HELP! I'm going to Europe, what do I do? - EUROPE MEGATHREAD OWNZONE

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Tourism & Travel > HELP! I'm going to Europe, what do I do? - EUROPE MEGATHREAD OWNZONE

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Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

sweek0 posted:

Pretty much - and the further south/east/rural you go the more this is true.

The part about slower pace in general - yes. Working hours, not so much. Croatia is laid back, but in Zagreb shops close at 8, not 6.30 and a lot of stuff is open on Sunday - supermarkets, shopping malls, bars, bakeries, newspaper stands, fast food joints...

# ¿ Jun 26, 2011 23:20

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 10:11

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

greazeball posted:

Do shops close for lunch? Small shops close for summer holidays? Absolutely unheard of in the US and certain to make some people crazy.

They don't close for lunch and very few really small shops will close for holidays. That's Zagreb - inland and deserted over summer. On the coast naturally nobody closes over summer holidays, that's when they work full steam, 7 days a week often until 9 or 10 pm. They might close in the off-season though.

# ¿ Jun 28, 2011 12:22

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Magic Underwear posted:

My idea right now is to spend a night or two in Ljubljana, then head down to the coast, seeing the cave along the way. Spend a few nights in Piran (? or some other coastal city), but then things get more hazy. I don't really care about Zagreb, but what Croatian coast cities are best? The obvious ones are Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik. I've heard that Pula is nice but it seems like it would be a long trip.

Also, since I have a good bit of time, should I try to get to Sarajevo, too?

Last question: Slovenia and Croatia aren't that well known to American tourists, but am I going to get slammed by European tourists? I miss April, every place was empty...

Coastal Croatia is pretty crowded during summer. Not sure how it compares to Prague though. I go to the islands whenever I can, they are less crowded.

My advice would be not to stay more than a night in Piran, I admit I've never been there but I believe it's rather unremarkable. Instead go to Pula and then take a ferry to Zadar. Then you'll be close to Plitvice lakes, Split and some nice islands so you'll have plenty of options.

# ¿ Jun 28, 2011 22:42

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

And also, it's Maribor, not Mariboi.

# ¿ Jun 30, 2011 15:31

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

goldboilermark posted:

1) I did not receive a stamp on my passport when I entered BiH from Croatia, though I did receive an outgoing Croatian stamp. Will this be a problem when I try to leave the country? The Korean girl I was traveling with did not receive a stamp either. I guess that is a common thing, after looking into on the internet, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with that.

They put stamps at random so no worries there.

# ¿ Jul 29, 2011 09:23

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Just wanted to thank the thread for alerting me to Mostar. Incredible sights - the river, the mountains and of course all these beautiful, war-torn buildings. Amazing and sad town.

# ¿ Aug 9, 2011 19:09

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Cometa Rossa posted:

I will vouch that, on average, the girls are super hot in pretty much all of those countries. As long as you're in big cities many people (younger ones especially) speak at least a basic, conversational level of English.

I have a girlfriend and thus didn't go girl-chasing, and I've heard everything about Eastern European girls' attitudes towards North American dudes - ranging from instant pantie-dropping to complete indifference. A guy I met in Croatia said that the fall of the Eastern Bloc has instilled a new set of values in the younger generation, and money means everything. As long as you were rich, he said, you could pick up any girl in a bar, but being a poor backpacker like I was would just get me laughed at.

This is obviously a gross simplification. I'm a Croat, I have a lot of female friends and acquaintances and I will vouch that you couldn't pick up any of them in the bar by splashing your money around. You could if you were handsome, charming and splashing money but then you don't need the money anyway. But I hang mostly with students and go to "alternative" bars and clubs.

If somebody wants to buy his way into bras, I would advise against Croatia. We're a tourist country and an American on our coast in summer is as rare as a seagull. Instead go to Ukraine and pick an ugly mid-sized town known for nothing special. Soviet-era concrete, men who do nothing but drink, slim blondes desperate for a better life. That's where you want to be.

# ¿ Sep 7, 2011 09:38

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Rolled Cabbage posted:

Hello goons!

For Christmas I'm getting a trip to Europe as a present and would like advice. We would be trying to head out there around the middle of February and money would (mostly) be no object.

My shortlist so far is Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Faroe Islands or Germany.

I really hate clubbing and winter sports (like skiing), so I'm not really interested in places where this is the main attraction. Neither of us can drive, so it has to be somewhere with some kind of public transport. We're both into art, food, bushcraft and metal, but I'm a bit worried about accidentally ending up at a nationalist rally if we go to an impromptu metal concert.

Edit: Also being an arty fart I'd be interested in doing some plein air painting, if anyone has experience of doing this in Northern Europe.

From what I know about metal and nationalism in (most of) Europe, they don't overlap. Don't know much about the Scandinavian scene but still I think you are exaggerating this issue.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2011 23:54

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Ras Het posted:

The overlap would be in Slavic Europe, innit? In Scandinavia the worst you can say about metal socially is that it's hillbilly music.

Not at all. I haven't heard of a single nationalist-metal band in the entire Balkans. In these parts the worst you could say would be that it's music for drunk unkempt teenagers.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2011 01:33

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Croatia fits that description nicely and everybody speaks English. It does get hot and very touristy during summer on the coast so I'd suggest late spring.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2011 00:59

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Saladman posted:

I can't imagine why anyone would travel to Amsterdam for anything other than a flight layover or drug tourism.

I spent six days in Amsterdam and didn't get to do everything I wanted to.

Saladman posted:

Amsterdam has a total of three museums, all of which can be hit in one day (Rijks, Van Gogh, and Anne Frank; all 3 are tiny).

I've visited Van Gogh museum and spent hours there. It isn't tiny unless your point of reference is the British Museum. Who would want to hit three museums in a day anyway?! I guess you are one of the guys who walks through the halls without much stopping, buys a t-shirt and takes a photo outside the building.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2012 17:31

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Comlink posted:

anybody been to slovenia? looking to spend a couple of days in both ljubljana and maribor. thoughts on either?

we like chilling out and touristy stuff in the day, then good food and beer in the night (bars and clubs are cool too).

Maribor is pretty small so I don't know how much can it offer. It is the "European Capital of Culture 2012" which sounds great but I just read that a German journalist recently wrote a disparaging article about the town, how she was disappointed with it. Maribor officials are protesting and claim foul play.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2012 01:35

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Zero VGS posted:

This seems like the best place to ask; my boss has family in Greece and has been getting reamed by sending money through Western Union. He says Paypal imposes limits on how many gifts you can send overseas. Would anyone know a clever way for him to send money to his kids there?

Edit: What about mailing a traveler's check?

I use PayPal to get money every month from the US. They take something like 4%. It isn't marked as gift, though.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2012 23:15

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Schleep posted:

My fiance and I are going to spend the first two weeks of May along the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia for our honeymoon. We've been travelling throughout the world and are excited about planning the day-to-day activities based on what we enjoy doing, but we're looking for some recommendations for "honeymoonish" resorts or hotels around Dubrovnik. The plan is to fly into Zagreb (around $1200 from RDU?) and then hop down to Dubrovnik for another $100. For the first 3-5 days, we want to relax on the beach and sip drinks and generally not have a set itinerary. Maybe some day trips and boat rides to awesome places, but to relieve some wedding stress we just want to be pampered for a few days before we start travelling around and doing more activities.

From there, we'll head north mostly near the coast until we have to head home and we'll fly out of Zagreb. Any recommendations for the trip would be greatly appreciated. And don't leave out romantic recommendations since it is a honeymoon.

Dubrovnik is a good choice. It's not well connected to the rest of Croatia, though. No highway or train, so you'll want to leave it by plane or by sea. I would recommend a ferry to the island of Mljet - park of nature, nice seawater lakes. Good for renting bikes or funny little socialism-era cars. Also island of Hvar - a popular resort, some fancy restaurants and clubs (not sure how many of them will be open in May), very nice old town. Don't know if there is a direct Mljet > Hvar line.

You can't go wrong with coastal towns like Trogir and Zadar (sea organs).

# ¿ Feb 6, 2012 23:40

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Talas posted:

I'm planning to travel to Europe for around two weeks (17 days total) next July. I have two options right now; it's between travelling Paris->Brussels->Amsterdam->Bonn->Frankfurt->Paris or doing Munich->Vienna->Budapest->Belgrade->Zagreb->Munich. Maybe I'll try to visit a couple of cities close to some of those if I have the chance, but I think both lists are good enough.

So, option 1 or option 2? Opinions would be really helpful.

And you will be traveling how? If you can modify the second route I would advise to skip Zagreb for something more interesting - either Sarajevo or some coastal town like Split. Zagreb is all right but it can't offer anything special compared to Belgrade and Budapest.

# ¿ Mar 2, 2012 00:55

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

sheri posted:

We are in the first stages of planning a trip to Europe this fall (early September). We unfortunately only have a week, and we are debating between three options:

1. Spend the week in Iceland
2. Spend the week in France (Paris as our base)
3. Spend 3 days in Iceland and 3.5 days in France

Any thoughts? The more I look at it, the more I think I'd be doing either one a disservice by only staying three days, but I don't know how to decide between the two.

What would people that have been to one or both places do?

This is like me asking you should I buy a dish washer or a computer, without telling you anything about myself and my needs.

But if I still had to give advice, I'd say Paris. While Iceland is unique, there are probably places somewhat similar to it on the North American continent (I'm guessing you are American) but there is nothing similar to Paris.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2012 23:52

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

sheri posted:

Thanks for the insight. I am American (from Wisconsin to be specific).

What draws us to Iceland is the outdoor stuff-- Blue Lagoon, Golden Circle, etc. We are both active, like being outside, love sights, etc. What draws us to Paris and France is probably the same thing that draws most people to France.

Are you aware of, or could you provide, a good six or seven day itinerary for Paris and other parts of France?

Thanks!

I can't but I'm sure other regulars in this thread can. In any case it definitely is better to stay in Paris and find outdoor activities and sights in the region than waste precious time on airports and travel between Iceland and France.

# ¿ Mar 27, 2012 00:50

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Cjones posted:

Sorry, I had a friend who went last year and made a big deal about how differently people dress but after looking at some photos from the university I think he was over-exaggerating it a bit.

My impression from Spain in summer was that the main difference between locals and tourists was that locals wore long pants although it was pretty drat hot. That was downtown Madrid and Barcelona, though.

# ¿ May 8, 2012 20:24

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Alkazard.exe posted:

^^ How much are you looking at spending?
You'll want to stop by Cliffs of Moher, Kilkenny (history, castles, etc). If you like scenery you can do a day trip around the Ring of Kerry, also the Burren area. The Blarney stone/the "park"(I guess that's what you'd call it) surrounding is pretty awesome and a typical must do in Ireland.

If you have money/a week free you can do one of the tours around, as well.

Cliffs of Moher were one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen. Also that place on the coast with hexagonal stone pillars was nice - can't remember the name. Giant's staircase? Giant's causeway?

# ¿ May 23, 2012 01:14

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

All Too Much For Me posted:

My girlfriend and I are inter-railing this Summer.
We're planning on spending a few days each in:
Zagreb, Ljubljana, Budapest, Bratislava, Brno, and Prague.
After Prague, we've got ten days to get to Brussels for the train home. Any must sees in the above cities, or suggestions for our route back?

We're also thinking about using airbnb a bit as it seems like they've got some nice places to stay. Do any goons have any experience with it? (Or any specific hostels/hotels that are good)

Depending on where you're from and when you will be able to travel around Europe again, I would maybe recommend a more varied choice of destinations. This seems like an overly detailed exploration of the ex-communist / Austro-Hungarian area.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2012 11:55

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

It's OK then

but still I'd suggest skipping Zagreb and probably Bratislava in favor of something different like a Croatian coastal town.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2012 17:21

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Entire Croatian coast will be crowded in July.

Maybe Rijeka a little less than other railroad-accessible towns because it's not a typical tourist place. Big XIX century buildings, old factories, very steep coast. No beaches but plenty of interesting sights.

Business, if you can rent a car or a bike, consider inland Istria. Very nice historic villages, great food, picturesque churches... and not crowded.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2012 19:54

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Chikimiki posted:

So I'm planning to do a road-trip with a few friends in ex-Yugoslavia this summer (first two weeks of august), and I wanted to have some advice on our itinerary; so far, it would be:

Zagreb - Belgrade - Guca trumpet festival - Durmitor national park - Sarajevo - Mostar - Split or Zadar, some nice laid-back island(s) - Plitvice lakes national park.

We would spend more or less 1-2 days in every city, but I'm unsure about the time to spend in Zagreb (doesn't seem to be that crazy fun compared to Belgrade), in Sarajevo (seems to be quite interesting but also very small) and about the Croatian coast (loads of places to visit, but also quite crowded and we don't like that).

Is there any place worth checking out over the others, or to avoid? We're looking for more "authentic" experiences, so we'd rather go with Bosnia or a remote Croatian island than with Dubrovnik or Hvar.

Thanks!

I'm gonna give you advice that is so common it should be in the thread title - you are trying to cover too much in too little time. That's 4 countries and 8 destinations plus the islands in 14 days. You will remember the trip for lugging bags over countless bus stations in scorching heat.

Drop Zagreb, Sarajevo and Mostar. Spend a week on Belgrade/Guca/Durmitor and a week on the islands. What's the point of getting to a laid-back island if you have 36 hours before rushing back?

# ¿ Jun 21, 2012 01:04

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Chikimiki posted:

drat, I figured it was feasible, and looking at travel times it is, but we'd be spending several hours per day on the road Thing is, I'm having trouble deciding what to drop, since everything seems very cool and interesting... I guess you're right about Sarajevo (maybe Mostar can be a day-trip from the coast), it's pretty hard to get there and it's also kinda small, too bad it's so loaded with History (big History geeks here)!

So, Croatian coast then. What cities are best to visit? Zadar seems really pretty, and Split historically interesting, but there's also Rijeka and Trogir (Dubrovnik would be too crowded I think). And what about the islands? Korcula and Mljet are full of beautiful forests it seems, how are Vis or the Kornati Islands?

If it's history that you want, drop Guča and Belgrade. People don't go there for history (not saying there isn't history in Belgrade, but it's more of a party destination). Yes, Mostar is small but very interesting. For me very emotional but as a Westerner you probably won't feel it. Still you could spend a night there and make these two trips:

House of the Dervish, a Muslim religious order.
http://www.bhtourism.ba/eng/blagajbuna.wbsp

Daniken-style XX century partisan cemetery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partisan_cemetery_in_Mostar

As for the Croatian coast, if you're coming from Durmitor/Montenegro then Dubrovnik (regardless of the crowds) and a boat to Mljet. If you're coming from Mostar/Bosnia then Split and a ferry to Vis. Kornati are beautiful but barren, not much to do there if you're not on a sail boat. Korcula and Hvar are also nice, full of historical buildings.

# ¿ Jun 23, 2012 02:12

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

transient posted:

Sorry, I don't think I was very clear. I'm more concerned about timing. Turkey is probably the only solid part of my trip and I'd like to add something else in while I'm already in that part of the world (and the plane tickets are free). I've looked into all of those places and would like to go to them all.

Mostly I'm curious about the open jaw part. I've heard that it is difficult to get around over there (by land) so would something like taking trains between Istanbul to Dubrovnik leave me spending a ton of time in the train and less for exploring? Easier to get to Ukraine? etc. If anyone has traveled out of Istanbul towards the rest of Europe I'm interested in things like how they found it and what they did so I can determine how best to use my time.

I don't know what's an 'open jaw' but I know that there's a) no railway reaching Dubrovnik and b) nobody from here (Croatia) ever goes to Istanbul by any means other than plane. Turkey > Greece > Albania > Montenegro > Croatia ... yes that would be a ton of time on train.

# ¿ Jul 31, 2012 19:40

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Bumblebee posted:

My boyfriend and I will be traveling to Malta, Montenegro and Dubrovnik from late October through early November and I'm curious as to what to expect weather-wise in those areas that time of year. I've checked weather sites and such, but I'm getting a wide range of temperatures from them and I'm not sure what to believe. Since you guys are so well traveled and helpful, I thought I'd ask here. Has anyone been to these places in the Fall? Any idea what we should expect? I want to make sure I pack appropriately. Thanks!

Not sure what kind of answer you are hoping for, since you already have weather data. Maybe it will be 10 degrees, maybe 20. Bring a jacket.

# ¿ Sep 7, 2012 08:40

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Is there a web site that tracks discounts and last minute deals for airline fares? For instance, I want to travel from city X to city Y and I want to be notified when the price drops below Z. I'm posting here because I'm primarily interested in European destinations.

Morholt posted:

There's a lot of beach tourism in Croatia, perhaps not so much in October though.

September is considered the vacation month for connoisseurs because the weather is still great and it's already less crowded. October takes it a step further, but you can run into some bad weather.

# ¿ Sep 17, 2012 10:04

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Berlin in early Spring was a miserable experience for me. Not only it was cold but it was loving WINDY all the time. After a couple of days my neck started hurting because I walked everywhere hunched, trying to reduce exposure to wind.

# ¿ Oct 23, 2012 02:15

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Mackieman posted:

Croatia.

Specifically Zagreb and the surrounding area. My wife and I are going with a group of friends in mid January 2013 for the express purpose of drinking beer and seeing what the hell else is in Zagreb. Does anyone have a list of poo poo to do/see or anything else nifty that will be open that time of year?

Yes, here you go:

<end list>

That's probably the worst time of the year to be here. Don't come. I would expect that you have some other motive to travel to Croatia in January of all times, but you say that your express purpose is tourism? With the Christmas shopping and New Year craziness over, you will visit a depressed city that's cold and broke.

But OK I'll do my best... Go hiking on the Medvednica mountain, there will be snow and rudimentary skiing facilities. Take a walk through the old Upper Town, warm yourself up with some cooked wine with cloves. Beer is also popular but local brands are nothing special. The seaside is only a couple of hours drive away, but it will be deserted and windy. Slovenian ski resorts are the same distance away. There's also usual stuff like clubs, museums, January shopping discounts...

# ¿ Oct 25, 2012 18:43

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Mackieman posted:

Heh, I sort of figured as much. My friends and I do this every January at a different European location. First time was Prague, then Salzburg, then Stockholm, and now Zagreb for 2013. We're only there Friday-Sunday, so it's not a ton of time to burn up. While I realize stuff will be closed, my hope is that there is enough open to take up the time not spent drinking.

Any notable bars/pubs and restaurants to check out are welcome as well.

steinrokkan posted:

I think that out of the possible destinations in Croatia, Zagreb definitely isn't the most attractive? Hard to judge how popular seasonal spots (Split, Dubrovnik, etc.) look in Winter, though.

If you went to a seaside destination, like steinrokkan suggests, lots of stuff would be closed. Not Zagreb, though. Everything will be open - it's just that there aren't that many interesting things to see. On the other hand, you've already been to Salzburg which is six times smaller than Zagreb so it won't be any worse.

I recommend Didov San, a restaurant in the old upper town. Interesting food, authentic-looking place, not very expensive. Might want to make a reservation couple of days before you arrive.

My favorite bar is Svijet stripa - a place covered floor to ceiling in comic book characters. Shelves full of comics to pick and read, and every Saturday night excellent acoustic concerts. A relaxing place, not crowded at all.

Tkalciceva street, which connects to the main square, has dozens of bars. My recommendation there would be Cica (read: tzeetza). A great selection of rakija, good music. It's just very tiny, so likely to be full.

# ¿ Oct 25, 2012 23:03

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Styles posted:

In addition you should just get yourself one of these.
http://www.skross.com/product/en/16/Earthed-3-pole/34/World-Adapter-Pro%2BUSB.html

I've had 3 of these for the last 4 years traveling globaling for about 2-300 days a year and have never had a problem. Great thing about it is there is a fuse inside so the adaptor will go before your electronic device does. They are a little pricey but imo they are worth the 40 dollars.

I first saw the ad on the right and thought this is some monstrosity the size of a water heater and that you have to hold it above your head.

# ¿ Nov 13, 2012 07:59

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

eviljelly posted:

Slightly related to the above question and also my question, how is Zagreb for new years eve?

Usually there is a concert on the main square and it's pretty lousy. Last year there were two or three in different parts of the town's centre, going on concurrently. I actually enjoyed it but that was because I was constantly meeting friends. I don't know what will it be like this year but expect a bunch of people walking around. Many bars will be charging entry.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2012 21:34

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Aimee posted:

So, sometime next month, I'm going to Croatia, Serbia, Sweden, and then England.

I have pretty obvious expectations of the latter two but not so much the first two. I have a friend who lives in Zagreb and a friend who lives in Novi Sad... so I will likely be staying in those cities, but I've never been before. I'm going to be in Croatia for probably a month and Novi Sad maybe 2 weeks. Are both of these cities walkable if you're staying near the downtown areas of each? I have friends there who have cars but I imagine for the length I'm staying, I'm going to be doing a fair amount of getting around on my own.

Zagreb is walkable and also has a good public transport system. Not sure what are you going to do for a whole month... You'll probably want to take trips to the coast or Plitvice lakes, which you can do by bus or train.

Chris! posted:

I was just coming here to ask about Croatia, as I'm going for a couple of weeks later in the year, so would love to hear recommendations of specific things to do. I'm mostly interested in trekking and seeing beautiful scenery, so if there are any great things which people can recommend beyond the obvious touristy stuff, I would welcome hearing about it!

You can't go wrong with the coast. The inside of Istra peninsula is known for great food and trekking. For a much less popular option, you can tour the castles of Hrvatsko Zagorje - region north of Zagreb. Many of them are poorly maintained or even deserted so you can have an authentic haunted castle experience. Check out this page.

BTW, here's a blog by an American expat in Croatia. It's funny and insightful and getting quite popular here.

# ¿ Feb 27, 2013 03:14

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Aimee posted:

Oh man. I forgot I even posted in this thread. Yikes. I'm going there just to live. I work remotely/from home so I sometimes just pack up and call somewhere else home for a while. Not really going for touristy sight-seeing... just embracing the culture, maybe I'll get sick of Zagreb sooner though, haha... especially since it seems like it's still kind of snowy there in late March. Awesome haunted castle though.

Snow in late March is rare. According to weather reports, "true spring" will begin next week. If you're up for a drink or need specific help/advice, you can PM me. I've never seen a goon IRL. :ohdear:

# ¿ Mar 17, 2013 15:43

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Aimee posted:

Rare but it happened/is happening! I just got in on Saturday afternoon. Have been staying with a friend who lives here... despite the snow, it's been a really fun learning experience so far. It feels like I'm an alien having peanut butter explained to them... been to other parts of Europe, never to the Balkans. My friend said everyone speaks English, which seems true to some extent, but it feels like people are really put off when they discover the only Croatian I know is simple stuff like "bok", "prostite", and "hvala" haha. I've been keeping journals of everything but there's just so much I'm taking in that it's impossible to write it all down

I'm always game to meet fellow goons. I'll send you a PM!

I'm really enjoying the blog! Having said that out loud I'm gonna send you some PM comments as this thread seems to be more about travel technicalities than culture discussion.

# ¿ Mar 30, 2013 00:00

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Kolta posted:

when I get to the Vienna International Airport and want to take a bus to my hotel, how do I go about doing this?

You approach the tourist information desk or the bus company desk.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2013 11:04

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

How much fun can you have in Paris in rainy spring, without much money and without knowing the language? I wasn't particularly interested in it but I have a chance to stay with a friend (not a local) for free for a week. I'm a generalist, so interested in some culture, some partying, some food, etc.

Maybe I'm crazy (it's Paris!), maybe I'm tired of traveling, maybe the constant rain here is making me depressed. I just don't feel like waiting in long lines under umbrella to pay �� to be let into Notre Dame / Eiffel Tower / Louvre...

# ¿ Apr 5, 2013 16:42

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

Tonton Macoute posted:

Would Rijeka make a good base to explore Croatia for a week from?

Yes. You have Istra peninsula on the west, Brijuni islands, Pula amphitheater. Losinj and Krk islands on the south. Plitvice Lakes are not far either and you can even visit the capital if you feel like it.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2013 15:55

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

WYA posted:

I want to take a ferry from Split to Italy, preferably a town close to Rome. What's a good way to do this? Online booking? The sites I've looked at are unintuitive as gently caress. Can I just walk up and get a ticket reliably?

In the middle of my Europe trip right now. Been to Berlin, Prague and Budapest. Budapest is loving amazing had to stay here past my plan. Prague sucked a bit. Berlin was also awesome.

I think ferries from Split go to Ancona only. The only other line I've heard of is Split - Pescara but it's not available at the moment.

# ¿ May 24, 2013 22:37

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 10:11

Doctor Malaver: May 23, 2007; Ce qui s'est pass� t'a rendu plus fort

WYA posted:

I'm in Split right now and all I've been doing is drinking my face off night and eating gelato by the sea during the day. Am I doing this right? I'm at the tail end of my trip and sort of don't give a drat about trying to be touristy anymore.

You can visit one of the islands. Hvar is nice and Vis is exotic although the ferry ride is long.

# ¿ Jun 2, 2013 11:34

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Tourism & Travel > HELP! I'm going to Europe, what do I do? - EUROPE MEGATHREAD OWNZONE

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