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Paper Clip Death posted:So I'm planning a two-week trip in June with a friend. The aim is to fly somewhere, travel some, end the trip in Geneva (because his girlfriend works there) and then fly home. We're trying to keep our expenses minimal, although I realise that the following itinerary consists of fairly expensive countries. Here's what we've planned so far: Personally I'd say cut out The Hauge, Luxembourg, and Trier and split that time between Amsterdam and Lyon. Strasbourg is lovely, but very small and doable in one day. It has one of the nicest town centers I've seen and Alsatian cuisine is great. Lyon also has tons of stuff to do, see, and eat. The constant travel will sap your spirit, even over 2 weeks. Have you done anything similar before with that much travel over a short period? If you have and know what you're getting into, then keeping the itinerary as is isn't the worst thing, but if you haven't done it before I would definitely recommend against it.
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Apr 25, 2015 13:20
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MagicCube posted:The constant travel will sap your spirit, even over 2 weeks. Have you done anything similar before with that much travel over a short period? If you have and know what you're getting into, then keeping the itinerary as is isn't the worst thing, but if you haven't done it before I would definitely recommend against it. This is my exact advice as well. It's doable, absolutely. I am one of the thread's heretical people who isn't vehemently opposed to blitz travel but what you have outlined is really just a bit much unless you are experienced with this and fully know what you are getting into.
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Apr 25, 2015 13:30
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I think if there are no back to back travel days it should be more than fine, so skipping Luxemburg and going directly to Trier should make that a pretty reasonable schedule. At least for me spending two nights in one place is enough time for it to not become stressful, when the travel time is mostly short like that.
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Apr 25, 2015 14:26
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Thanks for all the replies everyone! We actually went on a five-week interrail trip two years ago and spent 1-2 nights in most places, so this isn't necessarily new to us. However, it's always good to have a fresh perspective, and we'll probably cut The Hague and Trier. They aren't really that interesting to us, and although it would be cool to see them, it doesn't feel worth the hassle in the end. Will probably add a day to Amsterdam and a day to either Antwerp or Lyon. Luxembourg is a bit... I don't know. I kind of want to see what it's like, since it's on the way (although "nothing special" is apparently the reality). We thought about taking a day trip to Vianden on the second day, seeing as we'll most likely exhaust the small city center on the first evening. Still, work in progress and all that.
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Apr 25, 2015 14:32
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Paper Clip Death posted:So I'm planning a two-week trip in June with a friend. The aim is to fly somewhere, travel some, end the trip in Geneva (because his girlfriend works there) and then fly home. We're trying to keep our expenses minimal, although I realise that the following itinerary consists of fairly expensive countries. Here's what we've planned so far: I was in the Hague to go to the MC Escher museum, but there didn't seem to be much else there.
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Apr 25, 2015 16:14
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I'm heading to Spain for 3 weeks with some buddies but don't really know where or what I should be trying to see. We are flying into Madrid and staying several days with a buddy there, and we have plans to go to Marrakech for 4 days towards the end of the trip. Any suggestions for Spain? We like to see a lot of stuff, museums, architecture, historical things, scenic stuff, food, shopping, etc. We'd like to stay in a city in Portugal as well. What sites are good for trains and flights out there?
Loan Dusty Road fucked around with this message at 06:02 on Apr 26, 2015 |
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Apr 25, 2015 20:08
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Paper Clip Death posted:Luxembourg is a bit... I don't know. I kind of want to see what it's like, since it's on the way (although "nothing special" is apparently the reality). We thought about taking a day trip to Vianden on the second day, seeing as we'll most likely exhaust the small city center on the first evening. Still, work in progress and all that. Luxembourg will really just seem like any other city. The cars aren't particularly nice and it doesn't feel like a particularly rich city or anything, so it's nothing like Monaco. It just feels like going to any other nicely-maintained 16th-18th century German or Alsatian city. If Luxembourg didn't have its own country, it would have a fraction of its visitors. On the plus side, it's not as boring as Liechtenstein and you could pass 2 days there and enjoy it. IMO those 2 days could be better spent in Basel or Annecy or Chamonix or something, but YMMV; it might be worth it to you to cross it off the "To Do" list.
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Apr 25, 2015 21:57
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Saladman posted:Luxembourg will really just seem like any other city. The cars aren't particularly nice and it doesn't feel like a particularly rich city or anything, so it's nothing like Monaco. It just feels like going to any other nicely-maintained 16th-18th century German or Alsatian city. If Luxembourg didn't have its own country, it would have a fraction of its visitors. On the plus side, it's not as boring as Liechtenstein and you could pass 2 days there and enjoy it. IMO those 2 days could be better spent in Basel or Annecy or Chamonix or something, but YMMV; it might be worth it to you to cross it off the "To Do" list. I think Luxembourg is mostly a to-do list thing, as you say, but at least the place is sort of alright, I guess. My friend is apparently more set on it than I am and I have nothing against it, so might as well check it out. Hopefully the visit to Vianden will be actually cool.
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Apr 26, 2015 09:07
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This summer a friend and I are backpacking the Balkans. Both of us are 17 and I was wondering how strict on underage guests the hostels are there. The websites don't seem to give too much information as to this. Countries we will be visiting are: Kosovo Serbia Albania Bosnia Macedonia Montenegro Bulgaria Possible also croatia
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Apr 26, 2015 11:56
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Doing a Balkans tour in the summer and skipping Croatia would be like doing a tour of the entire US East Coast without visiting New York.
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Apr 26, 2015 12:46
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Has anyone here done a D-Day tour in Normandy? I'm looking at this one which can pick you up at the Bayeaux train station http://www.normandy-sightseeing-tours.com/d-day-tours/omaha-beach-afternoon-tour.html
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Apr 26, 2015 15:57
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Zesty Mordant posted:I guess this would be the best thread to ask. My girlfriend is taking some time from her studies in England to travel to Scotland. She'll be leaving from London by train and has ten days to end up in Edinburgh where she's flying out of. She's going by train and will be with her dad, but they have no definite plans to see or do anything anywhere. Any places they should for sure hit up? For historical cities, consider Cambridge, York and/or Durham. Perhaps Stratford-upon-Avon if they in to Shakespeare and would like to see a Royal Shakespeare Company performance (otherwise it's not a particularly expansive historical location with much to see) The UK is geographically small enough that London tends to act as a cultural hoover, but if a northern 'modern' city appeals, I'd research Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Liverpool or Leeds. If they want to enjoy a bit of the outdoors in the Scottish Highlands,they could get the train to Aviemore (the town itself isn't much to look at, but it's a tourist centre and the base for what Scotland has of a skiing industry. A bus and the Cairngorm Mountain Railway will get you to the top of Cairn Gorm [the UK's 6th highest peak, and the one that gives the name to the region]. A train to Oban will take you through some amazing scenery (google the West Highland Line). Oban itself it most known for it's seafood or the jumping off point to the Western Isles. As always, ten days isn't time to to ten locations! Pick a few and do them well.
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Apr 26, 2015 19:27
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Doctor Malaver posted:Doing a Balkans tour in the summer and skipping Croatia would be like doing a tour of the entire US East Coast without visiting New York. This, but with Greece as well.
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Apr 26, 2015 19:36
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Paper Clip Death posted:So I'm planning a two-week trip in June with a friend. The aim is to fly somewhere, travel some, end the trip in Geneva (because his girlfriend works there) and then fly home. We're trying to keep our expenses minimal, although I realise that the following itinerary consists of fairly expensive countries. Here's what we've planned so far: It doesn't look that bad to me, if you're well-rested enough before the trip and have done this kind of thing before. Luxembourg, Trier and Strasbourg are all close together and probably not interesting for more than one day each, though I guess Trier can be used as a base to visit some Mosel villages and drink wine. The general area is very nice. The Hague is indeed boring, you could replace it with a day trip from Amsterdam to one of the many more interesting cities in the area like Haarlem, Utrecht, Leiden or Delft. Everything is close together there. Zesty Mordant posted:I guess this would be the best thread to ask. My girlfriend is taking some time from her studies in England to travel to Scotland. She'll be leaving from London by train and has ten days to end up in Edinburgh where she's flying out of. She's going by train and will be with her dad, but they have no definite plans to see or do anything anywhere. Any places they should for sure hit up? I was in Nottingham recently and it was... nicer than expected. There's enough to see there for a day at least (Nottingham Castle and the old pub there, the caves, windmill, Wollaton Park and Hall, some churches). Entropist fucked around with this message at 20:01 on Apr 26, 2015 |
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Apr 26, 2015 19:55
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ugh. I'm doing all of May in Europe, and it's starting to give me a headache. I originally wanted to do a stupid amount of stuff, but common sense, along with things I've seen in this thread have steered me away from that - but even after culling out a bunch of stuff, I still think I have too much going on. The plan is so far to fly into London on April 29th to meet up with a good buddy who I'm going to be staying with. That weekend, so either Friday night (May 1st) or Saturday morning, we're heading up to Scotland to go to Islay and tour as many of the Scotch distilleries there before they boot us out. The Monday is a bank holiday, so he gets the day off work. We're thinking that should be enough time to get the whole island in, and we'll head back to London on Monday night (May 4th) Then I'll probably head to Sweden on Wed May 6th, where I'm staying with a friend in Stockholm for a few days. I'm not sure exactly how much time I should spend here, but I've got another friend who's hiring a sailboat to sail through the Croatian Islands for a week (maybe more) who I want to go down and meet up with probably on the 12th. I had originally wanted to go from Stockholm down to Berlin, then to Prague on my way down to Croatia, but pretty much figure it's best to cut that out and just stay in Stockholm for a few extra days and make things a bit easier on myself (or maybe head down to Croatia a bit earlier to give me a couple more days on the boat) Ok so tl;dr so far: April 29th: London. May 1st - 4th: Scotland May 4th - 6th: London May 6th - 12th: Stockholm May 12th - 16th: Sailing the Croatian Islands Ok, now this is where things get kind of hairy. I've got friends I'd like to visit in Switzerland, Monaco, Amsterdam, and I've been invited by a Cognac Master Distiller to go and stay at his chalet in Cognac and check out his distillery. As awesome as that would be, there's no way I'm going to be able to get all of that in before the 29th which is when I have to be back in London to catch my flight back home. Friends in Monaco are saying that they might head to Italy from the 19th to the 22nd, so I could meet them there, and then head back to Monaco with them to see the Grand Prix on the 23rd and 24th, which would be pretty cool. But then I'd have to book it to Amsterdam and I'd get maybe 3 days in there before I had to fly back to London to catch my flight home on the 29th. Ugh. Anyone feel like throwing any advice at me?
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Apr 26, 2015 21:14
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Dustoph posted:I'm heading to Spain for 3 weeks with some buddies but don't really know where or what I should be trying to see. We are flying into Madrid and staying several days with a buddy there, and we have plans to go to Marrakech for 4 days towards the end of the trip. Any suggestions for Spain? We like to see a lot of stuff, museums, architecture, historical things, scenic stuff, food, shopping, etc. We'd like to stay in a city in Portugal as well. What sites are good for trains and flights out there? The art museums in Madrid are pretty loving amazing, definitely hit up a few of those. There's a cool little Egyptian temple called the Temple of Debod, in the middle of a park, that was apparently moved from Egypt because the Aswan Dam was going to flood it. It's free and reasonably interesting if you're into that sort of thing. Definitely get used to using the Metro, it's super convenient to get around, although depending on how many people you're travelling with, taking a cab might work out cheaper in some cases (I generally travel alone, so this doesn't apply to me). I'm drawing a blank right now regarding any other "must-sees" in Madrid, but I had a great time and I'm headed back there on Thursday night, so I might be able to recommend a few more things after I find them. My experience was that you have to go out of your way to find lovely food in Madrid (and elsewhere in Spain) -- pretty much every meal I had was fantastic. The only other place I've been in Spain is Granada, and while it was nice in a lot of ways, I feel like 2-3 days would probably be sufficient. If you go, be sure to visit the Alhambra. Book in advance and be prepared for the fact that there's way too loving many people there all the goddamn time. If you go there, also be sure to check out the art museum. It's the only place in the entire area that isn't completely mobbed by tourists, and although it's small, I found it quite interesting. Be wary of the flamenco shows -- I found them a bit overpriced, and again, way too busy. I've heard that, apart from the "authenticity" aspect, you might as well just go to a better flamenco show in Madrid. The best street to go eating and drinking is Calle Navas. My friend just got back from Spain as well, and he liked Seville and Cordoba a lot more than Madrid. I'm not sure what he did there, but he did say that, apparently, the Arab baths are awesome. I'll be in Seville for two days starting on May 5, so perhaps I'll be able to point you in the right direction for some other stuff later. I've never actually taken a train in Spain (apart from the metro), but I've bought all of my tickets through renfe.com. People say it's "quirky," and they aren't wrong, but I managed to successfully purchase all my tickets for my upcoming trip with no weirdness. Don't be impatient like I was -- sometimes they add new routes and frequencies quite close to the actual date, and they did so on one of my legs, which would've saved me 50 euros and a connection. I flew from Madrid to Granada last year on Iberia. The only advice I can give you there is to take the airport bus, because the cab is expensive and not that much faster. You'll definitely want to take a plane from Madrid to Portugal if you go, because the train takes like 9 hours or something ridiculous, unless that's the sort of thing you think you'd enjoy. Depending on when you leave, I may be able to give you further advice on Logrono and San Sebastian, which I'm going to later in the month but haven't been to before.
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Apr 26, 2015 22:08
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Dustoph posted:I'm heading to Spain for 3 weeks with some buddies but don't really know where or what I should be trying to see. We are flying into Madrid and staying several days with a buddy there, and we have plans to go to Marrakech for 4 days towards the end of the trip. Any suggestions for Spain? We like to see a lot of stuff, museums, architecture, historical things, scenic stuff, food, shopping, etc. We'd like to stay in a city in Portugal as well. What sites are good for trains and flights out there? Please for the love of God read through the last 3-10 pages or so. Read the thread man. PT6A and I just kinda went back and forth filling in Spain poo poo like crazy. Also good Portugal/Lisbon talk. Madrid - world city, old baroque palaces, insanely good art museums (they could easily occupy your entire 3 weeks if you're a super artnerd) Barcelona - world city, cool architecture, good food, funny lookin language, Gaudi Granada - el puto amor, close what people have in their head as the stereotype of Spain, insane accents and lisps, arid, desert landscapes, Alhambra is amazing and not to be missed period, near to small Mediterranean beach towns (Nerja, Almunecar), free tapas with purchase of any/all beverage. San Sebastian - North, high falutin foodie haven (hope you got tons of cash), beautiful little beaches, greener Spain. Bilbao - North, more workin class, beginning of full on Green Spain, Guggenheim, cool views from the Funicular Gijon, Oviedo - Green Spain, fuckin sweet architecture, fun cider street culture Santiago de Compostela - Gallegos, very green Spain, end point of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, cool to spend a couple days in, awesome little market, amazing seafood nearby A Coruna - seafood port town, cool for a couple days Logrono - el puto amor tambien, amazing small little city in La Rioja, heart of wine country, surrounded by wineries, an incredible pincho (aka paid tapa) scene, near to San Sebastian and Bilbao by bus, worth a couple nights stay to eat awesome food and see how normal people live and work in Spain.
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Apr 27, 2015 00:16
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FaceEater posted:Please for the love of God read through the last 3-10 pages or so. Read the thread man. PT6A and I just kinda went back and forth filling in Spain poo poo like crazy. Also good Portugal/Lisbon talk. Meant to ask you another question: it looks like I'll probably need to take the bus back from Haro to Logrono instead of the train, because I don't want to rush my winery tour and drinking. I've checked the schedule for the bus company that runs Haro->Logrono, and it seems like they leave pretty frequently. Is there any point to buying a ticket in advance, or should I just show up and hope for the best?
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Apr 27, 2015 01:04
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PT6A posted:Meant to ask you another question: it looks like I'll probably need to take the bus back from Haro to Logrono instead of the train, because I don't want to rush my winery tour and drinking. I've checked the schedule for the bus company that runs Haro->Logrono, and it seems like they leave pretty frequently. Is there any point to buying a ticket in advance, or should I just show up and hope for the best? Fuuuuuck no don't buy in advance. This is Spain we're talkin' here. Just hop a bus whenever you please! The only thing that ever goes wonky is that sometimes bus stations are closed for siesta/whatever reason in the middle of the day. If that happens, just mosey over to the buses (which still run despite station closure) and find the one that has your destination on the sign on it. And if confused, ask! The drivers are usually standing around outside their buses smoking cigs or whatever, and if the station is closed they will sell you a ticket right there on the bus. You speak Spanish so you'll be perfectly fine in this situation. Don't worry about a thing. La Rioja is fuckin' super chill, and most people are really happy to have unobtrusive tourists asking them questions and to provide directions and the like.
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Apr 27, 2015 04:15
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FaceEater posted:Fuuuuuck no don't buy in advance. This is Spain we're talkin' here. Just hop a bus whenever you please! The only thing that ever goes wonky is that sometimes bus stations are closed for siesta/whatever reason in the middle of the day. If that happens, just mosey over to the buses (which still run despite station closure) and find the one that has your destination on the sign on it. And if confused, ask! The drivers are usually standing around outside their buses smoking cigs or whatever, and if the station is closed they will sell you a ticket right there on the bus. You speak Spanish so you'll be perfectly fine in this situation. Cool, I figured as much, but I wanted to make sure. That makes my schedule a lot more flexible. I'm getting really excited now, only a few days until I leave!
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Apr 27, 2015 05:07
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FaceEater posted:Fuuuuuck no don't buy in advance. This is Spain we're talkin' here. Just hop a bus whenever you please! The only thing that ever goes wonky is that sometimes bus stations are closed for siesta/whatever reason in the middle of the day. Absolutely buy in advance if you have to make a certain bus / time. I tried taking a bus from Granada to Malaga and every single bus was sold out for the next 2.5 hours, and this was like a Friday morning in mid-March, not close to any holiday. Some Spanish guy with us was in the same situation, and he said that buses sell out fairly regularly, although the next 3 buses being sold out in advance was worse than usual. I thought "this is Spain" but actually they don't let you just stand in the aisles or let you bribe the drivers to find a seat somewhere. Had to get a taxi instead, which was a not-too-fun €160.
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Apr 27, 2015 07:27
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Saladman posted:Absolutely buy in advance if you have to make a certain bus / time. I tried taking a bus from Granada to Malaga and every single bus was sold out for the next 2.5 hours, and this was like a Friday morning in mid-March, not close to any holiday. Some Spanish guy with us was in the same situation, and he said that buses sell out fairly regularly, although the next 3 buses being sold out in advance was worse than usual. I thought "this is Spain" but actually they don't let you just stand in the aisles or let you bribe the drivers to find a seat somewhere. Had to get a taxi instead, which was a not-too-fun €160. That's in Andalucia on a ridiculously popular route heading to the beach. Friday is the day that everyone and their brother skips class (Granada is a university town) and goes down to the beach or home to their pueblo for the weekend. I promise you La Rioja is different.
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Apr 27, 2015 12:39
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Alex433999 posted:This summer a friend and I are backpacking the Balkans. Both of us are 17 and I was wondering how strict on underage guests the hostels are there. The websites don't seem to give too much information as to this. I'd say it all depends on the place, though usually if you're over 16 staying in a hostel is cool. Better to check beforehand I guess. Generally speaking, being underage is not that big a deal in Europe, even less so in the Balkans. Just don't do anything stupid and you should be fine. Doctor Malaver posted:Doing a Balkans tour in the summer and skipping Croatia would be like doing a tour of the entire US East Coast without visiting New York. Yeah Croatia has all the seaside and some beautiful old cities like Dubrovnik, Zadar or Split, so it's really worth it. Getting a bit crowded in the summer nowadays though. The other countries are interesting though if you like the whole "crazy gypsy balkan" stuff, or if you like hiking in the mountains, or if you want to be a bit off the beaten path - less tourists, more interaction with the locals, cheaper, but also harder to get around. Depends on what you're looking for I guess 
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Apr 27, 2015 13:06
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Saladman posted:Absolutely buy in advance if you have to make a certain bus / time. I tried taking a bus from Granada to Malaga and every single bus was sold out for the next 2.5 hours, and this was like a Friday morning in mid-March, not close to any holiday. Some Spanish guy with us was in the same situation, and he said that buses sell out fairly regularly, although the next 3 buses being sold out in advance was worse than usual. I thought "this is Spain" but actually they don't let you just stand in the aisles or let you bribe the drivers to find a seat somewhere. Had to get a taxi instead, which was a not-too-fun €160. Well, the main problem is that I know when I have to be there, but I don't know when I'll want to go back. The last train leaves at 5:11, but the last bus leaves at 8:20 or something. I have a winery tour booked at 3:00PM, and I don't know how long it will take or how long I'll want to stay in Haro afterward. It might be that I can grab the last train, or I might have to take the bus. Even so, it's a Tuesday afternoon, so I don't expect it will be very busy at all. What's the cutoff time for buying tickets at the train station for long-distance or medium-distance trains? EDIT: Oh, and just in case you still think the RENFE site is nonsensical, just try to set up an appointment to get a TTP in Madrid. I finally managed, but it took me the better part of an hour to figure it out. Still, 58 euros for the month (counting the fee to get the card) sounds a lot better than paying 25 euros for the five-day tourist pass three or four separate times. PT6A fucked around with this message at 16:48 on Apr 27, 2015 |
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Apr 27, 2015 15:55
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nrr posted:ugh. I'm doing all of May in Europe, and it's starting to give me a headache. I originally wanted to do a stupid amount of stuff, but common sense, along with things I've seen in this thread have steered me away from that - but even after culling out a bunch of stuff, I still think I have too much going on. 16-29 is like almost a full two weeks? I don't see any problem with getting most of that stuff in, maybe only cutting France or Monaco or whichever friend you like the least. Remember that any flights within Europe you're taking are going to be a few hours at most, so it's a question of cost more than anything else, and even that isn't going too be too exorbitant. I mean, sure, you're not going to be able to really kick back and pretend you live there, but you won't be able to do that for a full week or whatever either. I don't know, the amount of time people want to spend in a place is totally subjective, but I don't think you're pushing it as long as you maybe drop one destination and/or have the stamina to have crazy madcap times going out every single night for a month with friends. Five days is more than enough in Stockholm but as you say, it's more about kicking around waiting for sailboat fun times to begin. I lived in Berlin for a while back in 2010 and really liked it, but it doesn't necessarily rate as a must-see-before-you-die city or anything. Went to Prague for a week a few months ago and thought it was a bit overrated; lots of souvenir shops and drunken British stag nights. On the other hand it's incredibly cheap (it's so satisfying to pay for a pint with a single coin) and it is very pretty, but Stockholm is one of the only cities in Europe even more prettier.
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Apr 27, 2015 17:53
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Yeah, it doesn't look that crazy. You have plenty of things to do and apparently know locals to help out with some of the practical aspects. I guess you already know that Monaco is very expensive, and tickets for the Monaco GP are also very expensive.
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Apr 27, 2015 20:25
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I'm doing a trip to Italy this summer with my girlfriend, we'll be there 11-12 days in early July. We plan on spending a few nights each in Florence, Naples, and Sicily, plus a night or two in Milan, possibly a quick stop in Rome. Mostly what we haven't figured out yet is where we want to go in Sicily. She wants somewhere that we can have some nice beach days - just get up, walk down to the sand, and spend most of the day sunning and swimming. Sicily has a lot of options for coastal cities/towns, obviously, but we're not certain which would be the best for that kind of beach vacation feel, and which would be accessible if we're flying over from Naples (and currently have no plans to rent a car). In doing some searching, San Vito Lo Capo looks like a beautiful beach, but might be a bit difficult to get to. It's closer to the Trapani airport, but I couldn't find any flights NAP->TPS for the day we want, July 7th. There are flights into Palermo, but it looks like there's no bus or train to get us from the airport over to San Vito. If anyone has experience traveling in that area, would there be a way to make that work? And perhaps more importantly, is San Vito a good destination for what we want, or are there better options? Edit: Actually after doing more research, looks like this bus line http://www.russoautoservizi.it/ does Palermo to San Vito regularly. If I'm reading the schedule right it's a 2-3 hour ride, which isn't ideal but not terrible either. Edit 2: Castellammare del Golfo also came up as having nice beaches, would be interested to hear if anyone has experience there. Nibble fucked around with this message at 22:36 on Apr 27, 2015 |
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Apr 27, 2015 20:43
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Heading to London soon and looking for some recommendations for neighborhoods to get an airbnb in. Will be doing some standard touristy stuff (among other things), but don't mind not being near that as long as it's accessible. Friends recommended Shoreditch, but thought I'd get some opinions.
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Apr 27, 2015 21:27
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Any suggestions for day trips or tours from Florence? We are considering a tour of Cinque Terre, and we'll be going to Rome/Vatican for a day trip. But something in the countryside would be nice.
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Apr 27, 2015 21:44
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Entropist posted:The Hague is indeed boring, you could replace it with a day trip from Amsterdam to one of the many more interesting cities in the area like Haarlem, Utrecht, Leiden or Delft. Everything is close together there.
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Apr 28, 2015 07:23
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You could probably just combine the Hague and Delft on your way to Antwerp. Or you could visit Rotterdam
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Apr 28, 2015 07:38
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freebooter posted:16-29 is like almost a full two weeks? I don't see any problem with getting most of that stuff in, maybe only cutting France or Monaco or whichever friend you like the least. Remember that any flights within Europe you're taking are going to be a few hours at most, so it's a question of cost more than anything else, and even that isn't going too be too exorbitant. I mean, sure, you're not going to be able to really kick back and pretend you live there, but you won't be able to do that for a full week or whatever either. I don't know, the amount of time people want to spend in a place is totally subjective, but I don't think you're pushing it as long as you maybe drop one destination and/or have the stamina to have crazy madcap times going out every single night for a month with friends. Entropist posted:Yeah, it doesn't look that crazy. You have plenty of things to do and apparently know locals to help out with some of the practical aspects. I guess you already know that Monaco is very expensive, and tickets for the Monaco GP are also very expensive. Thanks a lot for the help, guys. I guess I've been freaking out a little because while I have plans for where and when to be places, I don't have anything booked or set in stone at all. The plan that I posted is incredibly cut down from where I started out, so it's good to hear that it's getting into the not too bad zone. I've never been to Europe before, so I have no idea how easy it is to do things on the fly and be able to decide on a whim to do something, or to finally execute a particular plan, and then make it happen. Any sites or resources anyone can recommend for last minute flights or maybe trains etc that could come in handy when it comes time to try and lock things down? I'm torn right now between booking things at lower prices that lock me into a plan that I might not want to do when I actually get there, or leaving it to make my decision once I'm there, but then have to pay insane amounts for short notice flights/trains etc.
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Apr 28, 2015 12:12
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nrr posted:Thanks a lot for the help, guys. I guess I've been freaking out a little because while I have plans for where and when to be places, I don't have anything booked or set in stone at all. The plan that I posted is incredibly cut down from where I started out, so it's good to hear that it's getting into the not too bad zone. I've never been to Europe before, so I have no idea how easy it is to do things on the fly and be able to decide on a whim to do something, or to finally execute a particular plan, and then make it happen. I'd recommend you book anything for this upcoming weekend through Monday now as it's a holiday weekend, otherwise if you're flexible booking at the last minute shouldn't be that expensive.
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Apr 29, 2015 07:04
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nrr posted:Any sites or resources anyone can recommend for last minute flights or maybe trains etc that could come in handy when it comes time to try and lock things down? I'm torn right now between booking things at lower prices that lock me into a plan that I might not want to do when I actually get there, or leaving it to make my decision once I'm there, but then have to pay insane amounts for short notice flights/trains etc. It's not as good as it used to be but skyscanner.com is still the king for finding the best flight deals, whether short notice or way in advance, anywhere in the world.
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Apr 29, 2015 17:46
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hbf posted:Heading to London soon and looking for some recommendations for neighborhoods to get an airbnb in. Will be doing some standard touristy stuff (among other things), but don't mind not being near that as long as it's accessible. Friends recommended Shoreditch, but thought I'd get some opinions. It really depends on what kind of neighbourhood you'd like to be in. Shoreditch and surrounds are the hipster/poor/cresting wave of gentrification neighbourhoods, if that's what you're into. The tube is brilliant and you can get most places relatively quickly as long as you're near a station. Try to avoid staying south of the river for this reason, although it will be cheaper, and there's some pretty decent local neighbourhoods down there like Clapham. My personal favourite area is Hampstead, although that's probably pretty expensive even with airbnb.
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Apr 29, 2015 17:52
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freebooter posted:It really depends on what kind of neighbourhood you'd like to be in. Shoreditch and surrounds are the hipster/poor/cresting wave of gentrification neighbourhoods, if that's what you're into. Cool thanks for the info. I posted on another forum and someone offered me a pretty nice discount on their place in King's cross. Any opinions on that area? From googling a bit it seems like it maybe was a bit lovely in the 80s/90s but is fine now.
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Apr 29, 2015 23:14
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King's Cross is totally fine and super convenient.
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Apr 29, 2015 23:17
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bathhouse posted:Any suggestions for day trips or tours from Florence? We are considering a tour of Cinque Terre, and we'll be going to Rome/Vatican for a day trip. But something in the countryside would be nice. Siena - amazing to walk around in and the food is fantastic. Montepulciano is also beautiful and I highly recommend it. It's just as pretty as San Gimignano as far as I'm concerned and there are far less tourists. The red wine is fantastic and if you have a car there's a great (though it can be pricey depending on your exchange rate) restaurant at the bottom of the hill next to the church (la chiesa di san biagio). The restaurant is La Grotta: http://www.lagrottamontepulciano.it and the Fiorentina (on the English menu it says "typical tuscan steak") is one of the best I've had in my life. Also the rail in Italy is pretty good (when it works, don't get me started) so you should consider day trips to at least Bologna and maybe even further like Milano, Como, possibly Torino if that's your thing. Otherwise if you're only looking for countryside things then Lago Trasimeno is supposed to be great and you could drive to Rimini from Firenze (via Bologna, frustratingly enough - East to West links are hosed in Italy) and see a bunch of countryside along the way. Nibble posted:I'm doing a trip to Italy this summer with my girlfriend, we'll be there 11-12 days in early July. We plan on spending a few nights each in Florence, Naples, and Sicily, plus a night or two in Milan, possibly a quick stop in Rome. I'm not too well versed in Sicily, it's still on my list of places to explore properly. I've had the north west tip recommended heavily to me so I'd try to angle for that if you can. A friend's dad owns or runs a hotel in Trapani and the photos she has shown us are stunning. You can probably look for hotels or B&Bs that will send a car out to pick you up from Palermo, you might pay a little bit but it won't be as bad as you think - or take as long as you think, provided you're not afraid of a bit of speed.
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Apr 30, 2015 09:55
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bathhouse posted:Any suggestions for day trips or tours from Florence? We are considering a tour of Cinque Terre, and we'll be going to Rome/Vatican for a day trip. But something in the countryside would be nice. Siena is quite nice, but I liked Lucca more. The city is surrounded by walls and hardly any cars can get in. This alone makes it a very relaxing place to explore on foot. It isn't that big, but any of the towers will give you a nice view, there are two beautiful churces and the square built on the foundations of an old amphitheater is very pretty. Definitely spend a day there.
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Apr 30, 2015 10:09
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I'm planning a 17 day trip for August to Croatia, Hungary and Romania. I'm trying to figure out how many days we need in what areas. We are flying into Zagreb and out of Bucharest with definite stops in Budapest and Brasov. I've heard Bucharest is pretty boring so we are just getting in the day before we leave probably, planning a day trip to Plitvice from Zagreb so I know we will need at least 2 days there and I've heard Budapest needs about 3. Most of the castles in Romania seem to be around Brasov so I figured at least a few days there as well. Main interest is food, castles and Plitvice. Would have been nice to go to Split or Dubrovnik but it doesn't seem like it will be easily feasible. Any other stops along that basic route we should look into?
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Apr 30, 2015 10:41
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