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Carbon dioxide posted:Been a couple years since I've been there. Get a good Smørrebrød for breakfast at one of the many cafes. Walk down the shopping street Strøget to the famous harbor houses at Nyhavn. Check out the royal palace while you're in the neighbourhood. I was unaware Denmark also has a Venice Beach
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Aug 10, 2023 20:43
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Weaponized Autism posted:Planning a one-week trip to Norway in Oct or Nov and I'm struggling to fit in everything I want to do. My current itinerary looks roughly like this: I'm planning a one week trip to the United States and I'm struggling to fit in everything I want to do. My current itinerary looks roughly like this: New York City - 1 night on arrival Houston, Texas - 2 nights Los Angeles - 3 nights New York City - 1 night for flight home. I'd be planning on taking Greyhound buses everywhere. How can I make this itinerary work?
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Aug 10, 2023 20:48
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In Copenhagen I enjoyed the botanic gardens but then plants aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. The round tower was good, as were the netto boat tours from Nyhavn for a bit of an overview of the city. I don’t have any specific restaurant recommendations (I was there with my young children so didn’t get to explore many nice places) but from what I had and saw (and work trips previously) the food scene is great.
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Aug 10, 2023 20:51
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Drone posted:Anyone got recos for a weekend in Copenhagen? I don't live very far away (about 3ish hours) but have still never been there and am doing a "why not?" Thursday-to-Sunday long weekend trip in a couple weeks. Food: for old school Danish smorrebrød, my favourite is Kanalcafeen. It's right across from Christiansborg and a minute from Strøget, so it's a nice lunch stop in the middle of sightseeing. Schønnemann is another classic smørrebrod restaurant. For non-Danish food, Magasasa Dim Sum in the meatpacking district is quite good. The meatpacking district in general is a lot of fun - a weird combo of restaurant supply stores, restaurants and late night clubs, all in converted warehouses If you have an adventurous palate, Captain H serves incredibly good/weird North Chinese and Korean food. For beer, Søernes Ølbar has an awesome rotating selection of Danish microbrews and a nice view of the canals, if the weather is good. Byens Kro is close to Strøget and has over a hundred different beers, mostly German. Mojo Blues Bar and Jazzhus Montmartre have live music most days. Attractions: Danish Design Museum is the big one people go to. Also Louisiana art museum but that's a half hour train ride outside of the city. Cisternerne is really cool. The city's old underground water reservoir has been converted into an art exhibition. The exhibits always play with light and sound because the space is so weird. Skip the mermaid, it's underwhelming and likely crowded with several busloads of Chinese tourists. Apparently H.C. Andersen is big in China. E: Copenhagen and even Christiania is really safe by North American standards. Maybe don't go there at night unless you want to buy crappy weed off some shady dudes. Also, reserve seats at restaurants. Danish people loving love to plan everything to the minute, days ahead. Really hard to get a walk-in table, even on some weekdays Fruits of the sea fucked around with this message at 21:09 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Aug 10, 2023 21:01
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Carbon dioxide posted:I'm planning a one week trip to the United States and I'm struggling to fit in everything I want to do. My current itinerary looks roughly like this:
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Aug 10, 2023 21:06
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Entropist posted:Are you aware that Norway is enormous? I'm not sure how you would make this work. If you are planning that over land you'll have a miserable time of mostly traveling long distances. It's a terrible schedule but clearly they're planning on flying... That itinerary would be literally impossible by land, since it's 2 entire days of land travel to get to Tromso, if a direct bus exists which I doubt. It's still a massively over-packed schedule that will spend a lot of time in, and getting to airports, and thinking about adding Bergen makes it kind of lol. If it's not cloudy and you get a window seat then it'll be cool, but also it's Norway in October so it'll be cloudy and it would also require your flights to be during daylight hours. Better itinerary: Oslo (1 day before on arrival) Bergen* (5 days) Oslo (1 day before departure) *Substitute Bergen with Lofoten or Alesund, or Tromso if you REALLY want to get up there in the middle of October for some reason, where you only maybe get the northern lights, and obviously not the midnight sun. I'm not sure why you would go all the way to Tromso in mid-season to be honest, although I haven't been there I am skeptical it has any specific scenery that could not be seen much, much closer to Oslo. Geirangerfjord looks nice but also... every fjord in western Norway looks like that. You don't have to specifically seek one particular one out. IMO just go to Bergen. Hardangerfjord is right there. Getting around Lofoten by public transport seems like it would be horrifically bad. Bergen too probably, but at least there's a vague hope of public transport there, or hitchhiking. Also going to anywhere in Norway outside of Oslo and then hoping on getting around on a tight schedule by public transport seems strange/impossible on OPs timeframe. I guess OP could do organized tours or pay someone one billion kroner per day to drive them around, but if no one in the travel group can drive then Switzerland seems like a better option, and if it's for budget constraint reasons then also Norway is a terrible choice of destination. Public transport gets you between cities in Norway but not so well around the countryside that's the main draw of the country. OP, you'll also have jetlag to deal with. Not a great mix with a super packed itinerary. Saladman fucked around with this message at 09:00 on Aug 11, 2023 |
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Aug 10, 2023 22:17
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Planning to hit up Brussels in October. On the to-do-list so far is Hungry Mary's Beer and Chocolate Tour, Museum of Radiology, Cemetery Dieweg, and some touristy stuff (like the vomit statue). Also gonna check out Bruges to do an In Bruges walkabout. Welcome any suggestions for food places, pubs, obscure/nerd stuff and maybe events around October? (aside from, uh, the, uh, Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra).
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Aug 11, 2023 03:32
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Saladman posted:
 I spent a week in and around Bergen, including a nice long Norway in a nutshell tour. It was amazing. Being able to take the funicular from the city to a mountaintop was fantastic.
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Aug 11, 2023 07:33
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Hungry Mary's is a good one, you'll have fun. Not that obscure but there is the Belgian Comic Book Centre. The various Delirium places around Rue de Bouchers are fairly decent tourist pubs, though Rue de Bouchers itself is an infamous tourist trap area where I'm told you do well to watch your wallet and belongings. I went a bit out of the way to Le Zinneke for moules & frites and didn't regret it. What I actually strongly recommend is that you get on the train and spend a day in Antwerp. It's only a little under an hour, I got off the train and immediately thought "what the gently caress did I spend four days in Brussels for when I could've gone here". There's a good (if, obviously, touristy) chocolate museum near the train station, there is a nerd themed pub right across from the major comic book shop, there's a weird bookshop that pairs books with appropriate drinks (Bookz & Booze), and it's completely worth it to have the Flemish Stew at De 7 Schaken. And I'm sure there are a hundred more things I missed because I spent too long in Brussels.
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Aug 11, 2023 07:35
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I should clarify I'd fly to places, not take a bus all around Norway. Yes I do know Norway is a huge country. I think I'll opt for Bergen instead of Alesund.
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Aug 11, 2023 14:20
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Weaponized Autism posted:I should clarify I'd fly to places, not take a bus all around Norway. Yes I do know Norway is a huge country. I think I'll opt for Bergen instead of Alesund. That sounds solid and while pretty busy still fun. My first trip to Norway was only like 8 days and also flying to/from the US and we had a great time, just doing Oslo and Bergen. Rental car is still going to be better to get around Bergen but it’s densely enough populated by Norwegian standards that it’ll proooobably work by PT. I don’t think we have any Norwegians in this thread to ask though. Maybe try Reddit.
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Aug 11, 2023 14:42
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Cafe Kulminator in Antwerp is great if you like beer, especially old or rare ones. Beware, the place has cats and you may detect some cat urine lol.
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Aug 11, 2023 15:33
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i'm not just saying this because i'm from Oslo, but Oslo actually deserves more than just two measly days squeezed between travelling
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Aug 11, 2023 17:59
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ulvir posted:i'm not just saying this because i'm from Oslo, but Oslo actually deserves more than just two measly days squeezed between travelling When you have 7 days in Norway? I mean I love Zürich too but I wouldn’t recommend someone spend extra time there if they’re visiting Switzerland for the first time and want to see the incredible scenery. Ymmv but I’d definitely just squeeze it in on the edge days on a tight travel schedule. It’s like going to Iceland and spending more time in Reykjavik than absolutely necessary.
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Aug 11, 2023 18:27
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My Lovely Horse posted:<great stuff> Any tips on what I should bring folks back home from Belgium? So far I considered chocolate, Speculoos (what's the best brand?) and Christmas stuff from De Witte Pelikaan (if I find sth that'll survive the trip). Googled the more nerdy suggestions, I assume the comic book store and pub you mentioned are the Mekanik Strip and Geeky Cauldron, respectively? I'll be sure to visit both. WaryWarren posted:Cafe Kulminator in Antwerp is great if you like beer, especially old or rare ones. Beware, the place has cats and you may detect some cat urine lol.
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Aug 11, 2023 18:34
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Yup, those are the ones. Lotus is the standard speculoos from what I gathered. It also comes as a spread!
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Aug 11, 2023 19:26
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Lady Gaza posted:In Copenhagen I enjoyed the botanic gardens but then plants aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. The round tower was good, as were the netto boat tours from Nyhavn for a bit of an overview of the city. I don’t have any specific restaurant recommendations (I was there with my young children so didn’t get to explore many nice places) but from what I had and saw (and work trips previously) the food scene is great. The gardens were cool when we visited, they had a great butterfly exhibition on. For food we enjoyed this pizza place: https://another.pizza/ And this place (fish was excellent) which also had a sauna: https://www.labanchina.dk/
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Aug 11, 2023 20:07
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Re Norway if you're going to Oslo and Bergen definitely try getting the train between them, it's a great experience. The SW facing seats have marginally better views than the other side if you can pick.
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Aug 11, 2023 20:10
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For Norway, I very much liked Trondheim, and there is a night train you can take to/from Oslo, too, so that might be another option.
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Aug 11, 2023 21:04
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I liked Oslo, but when we went we were seeing my wife’s family so we didn’t really go to tourist sites - we walked around, got some nice food down by the waterfront, went walking in the foresty bit outside the city. It seemed like quite a pleasant place. Then again we went during a freak period of like 30 degree weather, which I’m sure made the experience more enjoyable than in greyer/colder conditions.
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Aug 12, 2023 07:19
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Got a few weeks of PTO to kill (big problem I know!) before the end of the year. I like hiking (sometimes called trekking in Europe) and I'm wondering if there's anywhere in Europe where the weather's still good for that in mid-October to late November. A bit late in the season I know, but maybe southern Europe? I've looked at the Alta Via in Italy and it looks awesome, but you need to book stuff like a year in advance for that. I'm interested in something much more off the beaten path. Ideally, a situation kind of like in Nepal where you can do a "teahouse trek" - hike from lodge to lodge, without necessarily having reservations. Might be asking a bit much for Europe I know, but is there anything like that?
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Aug 13, 2023 17:21
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Camino de Santiago but after the first week or less, I believe it's relatively flat. The first few days over the Pyrenees is great though.
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Aug 13, 2023 18:24
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I believe that you can walk along the Pyrenees via a few routes, and some of them will definitely have hotels/hostels you can stay in every night. Weather that time of year might be dicey though
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Aug 13, 2023 19:21
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Ramrod Hotshot posted:Got a few weeks of PTO to kill (big problem I know!) before the end of the year. I like hiking (sometimes called trekking in Europe) and I'm wondering if there's anywhere in Europe where the weather's still good for that in mid-October to late November. A bit late in the season I know, but maybe southern Europe? Mid October can even be excellent hiking season in the Alps, so long as you’re there before the first significant snowfall, which is rarely before early to mid November. The main issue is really the short-ish daylight hours and the high probability of clouds at hiking altitude. Are you living in Europe and could decide 5-10 days in advance where to go, or would you need to set it all way in advance? All real mountain lodges in the Alps will be closed but Europe is pretty highly populated so there’s always a hotel not too far down. If you really want bespoke and to have them ship your luggage between each leg of the hike (going only with a day pack) you can do that on the Haute Route and on Tour de Mont Blanc. I’d say like 95% probability the hiking would be safe then (no significant snowfall) and like maybe 50/50 on weather (not super rainy / foggy). big storms in October are pretty rare and if one or two days suck you can just go to a spa and then take a bus/train to the next leg. If you want to guarantee good weather you could also go to the high Atlas, like near Marrakech. Plenty of good routes there and the weather will be perfect then. They get rain (and snow) in winter but unlikely too be too bad before mid November. I have looked into hiking Sicily and the Sierra Nevadas (southern Spain) and neither really ever caught my eye as particularly scenic. Ymmv. Pyrenees would probably also be a good option but very limited personal experience there to recommend one way or the other. Mid October generally is good hiking anywhere in Europe if you can be flexible on the exact dates and location.
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Aug 13, 2023 22:30
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Saladman posted:Mid October can even be excellent hiking season in the Alps, so long as you’re there before the first significant snowfall, which is rarely before early to mid November. The main issue is really the short-ish daylight hours and the high probability of clouds at hiking altitude. Thanks. I don't live in Europe, I live in Florida, so I'm not that flexible. Yeah, I hadn't thought of shorter days - that does make Europe less appealing. Hiking the Atlas mountains in Morocco is an interesting idea. Are you familiar with the area? Is there a clear route that makes it easy to hike from hostel to hostel or is it more off the beaten path?
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Aug 13, 2023 23:41
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Other than having to pay extra for seat reservations on some express/international trains, is there any catch to a Eurail global pass? Our current itinerary has us doing 6 travel days over 17 days -- starting in the UK, going to Belgium, then Germany, then back to the UK.
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Aug 14, 2023 20:12
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more falafel please posted:Other than having to pay extra for seat reservations on some express/international trains, is there any catch to a Eurail global pass? Our current itinerary has us doing 6 travel days over 17 days -- starting in the UK, going to Belgium, then Germany, then back to the UK. It's not really a 'catch' as such, but I'd 100% price out the separate cost of some of these fast train routes in advance to see if it's worth it. I used Omio app to book trains and ferries and it was relatively cheap (for peak season) and worked fine
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Aug 14, 2023 20:54
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Ramrod Hotshot posted:Thanks. I don't live in Europe, I live in Florida, so I'm not that flexible. Yeah, I hadn't thought of shorter days - that does make Europe less appealing. Thinking about it more I think *through* hiking will be really hard in that season since refuges are closed or unstaffed and mountain transport will largely be shut off (both téléfériques and mountain buses). If I were in your shoes and had to set a single destination well in advance I think I’d go to Marrakech, Corsica, or Antalya, rent a car, then do several day hikes from 2 or 3 different bases. Marrakech and Antalya would have more cool alternative options if you end up getting lovely weather for a day or two which is possible for Corsica and Antalya. If you’re worried about driving then Antalya is the easiest of the three for driving. Rentals will be plentiful and dirt cheap since you’re off season. Getting lovely weather the whole time is not so likely, unlike if you went to the Alps in that season. For the Atlas, I’ve only been around by car and a couple smaller day hikes. There is a big route going side around Toubkal (highest mountain in N Africa). Just looked at a hiking book of mine, says 4 days / 60 km for the loop starting and ending in Imlil, so that plus a summit day would be five. It’s not totally off the beaten path, Toubkal is a popular bucket lister type hike and people live all around there and it is a big tourism destination for domestic tourism too, but it’s definitely going to require either camping if doing a through hike or a multi day circuit hike. Imlil is nice and fully up to western standards for lodging and has good infrastructure, not the case for the south face of Toubkal. But yeah in either case not ideal for hostel to hostel hiking. Chefchaouen or Imlil would be fine for series of day hikes but through hikes would be difficult without camping. For through hikes without camping I think it would be hard to beat Europe… in season. Out of season it’s hard everywhere. If you’re fit and adventurous you could also do part of the GR20 in Corsica which is super famous and will probably have good weather (and definitely no snow) through late Oct / mid Nov. Refuges on the GR20 remain open year round but are only staffed until early Oct, so resupply besides of water while en route may be hard and I think a lot of the buses stop also by early Oct if you want to skip a step or need more supplies. Also download AllTrails if you’re not familiar with it. And buy the app when you go so you can use offline maps and GPS tracking. I do a lot of hiking but have never done an unsupported through hike of more then 3D/2N and even that is pretty tough.
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Aug 14, 2023 22:07
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Chewbecca posted:It's not really a 'catch' as such, but I'd 100% price out the separate cost of some of these fast train routes in advance to see if it's worth it. The main advantage imo is that the passes are much more flexible. It isn't much cheaper than advance tickets, but you're getting much better cancellation and rebook options (worst case you're out the cost of the seat reservation) which normally cost a substantial premium. We normally follow a pretty rigid schedule when traveling but have still benefited from being able to adjust for illnesses etc.
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Aug 15, 2023 09:12
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distortion park posted:The main advantage imo is that the passes are much more flexible. It isn't much cheaper than advance tickets, but you're getting much better cancellation and rebook options (worst case you're out the cost of the seat reservation) which normally cost a substantial premium. We normally follow a pretty rigid schedule when traveling but have still benefited from being able to adjust for illnesses etc. Completely fair. I know some rates on fast trains offer degrees of flexibility (ability to change dates of travel) but I can see how a train pass would benefit people who are much more Yolo-ish than I am! When I went to Europe last month for 5 weeks I had every trip planned out, which only became a problem when there was a train strike in Italy 
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Aug 15, 2023 11:03
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My partner and I are interested in going to France in early spring or so. It would be a definite food tour, she's super into food and especially wine. We would do a few days in Paris (I've been there but she hasn't), but then we are interested in something with said wine and food theme. This would be maybe 10-11 days, and perhaps we would stay in three cities (and go to other cities from those if nearby). Thoughts are Paris-Lyon-Nice Paris-Lyon-Montpellier (I know nothing about Montpellier but it sounds really nice from what I've read) Paris-Nice- somewhere nearby in Italy, like Genoa or Turin (I think there is train service for both) Paris-Montpellier-Bordeaux (that would make a nice little loop) Paris-Toulouse-Bordeaux I've heard Marseille is more of an industrial city which is why I didn't list that. We might visit Riems while in Paris, due to the whole champagne thing! also what is the best train service? We would want something nice. I saw they have TGV INOUI, and FrecciaRossa
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Aug 15, 2023 23:18
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actionjackson posted:also what is the best train service? We would want something nice. I saw they have TGV INOUI, and FrecciaRossa For trains you have to more or less take what's convenient for your route. For long distance routes within France that'll mostly be TGV, there's been some silly EU legislation forcing them to split it up so it now operates under a couple of different brands. actionjackson posted:Paris-Toulouse-Bordeaux Bordeaux is a great place to visit (only 2 hours from Paris!!) but the trains from Bordeaux to Toulouse kind of suck. I would probably cut Toulouse and try and make an effort to see smaller places near Bordeaux that aren't urban (Arcachon, St Émilion or some other wine region (not Médoc that's ugly). Dordogne and/or the Basque country are also great visits but idk if you have time, the others you can do as day trips from Bordeaux. It's not a conventional trip but personally I think that cutting Paris completely and just doing Bordeaux plus regional trips would be an incredible holiday if your partner (edited) has never been to France before. Paris is big and touristy and dirty, Bordeaux has a more enjoyable version of the charming urban atmosphere that I think so many people are looking for when they think of Paris. And the local regions are more varied. e: here's what I might start planning with (I have lived nearby), might be too much unless you have 11 full days but could be adjusted to suite your preference. I'm almost certain it would be more enjoyable than paris-bordeaux-toulouse though: A couple of days in Bordeaux, train to Bayonne, see the city then rent a car and go visit some Basque villages/do some walks/take a surf lesson in Biarritz or Hossegor/stay somewhere cute in the countryside. Could even drive to Spain for lunch in St Sébastien. Plenty to do for a few days, distinctive food culture. Back to Bordeaux then do a wine tour out to Bergerac by car or train - can hit Pomerol, St Émilion, Monbazillac although idk if there's much to visit for the first and last unless you really love wine stuff. The further upriver you go past Bergerac the prettier it gets, some great chateaux around this area, canoeing on the river is also fun. Then back to Bordeaux for a final day or so before you leave. distortion park fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Aug 16, 2023 |
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Aug 16, 2023 00:26
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fwiw I went to Paris a few weeks ago as part of a 5 week eurotrip, and Paris was probably my favourite city. Don't deprive your wife of Paris if she wants to go. Not saying the rest of France isn't amazing but you kinda gotta do it at least once!
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Aug 16, 2023 00:34
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thanks. we would be in paris as we would fly there, and she wants to see a few things in the area. just a day or two though. But ideally yeah, a city we can take day trips from. i mentioned Montpellier because I read it had one of Europe's largest pedestrian area (something I'm really into, and we wouldn't have a car). Also neither of us know French, so maybe a city like that would be a bit more amenable as I've read it has a ton of younger people. edit: she's not my wife  edit2: too bad about that stupid highway next to the river in Bordeaux. I love that Paris has such strong restrictions on cars. actionjackson fucked around with this message at 00:44 on Aug 16, 2023 |
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Aug 16, 2023 00:36
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Apologies: partner not wife, my bad
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Aug 16, 2023 00:38
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To the person asking about through-hiking. I have no idea what Scotland is like in mid-October but I can say I just stayed at a bothy in the Scottish hills, and that’s definitely akin to what you’re thinking of. They’re basically little extra buildings farmers have on their land that can be used as shelters, but often camping around the bothy is permitted as well. Look into the Mountain Bothy Association
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Aug 16, 2023 00:51
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actionjackson posted:thanks. we would be in paris as we would fly there, and she wants to see a few things in the area. just a day or two though. But ideally yeah, a city we can take day trips from. Not to shill for Bordeaux too much but it has a massive and imo superior pedestrianised area to Montpellier and the river is actually done pretty nicely, considering the road is still there. It's definitely my favourite major city in France. Also Montpellier is the only place we've been robbed so I hold that against it! distortion park fucked around with this message at 00:54 on Aug 16, 2023 |
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Aug 16, 2023 00:51
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distortion park posted:Not to shill for Bordeaux too much but it has a massive and imo superior pedestrianised area to Montpellier and the river is actually done pretty nicely, considering the road is still there. It's definitely my favourite major city in France. Also Montpellier is the only place we've been robbed so I hold that against it! Haha friends got pickpocketed in Madrid (and are therefore not a fan) but I actually loved Madrid! Everyone experiences places differently I think also I had low expectations of Paris based in the fact that people say it's dirty etc etc. I stayed in an amazing area near the George Pompidou Centre and the vibes were amazing. Never felt unsafe, so much to see and do etc etc Your mileage may vary etc
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Aug 16, 2023 01:10
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Sandwolf posted:To the person asking about through-hiking. I have no idea what Scotland is like in mid-October almost certainly wet, and if you're in the Highlands you'll have limited daylight hours and it might even snow if there's a cold snap
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Aug 16, 2023 01:18
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Chewbecca posted:Haha friends got pickpocketed in Madrid (and are therefore not a fan) but I actually loved Madrid! Everyone experiences places differently It's definitely an amazing city in a lot of ways, and that's a good place to stay. I've just never felt it makes good on some of the ways it's sold ("most romantic city in the world" etc).
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Aug 16, 2023 06:35
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