It’s the stereotypical image of a writer isn’t it – setting up fort in a coffee shop and hunkering down for the day, laptop on hand, notebook nearby, and a steaming cup of joe on the hour every hour. Amirite?

I personally love stumbling across quirky cafes whilst I’m travelling and it’s even better if they have WiFi and don’t mind you hole-ing up for a little bit whilst you get some words down.
If you’re a writer, you’ll likely get what I mean.

Being a freelance writer can get lonely when you’re rattling around your house all day by yourself, and sometimes popping out to a café to work is just what the doctor ordered. I’ve been feeling this even more recently as I’ve been getting to grips with editing my first novel. Now, if only I could get paid to write fiction every day in beautiful cafés across Europe

These would be my top choices:

Café Greco, Rome

This is an old’un and a good’un. Café Greco opened way back in 1760 and has been a backdrop for a number of inspirational creatives – I’m talking about the likes of Byron, Keats, Shelley, and Casanova. I mean, surely their literary greatness would rub off on me? What’s more, if its creative history wasn’t enough to get the juices flowing, then how about its selection of arts and music evenings?

The second most appealing thing about Café Greco is its location. I’m yet to go to Rome but it’s a place that fascinates me greatly. Two birds, one stone. Perfect.

Les Deux Magots, Paris

Just like Café Greco, this popular and well-loved café in Paris was also graced by the presence of huge creative minds. The walls are pretty much imbued with the ideas and inspirations of Hemingway and Sartre, and Picasso is even thought to have come up with Cubism whilst sitting inside the 20s inspired café.

Now, if that’s not motivation enough to pen a best-seller in the confines of Les Deux Magots, then I don’t know what is!

Franz Kafka Café, Prague

Okay, this is the last café that was the regular haunt of a famous creative, I promise. This one, as you can probably tell from the name, was the regular hangout of Kafka, and even Einstein is thought to have sipped coffee there during his time in Prague.

Two Fifty Square, Dublin

Dublin is a city I absolutely love. There’s just a lively vibe that penetrates the streets and there’s so much inspiration for stories in the historic buildings, the selection of museums, and in the quirky locals that prop up the Irish bars.

Located off a main street, tucked away somewhere quiet (the perfect atmosphere for writing, right?), this converted bakery has an open feel to it thanks to high ceilings and a rustic, spacious interior.

I find that I write best when I’m in an uncluttered space and have a calm environment where I can tap away at my own pace without any major distractions, so I think Two Fifty Square would be the perfect hangout for me.

The Bank, Amsterdam

Okay, sure, this is a concept store from Starbucks (but, I mean, I’m a huge fan of Starbuck’s Chai tea latte… Even though that’s apparently not a thing), but it also acts as a standalone coffee shop with an awesome interior design.

The wood-based interior is made entirely from sustainable materials (not so Starbucks after all, hey), and was conceptualised and executed by no less than 35 local artists and craftsmen from around the city. It literally breathes Amsterdam personality with Delft tiles and bicycles adorning the walls – a creative surrounding makes for creative thoughts and ideas, right?!

Vanilla, Berlin

This is mainly on my list because of the cupcakes. Who doesn’t love cupcakes? And I’m pretty sure there’s no better way to fuel the writing process than with little cups of chocolate-y goodness (please feel free to tell me if you’ve found a better way!).

I also love the retro feel to the café which has lots of natural daylight and pops of bright colour giving it a quirky edge. As I mentioned before, neutral surroundings that are clean and crisp offer me the best working atmosphere so I feel like Vanilla would be the perfect place to set down my laptop and spend an afternoon.

EMESEN, Warsaw

I am a huge sucker for a bookshop café or anywhere you can go and sit down with a good book and not feel like you’re taking the piss. EMESEN is actually situated inside the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, so you can already imagine the creative voodoo that’s going on there.

It’s not your usual museum café though. Oh no. It’s independently run with freshly roasted coffee from all over the world that transports you to places like Guatemala, Kenya, and Brazil – there’s some writing inspiration on its own! But there are also shelves and shelves of books that you can pick up and read whilst you work.

Sure, you might not get as much writing done, but at least you’ll be exercising your creative brain through ‘research’.

Okay, these are the cafes in Europe that are top of my wishlist so far. As a freelancer I’m always looking for great environments to work in and I’m pretty sure these would be among the best of the best.

Tell me, have you visited any awesome cafes in Europe that I should know about? Please share them in the comments below!