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A friend and I are thinking about going to Europe in August. We are definitely planning to go to Paris and London, we also want to go to Belgium, Switzerland and Germany. Which cities in those countries should we see? Our main interest is castles and food.
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Mar 24, 2012 03:11
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I just want to encourage any goon visiting Eastern Europe in July to make Sarajevo a stop, it is a fantastic city and I love showing people around. Also, the nightlife is amazing but none of my friends there like to drink. I do 
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Mar 24, 2012 03:18
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DracoArgentum posted:A friend and I are thinking about going to Europe in August. We are definitely planning to go to Paris and London, we also want to go to Belgium, Switzerland and Germany. Which cities in those countries should we see? Our main interest is castles and food. Switzerland's not so big on castles, and the food is outrageously expensive, so you might want to cut it from your list unless you're interested in natural beauty and outdoors activities (climbing, hiking, paragliding, whatever). Chillon and Gruyeres in the French part are the only two major tourist attraction castles I can think of in Switzerland. The rest are either private and/or have extremely limited opening hours (e.g. Aarburg's castle, which I think is the most visually impressive in Switzerland, is open literally 2 hours, once a week, and only in spring and summer). If you do go to Switzerland anyway, Bern, Lucerne, Fribourg, and Basel are all pretty interesting cities, but none of them really warrant more than a day of sightseeing; maybe 2 max for Basel. Note that Geneva is an empty shell of a city and should not belong on any tour of Europe unless used as an airport or for official business and Zurich doesn't really have very much either, although it's very pleasant. (Geneva is not pleasant.) For Germany, there's Neuschwanstein, which is mandatory for any castle tour... although, Neuschwanstein is a palace and not really a castle, so I guess it depends on whether you're interested in the military aspect of castles or not. Heidelberg has some awesome castle ruins above the town. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a really unique medieval town with a killer wall around it. Germany isn't really known for its food for good reasons, although it's tasty, so it has British food beat. Bavaria (i.e. Munich) has relatively distinctive food, but I don't think anyone would recommend going to Germany for its food, particularly since it's not all that distinct from what you can get in America. A bratwurst or pretzel in Munich is nearly identical to what you'd get at a fair in Atlanta. It's a lot of potato, chicken, sausage, and pickled vegetables. It's delicious but you only need about 2 meals to absorb 90% of Bavarian cooking knowledge. Here's a fine example of Bavarian cuisine, serveed at Oktoberfest alongside pretzels and rotisserie chicken: Saladman fucked around with this message at 07:28 on Mar 24, 2012 |
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Mar 24, 2012 07:24
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Saladman posted:What the ... I can just imagine being stuck on the train next to someone who just ate one of those 
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Mar 24, 2012 09:35
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Sorry, but that was an incredibly ignorant post. It seems like you absorbed the entirety of your culinary knowledge from fast food kiosks and other garbage selling establishments.
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Mar 24, 2012 11:39
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Saladman posted:I live in Japan. Whole fish is far from shocking... They even went and took the head off, it's positively normal. My friend wants to eat maggot cheese, weird food is fine.
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Mar 24, 2012 14:33
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Saladman posted:For Germany, there's Neuschwanstein, which is mandatory for any castle tour... although, Neuschwanstein is a palace and not really a castle, so I guess it depends on whether you're interested in the military aspect of castles or not. Heidelberg has some awesome castle ruins above the town. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a really unique medieval town with a killer wall around it. Germany isn't really known for its food for good reasons, although it's tasty, so it has British food beat. Bavaria (i.e. Munich) has relatively distinctive food, but I don't think anyone would recommend going to Germany for its food, particularly since it's not all that distinct from what you can get in America. A bratwurst or pretzel in Munich is nearly identical to what you'd get at a fair in Atlanta. It's a lot of potato, chicken, sausage, and pickled vegetables. It's delicious but you only need about 2 meals to absorb 90% of Bavarian cooking knowledge. You're like totally wrong about Bayrisch cooking/food. Also, that fischbroetchen is like super north-german, they're eaten all around the north see/baltic. Bavarian food comes in a lot of varieties, the rost bratwurst itself is mostly from north bavaria (franconia) and thuringia, not the rest of bavaria. In munich you get weisswurst, which are a special kind of boiled sausage you eat with sweet mustard. Here's a list of some regional dishes: Kaiserschmarrn (also really Austrian) Kaesespaetzle (also austrian) Weisswurst+Brezn Kasspressknoedel Germknoedel Dampfnudel Schweinbraten Hax'n Leberkaese Obatzta Prinzregentorte The reality is that most German food is super blue collar and working class, so it's not a fancy, exciting thing. That being said, a lot of the food is a far cry from being lovely and menial, and if you spend some money to go to an upper end traditional restaurant it's really delicious and well done. While it's not super exciting and exotic, I'd probably say that a few Bavarian dishes are probably my favourite things to eat.
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Mar 24, 2012 14:52
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Landsknecht posted:Bavarian food stuff. I never understood the bad rap that German food gets. You can eat really well for very reasonable amounts. Also, the base quality of the ingredients is usually high.
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Mar 24, 2012 18:57
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The Viper posted:I never understood the bad rap that German food gets. You can eat really well for very reasonable amounts. Also, the base quality of the ingredients is usually high. It's mostly because of the N. American media, and general perceptions of what europeans are like, such as: Italy: Amazing food and opera singers France: Everyone looks like a model, expensive clothes, romantic, food British: Classy tea drinkers Germany: Former nazis, nice cars and people obsessed with rules Prettymuch all of this is wrong, and Germany just gets the slim end of things because of perceptions. Germany is probably my favourite country europe (west sweden owns hard though), but I've had the nice side of things living in Munich and Berlin. Everyone who thinks France/Italy are the high points of europe can go gently caress themselves and have their wallet stolen.
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Mar 24, 2012 19:55
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DracoArgentum posted:A friend and I are thinking about going to Europe in August. We are definitely planning to go to Paris and London, we also want to go to Belgium, Switzerland and Germany. Which cities in those countries should we see? Our main interest is castles and food. In Switzerland I'd focus on Bern and the Bernese Oberland. Outisde Bern you have Interlaken, Thun, and Interthun as the major sites to see. If you like hiking you could spend a lifetime there. You've got the Yungfrau, Grindenwald, the Eiger, and more than I could list. It's and outdoorsy person's paradise. Geneva is alright but outside of the old town and maybe taking a tour of the UN there's not a whole lot for a tourist to do. It's also packed full of expats so it's not always very Swiss. It's worth a visit though if you have an extra day or two. Western Switzerland also has Montreaux and Gruyere. There's not a whole lot to Zurich from a tourism perspective. Or much in the surrounding area that doesn't have a better counterpart closer to Bern in my opinion. There's a pretty major train station there so it's easy to get to. And it's not horrible or anything just not a major highlight of any trip Switzerland. As for food try the fondue, sample some cheeses, and some chocolate of course but also try Rostis. They're sort of like hashbrowns but way better.
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Mar 25, 2012 01:31
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Another question, we are planning to go for about 20 days. If we're planning to stay in hostels and eat at moderate restaurants what sort of budget should we be considering? Would $100 a day be enough?
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Mar 25, 2012 03:07
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DracoArgentum posted:Another question, we are planning to go for about 20 days. If we're planning to stay in hostels and eat at moderate restaurants what sort of budget should we be considering? Would $100 a day be enough? Don't go to Switzerland if this is your budget, you will have to spend a lot more. If you're in the other countries you listed it's super doable.
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Mar 25, 2012 07:49
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DracoArgentum posted:Another question, we are planning to go for about 20 days. If we're planning to stay in hostels and eat at moderate restaurants what sort of budget should we be considering? Would $100 a day be enough? Switzerland is very expensive and because the cities aren't very big you'd get the most out of it by renting a car so you can be mobile. You'll get more bang for your buck in Germany and it's loaded with castles. Heidelberg has a particularly impressive one. Can't go wrong with the food there either. I can't really speak to Belgium though.
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Mar 25, 2012 12:14
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Landsknecht posted:Also, that fischbroetchen is like super north-german, they're eaten all around the north see/baltic. Well, it's sold around Munich and it is as exceptionally disgusting as it looks. Yes, most of the food in Germany is very tasty and filling, but again it's not something I would ever recommend to anyone who wanted to do a food tour of Europe--much like going to a random Highway 66 diner in the US; it's super tasty and very filling, but it's not exactly going to extending your culinary palate. Italian food, on the other hand, is great and much more varied than German food. I'd also recommend Italy to DracoArgentum for its castles and food and cheapness. E: I've eaten in restaurants all over all over Switzerland, Austria, and Germany except for the north coast, including living in central Germany. I've eaten at many great places, but never a single 'creative' one that served German-styled or German-fusion-styled cuisine, at least for dinner-style foods; Viennese pastries and deserts are amazing. Saladman fucked around with this message at 14:04 on Mar 25, 2012 |
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Mar 25, 2012 12:33
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I'm less interested in "fine dining" than in traditional foods. I do love Italy, but since we want to hit Paris and London it's a bit out of the way for this trip.
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Mar 25, 2012 13:41
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Bear in mind the Olympics are happening in London, late July till 12 August, so it'll be loving horrible here right around then, try to avoid it.
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Mar 25, 2012 16:18
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My girlfriend and I are going to be in Amsterdam over the Easter weekend, does the city get really quiet during this religious holiday?
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Mar 25, 2012 17:46
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Following on the heels of the tasty German food chat, me and my partner are going to Germany and would love to know some good places to eat or things to do. We are spending 2 days in Berlin, 2 days in Freiberg and 1 day in Munich. On our list for Berlin are the Polizeihistorische Sammlung and Stasimuseum, has anyone been? Can anyone recommend a good Chinese restaurant in Berlin? Price doesn't matter (much.) Also our train for Freiberg leaves at midnight, can anyone recommend any nice chilled out bars or cafes near the station that we could hang out for a couple of hours?
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Mar 25, 2012 21:47
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Rolled Cabbage posted:Following on the heels of the tasty German food chat, me and my partner are going to Germany and would love to know some good places to eat or things to do. Stasi Museum is good, worth doing. Dont do Checkpoint Charlie, it's underwhelming and touristy. If you're into art or history, the museums on Museuminsel are great (Neuesmuseum, Altesmuseum, Pargamon Museum). Make sure you get the ticket that lets you go to all of them for a set price. The free walking tours offered by Sandeman are great, they leave in the morning from the Brandenburg gate. I think the Holocaust museum/memorial is worth seeing, but a lot of people hate it. As far as eating goes, I always recommend Monseiur Vyongs on Rosa Luxemburg Platz. There's also a Korean restaurant on the same street that's great, and cheap.
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Mar 25, 2012 23:22
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To go to Berlin and miss the Pergamon museum is a mistake. Once you're on Museuminsel its a short enough walk through the brandenburg gate to the tiergarten
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Mar 26, 2012 01:06
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Neris posted:Bear in mind the Olympics are happening in London, late July till 12 August, so it'll be loving horrible here right around then, try to avoid it. I forgot about that... What about right after? The 16-18 of August for example?
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Mar 26, 2012 02:19
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jet sanchEz posted:My girlfriend and I are going to be in Amsterdam over the Easter weekend, does the city get really quiet during this religious holiday? No. It's possible that some shops that are normally open are closed but it won't be a lot, especially not in the center.
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Mar 26, 2012 09:13
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I'm going to be in Europe this June and July. I have most of my itinerary sorted, but I have the last few days before going home free (a friend I was going to visit is moving to a place I'm already going to). I'm leaving Dublin on July 8, and have to catch a flight (China Southern to Guangzhou, then Australia) from Amsterdam on July 13 at 13.20. I've got two questions for the thread. 1) My tentative plan is to spend these five days in London, which otherwise I wouldn't see. I'm not wed to the idea though, so I'm interested in any other ideas. A friend has recommended Edinburgh, for instance, but it's a bit harder to get to and from. 2) There's a KLM flight from London (city) to Amsterdam on the thirteenth which arrives at 10.05. Is it realistic that I will be able to get my bags and check in again in 3 and a bit hours, or should I go for an earlier flight (there are flights from LHR and LGW arriving around 9.40, or the day before) or somehow get my bags checked through from London to Guangzhou? Does this advice change if I go carry-on only? This is still a few weeks before the Olympics start, so I hope that won't be making everything painful yet.
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Mar 26, 2012 11:24
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Amsterdam schiphol airport usually sends out warnings in juli and august (especially fridays and saturdays) for people to show up at the airport early because of the high amount of travellers. If you're unlucky it will be busy and three hours won't be enough (however most congestion is at customs, which you won't have to go through I guess). Any normal weekend I'd say you'll make it.
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Mar 26, 2012 11:33
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Following up on my train question from a few pages ago, I am looking at train tickets between Munich and Paris and there are a lot of options. I am not to keen on getting up for a 6:27 AM departure so I am looking at a 10:47 AM departure that will get me to Paris around 4:30. However, this requires a 7 minute transfer in Stuttgart. Is that realistic? Or am I going to have to suck it up and take the early train?
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Mar 26, 2012 19:06
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Thoguh posted:Following up on my train question from a few pages ago, I am looking at train tickets between Munich and Paris and there are a lot of options. I am not to keen on getting up for a 6:27 AM departure so I am looking at a 10:47 AM departure that will get me to Paris around 4:30. However, this requires a 7 minute transfer in Stuttgart. Is that realistic? Or am I going to have to suck it up and take the early train? It is realistic but I'd say there's about a 1 in 3 chance it will go wrong. Have a look at exactly how long you'd have to wait in Stuttgart if you do miss your connection. They'd let you on the next train to Paris for free obviously.
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Mar 26, 2012 19:22
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Thoguh posted:Following up on my train question from a few pages ago, I am looking at train tickets between Munich and Paris and there are a lot of options. I am not to keen on getting up for a 6:27 AM departure so I am looking at a 10:47 AM departure that will get me to Paris around 4:30. However, this requires a 7 minute transfer in Stuttgart. Is that realistic? Or am I going to have to suck it up and take the early train? I took the opposite route a few years ago, and only made the connection because the next train was late. I came in on a track several over from where I needed to be, so by the time I made it there I thought I was too late. Luckily the connection was late, so it all worked out. So if DB is late, you're fine. If they run on time, you might have to run. It also helps a lot if you can quickly read German, because you'll need to know which track to run to for your connection, as well as how early/late it is.
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Mar 26, 2012 20:51
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DracoArgentum posted:I forgot about that... What about right after? The 16-18 of August for example? A lot of the fear of crowds from the Olympics is overstated (e.g: http://www.economist.com/node/21538203) precisely due to the reaction you are having. I think that routes to/from events in London will be very busy during the games, but, if you can avoid those routes, generally things won't be much worse than usual. No harm in waiting until those dates though, things should be "back to normal" by then.
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Mar 26, 2012 20:55
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SeaTard posted:It also helps a lot if you can quickly read German, because you'll need to know which track to run to for your connection, as well as how early/late it is. You should be able to find the platform information either on the site where you buy the tickets or at the ticket window.
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Mar 26, 2012 20:56
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We are in the first stages of planning a trip to Europe this fall (early September). We unfortunately only have a week, and we are debating between three options: 1. Spend the week in Iceland 2. Spend the week in France (Paris as our base) 3. Spend 3 days in Iceland and 3.5 days in France Any thoughts? The more I look at it, the more I think I'd be doing either one a disservice by only staying three days, but I don't know how to decide between the two. What would people that have been to one or both places do?
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Mar 26, 2012 22:55
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sheri posted:We are in the first stages of planning a trip to Europe this fall (early September). We unfortunately only have a week, and we are debating between three options: This is like me asking you should I buy a dish washer or a computer, without telling you anything about myself and my needs. But if I still had to give advice, I'd say Paris. While Iceland is unique, there are probably places somewhat similar to it on the North American continent (I'm guessing you are American) but there is nothing similar to Paris.
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Mar 26, 2012 23:52
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Doctor Malaver posted:This is like me asking you should I buy a dish washer or a computer, without telling you anything about myself and my needs. Thanks for the insight. I am American (from Wisconsin to be specific). What draws us to Iceland is the outdoor stuff-- Blue Lagoon, Golden Circle, etc. We are both active, like being outside, love sights, etc. What draws us to Paris and France is probably the same thing that draws most people to France.  Are you aware of, or could you provide, a good six or seven day itinerary for Paris and other parts of France? Thanks!
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Mar 27, 2012 00:11
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sheri posted:Thanks for the insight. I am American (from Wisconsin to be specific). I can't but I'm sure other regulars in this thread can. In any case it definitely is better to stay in Paris and find outdoor activities and sights in the region than waste precious time on airports and travel between Iceland and France.
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Mar 27, 2012 00:50
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So I still have about 5 days left in Barcelona, but I lost my ATM card. I still have my credit card, but it doesn't have a PIN for ATMs. I didn't think it was a big deal and I could just go into a bank to get a cash advance, but they won't do it. Some told me I had to use the ATM, others just said no. I've also tried restaurants and stores to ask if I could overpay for a meal and get cash back, but no luck. The only way I'm able to get any cash is by going out to eat with people from the hostel and paying for their meal on my card, but it's such a hassle. Any advice?
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Mar 27, 2012 12:33
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Does your travel insurance or bank offer any emergency cash abroad? Mine does, and losing my ATM card would count as an emergency. Maybe give them a call/email?
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Mar 27, 2012 12:38
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sheri posted:Are you aware of, or could you provide, a good six or seven day itinerary for Paris and other parts of France? We hit most of the highlights so if you have any questions I can try to help you out from an American tourist's perspective. The only thing we missed that bummed me out was the Catacombs, because they close at like 4pm and we didn't know that ahead of time. Paris was pretty awesome and we could've spent an extra few days there and been busy the whole time. We would love to go back.
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Mar 27, 2012 14:25
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If you go to a big bookstore and browse their travel guides, I think either Lonely Planet Paris or Rough Guide Paris has a 1 day/3 day/5 day itinerary in the front and they'll also have a section of "things that are nearby" that you can do. Give yourself at least 1-2 days (or half of 3-4 days) with nothing on your itinerary so you can just wander around and find cool poo poo.
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Mar 27, 2012 14:31
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AKA Pseudonym posted:In Switzerland I'd focus on Bern and the Bernese Oberland. Outisde Bern you have Interlaken, Thun, and Interthun as the major sites to see. If you like hiking you could spend a lifetime there. You've got the Yungfrau, Grindenwald, the Eiger, and more than I could list. It's and outdoorsy person's paradise. I'm living in Thun and just want to ask what kinda town you mean here. Because there isn't anything called like that in the Oberland. Oh and it's Jungfrau and Grindelwald, makes it easier to search. Sorry for pointing it out, but reading that was like nails on chalkboard. But the rest that you said is spot on.
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Mar 27, 2012 15:08
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I was thinking of Solothurn. I kind of think of the name as being "thun" plus a prefix. But obviously I got the prefix wrong and screwed up the "r" too.
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Mar 27, 2012 15:30
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AKA Pseudonym posted:I was thinking of Solothurn. I kind of think of the name as being "thun" plus a prefix. But obviously I got the prefix wrong and screwed up the "r" too.
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Mar 27, 2012 15:41
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