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With 44 countries to choose from, deciding on a European holiday destination can be bewildering.
So relieve your 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 she reveals why Italy is her overall favorite, why she’s least interested in Bulgaria, and the cities she didn’t feel safe in.
The favorites
Italy
Jannis tells MailOnline that he “took a lot of things into account” before settling on Italy as his favorite country.
The intrepid traveler explains: ‘It’s very easy to get there. It is quite affordable. Not the cheapest, but affordable. The landscapes are super diverse. You’ve got the mountains in the north, amazing countryside in Tuscany, big cities, volcanoes and beautiful beaches – you’ve got almost everything you could ask for in a country.’
He adds: ‘Of course you also have all the history, the countless 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 on his favorite places on the continent with MailOnline. Shown above in Milan, Italy, his favorite country

Jannis is a fan of Italy’s ‘super diverse landscapes’. Shown above in Varenna
Italian food is also a major plus for Jannis, who describes it as “probably the best in the world” and the 23-year-old traveler is also a fan of Italy’s “super lovely people.”
Despite a ‘bad experience’ in which he got an 80 euro (£67/$82) bus fine, he describes Italy as his favorite 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 across the country in a couple of days alone.
Jannis, who visited Iceland during the winter, reveals: ‘It really is the country of fire and ice.
‘You have the volcanoes and the incredible frozen landscapes in winter. I like the cold weather and it’s never hot there in summer. Plus, we were able to see the northern lights.
However, there is a ‘downside’ for Iceland. Jannis warns: ‘It’s ridiculously expensive. I have never seen food prices so high. I was surprised.
And, while Jannis describes Icelandic people as “super nice and friendly,” he adds that “there aren’t many of them” and most of the people you meet in Iceland will be tourists.


Jannis loves Iceland and enjoys its cold climate and icy landscapes. Left: at the Skogafoss waterfall. Right: at Diamond Beach
But it’s still a big thumbs up for Iceland from the traveler, 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 excellent condition.
Spain
“Spain is affordable and has a great history and culture,” explains Jannis.
He says: “You can go and see all you want in a couple of weeks, but like Italy, there are always new places to explore.”
The food also has the ‘wow’ factor for the traveler.
Spain’s Balearic and Canary Islands are a big plus for Jannis, but he tells MailOnline that the Mediterranean country also has “big cities like Madrid and Barcelona.”
The tiktoker reveals that Valencia is his ‘all-time favorite city in Europe’.
Although Spain is firmly on Jannis’s list of major European differences, he does say that the country has “its problems.”

Valencia, where Jannis is pictured above, is Europe’s ‘travellers’ all-time favorite city’
The traveler states: ‘They have a lot of unemployment. I would say it is not the safest country. They have a lot of drug trafficking and what not.
Cyprus
Jannis tells MailOnline that Cyprus is a ‘nice hidden gem in Europe’ that ‘most people forget about’.
He says: ‘They have amazing beaches, even if they’re not sandy beaches. It probably has the best crystal clear water I have seen in Europe.
‘It’s a great getaway from winter. I was there in December and it was 25 degrees. I was quite happy.
The traveler adds: ‘They have a good mix 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 see the Turkish side, experience some Turkish food and Turkish culture, then you also have Greek culture and Greek food in the south.”
Jannis also recommends exploring some of the island’s landmarks that are connected to ‘Greek mythology’, such as Aphrodite’s Rock and the House of Dionysus.

Jannis describes Cyprus as a ‘cute hidden gem’. Shown above in Paphos
Least favorites…
Bulgaria and Romania
The traveler tells MailOnline that “none of the countries” in Europe were “particularly bad”, but he simply didn’t like Bulgaria and Romania as much as other destinations on the continent.
He explains: ‘The reason I had to qualify for Bulgaria and Romania Low was because I was there as a child. I was 13 and I traveled there with my grandparents and I just didn’t like it at the time.
‘I was just being confronted with the (former) eastern bloc for the first time. They have good beaches, but we stayed in an all-inclusive hotel, then went to the city of Varna for a while.
However, Jannis explains that he is ‘dying’ to return to Bulgaria and Romania to give them a ‘second chance’ and make new memories as adults as they have ‘amazing people, food and culture’.
Moldovan
Jannis visited Moldova in March 2023. He describes it as a “nice country hidden in Eastern Europe.”

Jannis ranks Moldova among his least favorite countries. Shown above in the breakaway region Transnistria
The traveler explains: ‘It’s nice. They have good food and their culture is great.
However, he is unlikely to return.
He reveals: ‘It’s good if you get the chance to go, but would I go again? Probably not. There’s not 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 I won’t go back there.’
Jannis also visited Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova.
He explains: ‘That was great. You felt like you were in the Soviet Union.
Liechtenstein
The tiktoker gives Liechtenstein a low ranking as it is ‘super small’ with ‘nothing there’. He explains: “Even the capital of Vaduz… you can cross it on foot.”
Vatican City
The smallest country in Europe, Jannis explains that Vatican City is “really nice” because of its historical sites, adding that he loved St. Peter’s Dome and the Vatican Museum. However, his small size means he makes the least favorite list for Jannis.
He says, ‘It’s 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 much safer than most Western cities.”
While she explains that “in general, Europe is pretty safe,” Jannis picks three main cities where she felt a little unsafe.
He tells MailOnline: ‘When it comes to bartending, I’d say Barcelona. I always had to watch my bag. And he hated Marseille. The port and everything was fine, but it felt incomplete. Paris would also be in the 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 listed as one of the safest destinations you have visited.


Left: Jannis considers Malta one of the safest destinations in Europe. It is pictured in the capital city, Valletta. Right: The traveler was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of Montenegro. It’s in the photo in Budva
What was the biggest surprise?
“Visiting all the countries made me see how diverse Europe is,” reveals Jannis. He explains: ‘You have all these different cultures, all kinds of different places and different landscapes.
‘Each country is unique in its own way and has something special to offer. Cultures can be similar but also diverse. Take someone from Iceland and compare them to someone from Hungary and it’s not at all similar. But they are 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 favorites 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 the “Western media.”
Is there any place you wouldn’t return?
Aside from Moldova, Jannis says he won’t be in a rush to return to Monaco.
He explains: ‘It’s just luxurious and glamorous and not my kind of world. Like it was all about being rich and bling bling and I didn’t like that.
And there are some cities I would avoid in the future.
The traveler reveals: ‘I would not return to Marseille. I didn’t like it there. I don’t like Berlin either. And I didn’t like Paris.
Do you want more from Jannis? Follow him on Tiktok – @Jannistravels – or Instagram… JannistraVels.
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