I’m the one that’s got to die when it’s time for me to live my life the way I want to – Jimi Hendrix
If you think Europe is all about famous churches and history museums, think again! The diverse continent is home to all sorts of offbeat, quirky and downright weird attractions. Here’s our pick of 8 weird and wacky things to do in Europe.
Live the life you love. Love the life you live – Bob Marley
1. Roll down a hill with some cheese in the UK
Every year cheese-lovers meet up on a hillside in Gloucester at the Coopers-Hill Cheese Rolling to chase a giant wheel of double Gloucester cheese down a steep hill. The first person to cross the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheesy prize!
2. Sleep in a cave in central Turkey
In central Turkey lies Cappadocia, an area that looks straight like it’s out of a fairytale, with natural rock chimneys that have caves carved inside. People have been living in the caves for centuries, and as a traveller you’ll get a taste of the rock dwelling life by staying in one of the many cave hotels in the little villages.
3. Discover the genitalia of Iceland in the Iceland Phallalogical Museum in Reykjavik
In Iceland’s capital of Reykjavik, you can find the Iceland Phallalogical Museum, which houses more than 200 penises and “penile parts” of almost all the sea and land mammals of Iceland, including a rather unsightly human specimen.
4. Visit an ossuary in Czech Republic
One of the Czech Republic’s most popular attractions is the Sedlec Ossuary, also known was the Church of Bones, where the bones of tens of thousands of people who died during the plague in the Middle Ages line the interior of the chapel. There’s a chandelier of bones, garlands of skulls draped over the vault, piles of skulls and a coat of arms made out of a skeleton. Can you get more creepy?
5. Learn about heartbreak in the Museum of Broken Relationships in Croatia
This museum helps people to overcome their heartbreak and failed relationships by asking them to send in objects tied to those relationships – gifts, teddy bears, jewellery, art – which all make up the permanent collection. Browse the belongings of hundreds of people, along with the stories of why those objects once had meaning to them. Expect to feel much more emotional than you would do in a conventional museum!
6. Go underground in the sewers of Paris
With more than 2000 kilometres of tunnels, Paris has the most extensive sewer network of any city in the world, and some of it is open to visitors. If you want to see a different side of this touristy city, head underground to walk the 19th-century tunnels and learn about Paris’ fascinating sewer system.
7.Explore an abandoned spying tower in Berlin
An abandoned Cold War-era spying station in Grunewald Forest, Teufelsberg is now covered in graffiti and vast murals and looks like the set for a post-apocalyptic movie. Take a tour to discover its creepy levels and rooftop with its mysterious giant spherical structures overlooking the forest.
8. Museum of Art Fakes, Vienna
This is probably one of the only art museums in the world that doesn’t have any original works in it. The Museum of Art Fakes houses only fake art works, displaying forged Matisse, Klimt, Rembrandt and other paintings that passed for the real ones and were bought for millions.