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Completely offtopic but I heard that on the radio and it sounded pretty cool: https://www.kerststadvalkenburg.nl/en/inspiration/christmas-market-velvet-cave-valkenburg/ A christmas market completely in a miles long underground cave.
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Dec 1, 2017 11:10
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I just want to say, shout out to jeoh and my Dutch goons. I don’t even know why but netherlands is my fav country. It’s the cheese, no nonsense practicality and amazing transportation
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Dec 3, 2017 18:22
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What is the quickest way to get to Seville from the Madrid Airport? Additionally, do Spanish trains tend to sell out, or can I generally buy tickets at the station? Asking about a Saturday in January. Another unrelated question, if I had to choose 3 days in Porto and 2 days in Lisbon, or vice versa, what would be best for a tourist interested in history and food? Cheesemaster200 fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Dec 6, 2017 |
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Dec 6, 2017 21:32
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For exchange rates (Coming from the U.S., visiting Munich, Prague, and Salzburg), what are my best bets? I don't have any fees for using my credit card overseas, but I might need Euros or Korunas in hand for some places, I've heard. I do get charged 1% of each ATM withdrawl, but that's not too bad. Just wondering if using an ATM is going to be my best bet? I don't want to carry a bunch of US cash on me to exchange at random banks, either.
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Dec 6, 2017 21:45
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nwiniwn posted:For exchange rates (Coming from the U.S., visiting Munich, Prague, and Salzburg), what are my best bets? I don't have any fees for using my credit card overseas, but I might need Euros or Korunas in hand for some places, I've heard. I do get charged 1% of each ATM withdrawl, but that's not too bad. Since the EU switched to the Euro, nearly all exchange offices closed. Most bank offices don't accept foreign cash at all and if they do, it's for a bank deposit, not for an exchange. The only way they hand out cash at all is through ATMs, human tellers are a thing of the past. The employees in bank offices are just there to sell you insurances and to teach people how to use internet banking. There are still cash exchange offices on airports and on some major train hubs, but nowhere else. Just get your money from an ATM. I think it's possible that the bank that owns the ATM add a flat fee on top of the 1% withdrawal, so in some cases it might be better to use the ATM less times and get larger amounts of money, than to use it often and get smaller amounts. I've never had an issue with that but it's also possible that certain local banks' ATMs refuse foreign cards. Shouldn't usually be a problem because most towns and villages have at least one big brand bank's ATM.
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Dec 6, 2017 21:56
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nwiniwn posted:For exchange rates (Coming from the U.S., visiting Munich, Prague, and Salzburg), what are my best bets? I don't have any fees for using my credit card overseas, but I might need Euros or Korunas in hand for some places, I've heard. I do get charged 1% of each ATM withdrawl, but that's not too bad. Get a Charles Schwabb investor checking account then take money out at ATMs. Their account allows you to withdraw money at any ATM worldwide and they will cover the fee charged by the other bank. You will get the same exchange rate that you would exchanging money at your bank in the US and a lower one than any currency conversion stand in an airport. It worked just fine for me in Australian, England, Thailand, Korea, Japan, and Cambodia so it should work anywhere in Europe. There are probably other checking accounts that do the same thing but theirs has been easy to use. Also, if you can, withdraw odd amounts of money like 190 Euro or 290 Euro so that you get less large bills.
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Dec 7, 2017 02:42
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Leviathan Song posted:Also, if you can, withdraw odd amounts of money like 190 Euro or 290 Euro so that you get less large bills. Absolutely do this. If your first withdrawal is €200 you're going to get four €50 notes and you'll get laughed at if you try to pay for a coffee or a bus ticket with them.
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Dec 7, 2017 03:03
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nwiniwn posted:For exchange rates (Coming from the U.S., visiting Munich, Prague, and Salzburg), what are my best bets? I don't have any fees for using my credit card overseas, but I might need Euros or Korunas in hand for some places, I've heard. I do get charged 1% of each ATM withdrawl, but that's not too bad. Check your bank's website to see if they have any partnerships with foreign banks that allow you to pull cash from the ATM for a smaller fee. 1% is already pretty much nothing, but it's worth a shot. But yeah, just use ATMs like everyone else does. By no means should you go to one of the exchange agents at the airport, they're a huge ripoff. It's a good idea to have cash on hand regardless, especially if you're in certain EU countries where card use for everyday expenses is still not the most common form of payment (like Germany, which has an unusually high amount of places that don't accept bank/credit cards).
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Dec 7, 2017 07:07
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Cheesemaster200 posted:What is the quickest way to get to Seville from the Madrid Airport? Take the high speed train to Madrid (~2.5 hr) then take the train to the airport (30 min). Same train station (atocha) so transfer is trivial. I’d give myself at least 4 hours, in case the connection in Madrid is missed or delayed, although generally stuff runs on time in Spain. You can generally buy train tickets on the spot, but might as well buy in advance? At least for Seville to Madrid I see no reason at all not to buy on the spot.
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Dec 7, 2017 08:31
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Always withdraw money in weird amounts like 210 or 170
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Dec 7, 2017 13:27
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Czech Republic is still on Korunas so exchanges are all over the place. I'd definitely recommend sticking to ATMs unless you can get to one of the non-scammy exchanges (the airport one is a ripoff unsurprisingly). In the center these ones is pretty decent IIRC: https://www.google.com/maps/place/E...4702!4d14.42669 https://www.google.com/maps/place/e...12!4d14.4188368 Most ATMs seem to offer a choice of banknotes when withdrawing but it wouldn't hurt to pick odd amounts.
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Dec 9, 2017 09:46
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Yeah, currency exchange places are every fifth shop in ultra-touristy parts of major cities for most country that still use non-Euro currencies, like Prague or Old Warsaw or Reykjavik or wherever. Switzerland seems to be one of the exceptions, as here they don't have those gaudy "EXCHANGE CURENCY HERE $$€€££ !!" shops all over the place -- you have to go into a bank or a major train station and then look or ask around. Still, it's not hard to trade your rubles for CHF or whatever. Such places will likely give way worse rates than your ATM, though.
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Dec 9, 2017 12:58
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Wife and I are going to Paris in May (arrive the morning of the 3rd, leave the morning of the 10th). We want to have a great dinner, do a wine tour/champagne tour, possibly a day trip to Normandy. I understand on the 8th most things will be closed down for V-E Day, so not sure what we should do then. Any suggestions for the dinner/tours?
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Dec 10, 2017 23:25
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Omne posted:Wife and I are going to Paris in May (arrive the morning of the 3rd, leave the morning of the 10th). We want to have a great dinner, do a wine tour/champagne tour, possibly a day trip to Normandy. I understand on the 8th most things will be closed down for V-E Day, so not sure what we should do then. Any suggestions for the dinner/tours? Normandy is a looong day trip from Paris but it's doable. Take a train to Reims if you want to do a champagne tour.
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Dec 11, 2017 05:30
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I know germany at least has ATMs display any fees your withdrawal will incur and make you agree to that charge by law, so there arent any ATMs with ripoff fees around anymore. Dont think thats a EU-wide law tho
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Dec 11, 2017 11:38
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Aix posted:I know germany at least has ATMs display any fees your withdrawal will incur and make you agree to that charge by law, so there arent any ATMs with ripoff fees around anymore. Dont think thats a EU-wide law tho Yeah, but they only ever show the ATM's withdrawal fees, not your own bank's fees. I ran into an ATM with ripoff fees in Seville last week -- €5, lol. Nope, went to another ATM and paid €0. It was a fancy-rear end ATM too, that's why I tried it, it even had like 30 languages (no exaggeration) available as options on the front screen, including random things like Euskara and something else even more bizarre that I wish I'd taken a photo of (Irish maybe?).
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Dec 11, 2017 17:51
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Saladman posted:Yeah, but they only ever show the ATM's withdrawal fees, not your own bank's fees. Euskara is hardly a random language in Spain
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Dec 11, 2017 18:27
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Jeoh posted:Euskara is hardly a random language in Spain True, mind you it's not obvious what that translates to unless you already know. It's Basque, in case anyone doesn't know PT6A fucked around with this message at 18:34 on Dec 11, 2017 |
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Dec 11, 2017 18:32
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Saladman posted:Yeah, but they only ever show the ATM's withdrawal fees, not your own bank's fees. Was that a bank ATM or a random machine in a shopping mall or something? I can't remember a single time we've had an ATM fee, maybe once I think in the UK?
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Dec 11, 2017 18:48
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Jeoh posted:Euskara is hardly a random language in Spain I mean, it's kind of like seeing Welsh at an ATM in Glasgow or Romansch at an ATM in Zurich (never seen either), especially since it's not like there are any monolingual Basque speakers and Seville is nowhere close to Basque country. Why not, I guess. I should have checked closer to see if they had Galician. They definitely had Catalan. It was in the outside wall of a major bank (Caixa?) somewhere on the street near the cathedral, it wasn't one of those weird solitary ATMs that you find outside bars and convenience stores in touristy places.
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Dec 11, 2017 21:05
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So I'm in Germany for work for the week and will have 3 days to do things in Stuttgart on the backend of the trip. What are some things to do besides the car museums? I will be staying at the airport and taking the train to town those 3 days. This was a last minute trip and didn't really have the normal amount of time to research the things I wanted to do and how to get to them. One thing I would like to see while I'm here is a castle or two and I do have a rental car until Thursday morning since I'm staying in Bad Mergentheim.
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Dec 12, 2017 04:20
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Stuttgart itself is kind of infamous for being a finance and technology hellhole. If you're into car museums though you probably shouldn't miss the one in Sinsheim. I haven't been but the way I hear it, you'd do well to start with that one and see if you still need any more after. You can't throw a stone there without hitting a castle (and the stone probably came from one) and you'll see plenty just going from Bad Mergentheim to Stuttgart and back but while you're in the area, might as well make a day trip to Heidelberg and see the famous one there and the old town. It's probably going to be a bit crowded cause it's Christmas time and a tourist hotspot. This is a bit of an out of the way recommendation, but I never get to make it: there is a seriously good Thai restaurant in a little town about halfway between Heidelberg and Bad Mergentheim. PM me for details if you're interested, it might sound a bit implausible in that area but if you remotely like Thai food you should go there.
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Dec 12, 2017 09:49
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When I was in Stuttgart I went to Hohenzollern castle. Close enough and quite pretty! But you might want to rent a car because the trains are very sparse. And yeah lots of castles nearby and there's a Stuttgart goon
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Dec 12, 2017 11:44
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I'll second the Hohenzollern castle. It's pretty nice as far as castles go, though nothing mindblowing if you've seen hundreds european castles before. There's also a neat palace in Ludwigsburg. Otherwise yea, Stuttgart got bombed to poo poo and although it's perfectly pleasant as a modern city, but not much tourist value as far as I could see though there are probably going to be many Christmas markets this time.
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Dec 12, 2017 12:07
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On that subject, could someone recommend mindblowing castles in Europe? We haven't really been to see any and I'd like to go and see one. Thinking, like, the magical fairy tale kind, and preferably in an area with good food and history and non-castle things to do.
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Dec 12, 2017 16:56
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Chocolate Milk posted:On that subject, could someone recommend mindblowing castles in Europe? We haven't really been to see any and I'd like to go and see one. Thinking, like, the magical fairy tale kind, and preferably in an area with good food and history and non-castle things to do. Mont Saint-Michel Neuschwanstein Hohenzollern Sacra di San Michele The first that popped into my head, but there’s obvs many more.
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Dec 12, 2017 17:26
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Obvious ones include: - Neuschwanstein, a fairly easy day trip from Munich - Wartburg castle which is a bit harder to get to, we did a day trip from Weimar - Mont San Michel in France - Spiss Castle in Slovakia if you want ruined castles - To see a whole bunch at once you can do a cruise along the Upper Middle Rhine between Koblenz and Mainz - Prague castle and Wawel castle in Kraków are both cool
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Dec 12, 2017 17:29
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The castles and palaces of Sintra are an easy day trip from Lisbon
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Dec 12, 2017 17:32
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Romania has some nice castles, and there's good food, and it's cheap. Public transportation is not very good though. I liked Bran Castle, which is known as Dracula's castle even though it isn't, and Pelisor Castle, though it looks more like a big mansion than a stereotypical castle. An easier option is some castles around Amsterdam and Utrecht which were part of the Hollandse Waterlinie, such as Muiderslot, Slot Loevestein and the defensive fortresses in between. Though they are not in forested hills like a typical castle, and not so big, they are relatively close together and easy to reach. Entropist fucked around with this message at 17:52 on Dec 12, 2017 |
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Dec 12, 2017 17:46
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Predjama in Slovenia is pretty cool if you're in the area because it's built into the side of a cliff, and pretty medieval looking, but not very fairy tale like.
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Dec 12, 2017 19:20
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Ras Het posted:The castles and palaces of Sintra are an easy day trip from Lisbon Everyone should go to Sintra. The Pena Palace is fairytale like Disneyland rather than Olde Worlde but stunning nonetheless. The Moorish castle has bangin' views.
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Dec 12, 2017 21:58
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I forgot all about Neuschwanstein castle and it's only a three hour drive from me. I thought about getting on a train and heading to Zurich for a day just to say I have been. I know a day in Zurich is not much but I don't mind the train ride if it would be a better trip than just spending the time in Stuttgart.
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Dec 12, 2017 22:01
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Bollock Monkey posted:Everyone should go to Sintra. The Pena Palace is fairytale like Disneyland rather than Olde Worlde but stunning nonetheless. The Moorish castle has bangin' views. Hmm, that reminds me, there's a lot of awesome Moorish castles in Andalucia as well. The alcazar in Jerez was beautiful and practically deserted.
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Dec 13, 2017 16:58
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I'd love to see Castle Itter because of its history, but it's in private ownership and unfortunately not open to the public.
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Dec 14, 2017 12:37
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Anyone have an idea about how much to budget each day for food/drinks in Munich, Prague, Salzburg? I'm sure this can easily vary, but I'm just trying to get an idea. Right now I have about 150-200 USD budgeted each day for two people. I only have one 'nice' place reserved (Magazin in Salzburg), and I'm guessing most of our time would be spent with pretzels, sausages, and beer for lunch. Just trying to see if I'm wildly over/underestimating this.
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Dec 14, 2017 12:40
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nwiniwn posted:Anyone have an idea about how much to budget each day for food/drinks in Munich, Prague, Salzburg? I think you’re over budgeting there to be honest. Prague is a little cheaper but a midrange meal elsewhere should be around 50 euros for two people - a pair of 15-20 euro mains, a couple of drinks and a shared dessert. Do a bit of alternating between sausage street carts and sit down restaurants, as that’ll save you a bunch of cash. And for the love of god, don’t purchase hotel breakfasts. I don’t know why, but in most European countries the hotel breakfasts tend to be comically overpriced, like 20+ euros per person. Go to the bakery next door and grab some croissants and a coffee instead.
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Dec 14, 2017 15:22
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webmeister posted:I think you’re over budgeting there to be honest. Prague is a little cheaper but a midrange meal elsewhere should be around 50 euros for two people - a pair of 15-20 euro mains, a couple of drinks and a shared dessert. Yeah I was thinking I was going overboard there, as I know I wouldn't spend that much in the US on eating/drinks on a daily basis, but I just wanted to be sure. Noted on the breakfasts-I've already seen a few hotels we're staying at and what they charge for a breakfast seemed completely out of control-we will definitely be visiting local bakeries/etc instead of the provided breakfasts.
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Dec 14, 2017 16:19
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nwiniwn posted:Noted on the breakfasts-I've already seen a few hotels we're staying at and what they charge for a breakfast seemed completely out of control-we will definitely be visiting local bakeries/etc instead of the provided breakfasts. As far as I can tell, European hotel breakfasts are designed to be a self-inflicted punishment for the terminally lazy.
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Dec 14, 2017 22:09
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In my experience the UK and Ireland are a big exception but on the other hand you're not gonna make it back home alive.
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Dec 14, 2017 22:12
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There’s a reason hotels use the term “Continental Breakfast” in the US when they give you a poo poo breakfast with cornflakes and orange juice. That “continent” refers to mainland Europe. The UK (and Ireland too? No idea) are the only Europeans with the slightest idea of breakfast or brunch. Fortunately it is catching on and now brunch places are quite popular, at least in Switzerland, with a big surge in the past 5 years. I feel like traveling I’ve increasingly seen places in Europe with civilized English breakfasts, but I’m not as sure if that’s a trend of not. I had a huge English breakfast in some random cafe I passed in Seville a couple weeks ago though, so it’s definitely not rare anymore.
Saladman fucked around with this message at 23:58 on Dec 14, 2017 |
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Dec 14, 2017 23:55
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