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HeroOfTheRevolution posted:In Croatia, you're better off exploring the Dalmatian coast than somewhere like Zagreb which is just a big city without a lot of character (it's like a mini-Vienna). Zadar is nice and has some beautiful old churches and a really cool arsenal and citadel as well as some remnants of the old Roman city. Split is a beautiful coastal city that's becoming a bigger tourist destination with each passing year. Its central attraction is the gigantic Roman palace of Diocletian (which is essentially the city center, it's that big), but there's also a lot of really cool bars on the waterfront. Dubrovnik is generally considered one of the most beautiful cities on Earth (I think Mostar is the most beautiful but I'm biased As a Croat I can confirm that this is pretty much spot-on. Also I'd add Belgrade to the list of interesting cities in the region.
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Jul 8, 2010 02:50
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) and the walls of the Old City are really cool. If you can, try to get to Bosnia. Aside from the beauty of Mostar, Sarajevo is a city that's really worth seeing for its historical significance, especially if you remember seeing it on the news a decade and a half ago. However, I don't know if you can get to Bosnia on an interrailing pass so you'd have to take a bus.
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Jack Flint posted:Can you give me some info on Belgrade? I'm definitely interested in going there but apart from looking up a few hostels know very little about it. Try to get schoenfelder's attention, his avatar is Belgrade's coat of arms. Belgrade is cheap, the night life is great. The Serbs in general are charming, good looking, fun loving, unrestrained and talented people. On the downside they like invading their neighbors and committing war crimes, but that part shouldn't concern you. Also, Kalemegdan fortress and the Danube coast with thousands of boats/rafts are a must see.
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Jul 13, 2010 01:15
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You could spend the entire week in Madrid and likewise in Barcelona. Three days is very short period for those great cities and cutting it even shorter is a terrible idea. Also, travel between Madrid and Valencia isn't instantaneous, why waste a day on travel?
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Jul 19, 2010 13:36
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Guggenheim museum in Bilbao? Pamplona is also near San Sebastian and they don't have bull runs all the time but I'm sure it's worth checking out anyway.
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Jul 19, 2010 23:47
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duckmaster posted:You will have trouble in some countries buying alcohol and cigarettes (in every country except France, basically), trouble in most countries getting into nightclubs, and trouble in Holland buying weed. On the Balkans/Eastern Europe you don't have such problems - as a minor you can buy whatever you want and get wherever you want unless you look 12.
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Jul 21, 2010 18:14
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HeroOfTheRevolution posted:It isn't a hard rule but English speakers are not particularly difficult to come by anywhere in Europe.  HeroOfTheRevolution posted:A lot of the television and stuff is in English; imagine watching Telemundo all day with English subtitles, eventually you'd pick up some Spanish just by osmosis. That's true but not all countries use subtitles, many use dubbing. People from subtitling countries in general speak better English.
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Jul 23, 2010 09:17
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enki42 posted:You could probably shave a day off Frankfurt and not really miss that much. Frankfurt is nice enough, but really only worth a day or so, and certainly doesn't hold up to Vienna or Prague. This is good advice. I had the opportunity to visit Frankfurt this summer but before that I went to check a local tourism board. I found people talking about basically every German city except Frankfurt. Apparently people don't travel there for tourism so neither did I. And Berlin is one of The European Destinations, unlike the rest of the cities on your list (except Paris, of course). So you definitely want more Berlin. You can also ask for advice in Ask me about Germany thread in this same subforum. e: Also what Ziir says about too many destinations in too few days.
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Aug 26, 2010 05:50
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Cultural Imperial posted:I can't emphasize this enough. The tube has hundreds of people walking through really tight confined spaces. Londoners are loving cunts so don't stand in their way. If you're lost, try to stand to the side. Also, make sure you have your oyster card out well in advance before you swipe out the turnstile. I've been to London twice and honestly I haven't seen much difference between the tube and any other underground I've used (Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, NY...). The only thing I ever had to mind was to keep to the right on the escalator so that people in a hurry can move past me. Was it even in London or NY I don't recall... Anyhow why are you so determined to scare the guy?
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Sep 8, 2010 00:57
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flyingfoggy posted:Prague While there should be a cheap Ryanair line Dublin-Zadar, I wouldn't recommend Croatia. Croatian coast is amazing in summer, but much less so in fall and winter. I would choose Barcelona and Amsterdam on this list.
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Sep 21, 2010 22:20
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MJP posted:My wife has an allergy to garlic; she can't digest it properly. If it's a small amount of garlic in the entire recipe, she has enzyme pills that help a little (e.g. turning her from an immobile, fetal ball of horrible pain into a stomachache) but too much and the pills do nothing, or she'll simply vomit and feel worse. How does she feel about crosses? 
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Oct 5, 2010 15:15
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Cometa Rossa posted:A couple buddies and I are thinking of going to Central/Eastern Europe this spring (we're travel-retards so we're planning ahead) and have just got into discussing a route. We're thinking of going from Berlin to Sarajevo travelling, sleeping and eating as cheaply as we possibly can. Along this route it'd be great to see Prague (maybe daytrips to Karlovy Vary or other interesting Czech spots), maybe some of Bavaria, Budapest and Mostar in Bosnia. If we could swing it, maybe we'd go to Plitvice in Croatia and see the Dalmation Coast. It's a decent route but I'd put more emphasis on Croatian coast. It will be good to take a breath of Mediterranean after covering Central/Eastern Europe so thoroughly. Do you plan to travel by train? Night rides save money because you sleep in the train. But why do you want to sleep and eat as cheaply as possible if you have plenty of money?
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Oct 12, 2010 09:07
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H floresiensis posted:Northern Ontario. Probably the sketchiest place I have been to is off the strip at Las Vegas, or outside of a resort in Mexico. I am pretty self aware though and probably the most street smart out of any of my friends. Thanks though, that is pretty reassuring! I'll try to brush up on my Spanish before I go though. You probably can't go wrong as long as the hotel is on the subway line. As greazeball said, Las Ramblas is a sketchy area but it's also very colorful and it would be a shame to not see it. A simple advice - don't carry anything valuable on your back. I saw gypsy kids walk slowly and silently behind a tourist and softly unzip her backpack while she was admiring scenery. So, be careful about the backpack and don't put your wallet in your back trouser pockets. And don't walk there alone at night. Two guys tried to pick my pockets or mug me and I'm a guy.
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Nov 5, 2010 21:11
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H floresiensis posted:Thanks, I was watching something on gypsys doing that and some thing with ATMs as well. I'll probably keep a purse on my side and zipped up. Is the public transportation confusing? All we have in my city is a bus, and I don't really pay attention when I am in Toronto with friends riding on their subway. Sorry for all the questions this is my first trip to Europe and my first trip alone. I didn't find it confusing. If I recall correctly, Barcelona has a pretty small subway system. I rode buses and night buses successfully, too. I do speak some Spanish, tho. enki42 posted:I would really recommend a hostel if you're going by yourself. Barcelona in particular has one of the best hostels I've stayed at - Sant Jordi, just north of the Old town. It's well equipped, and for whatever reason always has a ton going on - you could find people to do things with pretty much anytime if you wanted to, but the rooms are seperated enough that you won't be kept awake by partiers. I stayed in two hostels in Barcelona and both were great for different reasons. One is a bit out of town and is in a former sanatorium (I think) that looks like a villa. Gardeners working on the beautiful garden, inside very neat and luxurious... The other is called Kabul and is just off the Las Ramblas and is more for the adventurous type. If I were 22 and traveling alone I wouldn't stay in a "legit hotel", even if somebody else paid for it. Just go to a hostel and meet some people!  If you worry about security, read online reviews and pick the one that got the best grades in that area.
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Nov 6, 2010 15:22
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pinegala posted:I'm a 21-year-old American college student who has never traveled without family and am planning on visiting a friend who's studying abroad in Dublin from Dec. 14th to Dec. 31st (who similarly hasn't traveled abroad without family). We originally planned to spend 3-4 days in Ireland, 3-4 days in Sweden (Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmo), a week in Italy (2 days Rome, Sienna, 2 days Florence, 2 days Venice), and 3 days in Switzerland (Lugano, Lauterbrunnen, Lucerne). I'm a little concerned about : 1) Definitely, you are approaching a crazy 'a town a day' schedule! I'd cut at least half of your itinerary out. What are you even doing in Sweden in December? 2) You can leave stuff in lockers. It is advisable to bring your own padlocks. Couchsurfing is great but it requires a lot of planning and I wouldn't recommend it to a traveler without any experience. Also it would be Christmas time and less people would be available to host you. 3) I wouldn't bother with a backpack, I'd take a standard traveling case with a trolley. You don't have to lug stuff around.
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Nov 11, 2010 09:30
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several wet dogs posted:I thought it was odd too! Is it possible they list it online but it's never really enforced unless you are some terrifying predator oggling all the 19-year-olds? I saw older folks in pretty much every hostel I've been to. What's even the point in setting the cap at 40? If you want youth only, set it at 29 or something like that.
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Nov 11, 2010 09:38
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Limastock posted:How do the areas I mentioned look upon people with tattoos? This is more curiosity than anything however, I would just like to know if I should expect rude treatment or strange looks as I have full sleeves and my wife has her arms and a full chest pieces as well. Thanks Oh come on!  This is the funniest question so far. Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris... are among the most modern, urban and forward-thinking cities in the world. If you're not from New York, you're probably coming from a less open-minded place. You don't have to worry about Prague and Zurich either.Not to mention that you won't have much opportunity to wear short sleeves since it's winter time.
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Nov 26, 2010 18:09
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Corbet posted:Does anyone have any tips/advice on someone who is looking to visit western Europe alone? Is it recommended? I have a huge desire to spend a 1-2 months traveling to Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam, Paris, London, and anywhere in between. The issue is the fact that none of my friends have the desire (or money) to take a trip like this. This is a personality thing much more than a travel thing. If you function well alone, if you make friends easily and you're independent, then go ahead. If not, I bet you will want to cut the trip shorter. I'm surprised how easily the previous posters discard companionship. Things happen during travel and you want to share them with people close to you. What will you do, post on Facebook? Who will you turn to when you get bored, depressed or sick? It wouldn't be an issue if you traveled a week, but two months is a long time. It would be ideal to mix it up. Stay in hostels, make friends, travel with them for a while. Or invite your friends to come for just a part of the trip and return to States after two weeks. When I traveled through Spain for a couple of weeks, I went along with two guys who I met online on a travel site. It turned out they were dull and a huge burden on me so after a few days I ditched them. I felt great then and enjoyed my new freedom... but after a week I started getting lonely. Then I heard some girls speaking my language in Prado and made friends with them and traveled together for the rest of the trip.
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Nov 30, 2010 10:05
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schoenfelder posted:Berlin: 1 week Yeah, something like that, unless you plan the trip in summer in which case Split and Zadar/Dubrovnik deserve more time.
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Dec 4, 2010 14:45
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bonzaisushi posted:So i am thinking of checking out Amsterdam, Barcelona and Ibiza next october for a honeymoon. Is Amsterdam still a good place to go for people that love weed? I have heard people say they are cracking down on tourism smokers an stuff like that but i never know who to believe. Thoughts? Is october a decent time to come check these places out? I dont have much a choice on the time of year so i hope it is. I spent a week in Amsterdam last June and it was as weedy as we expected. If the things haven't changed drastically since then, you will have dozens of coffee shops to chose from and the weed is cheap, varied and good.
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Jan 16, 2011 13:45
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OptionalBreakfast posted:We've both expressed interest in Switzerland. It's central to Europe, it's beautiful, and there's a large German-speaking population. That said, we're also open to other locations, but we've had no real Europe experience. Innovative suggestions are good. For instance, if you think it would be best to learn about a country through watching a particular sitcom that often talks about that country's society, let me know. I'm spitballing, but I'm sure there are ways to get an idea of where we would like to live besides looking at scenic photos of mountains. Can't help you much except to warn you that the German language spoken in Switzerland is very different to standard German. I've heard from several people who aren't native speakers but speak German well that they couldn't understand a Swiss person speaking German.
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Jan 23, 2011 17:22
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hootimus posted:Any Czech goons around? You might try the LAN Eastern Europe thread, although it seems to be mainly populated by Romanians: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3032562
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Feb 7, 2011 01:38
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DreddyMatt posted:Gonna be in Barcelona for just over 2 weeks at the end of March. Aside from the Ramlas and Gaudi things, what should I try and check out? I stayed in Kabul some years ago. It's a well known hostel next to Las Ramblas. Fun and a bit crazy, especially considering that Las Ramblas get very shady at night so returning to hostel late at night can turn into an adventure.
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Mar 17, 2011 01:00
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GregNorc posted:Is it still fun traveling Europe if you're doing it alone? Ideally you should combine. Go alone, meet some people, travel with them for a while, split and continue alone... etc.
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Mar 19, 2011 02:17
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The Flying Clog Wog posted:As posted by the others there are loads of London threads where you can post as well, but yeah, tickets for a big game like that will be expensive and may well cost £100. I would recommend you go to a pub or bar. Which one depends on which club you support. There are generally a few away fans bars near most football stadiums, and many home and neutral ones. What about football firms? Are the away fans bars really safe? I'm asking because in this part of the world (Balkans) such a concept is unknown.
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Mar 23, 2011 11:03
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The Flying Clog Wog posted:What's it like in the Balkans? If the rivals are coming, away fans are escorted by police in and out of the town. To wear rival team's jersey near the field would invite a beating. Parking a car with license plates of rival town near the field is dangerous. So is, in fact, speaking with their accent. It's not as harsh when an ordinary opponent is coming, but you never know when will some hooligans decide to cause trouble anyway, bored between two games with rivals. And what's with Chelsea?
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Mar 23, 2011 15:44
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BogginHarry posted:Well Plitvice is a national park, so it's not a city. It would be a day-trip, if not for the fact it's a few hours each way. Plitvice to Split shouldn't be more than 3 hours. No teleporters but highway is decent. What season are we talking about? And why Mostar, it should be the first destination to drop.
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Mar 24, 2011 23:53
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Hmm... I have to admit I haven't been there, but my experience with other people is the opposite. I've never heard anyone say Wow you gotta check out Mostar! Maybe it's different for the people from the region. When I think of Mostar the first two things that spring to mind is that the Old bridge was destroyed so it's a copy now, and that the town is ethnically fiercely divided. That shouldn't bother you so go ahead I guess? Still, if you'll travel in summertime, I'd choose a day on the coast over a day in Bosnia. Also although Dubrovnik is beautiful, it has a rich old people vibe. Not being able to afford fancy restaurants, I got bored there after 3 days. There was like one club with generic music.
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Mar 25, 2011 01:34
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Magic Underwear posted:Ok, it is about 36 hours until my flight into Athens, my first time out of the country since I was about 11. I'm armed with a 3-month global Eurail pass, and my return flight is about 14 weeks from now. I've got my (one, carry-on sized) bag packed and I think I've covered most of my bases, but I'm still nervous. Make sure you have your passport. Take half the baggage that you planned to and also take twice the money.
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Apr 2, 2011 17:31
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I assure you that you can travel the world without a fanny pack. Just try not to keep your wallet in the back pocket of your trousers.
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Apr 3, 2011 11:01
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Propaganda Machine posted:So an opportunity has arisen and I'm looking to be spending a good deal of time in Mallorca this summer. I spoke Spanish (Castellano) in Barcelona no problem and I don't expect it to be any different in Mallorca. The locals saw that I was a stranger struggling with the language and were nice to me. If you sweeten it with a little 'Disculpe, no hablo Catalan', they will be delighted.
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Apr 20, 2011 20:38
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goldboilermark posted:Question for those that have done Europe in the summer: How important would it be to book hostels in advance? I don't mean like one or two days in advance, I mean like weeks in advance. I'm not planning on like showing up in Ibiza in July without a room, but I'm talking like Madrid or Paris, or smaller areas like Luxembourg or a place in Croatia. Is it really necessary to book months in advance, or is it a week by week thing? Any suggestions or ideas? The question is too broad - Europe is a continent and you didn't narrow it down much by mentioning Paris, Luxembourg and Croatia in the same sentence. As a rule of thumb, in the summer towns on the coast will be harder to book than those inland. For instance there will be foreign tourists in summer in Madrid, but the Spanish will know better than to spend summer there, so it will be relatively easier to book than Barcelona. The same goes for Zagreb which becomes a ghost town in summer, but not Split. Speaking of Croatia, we don't have many hostels. I stayed in one in Mali Losinj soon after it opened and was mostly unknown. A great place and almost empty in the peak of the summer.
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Apr 22, 2011 10:04
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Senor Science posted:5.Is it feasible to visit Croatia via ferry from Venice for a day trip? If that's not possible, I was thinking of going to Trieste instead for the day, and possibly sightseeing in the city. If that is the case, is it possible to do a short one hour jaunt into Slovenia from Trieste? It's a 2.5 hours trip from Venice to Croatia, and not by ferry. It's some sort of fast, closed boat which means no chilling on the deck, breathing the sea air. I wouldn't do it, especially if you have only 12 days or so for Paris, Cannes, Genoa, Venice and Barcelona.
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Apr 26, 2011 09:07
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gregarious Ted posted:Am I spending too long in the England? No, but you're spending too long on a train. Add together traveling time, coming early to the station, carrying luggage around, going to and from hotels, packing and unpacking every other day, extra rest to compensate for that extra fatigue... You'll spend half of your awake time doing all that. In other words, reduce the number of destinations.
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Apr 28, 2011 09:24
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http://dustinland.com/archives/archives489.html Here's a neat comic about an American visiting Croatia and Slovenia. I think it's pretty good (as in, correct) except for one glaring mistake. Can you spot it? 
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May 1, 2011 22:54
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You're right about the horse, that makes it two mistakes. You can eat horse meat in Croatia too, although it's very uncommon. I wouldn't know about evading chainsmokers... The mistake I was thinking of is "cafe by the ocean". There's no ocean here, only Adriatic sea. Maybe it's not much of a difference for an American, but nobody here would ever call our sea "ocean", in Croatian or in English.
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May 2, 2011 00:08
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OctaviusBeaver posted:I'm planning on taking a trip to Italy, Austria and maybe Croatia or Slovakia in August. The stereotype of European clubs is that it is mostly Techno. Is that true? If so does anybody know a good way to learn to dance to techno music? Here it is pretty much all hip-hop and occasionally some Lady Gaga or Ke$ha so I have no idea. Techno sounds a lot more danceable though. In Croatia techno was really popular some 10 years ago but even then mainstream tourist clubs wouldn't normally play it. It's always a combination of top40 (dance/house/hip-hop), local music and occasional rock evergreen. But I would anyway suggest getting slightly drunk (to relax) and looking at how people around you dance, instead of breaking into some routine that you copied of Youtube.
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May 8, 2011 11:51
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OctaviusBeaver posted:Yeah now that you put it that way this was probably a bad idea to begin with. In my area dancing in clubs and bars is pretty much grinding and absolutely nothing else (nobody knows how to do anything else), is that how Europe is too? There is no specific name for dancing in the clubs over here, but I would definitely go easy on grinding. If you want to press your crotch against a girl's body, make sure she's really into you and that no guys in her party are watching you threateningly.
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May 8, 2011 18:18
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OctaviusBeaver posted:Haha, ok thanks. I'll just keep an eye on what everyone else is doing first. You said you'll be traveling in August so I recommend Croatia. With its long coast and hundred islands, it's a definite summer destination. That is, if you're at all into swimming, beach parties and other stuff that comes with summer on the Mediterranean coast. And yes, it's cheaper than France and Italy.
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May 8, 2011 19:52
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It would help if you said something about what interests you, how much time do you have, how much money... Rijeka is an interesting city, but more of a port than a tourist place. More docks and shipyards than beaches.
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May 19, 2011 03:06
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blinkeve1826 posted:-I kept seeing in this thread (I read through about 15 pages of it before I posted this) how awesome Barcelona is, but a lot of it seemed to have to do with bars/clubs/drinking/etc. What other kinds of things make Barcelona so awesome? Barcelona: - Football - Las Ramblas - A street full of street performers, fortune tellers, bird shops. This entire part of the city is picturesque and Mediterranean. Watch your back after dark. - Gaudi buildings, park - Sagrada Familia cathedral - great city to walk around, lots of trees, seagulls, cats - friendly Mediterranean atmosphere Meeting locals: Your chances are better in less touristy places (not Barcelona, definitely). Try couchsurfing - there are hosts who can't give you a place to sleep but will have a drink with you. You can even try asking here on SA, I bet at least a couple of Berlin goons exist. If you'd prefer "cold approaching" try to find a common interest. Go see a sport event or a concert that actually interest you and find local fans of the same thing.
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May 24, 2011 22:01
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