where people from many backgrounds study, work and live together in what feels like the friendliest city we’ve experienced in Spain.

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Exploring Villajoyosa: A Colourful Coastal Town on Spain’s Costa Blanca

On By Laura Ferries WriterIn solo female travel, spain4 Comments

This summer, I was based in Alicante Old Town for three days on my own and knew that I’d want to incorporate visiting one of the seaside towns along the Costa Blanca for the day whilst I was in the area.

I spent several hours reading up on Albir, Altea, Calpe, Dénia, Gandia, Jávea and Villajoyosa, finding it really difficult to make a decision on where to spend one of my three days in Alicante as quibbles on Trip Advisor proved inconclusive about which one was the town most worth visiting.

In the end, I went with visuals and I chose the most colourful town, the most joyful town (literally in the name): Villajoyosa, or, La Vila Joiosa in Valenciano. It is often referred to simply as ‘La Vila’.

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