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When you're going to Berlin try hitchhiking, should be an interesting experience, you meet nice people and it's very easy (if you know how to hitchhike). In Amsterdam, see if you're able to make it to Queensday: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koninginnedag It's an excellent party What do you mean by more out of the way sites, do you mean other cities (like Berlin  ) or just sights around Amsterdam?Sai posted:3. Huis te vraag Wow, this is about 5 minutes from my house and I never knew it was there. If you walk another 15 minutes south from there you can enjoy some gay friendly nature alongside the Nieuwe Meer, it features one of the most unique signs I've ever seen explaining what cruising gays are and that the area is designated to do just that. Rojkir fucked around with this message at 15:02 on Apr 13, 2011 |
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Apr 13, 2011 14:34
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I might be able to make that, depending on how long I can stretch my money.  I've got my sofi number to try and find work while I'm there, so who knows.Thanks for the sites, those are exactly the sort of things I mean The garden looks particularly gorgeous. One stereotypical question - where are the cheapest places to drink, and smoke? Do weed prices vary drastically? I can't remember much difference around the centre. Will definitely try to hitch there, loved doing it round France and Italy, I reckon it will be just as fun round there. Thanks!
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Apr 13, 2011 20:06
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In general cheap drinking inside a bar or cafe isn't really possible in Amsterdam, but I remember Skek on Zeedijk being slightly cheaper (it's a student place) and OT301 on Overtoom was pretty cheap as well I think. It's a former squatters home, they host nice alternative parties in the weekend (you have to pay entrance though). So for cheaper drinking try to find student places or follow smelly hippies. Otherwise, if the weather is nice, just buy some beers at the supermarket and make some new friends in Vondelpark.
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Apr 13, 2011 20:26
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Desdinova posted:One stereotypical question - where are the cheapest places to drink, and smoke? Do weed prices vary drastically? I can't remember much difference around the centre. Rojkr is right that cheap drinking means buying beer in a supermarket. In bars two euros or under is cheap, if you're from the us remember tipping a barkeeper isn't customary. Cheap food (eating under fifteen euros) and staying out of American fastfood chains is also hard, but not impossible. 1. Burgermeester Amsterdam's local burger chain. Everything is organic and the burgers (6.50-8.50e) are very good. If you're a large eater get a roasted potato on the side. They don't serve fries, which seems to anger some foreigners. They have three locations throughout the city. 2. Kantjil & de Tijger Very good Indonesian restaurant with low prices (and you have to eat Indonesian at least once when you're in Amsterdam). When you add a drink and a tip you'll probably exceed the 15e, but not by much. They also have a to go shop that's pretty good where you can get one of those wok boxes for under 6,50. Restaurant at Spuistraat 291, To Go at NieuweZijds Voorburgwal 342 (both near de Dam). 3. The Pancake Bakery I kinda begrudingly recommend this one because all tourists I've ever met liked it. I've never been there because pancakes should be eaten in a dirty student kitchen while smoking and drinking beer. Still, most people like it and you can get a large one for ten bucks. At Prinsengracht 191 And of course there's FEBO (dont go there)
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Apr 13, 2011 21:14
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Ziir posted:I love beer. I love Belgian beer. I love Belgian beer more than anything else in this world. I'm planning on going on a beer tour through Belgium to profess my love for Belgian beer. Maybe I'll even go out and see something historical or museums or something, if the beer lets me, but my main goal is to drink as much Belgium beer as I can. I'm not looking to get drunk off of cheap beer and party cause I can just do that here in Germany. I want to sample and try out all sorts and types of Belgium beer, local beers, food cooked with beer, beer with fruits in it that Germans can't help but think Kulminator and 't Waagstuk are nice beer pubs in Antwerp.
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Apr 14, 2011 14:53
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and make fun of, dubels, tripels, white beer, blonde beer, maybe even visit a Trappist brewery if I can (Chimay, I'd do anything for you 
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Great thread full of helpful info here. Hopefully this hasnt been answered yet. I am going to Amsterdam on the 21st of this month and need to take the Thalys train over to paris for the weekend. I can not figure out how to buy a ticket in advance which Im told is needed. I am an US resident which is maybe why I am having trouble buying the tickets. Anyone have an idea or gone through this same thing?
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Apr 15, 2011 21:32
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Anything wrong in specific? Thalys.com works, or nshighspeed.nl . Tickets booked so short in advance are expensive though, flying is probably about the same price.
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Apr 15, 2011 21:43
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I pick out the tickets I want and it sends me to page saying I have to call a number in France. I have a eurail pass too, but I cant figure out how to get the tickets through that site either.
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Apr 15, 2011 21:52
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Should I just wait till I get there? Will having my eurail pass make it cheaper?
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Apr 15, 2011 22:00
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Railpass holders may ride Thalys trains, provided that their railpass covers the entire ride. Eurail, Europass, and Eurail Select passes (covering the entire ride) are valid. Belgian, Holland, France, and Germany Single-Country Passes are not valid. Pass holders must pay a 15 Euro railpass-holder reservation fee to ride Thalys trains. Several travelers have reported difficulty making this special type of reservation, as seats in this catagory often sell out. Make your Thalys reservations early in your trip to avoid this problem. You can specify that you accept "Standby Seating" - which gets you on train, but does not guarentee you a seat.
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Apr 15, 2011 22:43
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Is theft in a lot of Europe really that bad? The way a lot of websites write about it makes it feel like i need to spend more time worrying about being pickpocketed than having fun, and that im almost certain to get robbed at some stage, whether its from my person or from a hostel. Obviously im not going to be walking around like a dumb gently caress with my camera flashing, jewelery around my neck and a phat wallet in back pocket, but the mentioning of money belts etc just makes me think... gently caress, really? The only international destination (im from Melbourne, AUS, which is just really safe) i've been is California (mostly LA), so i've just got little idea what to expect in other parts of the world - or if tourism websites are written mostly with "derpy derp im in spain!!1   " idiots in mind?
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Apr 16, 2011 17:00
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Windmill Hut posted:Is theft in a lot of Europe really that bad? Windmill Hut posted:Obviously im not going to be walking around like a dumb gently caress with my camera flashing, jewelery around my neck and a phat wallet in back pocket,
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Apr 16, 2011 17:14
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Just use common sense and you won't have your pocket picked. Certain cities (especially in Spain and Italy) are more known for theft but just be sensible and it probably won't happen.
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Apr 16, 2011 18:00
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Going to Prague on Monday, staying for two nights. There'll be about 7 of us altogether going, half are Americans, the other half Austrians. My boss at my internship told me that Czechs hate Germans and the German language, and proceeded to tell me a story of how he and his friend didn't get served at this restaurant in Prague one time. Does this hostility still exist today? Maybe we should all stick with speaking English while we're there? Also, recommend things to do and see, 'specially with night life.
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Apr 16, 2011 21:49
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Any goons in Rotterdam fancy meeting up I'm with 2 girls and we're looking for somewhere chill to drink and smoke, preferably with 'good' music - no hard house please Suggestions welcome too.
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Apr 17, 2011 17:09
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Jedi Knight Luigi posted:Going to Prague on Monday, staying for two nights. There'll be about 7 of us altogether going, half are Americans, the other half Austrians. My boss at my internship told me that Czechs hate Germans and the German language, and proceeded to tell me a story of how he and his friend didn't get served at this restaurant in Prague one time. Prague has some cool old buildings. Do a walking tour if you are only there for a few days, you can easily spend a day walking round checking out the city and there are lots of bars and stuff all around. When I went it was packed with tourists, like super crowded.
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Apr 17, 2011 18:56
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Desdinova posted:Any goons in Rotterdam fancy meeting up I'm with 2 girls and we're looking for somewhere chill to drink and smoke, preferably with 'good' music - no hard house please I can't meet up but anything around the Nieuwe Binnenweg / Witte de Withstraat is decent.
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Apr 17, 2011 21:01
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I'm going to be in Europe from June to November, roughly, backpacking in and out of different places. I'm really looking for places with natural beauty. Scottish highlands, for example. Or the Alps. Or the Ring of Kerry (which I've done before, just brilliant). I've been living in China the past 17 months and am hoping to spend some time away from billions of Chinese people spitting near me and gawking at me. Anyone want to offer their favorite natural beauty places in Europe? I've just started doing research on where I want to go and how I want to get around, so I'm happy for absolutely any input or suggestions!
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Apr 18, 2011 13:24
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Booked a last minute trip to Paris with my girlfriend, we're there for 4 nights. I'm looking into accommodation and was wondering about areas to stay in; any recommendations? We both like walking so somewhere fairly central would probably be best. We're probably going to go fairly cheap and get a private room in a hostel. If we do decide to spend a bit more money, what was the name of that website where you can rent apartments?
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Apr 18, 2011 14:07
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goldboilermark posted:Anyone want to offer their favorite natural beauty places in Europe? Iceland! (Disclaimer: I haven't been there, but it has to fit that description.)
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Apr 18, 2011 14:43
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goldboilermark posted:I'm going to be in Europe from June to November, roughly, backpacking in and out of different places. I'm really looking for places with natural beauty. Scottish highlands, for example. Or the Alps. Or the Ring of Kerry (which I've done before, just brilliant). I've been living in China the past 17 months and am hoping to spend some time away from billions of Chinese people spitting near me and gawking at me.    Wi nøt trei a holiday in Sweden this yër? See the løveli lakes. The wøndërful telephøne system. But seriously, in northern Sweden and Norway (and Finland I guess, never been myself) there is loads and loads of beautiful and largely untouched nature - especially the fells (sw. fjällen). Combine this with the freedom to roam (allemansrätten), which means that you are allowed to hike and camp on private property (and conversely property owners are not allowed to build fences which block the passage of hikers/wanderers/whatever) and Sweden/the Nordic countries are pretty much made for hiking. The major disadvantage is that you'll want to go to northern Sweden/Norway/Finland, which means far away from the continent - but it is worth it for the awesome feeling of drinking directly out of streams, plus that means no need to lug huge amounts of water or purification equipment around. As a starting point here is the Swedish Tourism Association's website on hiking.
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Apr 18, 2011 17:36
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goldboilermark posted:I'm going to be in Europe from June to November, roughly, backpacking in and out of different places. I'm really looking for places with natural beauty. Scottish highlands, for example. Or the Alps. Or the Ring of Kerry (which I've done before, just brilliant). I've been living in China the past 17 months and am hoping to spend some time away from billions of Chinese people spitting near me and gawking at me. Slovakia was fantastic and it seemed like the whole country was linked up with hiking trails. People were very friendly and it seems like hiking is the national pass time. GIS Slovakia Tatra Mountains for some nice pics. It's cheap as chips, centrally located and near enough to Budapest/Vienna/Prague/Krakow if you want some nightlife. It was also the borderland between Europe and the savage empires so there are tons of mad castles about as well.
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Apr 18, 2011 22:31
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Lady Gaza posted:Booked a last minute trip to Paris with my girlfriend, we're there for 4 nights. I'm looking into accommodation and was wondering about areas to stay in; any recommendations? We both like walking so somewhere fairly central would probably be best. We're probably going to go fairly cheap and get a private room in a hostel. If we do decide to spend a bit more money, what was the name of that website where you can rent apartments? A private hostel room in Paris will probably cost just as much as a hotel. Check out AirBnB.com
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Apr 19, 2011 01:23
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goldboilermark posted:I'm going to be in Europe from June to November, roughly, backpacking in and out of different places. I'm really looking for places with natural beauty. Scottish highlands, for example. Or the Alps. Or the Ring of Kerry (which I've done before, just brilliant). I've been living in China the past 17 months and am hoping to spend some time away from billions of Chinese people spitting near me and gawking at me. It's all about the Balkans.     Ohrid, Macedonia; Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Pirin National Park, Bulgaria; Mount Athos, Greece (you have to make an appointment in advance and can stay/work with the monks for up to a week... if you're a man) That's the actual color of the water in Mostar. It's really something. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 09:02 on Apr 19, 2011 |
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Apr 19, 2011 08:55
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greazeball posted:Slovakia was fantastic and it seemed like the whole country was linked up with hiking trails. People were very friendly and it seems like hiking is the national pass time. GIS Slovakia Tatra Mountains for some nice pics. I agree. The country is boring as hell if all you want to do is see cities or the nightlife or whatever, but the nature here is gorgeous.
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Apr 19, 2011 13:03
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Thanks for all the information, guys. Some really great stuff here. I'll start here when working on my itinerary. You all rock!
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Apr 19, 2011 15:00
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I'm looking for a cheap way to get from London to Dublin next Friday/Saturday. Any suggestions?
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Apr 19, 2011 23:33
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Bit of the opposite question: me and the boyfriend are visiting Sweden and Bosnia in a month, both countries I've grown up in (=jaded). Is there anything in particular I should plan for us to see? What would an American find exciting? I don't want him to miss out on fun tourist stuff on account of my country-blindness. We'll be in Sweden (Gothenburg) for three days, Bosnia for a week.
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Apr 20, 2011 00:56
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Matty D posted:...I suppose I could walk around with a photocopy of it just in case. I recommend that. Much easier to get it replaced if you lose it. Take that copy to your embassy and things will go much quicker as far as a replacement. If you don't make a copy, be sure to right down your passport number and tuck it in your luggage/wallet wherever. you don't want to have to show up at the embassy with no documents. Also, it wouldn't hurt to leave a copy w/ parents/family/friends so that if poo poo got really screwed up they could fax it.
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Apr 20, 2011 03:46
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Square Pair posted:I recommend that. Much easier to get it replaced if you lose it. Take that copy to your embassy and things will go much quicker as far as a replacement. If you don't make a copy, be sure to right down your passport number and tuck it in your luggage/wallet wherever. I personally prefer to scan it and email it to myself. That way it is available at all times electronically if required.
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Apr 20, 2011 04:32
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So an opportunity has arisen and I'm looking to be spending a good deal of time in Mallorca this summer. I speak decent Spanish, but Wikipedia indicates that this is a Catalan-speaking area, and further that locals tend to be bilingual Catalan/Spanish, with some knowledge of English and German. My question is, should I spend my time between now and then boning up on my Spanish or learning Catalan? Basically, do Mallorcans react badly to Spanish they way people would in, say, Barcelona?
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Apr 20, 2011 20:30
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Propaganda Machine posted:So an opportunity has arisen and I'm looking to be spending a good deal of time in Mallorca this summer. I spoke Spanish (Castellano) in Barcelona no problem and I don't expect it to be any different in Mallorca. The locals saw that I was a stranger struggling with the language and were nice to me. If you sweeten it with a little 'Disculpe, no hablo Catalan', they will be delighted.
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Apr 20, 2011 20:38
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KBD posted:Bit of the opposite question: me and the boyfriend are visiting Sweden and Bosnia in a month, both countries I've grown up in (=jaded). Is there anything in particular I should plan for us to see? What would an American find exciting? I don't want him to miss out on fun tourist stuff on account of my country-blindness. We'll be in Sweden (Gothenburg) for three days, Bosnia for a week. Sarajevo and Mostar in Bosnia. Not sure there's anywhere else worth going. That should fill a week. I recommend Srebrenica to Americans because it's a lot like old concentration camps except it happened in our lifetimes and is still more or less intact and includes the huge graveyard/memorial, which makes it an even more emotional experience if that's possible, but it's nearly impossible to get to without renting a car. I'm a pretty cynical, jaded type and Srebrenica was enough to move me to tears. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 23:08 on Apr 20, 2011 |
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Apr 20, 2011 23:05
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KBD posted:Bit of the opposite question: me and the boyfriend are visiting Sweden and Bosnia in a month, both countries I've grown up in (=jaded). Is there anything in particular I should plan for us to see? What would an American find exciting? I don't want him to miss out on fun tourist stuff on account of my country-blindness. We'll be in Sweden (Gothenburg) for three days, Bosnia for a week. I´m an American who spent a substantial amount of time in both of those countries, but this leaves me kind of stumped. Hiking was the best part of Sweden, but you don´t seem to have the time. At least try for a day hike, or spend some time on a ferry to see some islands. The people and the culture were the best part of Bosnia... I didn´t get to see Srebrenica but walking in the graveyard near Tuzla with a Bosnian whose friends died in that massacre was really interesting. I agree with the sentiment.
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Apr 20, 2011 23:43
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Mortley posted:I´m an American who spent a substantial amount of time in both of those countries, but this leaves me kind of stumped. Hiking was the best part of Sweden, but you don´t seem to have the time. At least try for a day hike, or spend some time on a ferry to see some islands. He's not very outdoorsy, unfortunately, but you gave me an idea with the graveyard. Genocide tourism or no I would like him to understand my history. OK, this is what I have so far: Sweden: - visit medieval fortress nearby my house - some typically Swedish activity he might enjoy doing/seeing? ugh like what? i refuse to feed him fish - Gothenburg: visit Lisenberg entertainment park if it's open Bosnia (we're staying in Sarajevo): - lounge around the city, obv. Sample as much food as possible - Sarajevo pivara (the beer brewery place, pretty fancy) - visit the fortress? - vrelo Bosna, although not sure if it's worth it - one-day hike in the mountains with my uncle - museum? - buy a siege tour / tour of the airport tunnel, I've heard good things - go swim at that huge pool place in Ilidza, if open - BOSNIAN PYRAMID REAL YES... COME SEE - visit Mostar if someone can give us a ride Mostly I just want to get to Sarajevo and settle into a relaxed mood, have small back-up activities to do along the way or if we get bored, but also not run around between time-consuming things. Sarajevo is for chillers.
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Apr 21, 2011 04:59
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The airport tunnel is worth seeing to imagine what it was actually like, but the museum itself is kind of a disappointment. Still, it's not like it's going to cost you more than 20KM to get out to the place so you should go see it. The old Jewish graveyard overlooking the city is very interesting in a sad sort of way (most of the graves are overturned and riddled with bullet holes) but also in East Sarajevo; we did a siege tour while living there and saw it and the tunnel that way, but I can't recommend you any specific tour group because the NGO I worked for organized it. I liked the Sarajevsko pivara, but I'm pretty sure it's the most expensive restaurant in the city. The bus ride to Mostar is only about 3 hours and not particularly expensive. You can see Mostar in a day and hotels there were pretty cheap so no reason not to go. If you haven't been back to Bosnia in awhile, there's a ton of construction going on in Sarajevo and all sorts of ultra-modern shopping malls and stuff springing up all over the place. It's pretty cool, actually. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 11:16 on Apr 21, 2011 |
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Apr 21, 2011 11:12
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Question for those that have done Europe in the summer: How important would it be to book hostels in advance? I don't mean like one or two days in advance, I mean like weeks in advance. I'm not planning on like showing up in Ibiza in July without a room, but I'm talking like Madrid or Paris, or smaller areas like Luxembourg or a place in Croatia. Is it really necessary to book months in advance, or is it a week by week thing? Any suggestions or ideas?
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Apr 21, 2011 23:34
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Edit: doublepost
maskenfreiheit fucked around with this message at 02:00 on Mar 13, 2017 |
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Apr 22, 2011 01:25
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goldboilermark posted:Question for those that have done Europe in the summer: How important would it be to book hostels in advance? I don't mean like one or two days in advance, I mean like weeks in advance. I'm not planning on like showing up in Ibiza in July without a room, but I'm talking like Madrid or Paris, or smaller areas like Luxembourg or a place in Croatia. Is it really necessary to book months in advance, or is it a week by week thing? Any suggestions or ideas? The question is too broad - Europe is a continent and you didn't narrow it down much by mentioning Paris, Luxembourg and Croatia in the same sentence. As a rule of thumb, in the summer towns on the coast will be harder to book than those inland. For instance there will be foreign tourists in summer in Madrid, but the Spanish will know better than to spend summer there, so it will be relatively easier to book than Barcelona. The same goes for Zagreb which becomes a ghost town in summer, but not Split. Speaking of Croatia, we don't have many hostels. I stayed in one in Mali Losinj soon after it opened and was mostly unknown. A great place and almost empty in the peak of the summer.
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Apr 22, 2011 10:04
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From my experience in different countries it seems like booking a hostel on the spot is absolutely no problem. It only starts becoming a problem when you have more than one person and you want to stay in the same room.
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Apr 22, 2011 12:06
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