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The Belgian posted:I'm going to London for the third time. I'm looking for suggestions on where to go, especially churches, museums and other cool historical stuff. I've already visited some of the more famous places like the British museum (although I'm planning to visit that again because you can just keep wandering in there). So far, I'm planning to visit the victoria and Albert museum. I've also been thinking about visiting Westminster cathedral (not abbey, already been there) if that's of any interest? Seconding the Hunterian Museum (if you have a chance, read The Knife Man by Wendy Moore to get a sense of how awesome John Hunter was - get the British copy if possible since it has more material). Also, Sir John Soane's Museum is right across Lincoln's Inn Fields from the Hunterian and is also well worth a visit. I'll also recommend looking into one or a few London Walks. I only got to do one when I was in London this past spring, but it was well worth the 8 pounds. Also fun (if a little bit out of the way, but right off the DLR*) is the Greenwich Observatory, which is right in the middle of an awesome park, which itself looks over Maritime Greenwich College (formerly the Royal Naval Academy) and contains the Maritime Museum. *The DLR is aboveground and thus a fun/cheap way to get a look at the Docklands area.
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Jul 7, 2011 01:36
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Turns out I'm going to Italy next week, more specifically Trento. I'll arrive in Venice on tuesday and want to do the most impressive things in half a day, then it's off to Trento. I have no idea how big the place is and if there is anything to do besides going to the lake and eating in the single one star restaurant. If anyone has some good ideas for the general area (no more than a two hour drive) I'd be interested. I'll be leaving on friday. Since I'm sort of bound by the preferences of my hosts I'm not really searching for night clubs and binge drinking (feel encouraged to inform me anyways) but impressive buildings (I'll have an architect by my side to inform me of the intricacies of whatever I'm looking at) and beautiful landmarks in the vicinity. I'd especially appreciate if someone could point me to an idyllic vineyard that's open to visitors. Supposedly there is a festival of some sort in Venice during the week involving music and fireworks, seeing that in a good position has been taken care of, I've also visited Verona some time ago so I doubt there is anything new there. My last visit to Italy was quite a while ago so I'd like to know what price range I can expect for the following items: -Cigarettes (do you guys have Pall Mall?) -Wine (medium range) -Beer/Longdrinks/Cocktails (naturally it varies but for an average bar) -Insert something that makes me look like I'm not a complete hedonistic rear end in a top hat here This trip is mostly recreational so I don't need to see everything or even things that ultimately matter, I just want a short trip that is fun, since I'm european it's not that hard or expensive to come back and get what I missed. Generally I like things that are either really old or completely hosed up (think punk-/grunge- culture), sadly my italian is close to zero so the really quirky places are probably not an option. hankor fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Jul 9, 2011 |
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Jul 9, 2011 03:51
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Does anyone have tips for buying train tickets in Spain? Renfe has probably the single worst website in the history of the internet. It takes maybe 5 people to crash it and even when it loads it simply flat out doesn't work. And when you do finally get what you want, good luck paying for it. Not even calling Capital One to let them know that I really was trying to make a foreign purchase worked, they told me a charge never even came up let alone was blocked.
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Jul 9, 2011 23:48
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ElwoodCuse posted:Does anyone have tips for buying train tickets in Spain? Renfe has probably the single worst website in the history of the internet. It takes maybe 5 people to crash it and even when it loads it simply flat out doesn't work. And when you do finally get what you want, good luck paying for it. Not even calling Capital One to let them know that I really was trying to make a foreign purchase worked, they told me a charge never even came up let alone was blocked. Worst part is that RENFE's website has improved A LOT in the last three years. Maybe you could contact a travel agency? They usually have the same prices.
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Jul 10, 2011 08:29
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GregNorc posted:I'm going to London and Paris in August. What's the best way to navigate their respective transit systems? As far as I know all the planners do need GPS - but all you really need is the tube map saved on your phone as a PDF, and depending on what you're going to be doing, also get the Oyster Rail Services map which includes every bit of passenger rail in London - it's over 1,000 stations in total I believe so it is massive. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1106.aspx The one thing that doesn't contain is all the buses, but you probably won't be using them much anyway. If you do, there are always big local maps at every bus stop showing you where things are. But don't be afraid because everything is extremely well sign posted and tourist friendly, really. There are free maps at every station for you to pick up. Lines are colour coded and will be signposted as north-south-east-westbound, so check on the little map and see what direction your train is generally going in. (ex. the westbound Piccadilly Line), then just follow that all the way to the platform. Most lines have different branches and if you are going further out you need to make sure you're on the right branch. For example, if you want to get to Wimbledon you need to make sure you're on a westbound District Line to Wimbledon, and that it's not going to Richmond for example. There are electronic signs above the platforms and in almost all trains that indicate this stuff, and the drivers on the trains will announce it. Paris's works roughly the same, however it does not have branches on its metro system, but it does have them on the RER regional rail. They also don't use north-east-south-westbound to indicate which way a train is going, but instead they use the final destination of the train - it's a tiny bit more confusing but you'll get the hang of it. Also try and figure out what kind of ticket you want/need so you don't have to waste too much time or money on that - if you have any trouble with that let me know and I can guide you.
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Jul 10, 2011 08:46
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hankor posted:Turns out I'm going to Italy next week, more specifically Trento. If you're in to any kind of sports activity: Rent a (racing)bicycle. Drive to the nearest mountain that interests you. Explode uphill and scream for your mama. Keep yourself alive downhill. Add notch to your belt.
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Jul 10, 2011 12:54
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Anyone have hostel suggestions in Brussels and Bruges?
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Jul 11, 2011 08:55
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The Belgian posted:I'm going to London .... I've enjoyed the Tate Modern and the Museum of science a lot when i've been there.
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Jul 11, 2011 09:24
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Edit: doublepost
maskenfreiheit fucked around with this message at 02:01 on Mar 13, 2017 |
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Jul 11, 2011 22:45
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GregNorc posted:Yeah, it looks like my best bet is buying the little booklets of ten - my hostel is about 10km northwest of the Eifel Tower (St Christopher's Paris). So I'll be using the metro every morning and evening. How late does the metro run in Paris? http://www.carnavalet.paris.fr/en/museum-carnavalet - if you're into history, this is pretty cool and free.
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Jul 11, 2011 22:58
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GregNorc posted:
The Musée Clemenceau! Nobody ever goes there, and it's a really neat normal house from around 1920. Where the prime minister lived. The one from World War I. I can't remember having to pay to get in, but if I did it can't have been more than three euros. They have an audio guide in English. So maybe I paid for that.
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Jul 11, 2011 23:33
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tzz posted:Worst part is that RENFE's website has improved A LOT in the last three years. I finally got through. Keys: I logged on real early (their website is flat-out closed from 11 pm to 7 am their time), and I stopped trying to use my Capital One card. They wouldn't even try to authorize it, I called and they said there were no attempts to charge my card for me to approve. But my bank ATM card worked first time with Verified By Visa. It was worth the fuss, apparently according to the timetables the tickets I got for 33 euros can sell for up to 83 (I guess if we waited until the last minute?). Looking forward to a nice zip from Madrid to Sevilla. We probably barely got up to speed going from Madrid to Toledo last time we were there.
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Jul 12, 2011 06:40
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GregNorc posted:I guess it's mostly Paris I'm worried about. I speak zero french, am traveling alone, and have this mental image of getting stuck in some seedy area of Paris with no way to get home. At least in London I can pull a cop aside and ask for directions, ya know? wherever you're staying should have a business card with the address, take one on your way out so if you do ge really lost (very unlikely imo) you can jump in a cab and point to the address. Really though Paris is a giant metropolis it would be very hard to get hopelessly lost. Just find the nearest station and look at the transit map to work out your home station.
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Jul 12, 2011 13:08
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unixbeard posted:wherever you're staying should have a business card with the address, take one on your way out so if you do ge really lost (very unlikely imo) you can jump in a cab and point to the address. Really though Paris is a giant metropolis it would be very hard to get hopelessly lost. Just find the nearest station and look at the transit map to work out your home station. Unless you end up in a lovely banlieu, in which case nice knowing you.
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Jul 12, 2011 14:55
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Bastard posted:Unless you end up in a lovely banlieu, in which case nice knowing you. which is a real possibility when trying to visit tourist sites
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Jul 12, 2011 15:26
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unixbeard posted:which is a real possibility when trying to visit tourist sites Which sites are located in lovely banlieus? Or did you mean "derp, wanted to go to Versailles, ended up in B13 to get my parkour on"?
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Jul 12, 2011 15:39
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Bastard posted:Which sites are located in lovely banlieus? Or did you mean "derp, wanted to go to Versailles, ended up in B13 to get my parkour on"? St Denis Cathedral is just one that immediately pops into my mind.
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Jul 12, 2011 15:59
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The banlieues are outside Paris, so as long as you don't stay on the metro until the end of the line you should be fine. I guess some areas around Montmartre and Buttes Chaumont can be a bit seedy, but really unless you're looking for trouble walking alone at night there's no real risk to speak of. Just watch your stuff in touristy areas, there could always be pickpockets and thieves lurking. I've witnessed young girls snatching someone's bag as the metro's doors were closing.
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Jul 12, 2011 17:32
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I'm in Liepaja, Latvia for the next few days. Has anyone ever been here? Any tips on places to eat/mid-week nightlife?
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Jul 12, 2011 20:51
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Does/has anyone in this thread live/lived in Toulouse, France? I'm going there in September to study for my masters (2 years) and I've got a few questions/just looking for any advice about living there tbh.
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Jul 12, 2011 22:23
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papac posted:Does/has anyone in this thread live/lived in Toulouse, France? I'm going there in September to study for my masters (2 years) and I've got a few questions/just looking for any advice about living there tbh. I just moved here in May, so I'm not sure how much I can answer, but go right ahead.
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Jul 12, 2011 22:47
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Understeer posted:I just moved here in May, so I'm not sure how much I can answer, but go right ahead. Hey thanks mate, are you studying or working there? The main thing I wanna know is how good the public transport is. I've found a pretty good deal on an apartment in Minimes, but my campus/lectures are in Auzeville-Tolosan. This kinda ties in with - do you have a car or bike or whatever? I was considering buying a car before and driving there, is it a car friendly town? or would this be more hassle than its worth? Also, do you speak french well? I don't, but I was kinda wondering how big a deal this would be in terms of finding part time work there. Do you have any recommendations for good areas to live in that is kinda young, lively, or close to this kinda area? These things can all be figured out when I get there in September I guess but it would be good to get a locals opinion beforehand! Cheers mate
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Jul 13, 2011 12:55
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Bastard posted:Which sites are located in lovely banlieus? Or did you mean "derp, wanted to go to Versailles, ended up in B13 to get my parkour on"? yeah the latter, it's one of the biggest cities in the western world with 15 million visitors a year - obviously he should keep his wits about him but worries about getting lost and ending up in some bad part of town are kinda misplaced.
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Jul 13, 2011 13:18
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How long would it take to see Bruges?
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Jul 14, 2011 16:08
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Two days, tops.
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Jul 14, 2011 16:23
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papac posted:Toulouse stuff I would have to say that I'd think hard about whether or not I'd have a car if we lived in a place downtown that didn't have parking. There are plenty of for-pay garages in Toulouse, and parking is free on most streets, but when we go downtown, we usually drive to a subway station near us, ride the metro in, and avoid the parking situation all together. I'd say my French is rough, but passable. I took it back in high school, but fortunately it's starting to come back. You should at least learn some basic phrases if you dint know any. The French seem to appreciate people making an effort if they can. But, dealing with places like the bank without proficient French is not fun. That said, plenty of Toulousians speak English, and a lot of restaurants have English menus if you ask for them. It quickly becomes rare once you move away from downtown, though. Hope that helps some. If there's anything else you'd like to know, you can email me at my username on gmail.
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Jul 14, 2011 22:28
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I'm embarking on a worldwide trip in October, starting in Iceland, then London, Europe, South America, Central America and the USA. I've been flicking through this thread getting heaps of awesome ideas. Was just wanting to get peoples feelings on a few things - we do have a time limit to our time in Europe as we only have 5 months to go the whole trip. Firstly, we are planning to come up from Paris to Brugge, Amsterdam and then on to Berlin. A few people we've spoken to have raved about Berlin, while others have recommended going further in to Central/South Germany. Eventually we'll end up in Prague before going on to Budapest. Any ideas on skipping straight from Amsterdam to Berlin, then on to Prague vs travelling through central/south Germany?
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Jul 15, 2011 08:19
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NoArmedMan posted:I'm embarking on a worldwide trip in October, starting in Iceland, then London, Europe, South America, Central America and the USA. Are you planning on driving or taking trains? If you're driving, then there are lots of interesting places (I'd have to look at a map to remember what's on the way), but if you're taking a train then stopping to see some small town is a PITA. Is "we" two people (you and your SO)?
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Jul 15, 2011 10:59
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NoArmedMan posted:I'm embarking on a worldwide trip in October, starting in Iceland, then London, Europe, South America, Central America and the USA. Personally, I love Munich, but pretty much everyone I've talked to loving loves Berlin. Like Saladman said, it's a pain in the rear end to make stops when you're on the train, but if you want to go somewhere else in Germany (like, say, Munich) you can easily take the train from Berlin to Prague, then from Prague to Munich, and there's a seven hour direct train to Budapest from there. If you have any interest in Vienna or Bratislava (they're an hour apart and both about 3 hours from Budapest) you could break up the trip and stop there before you go to Budapest. Salzburg is not very far from Munich, either. (If you're using a rail pass and another stop would take up a space, going from Vienna or Bratislava to Budapest is a goddamn deal compared to other similar train rides. Also, studentagency.eu has some cheap rear end bus tickets from Bratislava to Budapest. Just an idea!) I don't know if you're booking ahead or kind of just going with it, but I suppose you could see how you like Berlin, and if you decide it's awesome and nowhere else in Germany could be as cool, then just go on to Prague and Budapest and don't feel bad about it. But if you decide you want to see more of Germany, then see more of Germany.
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Jul 15, 2011 14:59
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Thanks for the advice - we are taking the train with a eurail pass. Seems the easiest generally to get around as tourists - and yes, by "we" it's my wife and I. 
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Jul 15, 2011 23:15
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Hey y'all. I'm almost a month in on my 5th month trek through eastern and western Europe and I've had a truly wonderful time. Doing a pretty good job staying within budget and really enjoying the time away from China. I have two questions, both which I would assume have been mentioned here in this thread at some point, but I glimpsed through a few pages and couldn't find anything. 1) What is the single easiest/cheapest way to get from London to Paris? Eurolines right now is showing $41 one way. Is that the cheapest I'll get, do you think? I'm looking at about one month from today and I have all the time in the world, so I am not worried about getting there super quickly or not. That is wicked cheap though, so I think I'll book that. Anyone have any experience doing that trek? 2) Does anyone have any suggestions about hostels to stay in in Venice? This is actually not well-planned ahead, so they will probably be booked, but I still thought I'd check here. Just wanted to thank you all again for the tips, suggestions and ideas over the past few months. It has been much appreciated.
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Jul 18, 2011 07:58
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How much luggage are you bringing with you? How much do you value your sleep? If the answer to both is not much, then Eurolines is for you. The bus stops in the middle of London, which is pretty sweet.
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Jul 18, 2011 08:40
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Bit late, but for offline maps/attractions/wikipedia entries, get offmaps2. http://www.offmaps.com/ searchable maps of a huge number of cities. for example, you can even just open the london map, select restaurants -> indian: and it will list all the indian restaurants in the city, their distance from you, and reviews/ratings/menus (sometimes). same goes for attractions, hotels, shopping, bars, etc It even has subway/bus route overlays. Really blows me away how much info it contains. I think you get a free map once you get the app, then can either pay per city or just get unlimited cities. $0.99 for the app, $5 for unlimited city downloads.
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Jul 18, 2011 18:29
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So, I am in the early planning stages of about a two week trip to Europe happening sometime in the next year. We have narrowed down our options are either Dublin - London- Brussels - Paris or London - Amsterdam - Brussels - Paris. Are these do-able in two weeks? Where can I go to find out places to stay and things to do? What it the fastest but cost-effective way to get between the different cities? sheri fucked around with this message at 00:28 on Jul 19, 2011 |
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Jul 18, 2011 22:31
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Amsterdam is better to see on a short schedule than Dublin. Ireland itself is interesting, but Dublin is dull, while Amsterdam is a pretty awesome city (and I'm not even big into the drug tourism thing either). Besides, you'd have to fly to get from Dublin to London, while with the second schedule you can cross the channel by train, bus, or ferry and then take trains while on the continent.
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Jul 19, 2011 00:38
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sheri posted:So, I am in the early planning stages of about a two week trip to Europe happening sometime in the next year. Seconding Amsterdam instead of Dublin. But why Brussels? Pretty much anywhere else in Belgium is better than Brussels. Belgium is also really small, so it's not difficult or expensive to go somewhere else (or multiple places) by train.
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Jul 19, 2011 01:49
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Veetard posted:Seconding Amsterdam instead of Dublin. But why Brussels? Pretty much anywhere else in Belgium is better than Brussels. Belgium is also really small, so it's not difficult or expensive to go somewhere else (or multiple places) by train. No real reason for Brussels. Just looking for somewhere close to Amsterdam. I'd be open to suggestions for other places in Belgium.
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Jul 19, 2011 02:33
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Never been to Bruges, but it is by all accounts an amazing fairy tale city and you could definitely work it into the schedule even if you also wanted to see Brussels, since you'd need about 3 days total for both.
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Jul 19, 2011 02:52
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sheri posted:No real reason for Brussels. Just looking for somewhere close to Amsterdam. I'd be open to suggestions for other places in Belgium. Bruges is nice and a fairy tale land for sure, although super touristy. It's probably a good place to go for your first time in Belgium. Ghent is about a half hour from Bruges, is less touristy and absolutely gorgeous but feels more like a city and less like a fairy tale. Antwerp is a pretty interesting city and easily accessible from both Paris and Amsterdam and everywhere in Belgium. It doesn't take especially long to see any of those places and they're all pretty close.
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Jul 19, 2011 05:50
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Brussels and Antwerp are nice, but there's not really that much to do there. Bruges is a lot nicer to look at, but even smaller and lot more tourists. If there's one place in Belgium I can recommend, it's Ypres because of all the First World War memorials around there. Very haunting and beautiful, but perhaps not something you'd want to visit during a vacation.
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Jul 19, 2011 08:48
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