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Saladman posted:I can't think of any other single city I've visited and thought the same thing, although London comes close. London?? Are you crazy? You're making me wonder what about London I overlooked. I felt like I was done with the place after a day and a half, but after a whole week in Rome I wasn't happy about leaving.
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Sep 30, 2013 09:21
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e: ^^ yeah I'm not a fan of London either. I moved to Rome a few months ago to the Via Cassia and a fortnight ago we actually had to move away from the suburbs to an apartment on a metro line because it was impossible to get around otherwise. You should be fine for a few days, especially if you're only staying a few days and don't mind shelling out 30 euros for a taxi each night to come home. You'll have to bus into the city, walk around for 8-12 hours, then taxi home. We need to work every day and we want to socialise etc so we can't afford to live out in the sticks. Buses are unreliable and take a long-rear end time. I work with a bloke who lives in Nomentana and he says it's a nice area, but since you're in Rome on holiday you'll be spending all your time in the city centre. For food and drink, stay away from the tourist districts. We live in Prati and it's a little more expensive but nice. Trastevere is where everybody goes to eat and drink, tourists and locals alike. Testaccio is good as well, a bit more nightclubby I think. It all depends on what you want to do. For sightseeing I hate lines, so Ostia Antica is something I always take people to. There's so much to see that you should just make a shortlist of stuff and then walk around everywhere and keep an eye out. I'd recommend the Villa Borghese as well, it has a great park and the museum is fantastic.
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Sep 30, 2013 09:29
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DNova posted:London?? Are you crazy? You're making me wonder what about London I overlooked. I felt like I was done with the place after a day and a half, but after a whole week in Rome I wasn't happy about leaving. I love London, but hate Amsterdam with a passion, so I seem to be at odds with everyone else on T&T. In any case, everyone loves Rome.
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Sep 30, 2013 15:04
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Man, so on my travel plans for winter break, I still have about three days left to fly somewhere from Amsterdam before I have to head back to my apartment in Berlin and pack everything up and leave back for the US; with EasyJet I can go to Edinburgh or Rome (both connect with Berlin-Schönefeld as well). I'm going to be in Rome on the first day of December before this, but that's nowhere near enough time to explore the city; on the other hand, I haven't been to Edinburgh yet (and I don't think anyone I know has been there, either), but I don't know what to do there. So, where to?
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Sep 30, 2013 18:00
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Yeah London was really a day-and-a-half at most city for me. I spent two weeks in Rome and still want to go back. I love art though so our trip involved a lot of trips to random churches to see two Caravaggio's for example.
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Sep 30, 2013 18:31
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Jerry Manderbilt posted:Man, so on my travel plans for winter break, I still have about three days left to fly somewhere from Amsterdam before I have to head back to my apartment in Berlin and pack everything up and leave back for the US; with EasyJet I can go to Edinburgh or Rome (both connect with Berlin-Schönefeld as well). Lucky for you I work in Edinburgh and live close by. If I'm around just send a message and I'll buy you a pint. As for things to do in Edinburgh - Castle, walk up Arthur's Seat, Holyrood, Royal Yacht, Greyfriar's Bobby (is actually just a statue of a dog...but it grants wishes!), Discovery Earth, plenty of places to eat n drink and go around in the old district. Keep a careful eye out for possible events occurring.
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Sep 30, 2013 19:00
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HookShot posted:Yeah London was really a day-and-a-half at most city for me. I spent two weeks in Rome and still want to go back. I love art though so our trip involved a lot of trips to random churches to see two Caravaggio's for example.
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Sep 30, 2013 19:44
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Saladman posted:I love London, but hate Amsterdam with a passion, so I seem to be at odds with everyone else on T&T. In any case, everyone loves Rome. Amsterdam is rear end for tourism purposes. As a Dutch person I just don't understand why tourists would travel half the world to go to an overpriced medium sized town where the main attractions other than weed (available elsewhere in the world) are some paintings and rows of nice, but not overly impressive houses. There are a few fun things in Amsterdam but they're on the level of "kinda nice bar" or "decent outdoor market", nothing to get very excited over. It's also impossible to eat out here for less than 15 euros per person, save for fast food and pizza. Some of the best Dutch and Belgian painters like Bosch and Breughel are actually in the Prado in Madrid, which is a much better museum than the Rijks anyway. The most interesting Van Goghs are in the Kroller Muller museum in the east of the Netherlands, not in the van Gogh museum which has mostly early and popular stuff like that smoking skeleton. There's literally no reason to go to Amsterdam. The best European cities are probably Granada, Budapest, and possibly Berlin or some other eastern European cities. It's just so easy to have a good time at a low price, they have a more interesting history and are just generally more fun than any of the big capitals in the northwest.
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Sep 30, 2013 21:28
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Shibawanko posted:Amsterdam is rear end for tourism purposes. As a Dutch person I just don't understand why tourists would travel half the world to go to an overpriced medium sized town where the main attractions other than weed (available elsewhere in the world) are some paintings and rows of nice, but not overly impressive houses. There are a few fun things in Amsterdam but they're on the level of "kinda nice bar" or "decent outdoor market", nothing to get very excited over. It's also impossible to eat out here for less than 15 euros per person, save for fast food and pizza. Uhh, where else can you find a Poezenboot? I agree Amsterdam is seriously overrated, but I think Budapest is also. Also, I unironically loved the Poezenboot and I bought a t-shirt there (which I will never wear) and I also went to the Kattenkabinet and I am not ashamed of any of this.
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Sep 30, 2013 21:34
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HookShot posted:Yeah London was really a day-and-a-half at most city for me. I spent two weeks in Rome and still want to go back. I love art though so our trip involved a lot of trips to random churches to see two Caravaggio's for example. Counterpoint: I spent close to four months in London because I liked it so much. But it is in that category of places like New York, Toronto, or Sydney where they're far, far more rewarding if you manage to make some local connections. You don't need to know anybody to have an awesome time in Rome.
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Oct 1, 2013 02:14
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I think most major urban cities full of people similar (but not too similar) to yourself can be rewarding. I personally detest London but I think it's because it reminds me of everything I hate about my home city, Sydney, and I travel and moved overseas to go somewhere new, rather than the same old thing pushed up to '11'. But London is one of those cities where people can hate or love it for much the same reasons and you won't know unless you go. I did really like the British museum, but who wouldn't?
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Oct 1, 2013 08:07
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Shibawanko posted:Amsterdam is rear end for tourism purposes. As a Dutch person I just don't understand why tourists would travel half the world to go to an overpriced medium sized town where the main attractions other than weed (available elsewhere in the world) are some paintings and rows of nice, but not overly impressive houses. There are a few fun things in Amsterdam but they're on the level of "kinda nice bar" or "decent outdoor market", nothing to get very excited over. It's also impossible to eat out here for less than 15 euros per person, save for fast food and pizza. You forgot the Red Light district. Then there are people like my friend who has job offers from several EU countries but her first choice is Amsterdam, and she's definitely not into prostitution. As you say, Amsterdam is medium-sized and I see it as its advantage. It has the energy of a European metropolis but it's not too big. You can ride bicycles over tiny bridges and have coffee in little cafes and everything is colorful and charming. It's not aloof and overwhelming like London, where you feel insignificant. It's English speaking and welcoming, unlike Italy and France. It's expensive, yes, but not as expensive or cold as Scandinavia. Other than not being cheap, I don't see any Amsterdam's drawbacks and I rate it alongside Barcelona and Berlin as cities where I'd like to live.
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Oct 1, 2013 09:07
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^^^^ Nothing against Amsterdam to live in--I'm just anti-Amsterdam with respect to tourism. It's on par with like, Houston, which I lived in and loved, but realize that it sucks for a tourist.DNova posted:Uhh, where else can you find a Poezenboot? Very soon you can get something similar in London! (I know Japan is decades ahead of the rest of the world with respect to this): http://ladydinahs.com/ I was in London two weeks ago and the biggest disappointment to me was that Lady Dinah's was not yet open. Also that it pissed rain all four days, but what did I expect? (Answer: four days of pissing rain.) Saladman fucked around with this message at 10:44 on Oct 1, 2013 |
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Oct 1, 2013 10:41
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Doctor Malaver posted:You forgot the Red Light district. I like the size too in terms of walking distances yeah, but many places in Europe of that size exist, Delft is basically a walkable, less hectic version of Amsterdam with better canals, for instance. It has the energy of a metropolis, but that often means getting run over by a cyclist or having to watch your bag and pockets. Red light districts in smaller sizes are also in every Dutch city. And yeah, again, you really get ripped off in Amsterdam for just about anything. 3 to 4 euros for coffee in most places near the center. I mean I'm not saying you shouldn't like it, but it's just hard to imagine for me. Most of the groups of tourists I see there (I go there pretty often) look so duped and miserable. Living there is a different story, once you get the hang of the tram system and cyclist habits it's okay and there's a lot to do if you know people and are able to find good shows and parties but that's not accessible for most tourists. Personally in Holland I love Leeuwarden, Delft, Utrecht and Maastricht. Basically the same thing as Amsterdam, minus hectic stuff and small crime.
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Oct 1, 2013 11:05
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So I asked a bit ago and was wondering if anybody had advice about where to look for a prepaid or short term phone to use while I'm in Spain later this month. No need for international calls or more than ~5 hours of call time should be needed for the three weeks I'll be over there. Am I better off grabbing something that can be setup stateside (and if so where) or will it be easy to find something of the sort in Sevilla (first city I'll be in)?
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Oct 1, 2013 19:22
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Canopus250 posted:So I asked a bit ago and was wondering if anybody had advice about where to look for a prepaid or short term phone to use while I'm in Spain later this month. No need for international calls or more than ~5 hours of call time should be needed for the three weeks I'll be over there. Am I better off grabbing something that can be setup stateside (and if so where) or will it be easy to find something of the sort in Sevilla (first city I'll be in)? Get Lebara once you're in Seville. You can't set up anything stateside, but it will be trivial to do it once you're there.
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Oct 1, 2013 20:48
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Cool, store search has one about 5 minutes from where I'm staying. Do I need an unlocked phone first or is it likely I can get one as part of it? Likewise I could prolly get an old unlocked phone from my coworker who goes to India if thats easier.
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Oct 1, 2013 21:34
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Canopus250 posted:Cool, store search has one about 5 minutes from where I'm staying. Do I need an unlocked phone first or is it likely I can get one as part of it? Likewise I could prolly get an old unlocked phone from my coworker who goes to India if thats easier. You can easily get one, but you'll be paying full price cause nobody subsidizes an unlocked phone for a tourist who will leave after a week.
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Oct 1, 2013 22:17
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Well closer to a month but understandable. I'll check with my coworker about grabbing the unlocked phone he has and then grab the sim card from the store on one of my first days there.
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Oct 1, 2013 22:27
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Just make sure it works on the European GSM frequencies (900- and 1800MHz). You should be able to find an unlocked old gsm phone for free or very close to it.
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Oct 1, 2013 22:33
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I'm 25 and going to be doing a solo tour of Europe from May 1 - July 1. I've never been overseas (live in US). I'm in the beginning stages of planning now, probably going to be buying a plane ticket in November. I've got quite a few places in mind I'd like to visit, but am really curious as to hear what others would suggest keeping in mind I'm 25, single, and very much like to party and meet new people. I've got family in Ireland with a place to stay, so landing there, continuing onto the UK, and on from there seemed like an obvious start. Initially I was planning on saving ~$6,000 including airfare, but over the past few months reading and talking to folk I think I'll be saving a bit more than that. I'm willing to spend as much as I can save. Looking forward to having an amazing time. /edit (When I say solo tour of Europe I don't mean everywhere!)
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Oct 2, 2013 01:35
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manwithoutskin posted:I'm 25 and going to be doing a solo tour of Europe from May 1 - July 1. I've never been overseas (live in US). I'm in the beginning stages of planning now, probably going to be buying a plane ticket in November. I've got quite a few places in mind I'd like to visit, but am really curious as to hear what others would suggest keeping in mind I'm 25, single, and very much like to party and meet new people. Spend some time poking through Wikitravel or one of the websites like Frommer's that publish suggested routes and see what catches your eye. Pretty much any route in Europe is going to put you on the path for meeting new people and partying, we'll be more help when you need more specific advice.
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Oct 2, 2013 02:34
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manwithoutskin posted:I'm 25 and going to be doing a solo tour of Europe from May 1 - July 1. I've never been overseas (live in US). I'm in the beginning stages of planning now, probably going to be buying a plane ticket in November. I've got quite a few places in mind I'd like to visit, but am really curious as to hear what others would suggest keeping in mind I'm 25, single, and very much like to party and meet new people. ~$4'500 after airfare should be fine, though make sure you have some way of getting more money just in case. A lot of people go hog wild their first month, then realize they only have like $1000 to cover two months of travel. Give couch surfing a try, and once you're sick of hostels try AirBnB to switch things up. Hotels are a terrible use of money for a solo traveler on a budget, but you probably already knew that. After Ireland, you might consider heading more eastern Europe*, as it's way cheaper and more off the beaten track / more fun to explore as a solo traveler meeting other random people. Or at least, this has been my experience in Western Europe in the summer: half the people you meet will be tourists who just want to rush from a picture of the Eiffel Tower to a picture of the London Eye. (Unless you are a 'gotta catch 'em all' type traveler, OP, in which case either way.) *just make sure you don't go too east. I mean like Berlin, Poland, Czech, Croatia, Estonia... not Moldova/Belarus/Ukraine. EDIT: Sorry I was thinking €4'500. $4'500 will be kind of tight for Western Europe -- this will cover all of your expenses (food, lodging, travel) if you do them on the cheap, but no frills or money for stuff like "castle entrance fees" or "night out drinking". Also doubly recommending eastern Europe where $4'500 will be more doable. Saladman fucked around with this message at 06:58 on Oct 2, 2013 |
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Oct 2, 2013 06:46
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Loved the posts about Rome! We're going there early next June for a week, then on to Paris for a week then London for a week. We've booked central hotels/ apartment hotels in the Trevi district, by Pont Neuf & Trafalgar Square so we'll be walking most of the time and can take breaks back at the room when we're knackered. We want to be leisurely about it and we're not interested in taking photos of ourselves outside famous places though we definitely want to see the places... we mainly want to get a feel for the cities and see/touch the exceedingly old architecture in Rome, and the art and cool stuff in the museums in all three cities without spending most of our time indoors. We are over our partying days so not interested in nightclubs or awesome parties. We're from Australia and have never been to Europe or the UK before so we're loving excited and looking at all sorts of things we want to do. If anyone has any recommendations or anything I'm all ears! A couple of questions: Should we be paranoid about pickpockets in Rome & Paris or just be aware & alert? We are late 30's with street smarts at home* (*where there aren't pickpockets) so we shouldn't be super easy targets, but any tips or reassurance would be good! We need to book a cheap flight from Rome to Paris, which is 8 months away. When's the best time to book, now or a few months time? Paris to London = Eurostar, any tips? Get in as soon as they're available or do deals come along, if so when? Thanks for the awesome thread, have only read the last few pages so will check the many many older ones too, cheers in advance.
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Oct 2, 2013 16:52
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art of spoonbending posted:Should we be paranoid about pickpockets in Rome & Paris or just be aware & alert? We are late 30's with street smarts at home* (*where there aren't pickpockets) so we shouldn't be super easy targets, but any tips or reassurance would be good! quote:We need to book a cheap flight from Rome to Paris, which is 8 months away. When's the best time to book, now or a few months time?
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Oct 2, 2013 17:38
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For the Rome-Paris flight, if at all possible, do not fly with Ryanair. They do the Rome Ciampino - Paris Beauvais route while all other companies do either Fiumicino - Orly or Fiumicino - Charles De Gaulle, and while it makes no real difference if you fly out of Ciampino or Fiumicino (both can be easily reached from Rome), Beauvais is almost a hundred kilometers from Paris. It's better to fly to Orly or CDG.
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Oct 2, 2013 22:11
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Mikl posted:For the Rome-Paris flight, if at all possible, do not fly with Ryanair. They do the Rome Ciampino - Paris Beauvais route while all other companies do either Fiumicino - Orly or Fiumicino - Charles De Gaulle, and while it makes no real difference if you fly out of Ciampino or Fiumicino (both can be easily reached from Rome), Beauvais is almost a hundred kilometers from Paris. It's better to fly to Orly or CDG. Also, Ryanair charges a lot for any checked luggage (and a bunch of other stuff you never thought airlines could charge you for... paying with anything but a Ryanair credit card for example) so don't be tempted by a low price!
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Oct 3, 2013 00:24
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Ryanair is just fine if you're flying alone, on a short flight, with no checked luggage, and happen to be going to a city where they land at a decent airport. They're utterly terrible outside of that very specific niche, but within it I wouldn't rule them out as a low-budget option.
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Oct 3, 2013 00:46
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Excellent information, thanks Waci, Mikl & greazeball 
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Oct 3, 2013 02:57
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In terms of pickpocketers in Rome, a girl tried to get me a few weeks ago on the Metro. I've always been very aware of my possessions so she must have been a bit desperate. Just be aware whenever you're in crowded places where people can bump into you or stand by you without your being aware. Metros are popular because they can try to 'help' push people onto the metro and have a crack at your phone, wallet, or bag. And then they'll just step backwards off the metro as the doors close. Just be self-aware and always keep your bags/handbags pulled around to your front whenever you're in a crowded area. Italy has been cracking down on Romani and beggars and all that so while there are still a few, the hordes of them appear to have moved elsewhere. I was in Paris a month ago and they have way more, so the stories you've heard of Rome from ten years ago largely no longer apply. I think it's a migratory thing. You can still be hit if you're an idiot, but with this many clueless Germans wandering around you'd really have to be wearing propeller-hats and "ASK ME ABOUT BEING AMERICAN" t-shirts to present as a more attractive target.
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Oct 3, 2013 08:31
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Does anyone know of any good, affordable day tours from Rome to Pompeii and Vesuvius? I read good reviews for Dark Rome Tours, and I booked their Ostia Antica tour, but I was surprised to see they charge $180 per person for Pompeii.
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Oct 4, 2013 21:23
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I'll be in Riga for a day, what are some of the fun things to see/do that aren't necessarily super touristy? Any particular bars to hit at night? I'll be staying in the town center on Valnu Iela st. Also, does anyone know how strict is Air Baltic about the carry on size and weight? I have a standard 21" (? it fits in those test racks) bag that wasn't a problem on a BA flight, but since they want the camera and laptop to be in the bag, it's bulging quite a bit past the 20cm thickness limit and is probably way overweight. Nobody at BA cared, but since these guys would be itching to charge me 60EUR/bag, I suspect they might be paying attention 
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Oct 6, 2013 00:23
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art of spoonbending posted:
With regards to the pickpockets, it is a sad fact that you find them in and around most of the major tourist attractions, paradoxically often near the signs warning you about pickpockets. When reading such a sign the natural reaction is to check your wallet is were you left it, which tells the sharp-eyed pickpockets exactly were to target you. For the Eurostar you are best booking as early as possible, late deals are rarely on offer and often don't match the early booking discounts. As you are travelling both on the mainland and to the UK, you will obviously need both Euros and Pounds Sterling. Do not be tempted to change your money at the Eurostar station on the way to the UK, they have pretty much the worst rates in Europe. you will get better rates on the high street in London, especially if you haggle.
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Oct 6, 2013 00:36
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Jerry Manderbilt posted:I was wondering, which hostels would you guys recommend for Copenhagen, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Edinburgh? Not a hostel, but I recently stayed at The Square http://www.thesquarecopenhagen.com/ in Copenhagen and really liked it. It is across the street from Tivoli and walking distance to the big train station. Hotel rooms were pretty reasonable for a nice place.
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Oct 6, 2013 01:10
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Fideles posted:With regards to the pickpockets, it is a sad fact that you find them in and around most of the major tourist attractions, paradoxically often near the signs warning you about pickpockets. When reading such a sign the natural reaction is to check your wallet is were you left it, which tells the sharp-eyed pickpockets exactly were to target you. Great tips, thanks heaps Fideles, thanks also Sulla-Marius 88 for all your input!
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Oct 7, 2013 12:34
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Is it not possible to buy Djarum Black (clove) cigarettes in Paris?
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Oct 7, 2013 18:47
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Boris Galerkin posted:Is it not possible to buy Djarum Black (clove) cigarettes in Paris? I'd never heard about clove cigarettes before so I looked it up and while Djarum is distributed in France, it seems extremely rare. Djarum Black in particular might be illegal since 2011. You can try the Tabac du Dome at Montparnasse or maybe the area around the Indonesian embassy.
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Oct 7, 2013 19:01
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pylb posted:I'd never heard about clove cigarettes before so I looked it up and while Djarum is distributed in France, it seems extremely rare. This is the only kind of cigarette I pay money for, and I can say they're drat hard to find. I tried in Paris a while ago and never succeeded, but I only tried about random 10 stores--all convenience types (including "Asian grocer" type ones, but never found one that was particularly Indonesian). I get them in a tobacco and knife store in Switzerland but almost never 'run across' them. The easiest way to find them is going to be finding someone who smokes them and ask where they got them, since they're pretty distinctive, both by smell and sight. I have had several random people ask me where I got them. E: Even if Djarum Blacks were banned in France (which might be the case, I know most of the EU is shutting down flavored cigs, if they haven't already), you can buy the Djarum Black cigarillos, which were made to get around the flavored cigarette ban in the USA, and are 90% the same as the cigs. They burn like twice as long and are like slightly longer. I do notice a difference between the two (and prefer the cigs) but can't quite place my finger on what the other difference is. Saladman fucked around with this message at 21:35 on Oct 7, 2013 |
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Oct 7, 2013 21:31
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Are people meant to inhale those? What about the cigarillo versions?
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Oct 7, 2013 21:40
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DNova posted:Are people meant to inhale those? What about the cigarillo versions? Inhale what, the regular Djarum cigs? Yes? They're just flavored cigarettes. Same with the cigarillo ones, since they're not really intended to be cigars. although they smoke so long you'll probably get sick if you inhale a full one and aren't a regular smoker. I put the cigarillo version out about 2/3rds of the way through smoking it and I see a lot of other people doing the same (though maybe because I do it and they bum them from me). They have a bad rap for one decent reason (non-smokers like them) and one retarded reason (it has 201x the amount of cancer of a regular cigarette and it gets fiberglass into your lungs and you die). Saladman fucked around with this message at 07:24 on Oct 8, 2013 |
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Oct 8, 2013 07:21
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