The Adventures You Could Have In Europe This June!
To kick your summer off, we’ve got a list of great adventures you could take on next month across Europe. June is a very exciting month with a lot of really impressive festivals and with the hotter weather, it’s the perfect opportunity to get booking your next trip. Whether you want to attend a festival, get some exercise or go exploring!
Sao Joao Festival in Portugal
The most important night of the year in Porto: Festa de São João do Porto (Festival of St John of Porto in English), celebrated on midsummer June 23rd every year. One of the main traditions of São João festival is to lightly pound the head of everyone you meet on the street with a plastic hammer.
In fact, the party starts early in the afternoon of June 23rd and usually lasts until the next morning. The traditional attractions of the night include street concerts, popular dancing parties, jumping over flames, eating barbecued sardines, Caldo verde and meat, drinking wine and releasing illuminated flame-propelled balloons over Porto’s summer sky.
The festivities have been held in the city for more than six centuries. It is quite common for citizens of Porto to keep celebrating until 3 or 4 in the morning. Some take it further, staying up until the first hours in the morning. They walk from Porto’s riverside core to the seaside in Foz or in the nearby suburb of Matosinhos where they wait for the sunrise! If your planning on ticking Sao Joao off your bucket list this June, make the most of the day by taking on our Sao Joao Challenge!
Haro Wine Battle in Spain
A festival in the town of Haro in the La Rioja region of northern Spain. Normally a quiet little town in the heart of wine country but every year at the end of the season they come across the same problem … LEFTOVER WINE! This leads to a celebration that takes place each year between the 27th and 30th of June. However it is on June 29th, the day of the patron saint San Pedro that La Batalla del Vino or The Battle of Wine occurs.
The day begins at 9am, with a procession of people young and old, all carrying jugs, bottles and any other types of containers filled with red wine. Led by the town’s mayor, on horseback, the procession winds through the town to the Cliffs of Bilibio, where a mass is celebrated at the Hermitage of San Felices de Bilibio.
After the mass a true free-for-all begins with over 50,000 litres of wine making for an enormous wine fight! With everyone tossing wine on each other until all are soaked from head to foot. Then at noon everyone returns to town to celebrate at the Plaza de la Paz and party together into the night! For the ultimate experience tick off everything on our Haro Wine Battle Challenge!
Royal Ascot
Ascot Racecourse is a British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom. The course, enjoys close associations with the British Royal Family, being approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) from Windsor Castle. Ascot currently stages 26 days of racing over the course of the year, comprising 18 flat meetings held between the months of May and October inclusive. It also stages important jump racing throughout the winter months. The Royal Meeting held each June, remains a major draw.
The Royal Ascot is the centrepiece of Ascot’s year and dates back to 1711 when it was founded by Queen Anne. Every year Royal Ascot is attended by members of the British Royal Family, arriving each day in a horse-drawn carriage with the Royal procession taking place at the start of each race day and the raising of the Queen’s Royal Standard. It is a major event in the British social calendar, and press coverage of the attendees and their attire often exceeds coverage of the actual racing. Over 300,000 people make the annual visit to Berkshire during Royal Ascot week, making this Europe’s best-attended race meeting. For the royal treatment join Ascot with PP Travel and take on our Royal Ascot Challenge.
Hike Cinque Terre in Italy
A rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera, in the region Liguria, Northwest Italy. It comprises of five small fishing villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The villages dig into the cliffs where the Apennine mountains meet the Mediterranean coast line. Each village has retained its character and traditions from earlier times, impressively perched between the rocky shoreline and the steep terraced hills. The extensive network of trails connecting the villages pass through olive groves and terraced vineyards, with sweeping views of the vast expanse of the Mediterranean below.
If your considering this beautiful trek, a good place to start and see your potential new travel bling is our Cinque Terre Italian Trail Challenge!
Drive the North Coast 500 in Scotland
A world-famous 516-mile (830km) scenic driving route around the north coast of Scotland, starting and ending at Inverness Castle. The route is also known as the NC500 and was launched in 2015, linking many features in the north Highlands of Scotland in one iconic touring route.
From Inverness, the ‘capital of the Highlands’, the route weaves its way along the west coast to Applecross, northwards to Torridon and Ullapool, before passing some of Scotland’s most northerly points, Caithness and John O’Groats. From there, journey south through Dingwall back to Inverness.
Early June is a great time of year to complete the North Coast 500 as during this time you’ll find most attractions and restaurants open, the greatest variety of accomodation, and the best chances for warmer weather. The route gets even busier in July and August, but booking accommodation is strongly advised during the month of June. If this is the month your taking on this epic road trip, get motivated by reading our North Coast 500 Challenge!
Summit Europe’s Highest Peak – Mount Elbrus
Elbrus is in the Caucasus Mountains in Southern Russia, near the border with Georgia. There are two summits, both of which are dormant volcanic domes. The taller west summit is 5,642 metres (18,510 ft) the east summit is 5,621 metres (18,442 ft).
The tenth most prominent peak in the world. As such it is also one of the 7 Summits, which are the highest mountains on each continent. To get active this June and ascend to the pinnacle of Europe, check out our Mount Elbrus Summit Challenge!
