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tzz posted:Get a different one in each country. Most pre-paid cards don't even have the roaming option (at least in Spain, but if I remember correctly it's the same in Germany). My Belgian sim lasted through the Netherlands before I ran out of credit and the German one I replaced it with made it through Switzerland. But the roaming costs are extortionate, even texting went from E.10 to E.71. Definitely do it if you still have credit left, though, it's not money you can get back.
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May 30, 2011 22:48
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On page 24, I asked about your favorite places of natural beauty in Europe for my 5 month trek and got some really great responses from y'all. Slovakia, Croatia, all those areas. I'm now asking about small, hidden towns or gems of areas that are not touristy and that can really offer a quaint feel. Again, this comes from living in a large city in China the past 18 months. I know this might seem a little broad, but what are some of your favorite places to visit in Spain, France, Germany that are NOT big cities and NOT touristy? I have really no desire to go to Paris for more than 24 hours, but I wouldn't mind stopping somewhere in France for a while if it looked like that town from the Disney version of "Beauty and the Beast". Maybe it is too much to ask, but if I get just one response of a place that is totally awesome, it will mean a lot. Only three more weeks and I'm out of here for five months...sooooo close.
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May 30, 2011 23:44
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An0 posted:Well I rarely enjoy touristy tourism, I did quite a bit of hiking/walking when I was younger, I like churches, and I love Armenian duduk music - so I think I would quite like spending a bit of time in Armenia. Sorry about this. Cant get any ideas for this atm because the people I was gonna ask are off the grid! goldboilermark posted:On page 24, I asked about your favorite places of natural beauty in Europe for my 5 month trek and got some really great responses from y'all. Slovakia, Croatia, all those areas. I'm now asking about small, hidden towns or gems of areas that are not touristy and that can really offer a quaint feel. Again, this comes from living in a large city in China the past 18 months. Will you have a car? Because if you have a car it will make me recommending places in France/Germany a lot easier. I went to some loving tiny/rural places only because my aunt and uncle drove me and without that I have no idea how the gently caress you would get a bus to these places. Even going around the Loire would seem awkward. Or do you mean places that aren't so popular but are still easily acessible because I think somewhere like Freiburg in Germany is the perfect example of that.
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Jun 1, 2011 01:03
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I'll definitely be in Freiburg in September in Germany, so I'm excited to hear about this suggestion. As for having a car, I'm definitely old enough to rent, haven't decided yet though. If you wouldn't mind posting them anyway or at least a few of them, I could see what it looked like on traveling and the like. Just simple town names or areas would work, you don't have to go into too much detail. Thanks so much 
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Jun 1, 2011 06:54
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goldboilermark posted:I'll definitely be in Freiburg in September in Germany, so I'm excited to hear about this suggestion. As for having a car, I'm definitely old enough to rent, haven't decided yet though. If you wouldn't mind posting them anyway or at least a few of them, I could see what it looked like on traveling and the like. Just simple town names or areas would work, you don't have to go into too much detail. Seconding that about the car being extremely handy / basically required for this kind of trip. Plus you can sleep in it every other day or two, since finding inexpensive lodging in small towns is difficult / impossible. South of France has some amazing towns, e.g. Roussillon and Menerbes, which you could not get to by public transportation, plus they won't be overrun with international tourists (only French ones) during the summer. Italy has a lot of really charming towns in the north, if you're coming from Croatia, e.g. alongside Lake Como and Lake Maggiore, as well as in the Tyrolean part of Italy/Austria. I can't remember any offhand though, haven't been near there in years except to the more touristy cities (e.g. Como, Locarno).
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Jun 1, 2011 08:04
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Edit: doublepost
maskenfreiheit fucked around with this message at 02:00 on Mar 13, 2017 |
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Jun 2, 2011 21:50
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GregNorc posted:So I'm looking into how I'll go from Paris to London... the Eurostar seems to be really expensive (£75 for a one way ticket?! And that's if I go "non-flexible" - it jumps to about £150 if I want to get a refund if I can't make the train for some reason) EasyJet can get you a one-way for like $40, or like $60 when you factor in the airport->town transfer fees that you don't have to pay with EuroStar. RyanAir flies you into like an airport like 9 hours away by bus for its "Paris" airport, so I'd avoid it. (Mild exaggeration.)
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Jun 3, 2011 07:39
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GregNorc posted:So I'm looking into how I'll go from Paris to London... the Eurostar seems to be really expensive (£75 for a one way ticket?! And that's if I go "non-flexible" - it jumps to about £150 if I want to get a refund if I can't make the train for some reason) We got our tickets for like $60 but we got them a good month ahead of time. What website are you using?
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Jun 4, 2011 16:54
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I've been picking over the thread and it's given me some good guidelines for my trek through Northern Europe. I've never been to any of the following countries, so can anyone leap in and tell me if this is a goofy schedule? Will be traveling in mid-August of this year, from New York City. Gothenburg, Sweden: 1 day Ferry/train to Copenhagen, Demark: 2 days there Plane/train to Berlin, Germany: 3 days there Plane/train to Dusseldorf, Germany: 2 days there Plane/train to Maastricht, Netherlands: 1 day there Train to Amsterdam or Utrecht, Netherlands: 2 days there, then fly back to JFK from AMS. I've been around Holland before, so I could potentially sub in some Belgium to try something new. Any red flags? Any must-hit attractions in any of these places?
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Jun 5, 2011 21:03
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I got my plane ticket yesterday!! Five months on the road in Europe. I'm flying from Beijing to Madrid, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal on June 22nd. I want to spend a week in Portugal, maybe 8 days, who knows. Does anyone have any suggestions between heading north to Porto and heading south to The Algarve? I'd really like to avoid HUGE amounts of crowds, and if being in The Algarve in late June is going to be a ton of people, I'd like to avoid that. Any suggestions? I'll probably be frequenting this thread over the next few months asking for advice, so thanks in advance to anyone who has done these areas and knows their poo poo.
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Jun 6, 2011 03:41
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Edit: doublepost
maskenfreiheit fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Mar 13, 2017 |
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Jun 6, 2011 20:00
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Pantaloon posted:I've been around Holland before, so I could potentially sub in some Belgium to try something new. Any red flags? Any must-hit attractions in any of these places? I ended up spending like two weeks in Belgium (I was originally only going to stay for 3 days or so) because I had so much fun. Don't try to cram it all in, though - Belgian cities aren't the best for quick visits, they're the kind of place you have to spend a little time in. On your time frame, go to Brussels if you want active nightlife or you like comics, and Ghent if you want to lounge around and relax. Either one is good for history and Flemish Gothic stuff. Either way though Belgium is best if you can make friends with some locals - all the best things about it are lifestyle-y (like the fritten stands, trying the beer, lounging around by the canals...). Even if you're staying in hotels or something, couchsurfing is a really great tool in Belgium.
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Jun 7, 2011 01:14
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A few friends and I will be staying in central Amsterdam over the weekend. Besides what's listed in the second post, what should we be looking to do? We were thinking the Heineken factory, zoo, RDL, and weed.
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Jun 7, 2011 21:42
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zacpol posted:A few friends and I will be staying in central Amsterdam over the weekend. Besides what's listed in the second post, what should we be looking to do? We were thinking the Heineken factory, zoo, RDL, and weed. Vondelpark might have a bit of a bad rep with some Amsterdammers (I think?), but I enjoyed lazing around in there for hours when the weather was nice. We bought one of those one-time grills in a supermarket and had ourselves a little barbecue. Cheap! All of a sudden around 100 police men and 30 squad cars showed up, and shut the whole park down due to a massive fight, though, so I don't know if it might be considered a sketchy area at night. Also, do the tourist thing and rent some bikes. It's cheap and by far the nicest, most flexible and fastest way to get around. Fiskenbob fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Jun 7, 2011 |
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Jun 7, 2011 22:30
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Fiskenbob posted:Vondelpark might have a bit of a bad rep with some Amsterdammers (I think?), but I enjoyed lazing around in there for hours when the weather was nice. We bought one of those one-time grills in a supermarket and had ourselves a little barbecue. Cheap! All of a sudden around 100 police men and 30 squad cars showed up, and shut the whole park down due to a massive fight, though, so I don't know if it might be considered a sketchy area at night. A word of advice, though: there's been talk of banning bbqs in the Vondelpark. I'm not sure about the time frame, if this new rule get's passed, though. So please inform yourself about where and when you can barbecue.
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Jun 8, 2011 00:01
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Question about the Belgian Go Pass to the Belgoons. Does "one trip" include train/bus changes or does each segment count as one trip? Is there anything similar for Holland?
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Jun 8, 2011 12:25
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Edit: doublepost
maskenfreiheit fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Mar 13, 2017 |
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Jun 8, 2011 17:28
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I have a question that you guys are probably going to hate, just because it's so vague. I'm on my last summer vacation ever (thanks med school), and I have five weeks to do pretty much whatever I'd like, although that also includes churning out a research paper. Still, I have at least a week to travel and go somewhere that I've never been. The place that has always interested me is Norway. My great-grandfather was born there, and our family maintains its heritage. My dad has gone a few times, but he's always stayed with the distant relatives we have out there. Really, all I know about Norway is that its countryside is undeniably gorgeous, and that Oslo is undeniably expensive. I'd be traveling abroad alone, which is something I've never done before either. So really, I guess my question is -- how would a dude traveling alone to Norway best spend his time and money? I've looked into doing something like a week in a work exchange program, but that definitely constricts how much I can move around the country. They say there's no minimum time commitment, but it seems to me that the programs are best used on people that have a lot of time abroad.
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Jun 8, 2011 20:37
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Aggro posted:Words about Norway. I've lived in Norway all my life, so here's some input. In my opinion, Oslo isn't really worthwhile. It's expensive as hell while not really offering anything that other mid-size cities don't. Unless you have a specific part of Norway in mind, I'd look into Bergen, Stavanger or Trondheim. While those cities are prettier than Oslo, a trip to Norway should prioritize the countryside and not the cities. On that note, you should keep in mind that Norway is rather large, and distances limits you much more than it would in central Europe. As for things to see/do, I'm just going to list some beautiful places: - Prekestolen and Kjeragbolten near Stavanger. You have the opportunity to stand on a stone lodged between two mountains. With a 1000m drop beneath you. It's viking as hell. - Lofoten. In my opinion the most beautiful place in Norway, but it's a long way from any mayor cities. - Jotunheimen. Huge mountainous area. It's a cool place to hike and you could visit Galdhøpiggen, the highest mountain in Norway, which can be done in a day. - Geirangerfjorden in Møre og Romsdal. Never been there myself, but I hear it's pretty cool. There are connections by bus and train between most mayor cities and locations, which is generally of decent quality, even if the prices are a little steep. (It pays to order in advance for the trains, and most transport should offer student pricing.) Practically everyone speaks english at an acceptable level. Oh, and people while look at you weirdly if you try to pay with anything but krones. Speaking of money, everything is expensive, especially alcohol. The exchange rates between NOK and dollars are in a pretty bad spot for you right now as well.
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Jun 8, 2011 21:13
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duralict posted:I ended up spending like two weeks in Belgium (I was originally only going to stay for 3 days or so) because I had so much fun. Don't try to cram it all in, though - Belgian cities aren't the best for quick visits, they're the kind of place you have to spend a little time in. On your time frame, go to Brussels if you want active nightlife or you like comics, and Ghent if you want to lounge around and relax. Thanks for the heads-up, Ghent looks lovely. Now to book all those rail tickets...
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Jun 9, 2011 06:14
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Pantaloon posted:Thanks for the heads-up, Ghent looks lovely. Now to book all those rail tickets... If you're under 26 years old this might work out better for you: http://www.b-rail.be/nat/E/tarifs/passes/go/ or http://www.b-rail.be/nat/E/tarifs/tickets/gopass1/index.php That's what I was talking about. Still waiting for someone to tell me what "1 journey" means though (i.e., A --> C w/ exchange at B = 1 or 2 journeys? Sounds like it should be 1, but you never know.)
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Jun 9, 2011 09:41
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Ziir posted:If you're under 26 years old this might work out better for you: What you're not allowed to do is break your journey along your route. So in the previous example you wouldn't be allowed to get off at Brussels, visit it for a few hours and then continue your journey to Liege. If you'd do that it'd count as 2 journeys. Also make sure you fill in your go-pass thingy before you get on the train - you're supposed to have it sorted before a conductor comes to check tickets.
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Jun 9, 2011 10:17
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The Flying Clog Wog posted:One journey is from any Belgian station to any other Belgian station using a logical route. Interchanges aren't a problem. So if you're going from say Ghent to Liege you are allowed to change trains in Brussels. Look on http://www.b-rail.be/main/E/ and fill in your stations. Cool, guess I'm going to Belgium next week since I have the week off. Hmm, where to go. Are my choices only Ghent and Brussels? I'd love to go to Brussels (to drink beer…) but I'm already planning on that with a friend when he comes to visit later this year.
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Jun 9, 2011 22:31
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goldboilermark posted:I got my plane ticket yesterday!! Five months on the road in Europe. I'm flying from Beijing to Madrid, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal on June 22nd. I want to spend a week in Portugal, maybe 8 days, who knows. Does anyone have any suggestions between heading north to Porto and heading south to The Algarve? I'd really like to avoid HUGE amounts of crowds, and if being in The Algarve in late June is going to be a ton of people, I'd like to avoid that. Any suggestions? During the Summer every coastal city will be crowded but none will be packed as the southern Algarve coast. On your way north you might want to check Obidos, a medieval village, it is a bit touristy but it shouldn't be crowded, if i remember correctly the medieval marked is held on July. You can also check Batalha, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tomar might also be worth a check. The last remnants of the Knights Templars are there. Coimbra is a very old University city. On late June you shouldn't find too many stundents there. If you are a fan of good food and drink you might want to find out about the Bairrada region. Aveiro probably deserves a visit too. We call it jokingly the portuguese Venice because it also has some canals. Dunno what to add more. I am from the south so i don't really know central/northern Portugal that well. Maybe someone else here can help you more on the northern route. As for when you head for Algarve, the Alentejo coast is rather deserted compared to the rest of the portuguese coast. If you really want to enjoy non crowded beaches your best bet will be there, just avoid Sines and Vila Nova de Milfontes. Aljezur should be fine though i haven't been there for years. Check Sagres where the school of navigation of Prince Henry is situated if you want and Tavira wich is probably the most historic city in Algarve. If you really want to avoid crowds, don't go to places like Albufeira, Vilamoura or Monte Gordo but keep in mind thats where most of the animation will be. You can also try to avoid the coast and visit Évora, Beja e Mértola. It can get really hot on these places, over 50ºC on particulary hot summers, so be ready for that. Evil Creature fucked around with this message at 08:53 on Jun 10, 2011 |
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Jun 10, 2011 08:35
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Thanks for the great write up! I'll probably just head north to stay away from the crowds. I tell you, living in China for 18 months, I don't really need to be around crowds these days. Appreciate all of the great stuff, EC.
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Jun 10, 2011 10:01
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Ziir posted:Cool, guess I'm going to Belgium next week since I have the week off. Hmm, where to go. Are my choices only Ghent and Brussels? I'd love to go to Brussels (to drink beer…) but I'm already planning on that with a friend when he comes to visit later this year. Antwerp and Ghent are my favourite Belgian cities I would say.
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Jun 10, 2011 11:31
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goldboilermark posted:I got my plane ticket yesterday!! Five months on the road in Europe. I'm flying from Beijing to Madrid, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal on June 22nd. I want to spend a week in Portugal, maybe 8 days, who knows. Does anyone have any suggestions between heading north to Porto and heading south to The Algarve? I'd really like to avoid HUGE amounts of crowds, and if being in The Algarve in late June is going to be a ton of people, I'd like to avoid that. Any suggestions? I'm living in Porto right now. It's a great city to come see. So do. Theres a few nearby cities that are amazing to see like Braga, Coimbra, Aveiro and Guimaraes. (lacking accent marks sorry) Will you be using Couchsurfing or staying in hotels or hostels? I can show you around Porto if you would like. The Festa de Sao Joao (John the Baptist) is big in Porto, Aveiro and Braga on June 23-24. In Porto there are large parties with people being hit on the head with harmless plastic hammers; in Braga expect to see dancing, illuminations, folk dramas, poems to loved ones in pots of basil, music and processions. You'll be in Portugal in time for this.
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Jun 10, 2011 16:06
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The Flying Clog Wog posted:
I have to say I do have a little soft spot for Maastricht, if only for that huge Christmas funfair that was there one time, and the amazing book shop in a church.
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Jun 10, 2011 17:01
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Romana posted:I'm living in Porto right now. It's a great city to come see. So do. Theres a few nearby cities that are amazing to see like Braga, Coimbra, Aveiro and Guimaraes. (lacking accent marks sorry) Will you be using Couchsurfing or staying in hotels or hostels? I can show you around Porto if you would like. Do you get PMs?
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Jun 10, 2011 19:57
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Neris posted:I have to say I do have a little soft spot for Maastricht, if only for that huge Christmas funfair that was there one time, and the amazing book shop in a church. But Maastricht is in Holland.
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Jun 10, 2011 19:59
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Ziir posted:But Maastricht is in Holland.  ignore me
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Jun 10, 2011 22:07
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goldboilermark posted:Do you get PMs? No I'm sorry. You can email me at argyria@gmail.com I guess you and any other goon now. I use Gchat also so that works too.
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Jun 11, 2011 12:29
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What is the general consensus on Ryanair? I saw a 15 Euro flight from Porto to Madrid. Is there a catch here or is it really just that cheap?
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Jun 12, 2011 03:52
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goldboilermark posted:What is the general consensus on Ryanair? I saw a 15 Euro flight from Porto to Madrid. Is there a catch here or is it really just that cheap? The catch is to know how Ryanair works. Here is a write up I did... http://thesavvybackpacker.com/675/ryanair-survival-guide-tips-for-flying-ryanair/ I've never had any problems with them.
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Jun 12, 2011 04:10
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Haha holy poo poo, that looks like a disaster. I have four and a half months, I guess I'll stick to buses and trains. Probably more enjoyable that way anyway. Thanks for that great write up!
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Jun 12, 2011 05:01
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goldboilermark posted:Haha holy poo poo, that looks like a disaster. I have four and a half months, I guess I'll stick to buses and trains. Probably more enjoyable that way anyway. Thanks for that great write up! Ryanair isn't bad. It looks like Porto to Madrid is around a 10 hour bus ride. I would probably rather deal with the flight than take a 10 hour bus ride that costs 3x as much. The key to Ryanair is to not check bags, arrive on time and know where the airports are actually located. If you know this stuff you'll be fine.
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Jun 12, 2011 06:30
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goldboilermark posted:Haha holy poo poo, that looks like a disaster. I have four and a half months, I guess I'll stick to buses and trains. Probably more enjoyable that way anyway. Thanks for that great write up! It's not that bad if you know what to expect. It only turns sour when you have bags, forget to check-in online, etc. As long as you're somewhere with an internet connection and a printer, don't have any checked luggage, and are only making one trip (i.e. not trying to catch a connecting flight), then it's OK.
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Jun 12, 2011 12:18
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sweek0 posted:Antwerp and Leuven are worth visiting too I think. And the Ardennes for both the really nice countryside as well as a lot of wartime history. Bruges is an obvious tourist choice too. I think I'm going to Brussels after all because that's where other people want to go. We're free to go on either Wednesday or next weekend. Is Brussels worth a day trip or is it more of a weekend thing? Time to travel doesn't really matter so much cause it's 1:47 hours away.
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Jun 12, 2011 15:22
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Me and two friends will be doing a road trip through Europe starting from the UK on the 17th of June and getting to Greece on the 26th-27th. Our itinerary at the moment looks something like this and here's the google maps link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sou...2,39.506836&z=5 We plan to roughly follow this: 17. Harwitch->Hoek Van Holland (boat)->Rotterdam 18. Rotterdam->Amsterdam 19. Amsterdam->Paris 20. Paris->Marseille 21-22. Marseille->Cannes (stay at Cannes for a day maybe)->Monaco-Nice (maybe sleep in Monaco) 23. Monaco->Genova 24. Genova->Rome 25. Rome->Bari->Patra (by boat and perhaps it will take an additional day) 26. Patra->Athens and that's it. We will not be staying in any place for long so we won't have much time to devote to any particular city but we would like to make many stops and check out cool places so are there any places and things to do that we shouldn't miss on this route? Especially from the 20th to the 23rd that we will be around Marseille/Cannes/Genova we will have more time and it seems it's a beautiful coastal road there but none of us really knows the area. Where are the best places to go? A beach or two would be nice too. I should also mention that we've all been to Paris, Rome and Amsterdam before so we'll kind of jump them and try to focus on lesser known places, smaller cities-more rural areas, close to the road etc. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
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Jun 13, 2011 13:21
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tourgon posted:Me and two friends will be doing a road trip through Europe starting from the UK on the 17th of June and getting to Greece on the 26th-27th. Our itinerary at the moment looks something like this You'll spend more time traveling than you will visiting places.
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Jun 13, 2011 13:53
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