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arbybaconator posted:I took everyone's advice and booked 4 days in Amsterdam. The more I read about the city the more excited I am to visit.
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Nov 6, 2017 22:15
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Is it worth going to San Sebastian at the start of December? I have the weekend of 2nd/3rd free after a Madrid conference before I fly home from Barcelona. Trying to toss up staying in Madrid vs going exploring (I will already have spent time in Barcelona). Travelling solo, my goals are basically eat/drink/museums.
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Nov 14, 2017 09:45
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Trying to figure out best methods of transportation...here's my schedule: Sunday, December 17, 2017 Munich Monday, December 18, 2017 Munich Tuesday, December 19, 2017 Munich Wednesday, December 20, 2017 Munich Thursday, December 21, 2017 Prague Friday, December 22, 2017 Prague Saturday, December 23, 2017 Salzburg Sunday, December 24, 2017 Salzburg Monday, December 25, 2017 Salzburg Tuesday, December 26, 2017 Salzburg Wednesday, December 27, 2017 Innsbruck Thursday, December 28, 2017 Innsbruck Friday, December 29, 2017 Munich Saturday, December 30, 2017 Munich So me and my wife need to be able to get from Munich to Prague, Prague to Salzburg, Salzburg to Innsbruck, and Innsbruck to Munich. From what I'm seeing, it looks like this is all possible via the Eurail, though I'm not sure if that is correct or if it is the cheapest/most efficient option. Any tips/suggestions at all regarding traveling between all these places? We do not want to rent a car if at all possible.
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Nov 14, 2017 14:09
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You could also check Flixbus, they're decent and cheap (and sometimes faster than by train, like Munich - Prague). Eurail's gonna end up €450-€550 (depending on your age). Not sure if that'll be cheaper than just buying the tickets in advance, but otoh it's a lot more convenient.
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Nov 14, 2017 14:29
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Trimson Grondag 3 posted:Is it worth going to San Sebastian at the start of December? I have the weekend of 2nd/3rd free after a Madrid conference before I fly home from Barcelona. Trying to toss up staying in Madrid vs going exploring (I will already have spent time in Barcelona). Travelling solo, my goals are basically eat/drink/museums. Honestly, I'd only recommend it if you can score a reservation at one of the poo poo-hot Michelin-starred restaurants, and can afford it (in which case, it's completely worth it). Otherwise, save the money and travel time you'd spend getting to SS and eat/drink/museum in Madrid instead. But that's just my taste.
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Nov 14, 2017 14:37
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nwiniwn posted:Trying to figure out best methods of transportation...here's my schedule: I'd run your journeys through https://www.rome2rio.com and see what comes back, but yeah it's going to either be trains or Flixbus. Eurail passes tend to be pretty expensive and not worth it. And book as early as you can - in my experience "last minute deals" aren't really a thing on European trains. The earlier you book, the cheaper it'll be, generally.
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Nov 14, 2017 17:11
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So to confirm- -Flixbus should be cheaper and might be faster. Can only Eurail be reserved or can flixbus as well? I’ll check out that rome2rio site and see what comes back as well. I plan on reserving this weekend or next, if it’s available. If I do get eurail, should I get one of those passes that allows unlimited use for x days or just do the direct trips?
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Nov 15, 2017 03:05
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So I checked out the rome2rio site and have some questions. In the screenshot below, it looks like there's one train to take, and then 2 busses (though one says Ice and the other doesn't)... So...what's the difference between all of these? It looks like Munich > Prague and Prague> Salzburg will be some of our longest trips (~5-6 hours) so I don't want us to be completely uncomfortable, but I'd also rather not spending 3 times as much on a train ride if I don't need to... Any help/advice? 
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Nov 15, 2017 03:26
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nwiniwn posted:So...what's the difference between all of these? It's hard to tell exactly what the itineraries look like from that screenshot (click "Details" and it'll show you all of the connections, if you need to transfer trains/bus, etc.) What I can tell though is:
Drone fucked around with this message at 08:01 on Nov 15, 2017 |
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Nov 15, 2017 07:57
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PT6A posted:Honestly, I'd only recommend it if you can score a reservation at one of the poo poo-hot Michelin-starred restaurants, and can afford it (in which case, it's completely worth it). Otherwise, save the money and travel time you'd spend getting to SS and eat/drink/museum in Madrid instead. But that's just my taste. Thanks, given the timing I figure I will just stick around Madrid given I've never even been to Spain before.
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Nov 15, 2017 08:45
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Drone posted:[*]I dunno where Munich Hackerbrücke station is for that second offer, I'll let someone more familiar with the city chime in on that one. However I know it's not the main train station, so there's a chance it's not centrally located.
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Nov 15, 2017 09:54
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My Lovely Horse posted:It's right around the corner from the main station, actually. Google Maps says around 15 minutes on foot, which is good cause I would have guessed five. IME flixbus locations are always very central. It’s not like Ryanair airports where they call Orléans the “Paris bus station”.
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Nov 15, 2017 11:50
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My Lovely Horse posted:It's right around the corner from the main station, actually. Google Maps says around 15 minutes on foot, which is good cause I would have guessed five. Or one S Bahn stop.
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Nov 17, 2017 19:47
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My current predicament: I have eight days to potentially see southern Spain. Cities that I am currently looking to mix and match to my itinerary are: Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Gibraltar. I definitely want to see Granada, but it is also one of the hardest places to get in or out of. I need to start and end the trip to someplace with a major airport with non-stop flights to London. I want to avoid buses if possible and stick to trains. How much time are each city worth, and what would be a good itinerary?
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Nov 17, 2017 22:13
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Take out Gibraltar. Of Seville/Cordoba/Granada, I'd say Cordoba probably needs the least time. Malaga is probably the closest big airport, and I'm pretty sure Ryanair/Easyjet use the airport there and fly direct from London. Seville -> Cordoba is only about 45 minutes on the high speed train.
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Nov 18, 2017 00:17
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If you had four days/three nights in Seville, would it be worth a daytrip to go to Jerez (looks like it's an hour), or is Seville fun enough that you wouldn't bother? We've been to Cordoba before and three days there was like a day and a half more than really necessary.
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Nov 18, 2017 14:44
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Saladman posted:If you had four days/three nights in Seville, would it be worth a daytrip to go to Jerez (looks like it's an hour), or is Seville fun enough that you wouldn't bother? We've been to Cordoba before and three days there was like a day and a half more than really necessary. I would go to Jerez, for sure. If you like sherry, it's a must-visit. Otherwise, just a should-visit.
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Nov 18, 2017 14:56
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There's more to do in Seville than Cordoba, but four days is ample time I'd say. There's a flamenco museum up in the area near the Parasol (I think it's literally called Museo Flamenco or something) that put on a great show. More traditional than the usual tourist shows. If you want a cracking breakfast or brunch, check out Le XIX on a side-street just behind the Alcazar. And for an awesome tapas dinner, hit up La Azotea.
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Nov 18, 2017 16:11
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Can anyone give me some recomendations/material for helping me figure out exactly what I want to do? I want to go on a solo backpacking trip, and I'm falling into the trap of reading about things and wanting to do it all. This is my first time solo travelling, I can only speak English, and I'm a little lost on where to start. I want to go in June or July, for atleast a month. Travelling from Australia. E: Thinking about it, thats summer in Europe, so places like Spain and Croatia are going to be packed right? I live in Brisbane and I love the beach but as good as those places sound, perhaps I should go somewhere less beachy? Then I wont end up doing Brisbane/Gold Coast but in Europe. I like a lot of everything, I mostly just like being around people having a good time, so I'm finding it hard to narrow down based on what I know I'll like. I know I'll probably meet people and change all my plans but it's my first time and it's intimidating. underage at the vape shop fucked around with this message at 16:14 on Nov 19, 2017 |
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Nov 19, 2017 14:31
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Croatia is packed in July and August. June shouldn't be that bad, especially beginning of the month. And it's very different from Gold Coast. Think small rocky islands, not endless beach and skyscrapers. That goes for Greece too. Maybe you could start with Croatia or Greece and see where it takes you - Turkey, Italy, Balkans... And you can always take a plane to Ireland, Netherlands or wherever for a different experience.
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Nov 19, 2017 17:53
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June is really nice in places like Spain and Croatia. A bit hot, but not too crowded. The real crowds come when European schools let out, with the first flood coming from university students (mid-June to early July, depends on country) and from younger kids who then go with their families (late June to mid July, depends on country). Everyone is on holiday everywhere between mid-July and mid-August, making those the worst times to go anywhere that's a small and well-known tourist destination. Bigger destinations like Rome and Madrid can suck up the hordes a little better. Some random places also become totally empty in August, like Milan and, to a lesser extent, Paris, after 100% of locals leave for the month. IMO go to Italy or Balkans in June, then head somewhere that's a little less overwhelmed by young backpackers like Turkey (if you're up for it), anywhere north of the Alps, or larger cities. Your mileage may vary, depends on what kind of poo poo you like doing, but summer is kind of stressful to be a backpacker because a lot of hostels really fill up days in advance. Don't go anywhere at all in July or August without having looked up lodging in advance. Also make sure you get a SIM card, all of Europe is now "local" for data/voice/SMS, except for Switzerland, where an EU phone will still screw you and take all your money instantly.
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Nov 19, 2017 19:06
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Saladman posted:Also make sure you get a SIM card, all of Europe is now "local" for data/voice/SMS, except for Switzerland, where an EU phone will still screw you and take all your money instantly.
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Nov 19, 2017 19:46
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underage at the vape shop posted:Can anyone give me some recomendations/material for helping me figure out exactly what I want to do? I want to go on a solo backpacking trip, and I'm falling into the trap of reading about things and wanting to do it all. This is my first time solo travelling, I can only speak English, and I'm a little lost on where to start. I want to go in June or July, for atleast a month. Travelling from Australia. What sort of stuff are you interested in, and have you been to Europe before? Are you on a tight backpacker budget? How long do you have? If you haven't been to Europe before, I'd recommend travelling quickly and hitting the highlights first. Even do something like look up a Contiki itinerary and pick out the highlights from that. A week in London, a week in Paris, a week in Rome, two days in Venice, maybe Berlin, Barcelona, Budapest or Bruges. Get a feel for whether you like cities or smaller towns (both have their advantages and drawbacks), get a feel for whether you're super interested in history, art or old churches. I will say though - I probably wouldn't plan a beach holiday in Europe (particularly around the Mediterranean), since you'll probably end up disappointed. I'm from Sydney and almost every time I've been on a beach in Europe, I've found myself wishing I was back at a beach in Australia. Only real exceptions are the Algarve in southern Portugal, and the beaches in Ibiza.
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Nov 19, 2017 19:58
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Entropist posted:That depends on the carrier. For example, the majority of Dutch carriers treat Switzerland like the rest of the EU, but not all of them do. This is something to look into. Three in the UK do this as well. They actually have a "Roam Like At Home" thing where you can roam for free in a bunch of countries, including Switzerland, Australia, Canada, India and others.
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Nov 19, 2017 20:17
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webmeister posted:Three in the UK do this as well. They actually have a "Roam Like At Home" thing where you can roam for free in a bunch of countries, including Switzerland, Australia, Canada, India and others. drat, I need to get a new SIM/provider then.
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Nov 19, 2017 22:25
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underage at the vape shop posted:E: Thinking about it, thats summer in Europe, so places like Spain and Croatia are going to be packed right? I live in Brisbane and I love the beach but as good as those places sound, perhaps I should go somewhere less beachy? Then I wont end up doing Brisbane/Gold Coast but in Europe. I like a lot of everything, I mostly just like being around people having a good time, so I'm finding it hard to narrow down based on what I know I'll like. I know I'll probably meet people and change all my plans but it's my first time and it's intimidating. If you want something different to Australia, and something not too intimidating, why not try Scandinavia? We're a friendly bunch 
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Nov 19, 2017 22:30
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Saladman posted:drat, I need to get a new SIM/provider then. https://www.upc.ch/en/mobile/subscriptions/ It is so loving nice to just use a phone like a normal person when you're traveling. Extra worth it if you're already used to Salt's network cos it's the same. If you're on Swisscom then I guess you're living the high life already and money is no object so what are you complaining about roaming fees?
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Nov 19, 2017 23:51
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greazeball posted:https://www.upc.ch/en/mobile/subscriptions/ Well, I do have an 079  . But I switched to Salt after my wife turned 26 and I could no longer use her discount which made Swisscom a reasonable price. I found Swisscom's roaming fees to be almost reasonable (like 20 centimes/Mb?) after switching to Salt (2 CHF/Mb, in this day and age, wtf)Awesome, I didn't even know UPC had cell phone plans, and I have them for my fiber provider so it looks like that'd save us another 10/mo. I'm currently on Salt's unlimited plan with 200 MB in Europe for 29CHF/mo, and that felt like a luxury, but I'll probably get my wife to switch over to UPC when her current contract runs in a couple months. I somehow blow through too much data in Switzerland for those UPC plans, like 6 GB/mo, and I rarely even tether and I have internet at home at work. Any idea if UPC runs sales all the time, like how Salt has 50% off sales like half of the year? Edit: I also have a hard time figuring out if "4 GB" means "4 GB and then we throttle you" or "4 GB and then we take your bank account". Edit: It means the latter. 30 centimes/MB after the allotment is used up :o. Saladman fucked around with this message at 12:09 on Nov 20, 2017 |
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Nov 20, 2017 12:02
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I don't know if they have any sales, I think their thing is getting you to go all in with them. My wife and I each get CHF20/month off our mobile bill cos we have a TV and broadband bundle with them so that's a pretty good savings. I just had so much unbelievably stupid neverending hassle and bullshit from Salt and previously Sunrise that I was already looking for literally anything else around the time UPC started offering mobile contracts so now I'm just happy that my poo poo works and we can roam for no extra fee.
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Nov 20, 2017 21:10
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Trimson Grondag 3 posted:Thanks, given the timing I figure I will just stick around Madrid given I've never even been to Spain before. Madrid is pretty chill and active, you can do no wrong by staying there and exploring the city. Retiro Park, Sol Plaza, Prado Museum, the Royal Palace and the Naval Museum can keep you busy and the nightlife is also very active. Madrid knows how to party until morning and boy they roll hard. Edit: Also this "Guide to Madrid" from Vice isn't that bad (a bit outdated, from 2014) but other city guides helped me find great locations so far: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/gq8w8q/the-vice-guide-to-madrid-2014-986 Galewolf fucked around with this message at 11:16 on Nov 21, 2017 |
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Nov 21, 2017 11:01
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underage at the vape shop posted:Can anyone give me some recomendations/material for helping me figure out exactly what I want to do? I want to go on a solo backpacking trip, and I'm falling into the trap of reading about things and wanting to do it all. This is my first time solo travelling, I can only speak English, and I'm a little lost on where to start. I want to go in June or July, for atleast a month. Travelling from Australia. The high season for tourists in Europe is July / August. If you can travel in June, please do. It will be less busy and accomodations will be 30% to 50% cheaper. If you want to go hiking I can recommend:
It's easy to combine a hiking trip with a few culteral visits: Florence, Pisa, Rome, Turin, Milan, Barcelona, Geneva, Nice, Salzburg, Munich, Bern, Glasgow, Edinburgh ... You can also travel Europe on a bike. Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany have very good bike lanes and the terrain is good for cycling. Let a shop in Belgium or Holland prepare a good (E-)bike for you and for example travel to Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria. A 2000km trip which is easy to do in a month. Accomondations:
You should give us a bit more direction. What do you want to do? How do you want to travel?
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Nov 21, 2017 11:18
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I'm traveling to Italy next September for a bout three weeks. As part of that I want to spend three or four days driving around the Tuscan wine country between Montepulciano and Florence doing some hiking and visiting various wineries. I was kind of hoping to just drive around visiting wineries until we were done for the day and just grab a hotel room in whatever town we were in. Does this seem feasible or will we need to book ahead? I'd kind of like to wing it a bit but I don't want to get caught with no place to stay either.
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Nov 27, 2017 21:47
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Leviathan Song posted:I'm traveling to Italy next September for a bout three weeks. As part of that I want to spend three or four days driving around the Tuscan wine country between Montepulciano and Florence doing some hiking and visiting various wineries. I was kind of hoping to just drive around visiting wineries until we were done for the day and just grab a hotel room in whatever town we were in. Does this seem feasible or will we need to book ahead? I'd kind of like to wing it a bit but I don't want to get caught with no place to stay either. I can't say whether lodging will be a problem, but your plan as stated does seem to involve drinking and driving, so you might want to plan at least enough that you can drive to a place with a few wineries, walk between them, and then have a place to stay that you don't have to drive to. Unless of course you're just visiting wineries for their scenic beauty, in which case, go hog wild.
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Nov 28, 2017 00:35
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PT6A posted:I can't say whether lodging will be a problem, but your plan as stated does seem to involve drinking and driving, so you might want to plan at least enough that you can drive to a place with a few wineries, walk between them, and then have a place to stay that you don't have to drive to. That's kind of why I wanted to play it by ear a bit. Maybe the first winery has like one wine I like and the rest end up in the spitoon, maybe the next makes me want to stay the whole afternoon. I won't really know until I've been there and I'd rather just grab a hotel within walking distance than try to choose between skipping a winery or driving drunk to meet a scheduled hotel stay. The amount of driving is pretty small so it's more about where I am when I've had too much to drive. One or two glasses of wine has no more effect on driving than talking to a passenger in your car, after three or four It's time to stop driving though. The region includes places like Montepulciano, Grieve, and Siena where you can hit a couple of different wineries within walking distance but other than Montepulciano to finish the first day, I'm not sure how fast we'll take it. When I went to Thailand and Australia, just stopping into a hotel and grabbing a room was pretty much always an option. Does that tend to work well in Tuscany in September? There seem to be hotels within walking distance of basically every winery but I'm not sure how full they'll be.
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Nov 28, 2017 01:04
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Every hotel will have occupancy on the same night you arrive in the area unless there is some special event going on. Some wineries might have things special going on for the grape harvest season (especially if you go later in September) but otherwise should be fine. I was there in May this year for two weeks and everything was still available a couple days in advance. A few good friends of mine were also there this September for a week too and it didn’t look/sound like there was anything especially busy going on. Most Italians are back home, having taken all of August and some of July for their holidays. E: also since there are two of you, one could just drink a little less? Unless your both real winos. I mean oenophiles. Saladman fucked around with this message at 11:13 on Nov 28, 2017 |
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Nov 28, 2017 11:08
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Also be aware that you’re not legally allowed to drive if you’re above 0.05% blood alcohol content in Italy. Above 0.03% the insurance might not pay fully for accidental damages.
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Nov 28, 2017 12:49
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Leviathan Song posted:That's kind of why I wanted to play it by ear a bit. Maybe the first winery has like one wine I like and the rest end up in the spitoon, maybe the next makes me want to stay the whole afternoon. I won't really know until I've been there and I'd rather just grab a hotel within walking distance than try to choose between skipping a winery or driving drunk to meet a scheduled hotel stay. I was just there a few weeks ago and we did exactly this and it was no problem. We were sightseeing and road-tripping most of the day, then at 5ish we'd look on hotels.com and find something for the night. We did get lectured at every. loving. hotel. about how we should have called and asked them in person and they'd definitely give us the super friends only rate etc. etc... But if you want to convince me to talk to you rather than use a website, maybe try being pleasant to talk to? IDK. Anyway, we didn't go to any wineries but the landscapes are spectacular and there are charming UNESCO old towns all over the place with great food so you'll have a great time!
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Nov 28, 2017 13:39
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Saladman posted:Every hotel will have occupancy on the same night you arrive in the area unless there is some special event going on. Some wineries might have things special going on for the grape harvest season (especially if you go later in September) but otherwise should be fine. I was there in May this year for two weeks and everything was still available a couple days in advance. A few good friends of mine were also there this September for a week too and it didn’t look/sound like there was anything especially busy going on. Most Italians are back home, having taken all of August and some of July for their holidays. Honj Steak posted:Also be aware that you’re not legally allowed to drive if you’re above 0.05% blood alcohol content in Italy. Above 0.03% the insurance might not pay fully for accidental damages. That's what I was hoping for on the hotel occupancy. We'll keep an eye on local events for sure. None of you have to worry about me drunk driving. You don't actually have to drink the wine if you're at a tasting. It's perfectly normal to taste and spit wine if you're going around to several wineries. The drinking and driving concern is only part of why it's normal, you don't really want to be trying new wines past that .05% blood alcohol level anyway. It messes with you're palette to be too tipsy. Now once we sit down to dinner...no reason not to get as drunk as we want. I also want to check out some of the sites in Siena and do some hiking in Val D'orcia so I expect that to break up the wine tasting a bit but add further schedule unknowns in.
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Nov 28, 2017 13:43
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Has anyone in the thread done any of the Christmas market stuff in Strasbourg? My mom is going to probably be visiting us here in southern Hesse over Christmas (for my wedding), and I was thinking that taking a little day-trip over to France might be fun, and I've heard really good things about Strasbourg itself. Should we look into staying overnight? It's around a 2.5 or 3 hour train ride from where we live.
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Nov 28, 2017 13:49
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Drone posted:Has anyone in the thread done any of the Christmas market stuff in Strasbourg? My mom is going to probably be visiting us here in southern Hesse over Christmas (for my wedding), and I was thinking that taking a little day-trip over to France might be fun, and I've heard really good things about Strasbourg itself. I’ve been to Strasbourg during Christmas market season twice in the past few years and found it to be just like any other large north-of-the-alps city’s Christmas market. Churros? Mulled wine? Identical Christmas-themed handicrafts? Taffy? Check. Strasbourg is nice but I imagine you’ll get burned out of the Christmas market after about an hour and a half unless you really love that sort of thing or have never been to one before. That sounds like a super long day trip, I’d get the room unless you’re pressed on money. Book in advance! We did not when I went on the 23rd a few years ago and only one hotel in the center had a room when I checked morning-of, and it was a single, so I had to smuggle my girlfriend in after me later on.
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Nov 28, 2017 17:37
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