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Saladman posted:I can't imagine why anyone would travel to Amsterdam for anything other than a flight layover or drug tourism.  I spent six days in Amsterdam and didn't get to do everything I wanted to. Saladman posted:Amsterdam has a total of three museums, all of which can be hit in one day (Rijks, Van Gogh, and Anne Frank; all 3 are tiny). I've visited Van Gogh museum and spent hours there. It isn't tiny unless your point of reference is the British Museum. Who would want to hit three museums in a day anyway?! I guess you are one of the guys who walks through the halls without much stopping, buys a t-shirt and takes a photo outside the building.
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Jan 19, 2012 17:31
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Doctor Malaver posted:
You are literally shoved out of the Anne Frank house in an hour as masses of people behind you shove you through, and the Rijksmuseum has been 90% closed for the better part of a decade, with the remaining exhibit having little variety--mostly Rembrandt and a few other 17th/18th century Dutch painters who painted in a similar style as Rembrandt (but not as well). This should give you plenty of time to go through the Van Gogh museum in one day, unless you're a particular aficionado of either of those two styles of painting. When I think about anyone who includes Amsterdam in their "list of European cities to see" it's always related to marijuana/shrooms and/or the RLD. I guess since none of those things really interest me, it's no surprise Amsterdam was an overhyped letdown. I can certainly understand how it might be some people's cup of tea. I've probably spent about 10 vacation days there and I never found the charm. E: I mean, it's fine, it's just not on par (as far as 'interesting touristy things to do') with London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Barcelona, etc, but it always seems to match those cities on people's Europe itineraries. Really it would fit more on an itinerary like Zurich, Genoa, Lyon, Hannover, etc, which are all nice but I would only recommend to people after they're really done seeing only Paris, Rome, Berlin, etc. Saladman fucked around with this message at 18:36 on Jan 19, 2012 |
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Jan 19, 2012 17:56
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Saladman posted:Amsterdam has a total of three museums, all of which can be hit in one day (Rijks, Van Gogh, and Anne Frank; all 3 are tiny). I can't believe no one commented on this. Amsterdam has 3 tiny museums? Yeah it is true the Rijks is currently mostly closed down for renovation and the Stedelijk is also closed for renovation but there are like 50 other museums in Amsterdam, excluding campy poo poo like the sex museum and torture museum. Hermitage Amsterdam, Tropenmuseum, Rembrandthuis, Nemo, Museumhaven, Maritiem Museum etc etc. It is ok if you don't like museums but you don't have to lie and say there aren't any. If you include museums that are ~30 minutes travel from Amsterdam central the ammount becomes totally hilarious as you can also visit Leiden and Utrecht. http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijst_van_musea_in_Amsterdam (not exhaustive) NihilismNow fucked around with this message at 21:49 on Jan 19, 2012 |
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Jan 19, 2012 21:42
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Saladman posted:Amsterdam has a total of three museums, all of which can be hit in one day quote:(Rijks, Van Gogh, and Anne Frank; all 3 are tiny). quote:Not that I'm recommending The Hague either, but I can't imagine why anyone would travel to Amsterdam for anything other than a flight layover or drug tourism. E: Also they [e: will change] their laws Jan 1, [e: 2013], so weed tourism [e: will be] no longer an option for tourists (locals only). AFAIK smart shops are still available to tourists. quote:
Sorry you were hit by cyclists but maybe you should have stayed off the loving cycling paths. Sai fucked around with this message at 22:20 on Jan 19, 2012 |
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Jan 19, 2012 22:12
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Saladman posted:When I think about anyone who includes Amsterdam in their "list of European cities to see" it's always related to marijuana/shrooms and/or the RLD. I guess since none of those things really interest me, it's no surprise Amsterdam was an overhyped letdown. I can certainly understand how it might be some people's cup of tea. I've probably spent about 10 vacation days there and I never found the charm. E: I mean, it's fine, it's just not on par (as far as 'interesting touristy things to do') with London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Barcelona, etc, but it always seems to match those cities on people's Europe itineraries. Really it would fit more on an itinerary like Zurich, Genoa, Lyon, Hannover, etc, which are all nice but I would only recommend to people after they're really done seeing only Paris, Rome, Berlin, etc.
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Jan 19, 2012 22:38
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^^ Sure, but I'd also never tell anyone to go to Austin for tourism unless they were already in Texas. I don't think Austin's very interesting for tourists either, even though it's a great city to live in.Sai posted:This is not true. There is NO political party in Amsterdam in favor of it. The entire measure was thought up to discourage drug tourists from just over the border. Although the first part may be true, you're wrong about the second part: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/268675/20111216/netherlands-pot-ban-marijuana-cafes.htm "Beginning Jan. 1, 2013, coffee shops in the entire country, including Amsterdam, will be off limits for marijuana-seeking foreigners." http://www.coffeeshopnieuws.nl/4-20-2012-smokeout "The south of the Netherlands will be under / No tourist allowed / weedpass rules starting may 1st 2012 and the rest of the country including Amsterdam will follow on Jan 1st 2013 !" E: Seriously there are hundreds of websites about this. If I knew Dutch I'd find the actual law. Maybe the laws will be overturned, but uh, nope, you're wrong about this one. Maybe no political party in Amsterdam wants it, but that doesn't matter, since it will be national law. http://www.bbc.com/travel/blog/20111229-travelwise-amsterdams-pot-tourism-ban-hangs-in-the-balance http://www.dutchdailynews.com/dutch-pot-tourism-ban-will-no-longer-take-effect-on-new-years-day/ http://www.themarknews.com/articles/7832-no-more-pot-for-amsterdam-tourists E2: I never got hit by a bike, but yes that is largely why I don't like Amsterdam; it feels like it'd fit more into SEA with 5 different types of traffic constantly crossing the streets and sidewalks in every direction. And there are plenty of decent museums, just the three I mentioned are the only ones--at least that I've been to--that seemed uniquely Amsterdam (sorry, Rembrandt house, Sex Museum). It looks like I'm not alone here either: http://wikitravel.org/en/Amsterdam --> skip on down to the "Museums" section. Saladman fucked around with this message at 11:32 on Jan 20, 2012 |
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Jan 20, 2012 10:54
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I loving loved Amsterdam and I'm not huge in to drugs or RLD. Sure, I went to a coffee shop because it's Amsterdam, but the city itself had an awesome vibe. I spent 5 days there just walking around, going to cafes, seeing museums, riding around the city. It was my favourite city in Europe, followed closely by Barcelona and Reykjavik. I don't really understand how anyone can not like Amsterdam, it's so progressive, clean, beautiful and has good beer/food.
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Jan 20, 2012 22:25
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^ yeah this ^ I'm not a drug person and thought Amsterdam was a pretty awesome city, if just for the architecture and the city layout. On the other hand, I had been living beyond the Iron Curtain for about 5 months when I went there so just about anything Western probably would have been cool.
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Jan 21, 2012 16:32
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NoArmedMan posted:I loving loved Amsterdam and I'm not huge in to drugs or RLD. Sure, I went to a coffee shop because it's Amsterdam, but the city itself had an awesome vibe. I spent 5 days there just walking around, going to cafes, seeing museums, riding around the city. It was my favourite city in Europe, followed closely by Barcelona and Reykjavik. I don't really understand how anyone can not like Amsterdam, it's so progressive, clean, beautiful and has good beer/food. Yeah it's really different from the big European capitals, as it's more of a general atmosphere than 20 landmarks to take pictures of. Though I'd like to know where you found good food, I found food in the Netherlands to be either expensive or not very good... €: esquilax posted:I had a bad experience in Amsterdam, because the big museums were either under renovation or closed, and because most of the other travelers I met were either drug tourists or chavs on holiday. The food wasn't great either, the beer sucked, the weather was bad, and it was touristy. Yeah it really depends... One day you can have amazing experiences, talk with interesting people and enjoy the general atmosphere, and the next day be surrounded with french high school potheads and chavs checking out the red light district. To me the good days outweighed the bad ones, but your experience may vary. Chikimiki fucked around with this message at 22:56 on Jan 21, 2012 |
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Jan 21, 2012 18:08
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I had a bad experience in Amsterdam, because the big museums were either under renovation or closed, and because most of the other travelers I met were either drug tourists or chavs on holiday. The food wasn't great either, the beer sucked, the weather was bad, and it was touristy. edit: and service was poor in a lot of places because it was all expats who didn't care about their jobs esquilax fucked around with this message at 18:29 on Jan 21, 2012 |
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Jan 21, 2012 18:23
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Saladman posted:Hate to break this to you but drugs are illegal in Amsterdam!!!
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Jan 21, 2012 19:50
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duckmaster posted:Hate to break this to you but drugs are illegal in Amsterdam!!! I don't get how this has anything to do with what I said... but even if they're technically 'illegal,' it's openly advertised for stores selling weed, mushrooms, salvia, and many designer drugs. It's literally as easy to get those as it is to buy coffee (at least until Jan 1 2013); have you never actually been there? Also as a non-smoker I don't really care about it in Amsterdam either way, it was in response to Sai calling me a liar/idiot. I don't like Amsterdam because my experience has been like the reasons ^^ ^^. It's my opinion/experience there. Jesus. Saladman fucked around with this message at 14:29 on Jan 22, 2012 |
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Jan 22, 2012 14:25
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Are there any people who know a lot about Spain here? I'm hoping to take a short break sometime in the spring with my boyfriend to somewhere where I can fly in on the Friday and out on the Monday from London. We really like food, atmosphere, walking around and looking at things, so maybe a big cit? Also we're both cheapskates so it'd probably be Ryanair. We also love nightlife, but generally get plenty of that in London so it's not essential. Any suggestions? Somewhere with some outdoor space, a beach, or some nature-y stuff nearby would be great, but we don't want to rent a car if at all possible.
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Jan 22, 2012 14:42
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Neris posted:Are there any people who know a lot about Spain here? I'm hoping to take a short break sometime in the spring with my boyfriend to somewhere where I can fly in on the Friday and out on the Monday from London. I'd say Barcelona if you haven't been before. I spent a few days there last summer and it was one of the highlights of the whole trip. There's a lot of stuff to see like the Gaudi Park and Cathedral, and a load of beaches you can get to on the metro. The only caveat I have is that I didn't think the food was great compared to the rest of Europe, but you can't have everything I guess.
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Jan 22, 2012 14:52
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Can anyone recommend a US to EU voltage converter? I'm scared of randomly picking one off of eBay and it catching fire. It can be relatively small, the largest draw is a 30w non-grounded hair iron(+ipod,digicam).
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Jan 22, 2012 19:35
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In mid-April I'll be taking a trip that's Krakow > Slovakia > Budapest > Slovenia > Vienna > Prague. Finishing in mid-May. My current plan is (after spending a week in Krakow) to spend 3 days in each location I listed, with one day in between for travelling. What I want to know is how much effort should I put into pre-booking accommodation and trains, or would I be fine just showing up at the train station and catching the next one, and finding a hostel a few days before I arrive in the location? From my understanding, before mid-May is still a little bit before tourist season kicks into full gear, right? But on the other hand, I don't anticipate making much changes to my schedule because any extra day spent somewhere means one less day in another location.
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Jan 23, 2012 00:36
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I'm sure it's been answered some where in this thread but I have never traveled before and have no idea how to set this up. I plan on going to Europe this summer with my girlfriend and don't even know the basics. Do I need to get a visa should I go to a travel agent. I'm completely oblivious I've never been north of the mason Dixon line.
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Jan 23, 2012 13:34
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TheViper posted:I'd say Barcelona if you haven't been before. I spent a few days there last summer and it was one of the highlights of the whole trip. There's a lot of stuff to see like the Gaudi Park and Cathedral, and a load of beaches you can get to on the metro. The only caveat I have is that I didn't think the food was great compared to the rest of Europe, but you can't have everything I guess. Okay - awesome. We'll look into Barcelona, much appreciated! Bum the Sad posted:I'm sure it's been answered some where in this thread but I have never traveled before and have no idea how to set this up. I plan on going to Europe this summer with my girlfriend and don't even know the basics. Do I need to get a visa should I go to a travel agent. I'm completely oblivious I've never been north of the mason Dixon line.  Seriously taking the thread title a little bit too literally there.
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Jan 23, 2012 13:46
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Neris posted:Okay - awesome. We'll look into Barcelona, much appreciated! Just looked it up and found out about the Schengen agreement and the 90 days thing. Is there literally nothing else you need to do other than hop on a plane?
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Jan 23, 2012 13:48
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Bum the Sad posted:Just looked it up and found out about the Schengen agreement and the 90 days thing. Is there literally nothing else you need to do other than hop on a plane? Well, you need like, a passport. And a plane ticket. Those two are essential. They tend to arrest you without them. You may also need to be wearing clothes. Nah but seriously, as far as I know you can come for 90 days without so much as a by your leave. Don't overstay though, if you get caught on the way out you can get banned from coming back for a long time. Note however, that many countries in the Balkans and some in Eastern Europe are not in the Schengen zone, so you'll need special visas for them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Agreement Edit: Oh, and even though the UK and Ireland aren't in the Schengen agreement, they both have treaties with the US allowing you entry on similar grounds, so I wouldn't worry too much. Judging by the thousands of Americans currently wandering around Dublin it's not hard to get in. The Viper fucked around with this message at 14:00 on Jan 23, 2012 |
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Jan 23, 2012 13:58
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Bum the Sad posted:Just looked it up and found out about the Schengen agreement and the 90 days thing. Is there literally nothing else you need to do other than hop on a plane? You probably also need medical insurance that will pay at least € 30,000 in the most extreme case. You will never need to use it, but you can be stopped and asked for proof of insurance by immigration at the airport. If you're white and coming in from the US, this is extremely rare though. I have had Arabs travelling from the Gulf complain about it when I worked the consular desk of a Dutch embassy over there, though. And also them throwing a huge stink and involving their embassy (to no avail) because they were refused entry.
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Jan 23, 2012 14:54
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EricBauman posted:You probably also need medical insurance that will pay at least € 30,000 in the most extreme case. You will never need to use it, but you can be stopped and asked for proof of insurance by immigration at the airport. If you're white and coming in from the US, this is extremely rare though. I have had Arabs travelling from the Gulf complain about it when I worked the consular desk of a Dutch embassy over there, though. And also them throwing a huge stink and involving their embassy (to no avail) because they were refused entry.
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Jan 23, 2012 15:28
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EricBauman posted:You probably also need medical insurance that will pay at least € 30,000 in the most extreme case. You will never need to use it, but you can be stopped and asked for proof of insurance by immigration at the airport. If you're white and coming in from the US, this is extremely rare though. I have had Arabs travelling from the Gulf complain about it when I worked the consular desk of a Dutch embassy over there, though. And also them throwing a huge stink and involving their embassy (to no avail) because they were refused entry. Holy poo poo I'm a US citizen and I've been here for years and I did not know this. I've got a residency permit now though so maybe nobody checks me anymore. Bum the Sad posted:Just looked it up and found out about the Schengen agreement and the 90 days thing. Is there literally nothing else you need to do other than hop on a plane? You'll need to have a round-trip ticket to show that you're going home within the 90 days and it's best to have addresses of your hotels printed out (iphone batteries die and there's no wifi in the security line) because you'll need this for immigration wherever you arrive. The 90 days is for tourism, you are welcome to spend your money in Europe just as everyone is welcome to come spend their money in the US. Don't even think about staying or taking one of our jobs though 
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Jan 23, 2012 15:32
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EricBauman posted:You probably also need medical insurance that will pay at least € 30,000 in the most extreme case. You will never need to use it, but you can be stopped and asked for proof of insurance by immigration at the airport. If you're white and coming in from the US, this is extremely rare though. I have had Arabs travelling from the Gulf complain about it when I worked the consular desk of a Dutch embassy over there, though. And also them throwing a huge stink and involving their embassy (to no avail) because they were refused entry. https://www.myuhc.com/member/preLoginInfoCenterMessage.do?guid=b108b8b18a1c0310VgnVCM2000003010b10a____ Thanks for warning me though. It would suck to be the one in a thousand white Americans who get's asked that. greazeball posted:Holy poo poo I'm a US citizen and I've been here for years and I did not know this. I've got a residency permit now though so maybe nobody checks me anymore. edit:
Bum the Sad fucked around with this message at 15:55 on Jan 23, 2012 |
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Jan 23, 2012 15:47
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Bum the Sad posted:Do you really need this? What about all the back packing 20 somethings? And yes I am coming to steal all your sweet Euro Registered Nurse jobs. You are supposed to have a return ticket, but I will say that on our last trip to Italy we were never asked for it, nor was I asked for it on my trip to Scotland before that. So, YMMV. I don't think you actually need a list of hotels printed out, I have never heard of anyone being asked that before, but who knows. It probably depends on the country you are going to.
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Jan 23, 2012 16:03
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Bum the Sad posted:Just called my insurance company I have international coverage and they are sending me a letter saying I do. It's standard procedure, you need to have somewhere to stay. You don't need to have all of your hotels, but immigration officials will want you to write something on the form and woe betide the person who says, "I don't know!" to la migra. It's just as bad if not far far worse for visitors to the US. They are cops, they have papers that need to be filled in, fill them in or find yourself hosed.
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Jan 23, 2012 16:06
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Bum the Sad posted:Thanks for warning me though. It would suck to be the one in a thousand white Americans who get's asked that. I'd say it's more like one in a million. But still worth it to have the letter with you. And most travel insurance policies cover it, it's just that people never (need to) look up the actual amount covered.
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Jan 23, 2012 16:36
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EricBauman posted:I'd say it's more like one in a million. But still worth it to have the letter with you. And most travel insurance policies cover it, it's just that people never (need to) look up the actual amount covered. I am guessing they assume that any American who can afford to cross the Atlantic has private insurance given the way our healthcare works?
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Jan 24, 2012 10:38
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Bum the Sad posted:I am guessing they assume that any American who can afford to cross the Atlantic has private insurance given the way our healthcare works? That, and customs officers know as well as anybody else that almost nobody will need the full amount of coverage in their 90 day stay in the Schengen area. If a problem is serious enough, repatriation is cheaper than 30k EUR and if it's not serious enough, it won't cost 30k for treatment.
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Jan 24, 2012 10:52
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If you got in Europe without health insurance, the punitive charges for treating you would still be a lot less than what you'd pay in the US.
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Jan 24, 2012 14:00
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anybody been to slovenia? looking to spend a couple of days in both ljubljana and maribor. thoughts on either? we like chilling out and touristy stuff in the day, then good food and beer in the night (bars and clubs are cool too).
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Jan 24, 2012 23:10
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Comlink posted:anybody been to slovenia? looking to spend a couple of days in both ljubljana and maribor. thoughts on either? Yup. Lljubljana is a lot of people's favourite place but I wasn't that big of a fan. Then again, it was 42 degrees C. when I was there so that might have had something to do with it. Hike up to the castle if you're there. The Hostel Celica is a really cool place to stay, used to be a military prison. There was an awesome illegal bar behind it when I was there too. If you're going to Slovenia, go to Lake Bled. It's a little bit touristy, but seriously one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. Stay in the Traveller's Haven hostel if you're going down the hostel route. Great place to chill and swim for a bit, and if you're into extreme sports there's a bunch of that too. If the people get a bit much for you a couple miles away is Lake Bohinj. It's like Bled, but empty and pristine. You can get to both places by regular bus from Lljubljana (about 1hr travel time). For my money the food in Slovenia is crap compared to France, Italy or even Poland and Germany, but YMMV. Oh, and one last thing. If you get it into your head to swim out to the island, make sure you're a very good swimmer, and for the love of God do it from the right place. I'm not even kidding when I say that I came the closest I have ever come to death because I swam out from the wrong place in the evening. It's a lot farther than you think, and you CANNOT rely on someone to rescue you. Hope that helps!
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Jan 24, 2012 23:44
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Comlink posted:anybody been to slovenia? looking to spend a couple of days in both ljubljana and maribor. thoughts on either? Maribor is pretty small so I don't know how much can it offer. It is the "European Capital of Culture 2012" which sounds great but I just read that a German journalist recently wrote a disparaging article about the town, how she was disappointed with it. Maribor officials are protesting and claim foul play.
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Jan 25, 2012 01:35
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The Viper posted:
sweet, thanks. we were looking at lake bled too! Doctor Malaver posted:Maribor is pretty small so I don't know how much can it offer. It is the "European Capital of Culture 2012" which sounds great but I just read that a German journalist recently wrote a disparaging article about the town, how she was disappointed with it. Maribor officials are protesting and claim foul play. yeah, everything i've read about it hasnt been particularly positive, unless you want to ski. which i dont.
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Jan 25, 2012 03:04
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Anyone been to Budapest's House of Terror and Memento Park? I'm thinking of adding Budapest to a European trip just because of those two sites as I've got a thing for 
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Jan 25, 2012 06:03
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The Viper posted:Yup. Lljubljana is a lot of people's favourite place but I wasn't that big of a fan. Then again, it was 42 degrees C. when I was there so that might have had something to do with it. Hike up to the castle if you're there. The Hostel Celica is a really cool place to stay, used to be a military prison. There was an awesome illegal bar behind it when I was there too. Personally I had a pretty good experience with Ljubljana, and the food wasn't bad either (unless you go to one of the kitschy eurodance pizzerias), though I went mainly to small eateries or to the market, not the big restaurants. I didn't find the castle very impressive, but you have a good view of the city. Generally it's nicer to just stroll around the city, especially since it's pretty small. Lake Bled was really pretty but I didn't like that it was swarming with tourists and crappy casinos in the city... Had I had more time I would've gone to Lake Bohinj. Personally my favorite parts - apart from Ljubljana - were the Skocjan caves and the Soca Valley (near the italian border), especially the latter - great mountains and river. Piran was also very nice too but very crowded, and if you're heading for Maribor it may not really be on your route... But definitely worth a visit. Haven't been to Maribor so I can't comment on it, but apparently cities like Celje, Novo Mesto, Ptuj, or Skofja Loka are much prettier.
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Jan 25, 2012 17:11
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BelgianSandwich posted:Anyone been to Budapest's House of Terror and Memento Park? I've never been to the House of Terror myself, but I hear it's pretty good. However, Memento Park isn't that great. It's not that big, and it's right in the middle of nowhere. The statues are pretty cool, though.
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Jan 25, 2012 18:45
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I'll be going to Metz, France from the 26th to the 28th with a small group of friends. Any particular recommendations on what to do/places to eat/bars or pubs to check out etc?
Sleepy Robot fucked around with this message at 18:52 on Jan 25, 2012 |
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Jan 25, 2012 18:47
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BelgianSandwich posted:Anyone been to Budapest's House of Terror and Memento Park? Like The Erland said, Memento Park is alright but hardly worth scheduling another stop on a European itinerary for. I loved the statues and the crap CCCP pocket watch I got at the souvenir stand but I was already in Budapest so it was just an afternoon trip.
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Jan 26, 2012 11:46
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I think Budapest would be worth it just for the spas.
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Jan 27, 2012 12:16
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