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Coolwhoami posted:My parents are going over to Europe (Germany, Belgium, France) for just under a month next year, and are looking into cellular options. As far as I can understand, newish EU law has made many basic prepaid options very viable, if not ideal for someone travelling and needing occasional data and voice in several counties. While they aren’t going the UK, many of their carriers offer free sims that seem to have really decent prepaid options (Vodaphone, for example, offers 1£/day for unlimited calling+some data). Am I understanding roam like at home laws correctly? And if not, does anyone have some quick recommendations on cheap prepaid SIM card options? I would start here and go with the first country they're going to visit. The new roaming law has really made things much easier and cheaper.
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Oct 7, 2018 23:33
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spoof posted:I would start here and go with the first country they're going to visit. The new roaming law has really made things much easier and cheaper. This is an awesome resource, thanks!
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Oct 8, 2018 01:27
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Wow that is disturbingly like Sevilla from what I remember of it.
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Oct 8, 2018 03:03
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Coolwhoami posted:My parents are going over to Europe (Germany, Belgium, France) for just under a month next year, and are looking into cellular options. As far as I can understand, newish EU law has made many basic prepaid options very viable, if not ideal for someone travelling and needing occasional data and voice in several counties. While they aren’t going the UK, many of their carriers offer free sims that seem to have really decent prepaid options (Vodaphone, for example, offers 1£/day for unlimited calling+some data). Am I understanding roam like at home laws correctly? And if not, does anyone have some quick recommendations on cheap prepaid SIM card options? Please remember that assuming they don't find a way to cancel the whole deal, Brexit is planned on March 29th, 2019. After that, UK cellphone providers are free to introduce roaming charges again. I think they promised that they won't but I don't believe such a promise is worth much. If you're planning to travel to EU countries after Brexit, you're better off not going with an UK SIM. Every country offers cheap prepaid so just get something from the country you're starting from.
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Oct 8, 2018 07:00
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PT6A posted:Wow that is disturbingly like Sevilla from what I remember of it. Nonsense, it's nothing like Sevilla. The Guadalquivir has at least four syllables.  (Seriously, though, it's pretty much spot on for every city I've been to. All it's missing is the ubiquitous market square surrounded by overpriced restaurants in the middle of the Postcardy Old Town.  )
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Oct 8, 2018 13:12
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Yeah it's pretty accurate for most cities. But that said - European cities are generally old enough to have an "old town", and of course the city is on a river because how else would you get fresh water and have good trading links. To be honest I can't even think of a major European city that isn't on a river - Madrid maybe? Jerusalem, if that counts as Europe?
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Oct 8, 2018 16:12
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Madrid has the Manzanares river, which is quite lovely now that they put the highway that was next to it underground. It's not a very big river but that's not unique either, as long as it has fresh water it's all good. The river in Ljubljana was pretty small too from what I remember. And Oslo, but that's on the sea so I don't know if that counts, by the sea you don't need a river for trading. Jerusalem has a spring, and I guess it only became a major city for unique reasons.
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Oct 8, 2018 16:23
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I'm going to be in Barcelona in early November for a conference (Sunday through Thursday). I'd really like to get some fine dining done, but making reservations for one person is a pain in the rear end, especially in a country like Spain. Anyone have any suggestions for places to go? Added bonus: No crustacea 
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Oct 8, 2018 17:09
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Jeoh posted:I'm going to be in Barcelona in early November for a conference (Sunday through Thursday). I'd really like to get some fine dining done, but making reservations for one person is a pain in the rear end, especially in a country like Spain. What do you mean? I did that numerous places in Spain, including 3-star Michelin places, and never once had any difficulty (beyond the average difficulty of securing a reservation).
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Oct 8, 2018 17:32
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Entropist posted:Madrid has the Manzanares river, which is quite lovely now that they put the highway that was next to it underground. It's not a very big river but that's not unique either, as long as it has fresh water it's all good. Haha gently caress, how did I forget that. I even crossed it on foot when I went to an Atletico game at the Vicente Calderon 
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Oct 8, 2018 17:43
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Kalenden posted:I was hoping for some more inspiration for a warmer (+10 degrees) European trip in January and was considering Lisbon. Lisbon is lovely and Athens is great. I think Athens might be a bit better for the high-end innovative food if that's a factor that'll pip it. Lisbon has Sintra though, which is an amazing place to visit. Both are very good for culture and city-tripping-on-foot and both have a decent enough metro system for going a bit further out. Off the top of my head, some highlights of both are: Lisbon: Sintra (oh my god, Sintra!) Amazing aquarium on an old oil rig Bairro Alto late-night drinking Great fish if you're into that Athens: Heaps and heaps of fascinating Really Old poo poo™ Hip bars Interesting post-economic collapse vibe Akordion restaurant They're both brilliant in their own way, but I'd say Athens is much heavier on the history as a main attraction whereas Lisbon is more of a mix? Though that could just be how I ended up building my holidays in those places.
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Oct 8, 2018 18:11
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webmeister posted:To be honest I can't even think of a major European city that isn't on a river - Madrid maybe? Jerusalem, if that counts as Europe? Tallinn is pretty far from the Pirita, but it's also on the sea like Oslo, so that didn't stop it from becoming a huge trading centre. And Milan isn't on a natural river, though the canals there were built in the middle ages I believe.
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Oct 8, 2018 18:19
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mojo1701a posted:Like I said, this is just preliminary, but that's enough of an endorsement for me to skip Zagreb. Also, I don't remember if I mentioned that I have a high school friend who moved to Croatia from Canada to become a doctor, but his family's from Rijeka, and he either lives there or Povile. This is from a page or so back, but Zagreb is nice for an afternoon. There's about six ish hours of things to see in the Old Town, but after that you'll wish you didn't book as much time as you did. If you're willing to travel some and like outdoorsy stuff, youll be a few hours' drive from Plitvice National Park which I hear is gorgeous; but Zagreb... we were there for a day and a half and we quickly ran out of stuff.
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Oct 9, 2018 06:18
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Don't miss the museum of broken relationships in Zagreb!
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Oct 9, 2018 15:07
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Girlfriend and I are going to Europe in March for 3.5 weeks. We're starting in Paris and want to end and fly out from Rome. Right now we're just trying to decide on what cities to visit during that time of the year. Working our way down, so far we have Lyon but are struggling to figure out if it's worth visiting Provence in March. I love it there but I think maybe we could beeline it to Nice or Turin. Anyone have any lesser known places I'm not thinking about?
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Oct 9, 2018 19:20
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Cinque Terre, with the caveat that if the weather is as terrible next year as it was this year (super loving cold until late March) it will be a miserable experience.
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Oct 9, 2018 20:04
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Bollock Monkey posted:Lisbon is lovely and Athens is great. I think Athens might be a bit better for the high-end innovative food if that's a factor that'll pip it. Lisbon has Sintra though, which is an amazing place to visit. Both are very good for culture and city-tripping-on-foot and both have a decent enough metro system for going a bit further out. Thanks for the reply. Interesting... I have actually been discouraged a lot by people for Athens but you make it sound very interesting. Could you expand a bit about the vibe? What do other people think? Especially for the January/start-February period and a 5 day city-trip-on-foot?
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Oct 9, 2018 20:56
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Coolwhoami posted:My parents are going over to Europe (Germany, Belgium, France) for just under a month next year, and are looking into cellular options. As far as I can understand, newish EU law has made many basic prepaid options very viable, if not ideal for someone travelling and needing occasional data and voice in several counties. While they aren�t going the UK, many of their carriers offer free sims that seem to have really decent prepaid options (Vodaphone, for example, offers 1�/day for unlimited calling+some data). Am I understanding roam like at home laws correctly? And if not, does anyone have some quick recommendations on cheap prepaid SIM card options? I use a Three UK sim when traveling. Not only do you get roaming in Europe (I think there's some limitations in Switzerland since it's not EU but I never had a problem there) but quite a few other countries as well. Will that change with Brexit? I dont know. I got my sims off of ebay, you can get them for about $30 shipped with �20 credit on them which will get you 30 days of service with 12gb data. There's also calls and texts, but those are only to UK numbers, you have to pay to call or text other numbers. I usually use Google Voice for my calls since it only uses data and Facebook messenger or whatsapp for messaging, and have never had a problem using it in the UK, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, or Germany, plus I usually pop it in a day before leaving the US and it works great here as well. Also, got a killer deal on a flight to Rome for March next year. I'm only really gonna be in the country 6 full days, which I know is just barely scaping the surface for things to do in Rome, but I'm considering going up to Turin as well. I know it's not usually thought of as an exciting city, but my Great Grandparents came from a village near Turin and I have this desire to see where they came from. I get in on a Tuesday evening, I'm thinking Tue-Sat in Rome, catch a evening train or plane to Turin, Sun-Tue in Turin and fly out Wed morning. Is this too ambitious? Should I just stick to Rome? uli2000 fucked around with this message at 21:10 on Oct 9, 2018 |
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Oct 9, 2018 21:05
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uli2000 posted:I use a Three UK sim when traveling. Not only do you get roaming in Europe (I think there's some limitations in Switzerland since it's not EU but I never had a problem there) but quite a few other countries as well. Will that change with Brexit? I dont know. I got my sims off of ebay, you can get them for about $30 shipped with �20 credit on them which will get you 30 days of service with 12gb data. There's also calls and texts, but those are only to UK numbers, you have to pay to call or text other numbers. I usually use Google Voice for my calls since it only uses data and Facebook messenger or whatsapp for messaging, and have never had a problem using it in the UK, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, or Germany, plus I usually pop it in a day before leaving the US and it works great here as well. Switzerland is party to the no roaming agreement, so you can roam there at no extra cost. Norway as well, remembering that it too is outside the EU. I’ve only had issues in micro-countries like Monaco and San Marino. I also use the Three UK SIM card, I have a friend in London buy topup vouchers for me. Turin is nice but feels very different to the rest of Italy - almost French I think. But honestly I’d stick to Rome for six days if it’s your first time in Italy. There’s loads to do there.
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Oct 9, 2018 21:51
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webmeister posted:Switzerland is party to the no roaming agreement, so you can roam there at no extra cost. Norway as well, remembering that it too is outside the EU. I�ve only had issues in micro-countries like Monaco and San Marino. I also use the Three UK SIM card, I have a friend in London buy topup vouchers for me. Last year 3 had something that said you could only use up to 9.6gb or some other arbitrary number like that vs. the 15gb you could use in the rest of Europe but it doesn't look like that's on the website anymore.
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Oct 9, 2018 21:57
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Mine used to cut off roaming before my data limit - something like 85%, but it hasn’t done that for a while so I assume the policy has changed.
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Oct 9, 2018 22:03
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I've had some reports from friends having to pay a shitload of money for roaming in Switzerland without realizing it, because their particular company did not cover it as it's not part of the EU. Most companies seem to cover Switzerland though, and perhaps things have gotten better since then. When I was there, I did get an automatic warning from my network provider that I spent like €80 worth of data and then they cut me off, but this turned out to be due to some difference in cost calculation between the network provider and my sim provider so I could restore the service via the network provider and didn't actually have to pay anything extra to my sim provider beyond the €20/mo I normally pay.
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Oct 9, 2018 22:32
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Kalenden posted:Thanks for the reply. athens is awesome and if people told you not to go there they suck. idk about the food because i ate cheap as hell gyros and hostel food the whole time but the city is really good.
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Oct 10, 2018 04:48
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underage at the vape shop posted:athens is awesome and if people told you not to go there they suck. idk about the food because i ate cheap as hell gyros and hostel food the whole time but the city is really good. A friend of mine went there work-related and hated it. Said it was full of garbage and junkies. Maybe it depends on the neighborhood. Bollock Monkey posted:Athens: Yeah, hmmm...
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Oct 10, 2018 11:03
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It is, and it does. The oldest part of town around Monastiraki and the acropolis is pretty heavily policed so isn’t too bad, and the Riviera part along the coast to the south seemed okay as well. Like any city there’s good and bad parts, but it does feel like there’s a lot of bad parts - not that as a tourist you’d have a reason to visit most of them. It definitely has that raffish air though, like Naples or Genoa or Marseille.
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Oct 10, 2018 11:42
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The Athens experience depends on what you're looking for when traveling. If you want an organized trip where things go smoothly and happen on time and everything runs according to hazard and health norms then no, Athens isn't for you except for maybe the typical Acropolis+museums tour. If you're looking for a more authentic thing where you get to find amazing places on your own, try to haggle your way through encounters and where getting from one side of the city to another may end up being an actual adventure then Athens is perfect. The price for that is that yeah, there will be junk and danger - imagine a huge dense city that nobody ever cut with giant communication axes like Paris. The different opinions probably come from those different expectations.
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Oct 10, 2018 11:46
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Kalenden posted:Thanks for the reply. We stayed in Exarchia and the graffiti all over that part of the city expressed a deep discontent, it was seething with anger turned on its politicians, and that was really interesting to see. People had said the area was a bit gritty, but it never felt unsafe - just interesting. Alongside these modern ways of thinking and being there's just so much history everywhere. Practically every Metro station has a mini museum showcasing stuff they dug up when building the stations. You can turn a corner that's full of hip cafés and bars or high-end shops and suddenly be in the middle of an ancient ruin. It's quite a cool feeling!
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Oct 10, 2018 19:34
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I have a company meeting in Basel, Switzerland in early December. I have about one week to gently caress around ahead of time if I want to. What sort of places in Switzerland are nice to visit during the winter? I enjoy hiking and nature, but haven't done any skiing in a long long time. I'm not sure I'm interested in loving up my knees or freezing my rear end off. I've been to Zurich a few times already, so I was thinking about Bern and maybe a scenic place in the Alps? Arosa? Any tips on places or activities would be appreciated.
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Oct 10, 2018 19:47
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Doctor Malaver posted:A friend of mine went there work-related and hated it. Said it was full of garbage and junkies. Maybe it depends on the neighborhood. If you are extremely put off by rubbish then most cities in europe are going to be unvisitable for you. I've never been to Rome but everyone who has tells me its disgusting, the photos I've seen make it look like a rubbish dump. Athens in June this year on the other hand, was pretty clean for a city with a million tourists, especially given their economy has just fallen apart. If you are offended at the sight of poors, then don't go to Athens. Don't go to Italy either. Definitely not Spain. gently caress even Munich has rubbish lying around and beggars on the streets of its oldtown. It'd be a shame if you didn't visit it. It's a beautiful city. If you are worried, just stay close to the acropolis and other touristy bits. Once you get there and get over the culture shock, it's lovely, and you'll find yourself feeling a lot better about it. If the acropolis and the other greek ruins sound interesting to you, then you are doing youself a big disservice by missing out. underage at the vape shop fucked around with this message at 00:18 on Oct 11, 2018 |
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Oct 11, 2018 00:03
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underage at the vape shop posted:If you are extremely put off by rubbish then most cities in europe are going to be unvisitable for you. I've never been to Rome but everyone who has tells me its disgusting, the photos I've seen make it look like a rubbish dump. Athens in June this year on the other hand, was pretty clean for a city with a million tourists, especially given their economy has just fallen apart. I'm not sure your generalizations are of any use. Europe is full of rubbish and poors compared to ... where exactly?
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Oct 11, 2018 00:21
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underage at the vape shop posted:If you are extremely put off by rubbish then most cities in europe are going to be unvisitable for you. I've never been to Rome but everyone who has tells me its disgusting, the photos I've seen make it look like a rubbish dump. Rome was fine, we got lost in a semi industrial zone, but all the areas we intended to go were also nice. The mytaxi app was invaluable. Nothing dirtier than NYC or San Francisco. Naples nearly gave me a nervous breakdown and we were there for fewer than 24 hours. Like a completely literal nervous breakdown, not just an expression. 
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Oct 11, 2018 00:38
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Doctor Malaver posted:I'm not sure your generalizations are of any use. Europe is full of rubbish and poors compared to ... where exactly? Wherever that dude comes from
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Oct 11, 2018 01:08
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Doctor Malaver posted:I'm not sure your generalizations are of any use. Europe is full of rubbish and poors compared to ... where exactly? The US is famous for its complete lack of garbage, homeless people and graffiti.
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Oct 11, 2018 04:57
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Julio Cruz posted:The US is famous for its complete lack of garbage, homeless people and graffiti. A lot of Americans live almost entirely within their suburban bubble where yeah, that stuff doesn't exist.
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Oct 11, 2018 16:05
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Speaking of garbage, I arrived on Corfu today and holy poo poo. You guys. Holy poo poo. The garbage here is easily worse than anything I've seen in any developing or third-world country. Along the main road there's basically a colossal pile of garbage, man-height and several metres long, roughly about every few hundred metres. Apparently the main landfill on the island reached capacity a couple of years ago, and the bin guys have been on strike since then because if they pick up the rubbish there's nowhere to put it. There's a new landfill area marked out in the south of island, but it breaches a bunch of EU regulations (too close to houses, too close to water supplies etc), and the locals have protested so much the riot police are just hanging out there full-time (we drove past yesterday and wondered what was going on). Oh and the local government took a large grant from the EU to fix the problem which has now disappeared  So yeah it's a huge mess, literally and figuratively. On the whole - don't go to Corfu. Even without the trash problems it's not that great tbh - probably the least interesting place we've seen in Greece over the last six weeks. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/greece/corfu/articles/corfu-rubbish-problems-protests/ webmeister fucked around with this message at 16:29 on Oct 11, 2018 |
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Oct 11, 2018 16:26
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Aw that makes me kinda sad. Corfu has always been kind of a bucket list destination for me because of My Family & Other Animals. My fiancé and I have actually been thinking of doing some kind of Greek island resort trip for our honeymoon in May next year, maybe with an Athens trip tagged on for history/city times (we are comfortable with disorganisation in our city visits). Any relatively rubbish-free island recommendations?
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Oct 11, 2018 19:13
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My gf and I are visiting Europe again for approx 10 days and have plans to do Paris, Greece and Spain. Outside shot at Prague. We are going the last week of November, so thanksgiving time in the states. How seriously should we pack for the cold? Can I still just wear shoes? Do I need a parka? Heavy jacket? Will it snow? Pls advise
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Oct 12, 2018 01:25
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10 days? That's just enough time to see two or three cities in Spain and nothing else. Answers regarding the climate will vary wildly depending on whether you're in Greece or Paris, or near the Spanish coast or in Madrid. It's unlikely to be below 0c during the day in any of those places but that's about all I can say.
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Oct 12, 2018 01:37
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10 days is about enough time to do Paris, none of the rest of France, and maybe 2 stops in Spain if they're reasonably close together. Trying to fit Greece into the same timeframe is ludicrous. You might as well do a trip to NYC and Boston and then also go to New Orleans. e: Greece and most of Spain should be fine with just a jacket, in Paris it's not impossible that it might snow. Julio Cruz fucked around with this message at 02:26 on Oct 12, 2018 |
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Oct 12, 2018 02:21
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We land at 8am in Paris on Saturday and plan to leave Monday for athens, leave Friday for Madrid or Barcelona and our return flight is Tuesday morning out of Madrid. So we have approx 3-4 days in each location. Paris we don't care about its an extended lay over really from the airline who cancelled our original itinerary
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Oct 12, 2018 02:26
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