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I need to burn airline miles before they expire, so I'm looking at either a trip to Amsterdam, Brussels or Aachen, and Frankfurt or hitting a few stops Italy for 7-10 days, ideally in either May or August of next year. My interest in travelling to anywhere in Europe is to say I've been there and soak in the historical sites (big history buff). I'm trying to figure out if one is better than the other, and if I go to Italy and fly in to Rome, where is my best bet to fly out of in northern Italy (assuming a start in Rome, going to Florence, and then ?). My knowledge of major travel centers in northern Italy is basically non-existant.
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Dec 24, 2013 19:22
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Either Milan Malpensa or Venice (two of Italy's three intercontinental airports, the other being Rome Fiumicino). Both Milan and Venice can easily be reached by train from Florence, though actually getting to Venice Airport is not as easy as Milan Malpensa: the latter has a direct train leaving from Milan's central station and arriving directly into the airport terminal, while for the former you have to go to Mestre and get on the airport shuttle bus.
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Dec 24, 2013 20:55
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Mikl posted:Both Milan and Venice can easily be reached by train from Florence, though actually getting to Venice Airport is not as easy as Milan Malpensa: the latter has a direct train leaving from Milan's central station and arriving directly into the airport terminal, while for the former you have to go to Mestre and get on the airport shuttle bus. Well it's actually pretty easy to get to VCE from Venice. There are buses that leave from Piazzale Roma and vaporetto's from St. Mark's and the Grand Canal that go the airport. I didn't use the vaporetto though because they are expensive and took over double the time the bus did, but the bus from Piazzale Roma took about 20 minutes and only costed 6 Euros. nessin posted:I need to burn airline miles before they expire, so I'm looking at either a trip to Amsterdam, Brussels or Aachen, and Frankfurt or hitting a few stops Italy for 7-10 days, ideally in either May or August of next year. My interest in travelling to anywhere in Europe is to say I've been there and soak in the historical sites (big history buff). I'm trying to figure out if one is better than the other, and if I go to Italy and fly in to Rome, where is my best bet to fly out of in northern Italy (assuming a start in Rome, going to Florence, and then ?). My knowledge of major travel centers in northern Italy is basically non-existant. 7-10 days is a bit rushed for Rome, Florence, and either Milan or Venice. But if that's all you have I think the best thing would be 5 days in Rome, 2 in Florence, and 3 in Venice. Obviously you won't have enough time to see everything you want to, but you can get the well known stuff in, as well as some smaller stuff that not a lot of people see. Rome is the most important of all of these places in my opinion. Especially for history buffs (myself as well), how can you beat standing on the same steps that Caesar stood on? It's really amazing when you're there and everywhere you turn in Rome there is some kind of crazy historical thing to see. Also, I have to add that the best lesser known place I went to in Rome was recommended in this thread, which was the Basilica of San Clemente. There were like 5 people in there in July, and it was without a doubt one of the coolest places in Rome. You can see 3 layers of Roman history and the Mithraic Temple was amazing. Not to mention it was a good place to beat the heat during Roman summer. So thank you Europe thread for that! MagicCube fucked around with this message at 21:26 on Dec 24, 2013 |
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Dec 24, 2013 21:22
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nessin posted:I need to burn airline miles before they expire, so I'm looking at either a trip to Amsterdam, Brussels or Aachen, and Frankfurt or hitting a few stops Italy for 7-10 days, ideally in either May or August of next year. My interest in travelling to anywhere in Europe is to say I've been there and soak in the historical sites (big history buff). I'm trying to figure out if one is better than the other, and if I go to Italy and fly in to Rome, where is my best bet to fly out of in northern Italy (assuming a start in Rome, going to Florence, and then ?). My knowledge of major travel centers in northern Italy is basically non-existant. If your'e in the US and with a major carrier, you can just rent a car for a day with your FF# and so long as you have a few weeks until they expire, the miles will hit your account and keep your balance live for another year. Another way people do this is to buy flower delivery through the mileage portal. YMMV and all that.
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Dec 24, 2013 22:00
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MagicCube posted:Well it's actually pretty easy to get to VCE from Venice. There are buses that leave from Piazzale Roma and vaporetto's from St. Mark's and the Grand Canal that go the airport. I didn't use the vaporetto though because they are expensive and took over double the time the bus did, but the bus from Piazzale Roma took about 20 minutes and only costed 6 Euros. You're right, I automatically thought about how to get to VCE with public transport from the mainland since that's what I usually have to do, never had to do it from Venice itself.
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Dec 25, 2013 00:33
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Blinkman987 posted:If your'e in the US and with a major carrier, you can just rent a car for a day with your FF# and so long as you have a few weeks until they expire, the miles will hit your account and keep your balance live for another year. Another way people do this is to buy flower delivery through the mileage portal. YMMV and all that. Oh I know I can easily renew them, just thought this would finally be a good reason to actually use them for actual travel for fun, rather than accumulating them and never actually using them (most of my travel switched to another carrier last year, hence why I'm not getting expiring miles on another account). Edit: Ended up deciding on Rome -> Florence -> Venice. I don't suppose anyone out there can offer recommendations on places to stay? I'm not budget limited although traditionally all I really care for is just a clean room, shower, and bed, but I'm not against paying a little bit extra for a great B&B or something more touristy if it's worth it. nessin fucked around with this message at 07:40 on Dec 25, 2013 |
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Dec 25, 2013 06:56
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nessin posted:Oh I know I can easily renew them, just thought this would finally be a good reason to actually use them for actual travel for fun, rather than accumulating them and never actually using them (most of my travel switched to another carrier last year, hence why I'm not getting expiring miles on another account). I would say save your money in Rome and Florence and splash out on a good hotel in Venice. You also need to think about if, when you first arrive, you want to shell out money for a vaporetto to get to your hotel on the doorstep of St. Mark's, or just walk across the bridge from the station and straight into a hotel like I did. Venice is small in a way, but be prepared for a lot of walking and getting lost.
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Dec 26, 2013 08:54
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Edit: doublepost
maskenfreiheit fucked around with this message at 02:03 on Mar 13, 2017 |
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Dec 26, 2013 17:27
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GregNorc posted:If I'm going to Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Czech Republic, how many adapters do I need? Just the one, and honestly even adapters you buy in the store with nice packaging will just be random converters from China. If it doesn't work, buy another one for another $2 when you get there.
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Dec 26, 2013 17:46
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GregNorc posted:If I'm going to Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Czech Republic, how many adapters do I need? All of those countries use the exact same "Schuko" plug, so you can get a Schuko or a Europlug adaptor. Europlug is a little nicer because then it works in Switzerland and Italy too (but doesn't fit quite as 'snugly' into the rest of the continent's plugs). Plug adaptors are just little pieces of metal that shuttle electricity. They don't do anything and there's no way to get a 'bad' one. Only the UK has slightly more complex plugs (they contain a fuse). Converters are only necessary for changing voltage, in which case you probably don't want to get a cheap Chinese one, but IME converters are a nightmare. All of your electronics are probably dual voltage (120–240V) anyway.
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Dec 26, 2013 18:55
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I'm going on a business trip to China this Saturday and I have about 9 hours layover in Amsterdam. I assume that's enough time to let us leave the airport and go around the city a little bit. What would be the coolest things to do in Amsterdam if we only have a few hours free?
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Dec 26, 2013 21:59
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You can take a 1 or 2 hour boat tour of the city from right in front of the central station. It's a nice way to get an overview of some old parts of the city. The red light district is also a few minutes from the station if that's something you've wanted to see...
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Dec 26, 2013 22:07
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Senso posted:I'm going on a business trip to China this Saturday and I have about 9 hours layover in Amsterdam. I assume that's enough time to let us leave the airport and go around the city a little bit. What would be the coolest things to do in Amsterdam if we only have a few hours free?
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Dec 27, 2013 11:34
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So I've just discovered HelpX thanks to someone mentioning it on the last page and now my mind is filled with romantic ideas of hopping between farms in the Spanish country side for a month or two. Has anyone got any experience using the site?
The Slippery Nipple fucked around with this message at 13:31 on Dec 27, 2013 |
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Dec 27, 2013 13:29
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Rojkir posted:That's really enough time to take a train into the city (train is both quicker and cheaper, but slightly more complicated than a cab). Is it at night? The Amsterdam light festival could be a great walk then. Otherwise do the boat thing or just take a long long stroll along the channel ring and interrupt with coffee and beer before making it back to the red light district and central station. Also don't have nine hour layovers when flying for work.. We arrive at 9am and leave at 6pm. We didn't choose the flights, HR booked it without consulting us. I guess we'll head toward the Red Light, I'm a bit curious (mostly just to say that I've been there once) and maybe try the boat on the canals. Thanks for the ideas.
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Dec 27, 2013 16:19
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Anyone have any hostel recommendations for Prague? I have a giant list of things to do there (staying a week) from friends who have visited, but most of them stayed in much nicer places and not hostels. I am also planning at least a few days (3-4?) in Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. Do any of those cities require more time than 3-4 days to see the main sights? I am pretty loose with my schedule as I am just backpacking around and have no real time constraints. [e] I also am at a slight loss as to go where after Budapest as I don't really know eastern Europe very well. Saros fucked around with this message at 17:09 on Dec 27, 2013 |
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Dec 27, 2013 17:06
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Saros posted:Anyone have any hostel recommendations for Prague? I have a giant list of things to do there (staying a week) from friends who have visited, but most of them stayed in much nicer places and not hostels. That will be a very thorough experience of Central-Eastern Europe. If you have plenty of time to spare then all right but otherwise I would recommend to cut it short. After Budapest consider Belgrade, Sarajevo, Split.
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Dec 27, 2013 22:05
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Saros posted:Anyone have any hostel recommendations for Prague? I have a giant list of things to do there (staying a week) from friends who have visited, but most of them stayed in much nicer places and not hostels. I stayed at Hostel Rosemary when I was in Prague in November, it was pretty good. Really big rooms, cheap and clean. It's around the corner from the main station and a ten minute walk to the Old Town Square. It was fairly quiet when I was staying there. My friend stayed at Hostel One Home, also near the main station, and absolutely raved about it. Said all the staff were super friendly, and you get free dinners and they take you out drinking, and it's party all the time.
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Dec 28, 2013 01:40
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Doctor Malaver posted:
My wife and I are planning our first trip to Budapest this summer. We have been to Vienna, Prague, Munich (x3), Innsbruck, Salzburg, in addition to traveling quite extensively through Germany. We wanted to somehow tie the trip to Budapest with a stay in Slovenia in the form of seeing/experiencing Lake Bled and Ljubljana. We thought we might make the trip something like this: Budapest->Melk/Danube->Hallstatt->Munich/Salzburg/Berchtesgaden->Mittenwald (Germany)->Slovenia (Lake Bled/Ljubljana) Anyone have suggestions on things to help tie together Budapest and Slovenia together better (the overnight train between the two is a middle of the night stop in Salzburg with an 8 minute transfer)? What about adding something to the beginning or the end of the trip? LaserWash fucked around with this message at 12:52 on Dec 28, 2013 |
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Dec 28, 2013 12:47
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East/Central European Travel Talk
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LaserWash posted:something like this: It's really unclear what you are trying to do from your itinerary here. None of the places you mention are even remotely on the way between Budapest and Ljulbjana. I also can't even believe there's an overnight train between them, it's only like a 4 hour drive. Why don't you take a bus? It will be like 1/3rd the price and 3x faster. From a brief check I do see that the train schedule is a retarded nightmare between the two.
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Dec 28, 2013 18:34
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Saladman posted:From a brief check I do see that the train schedule is a retarded nightmare between the two. Yes, it's a retarded nightmare to get between Budapest and Ljubljana. That's where I'm having the difficulty. 
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Dec 29, 2013 01:18
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LaserWash posted:Yes, it's a retarded nightmare to get between Budapest and Ljubljana. That's where I'm having the difficulty.
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Dec 29, 2013 02:08
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Who does the buses then? I've been looking and can't find someone that actually does this. I'm seeing a company called orangeways, but they are quoting a departure at 6 am and arrive at 1:30 in Ljubljana. So it's not that. LaserWash fucked around with this message at 04:25 on Dec 29, 2013 |
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Dec 29, 2013 04:17
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LaserWash posted:Who does the buses then? I've been looking and can't find someone that actually does this. Well yeah true the bus would take longer than 4 hours, I guess it has stops along the way or something, it's more four hours if you drive there directly. Still, 7 hours is a lot better than the train hell you had planned. You could also look into renting a car.
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Dec 29, 2013 04:42
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I've never rented a car in Europe. I'm pretty sure that picking up a car in one country and leaving it in another is really, really expensive. The route I had provided was in the hope of seeing things that we planned to see anyway (Melk, Hallstatt, Munich, etc). They all were within 2-4 hours of each other which is usually my limit for "between cities" traveling in Europe anyway.
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Dec 29, 2013 05:08
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LaserWash posted:I've never rented a car in Europe. I'm pretty sure that picking up a car in one country and leaving it in another is really, really expensive. Yeah, I just checked too and I only see one other bus besides 7.5 hour one leaving at 6am. It's no better though, 6.5 hours leaving at 11pm. I checked on the (official?) Slovenian connections website, http://www.ap-ljubljana.si/eng/vozni_eng.php?uIfr=1 . I'm amazed it's so bad, this is like the worst connection between two capitals anywhere in Europe. I've driven between the two and it's just over 4 hours and a pretty nice drive. Unfortunately I think you're right on the rentals; I just checked Sixt and it has a retarded like $400 one-way fee, but even if you shop around I doubt you can find any company with less than a €100 one-way fee. How long do you have to do this trip? If you do Budapest -> Vienna -> Salzburg -> Ljubljana in a week it could be reasonably nice. Are you flying out of Ljubljana (or moving there) or something?
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Dec 29, 2013 23:16
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Doctor Malaver posted:After Budapest consider Belgrade, Sarajevo, Split. Seconding this, go to Serbia/Bosnia. Laserwash: Maybe try stopping over in Graz or Zagreb, from either it will be more like 5h to Budapest.
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Dec 30, 2013 00:15
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Saladman posted:How long do you have to do this trip? If you do Budapest -> Vienna -> Salzburg -> Ljubljana in a week it could be reasonably nice. Are you flying out of Ljubljana (or moving there) or something? Probably about 3 weeks. It's this train wreck or Budapest and then taking a WizzAir or RyanAir (ughhh) to Belgium and doing the rest of the trip in that area. Budapest is so far east compared to everything else we have done that it has made it real hard to justify going even though we have really, really wanted to go for several years now. What's in Zagreb that we should see?
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Dec 30, 2013 00:48
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LaserWash posted:Budapest is so far east compared to everything else we have done that it has made it real hard to justify going even though we have really, really wanted to go for several years now. If you're going to Vienna, Budapest is only about two hours and €30 away.
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Dec 30, 2013 01:48
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I would do it in this order and include Graz on the trip. You can also include Klagenfurt if you want to relax a day next to a warm and really blue lake. Budapest > Melk > Graz > Ljubljana > Hallstadt > Salzburg > Germany Oh, and austrian train tickets can be gotten cheaper from this page when ordered in advance http://www.oebb.at/en/Travelling_in_Austria/SparSchiene_Oesterreich/index.jsp http://www.oebb.at/en/Travelling_abroad/SparSchiene_Europa/index.jsp blogo fucked around with this message at 12:32 on Dec 31, 2013 |
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Dec 31, 2013 12:29
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blogo posted:Budapest > Melk > Graz > Ljubljana > Hallstadt > Salzburg > Germany Oh wow. That might actually be a winning combination (taking Hallstatt out probably and maybe Klagenfurt in). Nothing is longer than 4 hours which meets my requirements. Thanks.
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Dec 31, 2013 14:16
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LaserWash posted:Oh wow. That might actually be a winning combination (taking Hallstatt out probably and maybe Klagenfurt in). Nothing is longer than 4 hours which meets my requirements. I suddenly realized that you're a real world example of a Traveling Salesman Problem. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_salesman_problem for those not aware )
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Dec 31, 2013 15:47
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Saladman posted:I suddenly realized that you're a real world example of a Traveling Salesman Problem. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_salesman_problem for those not aware ) Being a mathematician by training and trade, I'll give you a high five for that.  Maybe that's why I like travel so much and find train and plane travel particularly interesting.
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Jan 1, 2014 00:08
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Saros posted:Anyone have any hostel recommendations for Prague? I have a giant list of things to do there (staying a week) from friends who have visited, but most of them stayed in much nicer places and not hostels. I highly recommend Fusion. Great big rooms with an awesome spinning bar downstairs. Was really cheap too, IIRC.
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Jan 1, 2014 02:00
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duralict posted:Possibly my favorite restaurant in the world is in Lisbon. It's called Estrella da Bica and it's right next to the Bica funicular. It's low-midrange priced (E5-10 per item) and the place itself has the atmosphere of a student place, but the food tastes and looks like something out of an ultra-high-end restaurant. You should definitely go there. Really solid advice, regetting that I'm just now reading it.
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Jan 2, 2014 11:36
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Anybody gone to copenhagen in late jan/early feb? What's it like? We want to visit for a weekend (thurs night to sat night) and Feb is basically the first opportunity we'll get. We live in Rome so we can get flights in that period for about 30 euros each way per person. We have no problems visiting in Winter as we're Australian and the cold is a novelty to us, especially things like snow and ice. A quick look suggests that rooms on airbnb are cheap enough. The only problem is whether the whole city is completely dead in Feb while still having expensive prices on food/drink/etc. Does anybody have any experience with this?
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Jan 3, 2014 16:38
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It's been a long time since I was in Copenhagen during the winter, but back then there was little difference between what went on during summer or winter. The Tivoli amusement park in the center of the city may or may not be open, but they'll likely host a bunch of events, so you might want to check that out, depending on your budget. Speaking of which, everything will still be expensive as only the Nordic countries can manage it, but no more so than during any other time of year. If you're (un)lucky, you might experience one of those freakish cold snaps, where the temperature drops to -20 degrees C, but don't count on it. Expect rain, rain, rain, wind and rain.
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Jan 3, 2014 17:18
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HELP! I'm going on a Mediterranean cruise on Wednesday [via Norwegian cruise line] and get 1 day in Olympia, Greece; 1 day in Athens, Greece; 1 day in Izmir, Turkey; 2 days in Istanbul, Turkey; and 1 day in Naples, Italy. It's just my mom & I on this cruise. I'm 23 years old. I don't want to waste my/our time. What MUST be seen/ eaten/ done before I'm forced to go back to the good ol' -40F Wisconsin, USA?
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Jan 6, 2014 03:06
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One day is plenty in Athens and Olympia, so don't stress too much there. They're both mostly just the one big archaeological site each, then you can just lounge around and eat Greek food with whatever time you have left. Naples is a little trickier because Pompeii is huge and the three big things in Naples are all kind of inconvenient to get between (Pompeii and Herculaneum; the Naples Museum, which is one of the best in the world and has this ridiculously huge galleria Napoleon himself funded; and the old city center of Naples, where the old port, castle and cathedral are, along with a bunch of Victorian-era arcades). So probably get up early that day, I guess. Two days isn't nearly enough for Istanbul, but you'll be able to see most of the really major things. Personally I'd probably just stick to the old city center (where the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Basilica Cistern, spice market and Grand Bazaar all are, along with three or four other beautiful huge ancient mosques). I haven't been to Izmir but I hear it's mostly a beach resort. This probably goes without saying, but eat on the ship as little as possible. All three of those countries are famous for their amazing food, don't settle for the international buffet. Food suggestions: in Greece, look for spanikopita (it's a spinach and feta pastry), octopus, dolmas (a roll wrapped in grape leaves) and mousaka (an eggplant casserole thing). In Naples, find some pizza (even Italians agree it's the best there), preferably one with lots of toppings, and gelato or granite (if you can find real granite, as opposed to mislabeled slushie machines) for desert. In Turkey eat anything, anything at all, but especially kofte (also sometimes spelled "kefta"), which is the best thing ever. e: oh and coffee. Turkish coffee is filtered differently and is amazing, and Italians have a cultural obsession with making great espresso drinks. Bring some Tums for Turkey. It's all plenty safe to eat, but it's also loaded in spices your stomach isn't used to. And some vitamin C because you're on a boat, and if anyone brings a cold on board then it'll spread hella fast. duralict fucked around with this message at 08:37 on Jan 6, 2014 |
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Jan 6, 2014 08:34
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duralict posted:Two days isn't nearly enough for Istanbul, but you'll be able to see most of the really major things. Personally I'd probably just stick to the old city center (where the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Basilica Cistern, spice market and Grand Bazaar all are, along with three or four other beautiful huge ancient mosques). I haven't been to Izmir but I hear it's mostly a beach resort. Any other tips for Istanbul? My wife and I are going to spend 8 days there over Easter so if you've got suggestions for a day trip that would be cool too!
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Jan 6, 2014 08:41
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