Ten parts of European culture we should embrace (and five we don’t want)

Some concepts in European languages are hard to translate. Some that we haven’t even attempted to translate have become part of the English lexicon, like savoir faire, dolce vita and Zeitgeist.

But these notions are worth deciphering if you want to understand the native culture and blend in with locals. Better yet, they offer an alternative path to enjoying yourself beyond the well-worn tourist sights.

These nifty cultural concepts don’t need to be confined to their countries of origin. They might provide hints of how to travel anywhere, and how to free yourself from sightseeing duties which – let’s admit it – can get both tiring and tedious. So kick back, relax and get yourself into the European mindset.

Waldeinsamkeit in Germany

Breisgau in the Upper Black Forest.

What is it? A solitary retreat to the forest for quiet contemplation of your life, which brings both comfort and perhaps a little melancholy.

Tell me more Waldeinsamkeit saw a big revival in Germany, where a third of the country is forested, during the pandemic years as everyone sought calm in the woods, although it has its roots in the Romantic movement which first saw nature as being uplifting and liberating. Take a hike, ponder your life, and be aware of details such as moss, leaves and forest sounds.

Try it The Black Forest in south-west Germany, long associated with folk tales and cuckoo clocks, isn’t all forest but has large tracts of fir, beech, birch and oak trees interspersed with lush rolling countryside. It has a good network of public transport and hiking paths. Mummelsee to Hornisgrinde is popular for its sweeping views and forest-ringed lake and is an easy four-kilometre trail. Baden-Baden Panoramaweg is also beautiful but a more challenging 45 kilometres, divided into four stages.

More Check into the Hotel Baren (baeren-titisee.de) in Titisee-Neustadt and enjoy the town and lake while also being on the forest edge. Wellness facilities provide relief after long walks. See hochschwarzwald.de

Sobremesa in Spain

Lingering over lunch… Old Town in Madrid.Credit: iStock

What is it? “Over the table”, an extended lingering for relaxation and chat after lunch is finished that might take up most of the afternoon.

Tell me more Occupy a terrace table in a restaurant frequented by locals; waiters inexcusably move you on in tourist traps. Tune into long, raucous family conversations, watch kids play in the plaza, enjoy the lassitude, and get over your guilt at abandoning the art museum. Life is art in Spain.

Ideal spot for sobremesa… Raimunda restaurant, Madrid.

Try it Heat-induced summer somnolence makes the afternoons in Madrid the place for long lunches. It’s hard to beat Plaza de Oriente, facing the royal palace and an equestrian statue surrounded by petunia beds. Plaza de Santa Ana is more laid back, with a buzzy local atmosphere. It remains packed long into the evening, so the truly indolent can stretch their sobremesa into tapas time. The 17th-century Plaza Mayor is sumptuous, but you’ll pay tourist prices. Popular with locals are Plaza de Ramales, which has lovely architecture, and leafy Plaza de la Paja.

More One of Madrid’s loveliest sobremesa locations is the terrace of Raimunda restaurant at Linares Palace (grupolafabrica.es), which serves contemporary Ibero-American cuisine. See esmadrid.com

Flanerie in France

What is it? Idleness, especially aimless strolling in the streets (seeing a pattern here?). “Sauntering” might be the closest equivalent in English.

Tell me more The French have a whole philosophy on how to be a stylish flaneur. Aim for urban exploration without purpose and detached observation of street life. Don’t sight see, just soak up the atmosphere. Since flaneurs were associated with modernity in the 19th century, don’t confine yourself to old towns.

Parc de la Tete d’Or in Lyon is France’s largest public park.Credit: iStock

Try it Paris is the obvious choice, but sunnier Lyon, with its riverfronts, is made for loitering and doesn’t distract with too many dutiful monuments and museums. It has lively waterfronts, cafe-cluttered squares and parks – Parc de la Tete d’Or is France’s largest public park – and distinctive neighbourhoods, of which St Jean has wander-worthy French Gothic and Italian Renaissance streets and covered passageways. The nation’s top gastronomic scene means lingering lunches accompanied by local Beaujolais are a must. Les Halles de Lyon food market is a mouth-watering meander amid truffles, Beaujolais wines and premium sausages.

More You aren’t a flaneur if you’re on a guided tour, but the tourist office’s one-hour walk through old Lyon gives you the background ahead of subsequent strolling. See visiterlyon.com

Utepils in Norway

Trondheim Brewery Festival, Norway.

What is it? Literally an “outdoor lager” enjoyed in a beer garden or bar terrace on a sunny summer’s day.

Tell me more Consider it not just a pause for a drink, but a mood booster and way to recharge before continuing with your sightseeing program. Enjoy the sun on your face, the breeze, the whisper of leaves on trees. Norwegians consider camaraderie a big part of utepils, so find a few friends while you’re at it.

Try it In Oslo, locals rush out for utepils whenever the sun shines, so follow the herd. Most bars have outdoor terraces. Don’t be misled by Norwegians in light clothes - bring a jacket. Pedestrian main street Karl Johans Gate has many busy terraces, as do nearby Youngstorget and Torggata. The redeveloped Aker Brygge district on the harbour will give you fjord and fortress views. Grunerlokka district is young and trendy and has a swathe of restaurant and bar terraces plus several parks in which to enjoy another Norwegian favourite, parkliv or park life.

More Hilltop Ekebergrestauranten (ekebergrestauranten.com) has one of Oslo’s best views, especially as the sun sets over Oslofjord. Combine it with a visit to Ekeberg sculpture park. See visitoslo.com

Passeggiata in Italy

Walk this way… people stroll through the Piazza del Duomo or Cathedral square in Cefalu, Sicily.Credit: Getty Images

What is it? Derived from the Italian for “walk”, passeggiata is a daily, ritualised pre-dinner stroll, best performed on a Sunday.

Tell me more The passeggiata usually takes place along an old town’s pedestrianised main street or a waterfront promenade. To insinuate yourself into the local vibe, be nicely dressed. Walk back and forth. Locals greet each other and catch up on gossip. You can slurp gelato, look in stylish shop windows and stickybeak on passersby.

Try it Piazza Santa Croce in Florence and Corso Vannucci in Perugia are among the top passeggiata streets, but you can’t beat those in Sicily, the land of warm evenings, endless conversation and great cafes. In the capital, Palermo, hit pedestrian Via Maqueda, where locals stroll beneath baroque churches and palazzi and chatter in bars, or the sleek redeveloped La Cala harbour with its many restaurants. Other top spots are Via Etnea in Catania, Corso Vittorio Emanuele in Trapani, and Corso Ruggero in Cefalu, which leads towards the magnificent cathedral and down to seaside promenades.

More People-watch in Antico Caffe Spinnato (spinnato.it) on Via Principe di Belmonte. The cafe was founded in 1860 and has barely changed since; pastries are traditionally Sicilian. See visitsicily.info

Saudade in Portugal

A fado singer performs in a popular dark and cosy bar in the Bairro Alto neighbourhood, central Lisbon. Credit: Alamy

What is it? The basic translation is “longing”, which can be for either a person, place or thing that’s no longer present. It has elements of nostalgia, melancholy and yearning.

Tell me more Portugal’s decline as an empire kick-started the feeling, but now saudade is often associated with the homesickness of Portuguese immigrants. Some say it’s a desire for something that doesn’t exist: what better word for the frequent fixation of tourists on an idealised past?

Try it Grand, history-dense yet peeling, Lisbon conveys saudade on steroids in its empty palaces, blue-tiled churches and tumbledown working-class districts. The Church of St Vincent de Fora houses the melancholy tombs of Portugal’s last monarchs. Belem features a monument to Portugal’s discoveries and the tomb of explorer Ferdinand Magellan, where you can ponder the fate of empires. Nothing has more saudade than fado, the soulful songs of Portugal, accompanied by guitar and viola, that relate heartfelt tales of the lost, rejected and oppressed. Even if you don’t understand Portuguese, performers transmit the emotion.

More Cafe Luso (cafeluso.pt) in an atmospheric former wine cellar has been a fado house since 1927 and offers traditional Portuguese cuisine and performances by male and female fado singers. See visitlisboa.com

Gokotta in Sweden

What is it? Waking up early to appreciate the stillness of morning and beauty of nature before the day’s busyness takes over.

Tell me more For some a holiday may be about lie-ins, but tuning into nature early in the morning brings peace, elevates mood, and steadies you for a big day’s sightseeing. For the Swedes, listening to birdsong is a key part of gokotta, so get out into your accommodation’s garden, a park, waterfront or the countryside.

Skokloster Castle: a place to appreciate beauty and stillness.

Try it Stockholm has expansive parks, including the vast Royal National City Park, where you might spot deer and badgers in the forest. Your best gokotta opportunities require an overnight just beyond the city, however. The capital’s archipelago or skerries, with their red houses and sea breezes, are a great getaway, but head up Lake Malaren to Sigtuna and you’ll get both countryside and history in Sweden’s 10th-century capital, featuring the nation’s oldest street. Sigtuna is filled with parks and gardens and is surrounded by fields and forests.

More Skokloster Castle (skoklostersslott.se) is one of Sweden’s most impressive residences and art museums, but take time to appreciate the lawns and lime trees of the surrounding park after your visit. See destinationsigtuna.se

Craic in Ireland

The pub is the place for Irish craic and to listen, both to traditional music and oral history.

What is it? Fun company and good conversation in which you swap news and gossip and have an enjoyable time.

Tell me more Craic – or the craic – should be spontaneous rather than planned, and its participants laid back, humorous and willing to share. Although often associated with pubs, you can come across the craic anywhere, even on a train.

Try it It’s hard to beat the friendly chattiness of people in Belfast, but Cork has a long history of storytellers and traditional live music, and you can listen in – and join the conversation – in a clutter of terrific pubs. The Oliver Plunkett, Old Oak, Hi-B Bar and An Bodhran are all great and all on the same street (Oliver Plunkett Street) for the perfect pub crawl. If your craic isn’t up to Irish standards, then head nine kilometres out of town to Blarney Castle where, if you lean over the battlements to kiss a certain stone, you’ll supposedly be rewarded with the gift of the gab.

More Cork Folklore Project (corkfolklore.org) records the stories and memories of Cork residents, with the collection open to the public. It also features live storytellers and traditional singers. See purecork.ie

Merak in Serbia

Plenty of merak at the colourful and eclectic hotel Mama Shelter Belgrade.

What is it? The feeling you get from enjoying life’s simple pleasures, which cumulatively provides a sense of fulfilment or happiness.

Tell me more Travellers in Europe are often compelled to rush about and tick off big cultural sights. The Serbians know that merak – derived from a Turkish word – puts things in perspective by focusing on the little joys: listening to music, stopping for coffee, smelling the roses. It has an element of spontaneity, so don’t be a slave to your itinerary.

Try it Once you’ve seen the gigantic, mosaic-encrusted St Sava Church and the whopping Byzantine-Ottoman-Hapsburg fortress, Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, frees you from dutiful sightseeing. You’ll find merak aplenty in a city with a youthful population, lively vibe, great live music scene, Danube party boats and good restaurants – and all at a fraction of Western European prices, and without that region’s tourist crowds. Sit in pigeon-flapped squares. Admire the architecture. Gaze over the rivers Sava and Danube, and check out the buzzing Savamala district. Done nothing all day? Perfect.

Enjoying life’s pleasures ... Mama Shelter Belgrade.

More There’s plenty of merak at the colourful and eclectic hotel Mama Shelter Belgrade (mamashelter.com), whose rooftop bar is a local favourite. The neighbourhood is lively with shops and cafes. See tob.rs

Hygge in Denmark

Hygge-hole: Falsted Kro country hotel, Denmark.

What is it? Cosiness, comfort and a warm atmosphere, especially associated with rustic simplicity, tradition and enjoyable company.

Tell me more Pack your most comfy clothes and a few candles, seek out thatched villages and country inns, and enjoy hearty meals instead of New Nordic cuisine. Part of hygge is about what to avoid, too. If you’re sitting in hotel rooms checking emails or watching CNN, you’re really missing out.

Falsted Kro country hotel … snug and cosy.

Try it Time to get beyond busy Copenhagen, see more of Denmark and avoid the summer high season in favour of hygge-producing winter instead. Head west across a long bridge to the island of Funen, where thatched villages sit in rich farming land. Odense, birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, is one of Denmark’s oldest cities and has a pastel-coloured old town crammed with cafes, restaurants and designer shops. Egeskov Castle, a moated Renaissance pile, has splendid gardens bare in winter, but festive lighting brings hygge to the hedges and a sound-and-light show to the castle walls.

More The 16th-century Falsted Kro country hotel (falsledkro.dk), 50 kilometres south of Odense, has hygge galore: thatched roof, crackling fires, beamed ceilings and a restaurant serving roast duck. See visitodense.com

European customs we’d rather do without

Ludicrously late dinners It depends on what kind of Australian you are, but many of us find the Mediterranean habit of eating after 9pm dismaying. The only restaurants that open early cater to tourists, so best adopt a vampire’s schedule.

Lack of air conditioning Climate change has hit Southern Europe hard, and even Britain is experiencing record temperatures. Yet few family hotels or restaurants have air-conditioning, and not all public transport. Prepare to perspire.

Widespread nudity A fair number of northern Europeans have no problem taking their kit off on beaches and lakeshores and in forests and designated campsites. Saunas can be a horror show of wobbling flesh. No thanks.

Inconvenient public conveniences We aren’t used to literally spending a penny in Australia or in Asia, and it doesn’t seem right that Europeans fleece visitors up to €1.50 ($2.50) for public loos that can – in this cashless age – still require coins.

Warm beverages Tepid beer in England (yes, we do still consider it part of Europe), soft drinks that have barely seen the inside of a fridge, warm water everywhere. It sometimes seems Europeans fear that cold liquids and ice cubes might do their innards irreparable damage.

Long lunches There’s a time for sluggish waiters, but not when we have a train to catch. Plus, the Mediterranean closure of shops all afternoon catches Australians unawares just when we need some ibuprofen or a cold drink.

Weekly closures The shops are also closed on Sundays and often Mondays, too. Mondays and Tuesdays see museums and palaces slam shut. Not helpful on a continent where overcrowding needs to be addressed.

Extra meal charges Beware the hidden extras in menus’ small print which, depending on the country, can be levied for shared bills, sandwiches cut in half, live music, bread baskets, corkage, tap water and packets of condiments.

Strikes, strikes and more strikes We aren’t unfamiliar with strikes, but in parts of Europe – hello France – they’ve become an art form and frequent indulgence. Trains and planes are especially impacted. Not happy, Jan.

Whinging about tourists Tourism accounts for 25 per cent of GDP in Croatia and 20 per cent in Greece. The European average is 10 per cent. If you don’t like the golden goose, maybe you should lay a different egg.