You want to know the scoop on Europe? Find those gems that make your trip unique, fill your journal with notes and stain your pages with red wine? You're not going to trust recommendations from a travel agent. Even the guidebooks are circumspect. (What's the use of cramming into a Parisian bistro with two dozen other Americans that read the same review?) But it's the casual recommendations from a fellow traveler at the train stop that you heed. It's when you hear the vibe in Reykjavik is hot, and Geneva's is not that you change your itinerary to hit the home of Bjork. So think of these tips as the gossip you hear on the Euro circuit, in train compartments, hostels dorms, museum galleries, and sidewalk cafes. These are personal revelations about our trips to Europe, and maybe they'll lead you to your own discoveries. The following tips are ordered loosely from west to east.

Ireland:
Youth Hostels Bruxel. Check out how many people are visiting these hostels. Bruxel has more to offer than you think!

Ireland:
If you find yourself in Mallow, Cork County Ireland, stop by town center and look about for two loafing caretakers, John and John. Big John plays the laurel to Little John's Hardy. You're guaranteed a pint of Guinness and a story.

Feed your mind. Go and have a look around the Dublin Writers Museum on Parnell Square. Writers Beckett, Yeats, Swift, Joyce and Wilde are featured. Remember these guys?

England:
It's not an arm of Parliament – the Ministry of Sound dance club in London is THE place to party. Unique electronica, English partygoers dressed to the nines, and erotic dancers that share the floor with you make it worth the entrance fee.

The Turf Tavern in Oxford is a little piece of English history. Traditional foods include hundreds of beers and delicious fish and chips. Bill Clinton frequented this tavern as a student at Oxford U. and we know what a food connoisseur he is...

Portugal:
Take an afternoon siesta after a hard day of Frisbee slinging and sun on the picturesque beaches of Lagos. You'll need your rest as you head off for another night of the nine to midnight happy hour at The Old Tavern, where frenzied bouts of table dancing are not uncommon.

Spain:
In San Sebastian walk the ocean wall and climb Monte Urgull. Use the stairs from old town's Plaza de Zuloago and pay particular attention to the colors of the Spanish view.

Park Guel in Barcelona is mad-genius architect Gaudi's version of Disneyland gone high art. Great for the view, for a date or for a siesta.

The beach just south of the fortress ruins in Ibiza is a great place to camp, except for the wild dogs that attacked while we slept there.

France:
Paris: With a big group, go drink wine, eat cheese and baguettes, and sing Doors tunes in Pere Lechaise cemetery where Jim Morrison is buried. Live the stereotype, and revel in it.

Wax philosophic with Paola, the friendly Italian proprietor of the hostel disguised as a Mediterranean Villa in Cap D' Ail, near Nice. You'll get plenty of chance to talk to Paolo and fellow travelers during the wonderfully tasty community dinners served nightly as the sun sets over the Med.

Monaco:
Pay the extra $40 to enter the private room in Monte Carlo's Casino and throw one hand at any table. The Mecca for the gambler in all of us.

The Netherlands:
Talk to Mark at the Chills and Thrills head shop in Amsterdam, a few streets down from the train station. Ask him what he suggests. A guaranteed perfect few hours follow.

Belgium:
When in Belgium, check out one of the unique concert venues – outdoor concerts in the Brugge town center and the Zeebrugge beach strand host everyone from Iggy Pop and Bloodhound Gang to obscure Belgian DJs blasting Dutch techno.

Switzerland:
Explore Grindelwald, Switzerland, but escape the tourist-infested main square and take a three-hour hike under towering, granite cliffs.

Italy:
In Verona, don't miss the chance to have better luck in your life: Go to the House of Juliet (as in Shakespeare) and rub Juliet's gold breast.

Visit Pierrino at Café Simoncini in Macerata, Italy, and let the cherubic genius show you the perfect bar.

Vulcano, Aeolian Islands, Sicily, Italy. Soak your weary travel bones in Vulcano's bubbling mud pits, and then go for a rinse in the naturally heated ocean nearby.

Sweden:
Stockholm, Sweden. Inside the city's opera house is Café Opera, a cool hangout for locals.

Germany:
The Rhine River in Germany rocks! Or polkas, whichever. Take the boat trip in Koblenz that drops you off at the foot of some amazing castles and fortresses. Many of these castles offer accommodations at cheap prices.

When you get sick of eating the deep fried, German food in Munich, check out the open-air market behind the glockenspiel for stuffed grape leaves, pasta salad, cheese and wine.

Czech Republic:
Drink pilsner Urqurl draft beer in Prague: it's the local tradition.

Hungary:
Irish Cat Pub in Budapest. Order a flaming whisky steak and, when it arrives, remember to eat the bread underneath.

Have a dip in the thermal baths and get massaged at the Gallert Hotel in Budapest, try not to be embarrassed when wearing the one-sided loincloth.

Greece:
Check out the frozen-in-the-80s Greek rock club scene still thumping throughout Athens.

Contributors: Jeff Booth, Todd Sulchek, Bruce Northam, Trisha Turk, Miranda Shorr, Eric Tiettmeyer, Rich Steel, Brian Birkenstein, Kevin Moller.